The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-08-16

awake With few others It is not so.
Thoughts and shadowy faces come
troopng through the brain criving sluin-
Der from the eye In crowded city.
hedced by walls of brick, where devils
blink and Toll and lcer and laugh and in
long rows the glasses clink, one cannot
think. But here beneath the skies, where
the camp is silent and the stars look
down through the darkness, bright as
angels eyes, one finds time to think.
Fancy roams to absent ones. it may be,
and somehow through the night, it does
seem prayer has come from home, with
love aglcam. Mayhap It's pretty face,
pictured on mcmory's wall How well
remembered each line ana curve The
oval face with its frame of fluffy hair,
the fair cheek, the ruddy lip, the shell
like ear. the pcarly teath. Who has rot
known the lovers story? But less gentle
thoughts prop wide your great glowing
eyes and make those pale temples throb
with excitement. For them ambition
pants Il picture of honor pluckcd from
the lannon's mouth or fortune won in
Il foreign land.
If men always had SUCH thoughts as
these they would do the right. Slowly
into siumber and needed rest. and not
until the morning do the white heans
out there on the plains stir again. Re-
yclle brings the camp to life, and soon
the round of labor begins again. The
i,cn must he kept busy. Every eXerti0o
improves their physical condition
males disciplined soldiers of them
W ithout plenty to do men become rest
less. ouarrelsome and disconnected. Even
with plenty of hard work and thorough
drilling the troops here have become
sore and quarrelsome. But along with
tie Sighting spirit they lave developed
Il Tough leg and Il firm muscle. If they
ercr set in Cuba they will prove a very
qua2rclsomc army Of high-stcppcrs.
And yet with all their duties of guard
and drill and parade these sodiccs have
not had such Il hard time of If. They
are up at $50 o'clock in the morning and
b" $3.50 all drill duties Of the day are
donc-cXcept on dress parade days.
Guard mount is at $3.50 and after tina,
those not on guard can do pretty much
as they please so they behave them
selves. Coming back from drill they
usually battle, wash clothes, road, tel
stories, play cards and lie around Ill
their tents. pretty much rs if they had
been thrown in by the heels. Occasion
ally one sees Il fellow seated at the foo:
of pine engaged in writing home. bur
most of them reserve this solemn cerc-
mony for Sunday, and many OF them
shy ut the pen on all occasions, rarely
writing letters to anybody.
There are about $4,000 soldiers III
camp mt Jacksonville. Uncle Sam sees
that they are we'll fed and well cared
for. If they are not somebody has criml-
naly neglected his duty. To insure their
getting three square meals Il day the
Government issues to these soldiers
daily $4,000 loavcs of bread, twelve tons
of meat and 1000 bushels OF potatoes.
1t costs over $4,000 a day to feed the
men in camp here. The North Carolina
troops now have every article of cloth
ing and equipment they can possibly need
on Il campaign.
General Burt is soon 10 take his brig
AIDE the First North Carolina, Second
Illinois and Second New Jersey regi-
ments) on IA practice march to Pablo
Beach and return. About a week WY
he spent in camp at the beach This
will be a very valuable drill for the mcn
FRED. l.. MERRITT.