The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1902-10-21

offer Ii was u boyish abullition on the
spur or n moment. May having led on
with q Come ahead. fellows! I'm not
going to trail behind thatdsshed pawn
broker" and the rest having lInpetuousIy
followed But IL was done. and their re-
grets were on account Of the regiment,
not for Nathan. IL was bad form. as
they owned. TO show 10 civilians con-
tempt for brother officer. no matter
how much they might feel It,
These oos' growing out or Lang
don departure were the talk OF ths
club end indeed OF every household Oh
the post the rest OF the week. The In
spector general could not help hearing
them. but sad not word The colo
mel commanding was q sorsly PERU. b.
ed man. He felt that II hs lld not
punish sCmebody-do somsthing 10 vim
oICato the good order and discipline %
his comm and-there would be zap
from o0par1ment head quarters, possibly
from Washington, and this was more
thai a candidate for the star Of a general
officer could contemplate W tn eauan.-
nifty Hs excused himself the niomsnt
dessert was over at Nathan ditner
party that evening and. though IL was
after tattoo. began an investigation or
the affair. dozen OF the batterymen
and all the Junior officers present At the
station were summoned TO the ad1utants
Office, and In five minutes he had the
tempt to equivocate or dissembie. Lieu
tenants May. Woodrow. Sparrowe and
Le Due said they heard the call for three
cheers, and May said that. though he
didn't shout, he swung his cap and had
all the appearance OF IL. He disclairned
any disrespect for the court. the review
ing authority. tho president or the post
commander. Mr.. Langdon was his best
friend. He was sorely distressed at his
dismissal, and he did come within an aoo
OF cheering, only no knew Langdon him
self would have disapproyed The col
onel used some raspfng language, In the
course OF which as cavalryrnsn M~Se-
fected on the sense Of subordination and
discipline that did not appear to prevail
In the batteries. thereby antsgonizing
every gunner at the post. and then, dis
missing the officers with no little aspar-
ity in his reprimand. he summoned Ser
geant Rancey. an Irish IDOL in Battery
D. and whirled on him with the stern
query, lis II true you called for three
cheers for Lieutenant Langdon, the
best officer in Battery DR."
True as shootin', SOFT" was the
prompt reply.
"Go TO your quarters in close arrest.
SIR" said the colonel. and without the
culver OF q -1uscls Of his sun tanned
face the ntshman spun on his heel and
staiksd out. Then Sergeant Blossom,
a down east Yankee, was summoned IN.
"Did you Join In the cheers for Lieu
tenant IAngdonr asked the colonel
Yes. SIR" was tho emphatic answer.
Didn't you know that was tanta-
mount to mutiny7"
mo. sir. There was no such thought
or intention. We meant to show our
sympathy for a beloved officer and an
unfortunate man: that was ALL
The colonel wheeled impatiently In
his chair. He loved the old style soldier,
who knew nothing beyond the VIII OF his
superior officer. These modern evolutions
OF soldiers in the ranks. men OF educa-
tion who read and thought for themselves
and spoke better English than some Of
the officers, were thorns In his flesh. He
did not know Just how to take Blossom,
much less what to do with him. but COM
promised by bidding him stand aside un-
III he had questioned the others. One
after another a dozen came I'm, prompt
" acknowledged that they had cheered
the departing officer. disclaimed all
imputation OF disrespect and inferen-
TALLY any expression Of regret. Every
mothers son OF them seemed 10 wish
10 be understood as maintaining that
he had a perfect right TO cheer. and X
he hadn't he was ready 10 take his pun
ishment. "Confound It," said the colonel
to his silent adjutant, "if slap EN- In
! arrest Nathan won't have sergeant for
| duty The whole battery seems TO have
been In It. Tell them 70 go TO their guar
| ters-go TO grass-go 10 Ballyhack-but
there must be no more cheering. / won't
/ have It."
There won't be" said his star offi-
! Ger dryly, now that Langdon's gone"
/ He, too. had loved the fellow and was
! sore hearted over his downfall
There's nobody else they'll be apt TO
/ cheer for unless it's Melville"
/ The colonel turned suddenly and
] far xra nla a
and unconcerned as he quietly stepped
| 10 the outer room and IN low tone bade
| the assembled throns aisperse. Then In
silence he rejoined his chief.
You're always quoting Major Mel
| ville." said the latter petulantly. rs
there no one in your own corps worth
| considering?"
Plenty" answered the adjutant
yet none Just like Melville. There's the
man 20 straighten out this matter. col
| onel, II you really want II done
'T can straighten out post matters
without having TO call on an-an-sn
outsider" answered the colonel haugh-
| tiy, for he had the same conception OF
| his CORPS that the Chinese had OF China
| everybody not OF II was an outside
| barbarian. Moreover he wes distinctly
| Jealous OF Melville, and II kept cropping
out in the most absurd and palpable
way. Early In the spring, when or
| dered TO the command or TINS lnpOrtani
station. the department commander had
said to him: I'VE have applied for
Melville 10 ommand your artillery.
| He'll be n tower OF strength 10 YOU and
/ relieve you OF all responsibility In the
management OF the batteries" And this
remark intended 10 reassure, had just
the opposite effect The colonel did not
wish 10 be relieved of any care or re-
sporsibllity, did not wish II to be sup
| posed he needed a tower OF strength. He
was one OF small but somewhat proml-
| nent class among our senior officers who
| rejoice I'm extended responsibility and
who prefer hours 81 personal work "a
| delcgating one iota Of authority or power
| to anybody else. He was SO oddly cou-
stituted. moreover, that ne would gladly
have added 10 his functions the ladllng
| out OF medicines and the distribution Of
| hospital stores. His mania was for scrap
! ing and saving for Uncle Sam. He would
spend hours OF valuable time pruning OF
a dollar from the estimate Of the post
duartermaster or squeezing cent a
bushel from the hay or grain contract
/ rrIfI