The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1916-10-05
Continued from Yesterday
CHAPTER XIV.
Troops Leave For the East.

At midnight, a bugle reused Jim
IN Ashby-private in company i
of the Twentieth Illinois regi
ment-from his blanket, where
he lay with fellow recruits on the grass
Of Grant park. The Twentieth I'LL
nois was one of the new regiments or
gained from the old Third regiment
OF the state guard. Consequently 1t
was very short Of tents, as well as of
equipment of every kind. Only the
corporals and sergeants, who had been
prfvates and eorporals In the militia,
possessed uniforms. Jim's platoon was
commanded by Conner, created second
lieutenant by ripping the ehevrons
from his sleeves and sewing straps
upon his shoulders. Jim Ashby, like
most of the other recruits, wore a
brown sack suit, designated as uni
form by a khaki arm band The re-
cruits also had uniform caps and had
rifles and cartridge belts and bayonets.
Battalions Of FIVE other Illinois regi-
ments camped in Grant park, along
the lake front of downtown Chicago
something over 1000 men. There were
as many more in Lincoln park; other
regiments or battalions were in Jack
son park. Altogether there We're more
than 10000 mflit1amen and recruits
drilling and conditioning themselves by
day In Chicago parks while they wait
ed for their equipment. At night diff
ferent companies took turn guarding
the vitals of the city. Jim had stood
guard duty through two nights, with
the rest Of his company, at the electric
plant which supplied most of the city
with light and power.
As the bugles reused the camp now
meant more riots, more attacks upon
the power plants and the railroads. 1t
was to be expected that the regents
people would be celebrating their
sweep at sea- But the orders which
followed the bugle call were different
from any given before Instead of TAX
ing only rifle, bayonet and ammuni-
ton and doubling" down the boule-
ward toward the noise of the nearest
fighting the order now was to break
camp. Jim rolled his blanket and pack
ed his scant equipment canteen, knife;
fork and spoon and toilet articles.
After his first quick reaction TO the
call OF the bugle he found himself very
stiff and weary. Upon the afternoon
he had returned from an eighteen hole
round of golf and argued with Bob
Wendell on the porch-and that was
barely a week gone-he would have
described himself as having been in
perfect physical trim, fit for any test
But even thirty six holes of golf in
an afternoon--with a caddy carrying
the clubs-was no preparation for
carrying a rife and 800 rounds of am
munition and pack on a ten mile
practice 4'hike' with the thermometer
90 In the shade and then digging a
trench and later-like as not-standing
guard with every tired muscle strain
ed and every nerve tense, alert for
sign of attack upon power plant. The
soreness in his left arm, where he had
received the first hypodermic inocula-
lion against typhoid. did not serve to
make MN more comiorrauIe. Out every
one else about was as sore and stiff
as he. No one complained.
"Where're we going, do you suppose
Ito camp about the gas works r
Were going east, they say'
East
ITO New York;
1--WE are. Then-the regents begun
landing his troops?
transports off the east end of Long
Island. they say"
Jim's soreness and WEAKNESS sud
denly were gone. Instead hot impulse
of power and passion stirred through
him. 1t was much more than re
juvenation of the first excitement of
the camp in Chicago and Of carrying
arms through the streets. The enemy