Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1872-03-23
A LOAN FROM THE DEAD.

i tOAN EnoN i nLab.
A good many years ago, the regiment
to which then belonged was quartered
at Aldcr-hot. After long absence
from England, spent on a parching
rock in the middle Of the Red Sea,
bleak and dreary Aldershot seemed q
very paradise. 1t was delightfully."- near
London. too; leave was easily o be Oh
tanned; aud a great part OF ny spare
time, and more than all Ily spare
money, was spent by me in the mctrop-
olis-spent, am ashamed to confess, in
riotous living and much disorder Still,
had it only been that, should, posi-
bly,, like many of my brother officers,
at the cost of much subsequent pain,
and weariness. and pinching, have
passed through my cycle of dissipation
and settled down at last: but in addi-
ton to my youthful alterations, | had
a Eqtal prediction for games of skill
and fhance.
Iwss the best whist player in the
regimen, and could hold my own with
the crack players of the clubs; and had
| stuck to whist, VIII hich, in my belief,
never ruined any man who had a head
upon his shoulders, could have made
q decent income out Of my skill but
my moderate winnings at whist We're
swallowed up. andmuch more lost beside,
at unlimited loo. blind hockey, hazard,
and other kindred games. TO crown
all, took to backing horses, and lost
at that, l nect hardly say. A long run
of evil luck beset ne had lost all my
available funds, had mortg aged my
commission to the utmost penny |
could raise upon il, and found myself,
at the end Of the EPSON week, ievered
and parched in body, in soul wretched
and despairing. had come to the end
of my tether; was regularly done ur
life had nothing in store for me. On
the following week | should be posted
as defdulter on the turf; | should
leave the army in disgrace, and such
tidings would kill my old widowed
mother.
1t was Sunday night; | had been to
London, trying TO raise money, but use
lessly; the Jews closed their fists to me-
| only wanted hundred pounds to pay
my Derby losses this achieved, | could
sell out and retire without open dis
grace hut couldn't raise it, One man
offered me fifty pounds for my bin of
two hundred and fifty pounds at three
months; but wasn't quite so mad as
to take that; | might as well smash for
a hundred as fifty.
My last sovereign was changed in
paying my hotel bill on that SUNDAY
night. had return ticket 10 Alder
shott in my pocket, and few shillings
beside nothing else in the world in the
way Of available assets. | think if
had been possessed OF tiye-pound note
| should have gone down to Liverpool,
ana taken ste teerage passage to
America. 1t was the limi ed extent
OF my means which made me resolve
to go back to my quarters at Alder
shott, and appear ON parade the next
day.
The clock in the cotfee-room where |
was sitting showed halt-past IL as the
hour OF the night; the waiter only was
IN the room, arranging his spoons and
nspkins IN the buffet, yawning surrep.
tltiously+yely now and then, quite in.
different to the problems which were
agitating mr,-Waterloo bridge or Al
dershott? must make up my mind
quickly; another five minutes and il
would be too late for the one; the other
was open.
Waiter, Hansomr' I shouted all
of a sudden, in Il tone which made the
man jump.
AT that time there was a train which
left-not Waterloo, but SOM. station a
little q stance down the line: it miph,
have been NauXhall, or possibly Nine
Elms, l scarcely remember which-left
the station at midnight. 1t WAS popu.
larly known among us as the old-meat
train. Its passengers were dead bodie,
for the Woklng cemetery. The rail
way company. ever solicitous 10 accom-
modatc toe public and turn an homes
penny, had, Tor the convenience Of the
camp, affixed to this train one first class
carriage. After leaving the dead bodie,
at Wokln., the carriage was run on tc
marlborough, whence you could walk
to the camp, ii you had not been plll
dent enougi: to order a fly to meet You
The hotel servant who ushered me tC
the cab got a handsome gratuitv for hi
pains. Ii was my leave taking of the
world oil pleasure, and was too insol
vent TO be careful about little matters
The cab sped me quickly to the sta
tom hut the clock at the hotel haC
been slow; as we passed through the
railway arch a premonitory shrek from
the engine overhead warned me tina
the train was on the point OF starting
stopped the cab at the bridge, anC
ran quickly up Il narrow flight OF step
which led directly on 10 the end Of tn,
platiorm,-known only to the initiated
the ira Il was moving on, but had jus
time, despite warning shouts of guar,
and poiters, to open the door of tn
las Sqgriase and jump in. The othe
compartments Of the carriage l notice,