The Press., 1898-01-13
PRIVATE LAUFER.

i hlN "A 1 T. LA u L LII.
] remember well the day we all met
at the ad9utant's office to receive our
portion of a big batch of recruits who
arrived on the previous day Recruits
are sent out without assignment except
to the regiment in general, 1850 re-
crults to the Tenth cavalry. " for in
stance.
Then the colonel. stiff old West
Pointer from the general list assigned
to each troop the number required to
fill up the gaps the last campaign had
left We were all standing around the
porch as Church, our adJutant, called
off the names OF the men for each troop,
A, b. q, D
AS each man g name was called he
stepped one paGe to the front and side
step to the right, SO that they would
form separate squad when the list was
completed. When my troop, j, was
reached, | naturally had general in
terest in what manner of men might
fall to my lot, but | confess | was not
so absorbed as / would have been if /
was receiving 20 horses instead of re-
crults @t.t@ s.-
However. | was short of good timber
lust then and was struck by the appear
ance of the man who stepped out as
Church called George Laufer. His
crisp, distinct Here in reply to his
name made me think that 1T was his
own and name he was proud of The
vast majority of enlisted men names
in the army like those in the peniten-
tlary are fictitious and run from Chris
tian Scripture to George Washington
with only one rule seeming to govern
their selectlon-the better the name the
worse the man Christian Scripture was
the worst soldier drunk or sober, ever
knew s..z.
Laufer however had every mark of a
well bred man abouthlm. was OF an aver
age height, with light strong frame
weighing l65 or no pounds, young.
with brown eyes and hair small dark
mustache. clean, well groonied face and
complexion that dissipation would
have ruined III week, but which was
now clear and healthy A. -s
My sergeant took the squad and
marched them down to the troop quar-
ters where. with my lleutenants | In
spected them, listening to the stories OF
all the rest-the same old story l had
heard thousand men tell and vary only
in detaIl-as to where they lived, wheth-
er they were married. why they had en-
listed, etc Laufer promptly told me all
that it was reasonable l should know
and as promptly showed his manhood
when any irrelevant question was pro-
pounded by declining to answer
| | was satisfied that he had told the
truth and that had luckily picked up
q Jewel of a man 1 made up my mind
that should he fulfill my first 'lmpres
-slons during his setting up and grad
uatlon from recruit to private he
should be a corporal after one or two
tours OF guard duty II
The colonel frequently came around
from one troop to another during the
ceremony OF stables Morning and even
ing a cavalryman S horse Is thoroughly
/ groomed fed and watered each private
and corporal grooming the horse he
rides the extra horses beng taken care
| of by the recruits or by the stable guard
| when there were no recruits
That afternoon l was right glad to
walk down with he'old man. as we
called our colonel He was harsh one
and swift III his punrshments, vet not
slow III his rewards-Just but cold
blooded and almost unmerclful, man
in many ways cordially hated by us all
yet IN many more ways ldollzed by
every one who knew him. We turned
into my troop stables, and TO my utter
astonlshmenttl found my stable sergeant
standing with Recruit Laufer ready for
my order to put him III the guardhouse
Dressed now III his white stable froch
and trousers, he looked typical caval-
| ryman, but there was that III his face
not defiance rather determination
plainly showing that he had made his
DECISION
What's the matter, Sergeant Cars
well2' asked the colonel
Recruit Laufer refuses to groom his
horse. sir, reported Carswell, with his
hand at the Visor OF his cap af
Refuses to groom his horse. ehY
the colonel asked, with that twang il
his voice which every soul from the klc
bugler to the lieutenant colonel knew
AACcsdo 4uCAt lu1 ulAAA ~ LAEhu
fer Ill. manner to make stout nerve.
qulver he asked
Why wont You groom your horse?
Because | am no groom SIR and be
cause such was not explained to me al
part of my duties when enlisted sale
Laufer salutlng but steady as veteran
The you say roared the old man
now mad beyond all hope OF calming
Sergeant Sergeant CarswelIl ser
geantl he yelled
Yes sir said the sergeant. whS
had stepped aside to look after the 9th
er recruits
Sergeant Carswell have the saddlel
make a halter for this man, tie HIM NJ
in this vacant stall when 1t ) on him
feed. him in the trough, lead him out tC
water and bed him with straw until
further orders. -
Yes, sir. - Carswell saluted and lee
my good timber away to obey that or
der, from which there was no appeal
Rather bad beginning for man
had picked from the batch to make 4
corporal" | smilingly said when W.
were alone again.
"Oh, you can't tell, . the colonel re
piled. and then we talked about th'
Wint saddle and the new carbine ",
were trying and other post SUBJECTS un
til he left my stables