The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1899-03-01
tell me what the riddled tunic recalls


tell me what the riddled tunic recalls
to YOU"
Except for the two absinthes, I doubt
if he would have spoken, for he looked
at me timidly, almost suspiciously.
Suddenly, with great effort, he be-
gan:
swell, then, here goes for the story;
I can trust you; you will tell me frank
ly, on your honor, if you think my con-
duct excusable. Where shall 1 begin :?
All, / CAN'T give you the other mans
surname, for he is still living, but
will call Kim by the name he went I'M
der in the egiment-Dry-Je an-and he
deserved it, with his 12 drinks at the
stroke oi noon.
He was sergeant in the Fourth of
the Second, my regiment, good fight
er, but fond of quarrel and drink-all
the bad habits of the African soldier;
brave as a bayonet, with cold, steel
blue eyes and d rough red beard on his
tanned cheeks. When 1 entered the
regiment, Dry-Jean had just reenlist-
ed. He drew his pay and went on a
three days spree. He and two compan-
ions of the same kidney rolled through
the low quarters of Algiers in cab,
flying tricolor bearing the words:
1t won't last forever 1t did wind up
with knock-down fight at Moor
ish woman's dive. She got kick that
did her up, Dry-Jean a cut on the head
from a tringlo that nearly finished him,
fortnight in the guardroom, and the
loss of his stripes-the second time he
had lost them.
"Of weil-to-do parents and with some
education, he would have risen to be an
officer long before ii it had not been
for his conduct. Eighteen months later
he got his stripes back again, thanks
to the indulgence of the old African
captain who had seen him under fire
in Kabylie. Herupon our old captain
is promoted chief of battalion, and they
send us out a captain of IS, a Corsican
named Gentili, just out of school, a
cold, ambitious, clever fellow, very ex-
acting, hard on his men, giving you
eight days for speck of rust on your
gun or button off your CATERS; more
over, never having served in Algeria,
not tolerating fantasia OF the slightest
want Of discipline. The two took a
hatred to each other from the first;
result, the guardroom for DryJean
after every drinking bout. When the
captain, blackavised little fellow, as
stiff as a bristle, with the mustaches of
an angry cat, flung his punishment at
nr-x--V g nd linn w.
know you, my man, and I'll bring you
to order!' Dry-Jean answered never a
word and walked away quietly to do
pack-drill. But, all the same, the cap
tain might have come off his high-horse
a bit had he seen the rage that Redeemed
the sergeant's face as soon as he turned
his head and the hatred that flashed
through his terrible blue eyes.
"Hereupon the emperor declares war
against the Austrians, and we are
shipped off to Italy. But let me come
at once to the day before the battle of
Melegnano-where l left my arm, you
know. Our battalion was camped in a
little village, and before breaking the
ranks the captain had made US a speech
rightly enough--to remind us that
we were in friendly country, and that
the slightest injury done to the in
habitants would be punished in an ex-
emplary way. During the speech, Dry
Jean, a little shaky on his pins that
morning, and for the best of reasons
shrugged his shoulders slightly. Luck
lily the captain didn't see it.
''At midnight noise woke me. l
sprang from my heap of straw into the
farmyard, and in the moonlight l saw
group of comrades and peasants
wrestling from the arms of Dry-Jean,
disheveled and half-dressed, who was
calling loudly on the Madonna and all
the saints. [ was Fastening to, help,
when Capt. Gentili arrived. With one
looll-the little Corsican had a par
alyzing wayne cowed the terrified
sergeant; then reassuring the Lom-
bard girl by few words in Italian, he
held up a trembling finger before the
scoundrel and said:
"'Dogs like you deserve to have their
brains blown out; as soon as | can see
the colonel, you lose your stripes again,
this time for good. There's to be
fighting tomorrow; try to get killed.
'Sure enough, at dawn the cannonade
awoke us. The column formed, and
Dry-Jean-never had his cursed blue
eyes glittering more ominously placed
himself beside me. The battalion moved
forward; we were to dislodge the white
coats, who, with their cannon, occupied
Melegnano. Forward, march! AT the
second kilometer the Austrians' grape
shot cut down Is of our company's men.
Then our officers, waiting for the or
der to oh roe made us lie down in the