The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1885-12-12
WHY CHARLIE LAUGHED.
Prof Polyvox's Heartiess Abuse of He'll
less Little Chap.

less Little Chap.
..And if l had not rushed in and
dragged the boy away from him, 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 a
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 l hear of a boy
being hurt or ill-ueated."
"Then, sir" growled a 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 MeNab, of
the Seventy-eighth Highlanders. 'I'll
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.
1--WE had plenty to talk about, as
you may think; and so we managed 20
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 fan I'd had
among the tigers up in the Terai the
year before, when all at once great
halloo from below made us look down,
and there we saw sight that put ev
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 o'per sue Vi itF wen
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
unite MAINLY. and certainly thew did
look che TWO most eNtraorolhary NOD
Sopnhs 'hat ever SET eyes on.
Inc man was an immensely .a,i
Ieiow, ana as thlh as hghtning-roai
a ana al.nougn IL was 81, now, as We sai a.
the beginning OF the NOT season. ne
wore long oark gray coat ana high
oiack nat, winch MADE INN look taller
sun; but IL ms dress WASH ! very gay
tne poy was granu enough ior ootn,
TOT ne seemed 10 nave got al the colors
OF the RAINBOW. he mad sky-plue cap,
an apple-greeh JACKET req pantaioons,
whlte stocKihgs' ana a bright yelloW
sash around his waist.
III taxes something TO gather
crowd IN BOMBAY where swarms OF
figures as queer as any in n circus are
gong about the streets an day long;
but two such OBJECTS as TINS man and
this BOY couidn be overlooked even
there. Halt dozen young English
soldiers, VINO were stroillng through
the town, began first to stare at them,
and then to go after them. Then some
other people turned and followed too,
TIL at last the pair found themselves
heading quite a procession. But the
man seemed to take no notice, and
kept stralght on, WIN the child IN MS
arms, giving him shake and rough
word every now and then, while the
boy Kept screechIng out;
On, papa, please don hit me any
more.
say, TINS won do, you know,
SAID big Dick Netherby, OF the til
Dragons, who was sitting beside me.
IL the fellow DULLES that poor little
chap any more, IL 60 down and warm
his hide In way ne Ii remember
"By this time the man had come
close underneath the veranda, and put
the child roughly down on the pave
ment, saying to him:
Now, you lazy. young whelp, just
walk on your own feet bit. I'm not
going to carry great heavy thing like
you all the way home,
"'Oh, papa, do carry me a little
farther; remember that LIN lame!
"Lame! yes, trust you for being
lame when you're told to do anything.