Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1896-02-06
+ Big Night.

AOuU0 ~ tDc 0GTvtCes 0IlO tDot ID SAVING D
good deal. They knew their drill, as The
General conf rtiDgly assured them at each
yearly inspection; they PLAYED polo and
crikot and rackets. they mostly held
their gums straight and made % good .
show In = ball room - wa necessary.
They were ~ great 4 contrast to tho old
three-bottle men Of the last century, who
drank and cursed, and whose only merit
was. that they fought with . will, ~ could
be conceived. But when there was . big
night forward they could see It out against
the deepest tOpers Of them all. and turned
up on early parade next morning for Ad-
jutant's drill, . little pale perhaps, and
rather solemn, but - steady as II they had
been to bid at 10, instead of having chang
ed their mess kit for other uniform and
had splashed In Z cold tub IS their only
rest.
A big night didn't come every. week,
scarcely every month. but the particular
night ! am writing OF was an exceptional
occasion. The cavalry regiment that bore
the same official name, the same crest and
motto, and recruited from the same part OF
the country rs the Never Say Die boys did,
was marching down the conntry-for we
are. ii you please, In the PuDjab-and had
made and had made their Sunday halt. q
halt which may be made on any day of the
week, and Is generally made where there is
some good shooting to be gOt--in the sta
ton where their friends lay. The Never
Say Dies had turned out and pitched the
horse soldiers tents; each company had
prepared a feast for the corresponding
tro0p-turkey and ham. the highest idea OF
luxury that an ordinary Indian cook can
rise tO-''beefee steak" and mutton stew"
the sergeant's mess was full OF the spurred
and booted warriors. and the officers had
got out their camp beds, and worried the
poor Parsee merchant, who hired out fur
nituFe, into q state of despair by demand.
ing almirabs and wash-hand stands, look
Ing glasses, easy chairs and tables; for every
bungalow was going to put up one or two
OF the cavalry officers, and the subalterns
agreed that this was an occasion and that
it should be q historic night.
The only one OF the hogs who hadn't en-
tered into the delight of the coming fun
was Lindsay, the last Joined. When he
Wa asked to put up somebody In his bungar
low, . tiny one which he had to himself. he
said that he would rather not, and when
jackson, the senior subaitern, asked him
with the directness which finds favor
among subalterns, Why not? he murmured
something about q private reason.
IA cantankerOns little cub! was what
jackson said about the boy in telling the
other subalterns about II.
There we're Brady, who for short, was
known as Pat; and COokv CooksOn. who
captAined the polo team. besides BelaSSis,
and u. G. b. de Montague, who was &C
cepted Is Alphabet Monty, and Iasker the
Adjutant, and they all said like Que man,
that / inASAV wat a Cnnlny nnh a uona no
term of deep reprOach.
The boy had kept himself to himself. He
was not particularly bright at anything; he
cOnfided in nobody; he did his work with
his company well enough. and took his
pleasure in long solitary walks, He didn't
subscribe to the club. and, in general, was
looked upon a. giving himself airs and be-
ing a detrimental. So that when jackson
said he was acub over the matter OF his re-
fusal to put up his bungalow. q tall, thln
cavalry sub, all lOng-SwOrd and swan
neckpd spurk, the other subalterps cordially
agreed.
"WeIl make it hot for the young bound
er If he don't reform, suggested COOky and
the grunto of approval which followed might
have come from some of FenimOle COOper's
Indians SO emphatic was 1t.
The General wa dining that night at
mess, and the padre as all ~cbaplains are
cslled. and there was a globe trotter with a
thirst for knowledge, and a couple of Ben
gal Lancers, and q gunper. The afternoon
had been spent merrily. There had been a
polo intellectually against Infantry
which the cavalry had won, but won so mar
rowly that the Never Say Dies had consoled
themselves by saying. ct was the money
that did il. If we had had the other fell
lows ponies it would have been different,
and there had been . great gathering at
the club, q roar OF talking In the smoking
room and mnch imbibiDg of glasses of GIN
ger ale and brandy, q drink that finds
great favor during the cold weather as ~
appetizer.
Everybody came to Inner in good humor
Every Never Say Die had q cavalryman In
charge to look after through dinner, and
during the few minutes that the crowded
anteroOm waited for the General everybody
was talking.
Dinner began quietly enough; the padres
grace commanded . silence, and all the
subs were hungry, but the band and the
champagne and the appeased hunger set
the tongues going freely, aud the padre,
who had planted himself down at the sub
alterns' end, came in for q volume of chaff
about . new pony he had bought, which he
asserted could do pretty nearly everything
in the world. The padre gave back chat
for chat. for he was used to subalterns and
their ways, and liked the boys.
Lindsay was vice president, and sat
gloomily at the bottom of the table. Pat
Brady had asked him If anything was the
matter. and getting rather doubtful No,
had mutterod something about a sulky
little devil, and took no further notice Of
him. The cavalry men sitting on either
side had made friendly overtures, but, ind
ing them repelled, turned their attention
elsewhere.
1.-The Queen" was drunk. and as the wine
went round the noise of the conversation
grew. The boys were mostly talking shoot
ing and polo and pig sticking, and the
merits Of different stations and the difficulty
of keeping q stud both for polo and pig
sticking, and telling Of wonderful DAYS
after pig, or ''shikar" stories OF Cash
mere.
When the General and the two Colonies
had risen and gone into the anteroom, with
q Major or two and q married captain TO
keep them company. the subalterns
swarmed into the billiard room and black
pool war the order OF the day. Every one
talked at the top OF his voice, and q gem