River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1913-04-17

still; / got to look after the other
boys"
Come back when you have seen
them, Chris"
Sure"
Spruce made his rounds. He was
the star nurse of the hospital. 1t was
partly experience. Chris Spruce had
been soldier In the Regulars and
fought Indians and helped the regi-
mental surgeon through a bad attack
of typhoid. But 1t was as much a
natural gift. Chris had light foot,
quick eye, soft voice; he was in
domitably cheerful and consoled the
most querulous patient in the ward by
describing how much better was his
lot with no worse than septic pneu-
monia, than that of a man whom he
(Spruce) had known well who was
scalped Spruce had enlisted from a
western town where he had happened
to be at the date Of his last discharge.
He had a great opinion of the town.
And he never tired recalling the scene
Of their departure, amid tears and
cheers and the throbbing music of a
brass band, with their pockets full of
cigars, and an extra car full Of lunch
con boxes, and a thousand dollars
company spending money to their
credit.
"A man he comes up to me-" says
Spruce, "big man in the town, rich
and all that. He says, calling me by
Lorx h
got my name, but he had the says:
I'm told you've been with the Regu-
lars; look after the boys little says
he. That / WILL says /, I've been
six years in the service and I know
few wrinkles | do too. He gave
me a fve-dollar bill after he'd talked
awhile to me, and one of his own
cigars. Remember the towns back
Of you!' says he. 'Tis, too I'd let
ter from the committee they got
there, asking if we had everything;
offering to pay for nurses If they'd
be allowed. Oh, it's a bully town."
Spruce himself had never known
the sweets of local pride. He had
drifted about in the world, until at
twenty he drifted into the Regular
army. He had no kindred except a
brother whose career was so little
creditable that Spruce was relieved
when it ended-were the truth known,
in a penitentiary. He had an aunt of
whom he often spoke and whom he
esteemed a credit to the family She
was a widow woman in an Iowa vii
lage, who kept a boarding house for
railway men, and had reared a large
family, not one of whom (Spruce was
accustomed to explain in moments
of expansion, on pay day, when his
heart had been warmed with good red
liquor had ever been to jail. Spruce
had never seen this estimable woman,
but he felt on terms of intimacy with
her because. occasionally, on these
same pay days, he would mail her a
five-dollar bank-note, the receipt of
which was always promptly acknowl-
edged by niece who could spell most
of her words correctly and who al
ways thanked him for his "kind and
welcome gift" told him what they
proposed to do with the. money, and
invited him to come to see them.
Meanwhile, his consciousness of in
some way caring for the whole com
pany held him a model of sobriety
In fact, he did take care of the COM
pany, secretly instructing the captain
in the delicacies of military etiquette
and primitive sanitary conditions,
and openly showing the commissary
sergeant how to make acquisitions
and barter his superf1uous rations for
acceptable canned goods at the gro
ceries of the town. He explained all
the Regulars artless devices for be-
ing comfortable; he mended the boys
morals and their blouses in the same
breath; and he inculcated all the
regular traditions and superstitions.
But it is to be confessed again, that
while Spruce was living laboriously
up to his lights of righteousness un-
der this new stimulus, the lights were
rather dim; and, in particular, as re-
CARDS the duty of a man to pick UP
outlying portable property for his com
pany-they would have shocked a po-
lice magistrate. Neither did he rank
among the martial virtues the orna-
ment of meek and quiet spirit "a
good captain is always a kicker" says
Spruce firmly; hes got to be. Look
at this here camp, Captain; the mess
tents all under water; we're standing
in the slush every damned meal we
eat. Waters under our tent water"
81 know, know, sergeant" inter-
rupts the perplexed and worried young
captain, clever young dandy bright
enough to be willing to take wisdom
without shoulder straps; I've been
to the colonel; he agrees with me,
and he's been to Major Green. and
that's all comes of it. l don't see
what l can do further, If I did"
Begging your pardon, Captain, the
men will be falling sick soon and dy-
ing. They're weakened by the climate
and being fretted, expecting always
to git off and never going"
But what can 1 do? oh, speak out,
we're off here alone. Have you any
idea?"
We'll, sir, if you was my captain
in the old tn, you'd say to the
colonel: Colonel, I've demonstrated
and demonstrated Now I'm desperate.
I'm Desperate says you. IF there
amt something done tomorrow I'm
going to march my company out and
find new camp, and you kin court
martial me if you please. I'd rather
stand a court-martial than see my
+o1 nj Of