The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1874-06-04

| by the fleld-oficer's horse, as I skunk
behind him when the gas might reveal
/ too much.
It was terribly cold, to be sure, the
wind and snow almost numbing my
| limbs. I had a kind of faint hope that
the field officer might think that I be-
louged to q highland regiment, and If
he did observe the scantiness of my at
tire, 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 I feared
that could not again get warm during
the night.
We had nearly completed our tour.
and were within hundred yards of the
guard room, when we passed the field
officers quarters. fonily hoped that
he would not pass them, and that he
would dismiss me at the door, but I
was surprised to see a blaze of light
come from the windows, and to hear the
sound of music. It was evident that
there was chop" going on inside, and
I already began TO tremble from a sort
of instinct that even worse misfortune
was yet to attend me.
My premonitions were true, for upon
reaching his door my prosecutor, IN q
cheerful tone, said
"WeII, we've had a cold tour you
must come in and take a glass of wine,
and Uerhaps a waltz will warm you"
I'm really much obliged" I hastily
answered, but 1 should not like to
leave my guard"
Nonsense, nonsense, mantle guard
will be all right you must come in. -
This must he said in quite g. de-
termined tone.
felt desperate, and again declared
that I thought I should be wrong to
leave my guard.
"Pll take tho responsibility" said
the demon f; so come along" saying
which he grasped my arm, and almost
! dragged me into the porch of his quar-
! tiers.
When we entered the house and were
| exposed to the light of the hall lamps,
I fancied I saw a slight twinkle in the
| eye of the officer, and I began to won
/ der whether he really knew of my pre-
dicament, and wished to have his Joke.
! He gave no other intimation, however,
| that 1 saw, but quickly took off his
cloak and said that I had better do the
same. Seeing me hesitate, he said,
&" Come, off with it..
! Further remonstrance found would
! be useless, so that there was no help for
me but full confession. Summoning
nay 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 here here as soon as
possible and have glass of something
warm"
flushed out of the quarters, half de-
termined not to return. was fully
awake now, ana shivered like a half
drowned dog; but no sooner had
| dressed myself than the colonel came
over to say that quadrille was waiting
for me.
I determined to put bold face OF
the matter, and entered the drawing
room, where party of about fifty had
assembled. It was evident, by the tit
tiers of the young ladies', the grins o.
the men, and the subdued smiles of the
dowagers, that my story was known.
The colonel had told it as good joke
to the major, who bad whispered it Il
his wife she had breathed it into the
ear of two of her friends, and in about
ten minutes every person in the room
knew a young subaltern had very IN
willingly gone his rounds in his night
shirt.
AS long as I stayed in that garrison
was standing joke. When the girls
saw me they alwsys looked away anG
smiled, and it seemed as impossible fol
me to obtain serious answer from one
of them as for a clown to preach a ser
mon. They even seemed to be afraid tt
darce with me, fearing, as afterwart
heard, to look at my legs, lest nigh
be deficient in some articles of raiment
1 soon exchanged and went into an
other regiment and years afterward
heard my own adventure related in
crowded drawing-room, all of the detail
of the story being true except the mann
of the prisoner-my misfortune having
been attributed to another unfortunat
fellow.