The Coolidge examiner., 1933-03-31

lettes, and buttons, was spotlesS
and well fitted. A broad blue sash
spanned his breast from waist to
shoulder. From shoe to ruffles
every detail of his dress was ad-
mirable. Still it was not his look
nor his manners, genteel as they
were, that reduced me TO a sense
of smallness. 1t was the man un-
der it all. He has doubled my
faith In our cause"
The preliminaries being over, the
learned president said:
General. you have had time to
survey the army. May l ask for
your impression of IT."
1T Is disOrganized mass of III
cad, poorly armed soldiers without
a national spirit and with no knowl-
edge of what is expected of fighting
men. The New England troops feel
that all men are equal even in a
regiment. that a uniform cannot
create a caste. SO there is little
order, government, or discipline
among them. We have only raw ma
terial-a mound of ore to be fused
and slagged and shaped into useful
iron"
Turning to Colin he added: al
am glad TO welcome young men like
you to the army. You will, trust,
bend your mind to ITS problems. |
wish you first to go down among
the men in the line and get the feel
of 1t. My orderly will now conduct
you to the muster master. For the
present | will send your horse to
my stable"
Colin was mustered into the COM
pany Of Capt. Amos Farnsworth
from Groton. 1t was quartered in
lodges made Of hewn timber, rough
boards and sail-cloth.
Only ten men in the company
were in uniforms and they were Of
varying colors--red. blue and gray
to suit the family taste. The most
were in shabby farm clothing. There
were also ragged men In torn boots.
Some were unarmed The Rhode
Island regiment-the smartest look
Ing body Of men In the army and
well uniformed-were in tents op.
posite the rude quarters of the
Massachusetts boys.
Captain Farnsworth gave his fell
low townsman a hearty welcome.
His left arm, broken and slashed
at Bunker Hill. was in a sling.
Colin remembered the tall. lean.
bony. brown-bearded farmer, so
often rightly worried as to the con
dition OF his soul. There was
noticeable lack of coordination be-
tween his brain and the incorporeai
part Of him.
The human soul was a trouble
some asset In New England. Ii was
menaced. frightened, prosecuted by
the ablest men schooled In the arts
of the orator. IL was yelled at.
berated and cowed by ignorant.
well-meaning pulplteers in the back
country. The lnner and the outer
man were often in a quarrel with
each other.
Amos Farnsworth always looked
serious even when other men we're
laughing. His sad expression was
relieved only by quizzical look in
his gray eyes. Mental activity pro-
duced a singular effect upon his
countenance. The skin on his brow
rolled into deep wrinkles. He had
marked fondness for the word
which," often misplaced in his
conversation. he was n widower
about forty years Of age.
How are you" Colin asked.
Anxious as a painter in tree
with the dogs barkn', which the
fact is I'm on the run with Satan
hold O my coat TAIL" the captain
answered.
he surveyed Colin from head to
foot adding: "Say you're a mortal
stout-lookin' man which I'm glad
you've come. There's goin' to be
big wrastle here-an ALFRED
wrastle between the Rhode Island
ers and our rigament. You're big,
bony. hard-meated cuss an I'm a
gam miStruStful n fhem fellerS
Wen need ye."
The captain took a bite from a
.. plug of tobacco which he called
Virginia cake" and introduced the
young man to various officers in the
regiment, after which they went
for walk together through the big
camp. An important recruit was
often thus favored.
The spirit OF Farnsworth's com.
pany was for friendship. not for
war. Stern discipline excited
degree of resentment. The men ad-
dressed their officers as If they
were all having noon hour in the
hay field. Even the captain was
Amos" to every private.
1t was then probably the most re-
markable army the world had seen
"a fair of good-natured. gossip
ing, homesick, peace-loving pioneers
quartered In lines of tents and
lodges and in public buildinps