Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1891-10-21
THOMPSON OF OURS.
How a "Harum Scarum Young
Devil" Acquitted Himself.

Up there between Quetta and Can
dRhar 1t gets very cold In January
nasty, biting, clustering cold that nips
the liver and shortens tho temper; that
comes whistling round your mud hut
with a northeast wind from OF the
SHOWS, and cracks tho shTiveled skin
OF you like old parchment
The colonel blew on his fingers,
howled for fresh wood TO be piled upon
the fire, and fell to the contemplation
Of his thumb, which was frostbitten.
Before him upon the table lay the
loathsome sheets of foolscap known a.
the Annual Confidential Reports."
Some OF these were already filed In,
some blank as yet Each was headed
by the name of an officer, and fringed
by the impertinent personal riddles
sent yearly for commandants to answer.
Now, even when forced to look from
the point of view of disSpprovAl upon
any one Of his "boys," this honorable,
kindly English gentleman held tho sys-
tenn of confidential disparagcment In
horror. But really this morning, what
with the cold, and the maggots in tho
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
included With a roaring blizzard
searching your bones, and a suspicion
of fever in your blood, and nothing de-
cent to eat, you don't feel like certify
Ing that every soul under your COM
mand il remarkable for all qualities
that go to make saints upon earth.
Anyhow the colonel did not feel like
It he began turning over tho sheets
with that sickly, languid feeling Of re-
volt with which monotony In its I'M
pleasant forms Is apt to inspire ono
after long years of patient grind. He
hated these grim skeleton sketches In
black and white. II was always the
same thing-the Same weary struggle
70 combine strict truth with fair words;
TO put Eyes" where It ought to be
mo-" and mo" where It ought to be
"Yes." For were they indeed-All
these youths-zealous in we'll doing, AL
talented, all tactful, all of eQuable
tSmper2 Had they, every one Of them,
been endowed from their cradles with
unnatural sagacity and aptitude for
commando We're they, In short, ready
made generals from the moment they
entered the service2 Alas, mol The
oOloners eye wandered to his crippled
thumb again, and then back to the
sheets under his other hand, and pres
emily fell upon q certain name heading
one Of them. Whereupon he cursed
the authorities In his heart for q pack
of fools and sighed. It was Thompson
Lieut.. William Thompson-known
by the name of BILLY"
The colonel took 1t In his hand and
sighed again There was not one. or
hardly one, of those cut and dried
questions that could be answered
gracefully, yet conscientiously, a. re-
RArded this young man. II could de-
scribe him In three words" groaned
the colonel - "harum- scarum young
devil"
Then, for he liked the lad, he began
to wonder how on earth he was to I'LL
up that report. He was keen soldier
himself, and, IL the truth be told, had
q partially for the type so pithily de.
scribed in those three words. He would
rather have such with him In the field
than some others for whom, perchance,
more would be said on paper. OF such
he knew was the kingdom of heroes.
The ghosts of many haunting trAg-
Odies came crowding into the old sol
dier's mind as he sat lingering that In
fernal paper. Did any Of these harsl
moral photographs of them, with
'Yes's" and mos" In the most un
becoming places, lie rotting still per
haps In the adjutant generals off1ces?
He got up shivering and kicked tn,
logs into a blaze, then returned will
stern determination to the study of tn,
vexinR questions In hand. What woult
he say for Billy Thompson? The LA
had the temper of game bull-terrier
the tact and Judgment Of a Newfound
land puppy, and about as much abNit,
and requirement as the average Eng
lish schoolboy. Tho thought tina
Billy Thompson as ornamented wit
the complete list of confidential re
port" virtues was nothing less thai
Grotesque.
He glanced down the list. Why, tina
very morning he had spent q bad hal
hour in wigging the youngster 70
shortcomings in almost every item
Late again for parade Violent with
bepoy. d"uh Iho ASAnSOoS nOSaOA
bis drill, aud so on.
'sWhat on earth am to say for yoJ
Sir2'' he had asked. angrily, tappin
the bundle of uncompromising papers
at which Billy glanced with rueful d.
SPAR In his honest eyes. you ar
distinctly careless, wanting In tao
useless at Office work-what's the us
Of complaining of your writers, sir?-
inattentlve and arRumentative Ride
OF course; and that's about all your
at for. That and tenniss but, NJ
luckily, these won't advance you
your profession, nor gain you respec
nor at you for q command"
Than kla oolonal had gkolou \ loo