The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1889-04-05
MAI. CROSS WIFE.

ny fogy club. | did not know his name In |
ny own mind | looked on him as the man
who always sat in the same corner, smoking
cheroots. He was very neat as
% his dress, and | detected at once that at
,ome time or other he had been in the SER
yice. His hair was perfectly white, and the
man appeared worn out with some secret
grief, some mysterious trouble made Maj.
Fowler's acquaintance on one Christmas eve,
after having dined little better than usual,
and was correspondingly elated, and felt
must talk to somebody; so, faut de mleux,
talked to him. Generally at the Rice and
Curry, when member whom we have not
been introduced to addresses us, we put on
wronged and indignant air-as a rule, we
don't answer; if we do we make the man who
has thus daringly addressed us understand
his mistake. 1t is thus we assert our superb
ority. Perhaps this is why we have the
reputation of being cliquey.
Why it was do not know. There is no
other word for tive "chummed," literally
at once. We had both served in
the same presidency, we had met the same
people, but Maj. Fowler was senior to me.
He had been through the mutiny, had not.
1t was rather ghastly affair, and / cannot
see why he should have confided it to ME. At
any rate, this is what he told me;
l was only a lieutenant then-a lieutenant
in the -th Bengal native infantry. The
mutiny had already broken out in our presi-
dency, but our regiment was supposed to be
particularly well affected. Kerimabad was
a wretched place; it was one Of the dullest
and hottest stations in the presidency. We
were very hard up for European officers;
some were on leave-of course, they we're
hurrying back as fast as the p. 81 Q. boats
could carry them; some were on detachment
duty, others away on special employment,
but the bulk of them were on the sick list,
for Kerimabad was an unhealthy hole, al
though its strategic Importance was too great
to allow Of its being unoccupied, and to our
regiment had fallen the duty of occupying
It, From the circumstances | have mem
toned Maj. Cross, who was in command,
and myself were the only two men on the
effective list Cross was a martinez; he had
risen from the ranks, and was extremely re-
ligious. We naturally saw a great deal of
each other.
Mai Cross was married, and his wife was
the only white woman on the station. Not
six months before Maj. Cross returned from
furlough with his bride. OF course, we all
fell in love with her. What she could have
seen in Gross | cannot make out; why she
married him, heaven knows. Cross, though
a most deserving officer, was perhaps hardly
what would be called gentleman, but his
wife was a lady and very beautiful. She
must have been in her 2lst year then. She
was blonde and petite, with dreamy blue
eyes and masses of curling hair, which gave
her girlish beauty an air of recklessness,
which was but an additional charm. Her
greatest delight was horse exercise At carly
morning Mrs. Gross was certain to be in the
saddle; in the afternoon, as soon as ever the
sun was low enough, the majors wife might
have been seen on her dapple gray Gulf Arab,
flying across the country, attended by one or
more of her husbands subordinates.
had been in love with her from the first
but am not an excitabe man, and perhaps
it wasn't genuine love, after all. l know
that there was not the faintest shadow Of i'm
propriety in the love, if we must call 1t so.
that felt for the majors wife. True, / was
her willing slave, her constant cavalier. Per
haps pitied the girl married to man twice
her age, a man with but two ideas in his
head--drill and discipline. They say that
pity is akin to love-perhaps it is; but had
not the least idea of running away with Ross
Cross, not the remotest; my affection for hel
was purely platonc--at least it was till the
fatal afternoon when we rode out together
for the last time at Kerimabad.
Our horses were walking, their brides OF
their necks, our native glooms some fifty
yards behind us on the sandy plain.
Jack she said to me unfortunately W
were Jack and Rosa nowl,. ~ shan't be abl
10 bear it much longer. The mail was II
again this morning; all my friends are urgini
me to go down to Calcutta at once L don
think it's fair of the ma jor 10 make poo
little woman live with her heart always il
her mouth. Oh, Jackr' she sobbed, and tn
tears ran down her face Il am so afraid o
the nasty blacksn
Now, this particular remark was peouliar
irritating to Maj Cross. Commanding, as h
did, Il native regiment, he naturally dislike
the expression So angry had he become tina
Rosa never dared to use her favorite EXPIRE.
sion in her husbands presence.
"Of course it's very rough ON you, but
don't see any way out of it. You are tho ol;l
European in the station, Gross and | are IL
| only two men here; we can't leave the plac
But you shouldn't let it worry you; the reg
ment is well affected enough
| sits not true, Jack. Only this morning N
husband told me that the regiment is on Il
point of mutiny.n
| The brutel No doubt he had told her.
"Then he was fool for his painsn +
piled.
Its very hard !" sobbed the girl; for 81
was but girl, though she was my oomman
ing officers wife
Perhaps remembered the first fact al
forgot the second when l took her hand an
looking into her eyes, swore that | wou
look after her and that there was no DANCE
She returned the pressure; she was but aC
| inc, 4 mt aff
are actresses, suppose; but did not drea
that the pressure OF her finger tips, the trui
ing, loving glance which she flung upon l
through her tears, was but the cursed bl
which was TO lure me to my destruction.
"Ah, If he would only let me go" she sal
"By morning should be out of danger
am too young to die here, Jack, and to {
as / should have to die!" she added witt
shudder.
There was a great deal in what she Sa
The major trusted her just as far as y
could swing tiger by the tail, and never
her out of his sight save when took her c
riding, as | was doing now; he was but
selfish rufian, after all. 1t didn't much IN
ter il he and were hacked to pieces,
worse, by the Sepoys; it was in the ordiua
way of business, and would doubtless be d
mentioned in dispatches, but poor II
Rosa, not six months wife, to be butche
In this lonely furnace to crafty a madmi
whlm-it was hard.
Jack she said, as she leaned ever
pommel, her face almost touching mime, ="
can save me, Jack ~
In that instant duty, honor, esprit de co
loyalty 10 my senior officer and all, yanisl
As felt her warm check against my o
my sympathy my admiration for Rosa
came in an instant converted into IA fie
y unreasoning love. My arm was round
waist In a moment, and one sweet, sinful
sealed the compact between me and the
who masqueraded as the guileless and tin
GUS young bride,
Jack, she said, 1--WE must 10 care
There Is no time TO lose. Who can
whether the grooms that follow US may
have seen that kissf
She was cool, calculating and reasoned
mirably, As for me, the blood rushed thrC
my veins like liquid fire, and my heart p
ttod 70 an almost painful extent
"Jaol,n she said, once more, MT is 70
night. He knows IL; he has told me 50.
must fly together