The golden rule. [volume] (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1898-19??, 1899-01-14


common or judicious for one Of Uncle
Sans hcrsemen in field or post.
A troop is family of big boys.
Some OF them are big bad boys, and
an odd thing about it is that these
are not always the unpopular ones.
Troopers do not fall on the neck Of
new man. They treat him with pin
nacled dignity, like old cavalry horses
treat additions to the picket line. II
the new man, i'll reasonable period,
develops no Objectionable traits, he
will find himself member OF the
family, which are other words for a
good follow.
But he can't be silent man nor a
sneak; neither can he manipulate
yoluminous correspondence. These
things are fatal. Lander was silent
man.
He was also my "bunliie, /" which
means that / could put out hand al
most any time in the night and touch
him. Naturally, under such condi-
iions. nv very proper prejudice against
him on account OF his internal reserve
would either grow into an uncomfort-
able suspicion, if. not worse; or else l
would learn to look beyond this seri-
GUS mental arrangement Of his. AS it
was, l began to feel for him that
strong, wholesome respect which one
always has for physical capability,
when it is not accompanied by mental
sluggishness.
Then I liked Lander's face. He
was a handsome fellow-handsome
astride his horse, and at mess and Al
proomine-handsom when silent
Yet I have seen his eyelids droop ovel
q wicked pair Of shining eyes, ant
seen an ugly, bloodless look about hi.
lower lip.
/ saw this on the hot day whel
Lieutenant Mat Grim kicked him il
the back, because-I wish knew my
self / will tell you what [ saw.
A couple Of troops Of the regimen
were out on a target range. We wer
camped in bunch Of rlnaspiring foot
hills which, late in the afternoon
rested in the huge eonical shadow {
Old Baldy. The tip Of Old Baldy'
lev cone punctures the sky at one {
the highest points in Arizona w
were in that sand-stricken land wher
wayfarers have to climb for water an
die for fuel-wood. We were in thi
heat-ridden land where the lean, Ion
coyote scents death and trots cal
tiously thither-where the vultul
cranes his bare crimson neck from b.
hind cloud, and peers earthward K
dying things. w.
Lieutenant Mat Grim was a lit
wasp-waisted chap, who had a dirt
trick of getting mad. His West Pol
days were too fresh in his mind {,
him to be good officer, He new
allowed himself to lose sight Of Il
fact that he was commissions
officer and that a mighty stretch
superiority lay between him and
common, enlisted man. Grim hi
lust been transferred to our troo
lander had come from another reg
Mens two months before. The tN
men met ahat hot afternoon-ju just
fore grooming time.
Lander saluted. Grim stopp
short, caught at his breath sevel
times and began to relieve himself
lot Of livid English, all Of viii
struck me as mysterious. Lant
stood cat attention., said somethi
in low voice and walked away.
Lieutenant Grim was ungovernab
He sprang after Lander, kicked b
in the back and said:
'I'll make life miserable for y
Charlie Howard" which judge mi
have been Lander's civilian name.
Lander laughed low and melo
ously. I was thinking how wicl
Lander looked when he laughed 7
waT. Then the bugle SCUM
'tstables.
Every man in the troop detested
lieutenant, aud all admired Lander
keeping his nerve. One Of the II
Improbable things soldier can d
to strike a superior officer. The 81
kind of finish awaits him as if he
been found sleeping at his post.