erlein was
only thoughtless and greedy, and it had been more a stupid prank than a
crime, for the money which lay near the sausage was untouched. So he
had held the boy across the table and given him five-and-twenty strokes
with his leather belt. He was not quite clear in his mind whether this
had been entirely in order--it might have been technically an assault;
at any rate it turned out right. Niederlein was now about the best
soldier in the whole battery, and would have, gone through fire and
water for the sergeant-major.

The lad watched awhile how Schumann went slowly out through the back
gateway and disappeared into the little wood. Then he hurried off to
his quarters, for the battery was collecting for foot-drill.

Schumann had purposely chosen to go to the town by the lonely way
through the wood, because if he had gone by the high road he would have
met the battery officers again. That would have meant another delay;
and then besides he felt he belonged far more to the men than to the
officers, despite his double stripes.

He paused on the hill and gazed at the well-known landscape beneath
him, where in the foreground lay the great drill-ground at his feet.

With his sharp eyes he could even recognise individual men. The fourth
battery had just brought its six guns up to the gate; the fifth had not
stirred as yet--Captain Mohr was not fond of duty so soon after dinner;
and now his own battery, the sixth, arrived on the ground to perform
foot-drill. The ornaments on the helmets shimmered in the sun, and he
almost fancied he could hear the even tread. Wegstetten and the two
lieutenants were behind.

The drill began, and the breaking up into files, the deployment, and
finally the parade-march, first in file and then in battery column--all
went splendidly. It was a joy to look down upon the smart, well-ordered
straight lines as they moved. Instead of himself, Heppner marched in
the sergeant-major's place, and Keyser, as the senior non-commissioned
officer present, led the file of drivers instead of the deputy
sergeant-major.

All was thoroughly well done, there was not a hitch anywhere.

And he, Schumann, had believed that he was indispensable, he had
thought things could not go on without him!

At supper Julie Heppner said to her husband: "Otto, the money you give
us for housekeeping isn't enough. Ida couldn't pay the milkman to-day."

"No affair of mine," replied the deputy sergeant-major, with his mo