Custer As A Logician

One day a trooper, whose joints were stift' and whose bones acbed frona riciïngan ugly horse, feil out of his seat of fours on drill, and deelared he would be shot before he would drill another half hour. He was on his way to the guard house when Ouster rode up, ordered his release, and requested his presence at headquarters. The sulky-tempered trooper followed the General, wonlering if he was not to be placed against he feneeand shot. Custer had f ar different intentions. Biddiug the trooper sit down, the General calmly inquired : " Why did y ou refuse to dull?" " Beoause ï am tired out and shaken up and I kuow all about every drill." "When I took this brigade," said the Genera], " I thought I knew just how to command it. I have learned something new every day ; I shall always be learning. If you refuse to drill all others will soon refuse. Then the discipline will relax, men and horses forget, and in our first action we shall be cut to pieces for want of intelligent inaneuvering. I want you to be a man, and yet you must be a machine to obey." _ The soldier was silent. "I rido five to your one," continued the General. " I sleep three or four hours ; you sleep seven or eight. I have 4,000 men to care for ; you have onlv vour horse. I have a thousand plaints to listen to ; you have none. I have tive times your work, fare no better and will be shot as soon as you are. If I take all this burden and trouble and hard work on niy shoulders are you not willing to bear a trine?" The trooper returnod to his saddle. One day, a year afterward, he died before Ouster'a eyes, died so bravely that the General said of him : "Anarmy like that man could conquer tho world."