Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-07-31


was pleasure In store for me. AnG
what spurs they were! had brought
them from New York. They were
"Mexicans," the wheels nearly three
Inches in diameter, with points as long
as n shingle nail, and they gave out O
bell-like Jingle as 1 walked, which was
such sweet music to my ear that
never was without them. even wore
chem to bed, for, as no one removed
any of his clothing when lying down
for the night on the floor of his tent,
where was the use In taking of ones
spurs?
One night this question was an.
swered to some extent. Our tent was
round, and the 10 men who lived in 1t
slept with heads toward the outside
and feet to the center. BY early No.
vember the nights were so cold that q
man needed blanket as we'll as his
uniform to keep him warm. Several
recruits who admired my spurs had
purchased others as much like them
as possible Of the regimental sutler or
etorekeeper, and they wore them con.
had enjoyed a private supper of fricas
seed goose, purchased from q colored
woman. we all lay down peaceably to
sleep. Whether the geese-there were
two Of then-were underdone or too
rich for men whose ordinary supper
was dry bread and sauce Of dried an.
pies l cont know, but some Of US were
n N ntr IT,
small children after Christmas dime,
and unlimited candy. How the troubi
began l do not know, but awok
from dream of being heavily shacklt
In rebel dungeon to End q terrlb
uproar and struggle going on In tt
tent, which was as black as Egypt DIT
ing the plague OF darkness. 10 ma
matters worse, tie most serious pa
OF my dream seemed still in operate
for could not liberate iny feet wi
tried to crawl away from the cert,
what BANKED cuss has been tyi
our feet togother?' roared one man
Let go of Jay blanket" shouted
other. ''or III break your head"
you're nice one to talk." said
third. "when it's you that's making :
the trouble"
Meanwhile I, who had Just awol
and didn't know anything about Il
difficulty. was being dragged one We
and another by my feet. so raised
own voice and complained Of unfa
treatment.
The din awoke the first sergeant, or
of the only two uoncomm.ssioned OF
GERS yet appointed for our ccmpun,
and he opened the tent 1ap and roared
Keep quiet here or III sei.d you al
to the guardhous"."
I'D be greatly obliged, sergeant"
said Brainard plaintively, "if you'd
send me there right away. If only to
get out of this frightful snarl."
''Strike light" said the sergeant.
Hamilton. who always carried match
es. scratched one and lighted the can
die, which was in Il socket on the tent
pole; thCn. rs | struggled to sitting
posture behcld an odd spectacle.
Nearly all the mon i'm the tent seemed
bound together by the feet by blankets
or held down by blankets stretched
tightly across their legs. After each
man had investigated for himself n lit
tie while ii apo dred that the men
with Mexican spurs, like all the others,
had been tossing uncasilv in their sleep,
had worked the point OF their spurs
through the blankets over their feet.
Az the blankets greatly overlapped one
another at the center. Il spur rs often
as not had contracted an entangling al
lance with some other fellows blan-
ket. and the harder the woarcr tried in
his sleep to free himself. tossing and
straining, the worse became the mis-
cry.
"Unloose yourselvesw said the SER
geant.
"Unloose thunder" shouted big ex-
drayman from New York. you can't
unloose Il Tie Till you find the end. and
the ends Of these blankets is all inside
somewhere
"Bc iabers," grunted an Irishman.
81 behave some spalpeen has stole the
iuds and Tux EN- away"
We picked and pulled and tugged and
lost our tempcrs, and the few men who
weren't in the tanglc drew out of the
crowd and laughed and jeered Final
ly one desperate man drew his pocket
knife and began TO cut himself loose.
The others followed his example. and
after five minutes OF hard work we
were free. with an immense heap of
WOODEN rags in the center of the tent
and hard tuft on each spur to tell
how the wretchedness began.
mo spurs in bed hereafter" said the
captain. who had come over to see the
fun and was nearly choking in an eff
fort TO keep down his laughter and his
dignity. 1t took an hour of time next
day to get the fragments of blanket
from my spur wheels, and | wasn't
helped by the fellows who sat around
and said was TO blame for the whole
row, for no one would Rave bought
those Internal spurs II | hadn't set the
example
TO re CONTINUER
Gs,V- Ia. "a. ~