El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-08-31
The LITTLE CORPORAL

Written for the HERALD.

square cOllare, ldIlluk uOWa OVer uel
4 shoulders; the strings of her sunbon-
:. net tied round her neck, while the
bonnet hung down her back. If you q
, have seen her there you'd have loved
t her too. And IL kissed her Roodby
, That was three years ago, but 1 love
her just the same, and L know she
{ loves me, and when L come back, II
1 ever do, we're going to be married. .
When he talked of a sweetheart the
! of marrying they laughed hearty
; laugh. in which, as usual, he join
ed.
The uniforms came, and they tried
to get one to fit him, but he was GER
tainly a comical looking object in the
effect. A No. blouse fit him entire
~ "too late" and he could have had
plus in his trousers. Then when he
got into pair of big cavalry boots,
put on a pair of spurs. his sabre and
revolver, he looked great deal more
ridiculous than war-like. But no one
dared to make fun of him for he was
the darling of the regiment and the
pride of troop 3d."
came, and it was nOised around that
''the kid" had been made a corporal,
the boys wouldn't believe it at first.
Perhaps no one was more surprised
than he himself.
After the appointment he was known
| throughout the reg lment as the Little
Corporal. :" When he put on the stripes
he was perhaps the proudest one of the
officers, yet he bore them with no show
| of officiousness.
But it was mystery to all OF them
why he had been appointed, rs he had
not the least idea of tactics. The first
day he was corporal of the guard the
captain of troop "D"was officer of the
day. It came time for him to take
away the first relief. He stood erect
and soldierly, and at the top of his
girlish voice gave the startling COM
mand, Fright forward, tours right,
follow me, March," He never knew
that he had made blunder, for the
captain stood with arms afolded gazing
into the distance, as the little corporal
marched away at the head of his SO uad,
and the boys would rather have died
than laughed in his face on SO serious
an occasion.
But he learned fast, was as proud OF
his squad as the colonel of his regiment,
and drilled them at every opportunity.
1t seemed as though the captain was
experimenting, for when, after a week,
the first sergeant recommended that
Corporal Clifford be removed. he sent
word back he guessed he could run the |
When orders came to leave for
Tampa all was hustle and excitement
and Guy was.everywhere to be seen.
The day before he was working all
day with detail loading horses,
laughing and singing, and amusing
the boys in every way possible.
That night before retreat, we were
to leave at O'Clock the next morning,
the company clerk came down from
be adquarters with the mail, and a
crowd gathered around him, eager
for news from the loved ones at home
but there was only one letter and that
was for .the "Little corporal" That
IS he eagerly tore it open and explain
I'd IS he glanced at the address, ''it's
rom Annie?' But as he began to read
he look of JOY faded from his cOun-
enance, and when he had finished,
instead of the look of pleased ex-
deepest anguish was depict
I'd in every line of the face: The let
md he reached out and )
3ently, who was standin e I
~ his side. He struggled hard for
he mastery of himself, and having
.ained it, stopped down, picked up the
etter, folded 1t, put it in his pocket, :
md silently with bowed head went to
l..
ut the troop that some great sorrow =
ad befallen the Little Corporal"
hat night the usual noise in troop
d" quarters was hushed. No one
ung nor played cards, for in his tent I
be little corporal was bearing the bur- e
en- of some terrible grief. Once a q
re at cob escaped him, and his squad d
OF silently up and filed one by one, out
the tent, to talk in hushed tones with =
he rest of the troop about it.
In the morning he was up at revellie,
ut Lis swollen eyes and haggard face
I'D of sleepless night. q
That day they boarded the transport u
nc the little corporal worked harder
ian before, but his smiles were gone.
n the voyage he spoke to no one save
hen spoken to. The look of deter d
instion on his face showed that he p
i'd resolved to conquer or to die. II
Somehow it leaked out that the let
r was an invitation to Annie's we'd
ng, and the soldiers of troop sd" ours at
her for the anguish she had brought
their little corporal; those sorrowful
es haunted them and they tried to "A
mfort him, but he would not be COM &C
rted. q
The voyage over and the landing
sde, all was again q scene of confu-
IN. "
Then came the orders to march.
he Little Corporal, withthe fret four ne
the advance, took up his position -
PAGES to the front and 200 PAGES to =
q right of the reserve.