Show Copy Copyright by Street Sue 6 Smith S th 8 ILL Y BOW LEG S By B y Oscar Hatch HateD Hawley f w C E EJ Ei EI i 1 J kr k i r r kr I v 4 f T r WAS V AS a long time ago that Billy Bowlegs don donned donned donned ned the blue and wrote his signature with U S SA SA SA A after it ft At that time he had given Ivan the name of Bill Adkins and added But ther allus calls me Billy Bowlegs ome omen n I guess do ere From which It will bo be observed that he was English and mutilated his mother tongue with an ardor that would have hao done dore dOl e credit to an enemy I You see sir he con continued continued continued as the recruiting officer glanced at him du dubiously dubiously I got these ere logs legs grippin ft of t cm em around a orse So they aint the things In to a mans makeup they comes hi M mighty andy wen youre ell bent in a tight ole Been in th tM the English army inquired the officer Oh yea sir I r certainly tOOt what Im you ou ouI I of 0 What regiment r Northumberland light orse Hot Got your our papers Jl pers with you Adkins face reddened rt somewhat s at the question but buttor buti buthe i tor he h stood at attention and aad answered as though he had hadI learned I arn the part by heart heartwell I well 11 you sea JIM ee sir we C were wrecked wreaked comin com In ome oma from India and I tort lost all aU me papers p pers Then I come right I away to thin country so quick that I ave no time timeto to III git fl duplicates duplicate You know sir army officers aint ham n at that is ill to say sir theres wat yu u call a fOil ell af of t a Jot let of red rm tape makes makee a man mani i sick of course that is III in the old country sir Its t I different in America merica I eard an i I iI All AU right all an right Adkins Interrupted the ofik r ras rI I as IS the recruit got more and more hopelessly entangled d In his has explanation I understand what you your r I mean tan Well Veil if swear allegiance to Uncle Sam I II Itaco taco i we e can an ue tee you In the cavalry branch I Good men meu were hard to find and the officer knew I from experience that English soldiers answered all re lie also t knew that hat many man of them who enlisted in m the United States Army Ann were deserters from the crown croAn who had bad come to America with ith the expectation I tion lion of at living Jiving on the fat of the land but found the struggle I gle gIc for existence as hard or harder than in their own anti and had drifted to the army happy at the I thought of three square meals a day even een at the expense I of the rigid discipline And they the became good soldiers for tor the United States because their pay was better their I surroundings healthier and nd the life one such as kept a aman aman aman man Just busy bUllY enough with drills parades and Inspections Ions so 56 that toot ae lie felt he was earning his money As Aa men were scarce their pedigree was not inquired into too closely at the t recruiting office They were enlisted as j long hang as they the looked like promising recruits over 21 1 years old and inti able to read and write Thus had Billy Dilly Bowlegs come Into the service in the thelong I long OPS 1 ago Lefore the Custer massacre when Indian k were of dally occurrence on the frontier and when many a brave fellow dropped from his saddle with I n Ii poisoned poi arrow in his body bod and nd many another became become the clown for savages while he was being flayed alive I Billy is Ie probably in th the service stilt still because use like all allI I good soldiers of the tk regular army he would not leave I i until un killed or retired on half halt pay That is part pert of their I er recd td and that is what makes th them m fighting diers who do their duty and never grumble On a I campaign they may be fed today if not they will likely let rt t it on Oft the morrow or the day after And if they have hue to light fight all day and do fatigue all night what does oes I 1 it matter There will ill come a time when they will wUl neither fight nor do fatigue and that will ill oven even matters up That Thatis is L k the philosophy of at the regular and that was Billys philosophy by He had the e In the service which Is la i characteristic of all an army men who have hae served Bened more maN maNthan than one enlistment for he counted himself a defender of the nation something above aboe tho the ordinary man with th the suit of o blue blu as a uniform uniform of honor which distin distinguished him from his fellow man who lived for mero money mone and which must not be disgraced under penalty of being bobtailed from the service the most m st terrible punishment that cast can can be meted out to an offender be because because cause rAUBe when whon ha M is dishonorably discharged branded b as asa s sa a felon drummed out of ot camp he has no possible chance chanco of reinstatement and his grip on life is gone The name had stuck to him from the day da be entered the service and he was pretty widely known throughout the army because of at his roving disposition He lie was not satisfied AtI fi d to remain In one regiment long and when hiD hlo first t enlistment H came camo to an end he had gone Into the light artillery notwithstanding the earnest entreaties of his commanding Billy wanted to see the whole show as he lie expressed c pre sed It and so ho had tried a I bit in the infantry and even eeR had one hard year with the engineers efter aner which he was transferred to his first t love JOe Thema not soldier he saH J tears in his ayes when a he h had begged bea ed for his transfer thema n backwoodsmen ed IMn n no blacksmiths bIB I I enlist to t carry Re o Jog log chain on n besides I aint built for It B ty w was very glad sIlK to tf get back baek with the horse h bri IId brigade bride gade but let he ft had gone through three enlistments since that tinge time aad cd was in the infantry again at the time of the War af After the little flourish of or eta in Cuba Ceba he with tho the rest get of ot th the Tenth had t two too t o years yean in Fort Sill and was s then traits tran for red to t the Philippine service anlee The regiment bad had scarcely boded when It was sent against an Insurrection in to th tJi north DOrth of ol Luzon and ami Billy had the trial trl l of or his life marsh marh marshing log big through snarled chaparral and thick k mud taking an r occasional pot net shot at some fame hostile savage along alonS the S Sa way a and cursing his luck Juck that he had Imd not remained with the artillery where hu he would have hrc had a home a to take tak the he c heavy part of the marching The gray tog fog fogo of a tropical morning was being slowly as a n company of light artillery dragged drag ed Itself With ith stow tread up the slope elope of El EI Pozo Peso A short dis disa a e In was the three Inch hauled Sv LI ten ton horses hols and even then being stuck In the t e th ay every now and md then At last they reached a n spot ind came canie to a standstill for tor there was waa the circle left by the engineers the to day da before showing the most ad advantageous d spot from which the works along llong Heights He could be shelled Looks like a a likely hole commented Captain Grimes Grim s peering around here and there to sec sac what was vas ts In the tire the forest oest was thick ck n silo skIe Everything Every thins o be satisfactory and he gave save to mount the sun gun Un and build bulle the brush screen in front so that the tho enemy could uld not see the flash Wont font ont make much difference anyway he said carelessly but wed better belter go through the routine The Idea of sending us lute into the wilderness on an ane expedition e of o this kind kinds sneered the th lieutenant Gen General General eral Bunnell must have bats In his belfry to imagine that toot we are needed STee Yee Y and that cracked Simmons stuffing him full of all kinds kin s of ot stories about this being a hard bard garrison to fight Disgusting I guess ueSs if we drop about abort one shell into their works be the end ond of the game Why lIY say aay Y he gave lwe him the th greatest game of or jolly you ever listened to Said they ther were by Span Spaniards and had artillery and used smokeless powder p and anda an a 1 lot more marc rot rothe The he lieutenant was regaining his spirits after the tho march and was feeling very ery Jolly jell Rots Hots no name or It commented Captain Grimes Grimn n a bead on the American weapon and the company al although although though hard worked escaped without large casualties Looks some orne as ha s if the were right after all aU shouted the lieutenant on the tho run Iun between two snots shots Cant see ace a thing of their gun They The must have hava It ithell well wall under un r cover and using smokeless powder Jowder the time I underrated the enemy replied the captain grimly Id give a good deal to know Just where wh re their gun gar is located loaned Wall Veil ell If re using smokeless powder pow er ws we w can only oaly fInd em by catching the th wash nosh You had the thio Ite hash h returned the captain We Weve evo o gut got to do it If we dont Olt the Infantry will never be ablo able to is take the hill hili Ill 1111 find It if j I Jt have hae e to ride right rl ht into The Th lieutenant called five men as an in escort and nd started cm ern Ift a detour to the tM west With his glasses Elas es he Iw had made mad out a depression in the hill held by bJ the insurgents It was way around to the left PH but he hi that if it it were possible for him hint to 7 y it 1 F Y I i i r u is r t v vy y 1 e eT T i t ci ciA c A r he j c Gathering up p the th reins he lie quickly had the he horses under control and elm S off hie hit dam ain hat he used it for c Wish I could l trac vo got the t ear pf the old man man manhave aR Id have toW told t kl him dm something about this country But that in fn deed 3 d dearnest Simmons takes everything every thine the t say aey earnest relies on em as if U they the were white men menDo menDo menDo Do you ou suppose got sot anything at all in the shape of a fieldpiece asked the th lieutenant U mirthfully Likely some Bomo old brought over oer by the Greasers a n couple of hundred years ago aco bo be shooting that nt at the sun Im thinking until we get a bead on em and then goodbye gO artillery practice The captain laughed so The situation was IS amusing When the fog hd had lifted sufficiently he teak a look JoDI through his hili and gave gava orders order tc to start tart the th bom bombardment bombardment at yards yaros As k the t e roar of th the first fIr t dis dia discharge a charge chargo shook the air air he turned to the lieutenant and remarked See Seo that smoke Lucky were ere up ap p against a cheap outfit That would be a beautiful target for a good marksman Say S how I would like to get set a shot at nt amark a tI amark mark like that lie He was referring to the UK pall of black smoke which hung above the gun after tho discharge completely shut shutting bu ting from view everything In front Hm he commented a moment later as IS a dull l lh heavy h J sound came to Ms his ear Do you OU know lieutenant that pounds like My y God With a shriek and roar a shell from frega the Uta enemy hurtled hauled h le the air al awl and burst with terrible force not nota a dozen yards above the American gun gum nu Flying pieces of metal killed two men mat and aDd wounded half a 11 dozen others The company was thrown into a u panic No return ret rn had lad been expected Ct and the tho suddenness of the attack took vv Ivel every ry man unawares Did you OU See Joo where that toot shot mot came cirne from shouted d Captain Grimes I w nt looking at the tithe time Neither was I 1 replied the but Ill get cot cotem t tem em eat next time they let one ono of or em loose Joose Let cm CUI have another taste of ot American steel or ordered or tiered dered the captain and after the thu discharge get getaway t way away a from the gun Keep under cover now like Uk business t tA A moment later came ogle the return from rom the enemy em and an although both the captain and lieutenant wore were eon on the me lookout they thay th saw no flash no smoke and heard only the dull heavy report rop rt when the missive mIB ive of death was vas sent s nt on OR on Its way n The second shell from the tho Insurgents exploded under the American gun and turned It over ocr but no one was tiros m s s 41 td t arc i 5 Quick here he hook up that sun gun g the tho t th e captain Yank Tank It out of ot there as quick as tS GodlI let you Ou Than Thorn began a series of or manoeuvres such as Iud had never before been seen Eo TI The tarn t ant was was attached to thu this gun gunnil un nil nit the tle and andas as soon oon as It was wa hauled to ton toa n a new rt position J thirty or yards away ai In manner Ih Iw for lor o e r I r a t toe ao e that he took leak through the gap bap he would be stile aMe to see th the fl field W In tho the rear of o the in ins s if v Sent ent army area and rod thus find the Slash flash of fieldpiece a It would iy be screened only at the front and he hebo hew w would bo ho well wall over th their Jr flank Lieutenant Gutter GAtter worked well but It was near 11 it when he arrived abreast abr t of the gap sap Even Een then he hI could distinguish nothing which looked I like an ar artillery artillery tillery ambush He lie could plainly sec the tho broad field tieU in inthe inthe tb the rear r of Heights but nowhere In all that expand expo dW did dl he rn dowry descry d r a sign of activity The terrific duel of artillery continued while crash after crash of Gf musketry told him that the Tenth was making bravo brave efforts to storm the hill bill Ho Ile could see tho the boys do de dol l in Jt It tl th the bed of the tho river less Jess than a 1 mile mito from the crest of the lira hill bill and ho could also alro see sea the tha th continuous spitting of or fire are from front the heavy works w there which showed that they were rot not oot to be taken without a desperate struggle Where could the Insurgent artillery he That Toot was doing all the damage damaSo and an completely set setting setting setting ting at naught the carefully laid plans of Colonel Rogan Regan Unsupported by their artillery r the insurgents could easily casIl be driven back Again he scanned the tM field and amI at last his glass rooted rested r ed on ou a little rise of ground more than two miles from where het he b was standing Th TJi top tOI of that hill hilt was as heavily wooded wood It would be a II splendid place for ambuscade am ambuscade ambuscade It within the limits of gun un fire fi e Carefully ho watched It and then of a sudden let Jet loose Joose a II wild yell yelland and ami tl threw his Ms hat bat in the air Thore There they are ara he fairly shouted Did you ou see ree that lash flash The man addressed addres ed shook hIs head but Jut took the glass glassand glassand and looted looked lot at the he spot pot Indicated td the hole but how ere are we gem oln to git at em cm TV what hat I want to o know Quick work the the heliograph sergeant serge We to go hack hock and undo besides this is tha th spot to plus plug cm em from Vet fee but If it they the move mo oft off the hill the th smell m 1 a rat rot Xo N they thoy wont think were aril out ut of action actton a tion and b be a most mo t beautiful b surprise when vl nV we dropo drop a twelve under und r cm om and send sand cm m skyward c the reflectors reflector w were re quickly brought brough Into plY play and an In l than hen a minute had caught the answer from Captain Grimes G Have located field fieldpiece piece read the captain Hurry Hurr here You pan an put ul them out of or action P D Q Hurry there eb said Captain Grimes reading the thc message Well how hown n hull were to hurry anywhere In this r is 15 something of or a mystery How lIow however ocr ever I guess the boy Knows what he Is 18 talking talkies about and and well get ge there |