The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-12-08
THE MADNESS
OF ORTHERIS.

on oh' Where would be when my froat w.s dry
oAi Where Won ] be when the bull Is fys
oni Whore would be when come TO die.
scmewheres singh my chum.
! e's quor ell q We me some,
4 IN dyin' ell Z III my cad
an 81 write EN- 'one wncn I'm dead
-Barracs Room Ballad
NY friends Mnlvaney and Ortheris had
gone on shooting expedition for one dav.
LNaroyd was still in hospital, recovering
from fever picked mp in Burmah. They
sent me an invitation to join them. and
We're genuinely panied when brought
peer-almost enough beer to satisfy two
prfvates OF the line and me.
Twasn't for that We d you welkim.
sorr. said Mulvaney. sulk.iy. "'Twas for
tue pleasure av your comply"
Ostheris cane 10 the rescue with: "Well.
e won't be none the worse for bringing
liquor with m. We ai'nt file o. Docks.
We're bioomin' Tommies, ye cantank ris
Hirishman, an 'ere's your very good
'ealthr'
We shot a the forenoon, and killed two
pariah-dogs, four green parrots, sitting.
one Kite by the burning-ghaui, one snake
using. one mud-turtle and eight crows.
Game was plentiful. Then we sat down
10 bfhn-'buil-mate an bran-bread," Null
vaney called it--by the side OF the river,
ana took pot shots al the crocodiles in the
intervals OF cutting up the food with our
only pocket-knife. Then We drank up all
the beer, anu threw the bottles into the
water and bred AT them. After that we
eased belts and stretched ourselves on the
warm sand and smoked. We we're too lazy
10 continue smoking.
oriheris heaved q big sigh as he lay on
MS stomach With his head between his fists.
linen he swore quietly Ia o the blue skv.
Fwhat's that for?" said Mulvaney.
Have ye not drunk enough7"
Toti'nim Court Road an gal fancied
there. Not's he good OF soaj-rin'?"
'Orth rls. me son" said Mulvaney.
hastily, "'tis more than likely you've got
throuble In your inside with this beer.
feel that say meslf whin my liver gets
rusty"
Ortheris went on slowly. not needing the
interruption.
I'm Tommy--a bioomin', eight-anna,
dog.stealin Tommy, with a numbe, instead
OF decent name. Noi's the good o. me |;
II al stayed ut '0me. | might a. married
that gal and KEEP n Ii tie saorp IN the
'Ammrrsmith 'lgh.--S. Orth'rs. Prac-ti-
Cal Tax-der-mis. With q stuff fox. like
,hey as in The Havlesbury Diaries. In the
wlnder, an little Case of blue and yalIer
glass heyes, an little wife to cell 'shorpl I
when the door bell rung As it his. I'm
Beer-swillln' Tom'nv Rest on your
harms-'versed. STAN at hease; Shun.
'Verse-harms. Right an lie. '--tarrn Sow
march. 'Ait-iront. Rest on YOUR
harms--'versed. With blank-cartridge-
load. An that's the end o. me-" He was
quoting fragments from Funeral Parties
Orders.
stop uti'' shouted Mulvaney. "Whin
you've fired into noihin' as often as me,
over better man than yourself. you will
not make mock av thin orders. IT'S
worse than whistlin' the Dad March in
barrics. An you full as q tick, an the sun
cool, an all an all. take shame for YOU.
You're no better than a Pagin-you an
your. irin'-rarties an your glass eyes.
Won't you STOP IL. sorr?"
What could / do? Could tell Otheris
anything that he did not know OF the
pleasures OF his lite? ! was not chaplain
nor subaltern, ami Otheris has q right to
speak as he thought fit
LET him run, Muivaney," said. "It's
the neer."
mol 'Tisn't the beer" said MuIvaney.
II know fwhat's comm. He's tux this
way now an agin, an IFS bad-it's bad
Indeed, Mu vaney seemed needlessly
anxious; but knew that he looked after
Or heris in a faihery way.
LET me talk. let me talk" said Ortheris,
dreamiiy. "D'you stop your parrit screa IN.
in OF 'ot day, when the Cage is a-cookin
lis pore little pink toes orr. .vaneyf"
Pink toesi Dye name to say you've
pink toes under your buiiswoos, We blan-
dan term, -Mulvanev gathered himself
together for a errinc denuncialon-"school
m,stressl Pink toes How much Bass
wild The label aid tina, ravin' child dhrink p
=" liant Bass" said Or h-rs. ITS a
bitterer beer nor that. It's 'ome- sickness o.
''Hark 10 MIN! An he's goin' home in
the Sherapis IN the i side av four months T.
d'you know / amt 'Iraid o. dyin' fore
gets my papers7" He recommended, in a
sing-song voice, the funeral orders.
had n yer Sc. u this side of Ortheris'
character before. but evidently Mulvaney
had. and attached serious importance to it,
While 0theris babbed. with his head on
his ms, Mulvaney whispered to me:
Hes always TUX this way whin he's
been checked overmuch by the childher
they make sArjints nowadays. That an
hayin' nothin' to do. | can't make ut
anyways"
well, what does 1t mattera Let him
take himself through"
0 heris began singing a parody of "The
Ramrod Corps" full of cheerful illusions
10 battle. murder and sudden death. He
looked out across the river as he sang I;
and his face was quite strange to me.
Muivaney caught HE by the elbow to in
sure attention.
"Matthers. 1t mathers everything !
IT'S some TT av fit that's on him. I've
seen ut. Twill hould him all this night.
an in the middle av it, he'll get out av his
cot anu ga rakin' in the rock for his 'coutre-
ments. ThIn he'll come over TO me ana
say: I'm going to Bombay. Answer Tor
me in the mornin'. Thin me an rim will
fight as we've done before-him to 90 and
NE 10 hould him-and so we'll both come
on the books for disturbin' IN barracks
I've beted him, an I've bruk his head
an I've talked 10 him. but tits no manner
av use when the tbs on him. He's as
good bhoy as ever stepped whln his
minds clear. l know what's comm :.
though, this night in barricks. Lord send
he doesn't loose off whin rise for TO knock
MIN down. lis that that's in my mind
dav an night"
This put the case in much less pleas
ant light, and fully accounted for M III
vaney's anxiety. He emed 20 be trying
TO coax 0rtheris out OF the "tii;" for he
shouted down the bank where the BOY was
lying:
Listen now, you wild the rore pink toes
and the glass ever Did you shwim the
irriwaddy at night. behind me as nhoy
snud; or were YOU hiuin' under q bed as
YOU were at Ahmed kneyi?"
THIS was al once gross insult and d.
rect lie. ana Muivaney ment II 10 bring on
a hight But Others seemed shut up in
some sort of a trance He answered slow.
iy, without sign Of lrriI alton, in the same
csdenced voice IS he mad USED for MS firing
mar 4 orders