The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1899-04-25
WANT TO GO HOME

WAN1 III OV HUME.
Under the shade of a tree hung a
hammock; in the hammock a man
perched on the rope a big green parrot
Now and then the bird raised its head
and croaked
81 want to go homel want to go
homel"
THAT parrot used to belong to a fell
low that took sick Of typhoid and went
to the hospital. said a soldier stand
ing by. "He took the bird with him,
and it used to sit on the window while
he tossed and moaned with the fever.
The chap was horribly homesick, and he
was always moaning: 4 want to go
homel | want to go homel' And the
parrot picked it up. Ever since the fell
low died and the parrot came back here
to live it's been croaking 4 want to go
homel until it makes us homesiok.
Sometimes in the night. when every
thing is still, that parrot will croak out
1 want to go homel l want to go
homef just the way the boy did when
he was dying, and it's enough to make
ones blood run cold to hear him"
The parrot slowly futtered down to
the open window. spread its wings and
balanced itself on the window sill. It
looked around the room and in a sob
bling tone repeated again and again 81
want to go homeI want to go homer
"Oh, so does everybody, Polly, said
a soldier whose white face showed he
had just got out of the hospital. $50
does everybody. We all want to go
home. You are not the only one"
But the parrot still swung back and
forth on the window ledge and chanted
81 want to go homei / want to go
homel"
"You must be sure and say we want
to come home, said a private from his
window in a soft whisper, so the officers
could not hear him. 1--WE have been in
this accursed spot four months, and we
want to go home. We didn't enlist for
regular army work. We enlisted to
fight and not for garrison duty. Most
OF us fellows had good jobs back in the
States, and we want to go home.
"You think Manzanillo is a pretty
nice placer You wait until you stay
here four months and have learned to
count the days by cutting notches on a
stick. You stay here four months and
see nothing but these yellow buildings
and the blazing sun and always the
same faces and hear nothing from your
friends in the States. and you'll be hol-
lering like that parrot over in D COM
pany. I want to go home. go home. go
homel'
The soldier walked out Of his quar-
tiers and stood leaning against the side
of the barracks, looking out across the
range of hills to the north
Away oyer those hills and across
the water there's the States, l guess,
though it's SO long since | was there
that | almost doubt it. 1t seems as
though | hadn't done anything all my
life but loaf around a miserable little
town on the side of a hill and wait for
a steamer to come once every 1000
years and let off a few Americans and
put ashore some beef that we can't eat
and a few papers and now and then a
letter You Americans go away as soon
as the steamer is loaded, and then there
is the old m~onotony again.
''Some of the fellows go away to the
hills and cit there by the hour thinking
of the States. But l don't. I'd be afraid
some time that If l did l might take
my gun out of the rack and try to swal-
low the muzzle while l pressed the trig-
ger with my toe.
"But / wish / could get back to West
Virginia again. I've got a girl back
there-or l did have. l haven't heard
from her for a long time. l heard she
was sick, and then | heard she was
married. | don't know. l suppose 1 am
about the same as dead to her anyhow.
You can't expect a girl to wait for you
forever. But | want to go home. |
don't care whether the Cubans get sal
walton or not. | don't care if Spain
comes back and gobbles up the island
again just want to go home. That's
all | want to go home"
He drew his hands across his eyes,
walked back into the barracks and be-
gan putting his requirements in order
for the dress parade that evening.
"It's Sunday" said the sergeant
lounging outside the quarters. ''but we
have dress parade. All ceremonies on
Sunday in the army were abolished by
congress, but we have them just the
anne. The colonel wants to keep us
busy 1t doesn't do to let men have
nothing to do. They get to b~rooding,
and a soldier that gets the blue devils
is worse than a sick horse.
The bugles blew first call for dress
parade. and the Americans went out to
the common in front of the barracks
1t was a poor sort of ground for dress
parade 1t was only a couple Of hun
dred yards wide at most and shelved
down in a manner that made it seem
wonderful that the band could keep
from slipping down into Manzanillo
when it marched across the parade to
take position at the right Of the line.
A narrow road ran along the top Of
the parade ground, and on it the regi-
ment formed in line of companies.
There were the usual reports and the
of the orders by the adju-
tant; then a flourish of trumpets and
the regiment. headed by the band.
swung into columns of tours and passed
Into review.
1t was a strange place for a review
of American troops. The town of Man
zanillo lay in front with its red tiled
and matched roofs. and in the distance
was the bay. with wrecks strewn along
the shore. Back of the troops were the
low barracks and the distant block
houses.
The band struck up Dixie and the
regiment wheeled past, the men as
erect and soldierly and every movement
executed with as much precision as if
it wal marching down Pennsylvania
in Washington instead Of bal
ancing on the side of a hill in 8 farof
place that a great many people in the
United States didn't even know was on
the map.
ssOh, l wish l was in the land of cot
tonr' played the band as the regiment
came marching by.
A convalescent soldier leaning on his
zane near our party drew in his breath
with a sharp, whistling sound.
81 wish to God ! wasl' he murmur-
ed.
Then he stiffened up and took off his
hat, for the colors were passing.
The regiment countermarched at the
end Of the parade and marched back on
the road to the barracks and disappear
ed through the gate.
1 wish / was In the land of cotton;
Olden times are not forgotten
Look away. look away, look away to Dixie
landi
The music of the band died away
The sun slowly sank and darkness gath
cred. The Americans walked silently
down the hill. The convalescent soldier