Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1890-07-04

onel was the senior suhAltern6 name. a
woman came into the little circle Of light By
the candles on the psg tables, stretching out
her hands to the dark whore the senior was
and sobbing. We rose TO our feet fssling
that things were going to happen and ready
to believe the worst. In this bad, smau
world of ours one knows 30 little OF the Ifs
of the next man, which after al II entirely
his own concern, that one Ia not surprised
when q crash comes.
Anything might turn up any day for sny
one. Perhaps the senior subaltern had bean
trapped In his youth. Men are crippled that
way occasionally. We didn't know; We
wanted to hear, and the captains wives were
as anxious as we. II he had been trapped he
was to be excused, for the woman from no.
where, in the dusty shoes and gray travelling
dress, was very lovely, with black hair and
fine figure, and her voice had Q running sob
in IL pitiful to hear. As soon % the senior
subaltern stood up she threw her arms round
his neck and called him "my darling and
said ehe could not bear waiting alone in
England, and his letters were 90 short and
cold and she was his to the end Of the world
and would he forgive heri This did not
II was too demonstrative.
Things seemed black indeed, and the csp-
tsins' wives peered under their eyebrows at
the senior subaltern, and the colonsl's face
set like the day of Judgment framed
In gray bristles, and no one speks for .
while.
Next the colonel said very shortly:
The senior subaltern was half choked with
the arms round his neck, but he gasped out:
"It's id lieI I never had Q wife In my
lifel" "Don't swear" said the colonel.
"Come into the mess. We must aft this
l clear somehow" and he sighed to himself,
for he believed in his "Shiksrris," !" did the
l colonel.
We trooped into the ante-room, under the
full lights, and there we saw how beautiful
the woman was. She stood up In the mid
die of us all, sometimes choking with crying
then hard and proud, and then holding ou'
her arms to the senior subsltern. II wa
like the fourth act of tragedy. She told n
how the senior subsltern had married he
when he was home on leave eighteen month
before; and she seemed to know all that W
knew, and more too, of his people and hi
past life. He was white and sshy gray, try
ing now and again to break into the torren
of her words; and we, noting how lovely sh
was and what a criminal he locked, esteemet
him a beast of the worst kind. We felt serr,
| for him, though.
shall never forget the indictment Of tn
senior subaltern by his wife. Nor wiz ne
Il was sudden, and rushing ont of the darl
unannounced into our dull lives. The cap
tsins' wives stood back, but their eyes wsr
aiicht. and you could see that they hs
already convicted and sentenced the senie
subaltern. The colonel seemed ave year
older. One major was shading his eyes wit
his hand and watching the woman from m
derneath il. Another was chewing his mut
tsche and smilipg quietly as IL he were Wit
Messing play. Full in the open space u
the centering by the whist tables the senio
subaltern's terrier was hunting for fess.
remember all this ss clearly as though
photograph were in my hand. renenbs
the look of horror on the senior subaitern
i face. II was rather like seeing . ma
hanged, but much more interesting. FINAL
| the woman wound mp by saying that th
senior subaltern carried O double +. N. l
tattoo on his left shoulder. We all kne
| that, and to our innocent minds it seemed
clinch the matter But one Of the bschels
your marriage certificate would be more
the purposep
= That aroused the woman. She stood Z
and sueered at the senior subsltern for G
| and abused the major and the colonel and |
[ | the rest. Then she wept and then she pull
: paper from her breast, saying impsriall
q | "Take that And let my husband-n
lawfully welded husbsnd-read is aloud
he dsrei"
There was hush and the m
: looked into each others eyes
the senior subsltern came forwa
= in dazed and dizzy way and took {
, paper. We were wondering, as we stare
whether there was anything against any o
Of us that might turn up later on. 7
e senior subaltern's throat was dry; but, as
: ran his eye over the paper. he broke ont In
/. an: "You young blackguard,"
q But the woman had fied through . doc
u and on the paper was written: "This In
certify that /, The Worm, have paid In 4,
my debts to the senior subaltern, and fr
ther, that the senior subaltern 10 my debts
by agreement on the ESD Of February a.
}. the mess sttested, to the extent Of o
i months captain's pay, in the lawful ourren
It of the India empire"
n Then deputation set of for The Worn
b quarters aud found him, betwixt and
IT tween, uniacing his stays, with the hat. WI
g serge dSess, etc, on the bed. he came o,
q | as he was, and the "Shiksrris" shouted {
II the gunners' mess sert over to know IL th
% might have n share of the fun. think !
+ were all, except the colonel and the ssni
70 subaltern, little disappointed that the sci
!e dial had come to nothing. But that is hum
10 nature. There could be no two words abe
|" The Worms acting. 1t Is s'lesrned as near
,e nasty tragedy as anything this side o
10 joke can.
N When most of the subalterns sat ur
him with sofa cushions to find out why
Is had not said that acting was his strs
h point he answered very quietly. 81 do
Is think you ever asked me. / used TO act
Ne home with my sisters" But no acting W
pit girls could account for The Worms disp
n that night Personally think IL was In
ve taste, beside being dangerous. There lie
b. sort of use In playing with fire even
q. fun.
~ The "Shikarris" made him president
It. the regimental dramatic club, and when
O. senior subaltetn paid up his debt, which
So did at once, The Worm sank the money
o. scenery and dresses. He was q good WoI
er and the "Shikarris" are proud of him. 2
only drawback Is that he has been christeI
ry "Mrs. Senior Subaltern" and as there are
K Mrs. Senior Subalterns In the station thi
to sometimes confusing to strangers.