i;-T*"- •'•;..■■' J.::;., *^:':". ^*?^■:;!t^?vs■^i^' ^;".;'■v..{'^.-■^■■■V:; -::. -XJ,;;^; w m fm THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA LIBRARY THE WILMER COLLECTION OF CIVIL WAR NOVELS PRESENTED BY RICHARD H. WILMER, JR. •"^^lytcouigua, Digitized by tine Internet Arciiive in 2010 witii funding from University of Nortii Carolina at Chapel Hill http://www.archive.org/details/onoffensivearmysOOputn ON THE OFFENSIVE BY THE SAME AUTHOR. IN BLUE UNIFORM. An Army Novel. 1 2mo, . . $1.00 ON THE OFFENSIVE. An Army Story. 12nno, . . $1.25 On the Offensive AN ARMY STORY BY GEORGE I. PUTNAM NEW YORK CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS 1894 COPYRIGHT, 1894, BY CHARLES SCRIBNER's SONS TROW oinECTonv PRINTING AND BOOKBINDING COMPANY NEW YORK M. TO F. U. ON THE OFFENSIVE It was pay-day at the Fort. All labor but the necessary guard and police had been suspended by orders at retreat the night before. The men, in snug blue blouses and conspicuous white gloves, loitered idly about the whitewashed halls of bar- racks. One captain had ordered his company into full-dress uniform ; for pay-day, at those isolated western stations, was invested with dignity ; and the progress to the pay-table fell not short of a ceremony. At intervals a clear-voiced corporal would be heard across the parade, turning out a company ; and immediately after a thin blue col- umn would be marching away to surprise its lean pockets with the month's pay — $13 for the rank and file, $18 in the case of certain leathery old non- commissioned officers. They were eager, not ava- ricious — -at those terms ; duty done and reward within grasp — the consciousness of it was on every man's face. A week before some fifteen men had gone un- ostentatiously forth from the Fort, as though hop- 2 ON THE OFFENSIVE ing to escape observation by that portion of the community that lived by preying upon the other. Last evening they had returned with the air of the campaign about them, escorting the paymaster, his clerk, his books, and his money-chest. It was their watchfulness that rendered pay-day a joyous prob- ability. And now the paymaster sat at the head of the long table on which piles of gold and silver coin Avere arranged methodically Avithin his reach. The slow machinery of the pay-table was in oper- ation. The captain of a company shouted the names of his men ; the paymaster's clerk repeated each, checked it off, and proclaimed the sum due ; the soldier marched sedately into the commercial presence and received the coin from the paymas- ter's hand, 'bout faced, and marched out again. A slow machine and ponderous, but it ran smoothly and accurately. Time was not of great moment in a place where no tAVO clocks agreed, and the sun governed each twenty -four hours' doings. As the paymaster and his escort, dust-enveloped, had trailed dimly through the godless frame-and- canvas town that lay but across the clear, rippling creek from the Fort, the signal had passed to every gambler, every adventurer of either sex, and they had gathered for the vigorous plying of their trades. Monthly pay-day Avas the bright event of their lives ; soldiers Avere golden - fleeced sheep, anxious to be shorn. Just Avithout the military reservation stood a saloon. The poAver of the com- ON THE OFFENSIVE 3 manding officer was bounded by the Hue of the government survey ; but he had gone to the line and said, " Thus near thou mayest come, and no nearer," and there the saloon had established itself. From its side door a man with a strong arm might have smashed beer-bottles against the outer wall of the commanding officer's quarters. To-day, this saloon was a rallying point. The stock of liquors had been replenished ; gamblers in every degree sat at tables in the card- and billiard- rooms ; devices of all sorts were about the path of the adventurously inclined ; women in barbaric col- ors displayed themselves as it might be alluringly. The sawing and beating of musical instruments in fantastic measures troubled the mild, mid-fall air ; they were sounding the onslaught, the charge. It was pay-day at the Fort. Beneath a narrow awning, on either side the entrance to the paying- room, was placed a chair — forethought of devout soldiers. Here sat two Sisters, black of gown, meek of face, roughened and worn by the fierce- ness of the sun, the rigor of the wind, the many deep necessities of the outcast, law-defying men and women to whom in that weary land they min- istered. Downcast of eyes, silent of tongue, the small crucifixes suspended around their necks and scarcely moving on their gentle bosoms indicated their purpose, spoke for them — and this so elo- quently, that no soldier passed from the pay-table without dropping into their receptacle some coin. 4 ON THE OFFENSIVE Only the scanty length of the parade stretched be- tween the pay-table and the saloon, but the sol- diers' first tribute was paid to God ! And some dropped a coin to the work of the Sisters for the sake of conscience ; and some for the sake of a sudden memory ; and some because good deeds ■ will not come amiss at the last day ; and some be- cause it was a virtuous thing to do and should bring them luck at the games within the half -hour. And thus the Sisters recruited their slender fund for charity. Pay-day always brought Father Brugan to the Fort. This keen Catholic priest, barely thirty, with his smoothly shaven face and his acquired air of fond paternalism, was fashioned like an athlete. This may have been one reason why he was so well liked by the ordinarily distrustful soldiery ; for men given to the exercise of the robust vir- tues are apt to exalt them above mental attain- ments. But it was not this alone. A fine pres- ence would not have warranted the respect and love they bore him. They obeyed him as promptly as they did Colonel Gerrish, and with a vastly dif- ferent feeling at heart; for the colonel claimed control only over their bodies, while the priest took moral issue with them and tinctured his com- mands with spiritual authority. And as ho did not confine himself to words alone, but worked with unwearied diligence for whomsoever had need of him, his words had weight. Not many men in ON THE OFFENSIVE 5 barracks would listen to him and then deliberately run counter. And they believed in him because, with all his strength and manliness, he bore the hand of the Church consciously, and was ever mindful of his vows. He came from the little town, crossed the creek on the stepping-stones — it had been a dry summer and the water was low — and briskly climbed the bluff by the foot-path that circled the limestone outcroppings. He shot up inch by inch to the brown level of the parade ground, and came at a quick pace toward the officers' line. Lydia Ger- rish, on the porch, saw him and directed the col- onel's attention. " Here comes your co-laborer, papa." " Oh, the priest," he replied, after a quick glance, gladly. "Good-morning! " he shouted, cheerfully. " You are early on the field, and the enemy seems to have planned an elaborate campaign against us," shaking one strong hand toward the saloon, while he warmly welcomed the priest with the other. He returned the cordial greetings of father and daughter in a slightly embarrassed manner. " I believe we shall need all the time that is given us," he said, explaining his early appearance. He went on stiltedly : "I wished to ask the commanding officer's permission to speak with the men in their barracks." " Certainly, certainly," said the colonel, with bluflf, military heartiness. " You don't have to ask 6 ON THE OFFENSIVE permission. You can go anywhere on this reser- vation without a permit." " You are very kind." The priest bowed. He lingered a moment in awkward leave-taking, and then hurried away to the first of the low stone barracks that were strung along the opposite side of the parade like beads on a chain. He passed from one to the other, speaking to the men he knew by name in a way that showed his familiarity with their weaknesses and his authority over them. " Now, Gavin," said he, " put away those cards." For Gavin had just installed himself as dealer in a faro game and was inviting the bets of his com- rades. " Put them away. You know it's against regulations." Gavin was loath to abandon his position. " 'Tis but a friendly game, y'r Riv'runce," he protested. " Just to pass the time. You wouldn't have us go to the gamblers, sir ? " "No, not that. If you must play, go out in some of the limestone caves. You will break no rules there." He bent to Gavin's ear and whis- pered a word as he Avent by. He had hardly gone from the room when Gavin arose and hurriedly followed him. " Y'r Riv'runce," he asked, " will you take me money an' keep it till I can get the letter to me mother writ' ? " " Now, that is better," said the priest, approv- ingly. "But I will not touch your money, Gavin. ON THE OFFENSIVE 7 Go to your officer and ask bim. He is the one to keep it for you." Father Brugan hurried on. In one room he said : " Robinson, how much of your pay is coming to you this month ? " Robinson dropped his head and smiled weakly as he recognized the watchful care of the priest over him. " The whole of it, thanks to you, sir. It's the first month in a long time there hasn't been a fine against me." A little later^ on the parade, he intercepted a man heading toward the saloon. " Look here, Killeen," he said, decidedly, "your quarters are not that way. Take the paj" home to your wife ; she has a better right to it than those people." He made a circuit of the post, and returned to the colonel's porch with a look of concern on his face. " It is nip and tuck, Colonel," he said, with a grave smile. " With the chances in favor of nip," replied the colonel, jocosely. He liked to see people feel at home, and he thought to reassure the priest with the same manner of Avelcome that he would have deemed proper for any other visitor. " Nip has the first chance ; tuck wdll come later in the guard- house and the court-martial." He breathed out a little sigh for futile endeavor. " Well, it was al- ways the soldier way to go courting the enemy. Experience is thrown away on them ; Avhat they learn one pay-day they forget before the next. It's 8 ON THE OFFENSIVE a good while now since I got over expecting a soldier to take any care of himself. One machine can't do everything, you know, and when yon get a good one to fight with you mustn't expect it to think, too. No ; that's too much for any enlisted machine that wears the blue." Miss Gerrish laughed. " There must always be a man to run the machine," she ventured. " That's it, daughter ! " the colonel assented, in a cheerful roar. " Somebody to give orders and see that they're obeyed." He turned suddenly to the priest. " You do about as much as any of us to keep things running well. You're a pretty fair soldier yourself ! " " Just think, if you were an ojflicer, what a brib liant career you'd have ! " gurgled Lydia. The priest would have evaded this turn of the con- versation. " May not these qualities have a good effect on my w^ork as it is ? " he asked, rather comba- tively. " There is much that is similar — organiza- tion, plans of campaign, discipline, work — all that." " And fighting," added the colonel, with pro- fessional relish. " You have a hard field here, I declare ! When I think of civilized communities and compare them with this, I think it would astound some people to know what you are doing." " I am very glad to serve where I can do the most work." " Then you must be well satisfied with this sta- tion ! " Miss Gerrish volunteered, Liughing shrilly. ON THE OFFENSIVE 9 " Yes, I am," he said, quietly. " I would not wish to be transferred — not for a long time." Colonel Gerrish came in with the result of ob- servation. " Ah, it will be a long time before the church stands an equal chance with the saloon in this territory." He had passed his life in moving from one extreme point of the frontier to another, seeing constantly renewed the struggle between these two elements of modern social circumstance. The brothel and the bar would be in the ascendant at first and for a time ; but the other force insinuat- ed itself, grew, and gained strength, until at length equilibrium seemed about established. Then that point would no longer be frontier, there would be no further need for the military, and he would move on to the next station. "We are here in the cause of law and order," he rumbled deeply, " and that's the chm'ch, every time. "Not your church, nor any other one estab- lishment — but of the church. The army is a bar against disorder, and an entering wedge for what is right, and good, and high. Sometimes it seems to me— well, queer — that it should be so. Kind of illogical. For the army is a mainstay of the saloon in these frontier places, and yet it is sworn in the opposition. I can hardly reconcile it." " I can," said Lydia, quickly. "It is only this, ' God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to i^erform.' 10 ON THE OFFENSIVE The rest is not so applicable, so I won't repeat it. But that gives the idea I have of it." The colonel looked npon her pridefuUy. " Lydia always does have a bit of verse that hits it off," said he. " She reads a great deal. To tell the truth, there isn't much else for a woman to do at a milita- ry station, unless she gossips. And Lj^dia reads." " Her quotation is very applicable," said the priest, nodding approvingly. " It does look para- doxical, but where God is concerned we hardly need borrow trouble about seeming incongruities. And reading is pleasant, I am sure ; but is gossip so very unfortunate in a military station that you should set your face against it uncompromis- ingly ? " He had turned to L3^dia, " Papa has exaggerated some ; he always does when he is praising me. You would imagine I never spoke of my neighbors and took no interest in them, but that isn't so. Mamma and I — and papa, too !— do talk them over, and sometimes we scold them horribly to ourselves. But it never goes any farther," she concluded. " Then it isn't gossip," declared the colonel, putting the official stamp of the commanding offi- cer on it. " And telling one another little things that have been observed about garrison ; would that be gos- sip, now ? " asked the priest, making a desperate dash at light humor across his pervading serious- ness. OW THE OFFENSIVE 11 Colonel Gerrish made no reply ; and his daugh- ter answered, compromisingly, " Well, one could hardly tell from that. It would depend." " I have a personal reason for asking," the priest continued. " I noticed a rather funny little incident this morning that I might tell — if it would not be gossiping." " Oh, tell it, please," Miss Gerrish pleaded, quickly. " I'm sure it wouldn't." And the colo- nel added, " Risk it by all means, risk it." They all laughed at the readiness with which the chance was accepted. " It was only this," he began. " By the door of the pay-room were two Sisters, soliciting alms. Two little boys saw that the men gave them money freely — just as soldiers always do. The boys evidently thought it a good chance to collect spending money, for they took their stand just within the door, hats in hand, where the soldiers would see them first. I think they got a nickle or two before their father discovered them and marched them away to some kind of punishment." They received the priest's little story good-nat- uredly. " The little monkeys ! " gasped the colo- nel, chuckling at the mental picture it conjured up. " That is it precisely," said the priest. *' Imita- tive as monkeys. They intended nothing wrong. I had to laugh when I saw them, but the father was stern enough to make up for it." " It would be just like Mr. Lawrence's boys to 12 ON THE OFFENSIVE do that," said Lydia, out of her experience. " They are the liveliest children — going every- where, into everything. And they are so imita- tive ! They noticed that the dogs are always dis- turbed by the bugles and howl in anguish at the sound. So, what did tlie boys do yesterday morn- ing at guard-mount, but go down on hands and knees in front of the lino of soldiers when the bugles sounded, and stick their noses up in the air and howl as much like dogs as they could ! The soldiers laughed and the ceremony nearly failed." The priest was pleased. " They are versatile indeed when their talent for imitation goes out- side humankind and takes in the dogs. You Avere right ; these were Mr. Lawrence's boys. You can expect something unusual from them when they are grown." " Huh ! " coughed the colonel. " We don't have to wait for that. They keej) the garrison from going to sleep now, I tell you ! It is the unusual we always expect from them." Several of the younger officers going by at that moment, the colonel discovered among them the father of the boys, and called for the entire party to come up. " Hello, Lawrence ! Come up ! I want to ask you a point. Come up, Ealph ! Spur- bridge!" They filed up readily, shook hands with the priest, bowed to Miss Gerrish as to the daughter of their commanding officer, and leaned about the ON THE OFFENSIVE 13 porch against the post and railings. Ralph wore a sword, that clanked against everything, and was sometimes outside his legs, and sometimes be- tween them. He was officer of the day. There was a quizzical light in the colonel's eyes as he turned to Lawrence. " Where are your boys, Lawrence ? I'll bet you can't put your finger on them, or guess within half a mile of their whereabouts." "I'll take you at any odds, Colonel," he replied. " I caught the little rats at the pay-table, trying to head off the fund for the Catholic hospital. And they were doing it, too ! They had thirty cents between them when I took them red-handed. I marched them home, and Mrs. Lawrence and I at once court-martialed them." " I beg your pardon, Mr. Lawrence — what did you do ? " asked Father Brugau, struck by the phrase, and bending forward in his interest. " Com't - martialed them. We never think of punishing them without allowing them a fair trial. I was the judge advocate, and Mrs. Law- rence was the court. I brought the offenders be- fore the court, stated the case against them, and volunteered to act as their counsel. They declined my ser\dces, pleaded guilty, alleged first offence, and threw themselves on the mercy of the court. The court was then cleared by putting the boys in the hall with the door open, so that they might see us at our deliberations — not that we might 14: ON THE OFFENSIVE keep an eye ou them. We readied a finding in accordance with the plea, called them in, and pub- lished the sentence of the court : that they be im- mediately confined in the nursery for a space of two hours, then to have their limits extended to include the back yard for the rest of the day. They're in the back yard now, Colonel, or I lose my wager." " You have seen them there ? " asked the priest. " No, but they would watch the clock sharply to know when the two hours were up." "Perhaps they have disregarded their limits," Spurbridge suggested. " Not a bit of it ! " protested Lawrence. " They are on their honor in the back yard, and they have as high a regard for their honor as any majah you ever saw ! They have an impression that when they lose their honor the sky will fall down and smother them." " Pity we can't inoculate the enlisted man with the same idea," Spurbridge" remarked, settling his shoulders back with an air of superior rectitude in the commissioned strength. Ralph cleared his throat nervously, clanked his sword, and addressed himself to Miss Gerrish. " I tell Lawrence he'll have to run those two boys — take 'em out in a leash, you know, like a couple of spaniels — a pair you don't want to get mixed with the rest of the pack. They were down at the ON TUE OFFENSIVE 15 pumping-liouse tlie other day, trying to get their fingers pinched off short in the engine. The en- gineer didn't see them come in, and he keeps a good watch out, too. He thinks they fell into the creek, you know, and were pumped up to the tanks and floated back down the pipes. Lawrence ought to put flanges on them so they can't get through such little places." Mrs. Gerrish came out and joined the group. She was a large and rather severe lady, who builded her conduct by conventional rules. At her window-seat she heard the voices that pro- claimed a gathering of men, and deemed it unwise to leave Lydia unsupported in their midst. So she came into view, greeted the assemblage with an all- inclusive " Good-afternoon, gentlemen," and sat by Lydia. She rarely added to the spice of a conversation ; her function was rather to appear simply in the support of propriety. Lydia moved a chair for her, looked into her face to discover if she had the maternal approval, and finding she had, turned again to the chatty officers. Father Brugan, feeling on the defensive when the enlisted men Avere in question, had taken up Spurbridge's remark. " I supposed honor was a large share of the stock-in-trade of soldiers," he said, combatively. "A little of it goes a good ways, sometimes," Spurbridge retm'ned. " It makes a good veneer, but it doesn't seem to soak into the grain." 16 ON THE OFFENSIVE "That's just Spurbridge's slate-blue way of looking at it," Ralph burst in, more at ease now that he was talking with the men. " He never got over the trick his company played him when he joined. One of the men came over and borrowed five dollars of him ; then he went back and told his waiting comrades the game was easy. The com- pany at once began to file over to Spurbridge's quarters, and in the course of a week he had loaned out nearly a month's paj^ — of which I'm mistaken if he ever saw a cent again. I tell him he ought to consider it a sort of initiation fee, and not lay it up against the company so high. Any man '11 take the chance of a snap when it's shaken at him. I would — and that's the pose of the majority, I guess." Mrs. Gerrish looked at the loquacious young man with clear disapproval. Lydia laughed with the knowledge in her innocence that he was talk- ing for effect, and not to advance serious views. Father Brugan appeared - distressed to learn such things of the men with whom he labored through love. " I hope all are not so bad ? " he inquired. " Not all ; but there is a steady glare of truth through what Ral]ih says," Spurbridge declared. " But I don't think that event has colored my judg- ment, although Ralph says very properly the temp- tation was great." " Oh, thanks, thanks," murmured Rali)h, turning ON THE OFF^ENSIVE 11 to force a smile from Miss Gerrish, Spurbritlge unconsciously followed his swift glance, and then blushed guiltily. "Well, what has colored it, then?" demanded Lawrence. Colonel Gerrish sat back watching the group. He was well satisfied to let his lieutenants have the conversation to themselves, while he made quick estimates of their values. " It's the natural tint," Spurbridge declared. " I don't think the rank and file know what honor is — I am giving you a generality. The childhood and youth and general associations of the men are not such as to give them any great regard for it. The army isn't made up of gentlemen's sons in hard luck, but of men to whom the woollen shirt and black coffee come nearer being luxuries than necessaries. And I don't mean that they are all scamps and desperadoes, either, but simply men whose lives have been low and unfortunate. AYe recruit principally from the cities, and from the floating population at that. I suppose we all know what that is ; if we don't, the police records can show us." "Well, it is ser\'ice records that count with us," Lawrence replied, " and those don't bear you out. Of course there are scoundrels, but the gen- eral result is what Ave're figuring on ; and the gen- eral result is good." "Yes, and why?" Spurbridge caught up the point quickly. "The reason the service doesn't 2 18 ON THE OFFENSIVE show tlie worse side of tlie men's characters is tliat they stand in fear of discipline. They are brave enough and reckless enough to face anything that can fight ; that is what the service records show. But they are honorable only through stress of cir- cumstances — and that is not honor at all." " It must be something good, though. What will you call it ? " " Oh, call it compromise, if you like," said Spur- bridge, with irritating indulgence. " The honora- ble man will be bound by his honor in all things ; the men do their duty because they have got to, or suffer. Is there any honor in the enlisted man's life outside his duty, even ? I know of none." The colonel's orderly came to the steps, saluted, and said a man out of Lieutenant Spurbridge's company wished to speak to him a minute, if the lieutenant was willing. Spurbridge ran down the steps and around the corner to meet him. In a moment he returned. Lydia was chatting gayly to the group, and when a pause occurred he began to speak. "I was saying some pretty black things about the enlisted men, and perhaps this is a judgment on my hasty tongue ; but now I have something good to say, and I am in just as much of a hurry to say it. That man wanted me to take his mon- ey and keep it for him. He was afraid if he had it he would gamble and lose ; guess he never thought of winning. That would be an impossi- ON THE OFFENSIVE 19 bility over there." He waved liis hand toward the saloon. " Suppose he did lose it," said Father Brugan, argumentative! J taking an extreme view. " Would it matter very much ? Temptation would then be removed from his path. And he would not suffer for anything ; I understand the pay is in addition to food and clothing ? " " That is so, but he saves his money to send to his old mother," said Spurbridge, determined to set the man in a good light. " It seems she de- pends upon ten dollars a month from him for the best part of her support." "Why didn't he send it to her at once, and not bother you ? " " Oh, he knew it would be no bother. An officer is always ready to help his men. And besides, he didn't dare go to town to-day for a post-office order, because the pitfalls are many and no mercy is shown a soldier. The town is run ' wide open ' whenever the paymaster is at the post." "You will excuse me, I am sure," continued the priest ; " you were gone with the soldier so short a time, I would really like to know what security he asked of you? " " None whatever." In slight surprise. " None ? " " Except my word. What else ? " "But in business transactions some written acknowledgment — some receipt " 20 ON TUB OFFENSIVE " It is not necessary among men of — with a man of honor." Spnrbritlge stumbled a little over the correction ; he saw the drift of the priest's ques- tioning. But he had no feeling of resentment ; Father Brugau was too highly esteemed to be rele- gated to the position of a mere outsider. " Then the enlisted man does look upon his offi- cer as a man of honor ? " came in the priest's quiet tones. " Unquestionably. Sometimes he is mistaken ; I admit it with sorrow. But it is necessary that the soldier should look up to his officer for guid- ance, military and spiritual — when we are de- prived of the services of a Father Brugan." He stopped, and made a little bow as of acknowledg- ment of the priest's good offices. " The officer cannot be below, or even on, the soldier's plane. He must be above it." " Thank you. I understand," murmured the priest. " So I presume there may be a nearly constant ratio between the uprightness of the offi- cer and of the enlisted man — an equal distance be- tween their planes ? " "Why, yes, there might be," the young fellow replied, a little puzzled. "It is a pretty problem in metaphysics, but I dare say it would work out geometrically." Kalph burst out with a laugh of sudden appre- ciation. "And I say, Spurbridge ! " he called, "here's an element of the problem that Father ON THE OFFENSIVE 21 Brugan has forborne to mention. It won't do for us to sit 'round and growl because the men are no different. If we want to elevate the plane of the enlisted men, first elevate our own. The other rises with it. Isn't that the idea ? " he added, ap- pealing with voice and gesture to the priest. " Oh, I didn't say that ! " he protested, in dismay. But the others laughed heartily, and declared the point well taken. And while the little confusion still ruled, the priest arose and said he must re- turn to town. And he struck off across the pa- rade, his finely constructed figure towering above ordinary men he chanced to meet. His poise was strong and restful. Colonel Gerrish, following him with his eyes, exclaimed, in a burst of impa- tience : " What a pity he chose to make but half an ex- istence ! What a pity he is a j^riest ! " " That's so ! " murmured the young officers, in assent. Lydia alone seemed to recognize the fact that bone and sinew were in as great demand in his work as any other. She sighed : " What a pity there are not more like him ! " " Lydia ! " exclaimed Mrs. Gerrish, in reproof. The tone of the girl's words, her implied thought, were not conventional. There was, too, a con- structive criticism of the officers about her. "That is quite true, mamma," she returned, calm- ly. For when she was fixed in an opinion, even the admonition of her mother failed of its usual 22 ON THE OFFENSIVE effect. " He is engaged iii war quite as seriously as ever papa was, and lie liglits all the time. A weak man or an old one would be of no use at all here ; it must require just such a man as he. And what would this bo without one strong, sincere worker ? " Father Brugan walked toward home in good spirits. He did not hear the commendation of Miss Gerrish, but it may have been its elevating influence that caused him to step so springily, to hold his chin so well up, and to fairly smile in the face of day. At the corner of the barracks he was intercepted by Gavin, caj) in hand. " I done as you said, y'r Kiv'runce. I'm glad, an' my mother'll bless you." The priest commended him, and passed on. Suddenly a woman ran out to him. This was Mrs. Killeen, and her daughter Kitty peeped wistfully from the door of the Killeen quarters. The woman said her man had brought homo his entire pay without a word. She could not understand it until she heard Father Brugan was in the post, and so she had run out to weep a grateful tear in his presence. Father Brugan smiled upon her, and passed on. He looked in the bright sky and saw the floating clouds lying floecily light above one another. Abroad, above, all the forms of nature were beautiful; and the happiness of human beings in these fair surround- ings was beincr increased through his deeds. He Oli THE OFFENSIVE 23 pressed his Lands together and breathed a deep breath of pure satisfaction, for he felt that he had done well ; all nature cast upon him her commen- dation. Then, as he went down the winding foot-path, he came upon a soldier in uniform, lying prone, sleeping oflf the gutterings of intoxication. Two paces beyond, on a limestone shelf, lay another. Empty flasks were handily near each. He stopped, a chill of horror at his heart ; not that the sight was so uncommon, but that it should come so full upon his happy self-communings. The sounds from the saloon pursued him, fell upon him taunt- ingly — the shrieking of tortured violins, the hoarse chant of revelry, the clash and crash of glasses. He heard a woman trolling forth with raucous voice a ditty to which came a refrain, heavy and degraded with the sodden shouts of men. Look- ing about him, his eye was taken by the flutter of a gay-colored garment from an upper window — the flag of defiance at a stronghold of sin. And he went on, stepping his homeward way with a despairing face, and murmuring : " But they have done so much more against me ! " II Upon Lieutenant Ealpli, as officer of the day, devolved the responsibility for order in the post, and he was compelled to be continually watchful. Ordinarily a tour of duty passed uneventfully enough ; but ordinarily the men were not cursed with the possession of money for which they had no good use. The saloon was the point upon which Ealph had to keep his eye. It was like a great pot boiling and seething over a hot fire. He had to see that none of the overflow trickled into the post or disturbed its serenity. A duty of this kind is always difficult and patience-trying, and, in a way, thankless ; in any event, it would be far easier to take the pot off the fire, or even to stamp the fire out. But that he could not do. That would have been to take into his own hands the functions of the civil power ; and the civil power, being in such fi'outier places the weaker, was eminently jealous of the militar}^, and required to be soothed and conciliated, not antagonized. The military power was constitutionally subordi- nate to the civil. Should it, then, step beyond the boundaries of its station, even for the purpose of ON THE OFFENSIVE 25 self-protection ? Not at all. No provision was made for sucli an act. Ealpli caused the sergeant of tlie guard to go forth with a patrol and gather in such members of the garrison as he found hors de combat ; and he chafed over his acknowledged inability to enforce the order prohibiting the bringing into garrison of liquors. He did everything that suggested it- self in the performance of his duty, and might have received compliments on his efficiency, had it been the army way to make them. It was not. Men did their duty at whatever cost, as a matter of course. Had they neglected it, something would have been said ; and so silence had become as favorable a commentary as any reasonable man could ask. Ealph did his duty because it was his duty to do it. Personally, he had a warm sympathy for the men. He drank a good deal himself, except when on duty ; then it was part of his duty to re- main sober. At such times a case of intoxication did not seem to him a funny thing. He would feel a certain pity for the fellow, born of his own experience, and would preferably set about getting him out of the way to a spot where he could be comfortable and recover his wits undisturbed. That was what it was to be himself given to sip- ping and supping. The noises from the saloon did not cease with the going down of the ashamed sun. The even- 26 ON THE OFFENSIVE iug tbickeued, and fierce red liglits slioue from the windows. There were shouts and a medley of in- articulate noises, all animated by triumph. For the soldiers were pretty well through with their debauch ; the men and women against whom they had pitted themselves were experts, and required but a few hours to reduce the month's pay to a remnant not worth considering, Hardl}' one blue uniform was now to be found at the saloon, and the revelry grew to a delirium. The place was filled with uncertain characters who answered to nicknames indicative of personal peculiarities, with grimy cowboys who straddled about in shaggy chaparejos, with swart Mexicans who had crept out of their adobe huts as the night came down. These were people who did not love soldiers. They looked upon them with aversion, cast ob- loquy upon them with every sentence, had per- haps fought against them on unnamed frontier fields. It needed but the infiaming infiuence of drink to bring to the surface all their vindictive- ness, to stir them to some expression of their enmity. Ealph, sitting on his porch, heard the popping of revolvers at the saloon, saw the red flashes leap out into the night, and listened to the whistle of bullets past. As though this was a signal for which he had waited, he sprang to his feet, catch- ing up his sword with one hand, and ran down the road past the ofiicers' quarters toward the ON THE OFFENSIVE 27 saloon. As lie ran, more red flashes burst out, and bullets cut tlie air about him. Once, when a lucky shot shattered the glass of a street light above his head, there were shrieks of exultation, and voices cried : " There goes one of 'em ! Let's have an- other ! " Suddenly Ralph sprang into the narrow circle of their vision, panting : " Let up on that ! " The stillness of the dumb and palsied fell upon the group. They expected next to hear the quick trampling of the guard, to see their rifles thrown forward in uncompromising menace. It was not until they discovered that Ralph was alone that some of them laughed weakly, and others became inclined to curse him. He was not dismaj^ed. His eye was upon the proprietor, who had come out, wondering at the sudden quiet. " If I come down here with the guard there'll be more shooting yet," he threatened. The proprietor listened and trembled. He re- lied upon the patronage of the post, and very cer- tainly had no wish to antagonize so good a cus- tomer as Ralph. He instinctively put the matter on personal grounds and begged off. " That's right, leftenant. You're all right." He turned to the group. "Don't let's have no more of this, boys. F'r God's sake, let up. We don't want no row. This's a respectable place, an' 2S ON THE OFFENSIVE tliere luiin't ben a row here to-day, Dou't spoil it all now, f'r God's sake." " Aw, f'r Gawd's sake," jeered a woman, mimick- ing his tone of pleading. Some of the men laughed at her reassuringly. " That's what I said ! " snapped the proprietor, finding he must assert himself vigorously. " This ain't likely to be no woman's business, an' you'd better keep sliet of it." She shrank back in sud- den fear. " It's your affair," said Ralph, " I've given you fair warning, and if there's any more of this I won't leave two sticks of your shop standing, and some folks '11 get hurt. You hear me ? " He walked calmly awa}'. As he passed out of earshot one of the men said, half admiringly : " Th' little cuss is plucky ! D'ye reckon he'll keep his word ? " " You bet he will ! " replied the proprietor, warming to the task of promoting affable respect. " He ain't afraid o' nothin'. I hioio him ! " " I reckon you do ! " laughed another. " He's had his skin full o' your liquor more'u once." " That's wliat ! " he assented, in genial recollec- tion. " Well, I allers do like a man that'll take a drink an' call your bluff. I sort o' rcspec' 'im. Let's let up. " That's right, boys," said the proprietor, ap]:>rov- ingly, as ho saw a general thrusting of revolvers ox TEE OFFENSIVE 29 into belts. " He's a good little feller, an' we don't want to get him into no trouble. Come on. Let's all go in an' have a drink. It's on me." Ralph strolled back up the officers' line as calmly as though nothing nearer than the stars required his strict attention. Colonel Gerrish had come out on his porch when the firing was heard, and had witnessed Ralph's prompt action. He withdrew into the hous3 as Ralph came back, and felt like congratulating himself on the quality of at least one officer of his command. Lawrence and his wife were also out, and Lawrence called to him : " What's been the matter down there, Ralph? " " They got late on their Fourth of July celebra- tion and were trying to make up lost time, I sus- pect," Ralph laughed. " But didn't they fire right into the post ? " asked Mrs. Lawrence, anxiously. "I think they broke that lamp in front of our quarters." She was fearing that more bullets might find their en'atic way into an upper chamber where two boys lay asleep. "I am afraid you will be alone in that opinion," Ralph said, to reassure her. " Looks to me as though it Avas done with a stone ; that's about the explanation the quartermaster will make on his returns. Let's see — the boys are big enough to throw stones, aren't they? Summon me as a wit- ness when you court-martial them ! " 30 ON THE OFFENSIVE " There, Millicent, I told you you were wrong," said Lawrence, comfortingly. " Nobody is going to fire into the post. Let us go in. Thanks, Ilalj)li ; good-night," he called. Spurbridge's bachelor quarters were that side of Ralph's own, and an inviting light shone from the windows. Ralph went in unceremoniously and found Spurbridge with his heels on the mantel, drawing blue consolation from a pipe. " Come in ! " he had yelled without stirring when Ralph's single knock sounded on the door. " Hope I don't disturb your train of thought," Ralph remarked, apologetically. " Hope you do," responded Spurbridge, point- ing to a chair placed on the other side of the fire- place in position to correspond Avitli his own. With another wave of the hand he hospitably indicated a pipe and a jar of tobacco on the mantel, mid\\'ay between. " Thanks, doubly," said Ralph, accepting both invitations, " Do you mind if I knock it off the track ? " " What ? " " Your train of thought." " Oh, that ! She's ditched already — many thanks to you." Spurbridge threw his arms wearily above his head. " A man may sometimes knowingly en- tertain those who are angels unawares." " You rate me above my class, old man," said Ralph, with becoming modesty, " But anyway, ON THE OFFENSIVE 31 seeing you are so glad to have me here, I believe I'll owl yon till time to inspect my guard." " I don't believe yoti can do any better." Ralph tested the draw of the pipe that had been offered him, and finding it all it should be, filled the bowl, pressing the tobacco down mechanically with his finger. Then he struck a match, and for a few moments devoted his mind and energy to the task of lighting. Spurbridge abstained from re- mark during this critical period, unwilling to dis- tract his attention. Ralph's efforts were crowned with success, and sinking into his chair, he ele- vated his heels to the mantel, to correspond with Spurbridge's. The mantel decoration w^as thus made harmonious and symmetrical in its own right — just as a china dog at one end of a shelf should be balanced by a china cat at the other, or as small flower vases should always go in pairs. Ralph and Spurbridge did not look at each other through the tobacco smoke to indicate their satisfaction ; they looked at their respective boots, and finding the decorative effect good, drew into their souls a pleasing sense of fitness and completeness in each other's friendship and company. " "What sort of a day have you had ? " Spur- bridge asked, casually. " I think the devil set his mark upon it — sealed it for his very own," Ralph replied, bitterly. " The whole garrison has been on a jag. I've got the guard-house full of plain drunks and ornate drunk- 32 ON THE OFFENSIVE and-disorderlies. Some are in the hospital with cuts and bruises. The guard's been on the jump all day, and a general sheolic atmosphere has per- vaded the place. I'll be glad when 8 a.m. comes to-morrow, and I can turn the safe conduct of the post over to my successor." " These pay-day tours are apt to be rather hard on one," Spurbridge observed, sympathetically. " Yes, there's always the chance of it. It's the money, you know. Money is the root of all evil ; did you ever hear that before ? " he asked, quizzi- cally. Then, without desiring a reply, " I sup- pose Congress is onto that, and intentionally keeps our pay low enough to afford a large factor of safety. Twenty-nine days in the month we are correct enough for any society ; it's only on the thirtieth we get a chance to kick up our heels a little. I'm speaking more for the men than our- selves, you know ; we can always compass a small jag when we feel like it." " We can always count on the men to kick uj) rough if they have the slightest show for it," Spur- bridge declared. " Oh, not always, Spurbridge," Ealph said, more tolerantly. " Give the devils their due. It runs in streaks, like the fat and lean of sowbelly. Some- times the post is as quiet on pay-day as a Shaker meeting, when the spirit is in statu quo ; then per- haps only one or two companies Avill feel the air winnowed by the spirit's Avings ; and next time, ox THE OFFENSIVE 33 like to-day, every man will be on liis feet and all talking at once. It is very confusing at such times," he complained. " One can get only the general tenor of the discourse. But most men would be satisfied with that." " Especially those who are trying to conduct the meeting," Spurbridge laughed. His mind took a sharp turn from its sternly critical attitude ; his wish was to be just rather than severe. " But I suppose there will be exceptions to the general rule, even when pay-day appears to be all fat ? " he sugo-ested. " Reversing the proposition that one black sheep will be found in every fold ? " queried Ralph. " Yes. I was thinking of my man Gavin, you know." " Oh, certainly ! The one that tackled you on the C. O.'s porch. How much did he have ? " " Only his month's pay." Ralph grew thoughtful over trusts that had been reposed in him. " I have had a man come to me," he said, "and want me to take care of large sums — hundreds of dollars— at a time. His winnings, you know, that he wouldn't dare keep in ban-acks over-night. He knew the communistic spirit that prevails across the parade would leave him as poor as ever by morning ; but he felt no uneasiness once he had left it in an officer's hands ! Of course such faith as that is child-like ; it is unrea- soning, and one might say, unreasonable." 3 34 OX THE OFFENSIVE " I wisli it wasn't," said Spurbriclge, regretfully. " Oh, of course. We should both be glad if it were based on aiiythiug broader than service dis- cipline, which teaches the men, nolens volens, to have faith in us. We have seen officers go to the wall with as disgraceful a financial exposure- debts and diverted funds — as could happen in any business. There are two or three a year even in our little army, but in sj)ite of it all the confidence of the men is unshaken. They still'look upon an officer as — as — as " " The incarnation of honor," suggested Spur- bridge. " Ah, that," said Ralph. " Honor. Funny, too ; an officer does seem to have more honor toward the enlisted men than in some other directions." Spurbridge looked at him in surprise. " That is to say," Ralph replied, " although we know officers do go to smash themselves, ruin their families and all, did you ever hear that an enlisted man suffered through faith reposed in an officer? Did you ? " " Never," said Spurbridge, emphatically. Ralph pulled intently at his pipe, took down his knowledge of cases in point, looked it over, and put it back without using. " So they go on trust- ing," he said, " Because they never have been struck by lightning they think they never will. Well, what storms may come we know not." He paused a moment, contemplatively. "Excellent feeling round the heart, though, to reflect that a ON THE OFFENSIVE 35 lot of men are constantly learning to trust you as helplessly and uuquestioningiy as a child learns and believes in his catechism. Gives one a pro- tecting air." He laughed a little with amusement. " How is that, Spurbridge, at our age to be fathers to whole platoons of grown-up, hairy-fisted fight- ing men ? " " It surpasses my wildest ambitions," Spur- bridge declared. " I never thought when I put on the uniform that I assumed paternal cares with it." " No, that's one of the surprises of the service." They sat grinning at their boots in delight of the whimsey, and they recharged the smoked-out pipes before they continued talking. By that time Ralph's active mind had picked up another thread growing out of their previous conversation. He and Spurbridge alwaj's talked easily together ; they were sympathetic in a high degree. E-alph seemed to see in Spurbridge the character that had been his own when he was fresh in the ser- vice. If he spent much time with him now, it might be that he desired to inform the younger officer against errors that had been unfortunate for liimself. "Your speaking of Gavin," said Ralph, "and the talk about honor at the C. O.'s, reminds me of a man we used to have in the regiment — I forget when he did graduate. He was promoted out and didn't transfer back. Good man, too, and we were sorry." 36 ON THE OFFENSIVE " Who was he ? " " Wallace Avas his name. He was with Burns's company." " In the service now ? I can't place him," said Spurbridge, after a little thought. "Oh, it was before your day. No, he isn't in the service now. He married a girl back East, and a year after he was promoted he resigned. His wife had money, and I always had an idea she didn't like it, being separated so from her people and knocking about from one post to an- other. When Wallace resigned he went into busi- ness with her father. But he didn't like the ser- vice very well, somehow," Ralph said, reflectively. "I remember he used to have a good deal to say about honor and the lack of it. Perhaps that was why he left." " I don't know where he'd look for it with any better chance of success than in the army," said Spurbridge, resentfully. " It is scarce ; all desir- able things are ; that's one reason why they are desirable." "Y-e-e-s — well, it's in the army and out of it, both. No one class of men has a monopoly. We've got just as much of it as outside people ; no more." He paused and sent a keen glance at Spurbridge. " If we do seem a little more punc- tilious in regard to debts and general conduct, it isn't because of honor." " No ? " said Spurbridge, in surprise. ox THE OFFENSIVE 37 "Why, that's just what you said this morning about the enlisted men," said Ralph, triumphant- ly. " Can't you admit that it's as true of the Line as of Barracks ? " He spoke as if in denial of any honorable motive. " We do what we ought, because we'd be incontinently kicked out if we didn't. We're no better than other people, and it's only a part of the pose to pretend we are." " But we are ! " declared Spurbridge, uneffaced. " I don't say this with any swelling of vain-glory. We have had advantages ; the men have had none. We Avere educated at a place where honor and pa- triotism were the legs we stood on, and every- thing that could be done to make us highminded was done. Do you pretend that the endeavor has been wasted ? Of course we're better than the enlisted men ! If not, we ought to be ashamed of ourselves." Ralph shook his head at him with an exaggera- tion of sad discouragement. " Oh, youth, youth ! What fine sentiments do you waste on the desert air, the calloused ear of the world we live in ! My dear boy, the man who said words were given us to conceal our thoughts, might have added that the end of education was to veneer the real crea- ture, to idealize the natural, honest man." " He was a cynic like yourself, and I'm sorry for him," retorted Spurbridge, hotly. " You are very young, Spurbridge — even younger than you think," Ralph continued, stiffening a lit- 38 ON THE OFFENSIVE tie under the fling. " You have been out from the Academy a little more than a year ; I graduated seven years before you did. Perhaps you will not take it as boasting if I say that I have learned more in these eight years, without intentional in- struction, than I did all the time those kind pro- fessors at West Point were getting me in shape to wear shoulder-straps ? " " Oh, no," said Sjiurbridge, flinging back his head. " It only indicates that some men don't improve the advantages those professors afl'ord them." This little pin of Spurbridge's pricked sharply. " As to that," said Pialph, loftily, " class rank is generally taken as the standard of judgment. I might compare mine with yours — but I won't. In seven years more, with ordinary luck, you will have learned that class standing indicates little else than capacity' for booking. Our best soldiers have been men to whom books were secondary considerations. Nearly all of them graduated somewhere about the immortals," and got the Aveight of their education later." " Yes, I admit that about the big generals," said Spurbridge. " It's a matter of record, anyway. And as for this aftermath of education, I suppose you mean experience in human afi^airs ? Kubbing up against people ? Understanding human nat- * The word is applied at West Point to cadets who lag at the foot of their class. OK THE OFFENSIVE 39 ure ? " Kalpli nodded repeatedly. " Well, that takes time," Spurbridge continued, defensively, " and, I suppose, a certain human talent — -or tal- ent for humanity — that we possess in varj'ing de- gree. I didn't think of that, though, when you spoke," he admitted, manfully. " I went back to the Academy." " Of course you did," said Ralph, patronizingly. " It only proves what I said — that you are young. You've got a fistful of savoir-faire of a social sort, Spurbridge, but your hand isn't worth holding when it comes to the every-day affairs of life." " I know it," Spurbridge grieved, contritely ; " but what am I to do ? " " Hold up something and draw to it," Ralph suggested, lightly ; and then, seeing that Spur- bridge was in serious mood, continued ; " Oh, it's merely a matter of environment. You went from a quiet home to the seclusion of the Academy, and haven't had a real chance at the world yet. ' What shall you do ? ' Why, rustle round and mix in the herd all you can ! AVherever you go, read your footprints ; see what you do, and understand why you do it. But what am I talking like this for? You're no babe : you've got sense even if you- do lack experience. Excuse me, old man, and gang your ain gait to Avernus. That's what I'm doing — and all the rest of us." " Oh, hold on, Ralph ! Don't throw it over that way ! " Spui-bridge entreated. " I know what you 40 ON THE OFFENSIVE mean — and I don't mind, I assure you ! I shouldn't care to have others in the regiment say these things to me — but it's different with you. We understand each other — better — somehow. You're pretty well along through the mill, and I'm just starting in to be ground. Say anything you please, Ealph. It's a favor you're trying to do me, and I have sense enough to see that, anywa3\" Ralph admitted the intended favor with a grudg- ing dislike of being detected. " Well, yes, I do mean it all right, and we do understand the case. This mill's a mighty irregular thing, Spurbridge. Some places let you through easy, and some just husk the flesh off your bones. With the assist- ance of considerable whiskey and poker I have succeeded in being reduced to the mimsy skele- ton you see before you." He stretched his rather meagre form in the chair to show the result of the grinding, and laughed in grim recognition of it. " Not so bad as that," Spurbridge said, comfort- ingly. "You're in fine, healthy trim — ready for a campaign to-morrow ! " " No, I'm not," groaned Ralph, thinking of the rest that should come after his tour of duty. '•' None of these plainspeople carry any meat on their bones," said Spurbridge, reasoning by anal- ogy. " The fat man doesn't seem to be indige- nous, and he doesn't bear transplanting." " Very pretty, but untrue," said Ralph, doggedly. " But getting back to where we were a while ago, ON TEE OFFENSIVE 41 there is one thing of profit a fellow learns during eight years of frontier service." " Yes ? Well, what is it ? " " Not to talk so much about honor. Don't treat it as an exotic ; take it as a matter of course. It's kind of spread-eagly to refer to it all the time ; sort of newspaperish, too. The newspapers will give you enough of that if you ever do anything worth while — just as they'll pile the mud onto you if the luck sets the other way. You'll never get a just measure of praise or of blame ; there will be an excess in either case." " I suppose so," Spurbridge murmured. " But honor being so good a thing " " Ah, that's just it ! It is so good it won't stand talking about. It's a most excellent thing, but the name of it has fallen into a certain disrepute. The civilian world has a way of saying of you and of me : ' Oh, he's an army officer. His sense of honor is beyond question.' They expect an officer to be ' honorable ' in a higher degree than almost anyone else ; and so it isn't exactly good form for an officer to go about exploiting his own best point. They know he's got it, or he isn't fit to be an offi- cer. No ; don't be surprised that an officer should have honor — and, 'way down in your heart of inner consciousness, don't be surprised when you find one without any." " You think I talk about it too much ? " Spur- bridge asked, in a weakly grieved way. 42 ON THE OFFENSIVE " That's the only fault I ever heard found with Wallace," Ralph replied, guardedly. " Oh, yes ; Wallace. The fellow that resigned ? " " Yes, he resigned." They were silent for a little time, watching the smoke from their pipes circle slowly as it sought an outlet, and was tinally drawn wreathing into the open fireplace and up the chimney. AVithout, the unhallowed sounds of revelry had ceased. The high stillness of the prairie lay upon the station, save for the rhythmical tramping where a sentinel paced the length of the guard-house porch ; and this, softened by distance, was as the throbbing of the hush. Then, even that ceased, and the listen- ers heard the clang of the sentinel's rifle as he threw it across his body and roared the hour of the night : " Number One ; eleven o'clock ! " The cry was taken up by the sentinel on Number Two, adding, " All's well ! " The shouts sounded more and more distantly as the remoter sentinels proved their wakefulness. The last note of safety came like a bell from the depths of night, and " All's well ! " shouted Number One, conclusively, resum- ing his beat. The shouts ringing through the darkness and stillness from these isolated points thrilled the hearers strangely. All was well— all was well. It was wonderful, audacious, inconceiv- able, this piping assertion of human strength, knowledge, and endurance, in the very midst of the universe of the unknowable. ON THE OFFENSIVE 43 Spurbridge arose, casting off the spell ; lie did not Avish to foster a liabit of dreamy speculation. He went into another room, and presently returned Avith glasses and a couple of bottles of cold beer. Then he brought in crackers and pickles, dried venison and cheese, Ealj^h regarded the prepara- tions appreciatively. "Not much of a lunch to-night," said Spur- bridge, apologetically. "My larder isn't extensive at the best. However, I guess this will do for a snack. I seem to have an appetite for just what's here." " That's a blessing," said Ealph, beaming on the spread. " May you always want just what you can get ! That's the secret of content, and content is the secret of a happy life. See ? I'm letting you have two secrets^ for the price of one. Ah, that beer looks good — the way it creams up ! Here's to you ; how ! " " How ! " responded Spurbridge. And the two drank that ancient toast of proven comrades. And they approached the lunch after the manner of healthy animals to whom everything edible is also digestible. " By the way," said Ralph, suddenly, " there is a quality that seems to spring from this of honor, we've been talking of. I mean, simplicity. Did It ever strike you that army officers as a class are childishly simple in regard to business affairs '? " Spurbridge's brow wrinkled as he looked in the 44 ON THE OFFENSIVE shallow waters of his experience for an example. " No, I hadn't thought of it, but I reckon it may be so. We are unfamiliar with such things." " Yes, and the pose of special probity makes it all the worse for us," said Ralph, out of his wis- dom. " Our pay isn't anything to be proud of, you kuoAv, and if an officer has ambition to start a bank account he Avill get very tired of trying to save enough out of his pay to make a showing. He is more apt to take what little he has and put it into something that is boomed enticingly — some- thing that offers special inducements to army offi- cers ; that's the way some of 'em advertise," Spurbridge nodded ; he had seen such notices. " Well," said Ralph, "it's seldom that the officer's bank account is benefited thereby. He is a bird to be plucked," he declared, indignantly. " Specu- lation isn't in his line, and he'd better be content with his pay. It's enough to live on." " But officers sometimes resign and go into busi- ness," Spurbridge said, argumentatively. " Don't they succeed? Or what does become of them? " Ralph drained his glass before he answered. " Oh, yes, they resign, and some of them make a go of it. Others fail, and try to get back into the service with a loss of rank and prestige. You see, an army training isn't the same as a business train- ing. The two lines are entirely dissimilar, and a man can't go from one to the other by simply turn- ing his hand over." ON THE OFFENSIVE 45 Spiirbridge pondered for a few moments on this. " I wonder if you always held this view? " he asked. " Course not," Ralph admitted, cheerfully. " I've come to it, as a man comes to all his views. When he outgrows one suit, he gets anothey. Why, there was a time when / thought seriously of resigning ! That was when I didn't know the army as well as I do now, and wasn't satisfied with it. But now I think it's good enough for me — and I'll live and die a soldier," he concluded, with a sudden air of bravado. " That man Wallace — he gets along, doesn't he ? " " I suppose so. But then, he's with his father- in-law and can't very well help it. Ajid what's more, he resigned before the rust of the service had eaten very far into his soul. He had a dis- taste for the rut, and got out before it became a second nature to him. He was not formed, and still had it in his power to make or unmake his future." " Well," said Spurbridge, with an air of having made a discovery, "it seems folly to resign. There's time enough in garrison for one to follow almost any line of study or research. Duty is a small matter in point of hours, and the whole day shouldn't be wasted. The pay insures a living, and takes away anxiety on that score ; and one can even afford to spend a little on some special branch. Nobody in the army seems to be rich ; I suppose 46 ON THE OFFENSIVE if a man has money he prefers to be where he can have the benefit of it, and not hive up in a forgot- ten frontier station." " Ya-as," said Ealph, yawning, " There are more desirable pkices of residence — always are — than the place where you have to be. And as for improving your sparo time with outside concerns — we are all worms wriggling on the fish-hooks of Fate in the waters of coming oblivion ; and al- though many fish may nibble at us, Ave can be the stomach food of but one. But try it, old man, try it. That's the most satisfying thing to do, I've been there — and come away again," He had risen from his chair, and was girding on his sword and looking for his cap, " And now it's just midnight, and I'll go and inspect my guard. You're a first- class hand to owl, Spurbridge, and I'll reciprocate your kindness whenever you're on duty." Spurbridge had also risen, and was laughing at Ralph's metaphor. " Well, since we are worms, let's wriggle at a livel}' rate," he said, " In that way we may attract the attention of some especially fine fish, and in dying serve a lasting purpose of an admirable sort, I believe I'll go and look at the guard with you," " Come along, then ; it's a fine night," Ralph said, gladly. He survej'ed the crumbs of the feast. "Do you know," said he, "that little lunch re- minds me of the poker parties Ave had one Avinter, Avhen I Avas learniui^ the "aine ? " ON THE OFFENSIVE 47 " How was that ? " " Some man, when officer of the day, asked the fellows to come round and keep him awake till midnight, and play penny-ante. We had a pleas- ant evening. Then we got in the way of adding a little lunch — something like yours to-night. Pres- ently the lunch became more elaborate. Then the limit of the game was raised to keep ujd the excite- ment. So it went till the lunch became a collation, and the game was so heavy that the married men didn't dare to come in on account of their wives ; the affair became too expensive, and the whole thing dropped. After the limit of competitive ex- travagance was reached, no one dared go back to the primitive cracker- and-beer, penny-ante, enter- tainment." Ralph laughed at the recollection. " Well, what do we argue from this ? " asked Spurbridge. " Oh, the moral? Well, hcec fabida docet quan^ turn bonum may be in a rational enjoyment of good things. Avoid excesses. Through the ambition of my brother-officers — and of myself — I made a large outlay at cards from which I have received no adequate return, and also acquired a touch of dyspei^sia. Leave competition alone." " It's the life of trade." " Wrong. It's the death of it." Spurbridge stood aghast. " You're not going back on all the platitudes, are you'?" he de- manded. 48 ON THE OFFENSIVE Ralph waved bis arm fleeringly. " Most of them have served their time and should be retired. They should have gone out with Fourth of July oratory. We have no orators nowadays, and platitudes fall pretty flat in print. They make me tired." Spurbridge looked at him with a touch of aston- ishment that made Ralph chuckle in his throat. " You're a queer fellow ! " he said. " Are your views generally accepted ? " " I reckon not," said Ralph, with a satisfaction Spurbridge could not comprehend. " Then why do you hold to them '? " he de- manded, strong with the strength of popular theo- ries. "Why? " said Ralph; " perhaps that's one good reason." They stepped out upon the parade, and the vel- vet blackness of the night was against their faces. The stars, like rivet heads of burnished steel on the dusk armor-plates of heaven, sent single spears of bluish light piercing through the darkness to the earth. Down the line, the individual feat- ures of the houses sank into each other, and across the parade where barracks stood, only a long, unbroken line of intenser blackness was dis- cernible. At the very end stood the guard-house, and lights shone there. The two men made their way toward them across the parade, stepping Oy THE OFFEN!