Charlotte home and Democrat., 1881-11-18
The Bravest Man in the Regiment.

u 30 you want story ABOUT brave man,
little people?'' said Colonel Graylock, as
bis pephews and niecesy gathered around
his armchair by the fire. "Well, 1've seen
plenty Of them in my time, but the bravest
man ever knew was young ensign in
our regiment, whom we used. TO call Gen
tleman Bob,', and right well he deserved
the name, though not as we meant it.
Z; soldering is very different thing
now from it was in my young days. Then
the harder an English officer drank, the
louder he swore, the more he bullied his
men, and the reader be was to fight a
duel, the better his comrades liked him,
and were much the same as the rest. So
you may fancy what we thought when
man like Gentleman Bob came among US,
who was always sober and orderly, aud
instead of brawling and rioting like the
rest of US, spent his spare time over scien-
tifc books, and read chapter of the Bible
every morning and evening. How we did
laugh and make mock of him But the
provoking thing was that he never seemed
to mind it, and he was so good-natured,
and 80 ready to do any one good turn
when he could, that it ought to have made
us ashamed oi ourselves but it didn't.
""But before long something did make
us ashamed of ourselves. Our colonel was
in great hurry one day to find the where
abouts OF a village that wasn't on his map,
and none of US could help him, when 10!
forward stepped Gentleman Bob with a
neat map of his own drawing, and there
was the very place just where it should
be. The Colonel looked at it, and then at
US, and said, It's not often, gentlemen,
that the youngest officer of regiment is
also the smartest; let this be lesson to
YOU f..ae .r -.2.t E, e;.. -. a..
| "You may be sure this reproof made Us
none the more merciful in talking against
poor Bob; and perhaps we might have
| done something more than talk but tor a
thing that happened. One of our men who
used to have fits of madness every now
and then, from an old wound in the head,
came flying along with big knife in his
hand, slashing at every thing within
reach. Some cried to shoot him, but Bob
said, quietly, "A mans life is worth more
| than that; let me try And in moment
he had seized the fellows knife-h hand, and
tripped him so cleverly that he was down
before We could call out; and then some OF
the men secured him. .....
| "Of course we could say nothing against
Bob's pluck after that. A few days later
came one of the greatest battles of the
war, and we were SO hard pressed on the
left, where my regiment was, that at last
there was nothing for it but fall back.
We formed again under cover of some
thickets, but even there we had enough tc
do to hold our ground, for the enemy had
brought up several guns, and were giving
it to US pretty hot.
"Suddenly, between two gusts of smoke
one of our wounded, lying out on the oper
plain, was seen to wave his hand feebly
as if for help. It was one of our lieuten
ants, one had been harder than any one
upon Gentleman Bob,' and his chance
was poor one, for it seemed certain deatf
to try and reach him through such pelt
of shot, while if bullet didn't finish him
the scorching sun was pretty sure to de
it.
GAIL at once man was seen stepping
out from sheltering thicket, and tha
man was Gentleman Bob.' He never
looked to right or lett, but went straigh
to where his persecuter YVES lying helpless
and tried to raise. him. At first tn
French banged away at him like fury, bu
when they saw what he was doing, sever
al officers called out, Don't fire, my boys,
and raised their caps to him in salute
Bob lifted the wounded man gently il
his arms, and shielding him with his owl
body, brought him back into our lines
: and such a cheer as went up then neve
} heard before or since"
sBut what became of'Gentleman Bob?
: asked an impatient boy.
; "He is now my bro,her-in-law, and you
} papa," said the colonel, exchanging a 81
J look with fine looking man on the othe
J side of the room.-Harper's Young Pc.
r pile.