Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1891-08-07


up she threw her arms round his neck
and called him my darling" and
said she could not bear waiting alons
in England, and his letters were SC
short and cold, and she was his to the
end OF the world, and would he forgive
her? This did not sound qnite like Il
lady's way OF speaking. 1t was too
demonstrative.
Things seemed black indeed, and
the captains wives peered under their
eyebrows at the senior subaltern,
and the colonel's face set like the day
of judgement framed in gray bristles,
and no one spoke for awhile. u
Next the colonel said very shortly,
"Well, sir?" and the woman sobbed
afresh. The senior subaltern was hall
choked with the arms round his neck,
but he gasped out, ''It die never
had a wife in my lifel" "Don't swear"
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 I'M
der the full lights, and there we saw
how beautiful the woman was. She
stood up in the middle of us all, some
times choking with crying then hard
and proud, and then holding out her
arms to the senior subaltern. 1t was
like the fourth act of tragedy. 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 ofher words; and we noting
| how lovely she was and what a crimi-
| nal he looked, esteemed him beast of
the worst kind. We felt sorry for him
though.
l shall never forget the indictment
of the senior subaltern by his wife.
Nor will he. 1t was so sudden, rush
ing 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 al
ready convicted and sentenced the
senior subaltern. The colonel seemed
five years older. One major was shad-
ing his eyes with his hand and watch
ing the woman from underneath it.
Another was chewing his mustache
and smiling quietly as if he were wit
Messing a play. Full in the open
space in the center by the whist tables
the senior subalteran's terrier was
hunting for fieas. | remember all this
as clearly as though a pilot ograph
were in my hand. | remember the
look of horror on the senior subal-
terms face. 1t was rather like seeing
man hanged, but much more inter
esting. Finally the woman wound up
by saying that the senior subaltern car.
ried a double +. M. in tattoo on his
left shoulder. We all knew that, and
to our innocent minds it seemed tic
clinch the matter. But one of the
bachelor majors said very politely
81 presume that your marriage certiti
cate would be more to the purpose"
That reused the woman. She stood
up and sneered at the senior subalterr
for a cur, and abused the major and
the colonel and all the rest. Then she
wept, and then she pulled a paper
from her breast, saying imperiously
Take that! And let my husband
my lawfully welded husband-read il
aloud if he dare!"
looked into each others eyes as tn,
senior subaltern came forward in ,
dazed and dizzy way and took tn,
paper. We were wondering, as W.
stared, whether there was anythin;
against any one OF us that might turn
up later on. The senior subaltern'
throat was dry; but as he ran his ey'
over the paper, he broke out into {
hoarse cackle of relief and said to thu
woman. "You young blackguard!"
But the woman had fled through {
door, and on the paper was written
'"This is to certify that |, the Worm
have paid in full my debts to tn
senior subaltern; and, further, that tn
SEM IT subaltern is my debtor, b,
agreement on the 23d of FEBRUARY, as b.
, the mess attested, to the extent of on
months captains pay, in the Lawful
currency of the Indian empire"
Then deputation set off for TIL
: Worms quarters, and found him
betwixt and between, unlacing hi
, stays, with the hat, wig, serge dress
etc, on the bed. He came over as h
was, and the "Shikarris" shouted til
the gunners' mess sent over to knoN
if they might have share of the fur
| think we were all, except the colont
and the senior subaltern, u it'll
disappointed that the scandal ha
come to nothing. But this is huma
nature There could be no two word
about The Worms acting. 1t leane
J as near to a nasty tragedy as any
, thing this side of joke can.
| When most of the subalterns sa
/ upon him with sofa cushions to fin
) out why he had not said that actin
was his strong point he answered yer
t quickly: 81 don't think you eve
, asked me. used to act at home wit
} my sisters" But no acting with CIR
G could account for The Worms displa
{. that night. Personally l think it wa
} in bad taste, besides being dangerous
, There is no sort of use in playing wit
= fire even for fun.
e The "Shikarris" made him presider
2 of the regimental dramatic club, an
] when the senior subaltern paid up h
Q debt, which he did at once, The WorI
1 sank the money in scenery and dresse
/ Hewas good Worm and the "Shika
t ris" are proud of him. The onl
drawback is that he has been christel
ed Mrs. Senior Subalterns," and, 6
t there are now two Mrs. Senior Sui
) alterns in the station, this is som
4 times confusing to strangers.-Ru,
. yard Kipling.
I A Sunday on Monday.
: The creation of the earth in glob,
/ lar form has caused many problen