St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1901-10-12

there? Halt! Halt! Who goes there,
Halt, or I'll fre!" followed, if the maj
did not obey, by the report of a rifle
and then the crashing of bushes a.
the intruder fed.
II wish we had been detailed for the
upper post growled sergt. Bob, whe
had got rid of his blouse and his leg
| gings, and was now meditatively re
| garding his dusty shoes.
why? You don't hear any news ny
there; this is headquarters" said the
other sergeant.
Headquarters indeed! You can get
passes up there to go into town and
get bath. You don't have to LOAF
around in an atmosphere of coal-dust
all the time. And they have barrel
| of ice-water at the camp"
"What! Ice-water! You don't mean
it?"
eyes, dol" grumbled Bob. ssThe
majors orderly told me SO when he
came down here. He had bath yes
terday, a regular swim, with plenty
of water. We have to tramp quarter
of mile to get drinking water, and
not much of that. I tried bathing in
one of those bitches. Stood in wash
basin to keep from sinking in the
mud. It wasn't a success, and I've got
clean things in my knapsack, too. By
George, we always get the toughest
detail of the whole lott
"Oh, quit your growing"
ITS all very well for you. You're
not duty sergeant, and don't go on
guard"
''No; but have to stay here, and
it's Sergeant, do this, that and the
other all day. Then there are the
reports and acquisitions; and every
time one of you fellows wants to
grumble you come to me. Yesterday
you wanted to know why did not
give you coffee after dinner
II didn't! / just asked if you ex-
pected US to live on corned beef I'll
the time. Say, we got fired on three
different times at the bridge last
night" d
"Any one hurt?"
mo"
"Did you shoot any one?''
"Don't know. We fired back, but I
guess we didn't hit anything. Speer,
of company H, night before last, shot
a man who tried to run the line; at
least, that is what Speers reported
in the morning; but notice that COM
pany HIS eating fresh mutton, and
the commissary hasn't issued any.
either. Why can't one of our fellows
shoot one of Speer's men? Lazy beg
gars!"
Bob" said the other sergeant, "I'm
dead broke, and my credit is not good
at the store over there. They don't
know me, and"
'They do know you, you meant"
chuckled Sergt. Bob.
keep still. AS started to say, I
have no money, and I'm tired of the
food myself. I want to buy some
crackers. Now if you have any cash,
and will get me box of crackers, I'll
tell you where you can get a bath,
wash your clothes and feel like q man
and brother once more"
sergeant. the crackers are yours!
Where is that corner of paradise?"
Hold on! Don't be in such a hur-
~. You go up and persuade the COM
sergeant to give you bar
of that imported yellow soap, while |
Ego and use my influence with one of
the hospital corps to get couple of
big towels
"Your influence! You've got about |
as much influence as lance-corporal,
and that's next to nothing. Besides,
have towel"
"So've I! but we want to do this
thing in style. Wen take our blank
cts for togas, and do the Roman SEN
ator while our buds are drying. And
my influence is all right, because the
big towels are hanging behind the
hospital tent, and the fellows are at
The surgeons tent, hearing lecture
IN bones. Skip along after that soap,
now"
"Where is this place you're talking
Robert, you pain me! Can't you
AXE it on trust? There is WE'LL
"Yes, at home. And I wish had
oarrel of water from it now.'
"Don't interrupt my eloquencc.
There is well, a deep well, with clear,
old water, on hillside near ruined
og house. By that well is a quarter
lection of hogshead, once used for
cattle, now converted by my
,enius into a bath-tub. A big elm
preads it's outrageous arms o> er
oft grass, where"
'That will do! I'm going for the
Dap on rum" and Sergt. Bob
truggled into his blouse and departed.
An hour later two blanket-draped
'oys lay on the grass under the elm.
he camp was out of sight behind a
of the hill. On the fence
ear by various garments were dry
ng. Flecks of sunlight struggled
trough the leaves overhead, and made
gold and green patchwork of the
rass. A barren cornfield, with last
oars0 efa1ks ont c1oso IN tho Ground