The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-07-05


did not sound quite like lady's way of
speaking 1t was too deuionstrative.
Things seemed black indeed, alnd the cap
tairs wives peered under their eyebrows
at the senior subaltsrn, and the colonel's
face set like the day Of judgment framed
in gray bristles, and no one spoke for a
| while.
Next the colonel said, very shortly:
"Wen, sir?" AID the woman sotbed afresh.
The senior su6al1eCn was half choked with
the arms round his neck, but be gasped
out: cts a id lie! never had a wife
| in my hfen' Don't swear" said the COL
onel. "Comei1to tie ness. We must sift
this clear somehow,' and he sighed to him
self, for he believed in his ''Shikarris," did
! the colonel.
| We trooped into the ante-room, under
| the full lights, anSSsshere we saw how beau
tiful the woman was. She stood up in the
middle Of us all, sometimes choking with
crying, then hard and proud, and then
| holding out her arms to the senior subal-
| tern. 1t was like the fourth act Of trag-
! edy. She told Us how the senior subaltern
! had married her when he was home on
leave eighteen months before; and she
| seemed to know all that we knew, and
more too, of hts people and his past life
He was white and asLy gray, trying now
| and again TO break into the torrent of her
words; and we, noting now lovely she was
and what criminal he looked, esteemed
| him beast of the worst kind. We felt
sorry for him, though.
I shall never forget the indictment of the
senior subaltern by his wife. Nor viii he
It was SO sudden, rushing out of the dark
unannoUnced into our dull lives The cap
tains' wives stood back, but their eyes
were alight, and you could see that they
Rad already convicted and sentenced the
senior subaltern. The colonel seemed five
years older. One major was shading his
eyes with his hand and watching the wom-
an from underneath it. Another was chew
ing his mUstache and smiling quietly as if
he were witnessing a play. Full in the
open space in the center by the whist tables
the senior subaltern's terrier was hunting
for feas. l remember ell this as clearly as
though a photograph were in my hand.
remember the look of horror on the senior
subaltern's face. 1t was rather like seeing
man hanged, but Tauch more interesting.
Finally the woman wound up by saying
that the senior subaltern carried double
T. n. in tattoo on his left shoulder We
all knew that, and TO our innocent minds
it seemed to clinch the matter. But one Of
the bachelor majors said very politely: 4
presume that your marriage certificate
would be more to the purpose"
That reused the woman. She stood up
and sueered at the senior subaitern for
cur and abused the major and the colonel
and all the rest Then she wept and then
she pulled paper from her breast, saying
imperiGily: "TaIle that, And let my hus-
band-my lawfully welded husband-read
it aloud if he dareu'
There was a hush and the men looked
into each others eyes as the senior subal-
tern came forward in dazed and dizzy
way and took the paper. We were won
dering, as we stared, whether there was
anything against any one Of uS that might
turn I'D later on. The senior subaltern's
throat was dry; but, rs be ran his eye over
the paper, he broke out into a hoarse cackle
of relief and said to the woman: "You
young blackguardr'
But the woman had fled through a door,
and on the paper was written: 'This is to
certify that l, The Worm, have paid in full
my debts to the senior sUbeitern, and fur
Their, that the senior subaiJern is my debtor,
by agreement on the 23d Of February, as
by the mess attested, to the extent of one
months captains pay, in the lawful cur
re0cy Of the India empire"
Then dcputation set off for The Worms
quarters and found him, betwixt and be-
tween, unlacing his stays, with the hat,
wig, serge dress, etc, on the bed. He
came over as be was, and the "Shi-
karris'' shouted til the gunnors' mess
sent over to know if they might have a
share of the fun. l think we were all, ex-
cept the colonel and the senior subaltern,
little disappointed that the scandal had
come to nothing. Bat that is human ma
tUre. There could be no two words abou+
The Worms acting. II leaned as near to
a nasty tragedy As anything this side of
joke can.
When most of the subalterns sat upon
him with sofa cushions to find out why he
had not said that acting was his strong
point he answered worry quietly, Il don't
think you ever asked me. l used TO act at
home with nay sisters" But no acting
with girls could account for The Worms
display that night. Personally l think it
was in bad taste, beside being dangerous.
There is no sort OF use in playing with fire
even for fun.
The "Shikarris" made him president of
the regiInental dramatic club, and when
the senior suhaltern paid up his debt,
which he did at once, The Worm sank the
money in scenery and dresses He was
good Worm, and the ''Shikarris" are proud
of him. The only drawback is that he has
been christened Mrs. Senior Subaltern."
and as there are now two Mrs. Senior Sub
alterns IN the station this is sometimes
confusing to straagers,-RUdyar kiping.