Weekly commercial herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1884-18??, 1886-02-19

"HowI What do you meanT Miles STAN.
mered.
DO you happen 10 know anything Of the
matterT' Boobies persisted
III Oh, no. On my honor Idon'tn
"Ah! As the colonel said just now, that
settles the question. You're a very witty
fellow, Miles, very. l shouldn't wonder,
after a while, if you Oin't quite tbs sharp
man OF the regiment. Only your jokes are
like tbs cit WINS jokes at the circus-oneg gets
to know them. They're in this kind OF way.
Ever been in Paris, MI. LandoF
"sYes, Of course, Bell
"'Ever been in Vienna, Mr.. LandoP
"STo be sure, Bell
"'Ever been in Geneva, Mr.. LandoP :
"FOf' course l have, Bell
"'Ever been in Jail, Mr.. LqndoP
"'Of course 1 have, Bell-at ~least-that's
TO saw mean-no, Of course l haven't
why, Mr.. Lan1o, l sac you there
"'You saw me in Jail, Dell' And what
were you doing to see meF
"'Ohr grandlY, I was staying with the
governor for the good of my 'ealth.'
""And hadn't stealing a COW something to
do with it, ell, BellF ..
"'Yah. Who stole a watch?
"tA Jersey COW, eh, Bell?
""Yah. What time is it, Mr.. LandoF
"Just about milking time, Bell, my
friend
cts all very funny once, you know,
Miles," Boobies ended, d~isdainfully. But
wien you've been to the circus half a dozen
times You don't see anything to laugh at,
somehow"
For grace's sake Miles was obliged to
laugh, for every one else reared, except
BOTTLES, who went on speaking very gravely:
Il know it's very amusing to make a joke
of the affair, to say l know mora about it
than l will confess. have told the colonel
on my honor that the child is not mine, nor
do know whose it is. If it were mine l
should not have made the story public prop
erty-it's not in reason that should. Ny
difficulty is what to do with it. The colonel
suggests the workhouse, Dawson the police
s~tation-ono simply means the other, and l
can't bring me to do it, It's an awful thing
for the child Of a tramp or a thief to be
reared in a workhouse-and this is no com
mon PERSONS child. For anything / know it
may belong to one Of yol."
THAT'S true enough" observed a man
who lad not yet taken part in the discussion,
except to laugh now and then. But re-
member, Bootles If you saddle yourself with
the child you will have to go on with it. It
will stick to you like a burr, and though aUe
are all ready to accept your word of honor,
the world may not be SO. If you put the
brat out to nurse in the regiment the story
may crop up years hence, just when you
least desire or expect it; and, you know, a
repetition-about a deserted wife may come
to have q very ugly sound about it. Now if,
as the colonel suggests, you send the child
to the workhorse, you wash your hands Of
the whole business, Then, again, if the brat
is brought up in the regiment, with the dis
advantage Of your protection, what will she
be in twenty years time' Neither fish, flesh,
nor good red herring. Far better the OBJ
livion of pauperism than the distinction
among the men Of being Capt. FerrerS'-
snail we say pro!egee?"
Eyes, there's a great deal IN that" Boobies
admitted. He had at all times a great re-
spect for Hardness, and profound faith in
the ~soundness Of his Judgment, He saw at
once that any plan of bringing tho child up
among the married people Of the regiment
would not do, and yet-the UorthouSe.
He rose from the table and settled his fer
age cap upon his head. II dare say you fel-
lows will laugh at mo," he said, almost des-
perately, as he pullel the chin-strap over
his mustache, but 1 can't condemn that
helpless thing to the workhouse-I can't,