Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1900-09-08
A VAR OFFICE SECRET.

ing. III course ne can. = man on the
staff at Hythe has a rife in his hand all
day and every day. Even you could
shoot under such-wcll, perhaps not you,
for you never know what you can't do
until you try. Do know the School of
Musketry? | do know it-lock, stock,
barrel and cleaning rod, or, l should say,
in these Lee Mctford days. clearing rod,
for the cleaning rods as dead as Queen
Anne or the pigtails for which the Welsh
Fusiliers still wear the fash though the
powder and pomatum from which the
Hash protected the coatee has been gone
for the best part of 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, in
the handling of either. They notice a
new explosive or a new drill movement,
and II the Horse guards gave me 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, | remember when
cordite came out how one of the conti-
mental war Offices sent a gunner officer
over here-they said to learn English. /
know the man at Woolwich who gave
him the cordite, and how much he got
for it. l know the Englishman who
found the man at WOOlwich who would
do the job. l know how much more he
got for it. But would breathe the name
of that continental power to make inter
national complications? Not me. II
know better what's due to my country.
All which leads up to this. When | was
at Hythe qualifying for two guns and
n
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 Ei1ns
while he explained the other parts And
that was what made me curious to see
the block. | was working very hard in
the evening; yet for my hcalth'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 lady's maid How did
make her acquaintance? If you don't
know simple little thing like that, YOU
ought to. We learn in the army the art
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 a quiet spot
away from other people and from gas
lamps:
II 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 TO snow her what a
clever fellow l was. l began to give her
full account of all the difficult things
we had to do. And. of course, among
other things, l spoke of the machine
guns.
"'Those are the horrid things that go
crk-crk-crk- erik, are they not? asked she,
as she initiated perfectly the venomous
spit OF the beasts.
That's it,
Tell me about them. l think they
are wonderfully interesting. How well
educated a soldier has to be nowadays
to understand such things"
:" It's quite true that a first-class GER
tihcate of education, which a sergeant
is now bound TO have, is not got for the
asking. Then | went on to tell her
the mechanism of the Maxim.
d" But the funniest thing about it all
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
Il have Il general idea
n man who is as clever as you in
mechanics and mathematics ought TO
know all about it. should be curious to
I know If | were you.'
II could easily find out all about it
if cared to take the trouble
Trouble, What is trouble to a sci
cntihc man? IL | were you ! should
think nothing of any little trouble Now.
| will spur you for your own good and
10 advance YOU in the service. | am
| curious, for your sake. to know about
! this gun. III bet you what you like
| YOU don't explain the mechanism of the
| block to me within month. Your ex-
| plantations make even dry old figures in
| tcresting'
And can name the stakes?'
Certainly
"A kiss, then.
| Il can't bet you that
! But | was to name the stakes.
! oh, couldn't think of it,
There's no need for Won to think of
/ it, MamSclc You've only To do it, |
/ have your word, YOU know. II you are
/ honorable -
| Sir"
"Then the bet is of :'
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 you
change your mind. had better have the
| kiss now.
The rest of The evening has nothing
/ to do with the story.
Now, | had been working hard Mt the
mechanics OF guns before l went TO the
| School of MuSketry. so that | might do
well. And had a natural taste for such
things in the blood. probably because my
aunt married a smith, to whom was TO
| have been bound apprentice. only would
none OF him and his smithy. So You
only had TO show me the cocoanut i'm
! gunncry mechanics and | tumbled TO
what kind of milk was inside. The next
Maxim day We were gathered round the
instructor, who was reelinC out his Max
| i'm yarn. He had taken out the block.
| and was holding IL in his f,nr hnhir, 4