St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1884-06-05
A Worthless Fellow.

A Worthless Fellow.
There was ii rumOr atiOat at the fort
hat Tom O'Halloran was to be dis
charged from the regiment for drunk
enness, and every body 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 Indians, for which the reg
iment was preparing, yet each had Il
thought of pity for poor Tom, word
of kindness for TOMS mother. They
had, after IL fashion, belonged to the
regiment longer than any officer or sol
dier now included in it, for Toms faith
er had been hand-master from the
early DAYS of the war to his death,
which occurred just after Tom was en-
rolled as IA private, some five years
since; while Mrs. O'Halloran, whose
patience and faithfulness as a nurse
were beyond praise, was endeared to
almost every officers family by some
battle with death which they had
fought together. They had more than
their share of Irish beauty, these two,
and the grey 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 moth
er's white hair. He was strong,
clever young Irishman, with aptitude
for doing well anything he was set to
do, from fighting to masonry, bnt with
Il passion for drink which his mothers
prayers, his colOnel's warnings and his
own resolutions were pOwerless to
overcome Clever and handsome and
brave as lie was, and .'Child of the
Regiment as he was iokingly called,
his officers would scarcely have had
any patience with his always recurring
escnpades if it had not been for his
mother, whose love for him was so de-
voted, and whose faith in his promises
of reform so unwavering, that the hard
est hearts land soldiers hearts are not
very hard ones) always yielded to her
cntreaty for another chance for her
boy.
But this time things looked very
serious for poor Tom. He had been
drunk while on duty as IA sentry, an
being in "a quarrelsome humor, had
been with difficulty prevented from
knocking down the officer who ordered
him under arrest. Within a week IA
large portion of the regiment was to
start on an expedition of several
months, and as Toms company was
among those which were to go, the
colonel had been heard to say that
patience in his case had reached its
! limit, for a drunken sentry could ell
danger an army, and nobody could
rely upon Toms SObriety from one
hour to another. Punishments and
| warnings had alike failed Il hundred
times and Tom must be left behind and
discharged. | think the good colonel,
under whose bluff aspect was hidden a
very kindly heart, was quite conscious
that he was i'll disfavOr with all the
| ladies', andmany of the officers that day,
and it was even whispered that he had
been repulsed with great disorder, i'll
an attempt to prove to Mrs. Colonel
that he was right in his resolutions.
At all events, he carried rather Il
gloomy countenance about his duties,
and it was with tagging footsteps
| that toward evening he entered the lit
! tie hospital. There was only one pa
tient at present, but lie was one who
would never leave it alive, ii man who
had been Il good soldier, and the col
onel's Orderley for years.
A little old woman with white
apron and quaint cap rose from be-
side the bed where poor Butler lay-a
pale little woman, with a look oi
| patient trouble in her soft eyes that
touched the colonel more than vehe-
ment reprOaches, for this was Mrs
! O'Halloran, and to him, as to most Ot
the officers, she was the old and tried
friend of many an illness and anxiety
rather than merely the mother of a
private soldier who was in scrape
The room was us neat and pleasant
the bed and patient as well cared for
as though his nurse had no thought but
for his welfare and the sight of thi,
also touched the colonel, who would
have done his duty under any circum
stances, and who respected the evi
dence of such character III others.
"Butler must not talk much, if yOl
please, colonel" Mrs. O'Halloran said
rs she left the room and sat down oil
the lowest step of the hall stairs, fo
she was trembling SO she could scarce
ly stand.
After Il few moments the cOlOne
came slowly out. He was surprised
that Butler had not interceded for Tom
because he knew the mans liking TO
the nurse, who, as special favor, ha,
been allowed instead of the usual hos
pItal steward, and that be might rea
sonably expect to be heard by his oil
master.
"You know what | would say. col
onel," Mrs. O'Halloran began, risin
and clasping her wrinkled hands. an
heart has been breaking to say it thi
> long day, but cOnld not leave Butler.
"Does Butler know anything of thi
affair r.
"No sir. Sure could not trouble
dying man who has been u good frien
to Tom, and his father before him, thi
: many IA day"
Il wish Tom had your sense of dut,
= Mrs. O'HallOraum cried the colone
! with sudden dimness in his keen eye
: as he thought of the mothers agon
. of suspense that she had concealed ft
the good of her patient
II knew that | could see you whe
you came to see Butler, as you alwaN
! do, colonel" she said, simply; an