The Magnolia gazette. [volume] (Magnolia, Miss.) 1872-current, 1881-01-21
JUST IN TINE.

Dinner was over at last and Mr.. Wal
ter Currie, English Commissioner at the
up-country station, at Huttee- Bagh, in
Northern India, bad gone upon the ve-
randa with his wife and his two guests,
the Colonel and Major Of the til light
infantry, to enjoy the cool Of the even
ing.
On three sides the house was sur
rounded by it's compound, a large in
closed space serving the purpose Of Il
courtyard, but the fourth was only sep
arated by small patch of garden from
the road, along which number Of native
women were passing with their little
pitchers on their heads.
The sight of them naturally turned the
conversation upon a favorite subject
with all Anglo-Indians, viz, the char
acter of the natives and the best mode of
dealing with them.
"There only one way" said the
Colonel, emphatically. "Tell 'em what
they are to do, make 'em do it, and
thrash 'em well if they don't. That's
my way"
"Well, 1 venture to differ from YOU
there, Colonel, said Mr. Currie, quietly.
twice, own, but most of mynative SER
wants get along very well without it,
and they seem to serve me excellently, l
assure you.
"I wish you had been in my place,
them" retorted the Colonel "you'd
have changed your opinion, warrant
Why, the year before last, when l had
charge Of two battalions of the rascals
down at Suttepoor, because there wasn't
another Queens officer within reach
just like my confounded luck there
was no getting anything done unless l
did it myself. By Jove, sir ] had to
be everything at once-my own Quarter
master, my own Sergeant Major, my
own caterer. and"
"And your own trumpeter, Col. An
nesley ," asked Mrs. Currie, with an
arch smile.
The Colonel's broad face reddened
ominously, and an explosion seemed
imminent, when sudden clamor of
angry voices from the road below drew
them all to the front veranda.
The cause of the disturbance was visi-
BILE at a glance. Two half-drunken En-
glish soldiers, staggering along the
road, had come into violent contact
with native who was running past
and one Of them, enraged at the collis-
ion, had felled the poor lad TO the
ground, and was unclasping his owl
belt with the evident intention OF beat
ing him numerically.
"Served the young whelp right,
shouted the Colonel, rubbing hishands
that's Just what they all want.
The other officer, Maj. Armstrong
popularity called Maj. Strongarm-was
huge, brawny, silent man, whose tort'
lay in acting rather than talking.
During the whole discussion he had sa
like great bronze statue, never utter
ing a word but, at sight of this MAI
ill-using this child, he woke up rathel
startlipgly.
To leap to the ground twelve feet be
low, to dart across the garden, to vaul
over the high stockade beyond, was tn
work of moment for the athletic Major
and in another instant he had raised tn
boy tenderly from the ground, while say
ing to the foremost soldier, in the low
compressed tone Of a man who mean
what he says
"Be off with YOU"
i "And who the deuce are you, .shovir
yer nose in where you amt wanted
roared the infuriated ruffian, to who's
eyes the Majors plain evening dress Dor
no token Of his being an officer. Jii
you"
The sentence was never finished.
At the sound Of that insolent defanC
Armstrong's sorely-tried patience gay
way altogether, and the powerful rigf
hand which had hewed its way throue
whole squadron of Shiv cavalry fe
like sledge-hammer upon his opp
nent's face, dashing him to the groun
as if he had been blown from the mout
} of gun.
Welldone, Maj. Armstrong, "shout'
Mr.. Ourrie from above. "You deser'
your name, and no mistake.
4 AT that formidable name the soldi
4 took to his heels at once, and Armstron
I without even looking at his prostrate a
tagonist, proceeded to look at the hun
! Of the boy"
. The latter was gorely bruised in mai