The National tribune., 1899-06-29

ears and marched 'em out and says: You two
brats go back to your tents and stay there.
When want you to come to my tent I'll
send for you, and you'll wish 1 hadn't
You'll do praying enough if you're on
hand when the church calls sounded.
You'll be nightly different from the rest
Of my company if you don't prefer going on
guard to church. Get nowf"
"Now the Captain oughtn't to say that
about the company" protested ST. Il for
one go to church every chance get
80, yes, you do" sneered the Orderly
Sergeant who was it, I'd like to know,
that sent word back to the boys in the rear
to steal the Chaplain's horse, and keep him
hid for a day or two SOS he couldn't get up
and hold services, because you boys wanted
to go fishing in the Tennessee River%
"Yes, / did," ST confessed; "but it was
because the boys begged me to. We'd
just got there, and it looked as if the biting
was good, and we probably wouldn't stay
there longer'n over Sunday"
"Well, l aint done yet continued the
Orderly-Sergeant. ~That little snipe, Pete
Skidmore"-
Good gracious, he wasn't lost again,
was he?' gasped ST.
That's just what he was, the little runt,
and we had the devils own time finding
him. What in Sam Hill did the Captain
take him for, I'd like to know? Co. Q aint
no nursery. Well, the bugler up at Brigade
Headquarters blowed some sort of call,
and Skidmore wanted to know what it
meant. They told him that it was an
order for the youngest man in each COM
milk for his coffee tomorrow morning, and
butter for his bread. There was only
enough issued for the youngest boys, and
if he wanted his share he'd have to get a
big hustle on him, for the feller whose
nose he'd put out O. joint ID try hard to get
tboro ohaad ~ him nd crofl l,i, charo n
Skidmore went off at dead run toward the
sound of the bugie, with the boys looking
after him and snickering. But he didn't
come back at roll-call, nor at tattoo, and
the smart Alecks begun to get scared, and
abuse each other for setting up a job on a
poor, innocent little boy. Csc Brewster
and Oh Perry, who had been foremost in
the trick had fight as to which had been
to blame. Taps come, and he didn't get
back, and then we all became scared. I'd
sent Jim Hunter over to Brigade Head
quarters to look for him, but he came back,
and said they hadn't seen anything of him
there. Then l turned out the whole COM
pany to look for him. Of course, them
too-awfully smart galoots of Co. A had to
get very funny over our trouble. They
asked why we didn't get the right kind of
nurses for our company, that wouldn't
Why we didn't call the children in when the
chickens went to roost, undress 'em, and
tuck 'em in their little beds, and sing to 'em
after they'd said Now l lay me down to
sleep? stood it all until that big, hulking
Pete Nasmith came down with camp
kettle, which he was making ring like a
bell, as he yelled out, Child lost! Child
LOST Behind him was Tub Rawlings
singing 'Empty's the cradle, baby's gone
Then | pulled off my blouse and slung it
into my tent, and told em there went my
chevrons, and was simply Scott Ralston.
and able to lick any man in Co A. One o
their Lieutenants came out and ordered
them back to their quarters, and deployed
the company i'll skirmish-line, and started
'em through the brush toward Brigade
Headquarters. About three-quarters O
the way Csc Brewster and OIL Perry, when
going through, thicket, heard boy
boo-hooing. They made their way to him,
and there was little Skidmore sitting on a
stump, completely confused and tagged
out. He'd lost his way, and the more he
tried to find it the worse he got turned
around. They called out to him, and he
blubbered out: Yes, it's me; little Pete
Skidmore. Them dod-durned fools in my
company've lost me, just as I've bin tellin'
'em right along they would, durn EN-
Csc and OF We're so tickled at finding him
that they gathered him up, and come
whooping back to camp, carrying him
every step of the way"
"Well, declare to gracious" calculated
81. BuC thereS one le1G yet. DlQn
anything happen to Sandy Baker?'
10, yes,' groaned the Orderly. "He
had to be in it, too. He took advantage Of
the tumult to fall into the company well.
We didn't know anything about it till we
come back from hunting Skidmore. By
that time he was so chilled that he could
hardly holler any more, and his teeth chat
tered like nigger minstre's bones. I'd
got can of branded peaches down at the
suffers, and it took ali the brandy to bring
him around, and had nothing left but the
peaches. Now, while like little variety
in camp-life as well as the next man, I
don'twant no more ructions like last nights.
I'll put you in charge of those kids, and
hold you responsible for 'em. 1 don't
care what you do with 'em. SO longs you