Daily camera., 1897-01-22

care of Cohen g. Co., with instructions
to collect first: and not until this night
had there been money enough to pay Tor
it. Now ga gentleman whom Riggs
knew well, had brought them help;
but he himself coU-u rot go to Tugaloo
because of certain past events with
which he was intimately connected, and
none of the Walton servants dared go,
because of the tremendous stories in cir
culation concerning the events of the
day. The gentleman had come a, long
distance at big risk to see the lady,
Riggs declared, and must get away that
night.
In this dilemma Riggs was called on
for help. His chIvalrIc nature was
aroused ed-presumably; or possibly "the
tiger had tasted blood" and needed more.
Riggs had got the gentleman's last
drink, and the money for more was now
/ in his hands. But the gentleman had
stipulated that reliable man must go
with him to fetch the precious packet
in case Riggs ''got FULL" and Murphy
was the man. eve got the box, sorr,
an Riggs his bottle of liquor, an come
back all right, an we sto:e in there as
we were bid, an raised the cellar door,
an l carried down the box to the fut of
thin slippery steps meself, for Riggs
was gettin' noisy-like. An thin we
stole away, niver disturbin' anybody,
SOFT, only doin' the poor Teddy a kind
ness, as we were towld. We didn't see
or hear anybody. 1t was afther it all
the throuble came"
There was pathos in Murphy's de-
scription of the "throuble." Their task
accomplished, Murphy sought to get
Riggs to his tent, but the man had
drunk just enough to be rabid for more,
and in the struggle the bottle fell with
the gill or two remaining and was
smashed. This was indeed a catas-
trophe. Riggs had that fearful craze
for alcohol which is satiated only when
the victim eipses into drunken stupor.
Murphy got him to the tent and to bed
and thought he had him safe, but awoke
later to find him gone-gone for more
J liquor; but where? None was to be
had in camp, unless he broke into the
captains medical stores, which, Muir
ply argued, he wouldn't dare attempt
with the lieutenant lying there along
side. Ali of sudden it flashed over him
that his wretched "bunlsy," after hav-
ing faithfully acquitted himself of his
trust before the fatal whissy-logging of
his moral sense, had now stolen off in
the darkness to rob the very household
for whose sake, or that of the bribing
liquor, he had braved punishment.
Riggs had gone back for that wine.
The Irish soldier had his faults, God
knows, but desertion of his fellow, even
in face of torture, is not one of them.
Murphy stole away, hoping 1T was not
too late to 'ccapture Riggs, and came
upon him, just as he feared, tugging at
something at the foot of those dark
and slippery steps. Then came strug-
gle that, after at last he had borne his
fiercely battling comrade up into the
night, left Murphy breathless and ex-
hausted. and then came the rain of
blows that toppled him, crashing, into
the ruin of the hot-bed.
"She came upon me that sudden and
furious-like. sorr, 1 couldn't explain;
an it was tryin' to pacificate her | was,
backin off, an niver see the hot-bed be-
hind me for the hot batin' l was get
tin afront. An thin whin she had me
down on the fiat of me back, an grasp
in at thin glass works, poor Riggs,
niver KNOWN what he was doin', sorr,
only to help me, grappled with the ould
1al fNr ha ,f ,1oti ir,'
an thin that Eaygur wench run screech-
in into the house, an the young lady
came shriekin' to the windy, an the
stranger-the gentleman-lept to the
side door, an l a-callin' to him to come
an square me an Riggs, whom he got
into the scrape, an there was n.ole
screamin, an, he niver so much as aNed
to shpaEe. but run fur his life when the
lieutenant jumped in an batthered
Riggs, who was only askin' a chance to
explain"
"Do you expect me to believe that any
gentleman stood there and saw Riggs
grapple that poor old lady and never
raised hand to stop it?" asked Lam
bert, almost angrily.
Its Gods thruth, sorr.J He was
maxim motions, craZy-lille, but he niver
came outside that doorway until he
saw the lieutenant, an then the lamp
wint out wild him a-runnin'."
The lieutenant pondered a moment.
Had Serpt. Burns ventured on an ey-
preston of doubt, the interview would
have come to an end at once, with Muir
ply in disgrace; but Burns looked full
of honest perplexity, and yet belief.
"You ought to have had sense enough
to know | should be glad to send to town
for anything Mrs. Walton needed" said
Lambert. "Why didn't Riggs ask per-
mission?-or why didn't you?"
Murphy was certainly frank. "Sure
we both knew it would be anybody but
Riggs the lieutenant would send. We
were guilty enough of going to town
without permission, an drinkin'; but
it was charity. not thavin', sorr, that
we entered the garden for"
"You may send Murphy back, SER