, 1898-08-08
WHY HE ENLISTED.

AS the recruits commenced to scatter
around in the shade the journalist and
the Hancock volunteer proceeded toward
the headquarters of the colonel of the
regiment. After the salutations had
been exchanged before the tent of the
commanding officer the volunteer adj
dressed the colonel, saying, "Cap'n, if
you need any more of Hancock county
boys I'll get'm for you"
IF they're all as fine looking physical
specimens as yourself, " the colonel an
swered jovial!y, I'D like to have a
whole army of item. Our regiment will
be filled up in a day or SO, but I'll let
you nov in time"
After they had left the quarters of
the colonel and were stretched upon tho
grass in the shade the newspaper man
took occasion to put his favorite ques-
ton, "Why do you enlist?" Sometimes
this question ELECTS an outburst of pa
triotic ardor which fills the air with
stars and stripes and eagles, sometimes
(most frequently it calls forth a hard
luck story, which paints in glowing
colors the virtues of the victim, but on
this occasion the answer was merely,
"Well, l have nothin to lose" But"
protested the newspaper man, there's
no telling how long you'll have to be
from home, and there's no mar that will
q the same interest in running your
plantation that you do, for l presume
you are n farmer"
"That's true, sir; that's true" was
his deliberate response, "but you see
things amt just az they was. Before
Mary left 1 took interest in everything,
but now-I jes' turnt the farm over to
a couple Of fellows an thought l
nights we'll to come to the front an
fight for my country. I'm "a years old,
an l amt never done nothin but farm,
an I thought I'd take a little fightin
in nine jes' at this stage"
Here a forced smile played over his
rugged, careworn features. The CORE
spondent wished to follow the clcw
just thrown out about the dcsertion of
Mary, but didn't know just how to pro-
coed. "Well, l don't want to discourage
your patriotism, - he said, 'but you're
giving up the peaceful leisure of rural
life for the dangers and excitement of Il
campaign in which disease is as much
to be feared as Spanish bullets"
stranger" said the volunteer,
"that's jes' it. From the way you talk
bout peaceful leisure 1 see you amt
never lived in the country. Farmin's q
good thing if a mans got money or don't
mind workin, an l don't, but that
x,n ;nct xl, 1pI,,1, trn,IJn I',rn
now when l think of it that if l had a
had more time to make her happy she'd
q been contented to stay, but it seemed
to mo we was married at the busiest
time of the year, an then aftorward it
looked like 1 had jes' as much to do at
all times. l always had to look after
the milkin at daybreak, an then be-
sides the regular work there's enough
chores and the like to keep n fellow
hustlin all the time. Even on rainy
days there's harness to mend an such.
But, friend, P" and here his face bright
ened up until it was radiant with the
recollection, "if 0 could have seen
thai little wife of mine in tho dairy
you'd a seen the prettiest sight you ever
saw. In a little speckled calico, skim
min the milk an washin the crooks,
singin the whole time, jes' as happy as
q lark. She looked like a little pink
rosebud. Sometimes it seemed to me
she was more like a angel than a wom-
an. But l beg your pardon, sir" he
concluded, refilling his pipe, ''you said
you wanted to meet all the Hancock
boys here, an Iguess I'd better go make
you 'quainted with 'em stead of tellin
you all my personal affairs. which isn't
the right things to tell to strangers"
This sudden halt in the narrative III
noyed the journalist, who had inter
viewed woman ~suffragists, heard the
confessions Of criminals, synopsized the
prayers Of ministers and even invaded
the sanctity Of the home for the purpose
Of publishing to the world the secrets of
private life. The story had somehow
placed him in that supersympathetic
condition from which tact takes flight;
but, s%ummoning the little skill which
remained, he determined to make the
man lay bare his heart.
"No," he said, "don't apologize for
anything you say to me. I'm interested
in it all. When n man is manly and pa
tIlOtlC, lib liz 10 AWAY iAtclCsehiS W
me. We all have our sorrows, and it's
q relief to tell them occasionally. Did
you say your wife is NO longer with
your"
laundering as this speech may seem
to q mind which seeks and finds hidden
motives, it was sufficient to satisfy the
simple son of Hancock county, so he
continued:
Eyes, sir. it's I'VE three months since
I saw her. Understan, now, l amt
blamin her at all. She was young an
pretty an full of life, an SO I'd jes' rath-
or to think Of it all as a big mistake.
For a little time after we was married
she seemed to be happy, but then l no.
ticed that she didn't pear to take the
same interes' in things. 1t was jes' aft
er she had spent the day at Sulphur
Springs with a lot Of yourg folks. l
drove her over there to a picnic II
mornin an then com for her in the
evenin. There were a dozen or more
girls there an several young men from
the cities, but there warn't none of EN-
could touch her when it comes to looks.
She seemed to enjoy bein with 'em SO
much that l couldn't help kinder standin
-nund an lookin on for awhile. but then
hurried on back, for l had a lot of
hoein to look after.
"Well, Sir, I was the proudest man
in the world when I went back there