Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1901-09-12

Hungarians, Slavs, Italians, deluded
and misled by mistaken men.
But the great dangers of this strike,
which has now been a matter of his
tory for some years, were at an end.
Now the bridges and buildings were
safe; long trains Numbered over the
rails, and the men who had brought
about order painted in the sweItering
heat by day. and shivered in the
misty, chill air by night. BY night,
too, the rioters from the foreign set
Element came cross the hills and
fired into the camp and at the SEN
tries.
The first night this was done the
bugle blew ''To arms!' and the whole
camp reused itself to repel an attack,
now, even the pickets did not notice
the firing unless the men came too
near. or tried to cross the lines.
Then it was: HAL! Who goes
there? Halt! Halt! Who goes there?
Halt. or I'll fret followed. if the man
did not obey, by the report of a rife,
and then the crashing of bushes as
the intruder fed.
Il wish we had been detailed for the
upper post erowIed Sergt. Bob, who
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 up
there: this is headquarters" said the
other sergeant.
Headquarters indeed! You can get
passes up there to go into own and
get a bath. You don't have to loaf
around in an atmosphere of coal-dust
all the time. And they ave a barrel
of ice-water at the camp"
What! Ice-water. You don't mean
it?"
Yes. 1 dol" grumbled Bob. The
majors orderly told me so when he
came down here. He had a bath yes
terday, a regular swim, with plenty
of water. We have TO tramp a quarter
of a mile to get drinking water, and
not much of that. l tried bathing in
one of those bitches. Stood in d wash
basin TO keep from sinking in the
mud. 1t 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 lot"
oh, HuiO NOuI SloNIhS'
It's all very well for you. You're
not a duty sergeant, and don't go on
guard"
NO; but 1 have to stay here. and
it's Sergeant, do this, hat 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 1 did not
give you coffee after dinner
II didn't! I just asked if you ex-
pected Us to live on corned beef al
the time. Say, we got fired on three
different times at the bridge last
night"
ANY n hurt?"
No"
did you shoot any one?"
Don't know. We fred back, hut 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, hat is what Speers reported
in the morning; but I 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, SIM
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 I started to say, l
have no money, and I'm tired of the
food myself. I want to buy some
crackers. Now if you nave any cash,
and will get me a box of crackers, I'll
tell you where you can get a bath,
wash your clothes and feel like a man
and a brother once more"
Sergeant. the crackers are yours!
Where is that corner of paradise?"
Hold on, Don't be in such a hur-
ry. You go up and persuade the COM
missary sergeant to give you a bar
of that imported yellow soap, while
L go and use my influence with one of
the hospital corps to get a couple of
big towels"
your influenced You've got about
much influence as a lance-corporal.
and that's next to nothing. Besides,
L nave a towel. |
"So've Il but we want to do this
thing in style. Wen take our blank
cts for togas, and do the Roman sem
ator while our duds 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 a lecture
bones. Skip along after that soap,
now"
'Where is this place you're talking
about?'
Robert, you pain me! Can't you
take it on trust? There is a we'll"
Eyes, at home. And [ wish 1 had a
barrel of water from it now"
Don't interrupt my eloquence.
There is a well, a deep we'll, with clear,
cold water, on a hillside near a ruined
house. By that well is a quarter
of hogshead, n used for
watering cattle, now converted by my
genius into a bath-tub. A big elm
spreads its outrageous arms over
grass, where"
THAT will do! I'm going for the
soap on a rum and Sergt. Bob
struggled into his blouse and departed.
An hour later two blanket-draped
boys lay on the grass under the elm.
The camp was out of sight behind a
shoulder of the hill. On the fence
near by various garments were dry