The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1912-10-26
Only a Subaltern


uon q, sandhur't He vas gentle
man befor. h. E.Eettsd. So when
the Empress announced that -osn;ieman-
Cadet Robert Hanna wick" posted Second
Lieutenant to the Tyneside Tail T~isters at Kras
Bokhar. he became an officer and gentleman
which f. envisoI. thing. and there was JOY IN
the house Of wick. where Mamma Wick and all
the little wieks fell upon thir knees and offered
incense 20 Bobby By virtue OF his achievements
Papa Wick had been commissioner IN his day.
holding authority of three millions OF men In the
Chota- Buldana Division building works Tor the
good of the land. and doing his best to make two
blades of grass grow where there was but one
before. OF course. nobody knew anything about
this In the little English village where he was
just "old Mr.. Wick" and had forgotten that he
vas q Companion of the order of the star OF
India
He psttsd Bobby on the shoulder and said;
-wen done my boyr'
India" said Papa Wick. is the place I've had
thirty years of ~. and. begsd. I'D like to back
again. when you Join the Tall Twisters yOuu be
among friends. IL every one hasn't forgotten wick
Of chota-Buldana. and lot OF people Will be kind
Go you for sakeA The mother will tell you
more about OUTFIT than I can: but remember this
Stick to your regiment. Bobby-stick TO your
regiment Youli see men all round you going
into the stan Corps. and doing possible sort
Of duty but reEimental and you may be tempted
20 follow suit Now, 70 long you keep within
your allowance. and I haven't stinted you there.
stick to the Line-the whole Line and nothing but
the Line. BE careful how you back another young
fools BILL and ~ you fall IN love with woman
twenty older than yourself don't tell
about IT, that's ALL
with these counssIs and many others equally
valuable. did Papa Wick fortify Bobby that
last awful night at Portsmouth when the Officers
quarters held more inmates than were provided
for by the regulations. and the liberty men OF tho
ships fell foul OF the drafts for India. and the
battle ragged long and loud from the dockyard
gates even to the slums OF Longport. while the
drabs OF Fratton came down and scratched the
faces OF tho Queens officers.
Bobby Wick. with ugly bruise on his freekied
n nj
in-shp and the comfort Of nifty scornful females
10 attend 10. had no time 20 feel home-siek TIL
the Malabar reached d-Channei. when he COM
bined his emotions with little guard visiting
and a great deal of nausea
The TAN Twisters were a most particular regi-
nent Those who knew them least said that they
were eaten up with side" But their and
their Internal arrangements generally were mere
iy protective diplomacy Some ave years before
the colonel commanding had looked into the four
teen fearless eyes OF seven plump and juicy suba'-
terms who had all applied TO enter the STAN Corps
and had -sked them why the three stars should
he n colonel OF the Line. command a dashed nur-
for double dashed bottle-sucE-rs who put
condemned tin spurs and rode qualified mokes at
the hatused heads OF forsaken black regiments
He rude and terrible Wherefore
the remnant took measures Cwith the half butt
IS an engine OF public opinion TIN the rumor
went abroad that young men who used the Tail
Twisters as crutch TO the stan Corps had many
and varied trials to endure. However. a regiment
had just much right to Its secrets a
woman.
When Bobby came up from DeoIaIi and took his
place among the Tail Twisters II was gently but
hrmly borne tn upon him that the regiment was
his father and his mother and his indissoiubly
welded wife. and that there crime under
the canopy OF heaven backer than that OF bring
inE shame on the regiment which was the
shooting. best-drilled. best set-up. bravest most
iustrous and IN all respects most desirable reEi-
ment within the compass OF the Seven lie
was TAUGHT the Legends OF the Mess Plate. from
the great grinninE Golden Gods that rad
out OF che summer Palace In Pekin the silver
mounted markhor-horn snuff-nur presented by
the late C. q. Che who spake the seven subal-
terns). And every ono % these Legends told hifl
OF battles fought at long ODDS. without fear
without support; % hospitality catholic as an
Arabs; Of friendships deep as the sea and steady
as the hEhtng line; OF honor by hard roads
Ing devotion to the regiment-the regiment that
claims the lives % all and lives forever.
But best q all was the occasion when he moved
with tho Tan Twlsters Ga review order az the
breaking % November day. Allowing Cor duty
men and sick. the Regiment was one thou-aud
and eighty strong. and Bobby belonged 90 them.
for was he not Subaltern % the IIne-the " hole
Line and nothing but the Lne-as the tramp o.
two thousand one hundred and .ixty sturdy ann
munition boots sttested? lie would not have
changed places with Deighton os the Horse
Battery. whirIlng by IN pillar % cloud 20 a
chorus OF strong right strong ieft" or
HoEan-Yais OF the white Iiusss-s leading his
Squadron Tor all 81 worth. vith the prlco %
horseshoes thrown IN Tick" Bolleau. trying
90 live up TO his hercs blue ana gold turban.
while the wasps 81 the Bengal Cavalry stretched
90 Eaiiop IA The wake 81 the long ioiIopp.ng
Waiers % the white Hussars
They fought through the clear cool dag. and
Bobby felt little thrill run down his spine when
ne heard the tnkle-tinkle -tinkle % tie empty