Owingsville outlook. [volume] (Owingsville, Ky.) 1879-192?, 1892-09-07
the command until the review went

the command until the review went
off without an error of any apprccia-
bic weight. without. in fact, "a hitch
in the lat or an unhitch In the harse,
as Doyle expressed il. 1t was high
noon when the battalion got back to
barracks and the officers hung out
their moist clothing To dry i'm the SUM-
1t was near one when the batterymen.
officers and all, came steaming up
from the stables, and there was the
colonel's orderly with the colonel's
compliments and desires to see Capt.
Cram before the big batteryman had
time To change his dress.
BraNton's first performance on get
ting into cool habiliments was to
go over 10 his office and hunt through
the book shelves for volume in
which he never before had felt the
faintcst intcrest-the Light Artillery
Tactics of 1864. There on his desk Law
stack of mail unopened. and Mr..
Drake was alrca,k silently inditing
the summary note to the culprit War
ing. Brax wanted first to see with his
own eyes the instructions for light ar
tillery when reviewed with other
troops, vaguely hoping that there might
still be some point on which To catch
his foeman on the hip. But if there
were he did not find it. He was tao
tician enough To see that even if Cram
had formed with his leading drivers on
line with the infantry, as Braxton
| thought he should have done. neither
! of the two methods of forming into
battery would then have got his guns
where they belonged. Grams intcrpre-
tation of the text was backed by the
! custom of service, and there was no use
citicising it further. And SO, after dis
contentsdly hunting through the dust
covered pages awhile in hopes of STUN
bling on some codicil or rcbuttal, the
colonel shut it with n Disguised snap
and tossed the offending tome on the
| farthest table. At that moment Bra
could have wished the board of officers
who prepared the Light Artillery Tao
/ ties in the ncthermost depths of the
neighboring swamp. Then he turned
4 on his silent staff ofliccr-a not unusual
expedient.
why on earth, Mr.. Drake. didn't YOU
look up that point. instead of making
such a break before the whole com.
mand?"
Il couldn't find anything about it in
Casey. sir, anywhere" replied the per.
! turbed young man. 81 didn't know
where else To look"
"Well, you might have asked Mr.
Ferry or Mr.. Pierce. The Lord knows
/ You waste enough time with EN-
lyon might have asked Capt Cram.
was what Drake wanted to say. bu,
wisely did not. He bit the end of his
penholder instead, and bridlcd his
tongue and temper.
The next time | have review with
a mounted battery. by George said
the post commander. finally, bringing
1 his fist down on the table with a crash
II just-won't have it,
lie had brought down the pile of let
tiers as well as his fist. and Drake
sprang to gather them. replacing then
on the desk and dcxterously slipping q
paper cutter under the flap of each en-
v(1ope as he did 40. At the very firs'
-Ssote he opened Brax threw himsel
back in his chair with long whist,
of mingled amazement and concern
then turned suddenly on his adjutant
What became of Mr.. Warning? Hs
wasn't hurt?"
mot a bit, sir, that know of. HI
drove to town with Capt. Grams team
at least I was told so-and left thai
note for you there, SIR
"He did.-left the post and left .
note for me! Why" But here Brax
ton broke off short, tore open the mott
and read:
| my DEAR COLONEL: trust you will over
look the informality OF my going to town with
out previously consulting you. / had purposed
| Of course, asking your permission, but the mis-
hap that befell me in the runaway OF my hors
| prevented my appearance ut the review, an,
had waited for your return from the field i
| would have compelled me to break my engage
| ment with our friends the Allertons. Undo
the circumstances / felt sure OF your CON
| plaisance.
"As hope to drive Miss Allerton down afte
the matinee, might it not be good idea Il
have the dress parade and the band outs The
have seen the battery drills but are muc
/ more DESTROYS Of seeing the infantry.
Most sincerely yours,
| -. :. WARING."
Y rcxN