The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1882-11-15

heavy doors turned on their hinges to
admit the colonel.
"Wherc is Captain Kendaly" he
asked, us he alighted, in stentorian
tones which vibrated strangely through
the silence. with Il sort of angry cX-
pectant note of triumph.
"On guard, sir" answered the SOL
der, curtly.
"What?" cried the colonel, in the
shrillest of accents. lie was too
! utterly taken aback to say another
word. The sentinel, adopting his usual
stolid demcanor, took no notice of his
evident establishment. Captain Kendall
heard the inquiry from within, and
came forward.
%"lIcre. sir a; do you require mc?" he
asked, coolly.
The colonel stared at him. His
face, with its expression of mingled
SternncsS and entire bewildermcnt.
would have been no mean study for a
painter.
He could hardly believe his eyes.
Kecnly scrutinizing the younger man,
who did not quail before his gaze, he
said stiilly, after a pause of some sec
onds.
Il certainly thought. sir, I saw you
at the ball in D. street just now"
ME. sir" replied the other, an.
%daciouSly. "Why, l am on guard,
sir"
at is very singular" resumed the
colonel, without relaxing his scrutiny
and slightly raising his voice. II
could have sworn l saw you there. ~
Every singular indeed, sir" retorted
the delinquent, gaining boldness from
the very extremity of the strait to
which he found himself reduced;
"Since a mar can't be in two places
at once, and you have found me here.
| 4 ease of mistaken identity perhaps,
| sir"
Tie two men stood still eyeing each
other, one kecIly eager to detect, the
other us equally seeking to avoid de-
lection. The colonel was completely
baflcd. The man was there before
him-that WAS certain: but how, hav-
ing left him, as he felt sure he had
done, among the guests at the ball, he
came to be there now was incXplica
Die. Not having wings wlcrcwith to
fly, how on earth had the fellow got
there? Could he have been mistaken,
he wondered for Il moment. But no,
he knew he had not.
He shifted the form of his interro-
cation:
"Then you were not at the ball"
he asked, very pointediy.
The young officer was worthy of all
condemnation for having forsaken the
post of duty. Bat though he had acted
inexcusably, he vas still a gentleman,
and he would not poliute his lips with
Il lie. lie hesitated for a reply then
parricd the question with another.
"IIow could l he at the ball when
YOU find me here, sir?' he asked.
Yes, how that was the mystery, the
simple solution of which was the
furthest in the world from presenting
itself to the colonels brain. lie knew
that it was quite impossible for an
other carriage to have arrived before
his own. His coaclman had driven
quickly enough to satisfy even his inn
patience, and he could not have failed
to notice if another vehicle had pre-
cedcd or followed his through the de-
serted streets. He could not in the
least understand it.
Silent, but wholly unconvlnced, he
sat down in the hall to think what it
might behoove him to say Or do next,
while the junior officer hustled about
in Il restless fashion, setting refresh
ments before him and awkwardly en-
deavoring to turn the conversation
into another channel. The colonel
answered at random, for his thoughts
were perpleXing.
Mystitied, and rightcously set on
convicting the offender as he doubtless
was, he could not help, nevertheless,
feeling aperception of the comical side
of the question. He felt, too, that
however fully persuaded he might he
in his W mind of Captain kendal's
~offense, it would perhaps be a difficult
matter to prove it. At length he
cleared his throat portentously and re-
turned to the charge:
"Look here, Captain Kendall" he
said, in accents which somehow had
taken a milder sound from the bent OF
his cOgitatiOns, "it's no use beating
about the bush: I would stake my ex-
istence that l saw you at the ball. But
how you come to be here now is another
matter, and I don't pretend to under
stand how you managed it. You had
better make a clean breast of it, and
although it would be my duty to take
proceedings against you-yet If you
will explain it is possible that l may
just for once, considering the peculiar
features of the case, be inclined totakc
a lenicnt view of Il very grave INSIDE
meanor, sir"
Thus encouraged, the culprit, who
detected Il kindly twinkle in the
usually stern gray eye which wastiXed
upon him, made a full and free con
fession of his fault and of the causes
which led. thereto.
The colonel, though well advanced
in the vale of years, had not outlived
the memory of youthful hopes; and
was Z kindly man, though a strict dis
ciplinarian. The young lady, whose
fair image had lured the lover from his
duty, was rather a favOrite with him,
and considering, as he had said, the
peculiar features of the case, he con-
sentnd to overlook the o~ffensc, and
inflicted No worse punishment
on the delinquent then a reprimand,
which was received in dutiful silence
and with all due contrition. Six
months later the colonel made an
eloquent speech at the wedding of two
happy young people, on which occasion
Captain Brereton acted as best IMAM.
Then two sweet blue eyes looked play
fully into his, us the pretty bride
thanked him. in 4 mysterious whisper,
for the solitary and memorable occa-
sion when he had consented, for once
in his life, to overlook and condonc Il
signal breach of observation-disclosures
Bar.