The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1904-03-31

where IL WAS eXpOSeu DcLWeeu TIRE cOSc VI
his campaign hat and the collar of his
blue flannel shirt, but because the Fill
pinos shot at him in a most reckless man
ner. Not at him alone, however, but at all
his companions, who were making a
change Of base from their own camp to
that of the enemy.
For several weeks his regiment had re-
manned stationary, waiting for Gen. Otis,
in the fullness of time and his own good
pleasure, to set them at the enemy once
more Those Spring days Of 1890 had
been busy days on the firing line; but the
men had thus far got only taste enough
of fighting to want more of it. They had
q long score of insults to settle with the
bumptiOus Tagals, who had tainted them,
before hostilities broke out, with being
towards, afraid to fight the Filipinos, and
when the fighting actually begun. had run
away before the Volunteers, and thought
the score was settled, wherefore they We're
only waiting the opportunity to put mt
tie more to their credit on account: This
was their frame of mind when Easter
approached. They thought far less of the
significance of the day, those who thought
of it at all, than they did of how they
would like to get the enemy on the Jump
once more. But Private Dodson deter
mined to have some sort OF observance OF
the day on his own account. The Chap
lain Of the regiment had announced that
Sunday morning at regular church CALL
A sERvICEABLE CHAPLAIN.
A Chaplain at the front was luxury
enjoyed by his regiment, but not pos
sessed by its brigade associates. Too many
Chaplains conceived it their duty to re-
main i'm Manila during the fighting, where
there was less danger of Uncle Sam being
deprived of their services and where there
was food suitable for a Chaplain to eat
and proper quarters for Chaplain to oc-
cupy; where he could get the rest needed
for the perfect health of such an import
ant adjunct of the army.
Not all were so careful Of their pre-
cious lives and needed comfort: and one
of@the exceptions was the Chaplain OF
DodsOn's regiment He was with the boys
Id the field, and preached on Sunday to
such as cared to hear him, besides making
himself generally useful in other ways.
He announced that special services would
be held beneath the spreading branches Of
q mango tree, adjacent to the rice field in
which the tents were pitched; where the
speaker, at least, could stand in the shade,
and such others as cared to occupy front
seats, on the rice ridges. He had organ
lied a quartet among the men for singing
church hymns, some of them being the
same men whose quartet at other times
sang ION the Banks of the Wabash" and
other sentimental ditties, and with the as
sistance he expected to make quite an
Easter service.
THE sPACELESs TENT.
This was we'll enough in its way. but
Private Dodson was accustomed to floral
decorations for Easter, and he determined
fo-shave them. The mango tree under
which the sermon was to be preached did
not lend itself to decoration very well, and
Dodson abandoned any thought of orna-
menting it. There was nothing left Tor
him to expend his decorative efforts upon
except his tent. Not the large wall tent
that at once appears before the eyes OF
the civilian when that word is used, but
the little dog tent" unblushingly called
shelter tent by a facetious Government,
into which two men can crawl il they
will get down on their hands and knees,
having united their two tents. Dodson's
terminate did not object to the decorating,
though he felt no special interest in
volunteered to help. Anything was well
come that relieved the mOnotony of wait
ing for Otis to let them get at the Fill
pinOs once more, and an ornamented tent
would be something new. So the two
constituted themselves a committee on
ways and means.
The first thing they discovered was that
decorative material was very scarce. In
the tropics there are few flowers growing
wild; and as for cultivated varieties there
are almost none in the Philippines. Flow
ers seem to be something neither the Fill
pinos nor the Spaniards care for, judging
from the almost utter lack Of effort to
grow them in yards and in pots. This
made matters difficult in the beginning.
Without flowers decoration was to a de-
gree handicapped.
POLES AND PAPER PLENTY.
"Well, jim" said Dods0n's companion
aftor thoy had diScuSSpd the matter for a
time. ''we're up against it pretty hard on
the flower question. What are you going
to do!"
Guess we'll have to build a bamboo
arch in front and call it CO."
Well. that's better than nothing. Let's
get at IT."
They did not have far to go for mate
rial. 1t is almost impossible to get a
hundreds yards away from a clump Of
bamboo anywhere in the lOwlands OF
Luzon. In a few minutes, though not
without some prickling Of hands and arms
on sharp thorns, they had enough young
bamboo branches TO build quite respect
able arch before the entrance to the tent.
Into this they wove a few banana leaves
and branches of palm trees, and DOdson.
who was somewhat Of an artist, procured
a piece of white writing paper, made a
sort of cornucopia Of it and trimmed it to
the shape Of an easter lily, and this he
pIdceu III the center Vi IL was
not at all bad looking contrivance when
It was finished, and it called forth va
rious comments from their companions,
who had watched the work with good
humored curiosity during its progress, its
purport not being explained to them until
the Easter lily gave them the cue as to
what was up. Then the jokes came fast
but Dodson manfulIy stood his ground and
told them that IL they did not intend to
celebrate Easter as they did at home he
was going to do SO, even II he did it alone.
YLANG-YLANG IN BLOOM.
Yet with his arch built and his Easter
lily and little cross of banana leaves
above il, Private Dodson was not entirely
satisfied. He could not forego the flowers
He must have them! An idea struck him
and he slipped out of camp alone. Not
far from the spot was a large hacienda
pne of those country residences Of rich
Nestizos who are the autocrats Of the
Philippines and who were the leaders OF
he instruction. The house was vacant
Me occupants having gone with the in
yurgents when they abandoned the coun
try upon the advance Of the Americans
He remembered that in the yard ada
cent to this casa grande was a grove Of
ylang-ylahg trees, and that Just now the,
were in blossom. These blossoms ar,