The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-01-30
A SOLDIER IN CUBA.
lie Writes to one of His Little Girl
Friends of His Life There.

The soldiers Of the Seventh Army Corps
made good many friends while they were
in Savannah. All the friends they made
were not grown folks Some We're little
girls and boys. These little folks have
warm places in their hearts for the absent
soldiers. The following are extracts from
a letter received from an officer of the
! Fourth Virginia Regiment by one of the
sweetest little girls in the city-Aiiss Ger
trude Jones:
Camp Columbia, Jan l9.-Your letter
| reached me a few days ago. We have
| had rough experience about the mails,
| but now letters go with fair regularity. l
suppose that the time viii soon come when
everything will move forward as if this
was one of the states. Some day it may
be a great state but that is far in the
future.
50 far. like Cuba but this is my
| winter opinion. Perhaps the long rainy
| season. in the spring. the long hot term
| and 1.-The sickness that walketh in the
MONDAY" may make changes in my pres
ent opinion. l know by .ong experience
tnat we cannot see only part OF thing
| and pronounce wisely on the whole This
| has proven to be our best camp. l mean
| by that the place where we have most
| health, and are best cared for. / do not
| mean that we have the best time, but the
| best weather for a winter camp. The
! savannah girls, and people, captured our
regiment, and we look back with sigh
TO the happy hours spent in your homes
| l think a good many Georgia girls viii
some day become Nirginians.
1 wish you could see the little Cuban
| boys, who lived on raw meat when We
| came. They are fat and fine. One was
sick with fever for several weeks. We
used to take him food and medicine. one
day l passed his place and he was gone.
| A few days after l rode by to see that
he had the necessary food, and his
little face beamed with JOY. He had
| picked up a few words. He ran up 10 me
and took my hand and said, Well
Thanks" They are all three looking first
| rate. Sometimes / see as many as twenty
! standing around the messes waiting for
scraps We haul the sops from the kitten
| en- about two or three miles and throw
| them out in a field AT the time the
wagons reach the waste heap Cubans
| gather along with the buzzards and they
| sort over the refuse matter, take all they
| want and then give the buZzards what
| they leave. There is still a great deal of
| poverty and want in the island, but as the
| spring advances they will soon get on
| their feet. This is a rich country This
| year they are raising their fourth crop of
| corn. There is some fruit to help them
| out, and vegetables are easy TO raise.
| The army is leaving great deal of mon
ey in the island and it is helping the poor
| who are willing to work or traffic They
| can sell at a fancy price everything they
can raise. Their ponies have gone from
| SIS to SIS in a few weeks. A good pony
| fairly good looking, and easy under the
saddle will bring $780, They are worth
about 500 You mentioned the fact that
| there are some red ants in Cuba. 1 was
much entertained about two weeks ago by
! what was taking place on my writing
| desk. 1t was about II o'clock at night,
| and something that ants like must have
| been put on the desk, for I saw about
| twenty little red men march up and form
pretty fair line. Just behind
| them came three or four
much larger ants with large heads, and
strong pinchers. They gave some orders,
no doubt, and the slaves went on at a very
quick step, got what they wanted and
off the whole business went, slaves and
masters. They kept that up for over an
| hour left them working when l went
| to bed. The large ants make raids, cap
ture the eggs of the weaker races, hatch
them out and work the
| little ants, just as intelligently
as slavery was conducted In the
South. Small red ants are scouting about
my desk all the time. but I seldom see the
overseers. 1 think l win get a piece of
cake. and watch them remove a part of it
| every night I have three pretty Lizards
| pick them up, but one does not object 10 it
| very much. They often get on my desk
| and watch me at my work. I have named
| them after three mule drivers in the regi-
ment. "Grasshopper'' is little keen look
| ing fellow who can jump nearly a yard
| at time l did not know that Lizards
ever took this sort of exercise untn came
to Cuba, but they know their business
| here. The next one I call "Cocksparrow, "
| he holds up his head so high. and when
any stranger comes in my tent he gets ex-
| cited, raises himself on all-fours. and sticks
out a little fold of red skin under his throat
| as much as three-quarters of an inch long.
| Poor little Few Clothes has lost an
inch off of his tail. and looks
very weak-but he is my best lizard be-
cause he loves me best. would divide
my last piece of bread with poor little
Few Clothes - He has such a pitiful look
out Of his sad little eyes | think he must
be one of the escaped "reconcentradoes.' -
| also have two fine tree frogs" who
| live in my tent. When l light my lamp
they sometimes jump on the desk. and
look with wondering eyes at the bail Of
| fire. Once in a while they get on the
sheet of paper which I am using They
are very gentle, and their eyes are lovely.
| When men cannot get their wives and
| children to love. and their sweethearts 10
talk love TO, they take to dogs, goats,
frogs, Lizards and birds. We must nave
| SOtuetniiiS " loNes anu SOAHetHlhS TO love
us Yesterday l was talking "baby talk"
| TO Few Clothes and he enjoyed il very
much. 1t is cold and stormy to-day, end
! suppose my pets are afraid to turn out.
1 am glad you have little rabbit to love.
You must call him The Chaplain" Be
tween the rabbit and the skates your
| time will glide away very fast and you
| will soon find yourself a young lady in
society Always throw your influence on
the side of purity, and truth, and your life
will not be a lost life; but your example
for good must be felt.