The Opelousas courier., 1896-11-28
T.antV Risrdan's Red Light.

To be sure, the smiles usually ended
with signs and shakes OF the head
and one after another of those who
had hazarded ell they could conscien.
tiously risk in his interest, frowned as
they said: eft is hopeless, poor fell
lowl We can do no more for him."
It had often been said that poor
Lanty was nobody's enemy but his
own; and there were narratives Of his
having risked his life in Burmah, not
only for comrades in imminent danger
from the Dacoits, but for q poor shi-
kari, over whose PROSTATE body he
had shot the fierce t1gress which was
slowly crunching the thin black limbs
inch by inch. 1t used to be believed
that during this adventure of which
the hero could never be induced to
speak-Gunnar Rioraen had never let
his coarse Trichiuopoly cheroot go
out, although he had walked so close
ly up to the wounded tigress that her
fulvous coat was singed by the powder
from the shot when she fell over.
It was further asserted that a formal
charge of "making away with Gov.
eminent property, in that he did
(date, place, etc., expend, that is to
say, fire off without proper authority,
one round of breech-loading carbine
an munition, the property" ETC., was
sent in against him by the Divisional
Sergeant on the occasion. He vas ad-
monished in the Battery Orderly Room ;
but privately shaken hands with by
the Brigadier-G General Commanding,
and secretly presented with $25, asum
which was collected in ten minutes in
the artillery mess.
The expenditure Of this sum nat
urally got Gunner Riordan and five
beloved friend into the guard room,
with long spells Of confinement to
barracks to follow. Poor Lanty could
not bear SO much fame, accompanied
by SO much wealth.
Now Hancastle, at the period Of
this true history-the locality where
Lanty Riordan was SO we'll, although
not f%avorably, known-was the point
at which coal trucks were
shunted, under somewhat incom-
plete arrangements, into the de-
pot yard, then under construction.
Here they stood, on from five to nine
lines of rails, alongside nearly a quar-.
ter of a mile of the permanent way.
The switch used when the cars were
thus to be shunted was at the foot of
a semaphore, which was under the
control of the signalman in the box
half a mile further away. Trains COM
ing up to Washington passed first the
signal box, then the s%emaphore, and
lastly a dismounted old railroad car at
the depot, which had been Lanty's
dwelling during the past three years.
It was impossible not to like Lanty.
Selfish, wilful, slovenly, sulky, often
absent from duty, lazy, disrespectful,
and ungrateful at times-he period.
cally turned over new leaves, attended
to his religious and other duties, was
sorry for his faults, overlooking with
q gratitude which was as genuine as
his w~lckedness, helpful, gentle,
thoughtful, the cheer and life of all
who knew him. His good looking head
was an intelligent one; his heart was
warm and kind but within five minutes
of entering bad company his good i'm
pulses and his pledges were forgotten
in q very chaos Of extravaganza and
dissipation.
In settling down at Hancastle Lanty
fell across lis evil genius in the per-
son of a man named Potter. Shortly
after Lanty's arrival it had been con-
veyed to him that it rested with him
to say whether or not the person, and
one hundred dollars in ready money,
the property Of a public school nurse
in the neighborhood. should be at
tached to him matrimonially. In the
spretse injuria formm which his love of
liberty caused, the addresses of a less
desired but persistent sutton, Potter
to wit, were hastily accepted; and
much Of the former liking for Lanty
on the new Mrs. Potter's part turned
into angry dislike, without the addi-
ton of q vain of happiness or good
will to the sentiments Of the BRIDE
groom regarding Riordan.
To ads to his troubles, Lanty at
about this time was discharged from
the service Of the Grand Southern Rail-
way. 1t was a line upon which vast
changes of way and plant had been
taking place, and from which, chiefly
owing to the patience and co-patriotic
kindness Of Nh. Roche, the local Super
intendent of works, Lanty had had
almost regular employment as a navy
on the new coal depot works, at fog
signaling, at keeping up fires beside
hydrants in hard frosts, and so on.
But now all this was over. Whittier
should poor Lanty's staggering foot
steps lead him except toward the half
made coal depot near which was the
old railroad car which he
had been allowed to occupy during the
past three years?
OF course he ought to have recol-
lected that he had been firmly eyicted
that morning. He had also been in
formed that he must expect to find his
late residence appropriated TO stores
thence forward, and provided with i
powerful bolt secured by q paddock of
he had not the key. But his
faculties were not very clear ; and he
only had . vague despairing feeling
he should have neither food nor
tomorrow; that he would
probably have to go to jail for assault
and that the rushing monsters which
he loved made quick and merciful ends.
y hsd been so-God rest their soulsi