The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 18??-1882, 1881-09-09
RRAVEST MAN in THE
REGIMENT.

RRAVEST MAN in THE
REGIMENT.
so you want me to tell you a story
about a brave man, little people?' said
Colonel GraylOck, as his half-dozen
nephews and nieces, tired with theil
afternoons play, gathered around his
armchair by the fire.
'Well, I've seen plenty of them ill
my time, but the bravest man 1 over
knew was young Ensign in our regi.
ment. whom we used to call Gentlemen
Bob'-and right well he deserved the
name, though not as we meant it.
"Soldiering's a very different thing
now from what it was in my young
days, and men have learned-what it's
q pity they didn't learn sooner-that a
man may make none the worse officer
for being gentleman and a Christian.
Henry Havelock taught us that fairly,
but in the rough old times it was a
very different thing. Then the harder
an English officer drank, and the louder
he swore, and the more he bullied his
men, and the reader he was to fight a
duel or to join in any low frolic, the
better his comrades liked him, and I'm
afraid we 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 quiet and
sober and orderly, and instead of bawling
and rioting like the rest of us, spent all
his spare time over dry scientific books
that we knew nothing about, ,and read a
chapter of the Bible every morning and
evening. How we did laugh at him,
and make mock of him, to be sure!
But the provoking thing was that he
never seemed to mind it one bit, and he
was so good natured and so
ready to cd any one a good
turn when he could, that
it certainly ought to have made us
ashamed of ourselves; but it didn't
more's the pity.
But before long something did make
us ashamed of ourselves, and this was
it. Our Colonel was in great hurry
one day to find out the whereabouts OF
a village that wasn't marked on his
map, and none of us could help him.
when, 10 and behold! forward stepped
Gentleman Bob with neat little map
of his own drawing, and there was the
very place, just where it should be,
The Colonel looked at it, and then al
us, and said, grimly, ITS not often
gentlemen, that the youngest officer OF
a regiment is the smartest; let this be
a lesson to you
You may be sure this reproof made
us none the more merciful in talking
againstpo Bob; and perhaps we might
have done something more than talk but
for a.thing that happened one night at
mess. Our junior Captain, a rough,
bullying kind of fellow, was going tc
empty glass of wine over Bob's head
when the Ensign grasped his wrist,
and overturned the wine enpon him in
stead and the wrist was black and blue
from that squeeze for many a day
after.
'Abouta month after this, one of oul
men, who used to have fits of madness
now and then, from an old wound in
the head. came hurrying along with 9
big knife in his hand, slashing at every
thing within reach. Some cried tC
shoot him, but Bob said quietly, "A
man life is worth more than that: LEI
me try And in moment he haC
seized the fellows knifehand, and trip
ped him so cleverly that he was dowr
before we could call out; and ther
some Of the men came up and secured
him.
of course we could say nothing
against Bob's pluck after that; but al
this was trife to what was coming
A few days later came one of the great
est battles of the war, and we were sc
hard pressed on the left (where my reg
iment was) that at last there was
nothing for it but to fall back. VIZ
formed again under cover of some
thickets, but even there we had enough
to do to hold our ground, for the enemy
had brought up several guns, and wer'
giving it to US pretty hot.
Suddenly, between two gusts O
smoke, one of on wounded, lying ou
on the open plain, was seen to wave
his hand feebly, as il for help. 1t wa
one of our Lieutenants, who had beer
harder than anyone upon 'Gentlemal
Bob, and his chance was poor one
for it seemed certain death to try ant
reach him through such pelt of shot
: while if bullet didn't finish him, tn
: scorching sun was pretty sure to d
it.
All at once man was seen steppin,
out from the sbeltering thicket, an,
that man was Gentleman Bob III
, never looked to right or left, but wen
, straight TO where his prosecutor wa
Lying helpless, and tried to raise him