The National tribune., 1900-10-18

little time, viewing with bitter disconten
the well-known signs down at the guards
| barracks, of men getting ready to move
| Their joyous yells went up necessarily
and they were burning and giving ava.
4 to the recruits the things they did no
want to take to the field. Presently Ike
/ Decide came out with a grin on his face
and said:
Il guess it's all right. Old Bonesteel
the Colonel of Engineers, in command oI
/ pOntoon service, has sent dispatch which
reads:
Want 100 good men at once to take
! pontoons through. Send them by nexI
train. Think you have q detachment
2O0th Ind, Serg't Klegg commanding
/ Prefer them. Send also Serg't Isaac Dee
| BILE
The Old Man has just answered.:
Will send the men Immediately. Pro
! fer not to send Klegg and 200th Ind
/ Need them for guards Regiments going
away. Must have reliable men to replace
them. Want Decide in my office. Want
to keep him. Won't others dor"
That probably settles it," groaned
Shorty. 1.-The Post Commander'n GER
tainly be allowed to have his say as to
whom he'll send or keep"
III Humph," laughed Ike Deeble; slots
you know about army ways, after all. Old
BOnesteel's a Regular, and worse than all
an Engineer. Nothing tickles him more
than chance to snub another officer, par
ticularly if the other is a little higher in
rank, and most particularly if he hap
pens to be a volunteer. Volunteers who
outrank him are Bonesteel's special meat.
He never heard of us before Shad men
toned oIr names to him. Now, when he
finds that the Old Man wants to keep us
we're the only men in the world that'n
suit him, and he'll have us if he has to go
clear to Washington for us. My, but he'll
make the wires hot when he gets started.
and see what it is"
When he came back he said: "What'd
| tell you? The dispatch that came in
read:
"I specially want the men designated.
Bonesteel, Colonel
when old Bonesteel gets down to sign
ing his dispatches that way, without his
initials, there's blood on the face of the
moon. The Old Man, who doesn't like
Bonesteel little bit, and is just as bull
heaued as he Is, answered at once:
81 specially desire to keep those men
here. l have particular use for them. |
can send you others just as good. Brown,
Post Commander
I'm give Ronesteel just 10 minutes to
swear over the damned impertinence of
those volunteer officers, and write another
dispatch, hotter than before. Here it
comes"
When he returned he read:
81 must be allowed to be the best
judge of the men ] want. If the other
men are just as good why not keep them
yourself? BOonsteel Colonel
'The Old Mans sent it back to him Just
as hot:
"'As Post Commander | must be sup
posed to have some judgment as to the
fitness of men for various duties. Posi-
bly, my needs for the right kind of men
are just as imperative as yours. | can
send you 100 men just as good to lift, pull
and haul as those you indicate. | want to
keep the Indiana men because l regard
them as specially reliable and filter for
the duties | want performed. Brown,
Post Commander
We'll have to give old Bonesteel full
quarter of an hour to do the Regular
Army, by-gad, sir act over that, send all
presuming volunteer officers to jeff Da-
vis's future residence, and concoct a dis
patch that'll melt off the insulators as il
passes them. In the meantime you'd bet
ter step down and give your boys a quiet
tip to get ready to go. Don't let them
make any noice about it. I'll bet a stack
of blue chips we're away before them yell
ing bomb-proofers get started"
well, this is so warm," said Ike Dee
BILE, after he came out of headquarters
again, that l had to copy it down.
couldn't trust to my memory. Here it is.
Listen:
Your assumption, sir, that you, an ap-
pointee from civil life, and without pre-
vious knowledge of military matters, can
understand the requirements of the EnSi-
neer Corps better than an officer who grad
uated third in his class and has been all
his life in the service is simply amazing.
1t is utterly impossible, sir, for you to
know the kind of men | may need, and it
is arrant presumption on your part TO at
tempt to dictate to me. | will not endure
it, sir AS to the needs of your post, what
are they compared to those of the whole
of Gen. Sherman's army, which | repre-
sent? What are all your beggarly prison
ers up there compared to 4 good pontoon
bridge across stream to the army, at Il
critical moment? If you do not send me
the precise men that l specified l shall
be compelled to report the matter to the
Department Headquarters. Answer.
Colonel"
Great Scott" calculated 81, 81 hadn't
no idee we wuz such valuable men,"
''You aint," answered Deeble, calmly |
There's lots o just as good men as yor
in the LIST Oshkosh, of which | have the |
honor to be humble member. Just now