Daily Yellowstone journal., 1891-09-01
THOMPSON OF OURS.

Up there between Quetta and Can
dahar it gets very cold in January-a
nasty, biting. clustering cold that nips
the liver and shurttu~lhe temper; that
comes whistling round your mud hat
with a northwest wind from of the
SHOWS. and cracz~ rlle shrivpled skin
of you like old parchment
The colonel blew Ou his fingers
howled for fresh wuud To be- piled upon
the fire and fell 10 the contemplation
Of bis thumb which was frust bitten.
Before him upon the table lay the
loathsome sheets OF foolscap known as
the Annual Confidential Reports"
Some Of these were already filed in,
some blank az yet Each was headed
by the name Of an officer. and fringed
by the impertinent personal riddles set
yearly for commandants TO answer
Now. wen when forced 10 look from
the point of view Of disapproval upon
any n Of bis boys this honorable.
kindly English gentleman held the sys-
tenn Of confidential disparagement in
horror But really this morning. what
with the cold, and the maggots in the
rice which had put him of his break
fast. and the extraordinary delay in the
mail letters, he felt inclined TO damn
every man jack of them, himself in
cluded With a roaring blizzard search
ing your bones, and a suspicion Of fever
In your blood, and nothing decent to
eat you don't feel like certifying that
every soul under your command is re-
markable for all qualities that go to
make saints upon earth
Anyhow. the colonel did not feel like
it. He began turning over the sheets
with that sickly. languid feeling of re-
volt with which monOtony in its IN
pleasant forms Is apt to inspire n
after long years 81 patient grind. He
hated these grim skeleton sketches in
black and white. 1t was always the
same thing-the same weary struggle
TO combine strict truth with fair words;
to put Yes" where it ought TO be
mo" and NO" where it ought to be
"Yes." For were they indeed-aIl
these youths-zealous in well doing, all
talented. all tactful, all of equable tenn
pert Had they every one of them been
endowed from their cradles with I'M
natural sagaeity and aptitude for com
mandG Were they, in short ready
made generals from the moment they
entered the service. Alas, mol The
coloneI's eye wandered to his crippled
thumb again and then back to the
sheets under his other hand. and pres
emily fell upon a certain name heading
ma Of them Whereupon be cursed
the authorities In his heart for a pack
Of fools and sighed II was Thompson
Lieutenant William Thompson-known
by the name Of Billy"
The colonel took it IN his hand and
again. There was not one, or
hardly n OF those cut and dried ques-
tons that could be answered grace
yet co-nseientiously as regarded
this young man. "Tcould describe him
10 three words. groaned the colonel;
'harum scarum young devil"
Then, for be liked the lad. he began
10 wonder how on earth he was to I'll
up that report He WA a keen soldier
himself and. Il the truth be told, hada
partially for the type 30 pithily de-
In those three words He would
have such with him In the field
than some others for whom perchance
more could b. said on paper. OF such
be knew was the kingdom Of heroes
The ghosts Of many haunting TRACE
dies came crowding into the old sol
irs mind as be SAT lingering that IN J