The National tribune., 1900-08-02

NO, said the Hospital Steward, who
happened to be passing; that comes from
the senna that the Surgeon had put i'm
81 and Shorty exchanged looks of sur.
prise that the Surgeon should play such
| trick on them.
| The Surgeon Scrutinized the condition
OF Petes. Sandy's and Gid's gums and
limbs and their hurts with a very grave
face.
Both scuTvy and gangreue, worse than
| feared. He directed the Hospital
| Clerk to note against their Names Re
quire unusual watchfulness and care"
Tom Radbone" made a satisfactory
| physical showing, was excused from any
! further washing than he could give him
self, and he was sent to the Adjutant's
| tent to be regularly enlisted and mustered
| in.
\ large tent-hy. stretched under four
| splendid old oaks. was assigned to them
as their abiding place. They found there
beds made of cedar bOughS and covered
with new, fresh blankets, upon which :hey
stretched themselves with delight 1t was
more comfort than they had had for
| months.
Now, boys" said the Surgeon. appear
| ing with the Hospital Steward, heres a
little nip, for each Of you of splendid old
rye whisky. Steward. give the Sergeant
and Corporal each gill and the rest half
| gill;
That is splendid whisky and no mis-
take said Shorty, as he smacked his lips
over the draft. Five years old. if a day.
But there must have bin a nail got in the
| barrel. It's got an after taste of rusty
IRON
That comes from the tincture of iron
that the Doctor put in to strengthen you
up" whispered the Hospital Steward.
We'll, I'll be blamed" muttered 81. "I
| never dreamed that the Surgeon would
do anything underhanded'
\ few nf he innatieDt invS of ~ n
were admitted to talk to them. and they
spent n couple of hours in intensely in
tercsting gossip over the happenings to
the company. regiment. brigade and di-
vision since the day of the mOmeutous as
Sault on kenesaw. They were interrupt
ed by the announcement of supper, and
the hospital attendants handed each one
of them tin Ilate. on which was a bit
| OF broiled ham. toasted crackers, and 4
cup of coffee.
Great .Iehosephat. there's nothing like
coffee. said Shorty, as he drained the
last drop of his allowance. Bless the man
who invented coffee. But it seems to ms
that there was a bitter twang to thus that
didn't notice in that the boys made inns
| morning"
Same with mine" said ST.
THAI Calnrs fItm the quiGine." said
the att endaht. Doctor puts tIas in to
ward of malaria. and tone you up''
Shorty famed up into rage. Here. I'll
be tee-totally dodcasted if I'm going TO
allow am mcIsiy Surgeon to rake an
apotbecarv shoi, oF my insidas on the sly.
It's playing it low down on u.s. If he wants
us to take medicine. why amt le fair and
open about it: Why don't he give rs
pills and powder like any other Surgeon.
and then We can throw them into the
brush when his back is turned, as soldiers
ought to? But here he's sneaking uuinine
into our coffee. iron into our whisky, salts
and senna into our soup, blue mass into
our hard-tack, ipecac into our meat, and
the Lord knows what into everything else
1t amt fair and square, and / believe it's
agin the regulations. I'm going to tell
he Colonel. L know he won't allow any
such tricks on his men,
1t is dumbed outrage" responded ST.
Il never dreamed that old Folsom could
be so blamed tricky. | am dead anxious
70 get some paper and envelopes to write
home. but I'm afraid to ask for them, for
fear they'll be full O jalap and 'pecac or
some other blasted stuff that old Folsom's
trying to crowd into me, and them inno-
cent folks at home II catch some Of it.
L tell you, it's as mean as dirt, specially
to us. We don't need none OF his old
medicine. and we could throw it away IL
he give it to Us open and above board,
as he oughter. Butt after a moments re-
flection) mebbe it's all right after all.
Them other boys is just rascals enough
TO tuTOW AWAY InelF LleQlclnP, ana iOC
take it, though they need it bad He's
right to poke it into 'em unbeknownst."
That's so,'' acceded Shorty, his heat
abating suddenly as it had famed up.
There's that little rat Of a Pete. He's
dead sure to throw his medicine away.
The only way you could get him to take
it would be to hold his nose and poke It
into him. Boys have no sense at all about
what's good for 'em. They're such fools
they won't trust a doctor, who's learned
his business, to judge what they ought to
have. I'm going over there to see that
he drinks every drop of his coffee, and
eats every mite of his grub, SOS to get
the full benefit of his medicine
81 chuckled a little, as the incongrufties
Of his and Shorty's ideas as to themselves
and the other boys dawned on him.
Presently the sweet-voiced bugle blew
tattoo in the genuine old rollickinS way,
and with it came the happy thought that
the Andersonvile with its horrors was
actually far away, merely a dream, and
that they were once more IN their dear
old soldier home. of which they had
thought and talked so much while in the
terrible Stockade and on the anxious days
If escape.
After all. 81, we don't care tlurn il
old Folsom does try to make walking drug
stores out of us, do We: Let him." mur-
INJURED Shorty, as he stretched himself ont
on his blanket for the sweet slGcp of con-
tcntment and peace.
Ito be continued.l