Ordered Powell to stop short (4)
I believe the answer is:
bade
'ordered' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'powell to stop short' is the wordplay.
'powell' becomes 'baden' (Robert Baden-Powell).
'to stop short' means to remove the last letter (the word comes to an end too soon).
'baden' with its final letter removed is 'BADE'.
(Other definitions for bade that I've seen before include "Commanded with bead" , "Invited" , "Ordered" .)