The herald., 1896-04-26
A BIG NIGHT.

The euhalterns of the Never Say Dies
were as good a set Of fellows as could be
found in the service, and that is saying a
good deal. They knew their drill the
General comfortingly assured them at each
yearly inspection; they played polo and
cricket and rackets, they mostly held their
guns straight and made as good a show in
bell room as was necessary
They were as great a contrast to the old
thsee-b0ttle men of the last century, who
drank and cursed, and whose only merit was
thlt they fought with will, as could be
conceived. But when there was big night
fc:ward they could see it out against the
deepest topers of them all, and turned
up on early parade next morning for Ad-
3utant's drill, a little PALE perhaps and
rather solemn, but as steady as if they
had been to bed at 10, instead Of having
changed their mess kit for other uniform
md splashed in cold tub as their only
rest.
big night didn't come every week,
scarcely every month, but the particular
night i 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 as the Never Say Die boys
did was marching down country-for we
arc, If you please in the Punjab-and had
made their Sunday halt, halt which may
be made or any OF the seven days of the
week, and is generally made where there
is some good shooting to be got-in the sta
tim where their friends lay. The Never
>ay Dies had turned out and pitched the
/, liorse soldiers tents; each company had
prepared a feast for the corresponding troop
turkey and ham, the highest idea Of lux
Try that an ordinary Indian cook can rise
,o-"beefee steak and mutton stew"
the sergeant's mess was full of the spurrcd
and booted warriors, and the officers had
got out their camp beds, and worried the
poor Parsee merchant, who hired out fur
nture, into state of despair by demand
ing almirahs 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
IL should be historic night.
The only one of the boys who hadn't en-
tered into the delight of the coming fun
Was Lindsay the last Joined. When he
was asked to put up somebody in his bunga-
lJw. a tiny one which he had to himself. he
said that he would rather not, and when
jackson. the senior subaltern, asked him
with the directness which finds favor
among subaterns, "Why not?" he mur-
INJURED something about private reason.
"A cantankerous little cub" was what
Jackson said about the boy in telling the
other subalterns about it.
There were Brady, who for short, was
known as Pat; and Cooky Cookson who
Captained the polo team and Belassis, and
U. G. B. de " Montagu, who was accepted
e,; alphabet Monty" and Tasker, the Ad-
jutant, and they all said, like one man, that
Lindsay was a young cub, vague term Of
deep reprcach.
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 pleas
ure in long, solitary walks. He didn't sub
scribe to the club, and, in general, wac
looked upon as giving himself airs and being
q detrimental. So that when jackson said
that he was cub over the matter of his re-
fusal to put up his bungalow, tall, thin,
cavalry sub, alb 1ong-sword and swan
necked spurs, the other subaterns cordially
agreed.
well make it hot for the young boundcr
af he don't REFORM" suggested Cooky, and
the grunt of approval which followed might
have come from some of Fenmore Coopers
Indians, so emphatic was it.
The General was dining that night at mess
and the padre es all chaplains are called,
and there was globe trotter, with a thirst
for knowledge, and a couple of Bengal
Lancers and a gunner. The afternoon had
been spent merrly. There had been polo
match--cavalry against nfantry-which the
cavalry had won, but won so narrowly that
the Never Say Dies consoled themselves by
saying, at was the money that did it. If
We had had the other fellows ponies it
would have been different" and there had
been a great gathering at the club, a roar
of talking in the smoking room and mucn
imbibing of glasses of ginger ale and brandy,
a drink that finds great favor during the cold
weather as an appetizer.
Everybody came to dinner in good humor.
livery Never Say Die had 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, and the padre,
who had planted himself down at the sub
alterns' end, came in for volume Of chatf
about new pony he had bought, which
he asserted could do pretty nearly every
thing In the world. The padre gave back
I. haH Tor chaT, for he was used to subal- |
rms 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 muttered something about
'sulky little devil" and took no further
notice of him. The cavalry men sitting on
either side had made friendly overtures,
but, finding them repeled, turned their
attention elsewhere.
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-stioking. and the
merits of different stations and the difficulty
Of keeping stud both for polo and pig |
sucking, and telling Of wonderful days