Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-08-04

ave been nothin' hut big buck private
anyway. and died or been shot in line of
duty New I'm fixed for life an I'll get
around. never fret
lis so. said the corporal, reflectively.
"AE not hein' 4 responsible charakter, ye
Nigh, have been bobtailed and gone on
too old 10 larn. Ye're in luck But 1 bet
yc'd die. BY rights. because the doctor
said it, ye ought TO have died.
THE worst Of it," said the convalcsccnt.
'is the pain in my toes
Your toes?' cried the recruit.
They always feels it," said the corporal,
more or loss. II depends on how they
buried your legs. I'll look yours up and
have them buried right. There was old
MahoHey, who went railroading. and got
smashed up by an engine with his leg cut
of He suffered terrible from his toes, an
his son had the buryin' OF the leg. It's
buried proper, dad says he but the old
man doubted it an got a friend to look it
up. Sure enough, the boy had just put ii
il the ground. and the earth was pressing
hard and heavy dGwn on il. Nahoney's
friend put it in box where It had room,
an the pain left Nahoney. L knew saws
he. The boy hadn't buried it proper: it
l.urt 50. -"
The recruit laughed, but the cripple said
anxiously:
Look mine up. corp, will you? I'm think
IT. mine amt pun away right"
'Yere tough" said the corporal, harping
on the subject Of the soldiers vitality.
Most felers would have died. Some fellers
Is mighty hard to kill. There is Buck Bill.
Hes with the 22d now. I mind when we
blew taps over mis- grave down on the
WasEita
How" said the recruit "I thought YOU
said he is with the I'D doughboys?''
An So he is. III tell you how it was
See. in them days the boys was havfn' hot
times with the COmanches and the Kfowas
down III the old southwestern frontier 1t
was IN them times when l was enjoyin' nv
sell IKE rookie for fair. and all things was
u 10 mo .r71 I .l,T,,
Ia wind up as a major. anyhow. Like him
Their You amt so old as me, but you
know how il is
The couva1escent nodded grinily. He wore
two service stripes on his sleeve. The re-
crulj looked drednily out of the farther
door Of the hospital tent. He was very
young, and-some day there might be a
war worth calling war not a campaign,
He had hopes.
We was all bucks OF course the corpo-
n! went on. but this Teller Bill was called
BUCK ki.i purr-purr-there's a foreign
Par example, the recruit suggested
timidly.
Right. guess In matters of the United
States language l don't take no corrections
from no one. but in foreign talk nv rookie
You may know rnore'n me. He was Buck
Ri. always He had the most extrorny
bumps behind his ears. y frennigist-''
"A rhrenolosist?' the rookie meekly in
THAT ain; a foreign word" said the old
corporal augrly. Its good United States
and it goes see? said frennigist. Amt
that right
The convalescent nodded and the recruit
was humhlrd.
This here fronnlsist felt ouct of Bills
head and crawed q paper of IT. Says he to
Hiii. he says: You've the most amazing
bump Of vitality | ever seen he saws,
Them was the bumps behind Buck Bills
cars he meant see? Mine amt remarka-
be. but / guess your'u are"
The patient felt behind his ears and open-
ed his eyes wide.
by gee he said. You're right. corp,
I've got EN- big"
Thought So" said the corporal cor you'd
never have pulled through this rastle. Guess
you'd give the yeller fever itself a hot time
l. down You"
The recruit felt at the back of his ears
with alarm.
II fancy" h. said ihoughtfully, that It
Nou.Jut pay me 10 have both legs cut of"
Wei. sir the corporal said. Buck Bill
was q thing ii WAS the hardest of hard to
XIII lie got cut up by cowboy in Chey-
enue and lived In the hospital he broke
out on "A bitter cold night, got drunk,
caught cold got eerieSipplcs-shut up
rcokie. that's United States. too-and tho
doctors gave him up. but he lived through.
He was shot in the stomach by u Piute and
lived through. His horse put its foot in q
gopher hole and rolled on him. and Ills sad
die crushed four ribs and a collar bone AMI
dislocated his liver, but he lived through
He had mountain fever and pneumonia and
q touch OF smallpox all in one year. but he
lived through. When we was swimming