Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1900-09-05
A VAR OFFICE SECRET.

A VAR OFFICE SECRET.
seWalIingford shoot?' said Sergt. Hard
ing. "Of course he can. A man on the
staff at Hythe has rifle in his hand all
day and every day Even you could
shoot under sucn-well, perhaps not you.
for you never know what you can't do
until you try Do 1 know the School of
Musketrs? [ do know it-lOck. stock.
barrel and cleaning rod, or, 1 should say,
in these LeeMetford days, clearing rod,
for the cleaning rods us dead as Queen
Anne or the pigtails for which the Welsh
Fusiliers still wear the flash. though the
powder and pOmatum from which the
fash protected the coatee has been gone
for the best part of a century.
Now. you all know why foreign mill
tary attaches are in England. They are
here to see the rights of all improve
ments in the army-in men, in tools, i'll
the handling of either. They notice
new explosive or a new drill movement,
and if the Horse guards gave me q COM
mission l reckon they would notice that,
and would tell their respective war of
fees that they had better look out now.
Our military attaches are abroad for the
same purpose. They re just, spies IN
peace time. Why, 1 remember when
cordite came out how one of the CONT
mental war offices sent a gunner officer
over here-they said to learn English. L
know the man at WoOlwich who gave
him the cordite, and how much he got
for it. / know the EngliShman who
found the man at Woolwich who would
do the job. | know how much more he
got for it. But would breathe the name
Of hot al tO q
national complications! Not me. L
know better what's due to my country.
All which leads up to this. When l was
at Hythe qualifying for two guns and
crown over my three stripes there was a
great mystery about the Maxim; in fact,
we who were undergoing instruction as
instructors were never shown the mech
anism of the block. The instructor of
the Hythe staff used always to take that
out of the gun and hold it behind him
while he explained the other parts. And
that was what made me curious to see
the block. l was working very hard IN
the evening: yet for my health,s sake
had to walk now. and then into Folke-
stone and along the Leas. And there |
met a young foreign person, who told
me she was a lady's maid. How did [
make her acquaintance? If you don't
know simple little thing like that, you
Of mixing gracefully in female society.
And the young foreign person, who spoke
English beautifully, said to me one even
ing. as we were sitting In quiet spot
away from other people and from gas
lamps:
Z do love to hear about all that con-
Germs you. Tell me all about what you
do at the School of Musketry."
oh, it's all very simple, Mamselle.
said /. Then. just 70 snow her what a
clever fellow l was. began to give her
full account of all the difficult things
hoe 70 do nd of
ether things, [ spoke of the machine
guns.
.ssThose are the horrid things that &C
crk-crk-crk-crk, are they not" asked she
as she initiated perfectly the venomous
spit of the beasts.
''That's it,
Tell me about them. I think they
are wonderfully interesting. How wei
educated a soldier has to be nowadays
to understand such things
tifcate of educa ton, which sergean.
is now bound to have, is not got for the
asking. Then l went ON to tell hel
the mocha nism of the Maxim.
But the funniest thing about it al
is that they won't let us see the works
OF the block, although we are to qualify
for musketry instructors.
''And of the most important part OF
the gun you know nothing:
I have a general idea.
"A man who is as clever as you in
mechanics and mathematics ought te
know all about it. [ should be curious tt
know if / were you
81 could easily find out all about il
if I cared to take the trouble
Trouble! What is trouble to a sci
entifc man? If | were you [ should
think nothing Of any little trouble. Now
I will spur you for your own good an6
to advance you in the service. an
curious, for your sake, to know abou
this gun. I'll bet you what you like
you don't explain the mechanism of thu
block to me within month. Your eN
plantations make even dry cid figures in
tereSting.
And can name the stakes?
Certainly
"A kiss, then
II can't be. you that
But | was to name the stakes.
'Oh, l couldn't think of it,
There's no need for you to think OF
it, Mamselie. You've only to do it.
have your word, you know. If you are
honorable -
".Sir,
Then the bet is off:
No. | gave you my word. 1t is an
moving. But |. will keep my word
And can give you my word that
will win. SO, perhaps, in case 20,
change your mind. | had better have TIT
kiss now
..'rhe rest of the evening has nothing
to do with the story.
''NoW [ had been working hard at thu
mechanics of guns before [ went to thu
School of Musketry, so that | might dt
we'll And had natural taste for sucl
things in the blood, probably because n.y.
aunt married a smith, to whom | was t
have been bound apprentice. only wouit
none Of him and his smithy So 70,
only had to show me the cocoanut il
gunnery mechanics and [ tumpled tt
what kind of milk was inside. The mex