St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1867-08-23

exceedingly loud report, and the fouled
and still smoking carbine.
Il would" said the captain, have
given the price of my commission rather
than have had it happen. He's as fine a
fellow as ever sat horse, brave, kind,
and as thorough a gentleman as the
colonel himself; [ always made him my
orderly when | could, so as to have COM
pany. l declare to you that | did my
best at the court martial for him, and
got into disgrace with the general presid-
ing for 'coloring statements''-that was
his expressiOn-so as to favor the prison.
er. | almost snivelled when heard the
sentence, as if he had been my own
brother. The men are mad about it {;
there has not been lash or public pun
ishment of any kind in 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 grooves
again.
| invited the assistant surgeon to come
up to my quarters, and introduced him
to my sister, He was quite young fell
low, and seemed quite fattered by my
simple, attention, for in the army they have
not quite made up their minds wheth-
er a medical officer should be treated as a
gentleman but the strangest thing | ever
saw in my life was my sisters conduct.
OF course, speaking TO you fellows |
shan't be misunderstood, and some of
you have seen her. She laid herself out
TO please him TO an extent | never should
have thought my dear, grave Maggie
capable of; sang TO him. played 10 him.
and made eyes at him till | 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 rat
trap when | ventured TO hint that it
might not be convenient.
Well. he went away at last as mad a
she. | spoke TO her after he was gone.
and she fell into my arms. sobbing as if
her heart was breaking. and then with
out a word OF explanation. ran out of the
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 travelling 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 linn
bring books from the opposite side OF il
50 that She might read about the proper
ties OF the drugs: AMI, in short. behaved
SO like lunatlc that | thought the
trouble about Gerald must have affected
her mind. ] got her away Al last. and
intended TO insist on her remaining III
the house and putting some ice to her
head 1t was quite unnecessary: the
moment we lett the surgery She was calm
ana silent aS q nun.
Well, the days passed in some sort OF
dreary fashion till the evening of the
1lth. | had been asked during the dav
TO 30 down with the officers TO see some
rifle practice, at some temporary marks,
and | went down.
1t WIS rather late when | role up 10
the firing point, and they were just leav-
inc off: and one of them came mp and
sad:
81 say, captain, tell Us the cause OF
these new bullets turning inside out q
and he handed me bullet reversed
just such another as William 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 sad
die p
"What bullet >"
"Gerald Shy COUSINS.
"Oh :" "Gentleman Jacks affair.
The doctors got it.
"Whcre is he ~
''Don't know-quarter' think"
"No, he's come into town | 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 l:st | caught him.
In another minutes we were riding full
gallop to his quarters.
He had the bullet-a little bruised and
singularly tlattcned, and blunted at the
point-it must have been just spent when
it struck.
| then went to the sergeant who had
charge of the nineteen rounds of ammu-
milton that were found in Gerald's pouch.
About midnight l contrived to find him,
and after some little delay | got posses
sion of them.
then returned to the doctor. and We
compared the nineteen bullets with the
one found in the saddle. | then ran TO
telegraph clerk, reused him out of bed
and told him to telegraph to the head
quarters in Calcutta, to my lieutenant in
charge of the magazines.
After an hours waiting, ringing at
the bell, an answer came that the night
watchman 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 same parcel, and carefully remove
one cartridge from each oftwenty packets
selected at random; take out bullets and
remove plugs and send No. in base OF
cup of bullets"
The answer came that he understood.
and would rouse up the people to dc
it.
After an hour and a half, the answer
came back
':All the bullets are numbered ), will
a dot on the right"
then sent message No. =:
sExamine what cartridges bear the
No. 2 with dot on the left, and report
|