The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1900-08-07

copyright, 800, by p. Y. Black.)
-Ia'rc the most extrorny future Of
-. campaign" the old corporal said
~ nIacid admiration. Il loves daisies.
we're one of the prettiest speshmens
.aow. 50 ye are. You ought to be
dad. by all rights. Both legs gone. Man,
re in great luck. Ye're worth $72 a
...1th forevermcre. But what tickles
.. IS ye didn't die, an l bet on yer
.-iu.r Ye're tough, my joker. Ye ought to
have died. Ye're the most extrorny
.rsre of the campaign"
The corporal and the recruit were sit
..s by the bedside of a wounded soldier
20 camp near Santiago. The man on the
cot was deathly pale from loss of blood,
..r he immense Vitality which had en-
aided him to survive the loss, by a she'll,
If both LEGS above the knee, now per-
....pf him to be cheerful and hopeful.
.seventy-two a month pension will be
=. ..,nic." said he, with a laugh. ".Won-
ar if they'll give me fake legs like that
..r Amos Chapman rode about with at
-.rt Supply in the nation. Gee, Corp,
wait till hobble down to the parade an
-.a you feIlers sweating at the double
slime with old Daddy Weiss hollerin' At
sou: Mind the distance, you there,
Sergeant. see that that man has an
hours extra drill. Keep your hands up!
You're like a lot Of sailorment' An | Will
sit by an laugh at YOU, Vow, won't I
iaugh,'
The corporal grinnad. but the recruit
looked piteous and sorrowfu!.
"W3uld-wouldn't you rather have
sour legs?' he asked wonGeringly.
TO-. l dunno" the crippled soldier re-
rI.ad. 4 never had no trade nor cddi-
..tsun. S'posin' II kept my Iege. Ia
never ave been nothin' but a big buck
private anyway, and died or been shot
in line Of duty, Now I'm fixed for life
am IN set around. never fret"
Its So" said the corporal reflective
l-. IN not bein' q responsible charakter
ra might have been bobtailed and gone
an the bum, having as you say no trade
an TOO old to Iarn. Te're in luck. But
bet ye'd Ole. BY rights. because the
Doctor said it, we ought to have died"
The worst of it" said the GONZALES
cent, is the pain in my toes
Your toes?' cried the recruit.
They always feels it," said the cor
r0raI. more or less. 1t depends on
low they buried your legs. III look
yours up, aud have them buried right,
There was old Maboney, who went rail
raading. and got smashed UP By an en-
sine, with his leg cut off. r. suffered
terrible from his toes. an his son had
lie turyin' Of the les. It's buried prop
e~. dad says he. but the old man
doubted t ana got a friend to look it up
Sure enough, tn boy had just put it in
tha Ground. and the earth was PRESSING
L.rl and heavy down on it. Mah0ney's
friend put it in a box where it had room
an the pain left Mahoney. I knew,
saws he. the boy hadn't buried it prop
er. it hurt So"
The recruit laughed, but the cripple
1. anZiously:
Look mine up, Corp, will you? In
ta.aEin' mine amt put away right
we're tough" said the corporal. harp
ing on the subject Of the soldiers vital
Ity. Most feIlers would have died. Some
%t-lIors is mighty hard to kill. There i
Buck Bill. Hes with the 22d now.
MIND when we blew taps over his gray
down on the Washita."
Hove" said the recruit, 4 though
you said he was with the 22d doughboys {?
AZ Sc he Is. I'll tell you how i
was. Sec. in them days, the boys Wa
havtn' hot times with the ComancAe
and the Kiowas down il the old south
western frontier. 1t was in them time
when I was enjoying myself like q rooki
for fair. ard all things was new to III
and ! never thought but what IA WIN
u5 as q major anyhow. Like him there
You amt so cid as me, but you know ho'
it is"
The convaIescent nodded griEly. II
wore two service stripes en- his sleeve
The recruit looked dreamily out OF tn
farther door of the hospital tent. II
was very young, and-some day Their
might be a war worth calling a war, DC
81 tamUaigu. He had hopes.
We was all bucks. of course, IN
corporal went on, but this feller 81
was called Buck Bill poor-purr-there
a foreign word, rookie?"
Par example," the recruit suggeste
t1nidly.
Right, 7 guess. In matters Of tn
United States language / don't take Il
corrections from no one, but IN 1orei@
jaIE, my rookie, you may kno" more
me. He was Buck Bill always. lie Id