Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1898-09-01
REC0LLECTIONS OF MY FIRST DAY
AT CAMP THOMAS.


waving a candle in my countenance
l was frightfully scared and thoughr
it might be Don with a search light,
or a moonshiner peddling dewey
drops" sis there a supernumary in
| this tent?" he thundered. l told him
there were none. / didn't know what
supernumary was, any way. Striking
a light and turning to my book found
that Q. M. Little did not issue any
thing by that name to me. laid wide
| awake the next hour wondering why he
thought l was sleeping with super.
numary and what he wanted it for at
that late hour ia the night
400 a. m.-Found me sleeping
soundly in the tender embrace of Nor.
pheus, when a 'shsh' in No. d began
to practice on a Cornet. l looked at
my watch, that is how l know it was d
o'clock. Before the ''fsh' could get
his cornet warmed up whole drum
corps north of Battalion street broke
into the game in gallop. l was anx-
ious to know what was the matter and
turned out to put on my clothes and
stepped on fellows foot. Some one
yelled fresh fish" and told me it was
the first call for revellie. could not
cornet and drums, but 1 accepted the
information and returned to Morpheus.
4:45 a. MI awoke with a start.
Everybody was hustling around in
Father Adam style. I was sure the
camp was on fire. The first sergeant
began to call names. By the time I
bad got my head through the slot in my
shirt / heard him say "Levison, {"
and then Levi Levison." That is me.
Then he bawled out "police duty"
wondered, then, what he could mean
by calling for the police in an army
camp.
$40 a. m.-The clarion voice of the
first sergeant again rang out 'faIl in
for mess" They don't have breakfast
in the army. l stood in line for fifteen
minutes awaiting my turn and then all
/ got was pint ofbIack coffee, boiled
potato, one finger of sow bosom and
two hard tacks. All of which got in
a tin cup, or on a tin plate. Of course
soldiers should not expect Uncle Sam
to furnish decorated China plates. Pos.
sibly they would get broken On one of
those ten mile. double quick practice
marches. But didn't like the way
the cook scowled when asked for the
cream and sugar. He just squinted
and said: fresh fish," l suppose
Gen. Blanco has cut off the expectation
of sugar. But don't know who could
have run corner on the cream.
e:I5 a. m.-"Fall in for sick call"
was the next number on the first ser
geants program. That is especially
for me, thought. l was sick-sow
belly and l were never friends. But.
when l recalled the narrowing stories
l had heard and read about army doc.
tors concluded that l didn't have any.
thing that needed amputation, or lane
ing, or swabbing. I consulted an al.
manac and saw 1t was hardly time.
When the boys returned from the hos.
pital they said alum and sugar pills
was all they got. l wish had the alum
to make the diuientions of my stomach
conform to the bulk of my ratIons, and
the pills would be Just the thing for my
coffee.
"a. m.-Comfortably settled down to
read the Chattanooga Daily Times and
attend to my correspondence. You
j''st bet your money that I'll write my
sweetheart nice-"Fall in for CON-
pany drill Great whales and Grover
Cleveland! / didn't know Uncle Sam
hustled his nePhews out so early.
thought all soldier had to do was to
scrub his teeth, curry his mustache,
polish his shoes and fix up for dress
parade so visitors could see what fine
army our Uncle Sam had. But knew
Sam ever roped in and fed on noiseless
beans and salt peter ed bread and may
be ''cap" needs me to give him few
pointers on how to drill the company, so
l fell in.
o:3o a. m.-Creamery Caesar, how
they put US through! 1t was "Fours.
right" "Fours, rightabout." "Fours
right. column right" son right into
line. fright front into line" My,
but looked grand. even if 1 did get
called down pretty often. l know he
is jealous of me, because when he said
fright dress" everybody turned his
eyes toward me. But l was modest
about it and looked straight ahead
when the old granny thundered ''front"
and made everyone look out to the
front where he was. If didn't have
more style and courtesy than he has
would quit the army.
10 a. m. The fellow with the cornet
has broken out again. "Thars fatigue
call" says the fellow ''who knows"
"That just fits me-" ! said. "I'm just
petered out and can enjoy long rest. ~
Ali the boys laughed. These soldiers
laugh at everything. When they got
through laughing corporal came up
and said was on I.noiice finfv', for NOT