The Mt. Sterling advocate. (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) 1890-current, 1895-01-22

fQHuo VIII ftibl ftfF<'fkt'tt, Dllt On
high ami check fresh as a roso Il
has no shame. | tell you. lie ha
pat himself On level with the dree
of the company"
Nay, but thou art too fast, Jose
1t was but fri1ing offense''-
ssThere are no trifling offenses IN
such times as these. Maria
"Ah, but the boys offcnse was
committed before this Indian trouble
begun.
"What sayest thou?"
Eight days ago, before the mis-
sion was sacked and the presidio
threatened Thou wilt admit that
for him to swelter eight days in his
leather jacket and to march many
hours every day is an excessive dis
cipline for smile-just a mere
twinkle of the eye, Jose / will tell
thee exactly what happened. ="
But the comandante did not like
the turn affairs were taking. If
Ignacio's discipline were to be proved
excessive, how about tho CONAN
dante's anger against him? Besides
u smile in the presence of an officer
could never be a small thing. If q
smile, why not o grin? If a grin,
why not guffaw?
by my sword, Asria, said the
comandante, II swear that thou wilt
have the boy laughing in my face
next"
All the disciplinarian within him
was stirred up. He turned on his
heel and opened the door of the adj
joining room with determined sud-
denness. Alas, Ignacio was not
standing at attention, but sitting ON
the tables edge and silently laugh
ing at his own recollection of his
offense.
He fancied he saw again the squad
of men on drill the clayey ground
slippery from a shower; Corporal
Verdugo, veritable human turkey
cock, starting to illustrate vault
Into the saddle, making misstep
and landing fat in mud puddle,
splashed to his ears.
1T was very funny" Ignacio was
thinking when the door banged, and
he sprasg upand saluted his fathers
entrance.
The connandante had gone as far
in self control as his mood would al
low. He struck the table sounding
blow with his fist and burst forth:
what is it that has given thoe, a
mere hoy, the privilege of enlist
ment, not as common soldier, but
as q soldier of distinctions"
A soldado distinguido Ignacio in
deed was and therefore exempt from
mental toll and entitled to sit at the
officers table.
"Thy birth as my son, Hast thou
been mindful of thy glorious oppor-
! tunities? Nay, rudely disdainful of
them. Why?'
Ignacio had not been expecting to
be allowed to speak. The blood
rushed to his very eyes; his heart
thumped loudly; his lips parted,
hung apart. Nothing issued from
between them.
art thou dumb?" roared the
comandante, forgetful that silence
was usually imposed by him, both as
q father and as military superior.
Ignacio stumbled upon. the first
word that popped into his head, hop
ing it would do for beginning;
THE Senior Corporal
The comandante pounced upon it
with savage satisfaction.
WHAT roaring louder than ever.
''Dost thou expect me to entertain
complaints in thy behalf against an
officer? Begone, sirrah, to thy shame
full beat again. Let the whole world
behold the spectacle of a youth of
high blood, self bound hand and foot,
with the enemy at our walsh
These words wore no sooner out of
the conandante' S mouth than an ex-
element spreading in the post gave
them particular force. Ignacio,
striding forth from his fathers pres
ence crestfallen and unhappy, met
tho sergeant hurrying to report col
umns of smoke ascending from
among the hills at distance to the
northeast.
The comandante threw himself
into the open air, closely attended
by the sergeant. Both climbed a
mound within the Enclosure There,
surely enough, was the smoke, yet
not in columns, but stealing up
family, scarcely seen until it reached
the sky,
II was the commentaries task to
puzzle out what the savages We're
doing.
He called for an Indian muleteer
who sometimes served as an inter