The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1895-02-08
A FALSE MASCOT.
BY GwENDOLEN OvERTOS,

KING was giving dinner in honor
of his promotion. He was first lieu
tenant now, and had fair chance of
paying off some of his debts Not that
he was a young man of particularly
eXtravagant habits; but a second lieu
tenant, be he married or single, is
always more or less in debt. He is ex-
peeted and forced by an unwritten law
to make quite as good showing as his
colonel and to keep up quite as much
of an appearance.
The dinner was a little unique. All
the officers We're to leave at one o'clock
that morning on a scout They were
in their field clothes. at Kings re
quest, and had already the rough. un-
shaven look of men able and willing
to do or dare anything In the hall of
Kings bachelor quarters their felt
scouting hats hung on the rack: on the
porches of their own houses their mess
kits. ready packed, stood waiting to
be strapped upon the mules; their
clothing and bedding, wrapped in
shelter-tents and ponchos, were beside
the chests.
Here in the dining-room-lighted by
lamp which King had admired while
on leave, and had gone a month into
debt to buy, and another which, in a
fit of economy, he had obtained from
the quartermaStcr, and which hung in
uncompromising ugliness over the
table sat company of twelve.
Women in evening gowns, strangely
beautiful and modish in contrast to
their surroundings, and men IN uni
forms very shiny at the seams, blue
flannel shirts and tOp-boots; they were
regiment Their gayety was not that
of prisoners just before execution, al
though there was the chance that any
one, or possibly all, of them might
never come back alive; but when one
has become used to going off every
spring, and sometimes every autumn
to chase-how often in vain!-the willy
red man, one ceases to consider the
possibilities of the outcome, and be-
sides it is not often that officers are
killed in Indian fights: there is fire.
quently pretty animated exchange
of bullets, but the death list is not
heavy.
Howbeit, there are exceptions to
the rule. So these men, each one
under a possible sentence of death,
and these women, each one, perchance.
p
her side. talked and laughed in utter
carelessness. finding only an added
zest in the rough clothing of the men.
and a little deeper interest in the
plans they were laying for their camps
and their discussions of the contents
of the meSs-cheStS-
The dinner did not go off without
hitch; that was hardly to be expected
in this far-off part of the world, a
hundred or more miles from the near
est railroad, dependent on a commits
sary department and suffers for its
supplies; but nothing mattered and
nothing was noticed.
After time they all rose and went
out on the porch, where the men
smoked their cigars. They had not
stayed at the table and sent the
women into the parlor this time.
They were army officers and preferred
their feminine friends to their to-
baccO, and each one was glad to ignore
a custom which made it the proper
thing to deprive himself of the women
for even 50 short time; they were
glad of the excuse which the coming
parting gave them of making the most
of the few remaining hours.
The night was duly dark, the out
lines of the foothills and the noun
tains beyond them could not be seen,
but flicker of light in the distance.
from some Indian signal fires. told
where they were Coyotes were howl
ing up by the graveyard, there was
sound of preparation in the barracks
and occasionally the neigh of a horse
at the stables
The sergeant of the guard called out
ten o'clock" and the officers made
movement to get their hats; there was
still much to be done before the night
march commenced King sat on the
railing of the porch, talking TO a wom-
an leaning against a post He could
not see her, but knew that her beauti-
full face was there close to his.
That was enough. He was asking
for a promise before he should start
off into the heavy darkness across
the plains But the woman had no
wish to promise; she enjoyed Kings
uncertainty far too much; il would
have been commonplace to have been
engaged-she had discovered that on
previous occasions-but to have him
for suitor would not be 50 bad; he
was handsome, manly, brave and her
abject slave. Besides, if she were to
bind herself she felt that this time,
with this man, she would have to keep
her word.
She laughed slowly as he continued
to beg the promise. ''I'll tell you what
I'll do; | will give you the next best
thing to me "a picture of myself. |
am always a mascot; my picture will
be more of one. | Will give 1t to you
when Won start: of course Wei all be
there to see you Off Now, remember"
she went on, waxing eloquent as the
charm of her idea grew upon her. and
spe aking with conviction-''remem
that wherever you may go, in what
ever peril you may be, whoever shall
threaten or warn you, you need have
no fear; if l were there in person /
would be exempt from danger; so my
picture-my other me-will also be,
and if it is with you no harm can
come near"