The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1885-12-05
WHY CHARLIE LAUGHED.
Prof. Polyvox's Heartless Abuse of a Help
less Little Chap.


less Little Chap.
"And if I had not rushed in and
dragged the boy away from him, I do
believe he'd have killed the poor little
fellow
"Ha! ha! hal"
We all looked around in amazement,
for Charlie Thornton, of the til
Bengal Native Infantry, the pleasant
est and most kind-hearted young fell
low among all the eighty-three saloon
passengers on our homeward-bound
steamer from India, was the very last
man whom any one would have ex-
pected to be amused at the idea of
child being beaten and ill-used.
81 beg your pardon, really" said the
young Lieutenant, still quivering with
suppressed merriment "but it always
makes me laugh when | hear of boy
being hurt or ill-heated."
"Then, sir" growled hard-faced
old Commissioner beside him, "all /
can say is that you ought to be ashamed
OF yourself"
Don't be too hard upon Charlie,
Mr. Currie," put in Major McNab, of
the Seventy-eighth Highlanders. "In
be bound there's some good joke be-
hind it all, or he'd never talk like that.
Come, Charlie, my boy, let's have the
story; it's sure to be good one"
And Lieutenant Thornton began as
follows:
about two years ago / was down
at Bombay on leave from Jhansi, just
at the beginning of the hot season. /
put up at Watson's Hotel, as usual;
and before / had been there half an
hour met three old friends of mine,
Just out from England. whom / hadn't
seen for five or six years.
"We had plenty to talk about, as
you may think; and so we managed to
sit together at dinner. After dinner
we went out ON to the veranda to have
our coffee; and was just in the middle
of telling them about the fun I'd had
among the tigers up in the Terai the
year before, when all at once a great
halloo from below made us look down,
and there we saw sight that put ey-
erything else out of our heads at once.
"You know that enormous square in
front of the hotel, with the tall clock
tower on the other side of itP Well,
about midway across it, seemingly
coming straight toward the hotel, was
man, carrying small boy in his
arms, and shouting at him very saw
agely every now and then. They were
soon near enough for us to see them
quite plainly; and certainly they did
look the two most extraordinary hob
COLLINS that ever set eyes on.
"The man was an immensely tall
fellow, and as thin as lightning-rod;
and although it was now, as I've said,
the beginning of the hot season, he
wore a long dark gray coat and high
black hat, which made him look taller
still. But if his dress wasn't very gay,
the boy was grand enough for both,
for he seemed TO have got all the colors
of the rainbow. He had sky-blue cap,
an apple-green jacket red pantaloons,
white stockings, and bright yellow
sash around his waist.
Ut taxes something to gather a
crowd in Bombay, where swarms Of
figures as queer as any in circus are
going about the streets all day long
but two such objects as this man and
this boy couldn't be overlooked even
there. Halt dozen young English
soldiers, who were strolling through
the town, began first to stare at them
and then to go after them. Then some
other people turned and followed too
: till at last the pair found themselve:
heading quite procession. But the
man seemed to take no notice, anC
Kept straight on, with the child in hi.
arms, giving him shake and rough
word every now and then, while tht
boy kept screeching out:
p" oh, papa, please don't hit me AM
uorer
81 oar kbsa runw.fk 4. -. 49,