The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-11-21
TOMMY ATKINS.


is the title Of a narrative by Robert
Blatchford which is published by Ed
ward Arnold of New York.
AS the title implies the story has to do
with life in the English army. There is
q disclosed knowledge Of detail which
makes the book almost autobiography.
The motives for enlistment, the hard
ships of the new draft and the petty
concerns of the barracks are all given
with the feeling Of one who has tasted
them and takes joy in relating that he
has passed through the ordeal and kept
his life and his temper. The author, in
Difference to a tradition, weaveS a love
story into the narrative, but not very
coura geously. In confederation of the
commonly accepted rumor that the Eng
fish army is wholly made UP of unre-
Quilted lovers, this Tommy Atkins finds
a sweetheart, with a French name and
a French term of endearment or two.
false, succumbs in proverbial style to
the sympathetic Establishments Of re-
cruiting sergeant, accepts the queens
shilling and becomes q soldier. While
he is In the process Of evolution into
sergeant himself dark-eyed, passion
ate girl succumbs to terrifying affec-
ton for Tommy, invokes all sorts Of
yengeances on his head for not accept
Ing her affection and finally through
mistake stabs music hall singer whom
she believed Tommy fancied. although
he did not She then disappears with
the French coQuette, the music hall
singer and all other designing and unde-
signing women from the story, and a
freckle-faced daughter Of the regiment,
with the masculine name of Bobby and
far from pretty and wholly independ-
ent, captures Tommy.
It is refreshing to have man in
book occasionally accept the freckied
edition Of womanhood, and the author
is to be commended. for his invention.
T. real narrative, however, Is not an
invention. 1t is the plain story OF the
habits of an English soldier. stationed
at home in times of profound peace.
There isn't the smell OF powder In the
whole book, but the modus operandi of
making soldiers out of bent and crooked
bodies and twisted legs and arms and
bumped backs is given with interesting
detail.
One Characteristic excerpt Of the work
will be given The new draft IN which
IS Tommy Atkins has been accepted as
physically fit and is on its way to the
Parkhurst barracks. The author mar
rates:
The draft were met at Cowes by a
red -headed, supercilious color sergeant,
who counted them, eyed them with
great contempt and then said: Come on,
YOU and strobe away. II was four
miles walk from Cowes to Parkhurst,
but the sergeant never spoke again, and
seemed all the way to desire nothing so
much as to give people the impression
that the noisy hobbledehoys struggling
behind him were no concern of his.
3 "The barracks at Parkhurst are VII
lage OF huts. Outside of these the party
halted and formed In an uneven line
A thin. straight, tall man in blue
patrol jacket and peaked cap came up
and looked at them. chewing his mus
tache and Shaping his leg with a cane
He had an eye like dead fish. yet he
seemed to see right through the man he
looked at and as he said: All present.
Pity YOU didn't lose half Of them on the
road. March 'ern 10 the receiving rooIn
and hide en- his voice seemed to cut
like 3 whip. The color sergeant answer
ed him very deferenrially and moved
his dusty soldiers off. AS they went
the sergeant major stood for a moment
looking after them sarcas,icaIiy. and
then tarned on his heel and strobe awSy
In a sudden, truculent manner, Ike a
game cock"
The work is On sale at the Goldsmith
Book company's store