Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1901-08-17


Born and bred in the army, taught
from early boyhood to ride and shoot,
to spar and swim, spending his vaca-
tion in saddle and his school days in
unwilling study, an adept in every
healthful and exhilarating sport, keen
with rifle and revolver, with shotgun
and rod, with bat and racquet, with
the gloves and Indian clubs, the MIN
blest quarterback and dodger, the
swiftest runner of his school, it must
be owned that Mr.. Sanford Ray was
a most Indifferent scholar. OF geog-
raphy, history and languages he had
rather more than smattering be-
cause of occasional tours abroad when
still at an impressiona bic age. Yet
Sandy ''took more Stock" as he ex-
pressed it, and ''stawk," as he called
it, in Sioux and the sign language
than he did in French or German,
knew far more of the Rockies and
Sierras than he did of the Alps, stud
led the European cavalry with the
eye of an accomplished critic, and
stoutly maintained that while they
were bigger swells and prettier to
look at, they could neither ride nor
shoot to compare with the sturdy
troopers of his fathers squadron.
"As to uniforms said Sandy, ''any-
body could look swagger in the lancer
and hussar rig. 1t takes q man to
look like a soldier in what our fell
lows have to wear"
1t wasn't the field garb Sandy de-
spised, but the full dress, the blue
and yellow enormity in which our
troopers are compelled to appear.
1t had been the faint hope of his
fond parents that Master Sandy
would grow up to. be something, by
which was meant a lawyer, an artist,
architect, engineer, something in
civil life that promised home and for
tune. But the lad from babyhood
would think of nothing but the army,
and with much misgiving, in Sandy's
fifteenth year, his father shipped
him to Kentucky, where they were
less at home than in Kansas, and
gave him a years hard schooling in
hopes of bracing up his mathematics
Sandy was wild to go to West Point,
and at the bottom of his heart Mai.
Ray would have rejoiced had he
thought it possible for Sandy to pull
through; but ruefully he minded
him how hard a task was his own.
and how close he came to failure at
the semi-annual exams SANDY
hates Math. even more than 1 did,"
said he, to Marion, his devoted wife
at was all 1 could do to squirm
through when the course was no.
where near as hard as it is to-day,
so don't set your heart on it, little
woman"
The appointment was not so hard
to get, for Maj. Billy had a host of
friends in his native state, and an
old chum at the Point assured him
he could coach young Sandy through
the preliminary, and, indeed, he did
Sandy scraped in after six months
vigorous work. managed to hold his
own through the first years tussle
with algebra and geometry, which he
had studied hard and faithfully be-
fore, was pet in his class, and the
pride and joy of his mothers and sis
ter's hearts in yearling camp, where
he blossomed out in corporal's chew
rons and made as natty and active
first sergeant as could be found
while the "furlough class" was away.
But the misery began with IAN
alyticar and the crisis came with
calculus, and to the boys bitter sor-
row, after having been turned back
one year on the former and failing
utterly on the latter, the verdict of
the academic board went dead
against him. and stout old soldiers
thereon cast their votes with griev-
ing hearts, for "Billy Rays boy" was
a lad they hated to let go, but West
Point rules are memorable.
1t was hard to reconcile the lad
at first. The major. set him up as a
young ranchman. in lovely valley
in the Big Horn range, and there he
went sturdily to work, but before the
winter was fairly on the country was
rousing to the appeals of Cuba, and
before 1T was gone the Maine had
sunk, riddied hulk, anu the spring
came on with i cal! 70 arms.
1ogether with some 200 young fel!i
lows all over the land, Sanford RAY
went up Tor examination for the va.
cant second lieutenancies in the army.
and he who had failed In analytica1
and calculus passed without grave