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

room the following morning he was greeted
by such a volley Of chaff as would have
driven q more nervous man, or one less Of q
favorite than himself, to despair. Already
the story had gone the rounds of the bar
racks, and Bottles found the greater part of
his brother officers ready and willing to take
Miles view Of the affair, whether in chaff or
downright good earnest, he could not say.
"Hallool Boobies. my man." shouted one
when be entered, whats this story we hears
Is 1t possible that Bootles-our Immaculate
and ~philanthropical Bootles-Oh, Bootle5l
hcotle5! how are the mighty fallen"
"HeyF' inquired Boobies, sweotly.
Il wouldn't have believed it Of yo1,
Boctle3; l wouldn't indeed. Any other fel-
lew in the regimen5-that soft-headed Lacy
g%rinning over there, for instaace-but our
PootIeS-" He broke off as If words could
not express the volumes lie thought, but
found his tongue AMI vent on again before
Boobies could open his mouth. "Our Boobies
with an acknowledged wife sworn not to
disclose her marriaye--our Boobies with a
EaLy-our Bottles a papaF' Oh lori"
why didn't you manage better, BootlesW
cried another. You might have sent her
an odd flyer now and then. You have
plenty"
rs she pretty, Bootlesp asked d third.
"Was there by any chance a flaw in the
marriageW inquired a fourth.
"Do you think I'm a foolP' asked Boobies
pleasantly. Il tel you it's a plant. know
nothing about the creature"
Gust my view" struck in Miles. "Jugt
what I said last night. It's absurd, you
know, to expect him to own it. No fellow
would. Besides, does Bottles look like the
father Of a fine bouncing baby that goes
'Chucka, chucka, chuckP It's absurd, you
know"
Even Boobies Joined in the laugh which
followed, and Miles continued:
''The only thing Island it really Is awk-
ward for Bootles-the extraordinary like
ness. Blue eyes, golden hair, fair complex
ion. l should say myself"-looking at his
ccmrade criticllly-''that at the same age
Bootles was just such a baby as that which
turned up so mysteriously last night"
That's as may be. Any way, the young
ster is not mine" said Bottles, emphatically;
land what to do with the littIa beggar /
don't know
'Send it back to it's mother" suggested
Dawson.
"But don't know who the mother is"
Boobies answered, impatiently.
"Oh, no; so you say. Well, then, the brat
must have growed, like Topsy. If 1 were
you I should send it to the police station"
''The police station' Oh, 10; hang it all,
the poor little boygar has done nothing to
start the world in that way" Bottles an
swered.
"Did any enc Of YOU" asked Miles of the
general company, lever hear Of a chap
called Solomon
"I-er-did," answered Lacy, promptly.
ellis other rame was-er-Fligg. The Rev.
erend Solomon Fiigg."
"Oh, we're all heard of him! But | meant
q rather moro celebrated person. There Is a
story about him. rather think it's in
Proverbs'-eliciting q yell Of laughter.
"Not Proverbs! Well, perhaps it's in tn,
Song Of Solomon. It's about two mothers,
who each had a baby, and one of them man.
aged to smother hers in the night, and find
ing it dead when she woke upin the morning,
claimed the other baby. OF course the other
woman kicked up a row, a regular shindy,
and they came before Solomon to get the
matter settled. Both claim it, said he.
'Oh, chop it in half, and let each have a
share" But you all know the rest. How
the real mother gave up her claim sooner
than see the child halved. Now in this case.
you see, Bottles hasn't the heart to send the
child off to the police station, as he would
if"
"Here's the colonel said some one at
this point, and in less than two seconds he
appeared.
'NWhy, F%errars," he said, give been hear
irS a queer tale about you"
eyes, sir" said BOTTLES, dismally, "and
where it will end Idon't know! Here am l
yqddled--'
"Well, of course you know whether the
child has any claim upon you the colonel
began.
Upon my honor it has not, colonel" said
Boobies, earnestly.
"Then that, of course, settles the question:"
replied the colonel, with a frown at the grin.
ming faces along the table. II should send
the child to the w~orkhouse Immediately"
1.-THE workhouseF' repeated Boobies, re-
Hectively.
"PH bet any one q flyer he DON'T" muir
INJURED Miles to his neighbors.
mot he. Nine. la Mere knew what she
was doing when she picked out Boobies.
He'll get one of the sergeant5' wives to look
after it; see if he don't.n
After the chief had left the room Boobies
continued his breakfast in silence, consider
ing the two suggestions for the disposal of
the child. Now, if the truth be told, Boobies
had a horror of warehouses. He had gons
deeply into the "Casual" question, and pitied
a tramp from the very inmost recesses of his
kind heart. 1t fairly made him sick to
think OF that benny golden head growing
up among the shorn and unlovely locks Of a
pauper brood-to think Of the little soft
fingers that had twined themselves SO conf
IDENTIFY about his own, and had picked at the
embroideries Of his mess waistcoat, being
slapped by the matron, OF set, as soon as
they should be strong enough to do coarse
and hard word, to develop into the unnatu-
rally widened and unkempt hand OF a MAR
chioness"-to think Of that little dainty thing
being nourished on skilly, or Oh whatever
hard fare pauper children are fed-to think
of that little aristocrat being brought I'D
among the children of thieves and vaga-
bondsl
'Oh, confound it ALL" he broke out, 'I
can't"
II never expected you could" retorted
Miles. ut wouldn't be natural if you did"
This time Boobies did not laugh; on the
contrary, he looked up and regarded Miles
with a grave and searching gaze, rather dis
concerning to that quizzical young gentle
man.
Are you judging me out Of your own
haaskal an l. --l-1