The National tribune., 1904-08-04

age Tor the actual plunge. There were
sharks in the blackness of the bay. and
even before starvation.
1t was after such an evening on the
water front that he stumbled. weak, sick
and trembling, back into the town. Here
he ran upon an army officer and abjectly
begged the price Of food. The erect
clean jawed officer looked him over with
cold eye. Beggars are somewhat numer-
Gus in Manila.
"Why don't you get work" he asked
and William poured out his remarkable
tale.
II don't believe you, of course" said
the officer. and handed him a quarter.
which William accepted with almost tear
full thanks. But if you are actually
starving you can enlist, you know-pro-
vided You are sound" and he passed on
with a stiff back.
Next morning discovered William stand
ing before the recruiting office long before
| the place was opened. He was feverishly
| anxious. What if it should turn out he
| was not "sound!' Why hadn't he gone
in for athletics and physical culture and
that sort Of thing when lie could? You
see the Nadir of the Universe was shrnnk
to solemnly diminutive proportions.
When he stripped for examination his
body was a sight for dime museum, and
the surgeons brows contracted.
whats the matter" he demanded.
| "starved!'
Yes. sir" said William meekly.
Luckily that was the worst that allied
| him despite his codded youth and an
| hour later he was clad in Khaki. and with
stomach full of hot food was dreamily
listening to the admonitions of an elderly
Sergeant who was openly Disguised with
! his job William Montgomery Crimson
Carhart had put his hand to a three-year
| contract with the Government and was
now rookie" in the United States Army.
He had sold what was left of his birth
| right for a badly-needed mess of pottage.
1t remained to be seen whether the army
could do for him what parents. tutors, uni
versity and Paris had. failed to do-make
| man OF him.
For a time he had little leisure for
thought upon his misfOrtunes. He was
drilled, and drilled. and drilled till the rifle
on his shoulder weighed like 1O-inch gun.
and his back and legs ached with a healthy
I fatigue. His appetite was a marvel to
himself and his sleep was dreamless OBJ
iiyiOn.
AT the end Of week Of this he was
herded on transport with a dozen others
under command of the Recruiting Ser
geant, and South they went to join the
regiment On the island of Negroes
Strange things happened to William
then. His comrades in d Company were
like men of another planet. Tough. in
the specialized sense of the term. is per-
haps the best way Of describing them.
Their sole connecting link with the civil
liZatiOn William was used to, seemed to be
the toothbrush which each man carried
and regularly used.
Williams first night in camp was an
experience to be remembered. He awoke
dripping from head to foot from n pail of
water some one had distributed impair
| tally over his extended person. In this
sopped and bewildered condition he was
seized roughly, and, before he knew what
had happened. was hurting skyward from
taut blanket He came down. n whirl-
ing windmill of arms and legs. struck the
blanket on his head and shoulders. and
rose again like an uncommonly resilient
| rubber ball.
Time and again he went up and came
down till he knew he was dying. and when
at last his bOisterous tormentors loosed
him from the coil he sank to the ground
weeping like baby. A face bent down
close to his and a rough voice said taunt-
ingy:
There, there, mammals pet. Don't
cry"
Now in these circumstances there was
but one thing for William to do. If he
had struck out in blind rage at the taunt-
ing face, if he had rushed his tormentor
with the barbaric passion of a breech-
| cloute1 savage. he would undoubtedly
have been soundly thraslred, but he would
have gained mems respect. Instead
William sat in the grass and softly blub-
bered. till the man left him in disgust
Such was Williams introduction to p
Company. and it was not auspcous. The
days and nights that followed We're con-
tinuing torment edged with fear. The men
treated him with unmitigated contempt
He was held unworthy of the least corsid-
Grafton. He was kicked like dog for
purely accidental faults. Indignities which
should have reused him to such elemental
passion, he suffered with such abject
meekness that it seemed as if his spirit
must he broken.
The truth was merely that the spurious
self-reSpect bred of countless dollars had
fled along with the dollars. and William
lacked as yet anything to take its place.
He was like a cat shorn of its claws and
dropped IN strange alley.
With the hard outdoor work and thu,
three square meals of heavy. gristle-mak-
ing food per diem Williams inherited con-
StltutlOn at last got a chance to assert il
self, and he developed into a strapping six.
foOter. He was only two generate tons re-
moved from country grocer who had
| rolled his own barrels of -four and sugar.
and with the least eXertion on his part
might always have been a muscular man.
Now he was made to stand straight. till
| in time he got healthy 4O-inch chest: he
was driven to exercise till his legs and
arms were fnll-muscled and hard
But his spirit sickened as his body grew.
There came a time then when the coarse.
monotOnons food nauseated him. when
constant contact with brutal privates was
nothing short Of hell, when the soul of
William Montgomery Crimson Carhart.
tormented beyond endurance, cried to high
heaven for aid.
In this meekly receptive condition the
spirit of the army. embodied for the time
being in the person of Serg't Jarvey Hook.
laid hands upon him and pointed out the
way. Jarvey, being Orderly Sergeant. had
the efficiency of ID Company close to his
heart. 1t was inevitable. therefore. that
Private Carhart should draw his attention,
for a more colossal example of military in
efficiency in the matter of morale were
hard to find.
''Eleazar." he said to CorpI Toplatch.
what the devil will do with the pup
Drown him." advised Elcazar
II reckon you're about right" said
Jarvey. THE trouble is his spirits broke.
same as an overwOrked horse''
Never had any to break. you mean"
said the Corporal with contempt
Hes so big he could lick most any of
the boys if he only thought so.'' unused
Jarvey: IAN Chislett says he's got to he
made to think so Ruf I'm /, Cochin