The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1899-01-04

nv El never tOlu uny-
M If thing. That ac-
M counts for his
=. Ls. being left to him
f'lS1fss self moro than is
common or judicious for one of Uncle
Sd t's horsemen in field or post.
troop is a 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 o
new man. They treat him with pin
nacled dignity, like old cavalry horses
treat additions to the picket line. II
the new man, ia reasonable period.
develops no Objectionable traits. he
will find himself member OF the
family, which are other words for a
good fellow.
But he can't be silent man nor q
sneak; neither can he manipulate o
voluminous correspondence. These
things are fatal. Lander was silent
man.
He was also my "bunkie, which
means that could put out hand al
most any time in the night and touch
him. Naturally. under such condi-
tions, my very proper prejudice against
him on account of his internal reserve
would either grow into an uncomfort-
able suspicion, IT, not worse; or else
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 / liked Lander's face. He
was a handsome fellow-handsom
astride his horse, and at mess and at
grooming-handsome when silent.
Yet have seen his eyelids droop over
q wicked pair of shining eyes, and
seen an ugly, bloodless look about his
lower lip.
= saw this on the hot day when
Lieutenant Mat Grim kicked him in
the back, because--I wish 1 knew my
self. will tell you what I saw.
A couple OF troops Of the regiment
were out on target range. We were
eamped in bunch of unaspiring foot
hills which, late in the afternoon,
rested in the huge conical shadow of
Old Baldy. The tip of Old Baldy's
icy cone punctures the sky at one Of
the highest points in Arizona. We
were in that sand-stricken land where
wayfarers have to climb for water and
dig for fuel-wood. We were in that
heat-ridden land where the lean, long
coyote scents death and trots eau
tiously thither-where the vuIture
cranes his bare crimson neck from be-
hind cloud, and peers earthward for
dying things.
Lieutenant Mat Grim was q little
wasp-waisted chap, who had dirty
trick Of getting mad. His West Point
days were too fresh in his mind for
him to be a good officer. He never
allowed himself to lose sight of the
fact that he was commissioned
officer and that a mighty stretch of
superiority lay between him and o
common, enlisted man. Grim had
just been transferred to our troop.
Lander had come from another reoi-
ment two months before. The two
men met that hot afternoon-just be-
fore grooming time.
Lander saluted. Grim stopped
short, caught at his breath several
times and began to relieve himself of
lot Of liyid English, all of which
struck me as mysterious. Lander
stood cat attention." said something
in a low voice and walked away.
Lieutenant Grim was ungovernable.
He sprang after Lander, kicked him
in the back and said:
"I'll make life miserable for you.
Charlie Howard" which Judge must
have been Lander's civilian name.
Lander laughed low and melodi-
ously. I was thinking how wicked
Lander looked when he laughed that
way. Then the bugle sounded
STABLES"
Every man in the troop detested the
lieutenant, and all admired Lander for
keeping his nerve. One of the most
Improbable things soldier can do is
to strike superior officer. The same
Kind of finish awaits him as If he had
been found sleeping at his post.
/ watched Lander, and Lander
watched Lieutenant Grim during the
several following weeks. And they
were not pretty eyes, those strange
eyes of Lander's, as they trailed the
movements of his superior officer.
To all, he preserved his self-bound
intensity. Glad, indeed, would have
been to come very close to the heart
Of this silent man, because 1 learned
TO have deep feelings for him. He
possessed the cold nerve which makes
heroes land the great warm heart
which il res friends-I was sure of
this. ButN Sture was broad enough