Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1884-04-03
A WORTHLESS FELLOW.

There was rumor afioat at the fort
that Tom O'HalIoran was to be discharged
from the regiment for drunkenness, and
everybody was sorry for it. Even though
those were stirring days, and every man
and woman had their heads and hearts
full of the expedition against the In
dians for which the regiment was pre-
pairing, yet each had a thought of pity
ior Tom, word of kindness for Toms
mother. They had, after fashion, be-
longed to the regiment longer than any
officer or soldier now included in it, for
TOMS father had been band master from
the early days of the war to his death,
which occurred Just after Tom was en-
rolled as a private, some five years since
while Mrs. O'Halloran, whose patience
and faithfulness as nurse were beyond
praise was endeared to almost every Off
GERS family by some battle with death
which they had fought together. They
had more than their share of Irish beau
ty, those two, and the gray eyes which
laughed or flashed under Toms dark
brows were, his defenders said, very like
those which looked at the world with
such gentle kindness from beneath his
mothers white hair. He was strong.
clever young Irishman, with an aptitude
for doing well anything that he was set
to do from fighting to masonry, but with
passion for drink which his mothers
prayers, his coloneTs warnings, ard his
own resolutions were powerless to over
come. Clev md handsome and brave
as he was, and ''Child Of the Regiment, .
as he was jolzingly called, his officers
would scarcely have had such patience
with his always recurring escapades if it
had not been for his mother, whose love
for him was so devoted, and whose faith
in his promises of reform so unwavering,
that the hardest hearts (and soldiers
hearts are not very hard ones) always
yielded to her entreaty for another chance
for her boy.
But this time things lookedvery serious
for poor Tom. He had been drunk while
on duty as sentry, and being in quarrel
some humor, had been with difficulty
prevented from knocking down the officer
of the day who had ordered him under
arrest. Within week a large portion
of the regiment was to start on an expe-
dition of several months, and as Tom.
company was among those which were tc
go, the colonel had been heard to say
that patience in his case had reached its
limit, for drunken sentry could en-
danger an army, and nobody could pos
sibly rely upon Toms sobriety from one
hour to another. Punishment and warn
ings had alike failed hundred times,
and Tom must be left behind and dis
charged. l think the good colonel,
under whose bluff aspect was hidden ,
very kindly heart, was quite consciou.
that he was in disfavor with all the
ladies and many of the officers, that day
and it was even whispered that he hac
been repulsed with great disorder, in al
attempt to prove to Mrs. Colonel that hi
was right in his resolution. At all events
he carried rather gloomy countenanc,
about his duties, and it was with tagging
footsteps that, toward evening, he entered
the little hospital. There was only one
patient at present, but he was one wh'
would never leave it alive, a man VIII,
had been a good soldier, and the colonel
orderly for years.
A little old woman with a white aprol
and quaint cap rose from beside tn
bed where poor Butler lay-a pale littl
woman, with look Of patient trouble il
her soft eyes that touched the colone
more than vehement rcproaches, for thi
was Mrs. O'HaIloran, and to him, as t,
most of the officers, she was the old ant
tried friend Of many an illness ant
anxiety, rather than merely the mothe
of private solder who was in scrape
The room was as neat and pleasant, th
bed and the patient as well cared for as
though his nurse bad 90 thought but hi