AT THE BARRACKS.
A DAY IN TUP! MCR OF A UNITED
STAThS SOLDIRIt.
Visit, to an Artillery Pout from
First Call lor ItrvKllle to
Lights ami Tnpi Tour
of Duty.
KOLDIEtt In the nrmy of
Undo Knm, le ho "buck"
private or colonel of a regi
ment, is obliged to soldier
up to the hnmllo wherever ho tuny lo
tatiouod. The daily routine as prao
ticeil by the three tuain arms ol tho
aerviae artillery, cavalry nuil in-
a view op inn f)Vrr.m.
fanlry ie precisely the enmo in tho
ibain of ponts aroun 1 New York Har
bor ns it is in Fort Yuma -or in Van
couver barracks, Oregon. For each
rm, ij every post, the military day is
s'ssentinlly the name from reveille to
taps. In one post as well as the other
the soldier has to have hisears rocked
for the calls of tho trumpeter, has to
do his share of fatigtio duty, has to
"hump" his post when on guard and
has exactly the tame intervals of rest
in which to "hit his bunk" the pas
sive act of reclining; known in tho
army vornnoular as "bunk fatigue."
A Washington Star reporter recent
ly spent an entire military day at tho
barracks, under the protecting guard
ianship of the soldierly looking adju-
A
LIGHT BATTEItV I) It ILL.
antof the Fourth Artillery, Lieutenant
F. 8. Strong. The reporter was on a
quest for information, gained at first
hand though actual observation, as to
how soldiers soldiered. He raw and
heard the whole grind, from first ctU
in the morning to "lights out" at
. night. It was a revelation in human
alertness, discipline, order and organ
ization. First call for reveille is sounded
!nring autumn and winter months
just when the Eastern sky begins to
flame with orange. It is a signal to
the men sleeping in the long rows of
comfortable bunks in the second-story
barrack rooms of the "double-docker"
quarters that they have got to get up.
Assembly goes within five minutes
fter first call, and the men of each
battery fall in in front of their re
spective quarters and answer to their
name as called by tho first sergeant
who, at the conclusion of the roll
call, reports to the officer of the day,
who clanks along the lines, "Battery
E present or accounted for," or "Pri
vates So and-Sa absent from reveille,"
s the case may be. If it is the latter
case there is ao immediate investiga
tion as to what has prevented the ab
sentees from standing reveille an
investigation which very frequently
lands the laggards in the "Clink."
Wbilo the men are yet standing in
line the bang of the morning sunrise
gun comes thundering over the pa
rade ground, the stars and stripos,
under the manipulation of one of the
corporals of the gnard, fluttered from
the top of the flagstaff, aud the mili
tary day is begun.
The men barely have time to get
their heads nnder the eold water spig
gots in the wash rooms, and to dry
themselves with crash towels beforo
the flitting will-o'-the-wisp of a trum
peter of the guard blares ont the mess
call. It should be explained that at
Washington barraoks there are bat
tery messes that is, the batteries
have eaoh separate dining roo m and
kitohen, presided over by a permanent
cook chosen from eaoh outfit. The
cook of .each battery, together with
Abe two men detailed each day to
assist him they are known as
"kilohen polioe" is awakened everv
f morning about an boar before the
reveille by one of the members of the
guartf, in order to give him plenty of
timejto prepare the battery's break'
last.
In the battery messes the men are
fed with good, substantial food, served
on white pine tables and without any
frills. Ttie most common breakfast
dish of the army, next to beans is
not unappetising compound, like Irish
i atew, briefly called "slum" by the sol
idlers. The men drink two or three
'o-bowls of (road coffee without milk,
at severs! slabs of unbuttered
.lead, moistened by the "slum" gravy,
nd they get through the meal with
-heuomenal quickness. They do not
loll their breakfasts from preference.
but because the cook, if they appear
to lingor a tulle over the meal, glares
in from the kitchen and tells them that
"there's going to be a dinner in this
shack to-day, as usual." Thus ad
jured, they do not waste mnoh time in
showing the cook their baoks.
Anyhow, there are duties to be per
forraad immediately attor break Inst.
Tho mattresses on the bunks and the
blankets must be rolled up and the
quarters arranged for tho inspection
of tho battery commander, who, in
the detection of dirt or slovenliness,
has eyes of tho strength of a hawk's,
llcsiilt's, fatigue call is sonndad by tho
unrelenting "wind pusher" about half
an hour alter breakfast. . A largo por
tion of each buttery reports to tho
provost sergeant at fatigue call. There
is "old guard" fatiguo for mon who
have come olt guard on the day pre
vious, "quartorma' -torV fatiguo and
"enmminsnry's" fatigue for all hands,
aud thero is never any lack of work in
a military post to keep tho fatigue
parties busy.
Immediately aftor breakfast tho mon
whoso names Imvo been read out at
retreat tho previous night for a tour
of guard duty begin their elaborate
preparations for going ou guard. It
is necessary that thuy should aiiko
clabornto preparations, for woo betide,
tho soldier who mounts guard with a
pinhead of dirt, dust, ru it or tarnish
on the most trilling item of his trap
pings. As gimrd duty is tho most im
portant duty of tho soldier, ho is
expected to get ready for each tour of
it with about tho samn amount of euro
and attention to detail tlint ho might
bo supposed to exert iu preparing for
his wedding.
From tho crown of his iorago cap to
the soles of his "liovernmeut
straight" shoes, lib has, got to look as
if ho had just sprung from a bandbox
or elro he "turned down" by the in
specting adjutant by being di.splae.ed
by olio of tho Niipernumaries of tho
guard, a number of w hom aro always
mounted with tho regular guard de
tail for just such cases. It is exceed
ingly rare, however, that tho super
numarics are called upon, for it is a
matter of pride with the men to go on
guard in good shape. Indeed, thero
is an incentive fcr them to do nil of
tho bucklo shining and rillo barrel
cleaning that they labor over, for the
adjutuut, in mountiug tho new guard,
selects the "cleanest" man that is,
the soldier whose uniform fits hira
best, and whose acooutermenta are of
the mot dazzling glisten to act as
ordorly for tho commanding officer.
The orderly for the commanding of
ficer simply follows that dignified gen
tleman around during olflce hours,
and does not, like tho other men of
the gunrd, bavo to walk his "two hours
on and four oil" post during tho weary
length of twenty-four hours, lie gets
the night in his bunk. The struggle
for the prize of ordorly is a fierco con
test between tho men known as "or
derly buckers," ou account of the
frantio desperation with whioh they
begin days in advance of going on
guard tn clean up in order to captnro
the plum. Eaoh battery has cue or
two conspicuously successful "orderly
buckers," and when ono of these goes
upon gnard, pitted against the "buok
era" of the other batteries, all hondu
tako a -tremendous interest in the out
corao of the battle of cleanliness, and,
around pay days, bets are often made
as to who is to bo the winner.
Meanwhile, by the time the guard
has been mounted, recall from fatigue
la sounded, in order to give the men
of the working parties time to shift
their uniforms for drill with their re
spective batteries.
It is laborious drill that calls for
the donning of tho brown canvas
fatigue uniforms. There are also
separate days for "instrumentation,"
learning tho uses of the numerous in
ttruuieuti employed in range-finding,
"charting," ganging the strength of
the wind and the density of the at
mosphere, eto. A soldier must possess
well-devolopcd scientitio tempera
ment, in ordor to enter nnderstsnd
ingly into "instrument drill."
"Cordage drill" is another bete noir
of artilleryman. Here is where the
soldier who has been to sea either as a
marine or a bluejacket gets in hU
strong work.
"Cordage drill" is for the purpose
of teaching the men profloienoy in the
tieing of the innumerable knots used
in the moving of pieces of heavy and
siege ordnauee. It looks simple
enough to see Another man tie a "tim
ber hitch," a "Hgdrs-of-eight knot,"
"sheep's shank" or "granny," batit
is not easy by a whole lot The sol
dier who has had experience as a
"deep-water man," however, regards
it as child's play. ' All of the aoldiers
of the heavy batteries are given on ex
animation every year as to their
mastery of these various drills, and,
for respective degrees of profloienoy,
are given lirat, second and third gun
ners' medals, not unlike those worn
by the "distinguished marksmen" of
the infantry.
The heavy artilleryman has to mas
ter more different kinds of drill than
tho soldiers of any other arm of the
aervioe. Besides the drill on the big
guns he mast be quite as proflolent in
infantry taotiea as the "doughboy."
H carries the same rifle and U r
quired to learn the same ivolnlloni 81
the infantryman, in ordr to prepare
himself for field and riot servioo at
any time. There is any amount of
battery and battalion drill in infantry
movements at the barranks. Then there
are certain days set aside for drilling
in the hated "innobanioal maneuvers,
which consists in the mounting and
dismounting the heavy old Runs by
moans of hydraulic jacks, "gins," gar
rison slings and other appliances.
The light battery at the barracks,
tike light batteries everywhere, with
their "Napoleon" brass pieces of ord
nance, hauled by horses, hss a dis
tinct drill of its own, not unlike that
of tho cavalry, and nearly all of the
post rails for tho light battery are
different from those to which the
heavy batteries respond. It would re
quire a separate chapter to treat of the
superbly organized light artillery of
tlio United Htatos army iudnbitably
the best in tho world.
liecall from drill is blared ont in
tiino to givo the men a chanco to dean
up fur dinner. Dinner mess oill is
sounded at noon. After dinnor the
"ono soldier, ono bunk" idea predom
inates. Except tho men comprising
tlin afternoon fatiguo parties, and the
few detailed from each battery to bind
the red crosses upon their arms anl
tnkfl part in thn hospital corps' drill,
tinder the direction of one of tho army
surgeons or a hospital steward, nil
hands nro permitted to indulge nfter
dinner in n gotieral loaf. Tho banjo
ists, tho violinists, tho guitarists and
the inaudolmiMts got out their instru
ments. Many of-them play well.
Nearly nil of the soldiers Ring wall.
Sweetly, pathetically, humorously
and martially the majority of tboin
take part in this midday musicalo. In
every outfit thoro are always two or
three jig dancers of eminence. These
are draggod to the cuntoi of tho quar
ters to contribute their little act to
the entertainment. Tho fun of this
kind is n good deal more hilarious
than ordinarily, a few days after pay
day, when tho canteen becomes for a
timo a veritable mint. About a week
after pay day the quarters began to
take on a gloomy atmosphere, and
thero is n general complaint of
"heads."
A good many of the soldiers dovolo
a largo portiun of thoir nftornoons to
letter writing. Amorloan soldiers are
invotcrato letter writers, and tbey are
exceedingly fond of receiving letters.
In tho afternoons, also, the "barrack
lawyer" gets in his Uno work. lie
knows more about the regulations
than tho major-general commanding
tho army, aud, in his estimation, tho
army is going headlong to tho dogs.
Ho gathers a knot of recruits around
his bunk and expiates vociferously
upon the rapid degeneration of the
service.
The dolce far nicnto period draws to
a closo about 4 o'oluck in the after
noon, when tho men of the batteries
begin to prepare for dross parade.
Tho men have to jump into their full
dress clothes for this evening parade
and look their best. The inspiration
of the band's musio as tbey march tn
review givea an additional squareness
to their shoulders nnd a dragoonish
swing to their movements. American
soldiers aro good to look upon. They
mutt be perfect men physically to get
into the sorvico at all, and as rocrnits
they are given much athletio training.
Duriug the autumn and winter, first
call for retreat is sounded during tbe
progress of dress parade, nnd assembly
for retreat goes at tho conclusion of
tho march in review. Then the mon
nnswor to their names for the last
time of the military day, the echoes
of tbe evening gun reverberate
through tho post, tho colors, wbilo
the bund solemnly plays 'Tho Star
Spangled Banuor," are struck, and tbe
men of eaoh battery nro marched to
thoir quarters and dismissed, to re
sume their everyday uniforms for
supper.
There is nothing in the way of duty
to be performed by the soldiers' after
snpper. If thoir names aro not on the
"blaok list," such of thera as wish to
visit the city may discard their uni
forms, don mufti, or civilian dress,
and go having handed in their names
CLEANING TEE PIECES.
for leave to tbe "top," or first ser
geant, dnring the afternoon. There
is a fine post library for tbe readers.
Then, there is always the canteen. It
is not negleoted. The card and checker
players are numerous in the quarters
during the long, cool evenings.
At 9.3J the flourish of the trumpet
er's tattoo warns tbe men to prepare
for bed, for tho lights go out tea min
utes later. When the blast is given
for the extinguishing of tbe light
there mnst be perfeot silenoe in tbe
quarters. Those of the soldiers whose
oonsoienoes are good are sound asleep
by the time the sorrowful taps, tbe
last call of tbe military day, is wailed
by the "wind pusher." The deep sil
enoe of the post is tbeu unbroken for
the remainder of the night, exoerit for
the hourly call of the sentries on
guard "Number five 13 o'olook, and
all-M'a wsll-l" that tell of the eternal
vigilance of tbe soldier.
WINTER STYLES.
NEW ItAhQURH AND WAISTS FOR
WOMEN AND MISSK9.
Modish Tlasque In Which New
Color Scheme Is Kxqiilsttely
Mended Simple and
Stylish Waists.
IN the first large engraving a mod
ish basque is dolinented, intro
ducing a dainty color schemo so
exquisitely blended as to be pro
nounced an fait. The materials select
ed, writes May Mauton, are a hand
some novelty, the ground, gray, while
the stripe shows gray and green with
tbe merest thread of yellow inter
woven. Tbe rovers are of velvet in
shade known as forest green, and the
full vest, deep girdle and collar are
fashioned in canary-colored silk, one
of the inoBt popular oolors of tbe sea-
i.
LADIES' SLASHED BASQUE.
ion. The free edges of the basque are
decorated with sequins. The wrists
are completed by a deep frill of dainty
laco. Tbe basque, of becoming length,
is fitted to tbe figure by the usual
earns and is slashed below tbe waist
Hue in deep square tabs. The vest
front is arranged in tuok shirring to
a yoke depth and adjustod over a
glove-fitting lining front that closes
in centre. At the waist is a deep
wrinkled girdle that closes with the
vest invisibly on the left side. A
stylish accessory is the handsome
collar of original design slashed in the
centre-back and extending down tbe
fronts. The stylish sleeves, of moder
ate fulness, are made over coat fitted
linings with the lower portions fitting
snngly to the arm, after the prevailing
fashion. The neck has a olose standing
band and stock of ribbon. Tbe model
is adapted to ell seasonable fabrics,
inoluding silk, satin, velvet, novelty,
eto. Mado up in oostly fabrios it may
le worn on full dress occasions or may
do service as a theatre waist.
To mako this basquo for a lady in
tho medium sizo will require two and
tbree-fourtbs yards of forly-fonr-inch
wido material.
misses' blouse waist.
Hussar blue mohair mado the simplo
and stylish waist delinoated in the
leoond large illustration and described
by May Manton, The collar, cuff,
plastron and the wido revere being of
MISSES' BLOUSE WA13T
Ivory white tatin faoed cloth, trimmed
with galloon in blaok and gold. The
waist is arranged over siuojth linings
fitted by single bust darts and closes
in the centre front. Tbe frout droops
slightly over the belt in blouse style,
rolling baok in graduated revere to
chow the plastron vest of contrasting
material. The seamless baok is smooth
cross the shoulders, with the addi
tional fulness drawn well le the oen-.
tre at the waist line. The fashionable
sleeves are provided with foil short
luffs and are completed at tho wrists
y round flaring cuffs. The olose
fitting collar of white cloth is decor
ated to match the vest nnd fevers, and
closes on tho loft side. A belt of tho
material encircles the waist, whioh
may be substituted, however, for any
one of the pretty leather or metal
bolts now in vogue. Waists of this)
style are cxtromoly beooming to
youthful figures, ami may be devel
oped prettily in soft woolens or silk.
When mado of serviceablo niatorials,
such as serge, cnmol's hair, cheviot,
eto., Velvet can be unci! in combina
tion with stylish effect. No better
design can be suggested for every day
or school woar.
DKvrvst, op an or.n fashion.
A pretty revival of tho old-time cus
tom, says the Boston (llobe, is a proof
that sentiment has not passed wholly
out of fashion.
The engagement ring, whioh is al
most a fao siuilo of the one worn by
tho modern gin's groat-graudmothor,
is, oi the illustration shows, really
three rings in ono.
Throe lender bands must encirole
the finger of the engaged maiden. And
eaoh band is studded with jewels of ft
different sort.
The middle band is set with dia
monds, which should be small lint
perfect genii, uniform in size. The
lower baud must be set with the girl's
TBT.EB KINOS 1.1 ONE.
own birthstono and the upper ono with
the birlbstone of ber fiance.
That is to say, if she cbanaed to be
born in February and the other in
October, the diamond would be sur
rounded by opals and amethysts,
TniMMISIlH.
Beaded and embroidered trimmings
in shades of light blue, pink, mauve,
gold, and green are in greater variety
OK BLUE MCHAIE.
than ever, and appear in various de
grees of elegance and extravagance in
evening, afternoon, and morning
gowns. One of the recent revivals is
the bugle bead, whioh comes in every
color, aud is a very effective element
of the new trimmings. Old fashioned
China ribbon in tbe narrow width has
come baok affain, and is used lor em
broidering sprays with gold and tilver
thread and Rouen pearls.
A BOGUS FLIRT.
It Lies In Walt for rites ancl Oth'e
Inseots. '
Here's the plotnre of logos of
plant that lies in wait like highwej
robbor for unwary flies and other inl
sects and when tbey appear it swallows!
'"
A BANDIT rLATT. ' !
them np and thoir frionds never hear,
of them again. It has boen given the
botanical Dame of sarraopuia, but it is
ootnmonly called the pitcher plantj
'rom the faot that its leaves are rolled!
into the form of pitchers, in whioh)
many a poor fly is caught. The flieaj
re attraoted to the plant by sweetj
liquid whioh it gives off, and in tbeirj
greediness they go a little too far andf
aro killed. Botanists do not know ex-j
actly why the plant shonld wish dm-
ner of flics, but there must be some,
good reason for it, else its pitchers
would not be so attractive. By exJ
perinient they have found that the
plant will live just as well where the
ilies cannot get at it at all. Bo all tbe
evidence would indicate that it is just
a rogue, killing flies because it really
enjoys tho sport.
ODD AND MARVELOl S.
The Colossal Recumbent. Knelt Fig
ure on Kaiter Island.
The accompanying picture is from ft
photograph of a recumbent rock figure
found on Easter Island, in the Honta
l'acillo. This island is about 200!)
miles from the coast of Chile. Ae
many as 600 figures, mainly busts,
have been counted on the island.
Tbey differ considerably in size, from
the pigmy of three feet to those of
giant proportions, the largest meas
ured being seventy feet long, li)
A STTSTRRT OP TUB PACiriO.
feci across the back and six feet
through the body, its computed weight
amounting to 238,00:) tons. Tho usual
height of these wondorlnl busts is
about twenty feet, having a weight of
seventy-six tons eaoh, by far tbe great
er portion being about this size. Yet
these huge masses of stone were not
only moved considerable distances
from tbe still existing quarries where
they wore sculptured, but were plaoed
in an upright position on vast plat
forms of atone prepared for their re
ception, and were finally decorated by
having tbe huge cylinders of stoue
placed on their beads, the whole in
dicating a snrprieing engineering
knowledgo and skill, recalling that ex
hibited by tbe ancient Peruvians in
their mighty undertakings. Th
origin of these interesting antiquities
is unknown. Philadelphia Becord.
The Flous Kobin.
Here is a story of an orthodox robin.
Some timo ago I attended morning
service in Ely Cathedral, where, dur
ing the prayers, a robin kept flitting
about the building, joining occasion
ally in tbe service with a modest
"chirrup." When the clergyman as
cended the pulpit and began to speak,
the robin deliberately perched himself
on ono of tho pinnacles of tho cbancol
screen, quite close to tbe orator, and
the londer did the robin sing, much to
the amurement of tbe congregation.
I have no recollection of what the ser
mon was abont, but the robin's sing
ing made a deep impression upon me.
London Telegrapn.
Presence of Hind.
t
Irate Father "Didn't I tell you sol
to go skating T"
Quick-WiUeJ Bon "dtay where
yon be. Fop. Tbe spe is awful thiov"
-Trerth.