The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1910-12-10

one hand. nagcng obscurity: the
other hand dazzling publicity. To think that ones
legs should make difference like that! He despsed
those legs aud the life he led them but he sloried
In his torso aud the occasional trumphs 1t brought
him. 800.
II must not bc thought for minute that horseback
l.fc held for him any visions Of lmitless desert or
rassy plain Of long forest bride paths or OF high
lifting mountain trails. He bothered by no fool
ish cowboy. Bedouln. Cossack hankernss. He did
rot know life In the open: he did not care to know
Il In the open He had felt the tug and strain
and CULVER OF horscnesh the run; be didn't ride
that way. The air Of the town, q proper prancing
Cait the crowd the curb the Of the band the
swing OF following legs and the drop Of following feet
faces at nnumcrable windows. the magic melting Of
trafc ahead color. music glitter. cheers-al these
were plenty good enough for him.
rrecocity. like Its antonym. nearly always misses
FIRE when aimed ut a parade. The crowd will have
rolhing overtonc nothing UNDERGONE It must have 1t
done lust right. That Is the reason 20 many men
parade failures An ounce too shy or an ounce
valnsorous and they are lost forever 1t Is hne
ts,ny 10 gauge Instantly the OF ones horse.
to acs.hctical demand Of street full Of people,
Ola .:arcrs Dcsremont could do that Where he
set tho EGaek OF It, Heaven knows. One doesn't find
ssch things the leaves OF a ledger.
The man who rides at the head OF a parade sue
ccssfuly possess that most Of all faculties
the power to balance a long line Of display 1t is q
sort OF as!mated esprit dc corps tinged with sense
of beauty and warmed by fine altruism toward all
tho parts concerned 1t is n combination that Is as
r.re ss n warrior who embroders. Any marshal can
r.nkc a display OF himself, but there few marshals
v..o can make display Of the men behind them
Old Marcus Degremont could do that, too
lie could 10 vastly than that. indeed be could
cmbody. at the head Of parade the spirit that lay
at the foundation Of all its units To make ten
thousand spectators feel Fraternity W. en- four thin
lines Of lodgemen stripe the streets to make ten
thousand spectators Public Improvement when
civic societies follow the drum! Some day municipal
once will await a man like that and there will be
a splendid living attached His bread and butter will
not have to depend upon the keeping Of books. And
there will ~ adequate title attached also, so that
the most uuprinciped scofer dare not wink the
Is It any wonder that when strangers asked the
,ownspeopc who The Man on Horseback was that
they should reply: "why, that is our Colonel DeCre-
mont" II Il any less wonder that, when men medi-
,ating parades sought old Marcus Degremont his
wife should say, although her husband had never
smclled stronger powder than she used In her bis
cults "Colonel Dcgrcmont is not In Will you waltz
Or, "Coloncl Dcgremont will be glad to talk the
matter over with you. I'm sure" She always said
Colonel Degremont, Ike that. as II some other ~
mont were trying to steal his thunder. 49,
All this was before the Spanish war There was
real colonel in to nothing Of captains
and corporals and there privates who were
not averse to display. Marcus Degremont had wei
coined them heartily, but be did not know that they
would ever threaten the place he had made for HIM
SELF 1t had not possible to him. perhaps that
a real comma nder could care for the occasional
honors Of mere make-believe.
Not that the town had known real colonies
prvates BEFORE but that those Of Its Acquaintance
were quiet old men with dimming eyes and sackened
steps. who had fought In the Great War and were
forever battles and display and wanted hence
forth but a warm fireplace and the honor once year.
OF walking with flowers to the graves Of their fallen
comrades.
But these latter.day Spanish war veterans. with
their ardent Of lfe their youth their rolicking
responsibility. their khaki uniforms so jauntiy
simple. their boyish faces, their resilient shoulders
their slender waists. their swinging steps, and their
nne long lcgs--these young veterans Of young
were the to make things hard for him.
Lancy was the colonels name. He q tall
splendidlooking fellow with incurving back. but
with not much chest to speak Of Marcus Degremont
had noted that chest at once. 1t was not q swelling
chesr DMarcus Desremont could indate NE chest till
strained the cloth Of his stouest uniform and caused
the brsss buttons to prorude almost to bursting That
Gc's'z -
80 rs -,+-ss.