Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-05-03

II, by the will of God, their arises any other
game which is not the polo game, then be
assured, Colonel Sahib and officers, that we
will play it out side by side, though they, :"
again his eye sought Dirkovitch, though
they, say, have 80 ponies to our one
horse" And with a deep-mouthed Rung
no! that sounded like musket butt on flag
atones, he sat down amid leaping glasses.
Dirkovitch, who had devoted himself
steadily to the brandy-the terrible brandy
Rforementioned-did not understand, nor
did the expurgated translations offered to
him at all convey the point Decidedly
Hira Singh's was the speech of the evening,
and the clamor might have continued to the
dawn had it not been broken by the noise of
shot without that sent every man feeling
at his defenSeless left side. Then there was
scufie and yell of pain.
Carblne stealing again, " said the AdJu-
tant calmly sinking back in his chair.
''This comes of reducing the guards. l hope
the sentries have killed him."
The feet of armed men pounded on the
veranda flags, and it was as though some
thing was being dragged.
"Why don't they put him in the cells till
the morning?" said the Colonel, testify.
''See if they've damaged him, Sergeant"
The mess sergeant fed out into the dark
ness, and returned with two troopers and
corporal, all very much perplexed.
'Caught a man Stealin' carbiues, sir,
said the Corporal. ''Leastways e was
crawlin' toward the barrIcks, sir, past the
main road sentries, an the sentry, e sez,
sir
The limp heap of rags upheld BY the three
men groaned. Never was seen SO destitute
and demorslized an Afghan. He was tur-
banless, shoelesS, caked with dirt, and all
but dead with rough handling. Hira
,rrh etc I'D Irha w ot Shn dOff hn
mans pain. Dirkovitch took another glass
Of brandy.
''What does the sentry say?" said the
Colonel.
''said e speaks English, sir, said the
Corporal.
$50 you brought him into mess instead of
handing him over to the sergeant II he
spoke all the tongues of the Pentecost,
you've no business"
Again the bundle groaned and muttered.
Little Mildred had risen from his place to
Inspect. He jumped back as though he had
been shot.
perhaps it would be better, sir, to send
the men away" said he to the Colonel, for
he was a much-privileged subaltern. He
put his arms round the rag bound horror as he
spoke, and dropped him into chair. 1t may
not have been explained that the littleness
OF Mildred lay in his being six feet four and
big in proportion. The corporal, seeing that
an officer was disposed to look after the cap
ture, and that the Colonels eve was begin
ming to blaze, promptly removed himself
and his men. The mess was left alone with
the carbine thief, who laid his head on the
table and wept bitterly, hopelesslv and in
consolably, as little children weep.
Hira Singh Ieapt to his feet. "Colonel
Sahib, +" said he, "that man is no Afghan, for
they weep Al! Al! Nor is he of Hindustan,
for they weep, Oh! Hol He weeps after
the fashion OF the white men, who say Ow!
Owr
Now, where the dickens did you get
that knowledge, Hira Singh?" said the
Captain of the Lushkar team.
Hear himr" said Hira Singh, simply,
pointing at the crumpled figure, that wept
rs though it would never cease.
''He said, NY God = +" said little Mildred.
81 heard him say it."
The Colonel and the messroom looked at
the man in silence. 1t is horrible thing to
hear man cry. A woman can sob from the
top of her palate, or her lips, or anywhere
else, but man must cry from the top of his
diaphragm, and ii rends him to pieces.
Poor devil - said the Colonel, coughing
tremendously. 1--WE ought to send him to
hospital. He's been man-handled''
Now the Adjutant loved his carbines.
They were to him as his grandchildren, the
men standing in the first place. He gruuted |
FebelliOusly: 81 can understand an Afghan |
stealing because he's built that way. But 1 |
can't understand his crying. That makes it |
worse"
The brandy must have affected Dirkovitch, |
for he lay back in his chair and stared at the |
ceiling. There was nothing special in the I
ceiling beyond a shadow as of a huge black |
coffin. Owing to some popularity in the |
construction of the messroom this shadow |
was always thrown when the candles were |
lighted. 1t never disturbed the digestion of |
the White Hussars. They were in fact |
rather proud of it.
SIS he going to cry all night?" said the |
Colonel "or are we supposed to sit up with |
little Mildred's guest until he feels better?"
The man in the chair threw up his head |
and stared at the mess. "Oh, nv God!' he |
said, and every soul in the mess rose to his /
feet. Then the Iushkar captain did deed !
for which he ought to have been given the
Victoria Cross-distinguished gallautry in |
fight against overwhelming curiosity. He |
picked up his team with his ewes as the host
ess picks up the ladies at the opportune mo-
ment, and pausing only by the Colonel's |
chair to say, This isn't our affair, you
know, SIR led them into the veranda and
the gardens. HIra Singh was the last to go
and he looked at Dirkovitch. But Dirko-
witch had departed into brandy paradise
of his own. His lips moved without sound
and he was studying the coffin on the cell
ing.
"white-white all over" said Basset-
Hoimer, the Adjutant. "What pernicious
renegade he must bel l wonder where he
came irom?'
The Colonel shook the man gently by the
arm, and "Who are you?" said he.
There was no answer. The man stared
round the mess room and smiled in the
Colonel's face. Little Mildred, who was
always more of a woman than a man till |
f'Boot and saddle" WAS sounded repeated
the question in a voice that would have
drawn condolences from a geyser. The man
only smiled Dirkovitch at the far end of
the table, slid gently from his chair TO the
floor. No son of Adam in this present I'M
perfect world can mix the Hussars' cham
pagne with the Hussars' brandy, by five and
eight glasses of each, without remembering
the pit whence he was digged and descend
ing thither. The band began to play the
tune with which the White Hussars from
the date of their formation have concluded
all their functions. They would sooner be
disbanded than abandon that tune; it is a
part oil their system. The man Strengthened
himself in his chair and drummed on the
table with his fingers.
81 don't see why we should entertain |
lunatics," said the Colonel. "Call guard
and send him off to the cells We'll look |
into the business in the morning. Give
him glass OF wine first though"
Little Mildred filled a sherry glass with |
the brandy and thrust it over 10 the man.
He drank, and the tune rose louder, and he
himself yet more. Then he put
out his long-taloned hands to a piece of
plate opposite and fingered il lovingly.
There was mystery connected with that
piece of plate, in the shape of spring,
which converted what was seven -hranched | ,