The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1939-06-29
. .Nlenated .Nlen 9t tsi
by Captain
c. Elliott Nightingale
Copyright, WNU
4 DESERTER'S
STORY

was no ordinary person. lie Was
neither settler nor trapper, and as
we became better acquainted it oc-
Cured to me that this ruggedly
handsome, clean-cut chap had been
keeping his chin up and his shoul-
ders back most Of his life. Personal
questions, of course, were entirely
out of order, so I waited for him to
reveal himself. AS time passed, 1t
also occurred to me that my guest
might be Man of the Mounted do
ing a bit of checking up in that dis
trict, and before I could stop my
self / had opened the gate, so to
speak, and much to my amazement
he walked right in.
eff you're from the Royal Mount
ed" began, 1ssI might be able to
help you at whatever you're doing
hereabouts." Across the small
campfire his gray eyes caught mine.
He stared steadily, but not rudely,
for full minute without batting an
eyelid. Then, he spoke:
you're very observing chap,
aren't your" he smiled, land the
astonishing thing is, you're quite
right. The truth is, I'm deserter
from the Royal Mounted, and hate
myself for chucking it up"
"a deserter," / exclaimed in as
tonishment. There was a story be-
hind all this, and I set out to get it.
"What happened? Lose a prison
er? Go on a spree, or something?"
Nothing like that, my friend.
Don't touch liquor. Didn't lose any
| prisoner. Clean record and six
years service. I'm only one of a
| few dozen that have deserted this
last while, so you'll likely meet 9TH
ers who will tell you story like
mine"
"WeH I'm sure interested,
and will keep your secret if you
feel that you simply must tell your
| troubles to someone"
''Wen, I've been trying to do my
duty under madman, sergeant
major who lived to make life mis-
cradle for himself and everyone
| else. For instance, our full dress
uniform, as you know, is a costly
and snowy affair. This sergeant
major would order us out in full
dress uniform, then this madman
would set us at chopping wood,
shoveling coal, cleaning stoves, dig
ging drains and sewers, currying
horses, cleaning out the stables, and
all sorts of chores that were sup
posed to be done in overalls or old
clothing. Then, when we were all
CRIME and dirt and our dress uni
forms just about ruined, this idiot
would line us up and call us the lous-
lest, dirtiest, filthiest and LATEST
bunch of scalawags he'd ever seen.
It was all so pointless and humili-
ating, and maddening.
''He usually wore those highly
polished field boots. He'd call q
man to clean them until you could
see your face in them. Then he
would put them on, 60 out to the
mudhole by the horse trough and
kick around in mud there until the
boots were completely smothereo
with mud. Then he'd call on an
other man to shine them up again
"While we were working, or or
patrol, he'd mouse through our kit
bags, read our personal letters, anc
poke his nose into everything. Wher
he was sending in his reports OF
cases handled, they were wordee
I: as though he had solved the crime.
t all alone, he got the evidence
caught the prisoners, and so on, il
spite of the fact that other men hat
really done the job. Most of m,
fellow-officers were men who hav,
served in the Boxer war, Boer war
the Afghan show and on other from
d tiers, men with splendid records
S and for chaps like that to soldie
4 under a madman, well, something
!. had to happen and it did. Quit
few have deserted"
> What happened to make yo
z clear out?" / asked.
"He sent me out on a case tha
. knew should have taken me t
r the north. Nevertheless, the order
5, written and issued by this lido,
l. read proceed south to certain
% place. A few miles out decided t
~ return to quarters and show thi
fool that he had made a seriou
mistake. When l arrived, however
he placed me under arrest for nee
, ligence of duty, in spite of the fac
,r that he had issued an incorrect o,
;e der. I have it in my pocket.
. broke jail, and I'm on my way. T.
be damned if I'll soldier under a
idiot any longer"
!. What's the program now?"
et asked.
n. I'm heading north, then west. |
give myself UP to certain inspe,
tor, who, know will listen to m
story. We've been on the trail G
VI many case. He'll start the ba
rolling to get rid of the madmal
~ and I'm SO sure of that, that II
: giving myself up when could easii
forget all about il" Thirty DAYS la
y er the madman was ousted, and f.
years before he died. his playthin,
a, we're paper dolls
it,