The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1881-06-30
CHILDREN'S CORNER.
Fhe Bravest Man In tho Regiment.
rom Harper's Young People.

CHILDREN'S CORNER. :.
rho Br.ve.t Man II tho Regiment.
From Harper's Young People: =
so you want me to tell you story about =.
brave man, little people?" said Colonel
Graylock, IS his half:dozen nephews and
nieces, tired with their afternoons play,
gath cred around his arm chsir by the fire. -:
"Well. 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
wellhe deserved the name, though not as
we meant it.
"Soldiering is very different thing now
from what it was in my young days, aad
men have learned-what it's q pity they
didn't learn sooner-that man may make
none the worse officer for being gentle
man and Christian. Henry Havelock
taught us that pretty fairly, but in the
rough old times it was 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 duel or to join in any low frolic, the
better his comrades liked him, and I'm
afraid we were much the same az the rest.
so you may fancy what We Thought
when q man like Gentleman Bob came
among us, who was always quiet and sober
and orderly, and instead Of brawling and
rioting like the rest of Us, spent all his
spare time over dry scientific books that we
knew nothing about, and read chapter of
fhoI la
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 do any one agood 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 mako
us ashamed of ourselves, and this was it,
Our colonel was in great hurry one day
to find out the whereabouts of 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, then
at us, and said grimly; ITS not often, gen.
uemen, that the youngest officer of
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 a thing
nior captain, a rough, bullying kind of fell
low, was going to empty a glass of vino
over Bob's bead, when the ensign grasped
his wrist, and overturned the wine upon
him instead and the wrist was black and
blue from that squeeze for many dav
after.
''About a month after this, one of our
men, who used to have fits of madness
every now and then, from IN old wound in
the head, came flying along with big
knife in his hand, slashing at everything
within reach. Some cried to shoot him,
Bob said, quietly. "A mans life is worth
more than that; let me try In moment
he had seized the fellows knife hand, and
tripped him so cleverly that he was down
before we could call out: and then some of
the men came up and secured him.
"Of course We could say nothing against
Bobs pluck after that; but all this is a
trifle to what was coming: A few days
battles Of the war, and We
my regiment was) that at last there was
nothing for it but to 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 pret-
ty hot.
"Suddenly, between two gusts of smoke,
one of our wounded, lying out cn the open
plain, was seen to wave his hand feebly,
as if for help. It was one of our Eeuten-
ants, who 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 though such cit
shot, while If q bullet didn't finish him,
The scorching sun was pretty sure to do it.
IAN Mt once man was seen stepping
out from the sheltering thicket, and that
man was Gentleman Bob He never
looked to right or left, but went
straight to where his persecutor was
ying helpless. and tried to raise
him. At first the French banged away at
him like fury, brit when they saw what he
was doing, several officers called out, Ne
boys), and raised their caps to him in 8
salute. Bob lifted the wounded man
gently in his arms, and shielding him
With bis own body, brought him back i'll
o our lines; and such cheer as went up
hen never heard befor or since"
And did that horrid lieutenant die,
lncle?"
LUCKILY not," answered the colonel,
aughing, ''for I'm sorry to say the 'horrid
lieutenant was no other than myself"
"Oh, uncle! we're you ever as naughty as
hat?" lisped tiny voice, in tones of
lmaZement.
But what became Of Gentleman
8eb'?" asked an impatient boy.
"Hes now my respected brother-in-law'
md your papa, said the colonel, ex-
Hanging sly look with fine-looking
nan on the other side of the room, who
,ad been listening to the story with
,uiet SMILE And now that you've had
our tale, &C and say goodnight, for it's
Ugh time for by-by."