River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1891-09-24
THOMPSON OF OURS.


THOMPSON OF OURS.
How q "Harum -Scarun Young
DeviF' Acquitted Himself
Up there between Quota and Can
dahar il gets very cold in January
nasty. biting. clustering cold that nips
the liver and shOrtens the temper; that
comes whistling round your mud hut
with northeast wind from off the
SHOWS. and cracks the shriveled skin
off you like old parchment.
Tn. colonel blew on his fingers,
howled for fresh wood TO to- 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 As
the Annual Confidential Reports. -"
Some of these were already filed in.
some blank as vet. Each was headed
by the name of an officer. and fringet
by the impertinent personal riddles
sent yearly for commandments TO answer.
Now. even when forced 20 look from
the point of view Of diSaPproyal upon
any one o. his boys this honorable.
kindly English gentleman held the sys-
TEN of confidential diSparagement in
horror. But really this morning. what
with the cold, and the maggots in the
rice which had put him OFF his break
fast, and the extraordinary delay in
the mail letters, he felt inclined to
damn every man-jaek of them, himself
included With 4 roaring blizzard
searching your bones, ard 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 is remarkable for all qualities
chat 20 70 make saints upOn earth.
Anyhow the colonel did not feel like
t. lie began turning over the sheets
with that SiclSly, languid feeling of re-
solt with which monOtOnv in its I'M
pleasant forms is apt to inspire one
after long years % patient grind. lie
hated these grim skeleton sketches in
black and white. Ii was always the
same thing-the same weary struggle
TO combine strict truth with fair words;
10 pat ''Ecs~ where it ought To be
'.No, aud No where II ought to be
e. tl were kAt-N Autlt.Eu Ill
these youths-zcalous in well doing, all
talented, all tactful, all of equabie
temper? Had they. every one OF them,
been endowed from their cradles with
unnatural sagacity and aptitude for
command? We're they. in short, ready
made generals from the moment they
entered the service? Alas. no. The
.nloneTs eve wandered To his crippled
thumb again. and then back to the
sheets under his other hand. and pres
emily fell upon certain name heading
one of them. Whereupon he cursed
the authorities in his heart for a pack
Of fools and sighed. 1t was Thompson
Lieut. William Thompson-known
by the name of Billy"
The colonel took II in his hand and
sighed again There was not one, or
hardly one. IF those cut and dried
questions that could be answered
gracefully. vet couSc;cntiously. as re-
gar,jed this young man Il 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 fill
up that report. lie was "a keen soldier
himself. and. If the truth be told. had
"a partiality for the type 50 pithily de-
scribed in those three words lie would
rather have such with him in the field
than some others Cor whom. perchance,
more would be said on paper. OF such
he knew was the kingdom Of heroes
The ghosts Of many haunting trag-
..flfss. sssa~,s.s .srf,rxdTrrrr salH
Slier-s mind as he sat lingering that in
formal paper Did any Of these harsh
moral photographs Of them. with
''Ycs's' and Nos" in the most I'M
becoming places, lie rotting still per-
haps in the aujutant generals Offices?
lie got up shivering and kicked the
logs into a blaze then returned with
stern determination To the study of the
vexing questions in hand. What would
he say for Billy Thompson The lad
had the temper OF game bull-terrier,
the tact and Judgment Of a NewfOund-
land puppy. and about as much ability
and requirement As the average Eng
lish schoolboy The thought that
Billy Thompson aS ornamented with
the complete list of confidential re-
port virtues was nothing less than
CrOtesque-
lie glanced down the list. Why. that
very morning he had spent a bad halt
hour in wigging the yOungster fOl
shortcomings IN almost every item
Late again for parade Violent with q
Sepoy. Hadn't the faintest notion OF
his drill, and 50 on
what on earth am to say for you
sire he had asked. angrily. tapping
the bundle OF uncompromisiug papers,
at which Billy glanced with rueful de
spair in his honest eyes You are
distinctly careless. wanting in tact
useless at office wOrk-what'S the usC
Of complaining Of your writers. sir?-
inattentive and argumentative- Ride:
of course; and that's about all you're
fit for. That and tennis; but. un
luckily. these won't advance you il
your profession, nor gain YOU respect
nor fit You for a command"
Then the colonel had stolen a lool
az the frank. bright face and though
for the millionth time how ridiculous
it all was. The lad was hon lrable anC
brave. Why not trust to lime anC
training to do the rest? tie wanted ;
tight hand over him. Of course; bu
why be forced to send up nasty. dis
paraging report Of him TO heaOquar
terS2
somehow the colonel could not fine
IL in his heart 20 do II, and was still
worrying over il when telegram wa.
brought in addressed ITO the Office
commanding. This was followed
shortly by a knock at the rough doc
opening outward on TO the cold. wind