Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1890-10-16
that one is not surprised when the crash


didn't know; we wanted to hear, and
the captains wives We're as anxious as
we. If he had been trapped, he was to
be excused, for the woman from nowhere,
in the dusty shoes and gray travelling
dress, was very lovely, with black hair
and great eyes full of tears. She was
tall, with a fine figure, and her voice had
a running sob in it pitiful to hear. AS
soon as the senior subaltern stood up,
she threw her arms round his neck and
called him "my darling" and said she
could not bear waiting alone in England,
and his letters were so short and cold,
and she was his to the end of the world,
and would he forgive her? This did not
sound quite like lady's way of speak
ing. 1t was too demonstrative.
Things seemed black indeed, and the
captains wives peered under their eye
brows at the senior subaltern, and the
colonefs face set like the day of judg-
ment framed in gray bristles, and no one
spoke for awhile.
Next the colonel said, very shortly:
"Well, sir?' and the woman sobbed
afresh. The senior subaltern was half
choked with the arms around his neck.
but he gasped OUT Its false! never
had a wife in my life!''
"Well,' said the colonel, "cOme into
the mess. We must sift this clear some
how" and he sighed to himself, for he
believed in his " Shikarris," did the
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 middle of us all, sometimes chok-
ing with crying, then hard and proud,
and then holding out her arms to the
senior subaltern. 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 his people
and his past life. He was white and ashy
gray, trying now and again to break into
the torrent of her words; and we, noting
how lovely she was and what criminal
he looked, esteemed him beast of the
worst kind. We felt sorry for him,
though.
| shall never forget the Indictment of
the senior subaltern by his wife, nor will
he. 1t was so sudden, rushing out of
the dark unannourced into our dull lives.
The captains wives stood back, but their
eyes were alight, and you could see that
they had already convicted and sentenced
the senior subaltern. The colonel seemed
five years older. One ma jor was shading
his eyes with his hand and watching the
woman from underneath it. Another
was chewing his moustache and smiling
quietly, as if he were witnessing play.
Full in the open space, in the centre, by
the whist tables, the senior subaltern's
terrier was hunting for f1eas. | remem-
Der all this as clearly as though photo
graph were in my hand. | remember
the look of horror on the senior subal-
terms face. 1t was rather like seeing a
man hanged, but much more interesting.
Finally the woman wound up by saying
that the senior subaltern carried double
F. NJ. 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 ma Ors said, very politely:
81 presume that your marriage certif-
cate would be more to the purpose
That reused the woman. She stood up
and sneered at the senior subaltern for
cur, and abused the major and colonel
and all the rest. Then she wept, and
then she pulled a paper from her breast,
saying imperially: stake that! and let
my husband-my lawful husband-read
it aloud if he dare!''
There was hush, and the men looked
into each others eyes as the senior SUBJ
altern came forward in dazed and dizzy
way and took the paper. We were Won
dering, as we stared, whether there was
anything against any ODE of us that
might turn up later on. The senior sub
altern's throat was dry; but, as he ran
his eyes over the paper, he broke out into
hoarse cackle of relief, and said to the
woman: "You young blackguard.'
But the woman had fled through a
door, and on the paper was written:
"This is to certify that [, The Worm,
have paid in full my debts to the senior
subaltern, and further, that the senior
subaltern 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 currency of
the Indian Empire"
Then deputation set off for The
Worms quarters, and found him. betN ixt
and between, unlacing his stays, with
the hat, wig, serge dress, etc, on the
bed. He came over as he was, and the
Z" Shikarris'' shouted till the gunners'
mess sent over to know if they might
have share of the fun. [ think we
were all, except the colonel and the SEN
ior subaltern, little disappointed that
the scandal had come to nothing. But
that is human nature. There could be
no two words about The Worms acting.
1t leaned as near to a nasty tragedy as
anything this side of joke can.
When most of the subalterns set upon
him with sofa cushions to find out why
he had not said that acting was his
strong point, he answered, very quietly:
II don't think you ever asked me. |
used to act at home with my sisters
But no acting with girls could account
for The Worms display that night. Per-
sonally, think it was in bad taste, be-
sides being dangerous. There is no use
in playing with fire, even for fun.
The "Shikarris'' made him president
of the regimental dramatic club, and
when the senior subaltern paid up his
debt, which he did at once, The Worm
sank the moLey in scenery and dresses.
He is good Worm, and the g 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 Subaterns in the station,
this is sometimes confusing to strangers.