The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1899-01-05
HIS LAST FAVOR.
BY HOFSnAN ATKINSON.

THEY were decidedly a dirty pair
of men. don't know that they
were dirtier than the rest of us, but
they were not the sort of fellows their
mothers would have talked to for five
minutes without suggesting soap.
You see, when life becomes matter
of lying down at night, If you are lucky
enough not to be on guard or picket
duty, wherever your company line may
happen to be, and that without refer
ence to the weather or the condition of
the ground; and Of getting up at day
light and scrambling for tin cup Of
field-made coffee, with some flintllike
crackers, and, perhaps, a small chunk
of salt fat pork and thon of falling in
and marching all day 10 similar camp
ing ground, with the same kind of
morning following 1t, opportunities
tor making careful toilettes are few
and fur between.
When we came into the service. we
carried knnpsacks filled with changes
of underclothes, and socks, and Bibles,
and daguerreotypes Of grandma. and
lot Of other elegancles. Not only did
they cut on the collar bone like the
mischief, but they were thing OF
scorn to the real soldier. Later, we
laughed in our dirty philosophy as we
remembered the pangs we felt at toss.
ing them over the fence, when the
whole regiment threw them away and
set their teeth tight for that awfully
long days march, ending with a fight.
OF course there were breaks in this
marching all day and sleeping In the
dirt at night. Occasionally we fought
generally on Sundays; Heaven knows
why-and sometimes we had a few days
in one resting place, when the fellow
who owned a piece Of soap, II he were
wise, u-sd It before lending it. Then
there were bllssful days when we could
get under shelter in some deserted
hOuss OF outhouse; bnt, of course. the
officers usually got these plums in the
pudding. Still, to be fair about it. the
officers had, taken as n class, to put Up
with pretty much what was going IN
the west.
So that explains why nay two COM
rRdss were dirty. One of them, the
Younger, was farmers son who had
been q fresh ia ced, rather chubby lad
when he Joined us; bue he was pretty
lean by the fall Of 80, and, instead of
round, pink cheeks, he had fiat, tan.
ta- Ia t,I =;
with. his chum and partner" was. per-
haps, 80 years old.
He had been a frequent wanderer.
md, l fancy, a shiftless ne'er-do-well.
A smattering OF every known trade was
his. and sublime impudence which
made him quito equal to Offering to
build cathedral or repair chronome.
ter. They were not bad types Of volun-
tssr soldiers, although their uniforms
wsrs muoh the worss for wear Wear
in campaigning means mod ard grease,
to ny nothing Of rents and burned
hoiss. Tho atsrltion Of gsnteel poverty
doesa't show on privats's uniform.
They were sitting on low bank
made BY tho road. and tho younger man
was frettlng at his ungsinly shoe and
sore place on the ankle where tho sharp
edes OF the coarss, unbound army
heather had badly chsfed the stocking
less skin, and made every step cause
him the greatest psia.
II wish ! could 90 barefoot, like |
used 10 whom I was boy" he srowied.
"I'd feel better, and travel better"
just then the buslss along the
brigNie sounded Attention" and the
soldier slouehsd into their regular COL
umn formation, and stood awaiting Or
ders. The mules in the wagons tngled
their chainA a. they moved. against the
collar
Forward" and the struggling.
weary march began again. tho men in
front keeping pretty oven pace, but
thoss in the rear having short, vexa-
tious halts every time hill, patch Of
bad mud, or other obstacle rolled the
ranks back on them; tiny halt waveit
would be at first, but it would grow
larger and larger in proportion to the
length Of the column of soldiers.
If an infantryman hates and despises
anything on the march, it is cavalry
man. Apart from the aggravation Of
seeing fellow-soldier carried on a
horse, there Is the irritation Of having
to crowd half off the road to let troop
er pass In cloud Of dust; and the poor
devil with his musket, his blanket
rolled diugonally across his body, his
canteen, hnversack, and other burdens.
sees lazy lonfer in the trooper who
carries nothing Of weight and makes
rood .irnc with no greater exertion