The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-01-22
A MASC0T'S STORY.
PRIVATE WILLIAM GOAT RELATES
HIS WAN EXPERIENCES.

His Regiment Up san Junn nm.
Ate Too Many HnrdtncIs. S,vcIIcd
Ip. Was struck by IA bullet That
Cut on hts WhisIScrS. and Yet Saw
ed the Lives of Two Volunteer SOL
dlcrs
amt no pug nor poodle. nor maltese
kitten. I'm hustler, 1 am. and You don't
never hear me meow or yelp. when I'm
hungry for somebody 70 come ana feed
me
or course I'm cranky. so would you be
# you'd been brought upSwhen young on
old shoess aud wall paper and your dlges-
ton ruined. for my folks was poor and
couldn't afford luxurles. and the cabbage
garden near where ! lived was owned by
mean peoples wot kept dogs Il was bet
ter after Tommy and his brother came to
the town where | lived As rule don't
like boys, and many one Two buued
home crying 10 his mamma. But ! took
an eccentric kind Of fancy to Tommy and
Fred. seeing how they seemed to think
it sort Of larks to he butted, and came
around regular 70 be knocked into snow
drifts or the ditch, according to the sea-
son of the year.
Bless YOU chem llds-boys oughtnt to
be called kids: kids has more sense-ihriv-
cd ON the toughest kind of play and
found they enjoyed being lifted off their
feet and sent flying through the air. ana
having their pants ripped
Say! Talking Of charging minds me
what l was going to tell you Them two
kids Of mine wor ia adopted was In che
charge mp San Juan Hill-me too They
grew up mighty fine boys, able 10 stand
most anything owing to the faithful and
loving way I'd butterod them hard all
over till there wasn't a soft spot on en.
Wen, them boys had a game what they
called playing soldiers. They played that
game when they was in short frocks, ana
when they was in knee pants, and !
thought they'd stop then, and learn some
thing else. Much [ knew They got so
fond of 1t they played right on when
Tommy and Fred was taller than their
mother; their father was dead then. They
got together when they was good ana big
and called themselves a regiment, ana
was fonder of playing soldiers than ever,
Wot dye thinlt2 Them boys made me
play, too, and made Kind of coat for me
all red like and blue and stars and stripes.
First / thought 'twould be undignhcd and
wouldn't have II. and butted captain, a
sergeant and three privates all around the
camp 10 show them who l was. But
Tommy and Fred seemed hurt az my tax
Ing II that way. and / never could deny
them anything. so | let 1t go. and had
good laugh when I found myself all dress
ed up and walking front Of the drum
major.
/ never seed any such playing at sol
diers when they was lttle as / seed them
boys playing this time when they was
growed up. Then their little drums ana
their little trumpets and their little guns
what went pop didn't make much row,
but-whFkers IN tell you, and you'll
say. too, boys shouldn't be called kids for
real kids wouldn't do no such crazy things
We went long way in a cart. Then we
got to a camp bigger than our first camp.
where big fat men with whskers longer
than mine was playing soldier too. Never
seed such amoosng old kids They was
az il all the time and practicins with lit
tie guns and big guns, such mighty big
guns. First time they fred off lot at one
time, just when l was out on the ground
lunching comfortably on a campaign hat
all by myself. Bang! went all them guns
at once, and l was SO scared / stood on my
head.
But I got used to it after and just let
'em bang away. Such foolshness is be
meath notice, anyway. However, we. got
on a ship they called II, the curiousest
kind Of a big beast you ever saw. He
went up and he went down, and he rolled
about when he was walking over the big
pond-honest. he walked over that pond
same as II he was used to it-and he went
up and he went down till l felt Disguised
f,4FF ~.
paint I'd found on the ships back to keep
me up ul dinner time
Everybody got crazier than ever when
we was all landed. Such a mess you never
did see. They began TO walk away To-
gethcr into the country, and Of course /
went, too, and / tried to set them boys.
proper example. But bless you. If they
was playing nov they was foolish 20 do
ii, for the way they sweated and swore
and threw things away because they IVES
too heavy to carry, was never in any
game before ia seen boys play. 1t wasn't
none Of my business, anyhow. so longs
they enjoyed themselves, and / must say
that / eat an awful lot of bareback which
was scattered along the road. ! never
could resist bareback TO chew on. ! swell
ed, / guess more than ordinary, and felt
uncommon languld and that was why
/ s'pose, ! let the boys get past me at
ldSlt ana WHeH lntS Unsupported 4 lay /
down under a tree and took a nap.
P'raps I'd eaten too much-though that |
could hardly be-or praps l was home |
sick, anyhow my dreams was awful, and !
woke up kicking and buttng the tree |
thinking Il was Tommy's mother wiki "A |
saucepan she was banging over my head. /
Sure enough there was an awful row, and !
/ was startled. but soon / remembered /
=, here I was, and that the noise was only |
them big guns the boys played with IN |
their fooiishHess.
There were lot Of queer mosquitoes in |
the air which flew so fast you couldn't |
see them, but they made a tremendous |
loud buzz and they bit some of our boys !
lad for ] saw one boy clap his hand on /
his arm. ana youil hardly believe that |
that mosquito had hit through his shirt /
SOS TO tear il and drew a buckeGul of |
blood. Then I walked through the boys |
and butted them out Of the way IN prop |
or dignided manner. They was glad TO
see me and laughed and shouted.
GOOD old Bihy.' they said. Hes a |
wen plucked one! who said Bnly wouldn't |
come up TO time"
An Of a sudden as | was standing by |
Tommy and Fred who we're firing them Sill |
b.. ..,,r,.. .tt.rsy 4ouy and than I'm rar,1o f1t