Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1902-06-25


to the colonel or the war department
or at least the president" Brainard
would say. "If you could do and
manage everything, rs you seem to
wish, the higher officials wouldn't have
anything to do. but draw their pay,
don't you see?"
There was some truth in this, ana
such remark would generally pacify
me for q few hours. I think, however,
That l got most comfort out of my
spurs and the joy anticipated for tho
time when should have II horse and
tickle his TANKS. My father had never
allowed one of his horses to be touched
with n spur-my experience with old
Rover wns unknown to hlm-so there
was pleasure in store for me. And
what spurs they were! had brought
them from New York They were
'McNicans." the wheels nearly three
inches In diameter. with points as long
as II Single nail, and they gave out Il
bell-like jingle as | walked, which was
such sweet music to my ear that l
never was without them. even wore
ShSAi W o$-As iois 10 llO QllS tetlloVGu
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 it
slept with heads toward the outside
and feet to the center. BY early No
vember the nights were so cold that
man needed Il blanket as we'll as his
uniform to keep him warm. Several
recruits who admired my spurs had
purchased others rs much like them
as possible of the regimental sutler or
storekeeper, and they wore them con-
tinually. One evening after our tentful
had enjoyed a private supper of fricas-
seed goose. purchased from colored
woman. we all lay down peacefully 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 ap.
pies don't know. but some of us were
affected In our dreams very much like
small children after Christmas dinner
and unlimited candy. How the trouble
began do not know, but awoke
from dream of being heavily shackled
In rebel dungeon to find terrible
uproar and struggle going on in the
tent, which was us black as Egypt dur
ing the plague Of darkness. To make
matters worse, the most serious part
Of my dream seemed still In operation,
for l could not liberate my Feet when
tried to crawl away from the center.
What BANKED cuss has been tying
our feet together?" roared one man.
Let so of my blanket" shouted an
other, "or I'll break your head!"
You're q nice one to talk" said
third, when it's you that's making all
the troublew
Meanwhile l, who had just awoke
and didn't know anything about the
difficulty, was being dragged one way
and another by my feet, SO raised my
own voice and complained Of unfair
treatment.
The din awoke the first sergeant, one
Of the only two noncommissioned off,
GERS yet appointed for our company,
and he opened the tent flap and roared:
Keep quiet here or I'll send you all
to the guardhouse!'
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 socket on the tent
pole; then, as struggled to sitting
posture, l beheld an odd spectacle.
Nearly all the men in 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 lit
tie while 1t appeared that the men
with Mexican spurs, like all the others,
had been tossing uneasily in their sleep,
oil on account Of the goose supper, and
had worked the point of their spurs
through the blankets over their feet.
AS the blankets greatly overlapped one
another at the center, spur as often
as not had contracted an entangling al
lance with some other fellows blan-
ket, and the harder the wearer tried in
his sleep to free himself. tossing and
straining, the worse became the mis-
cry.
"Unloose yourselves" said the SER
geant
"Unloose thunderr shouted big ex-
drayman from New York. "You can't
unloose tie till you find the end. and
the ends of these blankets is all inside
somewhere"
"Be jabers," grunted an Irishman.
II behave some spalpeen has stole the
inds and TUX 'em away"
We picked and pulled and tugged and
lost our tempers. and the few men who
weren't in the tangle 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 ef-
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 l wasn't
helped by the fellows who sat around
and said was to blame for the whole
row, for no one would have bought
those internal spurs If hadn't set the
example. ,.-,..-a.:=>
fro DE Continued
Reason For the Hit.
WAS Mrs. Gabbot's Conversations
q successw
decidedly. Everybody chatted at a