Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1881-11-29
MAN IN THE REGl-
MENT.

80 you want me 10 tell you story
abOu, a brave man, little people: :" said
Col. Grey locks, as his half-dozen nephews
and neices, tired with their afternoons :
play, gathered around his armchair by
the fire. Well, I've seen plenty Of
them in my time, bu, the braves, man
ever knew was 4 young ensign N our
regiment, whom we used to call Gen
,lemaa Bob, and right well he deserved
the name, though not as We mean, II.
Soldering Is 4 very different thing
now from what i, was IN my young days
and men have learned-wha, it's pity
they didn't learn sooner-that man
may make none the worse officer for be-
ing q gentleman and Christian. Henry
Havelock taught US that pretty fairly.
but in the rough. old times it was a diff
erent thing. Then, the harder an 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 frulic, the better his comrades Liked
him; and I'm afraid we were much the
same as the rest.
80 you may fancy what we ,hough,
when a man like Gentleman Bob came
among US. who was always quiet and So
Der and orderly, and, instead of brawling
and rio,ing like the rest Of US, spent all
his spare time over dry, scientific books
,ha, we knew nothing about, and read a
chapter Of the Bible every morning and
evening. How we did laugh al him, and
make mock of him, to be sure, But the
provoking thing was that be never seemed
10 mind It one bit and be was so good.
natured, and so ready 10 do any one a
GOOD turn when he could, that it certain
ly ought to make US ashamed of our
selves. 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 it 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 be-
hold forward stepped Gentleman Bob,
with nea, little map Of his own draw
ing; and there was the very place, just
where it should be. The Colonel looked
at il, and then at us, and said, grimly,
Its not often, gentlemen, that the
yougest 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 a thing that happened one night at
mess. Our junior captain, rough. bull
lying kind OF fellow, was going to empty
a glass of wine over Bob's head, when
the ensign grasped bis wrist, and over
turned the wine upon him instead, and
the wrist was black ard blue from that
squeeze for many day after.
About a month after this, one Of our
men who used to have fits of madness
every now and then, from an old wound
in the head, came hurrying along with a
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 q moment he had seized the tel-
lows knife-hand, and tripped him 50
cleverly that he was down before we
could call out and some Of the men came
up and secured him.
"Of course we could say nothing
against Bob's pluck after that; but all
this was trife to what was coming. 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 ii
but to fall back. We formed again un-