Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1899-08-31

laugh WASN'T loud, and one could not
get the full benefit Of it unless one saw
him. His whole body shook with the
amusement Of it, and his features took
on such a c%olnical expression that it
made Il laugh Just to see him.
"Then,' ne continued, 'they called
on me for a speech. I didn't want to
respond and told them so. They would
not rest, and finally l told them l had
never made an after dinner speech or a
departure speech il my life and didn't
know whether or not l could make one,
but that if I did get up I'd say some
things I thought, and l didn't care
about doing that. But they wouldn't
hear of it, SO I got up"
The judge stopped again, shut up his
knife and took the remains of his stick
in his right hand. holding it on a level
with his shoulder.
II began, told them how long l had
known the colonel and what kind of a
man I used to think he was before he
got his commission as colonel of our
regiment. And then l started in. Gen
tlemen, I said, If I had known this
man was going to have command of my
regiment I'd enlisted as a raw private
in another one. He's got no more bust
ness being in command of men than q
yellow cur dog. There's not a mar in
the army l would rather see kicked out
than our colonel. He's the most ornary
man, officer or private in the whols
army, and it would have been a bless
ing to every mothers son Of us if he'd
been killed before we left camp
"Well, boys, I kept up this lick for
about 80 minutes. When | began to
talk, the faces of all the company were
just normal-what faces of men ought
to be when they've had a good dinner
and are drinking good liquor and have
not had anything to ruffle their tenn
pers. But when 1 began to launch forth
against the colonel the faces changed. I
knew there wasn't more than one or two
men there who didn't feel just as I
did. But the colonel-hu, hu! 1t was
the funniest thing I every saw. He got
red, then white, then red again, and
kept on changing color this way until I
got through my talk. I spoke pretty
loud, too, let me tell you, and it wasn't
long before every nan in the regiment
who could was around the tent listen
ing, and everybody in the regiment
knew l was blowing up the colonel"
The judge stopped and laughed again.
"There warn't any more speeches
after l got through, because the love
feast seemed to break up by mutual
agreement. Soon as I stopped I saluted,
got my hat and went out. The boys
met me at the door of the tent, hoisted
mp on their shoulders and carried
round the whole camp, shouting
and yelling like Sioux Indians. Our
next colonel was a good man, and we
never had much more trouble, except
once or twice with our brigade com
"Did you ever see the colonel after
that, judge?" Henry asked.
Eyes, I saw him when I came back
home, but we warn't very friendly,
md pretty soon he moved farther west.
When I came out to Omaha, I ran up
against him again. He was one of the
zig guns of the place, wealthy and re.
and was a good man; seemed
have reformed. He met me down
own one day and asked ME to come up
his Office with him. When we got
here, be shut the door, turned around
md held out his hand to me saying: !
Judge, ] want to thank you for that
peech you made back In 1862 when I
vas leaving the army. 1t was the first
anybody ever spoke 70 plainly to
ne. 1t hurt then, but it did me more
'ood than anything that ever happened
o me. ! want to thank you for making
decent and respectable man out of a
ontemptible our who called himself a
entleman.'
well, boys, I guess it's about time
or supper. Come on. Charlie; there
int any wood cut, and we want some.
hing hot tonight Phillip Rutherford
cellar in Omaha World Herald.