Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1881-10-20
BRAytsT NAN IN THE REGIMENT.

BRAyEST NAN IN THE REGIMENT.
$50 you want me 90 tell you q story
about % brave man, little people?" said
Colonel GraylOck. as his half-dozen
ucphcws and nieces. tired with their
afternoons play. gathered around his
armchair by the fire. "Well I've seen
plenty OF them in my time, but the
hrJvCat man ! ever knew was n young
Ensign in our regiment. whom we used
tp call 'Gcntlcman l}Ob'-and right
well he deserved the name. though not
a3 We meant it.
"S0ldiering's n very different thing
now from what il was i'm my young
days, and men have learned-what it's
70 pity they didn't learn sooner-that a
man may make none the worse officer
for being gentleman and Christian.
Henry lIavelOck taught us that pretty
fairly, but In the rough old times Il
was % very different thing. Then the
harder an English officer drank, and
the louder nc swOre and the more he
bullicd his men, and the reader he
was 20 light n duel or TO join i'm any
low frolic, the better his comrades liked
him, and I'm afraid we were much
the same rs the rest of them I'm that
respect.
$50 you may fancy what we
thought when man like Gentleman
Bob came among us, who was always
quiet AID sober and orderly, and in
stead of brawling and rioting like the
rest Of us. spent all his spare time over
dry scientific books that we knew moth
ing about, and read chapter of the
Bible every morning and evening.
How we did laugh ut him, and make
mock Of him to be surel But the pro-
yOking thing was that he never seemed
To mind II one bit, and he was so good
naturcd, and so ready TO do any one a
good turn when he could, that il GER
tainly ought to have made us ashamed
of ourselves; but IL didn't, mores the
pity.
"But before long something did
make u3 ashamed of ourselves, and
this was IL. Our colonel was i'm n
yreat hurry one day 10 find out the
whereabouts of a village that wasn't
marked on the 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, lust
where it should be. The colonel looked
vt 10, and then at us, and said grimly.
ITS not often, gentlemen, that the
youngest officer OF u regiment is also
the smartest; let this be lesson to
you
"lou may be sure this reproOf made
u5 none the more merciful i'm talking
against poor Bob; and perhaps we
might have done something more than
ldlk but for % thing that happened one
might at mess. Our junior captain, n
rough, bullying kind Of fellow, was 90
ing to empty glass of wine over
lioh8 head, when the ensign grasped
his wrist, and overturned the wine up
ON him instead, the wrist was black
and blue from that squeeze for many n
day after.
about month after this, one of
our men. who used TO have fits of mad
ness now and then. from an old wound
iu The head. came hurrying along with
% big knife in his hand, slashing at
everything within reach. Some cried
to shoot him. hut Bob said quietly.
y mans life Is worth more than that;
let me try And i'm a moment he had
seized the fellows knife-hand, and
trippcd him so cleverly that he was
down before we could call out and
then some Of the men came up and
quickly secured him.
"Of course we could say nothing
against iob's pluck after that; but all
this was trine TO what was coming.
n few days later came one of the
greatest battles Of the war, and we
were SO hard pressed on the left
(whCrc my regiment was) that at last
there was nothing for 1t but to fall
back. We formed again under cover
of some thickets. but even there we had
enough 10 do to hold our ground, for
the enemy had brought up some guns.
and were giving il 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, rs If for help. 1t was
one of our Lieutenants. who had been
harder than any one upon Gentleman
Bob and his chance was a poor one.
for II seemed certain death TO try TO
reach him through such pelt of shot.
while IL bullet didn't finish him, the
scorching sun was pretty sure to do
t..
"All mt once q man was seen step
ping out from n sheltering thicket, and
that man was Gentleman Bob He
never looked to right or left, but went
straight to where his prosecutor was
lying helpless. and tried to raise him.
NJ first the French banged away at
him like fury, but when they saw what
ne was doing, several officers called
OUT, NE tTez pas. mes eilfdntS ('Don't
ilre. my boys), and raised their caps to
him IN salute. Bob lifted the wound
eI man gently in his arms, and shield
~ MN with his own body. brought
iilih oack INTO our lines; and such n
Sheer as went up then never heard
before or since"
uncleY" 0u'o''''n' u'e'
Luckily not" answered the Colonel
SSHE9lng' .Sig' "for I'm sorry to say the
myself" "O O'''e' 'nAn
Vh. 1nclel were you ever so naughty
as thatT lisped a tiny voice. i'm tones
OF amazement. -" '''''0
sBut what became Of Gentleman
Bo6Y asked an impatient bow
"IIes now my resnectoS
law, and your papa" said the Colonel
exchanging a sly look with a fine-look
ing man on the other side Of the room