The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1910-06-04
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BY Stuart 3. Stone.

liS Hcu OIL uiCkHdlHes anu an dlidS VI
so. Before the little war broke out
and the Eagle reared his head and be-
gan to scream tardy, Irregular, yet
lusty scream, he had been Il leading
spirit in the 4Tth ward gang, other
wise known as the Dead Line Dukes
His fayorite retreats were those places
where a rigantic picture Of an amber,
foam-tufted mug Is displayed as the
largest and coolest for five cents in
the city. All of which is to show just
de kind Of err guy De Kalamazoo Mug
was as De Mug himself would have
said
When an arrogant, but deca6cn'
people shouted "Caramba,n and Aout
ed their red-and-yellow standard in TIL
face Of your Uncle Samuel, De Kala
ma@oo Mug read the black scareheads
Something funny and strange swelleS
in De Mugs breast and he enlisted
IL was motely regiment-hal
''swells,' college rah-rah athietes, pol,
champions, African game hunters. The
other half shaded downward, with pos.
sibly none quite so fierce as De Mug
But they needed bugler, and in his
seraphic boyhood De Mug had Bugled.
They signed MIN and he kept them
awake hot, drowsy afternoons blaring
Coon, coon. coon, | wish my color
would fade"
When the regiment arrived in the
hot lands, one company was sent in
land, occupying an exposed position
on the main line of projected advance,
Here De Kalamazoo Mug amused him
self imbibing aguardiento. throwing
stones at hideous land-crabs, and tor
turing the company with his Coon,
coon, eoon!' When these palled, he
would fiirt with the Cuban senioritas.
Thus 1t was that one dull. dead at.
ternoon Il Mug encountered the most
dashing of Cuban beauties. Hello,
Garment he hailed. Satellite
shiny eyes, Sabe?"
No sabe." replied Carmen; but her
black eyes lured,
Dc Kalamazoo Mug followed, coquet-
ing, making sign language, muttering
bits of the thousand-and-one tongues.
At the end of half an hour he took his
first kiss from Carmen in a dell of
palms. Then something clicked be-
hind him and De Mug turned to find
himself prisoner of war in the hands
of Aiphonsos finest. BY vehement
no
idea that De Mug was to lead them to
the isolated camp of his comrades. De
Mug sWore by all his 47th ward gods
that he would not but half.inch OF
him. Silently the band proceeded.
treble the strength of the detached
company. When De Mug sulked there
was ever the Spanish bayonet They
drew near the camp. The Spanish com
mander began to deploy his force.
Then it was De Kalamazoo Mug be-
came more willing. Sliding away from
the two who guarded him, he had
achieved some distance before attract
ing attention. Then, placing his bu-
gle to his lips, he trumpeted as he
ran.
Coon, coon, coon, | wish my col
or would fade!"
Sizzling, Andalusfan profanity
broke out and the swiftest started in
pursuit, not daring to alarm the camp
by firing. De Mug blared on:
Coon, coon, coon, Id like a differ
ent shaded"
Then, as the camp reused, the Span
ish forces in chagrin. poured volley
after volley after the fleeing man. In
the camp of his comrades they fused
why in blazes don't that tough nut
of bugler get new tune?" But they
turned out just the same. The adj
vance was just in time to see De Mug
pitch forward in the midst of his ia
nous line:
Il wish | was white mani"
AS the Spaniards retired, keeping
up a sullen cracking, his comrades
got the footnote of De Mugs earthly
history.
"Youse guys must forget about the
coon, coon ballad, tried to play some
star-spangly-rag stuff, but"
And then De Mug lay very still.