The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1900-10-24
WHITE FEATHER. >

that belongs to the army alone.
Suffice it to say that his comrades are
proud of his name.
He should never have entered the
army at all, much less a hard-riding cav
airy regiment which had a reputation to
sustain by yearly tribute of broken
necks and collarbones.
His proper vocation was that of lin
en-draper's assistant, and he had filled
that occupation very satisfactorily, till
one evil day ne had fallen in love with
girl, silly. shallow girl, at whom no
q second look.
He adored her. and she adored sol
dlers. In their walks abroad she would
direct his steps toward the Horse guards
or Wellington barracks, that she might
gaze in admiration at the fine, strapping
soldiers who were to be seen there, and
every time she pinched his arm and ex-
claimed, "Oh, Jack! look at that lovely
soldier!' his heart gave him a pang at
the thought that he was only draper S
assistant, with nothing in common with
the military but the handling of red
cloth! He was a dreamer by nature, and
falling in love did not lessen his weak
ness in this direction. Dreaming is par
donable in a poet, but an objectionable
as he stood at his counter his mind was
far away from his work. Instead of
listening to the Forward of the shop
walker, he could only hear the short
flung word of command and the blare of
the bugles that sounded through his
dreams, wherefore it was not long before
he came into conflict with his practical
chief. A few sharp words passed. He
threw up in three seconds a position it
had taken six years of hard, unremitting
labor to attain. Then he enlisted.
He gained his title on his first display
in the riding school, where, after a short
ride on the neck of the riding masters
pet buck-jumper, he turned deathly pale
and cried aloud that he might be al
lowed to dismount.
The horse at once gratifed his desire
by throwing him onto the tan, where he
lay trembling in every limb, much to the
diversion of couple of rough riders who
We're standing by. They were quick to
1nform their respective squadrons, and,
his former occupation being known, he
was promptly christened white Feath-
err
In those dark days it was the joy of
the more hardy recruits to take him
aside solemnly and request the service of
three pence three farthings' worth of
white feathers. Any morsel of down of
fluff that might float into the barracks
him with due ceremonies by Trumpeter
Pipes, the low comedian of the regiment.
The older men fOrbore to join in with
these somewhat firing repetitions of a
stale joke. They remembered their own
experiences in the riding school. and rec
Ognized that white Feather was a
quiet and inoffensive fellow, devoid of
the impudence and bad manners peculiar
to recruits and respectful and helpful to
his seniors.
The sergeant-instructor. too. after g
time, took a fancy to his timd recruit
and took extra trouble to teach him how
to keep his heels out, his hands down
and his mead up.
I've made smart cavalrymen out O
bigger buffers than you," he used to re-
marked encouragingingly as he ficked
white Feathers" horse into canter
land I'll make rider of you, or III
break your neck!'' white Feathers
neck remained unbroken, so it is to be
presumed that the sergeant instructor
fulfilled his word.
Presently he began to lose the hang
dog look of suppressed terror with which
he had been accustomed to enter the rid
ing school, and to acquire the easy swag
ger of a cavalryman. His chest contract
ed by long hours at the counter, devel
oped under healthy training. Fresh all
and much exercise helped white Feath
er's'' development which had been sadly
retarded by the heavy, gas-laden atmOs
phere in which he lived. His nerves ac
quired tone, and he learned to take q
tumble now and then as a matter OF
course, and to fire his carbine without
shutting his eyes and blanching at the
explosion of the cartridge.
BLOW me. if he isn't going to shape
into man at lastr' quoth the sergeant
instructor.
Then a great blow fell upon him. He
received one morning letter from the
Girl to tell him that she had given him
up in favor of shop-walker who had ex-
pectations of being set up in business by
his father. She admitted that she had
adored soldiers and that she had caused
him to enter the army for her sake. But
she mad omitted to state that the soldiers
she adored were soldiers who possessed
the Queens commission. and who wort
stars instead of a worsteG stripe.
If poor ''White Feather" was a physi
cal coward he was moral hero. There
is no chance of a display of feeling in i
barrack room, So like the Spartan boy OF
old, he Rugged his trouble to him, slip
ping the cheap little engagement ring
with which he had sealed his troth, into
his pocket, without sign beyond the
twitching of his white lips. Then he lii
his pipe with the letter, not out of con-
tempt, but because there is little privacy
accorded in the correspondence that
comes 70 the DafracK room, ana Il private
soldier is not provided with desk where
in to keep his faded flowers and other
sentimental tokens of the past.
The blow was q very heavy one. for
white Feather" was without the
worldly knowledge that should have told
him long since that he had fixed his af-
fections upon vulgar. selfish and brain
less firt, and he still believed in her.
For her sake he had learned to over
come his physical cowardice. He had
dreamed of a possible commission in the
dim future anu had rejoiced in the re-
cently-acquired promotion as a step to-
ward her.
For her sake, too. he received the
news cheerfuiiy when the word passed
through the barracks that the regiment
was ordered to South Africa to meet the
Beers. He knew that he was by ma
ture a coward, but, for the memory of
her he SMOre an oath TO himself to do