The Washington herald., 1913-04-20

the colonel; he agrees with me, and he
been to Maj. Green. and that's all come
Of 1t. l don't see what l can. do fur
ther. II did
Begging your pardon, captain. tn
men will be falling sick soon and dying
They're weakened by the climate an,
being fretted. expecting always to git of
and never going"
But what can I do? Oh, speak out
were of here alone. Have you an.
idea?"
"well, sir II you was my captain il
the old til, you'd say to the colonel
| Colonel, I've demonstrated and re
monstrated. Now I'm desperate. I'm
| desperate says you. II there ain
something done tomorrow I'm going t.
march my company out and find a new
| camp and you kin court-martial me i
you please. I'd rather stand q court
martial than see my men die! He't
talk real pleasant at first, so as to gil
in all his facts, and then he'd blaz.
away. And he'd do it. too, IL they didn't
| listen"
| The captain gave the sergeant a keer
glance. And that's your idea Of disci.
plineT' said he.
There's a newspaper fellow asking fol
you. captain, this morning. I see him a.
coming now" was the sergeant's oblique
response. But he chucked. walking stin-
l. y away. He'll do It: I'll bet we won't
be here two days longer" For which glee
there was reason, since, inside the hour.
the captain was in the coioneys tent, con-
GLIDING an eloquent picture Of his COM
pany's discomforts with Somebody has
to do something. II you are powerless,
colonel, am not. II they don't give some
assurance of changing the camp tomor-
row i shall march Company out and
pitch camp myself and stand the court
martial I would rather risk court
martial than see my men die-and that s
what IL has come to-.
The colonel looked the fiery young
speaker sternly in the eye and said some
thing about unsoldierly conduct.
1T would be unmanly conduct for me
to let the boys trusted to me die because
was afraid to speak out" flung back the
captain. And I know one thing-if 1 am
court-martialed the papers are likely to
get the true story"
"You mean the reporter on the Chicago
papers who is shopping around? Let me
advise you to give him a wide BERTH
II mean nothing Of the kind, sir.
only mean that the thing will not be done
in a corner"
"Wen. well, keep cool. captain. you're
too good fellow to fling yourself away.
Wait and see If can't get something
definite out of the general today"
Whereupon the captain departed with
outward decent gloom and inward pre-
monitions of rejoicing, for when he had
hit a nail on the head he had eyes to
see.- And the colonel betook himself. hot
foot. to the pompous old soldier in charge
Of the camp, who happened to be a man
of fixed belief in himself, but, II he feared
anything, was afraid OF a newspaper re-
porter. The colonel gave him the facts,
sparing no squalid detail: indeed, adding
a few picturesque embellishments from
his own observations. He cut short the
others contemptuous criticism OF boy
soldiers, and his comparison with the
hardships endured during the civil war,
with a curt Il know they fooled away
mems lives then; that is no reason We
should fool them away now. The men
are sickening today-they will be dying
tomorrow; I'm desperate. II that camp
is not changed by tomorrow, / shall
march my regiment out myself and pitch
my own camp, and you may court-mar-
tial me for II II you like. I would rather
stand a court-martial than see my men
die, because / was afraid to speak out!
The camp We have now is murder, as
the reporters say, I don't wonder that
young fellow from Chicago talks hard!
You're excited, colonel; you forget
yourself"
Il am excited, general: I'm desperate,
VIII you walk round the camp with me-"
The end of the colloquy was that the
captain saw the general and the colonel
and told the first lieutenant, who told
the first sergeant, whose name was
Spruce. Captains kicked to the colonel,
guess" says Spruce, and coloneIs
kicked to the general That's the talk.
tit ready. boys, and pack" True enough,
the camp was moved the next day.
II guess captain will make oan officer
T he lives and don't git the big head"
Spruce moralized. It's mighty prevalent
n the volunteers"
The captain wrote the whole account
home to one single confidant-his father
md him he swore to secrecy. The cap
aims father was the man who had COM
nitted Company G to Spruce's good |
,fices. He sent a check to the company
Ind special box of cigars to Spruce |
md Spruce, knowing nothing of the in |
ermediary, felt a more brilliant pride |
n his adopted town, and Dragged Of its |
'irtues more vehemently than ever. The |
amp was not moved soon enough |
Pneumonia and typhoid fever appea red |
)ne by one the boys of the regiment |
ickened. Presently one by one they be-
IAN to to die
Then Spruce suggested to the captain: |
I guess I'd be more good in the hospital |
han / am here, captain" And the cap
ain (who was scared, poor lad. and had |
isions of the boys mothers demanding
he wasted lives of their sons at his |
ands), had his best sergeant put on the |
lex detail If Spruce had been useful in /
amp he was invaluable in hospital The
ead surgeon leaned on him, with Jest,
nd the Young surgeon in charge with
retense of abuse. you'll burst If you
ont work off steam, Spruce. so out with
!. What is it now?" In this fashion he
eally sought both information and sug-
estion. Nor was he above being in
tructed in the innumerable delicacies of
equisitions by the old regular, and he
id not, when acquisitions were unan-
wered and supplies appeared in unusual
orm. ask any embarrassing questions
/ get 'em from the Red Cross sir"
'as Spruce's invariable and unquestioned
ormula.
And the doctor in his reports accounted
or what he had received and complain
d Justify because his acquisitions were
ot honored, even as Spruce had desired,
nd, thereby, he obtained much credit
q the days to come. Spruce did not OBJ
ain any particular credit, but he saved
few lives, it is likely; and the sick
zen found him better than medicine.
he captain always handed the commit
ee letters over to him; and bought what
yer he desired.
Captains going to distinguish him
elf, give him a chance thought Spruce,
he's got sense!''
And by degrees he began to feel for
ne young volunteer reflection of the
rorship which had secretly been offered
D certain fat little bald-headed cap