The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1900-02-16
7T[HIE FOR TUNES
OFF WAR.

"Dirty niggers." General Grub mum
bled, mopping the perspiration from
his snub nosed countenance, for, al
though the tent flap was raised to let
very hot, and the general, like the rest
of us, preferred, no matter how un
Justly, to vent his wrath on some one
he disliked. Outside the tent the light
night wind rustled through the tropical
underground about the camp. and
from the black cooks quarters the tin
ny tinkle of a banjo danced into the
darkness in curious contrast to the
regular beat of sentries' feet.
Lieutenant Lane broke the silence
by rising from his stool at the farther
end of the room and walking with
short, precise steps to where the gener-
al sat, that he might hand him the dis
patches he had been copying. He was
an estimable young man-thin, bald
about the temples, an oldish young
face, with arched eyebrows and sun
burned Roman nose, giving him the air
of a harassed mosquito. His dispatches
| were written with the scrupulous care
of a mind given to detail, the one era
sure, crossed by a neat line of KS,
| adding to the precision of the whole.
When the aid-de-camp rose, Cassandra,
| General Grub's parrot and inseparable
| companion, who for the last half hour
had been hanging head downward
from the ridgepole, Strengthened her
self, cooked vicious eve at him and
silently slid to the ground. She hated
him and waddied to the attack as
,oou as his back was turned, every tail
feather expressing her joyous wicked
ness.
A moment later Lieutenant Lane
jumped. "Ouchr' he said deliberately
"Fortunes of war;" squawked the
bird, fortunes of war. Gur-rrr-rrr-
rrr-rrr-rrr."
"It-it's that green parrot" Lane
explained, as General Grub looked VI
lquickly.
Found the calves of your legs, eh p
he asked laughing.
The thin aid-de-camp visibly stiffen
ed and slowly turned beetlike red
he was not man of impulse ever
when he blushed. Keep 'um out OF
the way, keep 'um out of the way
the general continued, half impatiently
1t always irritated him to hurt an!
ones feelings.
"As If any one could keep his legs
out of that green parrots way" Lane
grumbled to himself on his way bacl
to the desk at the farther end of thu
room, where every pen, pencil, 'rubbe
and scrap of paper lay in its accus
toned place. the bits of string he ha'
conscientiously saved with great vast
Of time and patience piled neatly to
gether in Japanese basket. Lam
was a precisionist; order and routin
were the breath of life to him, and h
was happiest when he could do tn
same thing at the same hour of tn
same day the year round.
For another 20 minutes silence reign
ed Then General Grub raised his voice
and the aid-de-camp, who could neve
remember that dog does not bit
levery time he barks, jumped ner'
ously.
Orderly"
Iii answer to General Grubs call
soldier stood at attention, his well kni
taut figure blotting out the square c
darkness left by the raised tent flap.
"Tell Lieutenant Fielding to repol
for orders at once" The man salute
and disappeared.
" A moment later Fielding entered. 81
I'd was a tall slimly built fellow, wit
a. door, cot avas au6 q rasoJuto chin VO
p
t. felt on looking at him that he was
ed man whose steady hand on the hid
we Id give nervous horse confideuC