Weekly Calaveras chronicle. (Mokelumne Hill, Calaveras County, Cal.) 18??-1874, 1867-10-05

ouI tHat d IepIiefe, poslpOueiHent,
was impossible.
went to the wounded officer, the
Captain of his own company, and got
him to tell his own story it was just
the same thing over again-always the
exceedingly loud report aud the fouled
and still smoking carGine.
4 would said the Captain, 'have
given the price Of my commission rather
than have had it happen, Hes as fue
fellow as ever sat horse, brave, kind
and as thorough a gentleman as the
Colonel himself; | always made him
my orderly when I could, SO as to have
company. | declare to you that | did
my best at the Court martial for him,
and got into disgrace with the General
presiding for 'coloring my statements
that was his expression-so as to favor
the prisoner l almost snivelled when
| [ heard the sentence, as if he had been
my own brother. The men are mad
about it there has not been a lash or
public punishment Of any kind III the
regiment for the last twenty five years.
hardly knew how to pass the time !;
[ tried to think, but my ideas only
Travelled in the same old groves again.
l invited the assistant surgeon to
come up to my quarters, and introduced
him to my sister. lie was quite a
young fellow, and seemed quite fatter-
/ ed bv nv simple attention, for in the
army they have not quite made up
their minds whether medical officer
should be treated as a gentleman but
the strangest thing ever saw in my
life was my sisters conduct. Ofcourse,
speaking g YOU fellows I shan't be mis-
understood, and some Of you have seen
her, She laid herself out to please him
to an extent [ never should have
thought my dear, grave Meggie capable
Of; sang to him, played to him, and
made eyes at him till I thought her
brain was turned. She said she should
like to see his quarters, asked him to
ask US to lunch, and shut me up like a
rat trap when L ventured to hint that it
might not be convenient.
Well, he went away at last as mad as
she. spoke to her after he Was gone,
and she fell into my arms, sobbing as if
her heart was breaking, and then, with
cut word Of explanation, ran out ofthe
room.
Next day we went to his quarters,
and nothing would satisfy her but that
he should mix up some medicine for
her out of the bottles of his little trav-
cling case. There she was, handling
and shifting and tasting everything, like
child of ten rather than girl of
eighteen. She sent him about the
room made him bring books from the
opposite side of it, so that she might
read about the properties of the drugs;
and, in short, behaved so like a lunatic
that [ thought the trouble about Gerald
must have affected her mind. I got
her away at last, and intended to insist
on her remaining in the house and put
ting some ice to her head. It was
quite unnecessary; the moment cleft
the surgery she was calm and silent as
nun.
Well, the days passed in some sort of
dreary fashion till the evening of the
11th. l had been asked during the
day to 60 down with the officers to see
some rifle practice, at some temporary
marks, and | went down.
1t was rather late when [ rode up to
the firing point, and they were just
leaving off ard one Of them came up
and said:
Il say, Captain, tell us the cause of
these new bullets turning inside out 2
and he handed me a bullet reversed
Just such another as Williams has in
his hand
l took it, just to explain the matter
to him, when thought struck through
my mind like flash of lightning.
Saved, by God [ exclaimed.
who's got that bullet out of the
saddle p
'Whet bullet ?
Gerald s-my COUSINS
ON Gentleman Jacks affair. The
doctors got It,
w here is he 2
Don't know-quarters, I think
'No, he's come into town; I saw him
on the road as we came by
sped on into the town, leaving them
to think what they pleased; and spent
more than two hours finding the doctor.
At last [ caught him.
In another minute we were riding
full gallop to his quarters.
lie bad the bullet-a little bruised
and singularly fattened, aud blunted at
the point-it must have been just spent
when it struck.
l then went to the sergeant who had
charge of the nineteen rounds of am
munition that were found in Gerald's
pouch About midnight / contrived to
find him, and after some little delay |
got possession of them.
l then returned to the doctor, and we
compared the nineteen bullets with the
one found in the saddle. ] then ran to
the telegraph clerk, reused him out of
bed and told him to telegraph to the
headquarters in Calcutta, to my lieu
tenant in charge of the magazines.
After an hours waiting, ringing at
the bell, an answer came that the night
Waterman would fetch the Lieutenant.
| then sent message No. l:
"Examine the books and see the date
on which the last ammunition was sent
for the use of the 10th Dragons find
| the sa1ua Marcel and carefnllu rannouo