Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1902-11-05
Hen and RegimentaI Pride.


who had fought at San Juan and never
tired of telling of It.; college youths
and thugs lay side by side on the cots
or on the ground, all equal in their
struggle against the common enemies,
the hideous Yellow Jack and Death.
Men sobbed or prayed, or cursed or
sang almost in the same breath; they
babbled occasionally Of home, but such
things were forbidden, and those who
understood would promptly throw
! shoe, or curse at him who spoke of
what the rest tried hard to forget.
The particular black man who
opens this tale, had had yellow jack
and had survived the first sharp at
tack and regained consciousness though
his strength was gone almost entire
| ly. 1t kept him exhausted just to keep
the flies moving. He Dragged never
theless of the fighting qualities Of the
Tenth and swapped gossip with the
white sergeant of the Twenty first who
occupied the next cot.
One day a Cuban, half starved, half
! dressed and very dirty, got through the
quarantine lines somehow, and got
into the hospital, coming into the tent
just in the middle of an argument he.
tween the Tenth Cavalryman and the
sergeant Of the Twenty infantry
Each was lauding the fighting quail
ties Of his own regiment, and had they
been strong enough they would have
argued with fsts instead Of words.
The Cuban carried much CRIME, a
very strong smell, an air of hunger and
an exceedingly plump little speckled
hen, which he had obtained the Lord
knows where. The hen was content.
edly nesting in his arm. The negro
cavalryman could talk Spanish, and the
infantryman had one word in his vo
cabulary, which he used promptly and
before the cayalryman could stop talk
ing about the "Tenth."
"Venda?" (selD, asked the infantry
man.
The Cuban grlnned and nodded.
The cavalryman thereupon determin-
cd that he would not be outdone by any
white man in chicken deal, and they
then began, by signs and badly man.
gled Spanish to bid for the bird, which
to the great disgust of the infantry
man was finally, knocked down to the
dusty cavalryman for $1,25 in Amerl-
can money. The Cuban had barely re-
ceivsd his money when he was discov-
cred by a guard and hustled out Of
camp, chatterlng voluble protest, at
the point of bayonet.
The hen was fastened by string,
one end Of which was tied to her leg
while the other end was secured to a
leg of the cavalryman's cot, and she
became quite at home Immediately
scratched and clucked busily, ana q
few hours later settled down in the
grass, unabashed by the shrieks ant
groans OF delirious and dying, and ther
and there laid an egg, which fact sh,
announced loudly and with much pride
The cavalryman's eyes glistened, FOL
II there is one sound dear to the ears
and heart of a negro 1t is the cacklinl
of plump speckled hen. The infan
tryman scowled and swore and plotted
revenge.
Now II was n rule OF the hospita
that the fever patients must not b.
fed. They might have water, In mod
crate quantities, but the eating of soil,
food was forbidden by the old doctor
who knew of many cases where pa
tients, made crazy and ravenously hun
cry by fever, had procured meat, o
tomatoes, with which they gorged them
selves, there being no one to watc
them, and then died, with most tei
rlfying writings.
Up to the time of his acquisition o
\ the hen, the cavalryman had been mos
exemplary In his observance of tn
rules Of dieting laid down by the doc
: tor, for that good man, whose know
! edge of the English language wa
three-fourths profanity, had told ar
!. other patient in the cavalryman's pres
Il encs; "--- - you, told you not eal