The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1900-03-15
tcoryrieh'. ,sos. BY F.,Tsrny,oc Neeiyl


| company OF student volunteers was
formed; its members agreed to drill an
hour daily In addition to tho prescribed
work, provided Billy would take hold"
III earnest. and this was the company
That, under his command, swept the
boards six weeks later and left San
Pcdro's contingent an amazed and dis
nctaphoricnl pieces again until the war
clouds oycrsprcad the land; then like
his fathers son he girtlcd up his loins,
went In for a commission and won.
! And here he was "sub" In Uncle Sans
stalwnrt infantry with three classmates
serving under him In the ranks and half
n dozen more. either as junior officers
or enlisted men, in the camps OF the
volunteers. lie was handsome boy,
q healthy, hearty boy. and. ms bows GO.
rather n good boy-a boy In whom his
mother would have found. Ind she no,
long since been lifted above the cares
of this world, much OF comfort and
more to condonc, but n boy, neycrthc.
less, who had given his old dragon OF
dad many an anxious hour. Now.
| lust rs he neared the legal dividing line
between youth and wears OF discretion.
Billy GRAY Ind Joined the third hat.
talon of his regiment. full Of pluck.
hone and health. full of ambition Ia
make n name for himself In n profcssion
he loved MS. exccpt his father. he Ger.
tujnIy loved nothipy else. md utterly
scoflnp the ideu that there nigh, come
into his life n being for the sake of
whose smile he could almost Law down
his sword. for n. had vc, ,o NEE, Amy
Lawrence.
| ..,ybo nrc the vo,,cp folks ~, M
hcndounricrs nillvp" osk,d n voutb of
his own ycnrs and rank. pccripg corerly
| tbrouyb tho ,Ir,ftipy mis-, n, IN. din,
rhostiy outlines of the generals comp.
"Dijn't get 10 see 'cu. Where's In,
old man--thc coloncl?" was the rcply.
"Chicf wants him toot de sweet"
"ybnt's wanted ." called n yoicc from
| the biggest of the ncirhboripr tents.
| and n close cropped head was thrust
out between the front tent fans. THAT
| YOU. Billy? Who wants the coloncIn .
lie and the "brg" rode over TO the Pre-
sido an hour ago--ain't got back. Come
In; I've started fire In our oil stove
! A nun OF warm air blew from the in,c-
rior and confirmed the statement. II
was we'll along in summer, and not n
dozen miles away To the cust men were
strollng about with palIn-lcaf fans and
wiltcd collars. Here, close To the gray
shores of the mighty sea. blankets and
oycrcoats were i'm demand. lIospitably
the older officer tugged nt the lacings
of the military front door, sworc be-.
tween his set teeth when the knots.
swollen by the wet, wi.hstood his cf-
forts. and then shouted:
| Sergeant ma ior, send somebody here
to open this"
| 4 light footstep sounded on the
spriupy board floor. nimblc fingers
worked moment at the cords, then
the ilnp wns thrown omen and the nd
iutant's Office stood pnrtialIy revealed.
| II was n big wall tent backed up against
another of the same size and pattern.
Half a dozen plain chairs, two rougl,
board tables Uttered with books, pa
pcrs and smoking tobacco, an oil stove
and cheap clothes rack on which were
hanging raincoats. ponchos and cape
or two. comprised all the furniture. In
n stout frame of unplancd wood. cascd
In their oilskins and tightly rolled,
stood the national and state colors OF
the famous regiment; and back OF them
well within the second tent, where one
clerk was just lighting a camp lantern
were pcrched on rough tables brace ol
field desks with the rcgimcntnl books
The sergeant major. veteran of years
of service I'm the regulars Spt at one oI