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Updated: September 13, 2025
But you must feel for me, and understand how hard it will be for me to do with-out you. If I only knew who could take your place!" The sergeant-major shrugged his shoulders. "Well, speak out; you know the men better even than I do." Schumann hesitated a little, and then said: "You know yourself, sir; Heppner is the next in seniority." "Of course," said Wegstetten rather testily, "I know that.
"But why?" "He gambles, sir." Wegstetten walked up and down the room for a few moments, plunged in thought; then came to a stand in front of the sergeant-major. "Thank you for being so open with me, Schumann," he said; "but I don't see how we can avoid it. Heppner has served eleven years, the colonel likes him well enough, and he really is a capable man in all practical work."
At length Vogt plucked up courage and stammered a few words. Captain von Wegstetten listened kindly. He had soon perceived that he had to do with two worthy, honest lads; and, with his own ends in view, he proceeded to inquire in a condescending way about their homes.
"But, my dear Wegstetten," Lischke tried to appease him, "think of the difficulties of transport! A two-hours' drive, and we're not to run up the expenses!" Wegstetten's reply was lost in the passage. Reimers rose quickly from the bed. He was afraid that Frommelt might seek him out, and that he would have to invent some kind of excuse.
The captain smiled, much gratified, and modestly answered, "A bit of good luck, sir!" But the colonel continued, more seriously: "Well, partly luck, perhaps. Just one thing more, my dear Wegstetten. That gun-layer who made the lucky shot has he been ill? He looked pretty bad to me like a perfect death's-head."
Wegstetten motioned him kindly to a seat, and then bent over the records of the recruits. "Well, Schumann," he began, "what sort of a lot have we got this time?" "It doesn't seem a bad year, sir," answered the sergeant-major; "they've nearly all got clean sheets " "Hm," assented the officer, "nearly all, but ?" "Two have been convicted, one of theft, the other of resisting lawful authority.
It was more significant that Captain von Wegstetten had a letter from his brother-in-law, the head of the first mounted battery, also written in a remarkably Ambrosian vein. "I can tell you" it ran "we two heads of batteries thank God on our knees that we are rid of Mohbrinck.
Of course that was somewhat early to be making such a visit as his; but he had no time to lose, and he knew that an officer must always begin the day early. The porter at the station did not know where Captain von Wegstetten lived.
Only such remarkably active and circumspect officers as Wegstetten and Madelung could manage to satisfy both claims upon them: their ordinary military duties, and the merely personal likes and dislikes of the commander of the regiment and the brigadier. Gropphusen let his battery go as it pleased; he was in one of his wild fits. But Träger and Heuschkel quite lost their heads.
He had worked his way upwards through long years of service, only getting promotion by slow degrees; and eight years ago he had been made sergeant-major, Wegstetten getting his battery on the self-same day. Nowadays any young fool of a gunner might be made bombardier in a year, in another six months corporal, and then be set to teach others.
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