Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1890-11-13


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 speaking. 1t was too demonstra-
tive.
Things seemed black indeed, and the
Captains wives peered under their eye
brows at the senior subaltern, and the
Coloners 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 falsel 1 never
had 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 homo on leave eighteen months
before; and she seemed to know all
that we knew, and more too, of his peo-
pie 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.
1 shall never forget the Indictment of
the senior subaltern by his wife, nor
will he. 1t was so sudden, rushing out
of the dark unannounced into our dull
lives. The Captains wives stood back,
but their eyes were alight, and you
could see that they had already con-
victed and sentenced the senior sub
altern. The Colonel seemed five years
older. One Major was shading his eyes
with his hand and watching the woman
from underneath it. Another was
chewing his mustache and smiling
quietly, as if he we're witnessing play.
Full in the open space, in the center,
by the whist tables, the senior SUBJ
altern's terrier was hunting for feas.
l Oremember all this as clearly as
though a photograph were in my hand.
l remember the look of horror on the
senior subaltern's face. 1t was rather
like seeing man hanged, but much
more interesting. Finally the woman
wound up by saying that the senior sub
altern 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 Majors said, very politely: 81
presume that your marriage certificate
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
the Colonel and all the rest. Then she
wept and then she pulled paper from
her breast, saying, imperially: "Take
that! and let my husband-my lawful
husband-read it aloud If he darer'
There was a 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 wondering, as we stared, whether
there was any thing against any one of
US that might turn up later on. The
senior subaltern's throat was dry; but,
as he ran his eyes over the paper, he
broke out into a hoarse cackle of relief,
and said to the woman: "You young
blackguardp'
But the woman had fed 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
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 a deputation set off for The
Worms quarters, and found him, be-
twixt and between, unlacing his stays,
with the hat, wig, serge dress, etc, on
the bed. He came over as he was, and
the ''Shikarris" shouted until the gun
ners' mess sent over to know If they
might have a share of the fun. think
we were all, except the Colonel and the
senior 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 any thing 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:
81 don't think you ever asked me.
used to act at home with my sisters"
But no acting with girls could &C
count for The Worms display that
night Personally, l think 1t was in
bad taste. besides 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 money in scenery and dresses
He is 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 Subalterns in the sta
ton, this is sometimes confusing to
strangers--Rudyard Kipling, in The
Woman's Journal.
There are fifty-one different post
within tho cornorate limits Of