The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1919-02-08
HOME GUARDS
ON A. HIKE
A Practice March, a Bivouae Supper
and Sham Battle Friday
Evening

Company A. County Guards, had q
busy, pleasant and profitable three
hours Friday evening.
To begin with, a detail went out
in the afternoon, 20 the farm of NJ l.
Pettys, on Orange avenue. Mr.. Pet
tvs is the gentleman from Georgia,
who bought the Campbell place. and
who later had the misfortune to lose
his home by fire. He has however
bravely gone on improving the prop
erty, putting up another house and
making a fine farm. AS most Ocals
folks know. he has a splendid spring
down near the railroad, and he cour-
teously offered the nearby ground to
Company A for its bivouac.
Some of the ground near the spring
has recently been cleared and the de-
tail which went out in the afternoon
started big fire with brush and logs
ia preparation for the visit of the
company later.
The company mustered at the ar
a tin cup in addition to his other
equipment. As soon as DIE roll was
called, the company shouldered arms
and started on it's hike. Shortly after
the. main body left the armory, il
was followed by the commissary de-
partment consisting of Lieut.. Need
ham and Privates Wetherbee and Car
ter, also a Star reporter. who went
along as war correspondent. The
commissary travelled in Lieut.. Need
hams auto, every corner of which
was packed with .rations, in addition
to which Frank Wetherbee held big
trayfull of pies on his lap. The wal
correspondent should have hiked with
the company, but as he is somewhat
age dand decrepit they left him ride in
the chuckwagon-
The commissary scooted on ahead
of the main body. and reaching the
campground braced up the fire. and
put the coffee to rewarm over one Cd
those handy little rinkydinktums thai
Lieut.. Needham, being a plumber, il
prolific with. The main body soor
arrived, making the two miles with 6
good swinging step. Capt. Roberts
two little boys keeping right up with
the column. The first thing after
breaking ranks was for the boys tC
go TO the spring, where they surely
did enjoy quaffing the soft, cool'water
Soon after they came back from
the spring. grub call sounded The
company lined UP. and Chaplain
Wrighton, who can march and worl
and, probably, fight as well as pray
asked blessing. Then all fell to. anC
what they did to the rations was 9
plenty. There were sandwiches
pickles, pies. ETC., all washed dowT
with excellent coffee. Temple and Da
Wis of the American cafe at the unior
station supplied the rations. and there
surely was enough and of the best
After they had eaten all they could
the boys took brief rest around the
big bonfire, on which fuel was pileC
until it sent a towering flame up int
the still night air, and above that q
column of sparks that rose high unit
it seemed to bend and fall of its owr
weight. The boys smoked and chew
ed the rag, and all felt lot better
for getting, tho only a little while
back near to nature.
A pleased participant was Mr.. Pet
tvs, who came over from his house
bringing with him a little girl, whs
Immediately became the pet of tn.
soldiers, and who would have died i
she had ate half the pie that was of
fered to her.
After a most pleasant hour by the
campfire, the company fell in for it,
return. On its way home it divideC
into platoons, which under Captain
Roberts and Lieut.. Preer played tn
war game thru the fields and woods
the lieutenant coming very near max
ing his captain and his platoon pris
oners.
The evening ended at the Star Of
fee corner, where the company fire.
a couple of volleys to. as they sup
posed, wake their war correspondent
UP, but he gumshoed on them out o.
the shadows across the street and con
graduated them on their good work.
Some pretty good material in th'
tome guards.