The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1874-04-30
Icould not again get warm during me

I could not again get warm during ne
night.
We had nearly completed our tour.
and within q few hundred yards Of
the guard-roOm, when we passed the
/ field officers quarters. I IfOndiy hop
ed that he would net pass them, and
/ that he would dismiss me at the door,
| but was rather surprised TO see q
blaze OF light come from the windows
and to hear the sound of music. It
was evident that there was q chop
going on inside, and already began
/ to tremble from a sort of instinct
that even worse misfortune was yet
to attend me.
Ny premcnitions were true, for
upon reaching his door my prosecutor,
in cheerful tone, said:
"Well, we've had cold tour; you
must come in and take glass OF
wine, ana perhaps waltz will warm
you.D
'T'm really much Obliged" has
tily answered, "but l should not like
leave my guard"
aNonsense, nonsense, man-tbe
guard will be all right you must
come in.';
This 'must" be said in quite q
determined tone.
I felt desperate, and again de-
clared that / thought I should be
wrong TO leave my guard.
"IIli take the responsibility, said
the demon; $50 come along" saying
which he grasped my arm, and almost
dragged me into the porch of his quar-
ters.
When We entered the house and
were exposed to the light Of thu hall
lamps, l faneied saw slight twin
kIe in the eye of the officer, and be-
gan to wonder whether he really knew
of my predicament, and wished to
have his joke. he gave no other in
timation, however, that 1 saw, but
quickly took Off his cloak and said
that had better do the same. See
ing me hesitate, he said, "COme, OF
with it."
Further remOnstranee found would
be useless, so that there was no help
for me but = full confession. Sum-
moning my courage, and fearing to
hesitate, blurted out, "ColOnel, I've
no trousers on.p
"The deuce you haven'tI" he said.
"Well you had better go and put them
on, and then come here as soon as pos
sible and have glass Of something
warm"
1 1rushed cut of the quarters, half de-
termined not to return. was fully
awake now, and shivered like half
drowned dog; but no sooner had 1
dressed myself than the colonel came
over to say that quadrilie was wait.
ing for me. HIl
determined to put a bold face on
the matter, and entered the drawing
room where a party of about fifty had
assembled. 1t was evident by the tit
tiers of the young ladies, the grins of
the men, and the subdued ,smiles of
the dowagers, that my story was
known. ~ F ~
The colonel had told it as a good
joke 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
room knew young subaltern had
very enwillingly gone his rounds in
his night-shirt.
AS long as stayed In that garrison
1 was standing joke. When the
girls saw me they always looked away
and smiled, and it seemed as impos-
sible for me to obtain q serious an
swer from any of them as for a clown
to preach sermon. They even SEEM
ed to be afraid to dance with me, fear
ing, as afterwards heard, to look at
my legs, lest might be deficient in
some article of raiment.
J. soou exchanged and went into an
other regiment; and years afterwards
1 heard my own adventure related in
a crowded drawing-room, all Of the
details of the story being true except
the name of the prisoner-my misfor-
tune having been attributed TO anOth-
er unfortunate fellow.
I never went to bed on guard after
that night.