Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-05-26

The few recruits who are added a.
Wei as several of the older ones. wht
are still raw, have to bear lots o.
joking from the seasoned men,
\ man VINO has enlisted since tn.
regular bhunties We're paid, expresses
MS desire for cash His comrades tel
him he can get it at a certain officers
quarters. Rebuffed there, he is sent
to some more distant place. One mar
last night chased around to at least a
ooZen officers tents, including post
headquarters, down to the railroad
station just too late to catch the pay
master who took that train-as his
guide told him-before he found an Off
Ger whose reply quickly let light into
his ordinarily clear intellect.
y captain was surprised one morning
early by the appearance of a new man
at his quarters, equipped with half a
dozen lemons and bar of soap while
a majority of his comrades stood in the
background. at the head of the COM
pany street.
What is it?" asked the CAPTAIN.
Eve come to fix your tent pole" was
the prompt reply.
The captain withdrew into his tent.
Under the direction of one of the old
men. the recruit then proceeded to rub
down the front tent pole with SOAP an i
lemon. He allowed" that it was a
most ridiculous operation but he was
solcmnly assured that it had to be done
once q week to keep the pole from rot
ting. And a recruit is here to learn,
not to question.
Another recruit was stationed in the
street leading out to the sinks. taking
the names Of all who went by him
Nearly the whole camp showed up, and
he must have exhausted the paper sup
ply i'll the quarters of the jokcrs.
During Tuesdays storm a novice APP
Piled at the quartermasters dcpar,-
| ment for macintosh and an UNI
brella.
Again. three recruits We're posted al
3 O'Clock by their comrades as sentinels
between the company tents and the
guard line. All went well till one of
them challenged a regular sentinel.
! IN J, ic CHI
Regular-"Hait! Who's there?"
Recruit-"Halt yourself"
Regular-"Get out of here"
acknowledgement of the guard No.
! 81"
acknowledgement Of the guard, No.
/ 10."
Recruit-"You give the countersign. "
Regular advances at charge bayo-
nets: recruit assumes defensive and
calls again for the corporal Matters
are growing serious when the regulars
corporal arrives and after sharp
maneuvering gets the recruit to the
guard quarters. There the recruit tries
to make charges against the regular
sentinel. The officer of the guard cuts
him short and send him to his quarters
seeing through the joke.
One man obeyed an order to go VI
and put out the colonel's light at taps
another started in TO eXtinguish al
lights in the enlisted mems tents at :
O'Clock.
The act of mastering troops in ths
regular army consists in the Officer
reading the oath of allegiance to thu
United States from the Army HesulG-
tions Ghe "blue book" the army call:
iD, and each man, raising his rish
hand, swcars to defend them from enc
mics and be loyal. A captain, speak
ing to a young woman of this cere-
mony, said:
Think of hearing 5000 men swear
MY goodness, Captain" she cx-
claimed shocked beyond measure
how frightfully demolalzing."
stlc tHlltIiiy tuDh9i III IL Iii' a.
swearing of different sort, and nobody
undeceived her. If that young woman
had her way she would probably or
ganize societies for clcvating ths
morale Of camps
"All yc who enter here leave all nope
| behind" was the sign a man had al
ready to post upon his mess house
door before he heard of the arrival oil
the fresh meat, Monday night.
and that's no merry jest" he said
"VVhen we first went upon the army
rations / had to shut my eyes anf
swallow hard, or | couldn't eat thing
DO YOU remember Huck Finn saying t
Tom Sawyer that he'd got so used t'
eating his victuals all mixed up as ne
took them from the scrapings Whicf
\,l.Jj a. % Luncheon