Waterbury evening Democrat., 1893-06-12

'MY DEAR COLONEL: trust you will over
look the informality OF my going to town with
out previously consulting you had purposed,
of course, asking your permission, but the mis-
hap that befell me in the runaway of my horse
prevented my appearance at the review, and
had waited for your return from the field 1t
would have compelled me to break my engage
ment with our friends the Allertons. Under
the circumstances felt sure OF your COM
plaisance.
GAS hope to drive Miss Allerton down after
the matinee, might it not be good idea tol
have the dress parade and the band out? They
have seen the battery drills but are much
more DESTROYS of seeing the infantry. \
most sincerely yours,
as. T. WARNG." u
"Well, for consummate impudence'
this beats the Jews!" exclaimed Brax.l
Orderly, my compliments to Capt.
Cram, and say 1 wish to see him at
once, if he's back from stables" !;
Now, as has been said, Cram had
had no time to change to undress uni
form, but Mrs. Cram had received the
orderly's message, had informed that
martial Mercury that the captain was
not yet back from stables, and that she
would tell him at once on his retArn.
Well, she knew that mischief was
brewing, and her woman's wit was al
ready enlisted in behalf of her friend.
messenger to her liege, still busy with
his horses, to bid him come to her, If
only for a moment, on his way to the
Office. And when he came, heated,
tired, but bubbling over with eager
ness to tell her of the fun they had
| been having with Brax, she met him
with a cool tankard of 'shandygaff''
| which he had learned to like in Eng
land among the horse artillery fellows,
and declared the very prince of drinks
after active exercise in hot weather.
He quaffed it eagerly, flung off his
shake and kissed her gratefully, and
burst all at once into laughing mar
| ration of the mornings work, but she
| checked him:
''Ned, dear, don't stop for that yet.
l know you're too full of tact to let
/ Col. Braxton see it was any fun for
I you, and he's waiting at the Office.
Something tells me it's about Mr..
| Warning. Now put yourself in Mr..
| Warnings place. Of course he ought
| never to have made that engagement
until he had consulted you, but he
| never dreamed that there would be a
/ review to-day, and SO he invited the
| Allertons to breakfast with him at
Moreau's and go to the matinee"
"Why, that rascal Ananias said. it
was to breakfast at the generals" in
| terrupted the battery commander.
"Well, perhaps he was invited there
too. l believe | did hear something of
| that But he had made this arrange
ment with the Allertons. Now, of
course, if review were over at ten he
| could Just about have time to dress and
catch the eleven-o'clock car, but that
would make it very late, and when
Bay Billy broke away from Ananias
nobody could catch him for over half
an hour. Mr. Ferry had taken the Sec
ton, Mr.. Waring wasn't needed, and
Why, Ned, when I drove in, fearing to
find him in iured, and saw him standing
there the picture of CONSERVATION and
despair, and he told me about his en-.
gagement, said myself: why don't
you go now? 1 told him it was what
you surely would say if you were here
| Neither of us thought the colonel
would object, so long as you approved
and he wrote such nice note. Why
Ned, he only just had time to change
his dress and drive up with Jeffers-"
with LETTERS? With my-er-oul
team and wagon? Well, like
'Of course you like it, you old dar
ling. She's such a dear girl, though
just little bit gushing, you know
Why, said, certainly the team should
go. But, Ned, here's what I'm afraic
of. Mrs. Braxton saw it drive in a
nine thirty. just after Billy ran away
and she asked LETTERS who was going
and he told her Mr.. Warning, and SHE
has told the colonel, I'll wager. Now
what you have got to do is to explain
that to him, SO that he won't blame
Mr.. Warning"
1.-The dickens / have! The most bare
faced piece of impudence even San
Waring was ever guilty OTTO me, a
least, though I've no doubt he's dom
worse a dozen times. Why, bless you
heart, Nell, how can I explain? Yo1
might, but"
''But would you have me suppose m.
big soldier couldn't handle that matte
| as well as l? No, sir! Go and do it
sir. And, mind you, I'm going to in
wife them all up here to the gallery t.
hear the band play and have cup O
tea and a nibble when they come dow
this evening. He's going to drive tn
| Allertons here"
"Worse and more of It'll Why, 20
conspiracy in petticoats, you'll be tn
ruin of me! Old Brax is boiling owe
now. If he dreams that Warning ha
been taking liberties with him he
fetch him up SO short" 49,
, Exactly! You mustn't let him. Yo
: must tell him sent him up with you
y team-yours, mind you-to keep hi
engagement, since it was impossibl
for him to come back to review GROUND
8 Of course he wouldn't expect him
appear afoot."
), Don't know about that, Nell.
t reckon that's the way he'll order OF
s the whole gang of us next time. He
$ had his fill of mounted work to-day.
''Well, if he should, you be sure
h acquiesce gracefully now. Whatst
d ever you do, don't let him put Nj
q Waring in arrest while Gwen Alberto
/, is here. 1t would spoil-everythin
sob, matchmaking, Is it? Then T.
= try" And SO, vexed, but laughing
q half indignant, yet wholly subordinat