New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-12-18

have given veek's pay r h.ye escapeda
for only fvo ninutes 4 non-connis sicned
officer was ready with : lantern, and We
The aeld officer asked several questi0ns
connected vt1h the position and duties of
the sentries, to which gave answers az
well as the chattering of my teeth would
permit me. The most nervous work, how
ever, was passing the gas lamps, which wer9
placed at intervals of one or two hundred
yards. The wind was blowing SO fresh that
it was with difficulty could hold my cloak
around me and conceal the absence Of my
undergarments. Every now and then an
extra gust Of wind would come around .
corner aud quite defeat all the precautions
which l had adopted to encounter the
steady gale. / managed to dodge in the
shade as much as possible, and more than
once ran the risk Of being kicked by the
field officers horse, as skunk behind him
when the gas light might have revealed too
much.
1t was terribly cold, to- be sure, the wind
and snow almost numbing my limbs. had
a kind of faint hope that the field officer
might think that belonged to Highland
regiment, and if he did observe the scanti-
ness Of my attire, might believe that the
kilt would explain it. I struggled and
shivered on, knowing that all things must
have an end, and that my grounds" must
come to an end before long. But | feared
that should not again get warm during
the night. g
We had nearly completed our tour, and
were within few hundred yards of the
guard room. when we passed the tield-onl-
GERS quarters. I fOndly hoped that he
would not pass them, and that he would
dismiss me at the door, but l was Father
surprised to see blaze of light come from
the windows, and to hear the sound Of
music. 1t was evident that there was a
chop" going on inside, and already began
to tremble, from a sort of instinct that
even worse misfOrtunes were yet to attend
me.
Ny premOnitiOns were true, for upon
reaching his door, my prosecutor, in quite
cheerful tone, said: "Well, we've had cold
tour; you must now come in and take
glass of wine, and perhaps waltz will
warm YOU" 3.
"Tm really much obliged."f hastily
answered, "but should not LID to leave
my guard" A., :, ,,;,,
be all right; you must come IN" This
must he said in quite determined tone.
felt desperate, and again declared that
l thought should be wrong to leave my
guard.
"Tn take the responsibility said the
demon; $50 come along;" saying which, he
grasped my arm, and almost dragged me
into the porch of his quarters.
When we entered the house, and were ex-
posed to the light of the hali-lamps,
fancied saw a slight twinkle in the eye of
the officer, and / began to wonder whether
he really knew Of my predicament, and
wished to have his joke. He, however,
gave no other limitations that l saw, but
quickly took off his cloak, and said that
had better do the same. Seeing Inc hesi-
safe, he said: "Come, look alive; of
with it."
Further remonstrance, 1 found, would be
useless, so that there was no help for me
but full confession. SummOning my
courage, and fearing to hesitate, blurted
out: "COlOnel, I've no trousers on"
'The deuce you haven't" he said. 'Well,
you'd better go and put them on, and then
come hero as soon as possible, and have
glass of something warm"
rushed out Of his quarters, half deter
mined not to return. l was fully awake
now, and shivered like half-drOwned dog;
but no sooner had dressed myself, than
quadrille was waiting for me.
determined to put bold face on the
matter, and entered the drawing-roOm,
where party of about fifty had assembled.
1t was evident by the filters of the young
ladies, the grins of the men, and the smiles
Of the dOwagers that my story was known.
The colonel had told it as a good loke to
the major, who had whispered it to his wife;
she had breathed it into the ear of two of
her friends, and in about ten minutes every
person in the om knew that a young sub
altern had unwillingly gone his round in
his night-shirt.
AS long as staid in that garrison, was
standing joke. When the girls saw me,
they always looked away and smiled, and
it seemed as impossible for me to obtain a
serious answer from any of them as for a
clown to preach sermon. They even
seemed afraid to dance with me, fearing, as
l afterward heard, to look at my legs, lest l
might beGlefcient in some article of raiment.
l soon exchanged, and went into another
regiment, and years afterward heard my
own adventure related in a crowded room,
all the details of the story being true except
the name of the performer-my misfortune
having been attributed to an unfortunate
fellow who died in India.
never went to bed on guard after that
night.