The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1881-11-23
The Bravest Man in the Regi-
ment

So you want story about brave
man, little people ?" said Colonel Gray
lock, as his nephews and nieces gathered
around his arm chair by the fire We'll,
I've seen plenty of them in my time, but
the bravest man | ever knew was a
young ensign in our regiment, whom we
used to call Gentleman Bob, and right
well be deserved the name, though not as
we meant it.
Soldering is very different thing
now from from it was in my young days.
Then the harder an English officer drank
the louder he swore, the more he bul.ed
his men, and the reader he was to fight
a duel, the better his comrades liked
him, and we were much the same as the
rest. So you may fancy what we thought
when man like Gentleman Bob came
among us, who wac always sober and or
derby, and instead of brawlng and riot
ing like the rest of US, spent his spare
time over scientific books, and read a
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 so ready
to do any one a good turn when he could,
that it ought to have made us ashamed Of
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
whereabouts of village that wasn't on
his map, and none of us could help him,
when lol 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, tt not often,
gentlemen, that the youngest officer of a
regiment is also the smartest let this be
lesson to you
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
for 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 fellow s
knife-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
to 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 open
plain, was seen to wave his hand feebly,
as if for help. 1t was one Of our lieuten-
ants, one had been harder than any one
upon Gentleman Bob, and his chance
was a poor one, for it seemed certain
death to try and reach him through such
pelt Of shot, while if bullet didn't
finish him, the scorching sun was pretty
sure to do it.
All at once a man was seen stepping
out from sheltering thicket, and that
man was Gentleman Bob. He never
looked to right or left, but went straight
to where his prosecutor was lying help
less, and tried to raise him. At first the
French banged away at him like fury,
but when they saw what he was doing,
several officers called out, Dom fire, my