The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1897-06-04
DTHE OTHER BOX.~@


ana III Is pFOltaDle tnaI the TWO N en-
who weren't behind the scenes. who
each doubted whether he might be
alive in the morning. were less nervous.
But then they were still very angry,
and hadn't had time yet TO think OUT
all the details.
At last all the arrangements Rad
been settled with due exactness. TIE
Junior Subaltern had been an Ullcon-
I sciorable time at work Ii is prci,a BILE
that he was getting very sick Of his
hoax. and would have been glad enough
70 show it up if anyone had given him
. the lead. After all, he knew that there
( was an ugly side TO the farce. and as
/ his first boyish enthusiasm died away
! ne wanted 10 throw the thing up. But
1 no one helped him out Of it. and for
{ very shame he could scarcely give him
self away. Besides. the two principals
. wouldn't have thanked him.
/ Nothing more remained to be done.
| There was solemn enough leave-taking
! on all sides as the five youngsters filed
out Of the room and locked the door,
( leaving the two men in their corners
and The box in the center Of the room.
{ For a moment or two the five stood in
silence out in the passage, the Junior
Subaltern holding the end of the string
and shaking like an aspen leaf with
suppressed excitement. Then he gave
it sharp tug. and they could hear the
! box-lid sliding back until it dropped to
the floor with slight smack.
1t was a hushed and rather con
science-stricke band that dispersed to
the various rooms in quarters. and the
hours Of that night hung heavily. 1t is
fact that the five youngsters did not
I average an hour ofsleep between them.
! This was proved by the alacrity with
which they all turned out at the first
/ break Of dawn, and assembled. shivcr-
ing and drawn-looking and haggard,
ready to 90 and release their voluntary
prisoners.
They were, in fact, so disturbed that
! they took no notice Of the Senior Cap
tain, who, for some reason best known
| TO himself, had turned out, too, and fol-
lowed them as they trod softly along to
the door Of the disused room. He was
still unnoticed as they reached it. and
there made a marked halt; and his
curiosity to see their little game pre-
vented him from announcing himself.
They stood for moment in breathless
silence, showing a strange, sudden dis
inclination to stir.
Then. as was the case the night be-
fore, the Junior Subaltern took the
lead. There was faint murmur as he
turned the key in the lock and stepped
boldly into the room the rest following
in a crowd. The Senior Captain stood
for moment outside. wondering and
trying to make out what it all meant.
But sudden. stified cry caused him to.
step quickly after them.
He was a man who had been in sew
eral actions. He had seen men killed
under all sorts of ghastly circum-
stances. He had commanded burial
parties sent out otter the Afghan wo-
men had been at their devlish work.
and had seen sights that, hardened as
he was, had made him feel sick and
full OF horror. But those scenes were
in no way comparable with what met
his eyes as he entered the room behind
his juniors
The two men were no longer propped
up in the position in which they had
been left. Their swollen, distorted
bodies We're huddled on the floor in at
titudcs that showed the awful manner
III which they had met their doom. But
the figures, almost grotesuue in the
contortions which had attended the
last death agony, were as nothing In
each case the face was upturned.
livid, with diStended cheeks and crack
ed skin, with flccks Of blood ooZing
from mouth and nose. and with eyes
widely open and a fear and horror in
them past all description. 1t was not
so much the physical agony as the ex-
preston Of terror in the fixed faces that
rendered these cOrpSes so dreadful TO
contemplate. Yet the two men. while
alive, were as brave, with all their
faults, as any men should be-
AS he looked in, the Captain was
glued TO the ground by the nameless.
horror Of that death-starc. He seemed
forgciful Of his companions. of where
he was. all his faculties concentrated
on the two huddled masses on the floor.
A ghastly incident aroused him. The
Junior Subaltcrn burst into a laugh,
faint at first. and then swelling into
peal after peal of uproarious mirth
''iIa! ha" he shouted, recling from
foot to foot, and holding his shaking
sides. Look at them! Don't they
sham well! Aren't they tirst-rate ac-
tOrS?"
The Senior Captain stepped up to
him, and laid II hand roughly on his
shoulder.
Then the boy turned, and they could
all see in his eyes that he was mad.
But the touch had queted him.
''fhey act beautifully, don't they?"
he whispered contdentAlly to his
senior officer. Il wonder when they
arst found out the joke"
What do you mean?" asked the
other, soothingly.
"Mean!' the maniac replied. 'Why,
don't you see? | had Hwo boxes just
alike, and put the empty box in here.
The snake is still in my own room.