Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1903-02-28
POLLY ATKINS.

and his daughter Polly was a new-fash-
toned girl.
Il do wish you'd dress more in keeping
with your sex, Polly. As a girl-with
your face and fgure-you might be the
belle of the county. Why, then, must
you needs go and turn yourself into a
bad imitation of boy?"
You are too out date for anything,
father" cried Polly, in resentful tones.
The woman of the future will take her
place beside man in the reserve forces Of
the empire See ii she won't. And how
proud | shall feel to know that this, my
humble effort, has done something toward
bringing about the fuIfllment of that
grand IDEAL she added, with ardent en-
thusiasm.
The Ladies' Rifle Corps was Miss Polly
brakes very latest pet hobby, which
she had conceived and taken up with
even more than usual ardor. Some thirty
| girls in the neighborhhood had already
| been induced by her to enroll themselves
as members, and they used to meet every
week on the rifle range, which the squire
| had allowed them to lay out on his
/
On the whole, they comported them
! selves in such manner as made Polly
| distinctly proud of her corps; and she
was now anxious to show them off be-
fore some military expert, whose com
mendation (she was sure) would serve as
a useful eye-opener to her incredulous
father. Hence the idea of the sham fight.
A day or two afterward the squire
said to his daughter:
| by the way, Polly, I've got man to
come and oificiate as umpire of your
sham fight"
That's good Dad. Who is he?"
Our old friend, Maj. Merilees."
Polly's face suddenly clouded.
"Oh, well, You needn't be uncomfortable
about meeting him again, Polly. He's
forgotten that little affair long ago, bless
you. Indeed, hear rumors of his being
engaged to another girl
as he? Pm glad of that" answered
Polly, with ostentatious unconcern. II
was afraid might have wrecked his life,
| He said had"
Next evening Maj. AIerilees duly ar
rived. He was a tall, handsome man, of
about So, of soldicrly bearing and frank,
pleasant manners. Finding himself alone
| with Polly in the drawing room before
dinner, he at once took the opportunity
| TO set her at her ease.
Let us both entirely forget the occa-
sion Of our last meeting" he said. That
| is dead and hurled. We now meet as
comradcs-as fellow workers in a great
national project / can't tell you how
pleased / am, Miss Drake, with the
scheme you have taken up. If properly
worked. your Ladies' Rifle Corps may be
the germ OF the greatest revolution in
matters military that the present age has
| seen"
I'm so glad to hear you say that, Maj
Mdilecs You, as an expert in such
things. speak with the greatest weight.
My father has done his best to pooh-pooh
US all along. He"
but why, Miss Drake?"
"Oh! Because he is still welded to the
old fossilized ideas about women. He
says that we should be altogether out OF
place ON the field of battle"
Il can't, for the life of me, see that.
BATTLES are won nowadays by straight
shooting, and women can shoot quite as
straight as men,"
Next day Mai Aterilees and Polly
; rode over the ground where the sham
) fight was to take place. The formers
practiced eye quickly noted the favora.
BILE positions for defending force, and
, he proceeded to examine them in detail
At length he made his selection. 1t wa,
Il long ridge thanked on one side by a
wooded Hill, and approached from the
front by level eNpanse of grass fields.
"Of course said the aior as we are
dealing with such small numbers. boil
the attack and the defense must be of d
skeleton character My idea is that thi,
ridge should be occupied, in imagination
5 by defending force, and that you Will
r say q third OF yom company, should ,,
o posted in that wood there. to cover tn,
I right flank but that You should careful
l. ly Keep your presence secret from tn,
o attacking force until the last moment
| so that You can eniilade them as they adj
i vance up the slope. The other two-third
a OF your company will form the attaekir.
force. They will advance against YOU
right, in line with an imaginary brigad
extended along the whole length of tn
position. OF course, they must not b
: appraised beforehand that YOU are postc,
= III the wood, Indeed, the success or fail
II ure of the whole defense will depen
l. upon Your concealing this from them un
g til they are delivering their attack. d
" | make myself cleary'
lie Quite l think it is a splendid plan,
lie cried Polly, with enthusiasm.
Next morning arrived The I.adie,
Corps paroded, thirty strong, on the law
" at Drakeworth Hall, Ten OF them wcr
Y told oil under command of Cant, Poll,
ie to form the defending force, and the
v marched away to take up their position
IS The remaining twenty under Polly
is lieutenant, q Miss Amy Mcintosh. tht
n fell out for about an hour, at the end d
y Which tinie, having reassembled. an
y haymg received thSir general instruction
= from Mai. Morilees+ tAtS' proceeded {
>. the field OF. operations ~ soou a. the
y We're family off the major ordered hi
'e horse to be brought .oUnd. and then. rod
r away by himself 10 the emincnce ffoi
(which he was to watch, And .arit4c;yc ii
in ImaneuperS,
e Capt. Polly, with her skeleton force
IL ten dauutless damsels, had reached an
re- occuped the wooded hin 10 tho lrf- ,