Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1890-07-03

entirely unlb Tor puDllcalion. nc was a
big, gross man, and he shook like a jelly
when the parrot caught thesentence cor
rectly. Simmons, however, shook with
rage, for all the room was laughing at
him-the parrot was such disreputable
puff of green feathers. and looked so hui
man when it chartered. Losson used 70
sit, swinging his fat legs, on the side of
the cot, and ask the parrot what 1t
thought of Simmons The parrot would
answer: Simmons, We so-oor" Good
boy" Losson used to say, scratching the
parrots head; Eye ear that SAINT" and
Simmons used to turn over on his
stomach and make answer: Il ear.
Take ICED you don't ear something one
of these days.
In the restless nights, after he had
been asleep all day, fits of blind rage
came upon Simmons and held him till he
trembled all over, while he thought in
how many different ways he would Stay
Losson. Sometimes he would picture
himself trampling the life out of the man
with heavy ammunition boots, and at
other times smashing in his face with the
butt, and at other times jumping on hie
shoulders and dragging the head back
till the neck. bone cracked. Then his
mouth would feel feverish, and he would
reach out for another sup of beer in the
pannikin.
But the fancy that came TO him most
frequently and stayed with him longest
was one connected with the great roll of
fat under Lessons right ear. He noticed
it first on moonlight night, and there
r.. "a ell. A.F hfp
was fascinating roll of fat. man
could get his hand on it and tear away
one side of his neck; or he could place
the muzzle of a rife on it and blow away
all the head in flash. Losson had no
right TO be sleek and contented and we'll
to-do, when he, Simmons, was the butt
of the room. Some day, perhaps, he
would show those who laughed at the
"Simmons, We so-oor, joke that he was
as good as the rest. and held mans life
in the crook of his forefnger. When
Losson snnred Simmons hated him more
bitterly than ever Why should Losson
be able to sleep when Simmons had to
stay awake hour after hour, tossing and
turning on the tapes, with the Gull pain
gnawing into his right side and his head
throbbing and achingf He thought over
this for many, many nights, ana the
world became improbable to him. He
even blunted his naturally fine appetite
with beer and tobacco; and all the while
the parrot talked and made mock Of
him.
The heat continued and the tempers
wore away more quickly than before. A
sergeant's wife died Of heat apoplexy in
the night, and the rumor ran abroad that
it was cholera Men reioiccd openly,
hoping that it would spread and send
them into camp. But that was a false
alarm.
1t was late on Tuesday evening, and
the men were waiting in the deep, double
verandas for last Posts when Sim
mons went to the box ut the foot of his
bed, took out his pipe, and slammed the
lid down with a bang that echoed
through the deserted barrack like the
crack of a rifle. Ordinarily speaking,
the men would have taken no notice; but
their nerves were fretted TO fddlestrings
They jumped up, and three or four clat-
tered into the barrack room only to find
Simmons kneeling by his box
"Owl It's you, is itln they said, and
laughed foolishly; eve thought
Z WIS
Simmons rose slowly. If the accident
had so shaken his fellows, what would
not the reality dol
You thought it was-did your And
what did you thinkin he said, lashing
himself into madness as he went on; 'ye
dirty spies"
Simmons, ye so-oor," chuckled the
parrot in the veranda, sleepily, recogniz-
ing well-known voice. And that was
absolutely all.
The tension snapped. Simmons fell
back on the arm-rack deliberately, the /
men were at the far end Of the room, and |
took out his rifle and pack ofammunition. !
Don't go playing the goat, Sim, said /
Losson; " put it down. but there was 1
quaver in his voice Another man
stopped, slipped his boot and hurled it at
Simmons head. The prompt answer was /
a shot which, fired at random, found its
billet in Lessons throat Losson fell
forward without word, and the Others |
scattered.
"You thought it wasp yelled Sim
AlOucs OA iG aAANAh AhN " ~ hNhA
you you're drivin' me to i'll Get up,
Losson, and don't lie shammin' there
you and your parrot that druv me to it. !"
But there was an unaffected reality
about Lessons pose that showed Simmons
what he had done The men were still
clamoring in the veranda. Simmons APP
propriated two more packets of ammu-
milton and ran into the moonlight mutter-
ing: 'Ill make a night of it. Thirty |
roun's, an the last for myself. Take you
that, you dogs"
He dropped on one knee and fired into |
the brown OF the men in the veranda,
but the bullet flew high, and landed in
the brck-work with vicious phwit that
made some of the younger men turn pale !
1t is as musketry theorists observe, one
thing to fire and another to be fired at.
Then the instinct of the chase flared
up. The news spread from barrack to
barrack, and the men doubled out intent
on the capture of Simmons, the wild
beast, who was heading for the cavalry