Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1872-02-29
AND FROM SUCH A SOURCE.

\ cood m1uy years ago the regiment
t" which then belonged was guartercd at
Aldcr>hott After long absence from
ENGLAND, spent on a parching rock in the
middle of the Rcd Sea. bleak and dEeary
Ald"r>ho't seemed very paradise I, was
delightfully."- ncar London. too; leave was
easily 70 be obtained and great part Of
my spare time. and more than all my spare
money, was spent by me in the metropolis
spent. | am ashamed 70 confess. i'll riot
Gus living AMI much disorder. Sill. had
it only been that. should. possibly. Ike
many of my brother officers. at the cost "f
much subsequent pain and wcarincss. anh
pinrhing. lave rasscai Trough my cyo!c
of dissipation. and settled down at last
but, in addition TO my youthful aberra-
tions. | had fatal prediction for games
Of skill and chance Twas the hes, whist
player in the regiment. and could hold
my own with the crack PLAYERS Of the
clubs and had | stuck to whist. which,
in my belief. never ruined any man who
had Il head on his shoulders. could have
made decent income out of my skill
but my moderate winnings at whist were
swallowed up, and much more lost be-
sides. at unlimited loo. blind hockey. haz-
ard. and other kindred games. To crown
all. took to backing horses. and lost at
that, | need hardly say. A long run
Of evil luck beset me | had lost all INV
available funds. had mortgagcd my COM
mission to the utmost penny cou.i raise
upon II, and found myself at the end Of
EPSON week. fcvcrcd and parched in body,
in soul wretchcd and dcspairing had
come to the end of my tether was reg
ularly done up: life had nothing bu, evil
IN store for me. On the following week
shoulI be posted as dcfaultrr on the
turf; should leave the army in disgrace.
aud such tiiings would kill my old wid-
owed mother.
Ii was Sunday night; | had been in
London. trying to raise money. but use
lcssly; the Jcws closed their lists to me-
! only wanted hundred pounds to pay
my Darby Losses; this achieved. | could
cell out. and retire without open disgrace;
but | couldn't raise it One man offered
me City pounds for my bill of two hun
irei aud City pounds ut three months.
bu, | wasn't quite so mad as to take that;
| nigh. as we'll smash for a hundred as
6f.y.
My last sovereign was changed in pay
ing my hotel hill on that Sunday night.
I had a return ticket to Alicrshott in my
pocket. aud fcw shillings besides; 'poth-
ing else in The worh in the way Of avail.
able assets. think il | had been pos.
sessed of FIVE pound note should haye
gone down to Liverpool and taken seer
age passage to America. II was the lim-
tied extent OF my means which u.ade me
resolve to 90 back 10 my quarter. a, Al
dershott aud appear on parade the next
day. lEfE ..s tet.
The clock in the coffec-room where |
was sitting showed half.p,st eleven as the
hour .: night; the waiter ouly was in the
room. arranging his spcoas and napkins
in the buffet. yawn;rs surrcptiiiously ev-
cry now aud then. quite indifferent. to tn
problems which were sgitating n,e. Wa
,erloo Bridge or Aldersao,t? ] must
make up mind quickly F; another FIVE mia-
utes. and j, would Dc too late for the one:
the other was always open.
Waiter. han>om :" | shouted all Of
\ sudden in tene which made the mau
jump.
-Atthas time skere Was = train which
left-net Wa,@lco, bu, some station. a 1t
tie distance dc~nitltr line: !. ,nirt. have
been Eauxhall. or possibly Nine Elms.
scarcely remember whieh-lctt the station
at midnight. II was popularity known
among us as the Cold-meat Train. Its
passengers were dead bodies for the wok-
ing Cemetery. The railroad company,
ever soiicitous 10 accommodate the public
and turn an homes, penny, had. for the
convenience Of the camp, affixed 10 this
train one frst-class carriage. kfter leav-
ing the dead bodies at Woking, the car
riage was run on TO Fanborough, whence
Won could walk to camp. II you had no,
tsea pruden, enough to order fy 10 meet
YOU.