The Washington herald., 1921-06-12

4
.If ANYBODY ever had heroitis. 1t
was that Willie Robbins. From the
minute he set foot on the soil OF the
tyrants of Castle he seemed to en-
gulf danger as a cat laps up cream.
He certainly astonished every man
in our COMPANY. from the captain up.
You'd have expected him to gravi-
tate naturally to the job of an or
derly to the colonel, or typewriter
in the commissary-eut not any. He
created the part of the fiaxen-haired
boy hero who lives and gets back
home with the goods. instead of dy-
ing with an important despatch In
his hands at his colonel's feet.
He was out for bloodshed. laurels,
ambitions, medals, Recommendations
and all other forms of military
glory. And he didn't seem to be
afraid of any ot the recognized forms
of military danger. such as Span
iards. cannon-bal canned beef.
gunpowder. or nepotism He went
forth with his pallid hair and china
blue eyes and ate up Spaniards like
you would sardines a la canopy.
He would stand guard duty. mos
quitoes, hardtack, treat, and FIRE
with equally perfect unanimity. No
blondes in history ever come in COM
rarison distance of him except the
Jack of Diamonds and Queen Cath
crime of Russia
Il remember one time a little
caballard of Spanish men sauntered
out from behind a patch of sugar
cane and shot Bob Turner, the first
sergeant of our company, while we
were eating dinner. AS required by
the army regulations we fellows
went through the usual tactics of
falling into line, saluting the enemy,
and loading and firing, kneeIing.
That wasn't the Texas way of
scrapping: but, being a very impor-
tant addendum and annex to the
regular army, the San Augustine
Rines had to conform to the red
tape system of getting even.
BY the time we had got out our
'Upton's Tactics turned to page
ffty-seven, said 'one-two-three-
one-two-three' a couple of times,
and got blank cartridges into our
Springnelds, the Spanish OUTFIT had
smiled repeatedly, rolled and lit
cigarettes by squads, and walked
away contemptuouslS.
= went straight to Capt. Floyd
and says to him: Sam, don't think
this war Is a straight game. You
know as well as do that Bob Turn
er was one of the whitest fellows
that ever threw a leg over the sad
die, and now these wire-pullers in
| Washington have fixed his clock.
He's politically and ostensibly dead.
1t amt fair. Why should they keep
| this thing up? II they want Spain
licked, why don't they turn the San
| Augustine Rifles and Joe Seely's
Ranger-company and a carload of
West Texas deputy sheriffs on to
these Spaniards, and let US exon
crate them from the face of the
| earth? l never did, says l, care
much about fighting by the Lord
/ Chesterfield ring rules I'm going
to hand in my resignation and go
home IL anybody else l am person
ally acquainted with gets hurt in
this war. If you can get somebody
in my place, Sam says 1. I'll quit
the first of next week. 1 don't want
to work in an army that don't give
its help a chance. Never mind my
wages says l. Let the Secretary
| of the Treasury keep EN-
Well, Ben says the captain to
me. your allegations and estima-
tions of the tactics of war. govern
ment. patriotism. guard mourning,
and democracy are all right. But
I've looked into the system of inter
| national arbitration and the ethics
| Of justifiable slaughter a little clos
er. maybe, than you have.
Now, you can hand in your res
iEnation- the first of next week II
you are so minded. But IL you do.
says Sam. TIL order corporars
guard to take you over by that lime
stone bluff on the creek and shoot
enough lead into you to ballast a
submarine airship. I'm captain of
this company. and I've swore allie
glance to the Amalgamated States
| regardless of sectional, secessional,
and Congressional differences. Have
/ you got any smoking tobacco? >
winds up Sam. Mine got wet when
l swum the creek this morning
Willie Robbins was standing
there listening to us. 1 was a sec
ond sergeant and he was a private
then. but among us Texans and
Westerners there never was as much
tactics and subordination as there
was in the regular army. We never
called our captain anything but
sam except when there was a lot
of major generals and admirals
around. so as to preserve the dis
cipline.
And says Willie Robbins to me
in a sharp construction of voice
much unbecoming to his light han
and previous record:
You ought to be shot, Ben, for
emitting any such sentiments. A
man that won't fight for his coun-
try is worse than a horse thief. II
was the cap, I'd put you in the
guard house for thirty days on
round steak and tamales. War
says Willie, is great and glorious
didn't know you were a coward
| Tn not says /. II I was. ro
knock some OF the pallidness off
your marble brow. I'm lenient with
you.' I says, just as 1 am with the
spaniards, because you have always
reminded me of something with
mushrooms on the side. Why. Won
little Lady of Shalott,' says /. .you
underdone leader of cotillions, YOU
CLASSY fashion and moulded form,
you white pine soldier made in the
Cisalpine Alps in Germany for the
late New Y ear trade, do you know
OF whom you are talking to? We've
oeen In the same social circle saws
1. and I've put up with you because
you seemed so meek and self-unsat.
| isfyins. 1 don't understand why you
have so sudden taken a personal in.
terest in chiyalrousness and mu,.
der. Your natures undersone a
complete revelation. Now, how I,
it? &c
Wen, you wouldn't understand.
Ben says Willie, giving one of his
refined smiles and turning away.