Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-11-17

willing to walt and see how he would de-
yelop when the trying hours sped along.
Enlisted men love some oflsoers instinct
who gain this sort OF quick and enduring
affection are all men; mems men; men
all through their bone. sinew. nerve. flesh
and cartilage. Even IL an officer be a Young
'shavetail'' direct from West Point, he can
capture his men IL he have these Qualities
OF man. Lacking such qualities any new
omcer, young or old ia placidly looked over
by the enlisted men, who obey orders, and
wait N
This regiment. Philippines bound. stopped
on at San Francisco for a week or ten
days, waiting for the transport The men
OF his company found their new young Of
f1cer very difficult. He was harsh, severe.
nagging. He prodded and drove them,
picked upon hem. curtailed their little
periods of lib' rty, made the game hard for
them. R"t .hey didn't say much. They
were sea-, ned men of the. army, and there
fore not takers.
the men of the regiment picked up a bright.
II starved, yellow cur OH the streets OF
San Francisco. The dog was a waif He'd
done something to tickle the men. and so
they carried him to the Preside. making
him the regimental mascot. Soldiers and
sailors love dogs and any old kind of ami
mails. This mutt was great hit with the
outfit. He had little bag OF tricks of his
own. and the men taught him more. BY
the time the outfit boarded the transport
for the long ride to the Philippines every
man In the regiment was pals with that
yellow dog. They took him along on the
transport. The dog knew his place. He
was an enlisted mans dog, and he knew 1t.
He lived for'ard and below with the SOL
diers, and preserved his dignity and af-
liability In all circumstances.
Yellow Cur and Patrician Mutt.
The new young officer had a dog too. on
board the transport. His dog was a pedi-
greed Boston bull. He lived aft with his
master. pampered and coddled. the reci-
pient Of choice scraps from the officers
mess.
This fancy dog of the young officers one
day snooped forard, where he didn't be-
long. The soldiers mascot cur was there.
but he behaved. Ho didn't pay the least
attention to the fancy dog. The patrician
mutt, however observed the cur and
rushed him. The cur didn't feel like being
rushed. He'd been taking his part on the
San Francisco streets all his fife. and he
couldn't see that rush thing. So he whirled
beautiful dog fight then and there. Out
weighed. and. as to pedigree and breed
certainly outclassed the soldiers mascot
decidedly was not outclassed when II came
to sure-enough in-fghting. He was giving
the pampered superior dog first-rate wal
Looping. when the young officer appeared.
He dragged the soldiers yellow dog from
trouble. Taking the cur by the scruff of
the neck, he walked to the rail with him
and tossed him into the Pacific ocean. The
soldiers. with rueful faces. watched their
for long. long time. Then they turned
about and met each others glances
There wasn't word said. This was not.
as said. talking regiment But the
.wretched performance of the young Of
fcer's were full of baleful meaning.
Very soon after the regiment reached the
Philippines 1t went into heavy action.
The officer down the
first voley
He was extraordinarily heavy to pick up.
In fact, his body seemed almost leaden.
He was strangely rddled Yet the front
Of his tunic was pierced but little.
Repartee Along "Soapsuds Row"
In girth. Gen. Shafter was a Sir John
Falstafr. His waistband a stupendous
thing for military taiors to fashion. He
was Sir John. too, in a sort of repartee.
In the old days 1t was his delight to waddle
ponderously along "Soapsuds Row"-the
shacks in which the commissioned Of
fcers wives lived-and exchange badinage
with the arms-akimbo washerwomen. 1t
was no unusual thing to see him standing
off half dozen of the ladies of "Soapsuds
Row" at the same time. 1t was a spectacle
to remind one of the bluff old soldier-pal
of Prince Hal bandying verbal shots with
Doll Tearsheet and Dame Quickly and
Mistress Page.
shafter had quick impulses of kIndliness.
Once he broke" duty sergeant for an
absence from reveilla The sergeant had
been detained from the call for some rea-
son or other, and he figured that he had
been unjustly punished. For that sergeant
there was but one Gileadean balm-whisty.
He achieved whole skinful of 1t. and then
marched upon the quarters of the COM
manding officer. He gained entrance to
Skaters library and would have laid that
enormously gritty man low In his tracks
had not a couple Of "dog-r robbers or
quarters servants, tackled him and prevent
ed him. To strike or attempt to strike an
officer in this army is bad job Inc
sergeant's court-martial put him on the
rock Alcatraz for two years.
A month so after the sergeant had
started to wear the gray on Alcatraz the
General Mcdowell the tug that makes the
cisco harbor. pulled alongside the Alca--
traz dock. Shafter. huge and bulky, stood
on the upper deck Of the tug while the de-
tail Of prisoners made the tugs lines fast
slouched hat was caught in an eddy OF
wind and went flying into the heaving sea.
A gray-clad prisoner jumped briskly into
the sea. rescued the hat and brought II
Shafter, and Shafter recognized his face.
He was the sergeant who had been court
for attempting to strike Shafter.
Take 1t easy here. my man" said Shat
ter, '.Tn see If there's anything. to be done
in your case"
Not long after the sergeant.s sentence
was remitted and he was restored to duty.
Had an Aversion for Fat Men.
Weighing scarcely less IL not more than
400 pounds, Shafter had profound aver
sion for fat men either as enlisted men or
officers.
They're no account for soldering" he
would buster in his tremendous basso.
They pant they wheeze. they snort they
choke. they grunt. they groan they waddle,
they SLOUGH through the world. Not
particle Of good on earth. fat soldiers
wouldn't have one Of 'em around me II L
could help It."
'Br-but-er-you would not exactly-er-
call yourself slight, would you. colonel?'
a venturesome major once asked Shafter
after one Of these outbursts.
slight? Nov' Shafter Numbered In re-
ply Hill no! rye been a gat, blobby old
nuisance ever since the day 1 tipped the
beam at over 200 pounds and right then
I ought to've been court-martialed and
for outrageous and malicious
adiposity, sir-for scandalous corpulence TO
the prejudice of military discipline
CLARENCE l.. CULLEN.
Irving's Audiences.