Water Valley progress., 1903-06-20

dog. With no other officer / had to
dine alone in those Philippine days.
".Jim used to wait on me and with
his drollery keep me laughing. He
was better than a doctor. He was
black as tar, but he had a great, big,
red heart inside of him. When we got
back to Manila the time / was
wounded the officers in my ward used
to laugh at me because | asked so
often after jim. No, / don't want to
spoil the fun and I'll be just as jolly
as the rest of you."
The company were weary of mock
gayety and eager to hear the story of
Jim Tucker. 1t was as hard to get
the captain to tell anything about his
experiences in the field as it was to
catch him in any way referring to
himself, and they insisted that he
tell of Jim, knowing he would have to
tell of his own experiences. The cap
tain hestitated and then his eyes lit
up. There was a pitiful smile at the
corners of his mouth, telling the
story of his Strikers" drollery in
the days when they were far from
home in the land of the bolo men.
''The first time / took any partic-
ular notice of JIM" said the captain,
"was few days after his enlistment
at the time of the outbreak of the
war with Spain. was coming down
a company street trying to find out
who could have such tremendous
and joyful guffaw Jim had been
telling one of his stories to crowd.
Ny big black men were in convul-
sions of laughter, but high above
them all sounded the merry 'Ha, hav
Of Jim. He sort of doubled up with
his knees bending, until he would
reach the ground. He would roll over
and kick his legs, his laughter in
creasing, and roaring out like don
key saluting the dawn.
Il never saw anyone before or
since laugh that way and moved to-
ward the men. They managed to
come to attention and salute, but
poor Jim had to be kicked by one of
them before he realized the pres
ence of an officer Hejumped up and
saluted. AS | turned away he con-
tinued his JOY in his own droll way.
He was the delight Of the COM
pany on the transport on the way to
Cuba, and all the officers had come to
regard him with an affectionate in
terest, for he kept the men in the
best of spirits and was at the same
time, believe, the best drilled man
in the regiment.
'sWe were in an ugly scrap where
jim was doing mans work when
suddenly he fell and was carried to
the rear. Not long after his bray was
heard above the sound ef battle and
he came limping back, orinning from
ear to ear. He took his position near
me, and when | had chance | asked
him how much he was hurt. He
handed me badly broken pocket
knife. The Spaniard's bullet had hit
the knife which had been deep down
in his trousers pocket.
81 moved away with the knife in
my hand, and when | passed again
jim had been taken to the rear, sup
posedly dying. stuffed the knife in
my pocket. The next time ] saw Jim
was at Montauk. | had been in fool
ish land for a long time. They told
me afterward | had been near the
land where Jim is now. When | came
to my senses there was Jim bathing
my face. No man ever came back to
the world to meet with a better greet
ing. jim was SO happy he went out
beyond the hospital tents to have a
roll on the ground and one of his old
time laughs, but, far away as he was,
j heard him and it did my heart good.
When i was well enough to wander
about in my pajamas with Jim as a
support, he asked me about the knife
and if | had lost it.