The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1901-05-24

when he lay at
rest his muscles were drawn and ready
like those of a panther about to spring
He wore faded uniform, and every line
and angle about him marked the Amer
lean regular soldier, alert and self reliant
On their right lay a little village of
huts, now lone and deserted, and from
the dense tropical jungle on their left
came the sound of the enemy's trumpet
The old soldier turned a little farther
over on his side and, taking from his
pocket twist of tobacco, cut off piece
with his clasp knife and offered it to the
young man beside him. When the youth
declined it, the regular shook his head
gravely and said:
You make a mistake, Jarvis. Tobac-
co is good for a soldiers nerves, and
when he can't get anything to eat it's
wonderful sustainer of strength"
Then he put the piece in his own mouth
and chewed with great composure and
satisfaction.
The note of the trumpet faint and far,
came again, but the regular took no no
tice until the youth shifted restlessly and
attempted to peer over a clump of thorn
bushes in the direction of the sound
Then he laid two strong hands upon his
comrades blouse and quietly pulled him
down.
Don't do that" he said without anger,
because a Mauser bullet might come
along, and then Private Jarvis of the
Fourth infantry would need no more ra-
tons. You see, it wouldn't be fair to the
government, which has fed you and cloth
ed and paid you to waste your life in
such a manner"
II don't like this sort of war" said
Private Jarvis impatiently. Half the
time I'm fioundering in a thorn bush, and
the other half I'm in the black mud of a
swamp up to my waist, while the enemy
is sneaking through the bushes with his
Mauser ready to pot u.s."
That's So" replied the regular. "War
amt picnic anywhere, least of all here,
where it's so hot and you've got to find
the enemy and then catch him and hold
him before you can lick him. Now, it
was hot down there in Cuba when we
went up the hill at San Juan, with the
Spaniards blazing away at us like mad,
but the Spaniard when he got his licking
took it and quit, and then we became
good friends. Now, here
He stopped suddenly. They heard far
rifle fire.
It's our skirmishers driving the enc
my back on his earthworks," said the
regular. They're clearing the bush-do-
ing the light work. The heavy jobs got
to wait. and we're not wanted yet It's
slow work, this lying here in the sun. l
wonder what they are doing back in the
States"
The hoy Jarvis was silent for mo-
ment, and then his eyes cleaned.
II know what they are doing--at least
in my part of the country" he said.
Don't you know what day this is, Will
son?''
The regular shook his head
How do you expect a fellow to keep
track of time" he said when for days
and days he's been following the little
brown men in Luzon jungle? We don't
have chance to rest and sleep, much
less trying to think what day of the week
1t is"
But l remember" said Jarvis. ITS
the Both Of May, and it's Decoration day,
the day when we remember those who
fell in the civil war. Say, Wilson, over
there in my home, way up in old York
state by Lake Ontario, all the women are
out today putting flowers on the graves
of the old soldiers. The pretty girls are
along, too, God bless eml can see their
blue eyes and brown hair and red cheeks
now. 1t isn't so sad, you know; that war
was such a long time ago that all the
sting of it has passed. 1t was fought be-
fore l was born, and we just feel that
they were all heroes together. We glory
in EN-, and the grief is gone. You know
now II ic Wilson