The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1891-10-23
THOMPSON OF OURS.

The colonel blew on his fingers,
howled for fresh wood to be- piled up
on the fire, and fell to the contempla-
ton of his thumb, which was frost
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 as yet. Each was headed
by the name of an officer and fringed
by the impertinent personal riddle
set yearly for commandments to ans
wer.
Now even when forced to look from
the point of view of disapproval upon
any one of his boys this honorable
kindly English gentleman held the
system of confidential disparagement
in horror.
He hated these grim skeleton
sketches in white and black. It 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 mo where it
ought to be Yes" For were they
indeed-all these youths Jealous in
well-doing, all talented, all tactful, all
of equable temperP Had they every
one of them been endowed from their
cradles with unnatural sagacity and
aptitude for command? Were they, in
short ready made generals from the
moment they entered the servicep
Alas no! The coloners eye wandered
to his crippled thumb again and then
to sheets under his other hand, and
presently fell upon a 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"
He glanced down the list. Why,
that very morning he had spent a bad
half hour in wigging the youngster for
shortcomings in almost every item.
Late again for parade. Violent with
a Sepoy. Hadn't the faintest notion
of his drill and so on.
What on earth am I to say for you,
sir?" he had asked, angrily. tapping
the bundle of uncompromising papers,
at which Billy glanced with rueful de-
spair in his honest eyes. ''You are
distinctly careless, wanting in tact
useless in Office work-what's the use
of complaining of your writer's sir?-
lnattentive and argumentative. Ride?
OF course; and that's about all you're
fit for. That and tennis; but unlucki-
ly these won't advance you in your
profession, nor gain you respect, nor
fit you for a command"
Then the colonel had stolen a look
at the frank, bright face, and thought
for the millionth time how ridiculous
it all was. The lad was honorable
and brave. Why not trust to time
and training to do the rest? He
wanted tight hand over him of
course; but why be forced to send up a
nasty, disparaging report of him to
headquarters?
Somehow the colonel could not find
it in his heart to do it, and was still
worrying over it, when a telegram
was brought in addressed ITO the Of
ficer Commanding" This was fol-
lowed shortly by a knock at the rough
door opening outward on to the cold.
wind-swept Enclosure. struggle to
shut the same, and a tall, smart-look-
ing officer entered, helmet in hand.
"Oh, that's you. Hamerton! l was
just going to send for you. There's a
row up Khunaz way. James, of the
police, wounded. Ghazis again killed
a lot of people. I'm ordered to send
an intelligent officer to investigate the
thing and report You'll have tick
lish job, but can rely upon you. I've
been thinking whom you had better
take. You see can only spare one
or two. either Bates or Thompson.
Bates the longest head. and yet Thomp-
son-well, if it came to blows, some
how should prefer Thompson. But
do as you like"
lit shall be little Billy" said Mai.
HamertOn to himself; and proceeded
to the discussion of further details con-
corning escort and commissariat ar
rangements for the small expedition.
A little before nightfall they started,
a party of fifteen in all; the two English
Officers-Billy in state of widest JOY,
and bursting with importance-a duff
fedar, and twelve Sowars of the Khunaz
Horse. A second telegram had been
received soon after the first saving
that the Ghazis. who were few in num-
Der, had taken themselves off; that a
native hospital assistant was in charge
of James the wounded police officer;
and that he was to be brought back
here, because there was no other Eu-
ropean doctor nearer than Quetta.
Hope we come across the beggars, y
Billy said, gleefully.
But the colonel, who had ridden out
little way with the party, and had
wished them good luck" found him