The true northerner., 1900-06-27
A QUESTION
OF METHOD
= Young Bowen's Contempt
Z For Army Red Tape.
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O-~o.o%o.O.o..O O.O~O~O~o~o~o
Young Clancy Bowen brought to
New York from his western home a
life equipment of so much energy, COM
bined with the unshakable belief that
it was easy enough to "do things" if
you only got down on your four legs
and exercised" that his friends. both
new and old, expect Il great deal of
him. But they are yet awhile no near
er dropping the Objectionable introduc-
tion 70 his name than they were three
years ago, when Bowen had no better
sense than TO spend a week of his pre-
cious time in the attempt, according to
a promise, TO collect an old and out
lawed debt from n vanishing person in
the east for the benefit OF some one ''at
home" Then and always they called
him young" Only this winter he had
an experience which should have been
formative. 1t stunned him, perhaps,
but he awolle unchanged.
Bowen's brother, soldier in the reg
ular army, went to the front in 1898.
The stay at home, however, bore a
heavier burden of the distresses of the
campaign in Cuba than the one who
saw the battles. When he read in the
newspapers that the army was keenly
suffering for food while whole shipfuls
of stores remained untapped at anchor
a few miles off the beach, the young
man seethed with pent up irritation
pent up until he had finished scrap of
breakfast at his boarding house. where
there was no one but the landlady, AID
she deaf, and found the ear of an ac-
quaintance down town.
"Say, what good are those generals?
They amt fit to be pitching hay! Say,
I'd get rope on to every one of those
ships, one by one. and haul 'em up on
shore, and I'd dump 'em out and fill up
the brave fellows fighting for their
country till they was gorged"
you couldn't do that, or anything,
not if you was a general said the
other. Red tape" He repeated the
last words decisively. Red tapew
I'D ravel il all OUT cried Clancy
and hurried off. That was the man;
lHls is llle Sllnple eApeTleDce.
The brother came back from the war
not a bit the worse either for the fast
ing or the fighting, but the chance of
army life did not bring him within
reach Of Clancy's arms for more than
year. Then, after everything else
had been said, the soldier let fall the
information that he had been obliged
to leave his extra clothing, together
with most of his worldly goods. at the
barracks in California when he was or
dered TO the front and regretfully wish
cd he had them now.
"Where did you put the things?'
asked Clancy, alive at once, ready 10
take charge Of the matter of getting
them back
Captain told me to pack my stuff in
my company locker and | did-No. 65.
Benicia barracks, Second infantry
storehousc." ratified off the soldier
''Well, all we have to do is to write
out to the man, the janitor. or what
you call 'em, who keeps care Of the
building, and ask him to send your
duds along-eh, as you have need of
'em here. I'll fix it up for you"
II dunno" said the other hesitating-
ly; that wouldn't be quite right. you
writing the letter and all. I'd better
ask my captain to write. He'll say
communicate to the chaps out west.
Then it'll all be reg'lar."
"Oh, WELL" Clancy shifted; ''that will
do, l s'pose. Is your captain good
feller? Will he tend Up to it sharp?
If not, you'd better let ioe"-
But the other interrupted decidedly.
He would do things In the right way,
and Ii would be better in the end, he
said.
Several months passed. Nothing was
heard from Benicia barracks. Clancy
tried to make his brother punch up
the captain. He even wrote a fevered
appeal himself to the man who, he
reckoned, must have taken away those
things and sold them, but the soldier
would not let the letter be mailed. The
brothers nearly split up over this ques-
ton, for Clancy said he was ashamed
that one of his family should have so
little hustle in him.
"I tell you It's no use to do anything
but wait" said the brother In his stu
pid, firm way. And last week he was
proved right. A red linked, blue linked,