Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1895-03-16

MYSTERIOUS EYES,

Colonel Jagson gave his friends and
cronies terrible shock last week. The
colonel had celebrated the dying of the
old year in true Jagsonian style and
started for home when the infant 1895
was only three hours old, carrying a
load that was heavy even for SO expert
vehicle as the Jagson anatomy. Then
the surprise came When the old boy
appeared later in the day and took his
usual seat alongside the old guard, a
tumbler of straight" was at once
brought. All the others raised their
glasses, murmured Happy New Year!"
sinking the last syllable into the glasses
as they quaffed the rare old brew, and
then looked at Jagson There sat the
veteran, but his hand had not touched
the glass. Silently he reached forth, and
taking tumbler full of water he slow
ly drank CONSERVATION but feebly ex-
presses the feelings of the old guard.
Jagson drinking water, and that, too,
on New Years day What had hap
penod?
Eager inquiries brought no satisfac-
ton to anxious friends.
"No; I've not sworn off," said Jag.
son.
"Never going to drink any more?"
asked the old guard in chorus.
II may" replied the hero of many a
tussle with old red eye.
"Sick?" again came from the chorus.
"No," came from between the colo
nel's tightly compressed lips, and with
q curt "Good dayr' he strobe majestic
ally from the cafe
This action brought dismay. The old
guards ranks were already depleted.
Only four now rendezvoused daily, and
Jagson's detection meant more to the
survivors than can we'll be understood
by outsiders.
Nevertheless, despite all the efforts Of
entreaty and solicitous inquiry, the colo
mel remained total abstainer. He came
daily to join his comrades, to gossip and
swap stories, but never once did he be-
tray, by word or sign, the reason that
led him to abjure the wine when it was
red or the bowl when it was flowing
Thus affairs ran on The Old Guard
was troubled, and Colonel Jagson look
ed worried and acted like man over
burdened with serious thought and a
deep financial disorder. The fear that
Colonel Jagson was caught in the finan-
cial stringency induced General Soake
to take his wife into his confidence.
With that tact and intuition that are
woman's chief charm she went at once
to call OH Mrs. Jagson, and with the
usual result-she got the root of the
trouble in short order. Mrs. Jagson was
positively radiant. The colonel was al
ways sober, the household allowance had
been increased, the table bore more deli.
caoies of the season, her wardrobe and
bonnets were new, and Mrs. Jagson be-
gan to think that the declining years Of
her married state would be happier than
the earlier period
'And how did it all come about?"
quoth Mrs Soake. Now, Mrs. Jagson
knew that Mrs. Soake had suffered from
the same rivalry that she herself had
endured, and that soft pity to which
femininity is SO prone swept over her,
and she gave the cause Of the reforma-
ton away to her friend.
"You know, my dear Mrs. Soake,
began Mrs. Jagson, "the colonel came
home just before daylight on New Years
morning and was not quite himself.
The conviviality had proved too much
for his equilibrium, but after much
fumbling he got the door opened and
came up stairs as softly as circumstances
would permit Contrary to my usual
custom, had put the light in his room
entirely out. He seemed unable to find
q match and evidently tried to 60 to
bed in the dark. Faint rumblings and
mutterings caught my attention, then a
wild roar. I rushed in to find him on
the floor grasping at the carpet. When
the gas was lighted, he became quiet,
went to bed, and left him in the dark
again.
IA second time he called and asked
me to sit with him in the light. I did
SO until he fell asleep. The next morn
ing he felt that some explanation was
due, l suppose, and told mo that bright
spots like twinkling eyes had peered at
him from the floor about the bed, and
when he tried to grab one nothing was
there. You may be assured Colonel Jag
son was badly frightened at the effects
Of his soverindulgence, and from that
day to this he has not tasted liquor of
any kind"
''But the explanation, my dear Mrs
JagsonW cried the excited Mrs. Soake
well, you must keep it secret. If
the truth be found out, the colonel
might 60 back to drinking again. 1t
was this way: You see, Id been having
the colonel's room cleaned and fanoied,
only fancied, you know, that the bed
might have some Of those little pests
lurking in the crevices, so ! told the
girl to use phosphorus powder, and
she carelessly let some sift onto the car.
pct. OF course in the dark it shone
bright, and that is all there is to the
eyes that haunted the colonel
"Just phosphorus bedbug powder!''
exclaimed the wife Of the old guards
man, who had not stopped slipping the
cheering bowl in more than 40 years.
"Just think of it! Broken from q habit