The Washington weekly post. (Washington, D.C.) 1878-1916, 1900-02-13

| went out. and those who were on duty sat
and waited. Tom crept up to the room.
and a nurse In her white cap and apron
| caught him. 50 he did not fan On the floor.
! Then she pu, him back to bed and took
away his clothes. and told him she had
not time % look after him, and he was
not 20 move again.
| Outside he could hear shouting and fir
| ing and as he lay be could make out a
| cry which sseemed 70 se the watchword
OF the Spanish so often It came 10 him
| above the distant SOUNDS.
"Manano, Manila, MananO. Manila"
/ He could not stand # lying there. and
/ he crept out OF bed again and took the
| first pair Of trousers he could find.
/ They were too long. but he turned the
| bottoms away up to his hips and man.
aged very wei.
! II was very warm, and he started
1 toward the firing. A Red Cross man
| told him 70 fetch water and set II 10
the men at the front. Tom went 10
work Men, wounded, were coming in.
/ He was very anxious about the cap
tain, for he had been told that his own
| company were at the front, and he
said 10 himself he would get there, too.
At first il seemed as if every one Of
] Ile Spanish were AlLlll5 dl LllAls Gnu
he lodged the little singing, flying bull
/ lets. Re felt pin in his arm and
| smart, and then the warm blood run
ming down his sleeve. His arm did not
/ seem hurt much, but he felt stunned for
a moment. The boy began TO feel the
fury Of fighting He could not see which
were his men, for everyone looked alike.
His blood began to boil, and he forgot
how his knees had shaken as he got into
the thick. He picked I'd a gun and a
cartridge belt which some soldier would
not want any more and began firing,
I watching all the time to find his own men,
He saw a man fall and stopped to fix his
cap so the sun would not be in the poor
fellows eyes till the stretchers came.
Then he saw what made his heart stand
I still. II was his own captain. He was
lying in a clump of bushes. and he was SO
awfally still! Tom got over 10 him and
felt for his heart. He was not dead yet
I Tom had some water in his canteen and
he poured some into the captains face
but # had no effect. so he lifted him VI
and poured il down his back.
He opened his eyes. TON, what's up:
Am / wOundedI
Yep" Tom always forget when he was
moved.
The awful pain in his leg told hin
where the captain had been nit. even If ne
had not seen the dark stain in the sand.
Tommie cut away the top of the boot
and then proudly produced some band
ages. and well for the captain it was that
Tommie's grimy little finger had been in
every pie it could get into, for Tom knew
how to stop the blood, which was red and
vss coming very slowly. nut all the time
He did not stop to study his captains
face. but ne Felt that his commanding
officer was satisfied with him.
Rather more trousers than man, AIM
you. Tom?"
Nurse hid my own"
Il see, you were invalided by the pie
How many did you eat?''
Five 1t want pies, twas swimmer
Five pies amt much, but the climate.
bad for swimmer"
The captain nearly tainted again wher
he tried to get up: he had lost a grea
deal of blood. Tom could not see any
Red Cross men.
Jest lean on me as hard as you like
I'm a lot stronger than / look"
you are a COMPOUNDED little Irishman.'
Tom was afraid the captain must bC
going off his head; he knew it must hur
pretty badly, but he would not hint a
such a possibility as his captain feeling
thing like that. He 1nly held himself d.
firmly and as tall as he could and trie5
not to feel how very heavily the captain
leaned as they slowly moved along.
His own wound ached, too, but he dil
not speak of it.
! AT last man with stretcher saw Their
and assured he officer that he needed
help more than any one else. and so h,
did, for as soon as he tried 70 lie down OF
the stretcher he tumbled over ana lay
in dead faint. They got his mouth oper
and poured down some brandy, and eve.
then he did not open his eyes. so they
picked up she StretcEer with the faintins
man and Started on d run for the hospi
tai
He was attended 10 Immediately, anC
soon was tucked into bed with Tom t
watch him, whose own wound had beer
dressed. 1t was very slight.
one Gay the captain was ordered home
on sick leave. Tommie was inconsolabl,
till he was told to 90, 100. There was
just time to get a letter off To his father
that he was coming, and then they start
cd. There were about 20 sick men, bu
every one began to get well just as soor
as they were really on the WAY home
The captain said it was half homesick.
ness which kept the men from getting
strong, but TOmmle was sure ne was no
hOmesick The men Of his company haC
been very sorry to lose him, and he wa.
coming home with $50 he had made of
his newspapers in eight months, beside:
spending a good deal and sending HON,
Christmas presents for all his family.
| on the dock We're d lot Of people. Ton
; did not suppose any one would be there
to meet him. he was used TO going anC
coming and asking no favOrS of any one
Tom had nine older brothers and sister.
and two younger. On top OF a pile ht
saw a familiar red head, and it gave hin
chOky feeling in his throat 10 see i
was his brother TadS. They had already
been through days quarantine at Ange
Island. and, as Tom said, been washed
and cooked; so as soon as the plank wa.
down Tom could get ashore, ami he did
not lose many minutes.
| All the boys IN the street were there Il
meet him, ali in marching order but the,
did not keep in line. They crowded AROUND
| iommle. ana as mother kissed him be
fore every one. He was not more than hal
/ ashamed he was SO glad to see her bI'
when his sister tried 1t. he lodged
The fellows had come to escort hin
| home. so they formed and TOmmie wen.
| ahead and was terribly proud and sail
when they asked him about his wOunC
II was 'nothen," but when they got {,
their own block he took off his coat ant
rolled up his blue flannel shirt sleeve ant
showed his scar The boys felt Of II viii
Z their fingers and asked him If he Wer,
quite sure the bullet had not STAYED in
| Iney offered him the command of thei
! company tlat very day, and he told NOR,
yarns than any other war correspondent
| ever thought Of
That first night when Tom. and Tads
and Hal were going 10 bed in the same oil,
/ bed. il seemed 10 Tom he mad only beer
! dreaming. He took blanket and pillow
and prepared 10 camp down on the fOor
What you dOin' II fOr2' Tads asked
Amt used 10 them soft beds; feel nor,
al home here and so when Toms motne
/ came 10 take a last good look at ner sol
/ der boy that night there was TOmm!,
| and Tads and Hal all curled up on IN.
floor, and none Of them ever knew how
| they got back into bed
Titled Lady scrubbed Ihe Oficer.
From the London Leader.
There is an amusing story, which ",
give with all reserve, told OF q titled LADY
who is az the seat Of war with the land
able desire Of nursing the sick and wound
/ ed Her zeal. however, is exceeding he
technical ability. and her principal occu
patton 80 far has consisted in washing m,
faces Of the patients. one wounded office
on whom she rad bestowed this attention