McNairy County independent. (Selmer, McNairy County, Tenn.) 1902-1969, 1915-02-26
Galveston. Tex, Feb. IL, 10.


and | haven't anything to do, will
scratch you note, something about
Mexico. The soldiers liked Mexico
for one reason, when you planked
down a cart wheel you got cincc
pesos ($0 spaghetti dough in return;
so on pay day we would change about
20 beans, and then we could have
some cold ones, which was sure fine
in that tropical heat.
Vera Cruz was some burg all rig hit
When once you got acquainted there
was plenty doing all right. Say! you
should see it rain there. She just
opens up and acts nasty. We dug a
young Panama canal and about a
dozen ,Suezes. The lieutenant would
say "Dig her this deep below the
string. boys, and you could hear
some gink say, "How in blazes does
he know where to put the string?'
But guess he did at that, for when
it rained it was. Mana Bueno'. 1t
was sure hot there. Imagine work
ing in ditch when it is about ITO in
the shade.
don't mind giving up my lunch
once in while, but it gets my goat
to give up every meal. When the
cook would stick his nut out the door
and say Come and get it,, a whole
village Of brats and females come
hanging round watching you eat and
begging for every mouthful with their
eyes. They didn't say much. but the
first thing you knew they had the
most of your chow. A man can't
swallow very good when he feels
something else trying to swallow the
same thing too.
Outpost business was a scream.
We beat it to the sand hills every 6
days and spent "a hours on outpost.
They said there was some enemy out
in front, but the only thing we could
sea was few spigs with rifles slung
across their backs, that took good
care to stay away off; none of them
would come close to us. No, that
amt just right, for we sure had an
enemy with us one night, and he was
right in the trenches. 1t was my
bunky Pete" who first saw him.
The fellow seemed awful friendly.
He looked like a big black and white
tom-cat with a bushy tail. pete"
said he liked cats. and wanted him
for company mascot. The sergeant
allowed that he had better steer
clear of the visitor, or he would lose
his taste for mascot. Pete" never
would take good advice, and kept
right on. By that time the corporal
and his squad came up, but they
went back faster than they came, for
the enemy opened up. Pete" was
the first to drop. and there wasn't a
man to go to his rescue. The lieu
tenant showed up when he heard the
hollering. and ordered the outpost to
move to the windward side of the hill,
and also told poor Pete to bury his
clothes. There sure were things
down there worse than the Mexicans.
Everything is Mex down there but
the mosquitoes. They are the only
thing above par, and believe me those
Galveston ones haven't got look-in
beside 'em. | woke up one morning
and found snake lying in with me.
The sun-of-a-gun was even snoring.
| chucked him In a bottle and took him
over to the lieutenant and he picked
him and says that he is a very poison
GUS kind called the coral" snake. |
don't mind a strange bed fellow once
in a while, but no more snakes for
me. One morning at revielle | threw
my shoe playfully at my bunkie and
hit him on the bean. It's good
thing did, because scorpion drops
out of i'll mean the shoe-and
beats it onto Pete's blanket. Pete
got right up. and if l hadn't thrown
the shoe | might have got my toe
bit and Pete would have missed rev.
ellie.
got acquainted with good look
ing SeDorita shortly after we landed.
She invited me down to call on her,
aud used to go down every night,
as she was trying to teach me some
Spanish. Her father was federal
soldier, and of course had to beat il
when we came in.
They have fine fruit there, all kinds