Rosebud County news. [volume] (Forsyth, Mont.) 1901-1906, 1902-04-03

suoTes Oh lne mighty sea, DidnketS ana
overcOats were in demand. Hospitality
the older officer tugged at the lacings
of the military front door, swore be-
tween his set teeth when the knots,
| swollen by the wet, withstood his eff
| forts, and then shouted:
Sergeant major, send somebody here
to open this
A light footstep sounded on the
| springy board floor, nimble fingers
worked moment at the cords, then
the flap was thrown open and the adj
! jutant's office stood partially revealed.
1t was big wall tent backed up against
another of the same size and pattern.
Half dozen plain chairs, two rough
board tables Uttered with books. pa
pers and smoking tobacco, an oil stove
and cheap clothes rack on which were
hanging raincoats, ponchos and cape
or two, comprised all the furniture. In
stout frame of unpaned wood, cased
in their oilskins and tightly rolled,
stood the national and state colors of
the famous regiment; and back Of them.
well within the second tent, where one
clerk was just lighting camp lantern,
were perched on rough tables a brace of
field desks with the regimental books.
The sergeant majo veteran of years
OF service in the regulars, sat at one OF
them. A young soldier, he who had I'M
fastened the tent flap to admit Lieut..
Gray, was just returning to his seat
at the other. Two orderlies lounged on
bench well beyond and back of the
sergeant majors seat, and bugler,
with his hands in his pockets, was smok-
ing a briar-root pipe at the opposite
back doorway. Woe to the enlisted men
who sought the presence of the colonel
or adjutant through any other channel
The sergeant ma. or would drop on him
With the force of baseball bat.
who all are over yonder at the
chief's?" asked the adjutant, as soon
as he had his visitors well inside, and
the soft accent as well as the quaint
phraseology told that in the colonel's
confidential staff officer a southerner
spoke.
4 "All the brigade and most regimental
commanders 'cept ours, l should say,
and they seem to be waiting for them.
Can't we send" was the answer, as the
junior whipped off his campaign hat
and sprinkled the floor with the Wig
, orOus shakes he gave the battered felt.
"l1ave sent" said his entertainer,
! briefly, as he filled pipe from the open
\ tobacco box and struck a safety match.
/ "Orderly galloped after him ten min
utes ago. Blow the brigade and bat
+oJ; 7
, was who are the women up there?"
mo, you didn't! You said who all
are up yonder?' I'm a sub, and s'posed
you meant men - soldiers = officers.
What have | to do with anybody in pet
ticoats?"
and I'm a grizzled vet of dozen
years duty, crows feet and gray hairs
a-comin',' erinned the adjutant, pull
ing at a long curly mustache and draw
ing himself up to his full height of six
feet, "and when you're as old as | am
and half as wise, Billy, you'll know that
pretty girl is worth ten times the
thought our old frumps of generals de-
mand Ny name amt Gordon if l
haven't a mind to waltz over there
through the mist and the wind just to
tell them I've sent for Squeers. Then
I'll get look at the girls
"lve got to go back" said Billy, "and
you've no business to-with Mrs. Cor
don and an interesting family to con-
slider. What tent'd the ladies go to? l
didn't see en-
'Mrs. Gordon, sub" said the adjutant.
with placid superiority, considers it a
reflection on her sex when / fail To pay
it due homage. OF course, you didn't
see the ladies. The party was shown
into the generals own domicile.
Couldn't you see how many young fell
lows were posing in picturesque atti-
tudes in front of it? Awe, Hank" he
suddenly shouted to an officer striding
past the tent in dripping macintosh.
'"Goin' up to division headquarters?
Just tell the staff or the chief I've sent
an orderly galloping after Squeers.
He's half way to the Preside now, but
it'll be an hour before they can get
back" The silent officer nodded and
went on VIII Great Gordon made spring
for the entrance and hailed again.
Say, Hank! Who are the damsels ?"
The answer came back through the
fog:
people from the east-looking for
runaway. Old gent, pretty daughter,
and pretty daughters pretty cousin.
Heard the orders?"
Damn the, orders! They don't touch
us. Where do they come from?"
Direct from Washington, they say
Three regiments to sail at once, and"