The Weiser signal. [volume] (Weiser, Idaho) 1890-1904, 1897-06-10
we'll brought-up boy learns at a

~
/ ~ very early age that practlca
4 jokes are dangerous things
Sometimes he learns 1t at his mother
knee, sometimes on his father's--fac,
down. Otherwise he receives physica
demonstration from n bigger boy
From which 1t would appear that the
I youngsters gazetted to the Irrepressi
bles were not well brought up. AT al
4 events, they had the reputation OF be
ing the most rowdy crew in the army
list. Now in India, reputation is only
gained by being deserved And 1t was
In hill-statlon that the subalterns OF
the Irrepicssibles reached the loftiest
pinnacle of their folly. The affair was
hushed up afterward, for the honor of
the regiment. as such things should be.
The Irrepressibles were unlucky In
their quarters that year. They were
fixed on the plains at Il time when there
was nothing to do. no game, no society.
no anything. In n case like that they
were thrown back on themselves, and
the result was unfortunate. Mems tenn
pers began to give way under the strain,
and, from the commanding officer
down to the smallest boy capable of
benting drum, there was not one who
did not curse the hour he was born at
least seven times day.
The trouble came. 1t all arose out of
the Junior Subaltern going out fishing
one day, or out of the fact that he
caught nothing. Coming back, how
ever, lie must needs run across cobra,
which. with his usual foolhardiness,
he duly forked and transferred alive
and wriggling into his creel. Thence,
on arrival at quarters, 1t was removed
to perforated box and tenderly fed.
Two of the subalterns began to de-
yelop a most astonishing degree Of ha-
tired the one for the other. They were
two men sufficiently alike in character
and capabilities to be either the firmest
of friends or the bitterest Of enemies.
AS matter of choice they were the
latter. Jealousy was at the bottom of
the trouble, no doubt. In the natural
order of things, this little feeling didn't
make life any the pleasanter for the
rest. At first 1t was treated as well
come diversion, and for time the 9th
er youngsters used to take an artistic
~ ,"inins 'iie quarrei' iore-
ms. oe''5 'ne unior oupailern.
What was originally variation of
lne iaono'ony VI iiie' however soon
uuie ~ oe nuisance ana tue lrrepres-
sibles began to feel very sick. Then
my so' " ",sh,ns ,nu' one or DOM OF
'ne men "ouiu uie' ms IS not nice
Sen'iiiien' 10 entertain toward any
num- especially II he Is prother-of-
n.e,' nu' nos' vi all eacn OF the men
"isneu 'n"t ,iie o'her would go OUT, ana
ms was even "orse.
at iast matters came TO mead. The
wv supni'erns nau regular row one
nisn' "i,er MESS. lney would nave
.onie ~ pio"s II IL nauh Deen Tor the
in'eiie.enee Vi 'ne oiuer men. Ihere
were SIN men present. an subalterns
eAeepi oue' ana !, would nave Deen bet
Yer II 'ney nau iet the TWO nght II out |
'nen anu 'here. PROBABLY the dlfhculty |
n'sn' nuVe peeh settled nnaliy' But
peace was pa'cneu up Tor about three
lays ana then they broke out worse
ln"n eNer' anu saiu 'hlhSs that nalf
century ago would nave ied TO pistols
IeA, niorning. IN the meantime, the
unior eupui.erh ana -FOUR other imps
d l.'schiei nau matured plan by
"nicn 'ney nopeu 10 IN up the matter
'nce ior an Ana III TINS plan, natural
!, = enough 'ne snake TOOK some part
/. was grim enough practical joke at
ne oes'' anu 'ney ought 10 nave pos
'esseu niore sense petween the i've OF
nein 'han 10 thihR OF such thing.
ne iuea was nothihg more or less
nan ~ piopose 10 the TWO men to
penn nient together ana with the
-, 80 III uisuseu room IN quarters.
ney were 10 oe locked IN and left to
e''ie Tue matter among themselves
,ui'ns Tue night ana III the morning
ue RESI- Vi tne party would release the
III r'ois' II "ny' vi course there was
10 thought, even Tor moment, of let
ing loose 'he corha In that way, but,
'ne junior suoaitern said: 1T won't
- ,nenn any -harn 10 thlnk 1t out, and
ein"ps win Iehectioh VIII come an
nvrease VI "isuoni.
"se 'ne TWO men were still In the
Gu. u anger, 'ne JUNIOR subaltern pro-