The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-03-07
Of Famous Author
THE LIKES O. US


yr vas the General Officer Command
ing. riding down the Mall, on the
j Arab with the perky tail. and he
sond,>ceudcd to explain some Of the
mys,cr.,s Of his profession. But the
y poini ou which he dwelt most POM
nously was the ease with which the
private Thomas Atkins could be
"h,nl,,d" as he called It.. "Only feed
him and give him a little work to do.
and you Oan do anything with him"
said the General officer Commanding.
There's no refinement about Tommy,
Won know: and one is very like an
other. They've all the same ideas and
traditions and ~prcjudices. They're all
biz children. Fancy any man in his
' senses shooting about these hills"
There was the report Of a shotgun in
the valley. II suppose they've hit n
dog. Happy as the day is long when
they're out shooting dogs. Just like
a big child is Tommy" He touched
Up his horse and cantered away. There
was a sound of angry voices down the
hillside.
AL right. you soor-I won't never
forge. th!s-mind you. not as long as
NV NLHA VIZ hifi IL he
sentence finished in what could be rep
resented by a blaze of asterisks.
\ deeper voice cut it short: ooh,
no, you won't. neither. Look a-here.
you young smi;cher. If I was to take
yer up now. and knock off your cad
again that tree. could we say anythin'?
No. nor yet do anythin'. If I was to
All you would. would you?
There" Some one had evidently sat
, down with a thud. and was swearing
nohly. | slid over the edge of the
khud. down through the long grass.
and fetched up. after the manner of
a sledge. with my feet in the broad
OF he back of Gunner Barnabas in
the Mountain Battery, my friend. the
very strong man. He was sitting on
a mana khaki colored volcano Of
basphemy-and was preparing to
smoke. My sudden arrival threw him
on his balance for a moment. Then,
readjusting his chair. he babe me good
day.
"'Im an me ave bin 'avin an arg
ment,' said Gunner Barnabas placidly.
u was going for TO half kill an cave
IN into the bushes ere. but. seem
that YOU ave come. sir. and very well
come when you do come. we will ave
a court-martial instead. ~Shacklock.
are YOU wlllin'? The volcano. who
had been swearing uninterruptedly
through this Grafton. expressed a de-
sire. in general and particular terms.
to see Gunner Barnabas in Torment
and the civilian" on the next gridiron.
Private Shacklock was n tow haired.
scrotulous boy of about two and
twenty. His nose was bleeding pro-
fusely, and the live air a;tested that
he had been drinking quite as much
as was good for him. He lay, stomach
down, on a little level spot on the
hillside: for Gunner Barnabas was
sitting between his shoulder blades,
and his was not a weight to wriggle
under. Private Shacklock could barely
draw breath to swear, but he did the
best that in him lay. Amen" said
Gunner Barnabas piously. when an un-
usually brilliant string of oaths came
10 an end. Seem hat this gentle
man ere has never seen the inside O.
the 'orsep!tals you've gotten In, and
the cl.nks you've been chucked into like
a hay bundle, perhaps. Private Shack
lock, YOU Will stop. You are a-makin'
OF in sick" Private S~hacklock said that
he was pleased to hear it. and would
have continued his speech. but his
breath suddenly went from him.
and the unfinished curse died
out in a gasp. Gunner Barnabas
had put up one Of his huge feet.
There's just enough
room now for YOU to