Weekly Chillicothe crisis. (Chillicothe, Livingston Co., Mo.) 1878-19??, 1885-01-29
A TOY DRAMA.

A TOY DRAMA.
Col. Poland, of the Indian army, and
late of the hussars, was man whose
ll-mck had long been proverbial
among his friends. He had originally
joined crack cavalry regiment, in
which he was by fur the most popular
officer. But good nature was II more
conspicuous quality in Frank Poland's
character than discretion, and in an
evil moment he backed brother Of
!iccr's bills for very considerable
amount. Needless to say that his
friend abScOnded, and was declared
bankrupt, and that Poland, being only
Il younger son, with a small allowance,
was obliged tc exchange into reg.
imcnt of Indian native cavalry. lie
was Il married nan, with delicate
wife and a couple of young children,
and the climate speedily made his
wife chronic invalid, while the chill
dren faded away aud died before their
parents eyes. The unfortunate man
was too poor to afford TO send them TO
England, and his father declined to as
>ist him, saying, with more truth than
kindness, that he had been the cause
of his own ruin, and must make the
best of his altered circumstances.
Grief almost killed Mrs. Poland, and
nearly broke the majors heart for he
was not colonel then. He would have
resigned his commission and left the
country he looked upon as accursed !;
but necessity kept him at his post, and
he lived on u dreary, hopeless exist
ence among people no hated and in
a land which had become detcstable
to him. Two years after the death of
their second child Il third was born to
the colonel and his wife--a son, whom
he called Rupert. The two loved this
youngest baby with n devotion that
was almost pitiful in its intensity, for
they dreaded the fatal air of the place,
and scarcely dared to hope that he
would escape the fate OF his brother
and sister; but Rupert was strong,
healthy child, and for the first three
years of his life scarcely had day S
illness. Poland began to think his
luck had turned ut last. He had re-
Gently been promoted to colonelcy,
and shortly expected to command his
regiment; his wife, too, seemed to re-
vive in the delight of her boys exist
ence, and Rupert himself was as little
spoiled as any child could be, cOnsid-
cring the amount of affection which
was laviShcd upon him. Butt just
when the prospects of the family SEEM
ed to brighten, Il new terror rose to
torment the luckless colonel. His
child began to show premonitory
symptoms of the same wasting disease
which was already so terribly familiar
to his parents, and the chances of los
ing him, too, began to present itself
with dreadful persistence before their
imagination. So far, indeed, there
was no cause for immediate alarm
Puland's perceptions were quickened
by his ovcr-powcring anxiety and af-
fecton, or he would scarcely have
noticed that little Rupert's face oc.
caSionally wore hectic flush, and that
he seemed to tire of play sooner than
was altogether natural. Husband and
wife for a long time, therefore, kept
up the painful farce of pretending tC
ignore each others fears, but an OK,
PLANTATION was finally inevitable. Poor
Mrs. Poland, vainly striving to check
her tears, implored her husband tC
tell her candidly if anything was re
ally wrong with her darling, and hi
was forced to admit that the doctol
had recommended q sea voyage and {
change of climate.
And how the poor child is to &c
either the one or the other | cant i'm
agine,' he groaned.
"Surely your father wouldtdo some
thing il he only knew!"
The coloucl shook his head drearily
II cant ask him dear; no there i
nothing else for it. 1 must send in m,
papers, and we must try to keep on
of the work-house somehow or an
other Anything to save Rupert
J And so the matter was settled. Col
Poland WIS 10 resign his commission
and the little family were to start TO
7 England iy an early steamer. But tn
, very daybefore he sent in Il his paper
it happened that an old comradc of tn
; co!oncl's was passing through the sta
tiog in which he was quartored-SuI
| gcon major Bradley, who had bee
= invalided home, and was making tn
, best of his way to Enlai with hi
wife. They stayed coul , of night
at Bundapore, and sympathizcd deer
ly with the Polands in their dilemma
DR.. Bradley seemed to take grea
: fancy to Rupert. He was childleS
0 himself, and on the second morning h
q came to tac colonel and offered t
take charge of the boy until his parent
' returned ln England.
at would really be rather a fave
8 than otherwise" he protested. IN
4 wife and are very dull by ourselves
O and if you could only trust us, al
sure we would take as good care {
the boy as if he were our own. Bl
, you must make up your mind
N once"
The colonel grasped his friend
/ hand IN silence. He did not quite r.
y alize the position.
5 al don't want to press you," sal
v Bradley; "but it certainly seems
: pity thai you should cut the serviC
!. now and starve on half-pay when thel
. is such an easy way out of the diilicu
u ty."
a So after long discussion betwee
| ~ IL A.
IS the colonel should accept his friend
y offer, and send Rupert to Englan
:, while he and his wife remained
y Bundapore. There was very littl
is time for preparations or for a prolonI
ID ed leave taking. The poor moth
20 strove to console herself with Il
v, thought that her child's life would
. saved, but she suffered terriblyin par
Ing from himi while the poloael's tee