ed this for the world."

The effect, as seen from the rear, was impressive. It could have been
seen a mile off--bright red patches on dull gray cloth. Anyhow it was
better than the holes and it made a ruddy glow in camp. Also it gave the
men much to amuse them.

Ben set the fashion in one other particular--viz., in hair cuts. He
would come to roll call with his hair cut in some peculiar way, and
stand in rank perfectly solemn. Ranks broken, the boys would gather
eagerly about him, and he would announce the name of that "cut." They
would, as soon as they could, get their hair cut in the same style.

One morning, he stood in rank with every particle of his hair cut off,
as if shaved, and his head as bare as a door knob. "What style is that,
Ben?" the boys asked. "The 'horse thief' cut," he gravely announced.
Their one ambition now, was to acquire the "horse-thief cut."

There was only one man in the Battery who could cut hair--Sergeant Van
McCreery--and he had the only pair of scissors that could cut hair. So
every aspirant to this fashionable cut tried to make interest with Van
to fix him up; and Van, who was very good natured, would, as he had time
and opportunity, accommodate the applicant, and trim him close. Several
of us had gone under the transforming hands of this tonsorial artist,
when Bob McIntosh got his turn. Bob was a handsome boy with a luxuriant
growth of hair. He had raven black, kinky hair that stuck up from his
head in a bushy mass, and he hadn't had his hair cut for a good while,
and it was very long and seemed longer than it was because it stuck out
so from his head. Now, it was all to go, and a crowd of the boys
gathered 'round to see the fun. The modus operandi was simple, but
sufficient. The candidate sat on a stump with a towel tied 'round his
neck, and he held up the corners making a receptacle to catch the hair
as it was cut. Why this--I don't know; force of habit I reckon. When we
were boys and our mothers cut our hair, we had to hold up a towel so. We
were told it was to keep the hair from getting on the floor and to stuff
pincushions with. Here was the whole County of Orange to throw the hair
on, and we were not making any pincushions--still Bob had to hold the
towel that way. Van stood behind Bob and began over his right ear. He
took the hair off clean, as he went, working from right to left over his
head; the crowd around--jeering the victim and making comments on his
ever-changing appear