The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-11-14

pdi went TO missouri to a military
school with some other Topeka and
Kansas boys. Just at that time ain
ana his comrades meant to round out a
military career which would leave be-
nlno them, when they answered to their
last roll call and were mustered out of
life, equestrian statues in front of the
war department offices in Washington.
Bill hadn't carried a musket and drill
ed under hot helmet over q dusty pa-
race ground many afternoons until he
decided that private's Job was too
| irksome. He looked around for some
other position in the military service
which would relieve him of some of that
drilling. He decided that he would be
just the man to sound the calls for the
garrison; beginning with reveille and
winding up with taps at night The
commandant thought it would be a
mighty good plan. He wanted to know
If Bill could play a bugie- No Bill
couldn't play bugle but he could play
a drum. He was born, like every other
well regulated American boy, with the
ability to drum louder than a partridge.
So, like the call to quarters in a man.
o'-war. the calls at the military school
were sounded by Bill VIZ worth and
his drum. He woke the garrison up
with the long roll, called the garrison TO
breakfast with the long roll sounded
| the Doctors call with the long roll, sent
the cadets to drill with the long roll.
recalled them from the drill with the
/ long roll, called them to quarters with
the long roll, sent them to bed with the
I long ROLAND then repeated it the next
day.
! Bill didn't happen to have watch
He borrowed one from the writer. 1t
i cost only $3.50 and it varied from 10 to
40 minutes every day. but Bill set it ev-
cry time he heard the o'clock evening
| train whistle for the station at the viii
/ lage, and when the train wasn't very
late the school was run pretty well on
time. The people living in the vicinity
used to keep time by Bills long rolls
| The women knew that he sounded drill
call at o'clock and recall at 4 o'clock.
That was just time enough to bake
bread.
Some times Bill would get interested
| in a novel and let the fellows drill
/ half an hour too long. In such cases
! the housekeepers who were baking
would be sure that something was the
matter with the oven which accounted
for the bread being burned. Some times
that $3.50 watch would stop and wouldn't
go again until Bill shook it. Then the
fellows. hot and tired from marching
and countermarching, would take Bill
down to the river. when they got back,
and threaten to duck him. But Bill
and the watch and the Z o'clock train
kept on regulating the getting up, the
1 eating, the baking, the drilling and the
going to bed until Bill quit the ser
vice.
Bill was always ambitious and he de-
cided to enlarge his musical abilities
He fixed up an attachment so he could
play triangle with one foot and pair
of patent rattle bones with the other
foot while he played the banjo with his
hands and blew tune out of mouth
organ-the mouth organ being held by
another patent device arranged by the
player. Bill could get more spirited
music out of those four instruments
than some people can get from a grand
piano.
Now and then Bill would discard the
mouth organ and would sing. His IA
vorite song was entitled. Every Other
Sunday Boys Is Rosa's Sunday Out,
and when Bill sang that piaintive bal
lad there wasn't a dry eye in the en-
tire garrison of cadets. There was talk
of putting Bill and that song up In
Competition with Jenny Lind singing
The Last Rose of Summer But Bill
wouldn't compete. but he appreciated
the loyalty of the garrison
But Bill quit the service, laid away
hls uniform and sidearms, packed his
banjo. triangle, mouth organ and rattle