The Brookhaven ledger. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1878-06-13
HOW HE WAS CURED.

NV name is Lagos Major Lagos, sir
What don't know about war isn't
worth knowing. sir!
Here the Major generally paused to
take breath, and contemplate the effect
of his words upon the listener.
"Yes, sir!" he would continue, I've
seen service. Blood and bullets are
my proper food. Never was frighten-
ed.-Went into battle once cool and
composed as am now, but my left leg
WAS nervous. 1t manifested a tendency
to depart for more peaceful scenes. But
I glanced at it sternly, commanding.
BE quiet, leg-be quiet! and immedl-
ately it was firm as rock. There was
will sir! At that same battle, when L
was in the very thickest of the fight. l
caught cowardly soldier making an
attempt to run away. just looked at
him, and he returned to the ranks and
i fought bravely the rest of the day. He
told me af,erward he would rather
s,ngly face whole army than receive
again the eagle glance Of my eye.
| Msjor Lagos was the stiffest kind of
military gentleman. Although his
connection with the army had been a
thing Of 50 many years ago, that no one
but himself remembered it. his air and
trade were entirely military. He wore
blue coat with brass buttons. This
coat was buttoned up about neck and
chin denoting brusdueness and I'M :
yielding character. ...
Although battle scared veteran, at
least he said he was battle-scared, and
surely he must have known (some envi-
ous miscreants claimed he was bottle
scared, } he had fault. we had almost
written "a great fault" This weakness
in his otherwise strong character was
a chronic habit of making love. -
He had not the slightest intention OF
getting married, a though hardly week
had passed without his asking somebody
TO marry HIM. He always selected ell
derly maiden ladies or widows for his
victims. In this he was shrewd. He
knew that, unlike gushing misses, 10 :
dies of the classes he selected thought
proper to exhibita hesitation and SUR
prise on receiving proposals of marriage.
| I this lay his safety. The Major took
| good care to construe such hesitation
and surprise into refusal. He was very
abrupt on these occasions.
Madame, my income is three thou-
sand-my real estate increasing IN value.
MY heart is wholly yonrs; will yo"
honor mo with your hand? Excuse an
old soldiers way of putting it,"
Then, as matter Of couse. from the
lady came expressions Of the before
mentioned hesitation snd surprise.
The Major took advantage of it i'm
mediately:
"a prior attachment. ma am? l should
be glad to be favored with the gentle-
mans name. I'm sorry. but not an
other word ma 'am-not another word!
He would then retreat in good order,
chuckling at his sharpness.
y This sort Of thing could not be kept
up forever.
The Majors peculiarly began to bt
talked about and pretty generally I'M
derstood. Two or three ladies gavs
him pieces Of their minds. Still
!. was the Major unmoved. and continued
in the error Of his ways.
! It wac summer tame, and the ma
i jor's SET" were staying at certain sea
side hotel No doubt gazing upon th'
ocean made our military friend NOR
ron an ic than usual. His conquest
and proposals. were only equaled BY hi
successful retreats.
But let man beware Of the wrath Q
the fair sex.
The doom Of Lagos was at hand, :