Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1891-08-20
THOMPSON OF OURS.

dalar " gots very colu III Jhiluary-o
nasty. biting, clustering cold that nips
,bo liver and shortons tho temper; that
eomea whis,ling round your mud hut
wi,h n northwest wind from oil tho
SHOWS. and cracks the shriveled skin
od YOU like old parchment
The colonel blow on his fingers,
howled for fresh wood to DO piled upon
dc fire and fell TO tho contemplation
Of his thumb. which was frost bitten.
Before him upon the table lay tho
ioathsoine sheets Of foolscap known ~
Tho annual Confidential Reports. 50
Some Of these wero already filed In,
some blank Ms yet Each was headed
by tho name Of an officer, and tringcd
by the impairment personal riddles rot
yearly for commandants to answer.
Now. even when forced to look from
the point OF view Of disapproval upon
nny one Of his "boys' this honorable.
kindly English gentleman held the sys.
tenn of confidential dispArngcmont in
horror But really this morning, what
with tho cold. and the maggots In tho
rico which had put him OF his break.
fast and tho extraordinary delay In tho
mail letters. he folt Inclined TO damn
every man Jack Of them. himself In.
cluded. With n roaring blizzard search.
Ing your bones. and a suspicion Of fever
IN your blood, and nothing decent TO
cat, you don't feel like certifying that
ever soul under your command Is no.
markablc for all qualities that go to
make saints upon earth.
Anyhow, tho colonel did not feel like
s. lie began turning over the sheets
with that sickly. languid feeling OF ~.
volt with which monotony In It's un.
pleasant forms Is apt TO inspire ono
after long years OF patient grind. lie
hated these grim skeleton tkotchcs In
black and white. II was always tho
nfue thing-tho same weary struggle
10 combine strict truth with fair words
20 put "Ycs" whcro Il ought TO be
"No." and No" whcro II ought 10 be
yea For were thoy indocd--all
these youths-zoalous In well doing, all
talented. all tactiui, all OF cqunblo tom
peri Had tlley every one OF them been
endowed from their cradles with un,
natural sagacity aud aptitude for com
mandi Wcro they, In short ready
made generals from tho moment thcy
cniencd tho service. Alas, mol Tie
colonols eyo wandered to his crippled
thumb again and then back TO Tho
thests under his other hand, and pres
entity fell upon n certain name heading
one Of them. Whrreupon ho cursed
the nuthortic. In his heart for pack
Of fools and sighed. II was Thompson
lieutenant william Thompson-known
by tho name OF "Billy."
The colonel took Il In hls hand and
sighed again. There was not one, OF
hardly one, Of those cut and dried qucs
lions that could DO answered grace
fully yet eonscientiously as regarded
this young man. 'Icould describe him
Ia three words" groancd tho colonel
'harum scarum young devil.r
Then, for ho liked tho lad. he began
10 wonder how on earth ho was TO MI
up that report. lilo was keen soldier
himself, and, II tho truth DO told, had q
panailty ior tho typo 20 plthlly de
'eIlped ~ those ,liree WornA ITO would
niher nave sueh win MN IN mo hold
u'ah some others Tor Whom percliahc'
moro eouIu % sa'u on paper VI Suei
ne Know was mo kingdom oil heroes
Ihe ghosts oil many haunting trage
oles cilno erowding INTO mo OLD sol
a''fs inihd as no sat lingering mat ia
ierhai paper INA any OF these n"nll
moral photosrnphs Of thoin' WIZ
i%os anu Noos ~ 'no most uloo
eou'hs places he ro'uns SUI perliap
IN ,ho ndlu'aht g'hefaIs oIiees
ho got up sllNorinf ana kicked th'
"t' 'n'o p'uto' 'hon rotufheu W,i
h"'h determination 10 mo study oil th'
,uA'hs Questions W ilhhu' What oouh
10 My LOT b'liy thompson Ihe la'
ma tho temper Of pun terrier thl
'Aot ana Judgement OF a Newiound'an'
puppy ana ABOUT as inueh "oin'y nh'
aequlfeihoii, az 'ne average sehoo'ooy
quo housht OF BUY thompson ~ OF
h'uneh'ea win inc complete iist @
Confidential Report" virtues wa
nothing less than grotcsque.
lie glanced down the list Why. tha
very morning he had spent bad hal
hour In wlgging tho younster for short
comings In almost every item. Lat
again for parade. Violent with
sopoy, Hadn't tho faintest notion @
HI. drilI aud ~ ON