The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-10-28

est interest and delight. They lay by the
| hour in the wire grass and watched the
shooting and wandered over the butts
! when 1t was over and dug up treasure
trove In the shape Of long metal Lee Met
| ford cartridge cases and conical bullets
which had wandered wide among the sand
| hills. We bequeathed nearly a CARLOAD OF
home. much to her surprise and disgust.
! They were never tired of lingering
| through the canvas streets of the camp,
| the houses of which bore fanciful legends
! in uncouth charcoal characters, the marks
I at once OF burnt stick and a pointed IL
none too polished wit, and possibly Of
something of a retaliatory spirit The
+, Home for Lost Dogs" struck US as hardly
| likely to have been SO labeled by its il
| hab!tants, but as being more probably
reply in kind from the occupants of the
Rat Pit" next door. Or possibly tn quo
| que from the Flea Trap" or Monkey
| House" or "Cockytoo Lodge" or the Mon
| grel's Parlor.'' all Of which were adjacent,
or possibly it was the tangible evidence
! of midnight raid by the Laughing Jack
asses" at the other end OF the camp.
Our young folks haunted the camp and
came to know it in all-well, say, in most
of-its phases. They watched it work and
they watched 1t p!ay-at cards and
draughts and domnos. at football, cricket,
and Guoits. They criticised its cooking
arrangements and its various methods of
devouring its food. which, l am bound to
say, tended rather toward business-like
despatch than toward elegance of man
ners. They watched 1t receive its letters
and retire into corners to read them, and
lie fiat on its stomach to write its replies
with much arduous toll Of hand and
tongue. They heard it sing and laugh
pI
modest pay. and then creep dingy and
grubby, into its triangular darkness
whence. after brief period of retirement,
it emerged radiant in butterfly scarlet.
with shining face and plastered hair or
namented with precariously clinging cap.
and then. with diminutive cane twirling
jauntily. they saw 1t strut proudly away
to the town on conquest bent
Both my boys were going to be soldiers
the moment they were big enough Doth
my girls were go.ug to marry soldiers as
soon as they grew up. felt it my duty to
beg them to become, and to choose off,
GERS. and my mind was relieved when they
stated that such. OF course. was their in
tertion.
But one morning there sprang up on
vacant plot among the sand hummocks be-
tween the camp and the town a sudden
mushroom growth OF white bell tents ar
four sides Of long paralIelogram, with
large square mess tents at each end and
cooking ovens dug out of the sand hills
beyond the lines. They work was execut-
ed in busincss-lilse fashion by soldierly
men OF gfaver aspect and more sober mlen
than the light-hearted irrespSnsibles or the
RAT Trap" and the Home for Lost D0gs' /
beyond, some Of whom stcolled down to /
offer suggestions which were received with |
ark NJ Drac
with shrill squeak Of many flies and much !
rattle OF kettlcdrums. there marched in |
from the station regiment of boy SOL
diors. the eldest l should say not more
than fifteen. but every man OF them bear
ing himself with all the conscious pride OF
a bemedaled veteran of fifty
Thenceforth the "Rat Trap" and the
" Monrrers Parlor' and the homo of the
Laughing Jackasses" knew us no more.
youthful warriors of the new camp. and
we soon came TO know them in the lump
as Well as We had known their elders fur
ther.along the shore.
But even warriors In the lump are not
rs interesting as individuals. and as VIC
became familiar with the machinery OF the
amp our chief enjoyment began to re-
Inive around one particular little unit
thereof
We ndu cach OF uS separately been
struck By him they marched in that
nrst day. and this alone suinced to give
nam place apart from his fellows In all
cur minds. He WAS the brightest faced
youngster In the regimcnt-brown hair.
pert nose. quick blue eyes. which roved ,
around in vast enjoyment of the sensation
se was helping TO create. perfect healtu.
and rollieking humor In every curve OF
ais impudent little face.
He was one of the kettledrums, and the
way his sticks flashed and twiried was
SIGHT ana source OF amaZement to all 1
1ehc!ders. His very soul seemed to run 4
Town into the points OF those twinkling
'tieEs and his hoyish delight in the noise
'e could extract from his drum was bare
y yelled beneath the gravity he consd- Y
'red becoming to man of his position. c
We were constantly meeting him STROLL
nB cut with the other men of his corps. ,
md he always seemed to be doing the :
PikinS and gssticuiating for the lot. !,
nance conversation which We overheard 2
Is we came along the soft sand to tho Y
amp che afternoon enlightened US as to II
is cane AMI some Ct bis characteristics.