The herald., 1896-01-12
4 BIG NIGHT.

The eubalterns 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, as 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 show in
ball room as was necessary.
They were as great a contrast to the old
three-bottle men of the last century, who
drank and cursed, and whose only merit was
that they fought with will, as could be
conceived. But when there was a 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-
jutants 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
rest.
A 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
are, if you please, in the Punjab-and had
made their Sunday halt, a halt which may
be made on any Of the seven days of the
week, and is generally made where there
lis some good shooting to be got-in the sta
tion 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 troop
turkey and ham, the highest idea OF lux
ury 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
niture, into a 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
it should be a 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-
low, 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 subalterns, ''Why not?" he muir
INJURED something about private reason.
"a cantankerous little cub!" was what
Jackson said about the boy in telling the
other subaterns 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 V. Montagu, who was accepted
as "Alphabet Monty" and Tasl1er, the Ad-
jutant, and they all said, like one man, that
Lindsay was a young cub, a vague term OF
deep reproach.
The boy had kept himself to himself. He
was not particularly bright at anything; he
confded 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, was
locked upon as giving himself airs and being
a 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, all long-sword and swan
necked spurs, the other subalterns cordially
agreed
'Well make it hot for the young boundel
if he dent REFORM" suggested Coolzy, ant
the grunt of approval which followed might
have come from some of Fenimore Cooper't
Indians, so emphatic was it.
The General was dining that night at mess
and the padre" as all chaplains are called
and there was a globe trotter, with thire
for knowledge, and couple OF Benga
Lancers and a gunner. The afternoon hat
been spent merrly. There had been poll
match-cavalry against infantry-whch thu
cavalry had won, but won so narrowly tha
the Never Say Dies consoled themselves b.
saying, "It was the money that did it. 1
We had had the other fellows ponies i
would have been different" and there haC
been a great gathering at the club, roa
of talking in the smoking room and mucl
lmbibing of glasses of ginger ale and brandy
drink that finds great favor during the colC
weather as an appetizer
Everybody came to dinner in good humor
Every Never Say Die had a cavalryman il
charge to look after through dinner, anC
during the few minutes that the crowded
anteroom waited for the General eyerybod,
was talking.
Dinner began quietly enough; the padre
grace commanded q silence, and all th
subs were hungry; but the band and tn,
champagne and the appeased hunger Sc
the tongues going freely, and the padre
who had planted himself down at the sub
alterns' end, came in for volume of chat
about a new pony he had bought, whicl
he asserted could do pretty nearly every
thing in the world. The padre gave bacl
chaff for chaff, for he was used to subal
terms and their ways, and liked the boys
Lindsay was vice-president, and sa
gloomly at the bottom of the table. Pa
Brady had asked him if anything was tn
matter, and getting a rather doubtful
NO." had muttered something about
"sulky little devil" and took no furthe
notice of him. The cavalry men sitting ol
either side had made friendly overtures
but, finding them repelled, turned thei
attention elsewhere.
'"The Queen was drunk, and as the win
went round the noise of the conversation
grew. The boys were mostly talking sho1t
Ing and polo and pig-sticking, and IT,
merits of different stations and the difficult.
Of keeping a stud both for polo and pig
sticking, and telling Of wonderful day