San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-09-20
IN THE PRIDE OF YOUTH

When was telling you of the joke that
the Worm played off on the senior sub
altern promised somewhat similar tale,
but with all the Jest left out. This is that
tale.
Dicky HIATT was kidnapped in his early,
early youth-neither by landlady's daugh-
ter, housemaid, barmaid, nor cook, but by
girl so nearly of his own caste that only
a woman could have said she was just the
least little bit in the world below it, This
happened month before he came out to
India, and five days after his one-and-twen-
tieth birthday. The girl was nineteen-six
years older than Dicky in the things of this
world, that is to say-and. for the time,
twice as foolish as he.
Excepting always falling off a horse
there is nothing more fatally easy than
marriage before the registrar The cere-
mony costs less than fifty shillings, and is
remarkably like walking into pawn shop.
After the declarations of residence have
been put in four minutes will cover the
rest of the proceedings-fees, attestatiOn
and all. Then the registrar slides the blot
ting pad over the names, and says grimly
with his pen between his teeth: Now
you're man and wife," and the couple walk
OuU luIO JEe SGFctI, lScllilS, dts IL SOIcJuluS
we're horribly Illegal somewhere.
But that ceremony holds and can drag a
man to his undoing just as thoroughly as
the "long as We both shall live" curse from
the altar rails, with the bridesmaids gig
Cling behind, and The Voice That
Breathed DER Eden" lifting the roof off. In
his manner was Diclly HIATT kidnapped, and
ne considered it vastly fine, for he had re-
,eived an appointment in India which car
ried magnificent salary from the home
point of view. The marriage was TO be
Kept secret for year. Then Mrs. Dicky
HAITI was to come out and the rest of life
was to be a golden mist. That was how
hey sketched it under the Addison Road
station lamps; and after one short month
came Gravesend and Dicky steaming out
20 his new life, and the girl crying in a
hirty-shillings-a-weekb ed-and-livingr
n back street off Montpelier square near
;he Knightsbridge barracks.
But the country that Dicky came to was
hard land, where men" of 81 were reck
Dned very small boys indeed and life was
expensive. The salary that doomed 50
,arge 6,000 miles away did not 90 far-par-
,iCularly when Dicky divided it by two
md remitted more than the fair half at 1-6
Montpelier square. One hundred and
hirty-fve rupees out of the 800 is not
much to live on, hut it was absurd to sup
)Ose that Mrs. HAITI could exist forever on
he $50 held back by Dicky from his outfit
allowance Dicky saw this and remitted
1t once, always remembering that Rs. 700
we're to be paid twelve months later for a
irst class passage out for a lady. When
you add to these trifling details the natural
Instincts of boy beginning new life in a
new country, and longing to go about and
enjoy himself, and the necessity for crap
bling with strange wOrk-which, properly
Speaking, should take up boys undivided
lttention-you will see that Dicky started
handicapped. He saw it himself for a
breath or two, but he did not guess the
all beauty of his future.
As the hot weather began the shackles
settled on him and ate into his flesh. First
would come letters-big, crossed, seven
sheet letters-frOm his wife, telling him
lOw she lOnged to see him, and what a
lesven upon earth would be their property
when they met Then some boy of the
chummery wherein Dicky lodged would
pound on the door Of his bare little room
md tell him to come out TO look at pony
the very thing TO suit him. Dicky could
not afford ponies. He had to explain this.
Dicky could not afford living in the Chum-
merry, modest as it was. He had to explain
this before he moved to a single room next
The office where he worked all day. He
kept house on green oilcloth table cover,
one chair, one charpoy, one photograph,
one tooth glass, very strong and thick,
seven rupee eightanna filter, and messing
by contract at thirty-seven rupees month
which last item was eXtortiOn. He had
10 punkah, for punEah costs fifteen rupees
4 month; but he slept on the roof of the
office with all his wife's letters under his
pillow. Now and again he was asked out
to dinner, where he got both a punkah and
an iced drink. Boa this was seldom, for
people objected to recognizing boy who
had evidently the instincts of a Scotch
tallOw chandler and who lived in such a
nasty fashion. Dicky could not subscribe
20 any amusement, so he found no amuse-
ment except the pleasure of turning over
his bank book and reading what it said
about loans on approved security" That
cost nothing. He RENTED through Bonn
bay bank, by the way, and the station
knew nothing OF his private affairs.
Every month he sent home all he could
possibly spare Cor his wife-and for another
reason which was expected to explain itself
shortly and would require more money.
About this time Dicky was Overtaken
with the nervous, haunting fear that besets
married men when they are out of sorts.
He had no pension to look to- What if he
should die suddenly and Leave his wife I'M
provided for? The thought used to lay
hold of him in the still, hot nights on the
roof till the shaking of his heart made
him think that be was. going TO die then