The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-03-12

Al lace and several attempts had been made
 . 5 } 5 <. 5 B
 wusauI to draw the old q1artermaster sergeant N@A into the argument; but he intrenched him H&AW N self behind his paper and replied in mono #AR %# sy1ables, meanwhile pulling vigorously at #W&A AfYM his pipe. The old mans attitude acted
 S4 L like blanket the rest. and the MI conversation finally died natural death. w@@@ssnw Then he leisurely folded his newspaper.
 and, looking up, spoke with a certain slow
 scorn:
 You boys don't know anything about campaigning. It's the men who served in the old army who've had the real experience. Back in the : days of the Empire. we called it. when the West was the sure-enough Wild West, there fighting that was fighting; none of your little ecrimnages. where few voleys are fired and the little brown brothers" away, followed by the boys in khaki but real stand-up and knock-down fights. where you had to win pass in your checks, and your last moments weren't made any too pleasant for you either" @f ~TelI. us about it, Sergeant" said the commssary The qarteraster sergeant carefully tapped the ashes out of his pipe. arDid any of you feliers ever hear of Captain Bob Spaulding of the old Eleventh CavaryF he asked.
 No, none of them had
 wei, I served-with him in the seventies. was his striker They didn't call em orderlies in those days just plain striker good enough. They even called 'e 'dog-robbers but that always meant fight. and sometimes it wasn't hardly safe
 'The captain thoroughbred. He was that spic and span that, no matter what kind of clothes he vsore he always looked If he had just stepped out of bandbox. Straight arrow, he was as active a-cat
 T had my bunk and kit in of the back rooms of his quarters, and took purty good care of him, if do say
 @EIe was engaged to be married to some girl back in New England. and the wedding-day was all set but when he tackled the colonel for leave of ab- sence the Old Man kicked. You see the only otherl officer in e Troop young shavetan just out of West Point, and the Old Man was afraid of his contarninating influence the troop. It purity hard lines though and gathered from few remarks overheard the captain let drop Che had way of talking loud to himself) that the girl didn't altogether understand and sort of held him personally fesponsible.
 There were of pictures of her scattered about the captains room, and she about al purty Elear blue eyes with smile in 'em that seemed to look right into you- There little look about her mouth which didn't interfere any with her good ooks but knew, first time I looked at her picture, that the lady would be boss of the ranch if she got the chance
 Anyhow, they seemed to get 1t all patched up and they fixed another date The captain used write her long letters every day, and guess she wasn't put his mind much of the time He got terribly restless t1e days went by, and knew he was worrying for fear the leave would fall through again; but our first lieutenant coming back, and the Old Man said that as soon as he the captain could go. But the captain kept on worrying, and could that he getting thin He didn't eat his meals regular, and often heard him moving lbout all hours of the night.
 "Then one day he home, and saw right off that something the matter. thought he was him, he just said, Nothing in that short way he had and for long time he walked up and down the room talking himeslf. I hung around, pre- tending clean up house, and presently he stopped and says:
 seBrown, have you heard the newsa The Sioux Indians are the war-path.'za
 s-IUe11 could have shouted for joy, but his face stopped me. For second got cold all over, for vou must know how much thought of him; was only kid and to he greater than Napoleon ever thought of being Then the truth flashed over me, and ashamed that I'd doubted him even for that second. It was the grill The moment the Sioux broke loose and dug the hatchet if knocked his leave of absence into cooked hat (7f course he withdrew his application at and che wedding had be postponed indefinitely. had a n,,rtv clear idea what that meant, for glanced ,,c at the sirPs picture that funny little expression .fo,1k her mouth struck more than ever, and l Ineu in that minute that she wouldn't stand for it. vo,, see girl raised in the would understand, E,t vav back East in those days they scarcely knew we had any army, let alone what was expected of it. e r ;,st kept my heels together and says. Very we'll = T1I oet the captains fe1d-kit in order' and went about my business
 A ~He wrote long letter that nlsnt ana tne next