St. Landry democrat., 1886-04-17

neafC STUCK IN his throat. COrnet Ire
garthen was but two-and-twentv, AM
youth is sometimes impressionable.
Rosalind, in spite of the fatigue whtcl
evidently sat upon her, was as straigh
and 1.-the as the stalk of lily, and sh
had a voice like silver bell. The Cor
net was short-sighted, and her feature
were dimly seen, but he fancied then
lovely. An older and more experienced
man might have been excused for thu
fancy, with such voice and such a flo
ure ON which to base it.
His companions expressed their ad
mIration for the actress in their owl
way, but he scarcely heard them. Ever
when Rosalind was absent from tn.
stage he had but inattentive ears for tn,
Captain and the Lieutenant, and he an
swered them when they addressed hin
with an absent Yes or Ne" or s
| dreamy nod
''Tregarthen, said the Captain, has
| gone spoons on the Churchill
| The Lieutenant nodded and booked
the statement for future use. Its chaste
simplicity and directness charmed him,
anu he resolved to repeat it to Rylands
| at head quarters, if he saw him before
| Harcourt did.
The play was over, the curtain was
down, and the sweet voice dwelt in Ire
garthen's ears. Bid me farewell, -
said the sweet voice in the last words of
| the epilogue. 1t sounded personal to
him, and there was a pleasant, gentle
sadness in it.
''When do you join us at headquar-
tiers, Tregarthen9" asked the Captain.
"You must find it most intolersbly dull
~here yaw staying, eh?'
81 am ordered to re, DIN tomorrow,
said Tregarthen. Hazel tells me that
Colonel Pollard will be there. l have
not seen him YETI
No" said the Captain; "cld
Polly's been on sick leave at Etretat-
cursed little village somewhere on the
Continent You'll like him jolly old
bird is Polly. Tells thunderin' good
yarn. Polly does. Mostly bout him
self. y know-self an ladies, y know
that sort thing; but thunderin' good
they are. Sly old dayvl Polly is-un-
common
81 shall meet him tomorrow, said
Iregarthen, somewhat absently.
:. He's a bit of crib-biter, too.
Polly is said the Lieutenant" bit
OF martinez, y know; but everybody
gets on with him in the long-run, don't
they, Harcourt?"
Hes cursed good old sort, is
Polly" the Captain replied, with
emphasis. You'll like HIM no end,
Iregarthen. Night-night, my boy.
Glad to have met you"
Tregarthen took train and reached
his own quarters, and his thoughts
dwelt good deal about Miss Churchill
by the way. To his mind she was the
first real artist he had seen upon the
stage, and for the me at least her
voice had taken him captive Shakes
peare for once had found an actress |
worthy to interpret him, and surely no |
other man who had ever lived could |
have created part sweet and bright
enough for SO exquisite a creature to
play in. He smoked a cigar in COM
oany with his own agreeably fiuttered
sancies. and then he went to bed and
slept soundly and forgot them. He
vas not nearI y so much impressed with
Miss Churchill in the morning; and
hough she touched his thoughts pleas
sntly once or twice, he got through the
lays business with no great hindrance
rom her.
Late afternoon found him at head
quarters, with | tile more than time to
lress for dinner. Lieutenant Colonel
'ollard had resumed the active COM
nand of the corps, and took the head
'lace at the mess table. Treoarthen
vas presented, and formed a poor opin-
on of the bloated old warrior, who met
i'm with disreputable jest, and told
traightWay an Objectionable story
Which grated on the comets ears.
When the real business of the dinner
egan the manners of the officer in {
ommand were not at all to the taste s
t the young gentleman, who was, pos-
IDLY, fastidious. The Colonels ewes
oggled and his face crimsoned as he +
trained over the table to get at his !
pup, and his wicked speech was half I
hoked by wheeling and paintings He {
obbled as a gentleman ought not to '
obble, and he drank as a gentleman s
ught not to drink. When dinner was +
YER the naughty old man told shame \
SO tales of his youth and manhood; +
nd Tregarthen. who had been bred to q
'verence old age, and to think purity 5
) desirable and lovely in man as in a
oman. found the evening almost in q
lpportable. \
Somebody ought to put a stop to $
| that he told Captain Harcourt, o
ter dinner, to that gallant officers 4
eat establishment sIn society of +,
the thing is intolerable. We
rye a lady," he added, with the gen a
GUS pomposity of youth, 'and that h
itself might teach us better man :;
re - ~