Los Angeles herald., 1906-04-29

70 sell only on the prescription of physician in
good and regular standing. After that. the as
sistant surgeon joined the other officers in wait
ing Tor halfpast five o'clock, and in abusing the
I sheriff and headquarters.
Ihis is the longest afternoon ever knew. 's
said tne second lieutenant, looking up at the
I town clock. whose hands marked ten minutes
past four He pulled out his watch from his
pocket to compare it with the clock
What time have you got, Captain?" he asked.
:, Inc captain looked at his watch then UP at
the face of the clock, then at the sun. then at
his watch again, and then at the second lien.
Tenant.
| MY watch says fve-forty-fve," he said
so does mine," remarked the second ieuten-
ant.
The other two officers looked at their watches;
one SAID tve-forty, and the other marked five
minutes to six.
They've stopped the clock" said the assistant
surgeon
There was moments silence, during which
the four looked at each other The captain swal-
lowed something.
Our subsistence is down at the station now"
he said. "H we'd banked on that clock we
wouldn't have got it till tomorrow. Here, cor
poral go down to the station and see if there's
ANYTHING there for u.s."
The corporal hurried away, and the others
waited They waited ten, fifteen, twenty min
utes' ana then the captain arose to his feet and
sald something about the corporal A sergeant
and set of fours were started after the delin-
quent' In ten minutes the sergeant returned.
there's carload of camp eulIipape and sut
sistence down there, SIR" he said. salutint
lhe corporal didn't come back because the car
was not locked, and he found some hoodlums
getting at the provisions, so he had to stay and
watch EN-. He tried to get somebody to come
up here and tell you, sir, but no one would
come"
All right. But why didn't you bring the
things up with you?"
Then the sergeant explained that he had tried
to hire wagon, but that none of the teamsters
would take the job of hauling the supplies, and
the captain grew apoplectic He ordered out
platoon, and went down with it himself. The
camp equipage was left in the car under guard
and the men of the platoon carried up with them
enough supplies for the whole command. After
supper the command felt better, especially as
three of the men had taken wrench from a
plumbers establishment and had turned on the
water in the fountain. A guard stood by it,
now, with fixed bayonets, and the command
rolled itself in its blankets and tried to go to
sleep.
1t was halfpast ten when big man, with a
big voice, marched up to sentry and demanded
to know where the "boss of the shooting-match''
could be found.
"I'm the sheriff" he began.
ooh, you are, you" said the captain.
"And where have you been keeping yourself all
day."
"Whereve I been keeping myself?" roared the
sheriff. II like that! Whereve been keeping
myself? I've been at Morganville, where you
ought to have been twelve hours ago. What are
you doing here?"
''Morganvle?" said the captain. 'I was or
dered to report to you here"
Didn't you get my other wire?"
"What wire?"
''Why I wired you from here, first, and then
sent another, saying that you needed at
and that would meet you there
I've been waiting for you all day, until saw
man from here, this evening, and then, drove
over"
"And we've been here since three o'clock this
gasped the captain.
Then the sheriff roared again, and explained
that there would be train along in half an
hour, and that the captain had better put his
men on board and go with him to Morganville,
where they were badly needed. The captain said
rude about headquarters again, and
called the first sergeant
Five minutes after, the Mayor pro tenn. and
the members of the Cou4eil, who had been hold
ing deep consultation in a quiet little saloon,
emerged on the sidewalk just in time to see the
last Of the column fade into the darkness of the
side street.