The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-12-25
TOLD ON SAN JUAN HILL.
PRIVATE SETEN5PoT BEGINs
HISTORY or HIS NAME.
Rescue of Private siSspot's Plug Hat from
n Rosewood Piano-A Wooden Leg Put

IRnIlnR. MY regiment was canlUeu on San
Juan Hill. The companies we're doing two
hour tricks in the intrenchments. When my
company wasn't in the trenches we lounged
about under a tree Just below the crest OF the
hill. It was a place OF comparative safety. al
though you could hear the bullets singing and
occasionally clipping twigs in the tree over
head. II n man persisted In standing up the
chances in favor OF his sudden demise were
very considerable. II he was satisfied TO lie
down. about his only danger was from ricochet
bullets that had hit a tree branch. We were
too close TO the Spanish to get the drop shots;
they fell further to the rear and now enable the
skulkers graphically to describe the leadeu
hailstorm at San Juan"
was satisfied to lie down. The little book
that they give to each private in the army
advises the men when in active service
TO tako Just as much rest rs possible. in a re-
clininE position. / was q volunteer. but l
was following this advice when Sevenspot'
from the 'Steenth Infantry marched up and
Topped down beside me. He grunted Howl
and. in strict compliance with Idaho etiquette.
l grunted Howl" back at him both sort Of
indiferently, which is also proper.
Sevenspot and l had struck up a friendship
back at Siboney. That was the hottest town
1 ever ran across; also the dryest. / started
on n hlibustering expedition for something
drinkable and met Sevenspot. In combined
thirsts there is strength. so we joined forces.
1 furnished the cash and Sevenspot the aplomb.
In the outskirts of the hamlet we discovered
n lonely hut that looked like a frontier tavern.
Tho grounds around It we're Uttered with beer.
porter and wine bottles. l occupied a position
in the perspective while Sevenspot charged
the hut. When he fell back crestfallen on my
position in the rear he told me about it.
"Whin l thoomped on tn dure av tn hoot."
he explained. "a tathered Guiana KEN an
opened it. Had ye hoong tn clothes that
were on him to a clothesline an thin Tucked at
tn shadow. shure you'd thought twas a sieve.
l explained PLAT l desoired an dishplayed tn
soin an chinked it in me nsht. But tn haythin
Guiana list talked his forrin doggerel an shuck
his head. Thin / picked up wan av tn impty
BOTTLES an pointed down tn orifce av it an
thin down me scorchin' throat an at me bis
thered BOWLS. An thin I waved tn bottle
round me head an danced a jig. list to show tn
haythin how foine I'd fale with a ball in me
sun-cured insoides.
But the yellow pagana jist scowled an
pinted to his bare shoulders phere an officer
wears his straps an waved me off tn prim-
ises. Twas thin 1 retoired. depinding on you
to support me in tn event av hostilities. Shure,
It's a quaro country, phere You distinguish
an officer from a privit or a civilian because a
privit has wan leg to'his trousers, a Captain a
patch to his. n Colonel an undershirt full av
holes an a civilian no clothes at all. at all.
But. officer or no officer. sayin' with his
own eyes me deplorable condishun from
drooth. he moight have given he a drink an
decloined tn money with dacint scorn. Shure.
list luck at me and say av tn haythin's heart
is not as coold as Privit Finnigan's foire?"
AND how cold.'' 1 ask ed. was Finn-gan's
flre?"
"'Twas at. tn barricks." replied Sevenspot.
at Spokane. phere you exercise all th' sum-
mer to kape warrum in tn w~inther-splittin'
foirewood. Wan coold day Privit Finnigan
implied a boockit av wather on a shate av ice.
'Shure.' seq he. a-luckin' at tn smoke. twill
be a foine blaze whin it gets well starthed.'"
Sevenspot. of course, was just "a nickname.
Bat it was the name my friend had given me
and the one he was called by in his own regi-
meDt. However. friendship cements RAPIDLY
in active service at the front. and | thought
ours had progressed to a point where l might
make INQUIRIES.
Spot" / asked. how in thunder did you
get your nickname?"
Spot scratched his head and looked off across
the San Juan Valley,
Ills a long story. y he said. 1T KEN through
was called Sixspot. He's did now. God rst
hi. owl!
He we Wouldn't Tehe h aSasdm R #. for ry Wsre S nv pmrs
pity, an he were thot tinder-h hearted he could
ut refuse a drink ayen to himsili-but ay
German princhipaltty. single-handed an ne
he!p,in,:
first, bunkies. Shure. it's n good town for n
soldier, with plinty .ay drink an singin' an,
gin dayler there. with a black south av-Oire- |
land face on him an a Darkroom an II pee
"Av coorsc. re know. thot it's aginst tn reg
ilayshuns for a privit to wear o%nythinE hut his
uniform whim he's out on permit for a Goople
he may wear civilian clothes, Bcin' a voIun-
teer, .ye don't know that a soldier always has
which he's stayshuned. Shure. mo bye. whin !
u man p 6 5fhes ont III : e tex i{t a m ilIiSn M he dSq't
Me bunkie. SiXspot. had a foine civilian
sHu 4 f RI, 2 in p'SSS SSk "n' '0R%S aHS DAY at We IN w HG"5 iS
til. tow on permit TO wonst. Twas tn dav |
aither tn, naymaster; SiYspot nnt on his
boys. We wint {, Casey's. -,
Casey was tn bIackguard with tn back
room an tn pee-an-nPy, He'd been a rail-
roader an had an axe. loike ye say .hoonE M
i ii IN az ip t. Ha' h s$a' s:, %5tG e Eea ar Paint idnSi9 %. t r.
wall ,ar his back room. with n soign thot read.
about the time .whin he lost his first taytR.
he; S Sonf0 idea in some ZONE woman an, told her
kaypers would walk round a block to kape
WIN clAsDOL. an J. KUN IN -tneTP were n |
foine gur-r-r! dom yolleys an thin foirln'-at-
will an sich like on tn pee-an-nay. Me hunkie
goes into tn back room an looks at her with
an insinooatin' eye. .Sixspot had tn efrron-
thery av n Govermint inspector condimin'
cavalry oats an thin huyin' thin In at Cover
mint auction. He sthrutted M an putt his
ploog hat on tn top ay tn pee-an-nay., Thin
he crosses his fate, koind ay gentale loike an
seq he, Ills a foine day, this noight!'
TIL gur-r-rl said she thought so, too. an
sort Az smiled like. Thin they whit over an
sat by a table an, DR.; rinked an talked Afther
a while me Dunkle,S lNSpOt, Wint to tn Dpe-nn-
nay, for his ploog hat. Me bunkie took hould
NV his ploog hat an sort ay lookin' from tn
corner ny his eve. to say that nh gur-r-rl were
observin' his fashionable like tactics with The
hat, he lifted nj IL; Thin he lifted again. this
tonne lookin' hard at tn hat. Thin he looked
in tn inSoide av tn hat an lifted har-r-rd.
But tn hat niver boodGed, Thin he putt his
finger on tn top av tn pee-an-nav an Tucked
at It. Shure an, twas fresh vanished.
+" Casey SEE he.
Casey was in III barroom an he KEN out.
Casey SEE Sixspot. your domned ould
ratthlebang aY a pee-Hl-nay has gone an
stoock itsilf TO me foine silk ploog hatthot cost
me twilve dollars lasht wake
- sAA.. wanna , -. -. ia $500. l---