Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1899-04-20

sacking, was carried out to the place
where the anthrax cases were cremated.
Two-thirds Of the regiment followed.
There was no band, hut they all sang
"The Place Where the Old Horse Died
a. something respectful and appropriate
to the occasion When the corpse was
dumped into the grave and the men be
gan throwing down armfuls of roses to
cover it, the farrier sergeant ripped out
an oath and said aloud, why, it amt
the drum horse any more than it's
me- The troop sergeant majors asked
him whether he had left his head in
the canteen The farrier sergeant said
that he knew the drum horse feet as
well as be knew his own, but he was
silenced when he saw the regimental
number burned in on the poor, stiff,
upturned near fore
Thus was the drum horse Of the
White hussars buried-the farrier ser
geant grumbliug The sacking that COW
cred the corpse was smeared in places
with black paint, and the farrier ser
geant drew attention to this fact But
the troop sergeant major Of E troop
kicked him severely on the shin and
told him that he was undoubtedly
drunk
On the Monday following the burial
the colonel sought revenge on the White
hussars Unfortunately, being at that
time temporarily in command Of the
station, be ordered a brigade field day.
He said that he wished to make the
regiment "sweat for their damned insO-
lence. and he carried ont his notion
thoroughly That Monday was one Of
the hardest days in the memory Of the
White hussars. They We're thrown
against skeleton enemy and pushed
forward and withdrawn and dismount-
ed and scientifically handled in ev-
cry possible fashion over dusty country
till they sweated profusely Their only
amusement came late in the day when
they fell upon the battery Of horse ar
tillery and chased it for two miles. This
was a personal question, and most of
the troopers bad money on the event
the guuner- saying openly that they
had the legs Of the White hussaTs They
were wrong A march past concluded
the campaign. and when the regiment
got back to its lines the men were
coated with dirt from spur TO chin
strap
The White hussars have one great and
peculiar privilege They won it at Fon-
tenov, | think
Many regiments possess specialrights,
such as wearing collars with undress
uniform. or a bow Of ribbon between
the shoulders, or red and white roses in
their helmets on certain days Of the
wear Some rights are connected with
regimental saints and some with regi-
mental successes All are valued highly,
bnt none so highly as the right of the
White hussars to have the band playing
when their horses are being watered IN
the lines Only one tune Is played and
that tune never varies l don { know
its real name but the White hussar'
call il Take Me to London again.
Ii sounds very pretty The regiment
would sooner be struck off the roster
than forego its distinction.
After the dismiss was sounded, the
officers rode off home to prepare fol
stables and the men filed into the lines
riding easy-that is TO say, they opened
their tight buttons, shifted their bel
NETS and began TO joke or to swear as
the humor took them the more careful
Slipping of and easing girths and curbs
A good trooper values his mount exact
" as much as be values himself anC
believes. or should believe, that the two
together are irresistible where women
or men, girls or guns, are concerned.
Then the orderly officer gave the or
der water horses, " and the regiment
loafed off to the squadron troughs which
We're in rear of the stables and between
these and the barracks There were toul
huge troughs, one for each squadron
arranged en- echelon, so that the whole
regiment could water in ten minutes II
il liked. But it fingered lyr T. as
rule. while the band played
The band struck up as the squadron'
fled off the troughs, and the men slip
ned their feet out of the stirups anc
rbaffed each other The sun was just
setting in a big, hot bed Of red cloud
and the road to the civil lines seemed tC
run straight into the suns eye, There
was a little dot on the road 1t grew
and grew till it showed as a horse, witt
a sort of gridiron thing on his back
The red cloud glared through the bart
of the gridiron. Some of the troopers
shaded their eyes with their hands anC
said. "What the mischief as that there
'orse got on imT
In another minute they heard neigh
that every soul--horso and man-in th'
regiment knew and saw, heading
straight toward the band, the deaC
drum horse Of the White hussars!
On his withers banged and bumped
the kettledrums draped in Grape, ant
on his back, very stiff and soldierly' sa
a bareheaded skeleton.
The band stopped playing, and for
moment there was a hush.
Then some one in E troop-men sai'
IL was the troop sergeant major-swunl
his horse round and yelled. No one cal
account exactly for what happened aft
! e an