News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1902-05-28

me by crediting me with Cruise and
Whyde, two of our militia comrades
who declared they would not have re-
enlisted had it not been for me; but, as
Cruse's parents refused to sign the Ger
tificate necessary in the case of minors
who enlisted Cruise was released from
his promise. Whyde went swimming
one day In water too deep for him and
was buried three days later with such
military honors as Summerton could
eXtemporize.
For the week after my re-enlistment
my heart was as heavy as if it had
been filled with bullets. No recruits
no chance of commission; worse than
all, no prospect of having Brainard
| with me during the three years to
come. / was too downhearted to no.
tice that Hamilton and Cloyne were
not in their usual spirits, but one day,
as the three Of us sat in the vacant
store in which we had our recruiting
! office and stared gloomily at the roll
which was still blank except for our
own names, Brainard came in, looked
| at us and said abruptly:
eff you fellows don't get your spirits
up in some way, you'll never find the
government any soldiers, and you won't
be fit to be soldiers yourselves"
| The looks that were fixed upon him
! quickly by three pairs of angry eyes
ought to have scorched him and made
him shrivel. But they didn't, for he
went on:
"You haven't got anybody by sitting
here or strutting around the village.
Why don't you go about everywhere
and talk your best? Why, there's Mick
McTwyny, a village rowdy, who's
working for a sergeant's position in the
same regiment-he's enlisted seven
men out Of the fire engine company
alonew
mick McTwyny" exclaimed Cloyne
springing to his feet.
"That ignorant ruffian?' shouted
Hamilton, also rising hastily. HAS he
the impudence to want to be a SER
geant in our regiment-perhaps our
very companyT
Eyes" said Brainard, land he'll be
one, too, if he keeps on as he's begun"
/ didn't say much; | couldn't. A
whole dictionary could scarcely have
supplied words to express what l felt.
For awhile, as imagined Mick in camp
in sergeant's uniform and myself
a private in the same company and
subject to his orders, | wished it had
been instead of poor Whyde who bad
been drowned. Hamilton and Cloyne
began to pHce the floor like tigers ia a
cage. Suddenly Hamilton stopped and
exclaimed:
There's but one way out of it. We
must get nlcre men at any cost. I'll
have a handbill printed at once and
circulated throughout the county say
ing that larger bounties will be paid
at this Office than at any other in the
United States. Twill cost all tie mon
ey and property l have. | suppose, but
I'd rather lose my last dollar than go
out again in the ranks with a beast
like Mick McTwyny in authority over
me-"
'T'll distribute your handbills," said
Brainard.
That boys faculty for seeing what
ought to be done always persisted in
cropping oIt Just when wasn't in con
dition to see anything whatever. Pref
ty soon, however, the old worry about
soldering under Mick McTwyny and
of being three years without Brain.
ards society came back to me, fully
prepared to stay and make itself dis
agreeable.
| don't know how should have lived
through those days if it hadn't been
for my saber and spurs and the chance
to display them on horseback. Arms
were not given out at recruiting sta
tons We were told, when we received
Our uniforms, we would have to wait
until we reached the regiment for 50
bers. revOlvers, carbines and ammuniil
ton, but | learned that there was M
law against a soldier purchasing for
himself such arms as his branch of TN
service used, so | bought saber.aud |
belt and took great comfort from llu
clank of the saber as | dragged it aHeg |
me in dismounted cavalry fashion, !
Then | bought a pair Of spurs, and AZ
my father lent me horse with which !
to ride about to look for recruits, had
the pleasure Of feeling that | was ioa
first cavalry soldier that had been seen
in our county since the Revolutionary |