Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1901-09-06
Copyrighted. 1900. by the J. B. Lippincou Col
CHAPTER V.-CoNr1NrED.

Born and bred in the army, taught
to spar and swim, spending his vaca-
ton 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 MINI
blest quarterback and dodger, the
swiftest runner of his school, it must
be owned that Mr.. Sanford Ray was
q most Indifferent scholar. OF geog-
raphy, history and languages he had
rather more than a smattering be-
cause of occasional tours abroad when
still at an impressiona BILE 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
rye of an accomplished critic, and
stouty 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.
GAS to uniforms said Sandy, ''any-
body could look swagger in the lancer
and hussar rig. 1t takes a man to
look like 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 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 Maj
Ray would have rejoiced had he
thought it possible for Sandy to pull
through; but ruefully he minded
him how hard task was his own
and how close he came to failure al
the semi-annual exams. 'sSandy
hates Math. even more than I did
said he. to Marion. his. devoted wife
1T was all I could do to squirn
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 hari
to get. for Maj. Billy had host Of
tDiends in his native state, and ar
old ehum at the Point assured hin
he could coach young Sandy through
the preliminary. and. indeed, he did
Sandy scraped in after six months
vigorous work, managed to hold hi,
own through the first years tnssl,
with algebra and geometry, which b,
had studied hard and faithfully be
fore, was pet in his class. and tn.
pride and joy of his mothers and sis
ter's hearts in yearling camp. whert
he bIossomed out in corporal's chew
rons and made as natty and activ,
first sergeant as could be founs
while the "furlough class" was away
But the misery began with ian
a1ytical" and the crisis came witt
calculus, and to the boys bitter sor
row, after having been turned bacl