Smyrna times., 1893-07-26
one is not surprised when a crash

any OuOs 6IudpS Ju6 S6ulOE buDdI-
tern had been trapped in his youth.
Men are crippled that way occasionally.
We didn't know; we wanted to hear,
and the captains wives were as anx-
ious as we. If he had been trapped,
he was excused, for the woman from
nowhere, in the dusty shoes and gray
travelling dress, was very lovely, with
black hair and great eyes full of tears.
She was tall, with fine figure, and
her voice had a running sob in it pitt
full to hear. AS soon as the senior su-
baltern stood up, she threw her arms
round his neck and called him my
darling" and said she could not bear
waiting alone in England, and his let
ters 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 ofspeak-
ing. 1t was too demonstrative.
Things seemed black indeed, and the
Captains wives peered under their eye
brows at the senior subaltern, and no
one spoke for while.
Next the Colonel said very shortly,
"Well, sir?" and tbs woman sObbed
afresh. The senior subaltern was
half chOked with the arms round his
neck, but he gasped out: ITS a lie
| never had a wife in my life !"
Don't swear" said the Colonel.
"COme into the mess. We must sift
this clear somehow" and he sighed to
himself, for he believed in his "Shik-
arris," 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 choking with crying, then
hard and proud, and then holding out
her arms to the senior subaltern. 1t
was like the fourth act of a 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, try
ing now and again to break into the
torrent of her Words and we, noting
how lovely she was, and what a crimi.
nal he looked, esteemed him rascal
of the worst kind. We felt sorry for
him, though.
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 oul
dull lives. The Captains wives stooC
back, but their eyes were alight, aud
you could see that they had already
convicted and sentenced the senior su
baltern. The colonel seemed five
years Older. OGe Major was shading
his eyes with his hand and watching
| the woman from underneath it
Another was chewing his mustachC
and smiling quietly, as if he were wit
Messing play. l remember all this a
clearly as though a photograph were il
my hand. | remember the look of hor
ror on the senior subaltern's face. |
was rather like seeing a man hanged
but much more interesting. FINAL,
the woman wound up by saying tha
the senior subaltern carried a doubl
+. Nj. in tattoo on his left shoulder
We all knew that, and to our innocen
minds it seemed to clinch the matter
But one of the bachelor Majors sal,
very politely: II presume that you
marriage certificate would be more t.
the purposeP"
That reused the woman. She stoo,
up and sneered at the senior subalter
for a cur and abused the Major and tn
Colonel and all the rest. Then sh
wept and then she pulled paper from
her breast, saying imperially: "Tak
that And let my husband-my law
fully-wedded husbaud--read It alou
if he dare !"
There was a hush and the me
looked into each others eyes as tn
senior subaltern came forward in
dazed and dizzy way and took the pa
per. We were wondering, as W
stared, whether there was anythin
against any one of US that might tur
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 th
woman: "You young william !"
But the woman had fed through
door, and on the paper was written
, "This is to certify that l, the Worn
have paid in full my debts to the SCI
iOr subaltern, and further, that tn
| senior subaltern is my debtor, b
, agreement on the 29d of February,
} by the mess attested, to the extent
one months Captains pay, in the Jaw
full currency of the India Empire"
Then a deputation set off for TT
: Worms quarters and found him, b
| twixt and between, unlacing his stay
r with the hat, wig, serge dress, &C., G
s the bed. He came over as he was, an
the "Shikharris" shouted till the gul
t ners' mess sent oyer to know if the
3 might have a share of the fun. / thin
/ we were all, except the Colonel an
] the senior subaltern, little disappointC
!, that the scandal had come to nothin
D But that is human nature. The
: could be no two words about II
Y Worms acting. 1t leaned as near to
g tragedy as anything this side of a fol
b can.
: When most of the subalterns s
3 upon him with sofa cushions to fir
/, why he had not said that acting W,
q his strong point, he answered vel
d quietly: II don't think yOS ev
asked me. used to act at home wi
my sisters" But no acting with gin
t could account for The Worms displl
y that night. Personally, think it W
n in bad taste, besides being dangerou
There is no sort of use in playing wi
+ fire, even for fun.
10