Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-02-21
ALL TO WIN A BET

"ons day about eight years ago there
came to my battery at the Preside. along
with . batch OF recruits who had been en-
listed IN San Francisco. q well-bred looking
young chap whose countenance was somehow
familiar to me. and yet. try rs would, I
couldn't quite place him. said an artillery
officer Of the regular army. 'In appear
ance, manner. carriage and talk he was far
and away ahead of the average recruit-so
much so. In Fact. that I was rather sorry
that he had been assigned to my battery.
This young fellow, + said to myself
when had hooked him over. Is probably
scapegrace son OF good people who has
no doubt got himself into some sort OF a
mess or other, and he has enlisted for the
purpose OF getting under cover for spell
He'll tire OF army life and discipline inside
OF month, and complain to his folks who
ever they may be. and then they'll begin to
move heaven and earth to obtain his dis
charge. and there win be the deuce to pay.
Or. being an educated youth, and. perhaps,
afflicted with the sweiled head. he will not
yield to discipline at all, and will develop
into q barrack lawyer, and make all hands
discontinued, and spend most of his own
time In the ciink for misconduct. wish
they hadn't sent him to my battery
But, to my surprise, this young fellow
Immediately began to prove himself good
soldier. 1t appeared on his papers that he
had been member OF some California
militia outfit, and. consequently, he didn't
need much drill except on the heavy guns
he was as good as any OF the old-timers at
the infantry tactics He was alert and a
hustler, he knew how to keep his accouter-
ments polished, he was respectful and at
tertive, and he knocked into cooked hat
my precOnceived notions as to the educated
man in the ranks. He applied himself from
the beginning to the study of the artillery
tactics, and after so short space of time
as week l began to eye that young man
as prospective non-commissoned officer
In my battery. 1 took occasion to talk to
him some for the purpose of drawing him
out. and found that he conversed like col
legian.
81 was wrong about that lad said to
myself after a week He has no doubt
entered the army for the purpose Of get
ting commission from the ranks, and IL
he goes on as he has begun I'm blamed If
don't help him toward that goal
About ten days after the young man
had been assigned to my battery there was
an officers hop at the Preside, to which
many of the society people of San Fran
cisco were invited. The hop was in full
apparition appeared at the main entrance
to the hall in which the hop was held. The
apparition was very tall and exceedingly
good-looking young man dressed in fine
suit OF silk pajamas, and wearing pair
OF tan Romeo slippers. walking deliberately
into the room, with a fixed stare in his
eyes. He was my clever young recruit I
was 50 perfectly astounded that 1 didn't
Know what to make of his appearance for
moment SO Meanwhile, the young
man kept advancing down the room. with
his hands stretched out before him If
feeling his way. although the light was
brilliant, and everybody in his path made
room for him. I FASTENED over to the young
fellow when I had recovered from my as
tonishment, and It did not take me mo-
ment to perceive that he was sound asleep
how n In
society men from San Francisco who were
present set up laugh when they saw the
young fellow, and exchanged looks with
each other. I reproved them with a glance
for laughing at the aff1iction Of fellow
man. Then I tried a scheme to awaken
the somnambulist which had seen stroll
ling hypnotists employ in awakening their
subjeets-that Is to say. snapped him
sharply behind the ear with the nail OF my
middle finger.
TT worked, and the young man came to
with heavy sigh, rubbed his eyes and
gazed around the room In apparent alarm
and CONSERVATION. Then he raced out OF
the room at lope. amid the renewed and.
az thought. the decidedly rude laughter
OF the young fellows from San Francisco.
took after the young man and caught up
with him on the parade ground as he was
making for his quarters at a jog. He
seemed to be terribly put out over the per-
formance when I came alongside him, and
begged me not to speak about it.
IL IL
as am in command Of your battery. and
want to know II this thing happens often
with you
HE made some evasive reply. which came
far from satisfying me.
why did you not mention this matter
OF your being somnambulist to the surgeon
who examined you before you were en-
listed? asked him. You are an intelligent
man, and you assuredly knew that that sort
of thing disqualifies a man for army service,
didn't you?
HE seemed to be too distressed to make
any sort of a reply. and SO left him at the
the hop. I was besieged with inquiries
about the young man. The women had all
taken notice Of how extremely good looking
the young chap was. and some Of the ma
irons from the city, whom knew well, ex-
hibited a certain puzzling mischievous mys-
terry OF manner when they asked me, ex-
changing queer giances with each other.
whether 1t was quite customary for prfvates
In the army to wear fine silk pajamas dur
ing their hours of slumber. I lodged most
OF the inquiries as best I could, feeling
somewhat disturbed over the incident. 1
had come to rather like the young fellow,
and hated to lose him from my battery.
as knew would II 1t was found that he
was confirmed somnambulist-
THE young fellow was summoned before
the commanding officer and the surgeon
on the following day and questioned close
ly about the sleep-waIking business. The
subject seemed to be such a painful one
with him that he couldn't be got to say
much about it. When he was dismissed
from the presence Of the commanding
officer and the surgeon they conferred for
while about the case, and they decided
that the young man should have another
chance.
Three days later I was officer Of the day.
Ny Chinaman aroused me In my quarters at
midnight, according to instructions, to go
and take the guard and visit the posts. I
was strolling sleepily toward the guard
house in the starlight, when, from one Of
the posts, I heard the sentry's peremptory
Haiti but no reply following it. Halt,
there, sayv growled the sentry. and still
no reply came from the direction toward
which the sentry was gazing. I looked in
that direction, too, and there. slowly adj
vancing upon the sentry, was my young SOL
dier in his pajamas. with his hands stretch
ed out before him. In another instant the
alarmed sentry would have bayoneted him.
That's be all right, sentry said to the
man on guard. and then I walked over to
the young fellow In the pajamas and again
snapped him awake.
This about finishes your career in the
army, son. said to him, and then. with
look Of distress. he scampered or to the
barracks. I reported the incident to the
commanding officer. who Immediately took
the proper steps to have the youth dis
charged from the service. The discharge
was three weeks in coming from Washing