Trooper Tales — page 121: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

A SOLDIER OF MISFORTUNE. Nobody loved Duffie. Anyway not until he went to Porto Rico. None of the boys cared a rap for him even then. Yet Duffie was a good soldier—a man who is al- ways sober enough to answer calls, keep his equipments polished, and his face shaved is a good soldier. At least from an officer’s point of view, and that’s what counts. But like many another choice spirit, Private Duf- fie was totally devoid of those twin faculties, which show off one’s better side and make friends. And since this trooper possessed the added misfortune of being ugly to look upon, his fellow soldiers took no trouble to sound him for a better side. Duffie had never been able to say the proper thing at the proper time, so he did what was next best—kept his mouth shut. This became a habit with him in early life. Now a silent man is not wanted for a “bunkie” in Uncle Sam’s cavalry. Duffie gambled also—a soldierly trait, and one which would hurt no man’s reputation in his troop, but since he won calmly, steadily and silently, he was not asked to sit at every pay-day game. Next to Duffie’s silence, his worst EoOmMmIicdooks.co