Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1899-06-08

into the Filipino stronghold.
Where the reserve lay, IS this is
written on this 25th day Of April, the.
ground Is covered with empty shells,
and Capt. Russell Of the signal corps
has bis tent pitched where one firing
squad pumped lead" He has to
push the shells to one side to make .
comfortable place to spread bis
blanket. So it is in every depression
along that front and wherever q bit
Of protection offered in the field. In
some places there is . trail Of shells
across that field Of growing corn.
The Filipinos fed and left bomb.
proof retreats which did not show the
mark Of q bullet. They fled before
those Kansas boys from trenches
which civilized army never would
have left and would have held against
a mighty force. But Filipinos do not
fight that way. They are building q
trail Of breastworks far into the north
and retreat from one to the next as
they must.
After all was over and Gen. Hale
and the Nebraska boys had plunged
through the river at the right and
had taken possession Of the mile OF
earthworks along that side the Kan
sas colonel thought he might put on
dry clothes. So he slid down the
iron girder of the broken bridge span,
swung his boat around as ferry and
climbed up to the bridge and a crowd
Of admiring friends. There was no
hand.clapp!ng and no Misunderstanding
lust then. 1t is true the colonel
looked a little as though he had been
pulled out Of watery grave some
where.
"Here's your boots, sir, an order
ly said.
"Ah, thank you. No use to put
'em on though. What | need is
socks"
II have dry pair here for you,
sir"
GOOD boy. They must be yours.
There was no reply.to this, Some
one suggested dry clothes.
"No," was the reply, "they will be
dry in little while now and they
feel good"
Then this little man, who some
people will call hero, sat down
there in the sun and took off his wet
socks and put on dry ones, and then
pulled on his boots with their brass
spurs,
"How did it feel going across there,
colonel" some one asked.
"Kind o. ticklish like, ! reckon
eh, boysP" addressing some more wet
members of his party who, by the
way, had no dry socks offered to
, them. "They are poor marksmen'
Come to think Of it, bullet might
have knockek off piece Of this iron
bridge and caused damage. That
would be accidental shooting" And
with that the colonel gave the hand
-, Of the chaplain a hearty shake and
! walked off to join his regiment, which
|, had been deployed in long line tt
the left.
, The incident seemed to be forgot
ten. 1t was not as much commented
on as goal kicked from field or
hard dash and a touchdown in
Thanksgiving football game. Blu
; history has yet to be written.
Then the boys took the river, fig
uratively, for as soon as they wer'
:. at liberty there was yell and a dasl
:. for the bank, and the Quingua rive
=. had more white people in it than /
. had ever had before. The Nebraskas
: :, who were holding the intrenchment
:. that they and the Kansans had won
:. came down from the north side, an
with the lst Montanas and the 5ls
;, Iowas we're all in it, splashing abou
20 merrily.
, On the river bank the soldiers at
their lunch. 1t was a little late, Blu
coffee was made and each man ha
- his bareback and cup. The heat
the afternoon was kept off wit
+ shelter tents stretched upon bambc
=. poles. The men told the experience
=. Of the day, but as these boys are no
-. veterans they dwelt longest on II
fact that some days when they hs
"a done real fighting they had not h'
oocyaa M oiclock