St. Landry democrat., 1888-09-01
A MILITARY
What Still Puzzles the Good Peo.
pie of Blankford.

Captain Hugh Fluker was a quiet,
unobtrusive man, upon whom certain
youthful subalterns had bestowed the
cognomen of the ''fossil." Though he
was steady and prosaic, nevertheless
every body in the Royal Slopshire Regi.
ment voted him one of the best officers
that ever held Her Majesty's commits
sion. He was rather elderly, with
iron-gray hair, d well-trained military
mustache and a pleasant expression;
he dressed faultlessly, and was always
the pink of politeness. Frequently he
might have been seer walking along
the shady side of the High street at
Blankford, where the regiment was
quartered, and upon such occasions he
peered d good deal under the bonnets
of pretty women; but there was a de-
mure expression in his glance which
withered any rising feeling of resent
ment. His age and his Enthusiastically
sympathetic half-smile gave him an
immunity which would not be extend
ed to younger and holder men
At the mess of the Royal Slopshire
the merits and dement's of the damsels
of Blankford, manageable or other
wise, were nightly discussed, and more
than once had 1.-The fossil been twitted
with his apparent lack of interest in
the fair sex. But he had shaken his
head, and replied, with a grave smile,
almost of sadness, that his days of
Irritation were over, that such things
must be left to the boys. His brother
officers had not failed to notice his
gravity, and hence the popular belief
that he had been crossed in love.
Though Captain Fluker vas a member
of the Blankford Cuban institution
where every body knew every body
else, and where old fogies played
whist for points not exceeding one
penny-and his conduct in public was
exemplary, yet somehow he had but
few friends. The men who ought to
he ought to have been-did not care
for his company. Nor did the female
leaders of Blankford society give him
great co%untenance, for, if the truth
must be told, he was horribly Slow"
and it vas generally admitted that
there was something queer about
F1uker. Though he led the almost
idyllic life of a grave, sedate, old
bachelor, yet somehow Blankfordians
had an indefinable distrust in him
which was utterly una%ccountable.
The denizens of Blankford we're a
set Of cheerful people who dubbed to-
gether their resources to make the
time pass pleasantly, and who made
nc attempt to outshine one another.
But on the arrival of the Royal Stop
shire from Egyptian deserts, every
thing suddenly changed, and the resi-
dents-especlally those possessed of
the marketable commodities yclept
''marriageable daughters'-began to
show off and give junketings upon the
most approved principle, presumably
in the hope of capturing some of the
heroic officers. Those holding COM
mission in the regiment thoroughly
enjoyed themselves; but Captain Fluker
held aloof from most of these pomps
and vanities, and Stunned the hus-
band-huntresses.
This sort Of thing went on for a year, |
when a whispered rumor caused much
CONSERVATION in the garrison. It was, |
that 1.-The fossil" had actually en6red
for the matrimonial stakes. Such a
proceeding was SO unlikely, that it was
considered a huge joke, until some
body at mess announced as a positiveq
fact that the fair lady was none other
than Miss Prudence Grimes. This
was greeted by a good deal of laugh
ter, for the lady in question was a
rawboned spinster of fifty, who lived
with her sister in a prim little cottage
OF the London Road.
by Jove,n exclaimed the Honor
able BERTHE Oofington, an affected and
mustacheless young SUBJ, always
thawt the fossil would go in for lucre
and ugliness. But he's been confound-
edly quiet over it,
"Yes; they say he's been engaged to
her for months, and that's why he
don't mix with the CAV element OF
ours" remarked MS neighbor: