Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1900-07-19
CHAPTER XVII.-CoNTINUED.
copyright. 1899. by F. Tennyson Neely.l

CHAPTER XVII.-CoNTINUED.
Another week rolled by. The tide of
battle had swept inland and northward;
and all eyes were on the plucky advance
of MacArthur's strong division, while
far out to the south and east the
thinned and depleted lines of Anderson
held an insurgent force that forever
menaced but dare not attack. The
Primeval Dudes, sorely missing their
calmly energetic colonel, had drifted
into a war of words with their nearest
neighbors on the firing line, far west
ern regiment gifted with great com
mand of language and small regard for
style. The latter had crowed nightly
over their more vigorously disciplined
comrades because of the compliments
bestowed on them in an official report,
wherein the Dudes received only honor
able mention. 1T was Capt. Stricken of
the volunteers who had led the dash on
the rebel works across the Tripa to the
left of Blockhouse 12. 1t was their
Sergt. Finney who whacked Filipino
major with the butt of his Springfield,
and tumbled out of him the batch of re-
ports and records that gave the num-
bers and positions of every unit of
Pillars division on the southwark zone.
1t was their Corporal Norton who got
the Mauser through the shoulder just
as, foremost in the rush, he bayoneted
the last Tagal at the krupp guns in the
river redoubt. 1t was his devoted
bunly, Private Latrobe, who volun
teered to carry the division COM
mander's dispatch across the open rice
field and the yawning bitches that sep
arated the staff from the rest of the
charging -teenth, and who died glo-
riously in the rush on the rebel works.
Man after man of the woolly westecners
had been referred to by name, while the
Dudes had nothing to show but their
wounded colonel's modest report that
"where every officer and man appeared
TO do his whole duty it would be un-
just to make especial mention of even
limited few" The Dudes were getting
hot over the taunts of the "Toughs,"
some one had misnamed their neigh
hors; and one night when there was
more or less interchange of pointed
chaff in lieu of fight with a common
foe there was heard shrill voice from
the flank of the rife pit nearest the
westerners, and what it said was re-
peated in wonderment over the brigade
before the Dudes were another day
older.
''Well, dash your thievin' gang! We
made our record for ourselves, any
how. We didn't have to rely on any
H..
you did"
And that was why Sergt. Sterne, of
the Dudes, was sent for by the field
officers of both regiments the follow
ing morning and hidden to explain,
which he did in few words. He was
ready to answer that the wounded
Corporal Norton was the very same
young man he saw in the adjutant's
office of the -teenth regulars at Camp
Merritt, and was thcn called Morton.
And that evening the veteran sergeant
major of the -teenth was hidden to
report at the reserve hospital in Err
mita, close to the Malate line, was con-
Quoted to the bedside of palid young
soldier whose ticket bore the name of
Norton, and was asked to tell whether
he mad ever seen him before.
81 have, SIR" said the veteran, sadly
and gra.sly. "He is deserter from the
-teenth. His name on our rolls was
Morton" And that night Col. Arm
strong cabled to "Primate," New York,
the single word 'Found." Nor was it
likely the lad would soon be lost again,
for a sentry with fixed bayonet stood
within ten feet of his bed with orders
not to let him out of his sight second
Mrs. Garrison appeared at the hos
pital that very evening and heard of the
episode, and reached Billy Gray's bed
side looking harassed, even baggard.
During the past three days she had been
accorded admission, for Gray was so
much improved there was no reason to
ICuger forbid; but on each occasion the
wounded volunteer officer and the brace
of attendants present had precluded all
possibility of confidential talk. She
must bide her time. Gray would be up
In few days, said the doctor; and then
nothing would do said Mrs. Garrison,
but he must be moved to their big,
roomy, lovely house on the bay side,
and be made strong and well again
made to give up those letters, too,
th ought she; for she had wormed it out
Of bystanGer that a packet of some
kind had been given by the dying SOL