The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-11-07

Yep" says Billy, fingerin' his cut
of, AN they stings wuosern a hor.
net; the fellers are dyin too; potted
like woodchucks
Shut up" says the kid. thinkIn'
THE band OF them buzzards'u take
care of 'em. You tend to your knitting
He was keener for fair. Pluribus
an Billy grinned at the sass OF the
rookie-under fire, too.
Mebbe it's funny, hut don't remem
ber much about the fightin' after we
got to work. 'Tain't right to keen
men under a nasty fire. an sharp.
shooters a-baggin' everything blue in
sight, without shown what the range
practice has done for them. Men
what lose their mess waitin' on their
stummicks are wasted, sort Of wasted
anyhow; they don't get n chanst to
die with their blood up. when they
don't care If they does dle-kind OF
locoed; only they never fergits where
the flag is. Bein' killed while you're
reservin' fire for half day is bad
for the nerves.
But finally they give us go. Twas
tidy sprint while It lasted. Billy
an Pluribus clost together. pumpin
lead at sunburnt mud wall. There
want much yellin' till we we're al
the top, an the yaller rag was yanket
down an Glory was floatin over free
Cuby We yelled then. Yes, an blame 4
the burnin' tears could help comm
just for JOY at seem It there. an be
in alive to see IT, That's what.
There was some as got their ever
lastin discharge-honorable: some go
big go at servin' their country IL
hospitals gittin' well: some made
crutches out o crooked sticks, an
stayed away from the Sawbones tc
fight for grub; an there want nc
sorrer when the bloody Hidagoes huns
out shirt on their hack porch, an
quit the game.
Now, in course Of knockin' rounC
barracks for 20 year. in one regiment
an another, I've seen some curious
hlngs. Chasin' Indian devils over al
kali plains an In the Bad Lands. an
maxim little maps Of Alasky, puts {
man on sentry-go over more'n a ten
acre lot an interjuces curious folks
but Pluribus beat the hull outfit tC
a standstill.
After Pecos Bill Shafter took 8
pasear down TO the village. an RAISED
our flag over the palace, there wan
nothin' to do but swap baccy. an XII
the fever, which last noe an Billy did;
not bad, but we didn't notice things
for day or two. Then we saw Pluri
bus was goin'. Tho hustle an rusf
an excitement had kept him up, an
he sort of forgot he had home an .
mother but II took him sudden. an
that kid was dyin' because he couldnt
git up an dust for his ma. Home
sick! Dyin' for his mother jest as Ger
tain as if he was mortal wounded,
IF Pluribus would only cry" say
Billy, bein' great lad for the win
min. it'd bring him right, wimmir
does; but he sets there with his eye'
big an shlny-like Micky Hogan''
woman when they told her he hat
cashed in. Gawd. it's wicked
Billy" says |, the kid'll never sec
his home again, II he don't git there
quick"
"Wot yer givin' me?" says he.
Struth,' says |.
"Dyin?" says McNutt scared an
whlsp'rin' like folks do in a room with
a corpse.
Yep; sure thing. He's just a.Csd
in out like snow before a Montana
chinook"
The Q. NJ department started us
back to the states on through packet
from hell, an the Old Boy hisself was
at the hellum.
Down I'm the stifiin' hold they put
us; with few lights, dim an fain'
in the fog of fever breath. Bunks lr
tiers, with the GRIMM ghost of what
had been soger in every one Il
was whole graveyard. stirrin' at the
last revellle. On deck 1t was as bad
or worse. How could fellers sleeI
with empty bellies an their blood or
fire, an listenin' to men in the hos
pital shriekin' an dyin'--every one in
his own terrible way? No two mer
ever die alike. Some just quit breath
in; some prayed some cursed; some
just babbled with their folks, laughin
an talkin', pattin hands an sayin' ba
by talk. Crazy! We was all kind OF
off'n our nuts.
Me an Billy crawled up an sat by
Plurlbus in the hospital, never sayin
word. The kid never knowed us
an never wanted nothin' His mind
was blank to his surroundin's, an
he didn't seem to suffer much. just
was dopey; smilin to hisself, an talk
in to his ma in quiet happy way
that made me an Billy creepy, know
in II want real. | pitied Billy while
we was waitin', Poor little Pluribus
had the easiest detail, after all.
One day the kid went out-sur.
rendered unconditional, They stopped
the ship, an it was quiet as the
house of death, with the engines still
Billy had small silk flag that some
girl had given him at station--al,
ways tradin' buttons with tho vim,
min was Billy-an he sswed It over
the kids chest The chaplain said a
nrnver I guess but | never hon-d IN