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Uncle Sam's Boys in the Ranks, a novel by H. Irving Hancock |
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Chapter 19. A Secret Coward |
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_ CHAPTER XIX. A SECRET COWARD IF any official notice was taken of that lying anonymous note the rascally writer thereof did not have the satisfaction of discovering it for some time to come. Duties in the battalion went on, as usual, at Fort Clowdry, the next day. Late in the afternoon, however, came a brief battalion drill, followed by the glorious spectacle of dress parade. After the regimental band had played the colors down the line, and the other ceremonies had been observed, Adjutant Wright took his post to publish the orders. These were few, and the reading did not occupy long. As the officer returned the papers to the breast of his coat the men expected to see him step back. Instead, however, the adjutant sharply called: "Battalion, attention! I am directed by the battalion commander to make an inquiry. Each man will pay close heed, and answer if he is able. Has any non-commissioned officer or private in this battalion heard, at any time lately, any man in the same squad room with him talk in his sleep in such a way as to indicate that the man talking in his sleep had any knowledge concerning the men who recently broke into and robbed the battalion commander's quarters? Any man having such knowledge will fall out." There was a tense silence, but the ranks of the first battalion remained intact. "If there is any non-commissioned officer or private who did not fully understand my question, he will fall out," continued the adjutant. Still no man fell out. "If the man who addressed the anonymous letter to the battalion adjutant is present he will step out," continued Lieutenant Wright. Still the ranks remained unbroken. Being at "attention," each man in the four companies was looking fixedly ahead. But curiosity was running wild under all those blue fatigue blouses! "An anonymous letter has been received at battalion headquarters," continued the adjutant sternly. "This letter accuses a soldier, who is named, of having guilty knowledge concerning the perpetrators of the robbery of the other night. The writer of this letter asserts that other men in the squad room have heard the anonymously accused soldier talking in his sleep in such a manner as to implicate the accused in the robbery. "No man present has acknowledged having heard such talk. Either some soldiers now in ranks have lied in denying having heard such talk, or else the writer of the anonymous letter is a liar. I am directed by the battalion commander to state his belief that the writer of the anonymous letter is the liar. "The writer of the letter has been ordered to fall out and reveal himself. If that writer is present, then he knows in his own mind, and one of these days his comrades will know, that he is too much of a coward to face responsibility for his sneaking action. "The man who writes an anonymous letter is always a coward, a sneak, and usually a liar, too. I am directed by the battalion commander to state that, if the writer of this anonymous letter can be found, he will be placed on trial for his act, which is one unworthy of a soldier. "I am further directed by the battalion commander to state that no letter anonymously accusing an enlisted man will react in any way against the accused. The battalion commander feels that he cannot state, too strongly, his intense contempt for any coward who will resort to slandering a comrade in an anonymous letter. "The battalion commander will be glad, at any time, to receive from any man in his command any information or report that may be made honestly and for the good of the service. But the man making such report will go to headquarters and make it in person, or else will put his information in writing and sign it fully and manfully." After an impressive pause Adjutant Wright stepped back, saluted his commanding officer, then stepped to his proper position. At a signal from the adjutant the buglers now sounded retreat. As the last notes died out the sunset gun was fired. Rifles flew to "present arms," swords flashed to salute and male civilian onlookers uncovered their heads while the band crashed out with "The Star Spangled Banner." As the band played, the Flag fluttered down from the peak of the post flag staff and descended into the hands of its defenders. One man stood in the ranks at that moment who was unfit to touch even the border of that national emblem. "Order arms!" rang out, as the last note died out. "Right shoulder arms!" Then by column of fours the battalion marched briskly off the field, to be halted and dismissed near barracks. No sooner were the men in their quarters than the same angry inquiry rose in each squad room: "Who has been writing lying letters about a comrade?" No one admitted being the dastard, of course, yet over at headquarters Major Silsbee, at that very moment, was asking: "What makes you so very sure, Wright, that some man in this command wrote the anonymous letter?" "It is all very simple, sir," replied the adjutant. "Look at the note again, sir, and you'll see that it is typewritten----" "Of course, Wright; I've known that from the first." "But, sir, it's written in the style of type that is used on the Everite typewriter. This post is equipped with Everite typewriters; we have them here at headquarters, and every first sergeant has one, too, for his clerk." "And there may be a dozen more Everite typewriters over in Clowdry," suggested Major Silsbee dubiously. "No, Major; I've made an investigation. I have a list of every firm or person in Clowdry who owns a machine--only about a dozen in all, and not one of them is an Everite. Major, the letter was written on this post, and with an Everite machine." "Then, by the great guns, sir, I hope you go further and catch the culprit," exploded Major Silsbee, bringing his fist down on the desk. "Ah," sighed Lieutenant Wright. "That's just where the trouble is. It will be a hard task, sir." _ |
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