The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1899-04-14

noon swearing at each other, but Sim
mons was afraid Of Losson and dared
not challenge him to a fight. He
thought over the words in the hot, still
nights, and half the hate he felt toward
Losson he vented on the wretched pun
kah cody.
Losson bought a parrot in the bazaar
and put it into little cage and lowered
the cage into the cool darkness of a we'll
and sat on the we'll curb shouting bad
language down to the parrot. He taught
it to say. 'Simmons. We so-oor," which
means swine, and several other things
entirely unfit for publication. He was
big. gross man, and he shook like
jelly when the parrot caught the sem
tence correctly Simmons. however.
shook with rage, for all the room were
laughing at him-the parrot was such
a disreputab!e puff Of green feathers
and looked so human when it chartered.
Losson used to sit swinging his fat legs
on the side of the cot and ask the par
rot what it thought of Simmons The
parrot would answer, "Simmons, We
so-oor. Good boy, Losson used to
say. scratching the parrots head. Eye
ear that. Siml" And Simmons used to
turn over on his stomach and make an
swer 81 ear Take 'eed you don 1T ear
something one of these days.
In the restless nights. after he had
been asleep all day, fits Of blind rage
came upon Simmons and held him till
he trembled all over. while he thought
in how many different ways he would
slay Losson Sometimes he would pic
ture himself trampling the life out of
the man with heavy ammunition boots,
and at Others smashing in his face with
the butt, and at Others jumping on his
shoulders and dragging the head back
till the neck bone cracked. Then his
mouth would feel hot and fevered. and
he would reach out for another sup of
the beer in the pannikin.
But the fancy that came to him most
frequently and staid with him longest
was one connected with the great roll
of fat under Losson' 8 right ear He no.
ticed it first on moonlight night. and
thereafter it was always before his eyes
1t was fascinating roll of fat. A man
could get his hand upon it and tear
away one side of the neck, or he could
place the muzzle of rifle on it and
blow away all the head in flash Los
son had no right to be sleek and con-
tented and we'll to do when he. Sim
mons, was the butt of the room Some
day. perhaps, he would show those who
laughed at Simmons. ye so-oor. joke
that he was as good as the rest, and
held mans life in the crook of his
foreinger When Losson snored. Sim
mons hated him more bitterly than ever
Why should Losson be able to sleep
when Simmons had to stay awake hour
after hour. tossing and turning on the
tapes. with the dull pain gnawing into
his right side and his head throbbing
and aching after, canteen? He thought
over this for many nights. and the
| world became improbable to him. He
even blunted his naturally fine appetite
with beer and tobacco. and all the whils
| the parrot talked at and made mock
| of him
The heat continued and the tempers
wore away more quickly than before
A sergeant $ wife died of heat apoplexy
in the night. and the rumor ran abroad
that it was cholera Men rejoiced open
! ly. hoping that it would spread ani
send them into camp. But that was 1
| false alarm
1t was late en- Tuesday evening
double verandas for ''last posts, = whel
Simmons went to the box at the foo
of his bed, took out his pipe and slam
med the lid down with bang tina
echoed through the deserted barracl
like the crack of rifle Ordinaril,
4 speaking. the men would have takel
no notice. but their nerves We're frettet
to tiddlestrings They jumped up. ant
three or four clattered into the barracl
room only to find Simmons kneeling b,
his box
"Owl It's you. is it?" they sal,
and laughed foolishly 1--WE though
twas =
Simmons rose slowly. If the acciden
had so shaken his fellows what woul
not the reality do2
''You thought it was, did you? A
WHAT makes you Inlnk! ne Salu, lash
ing himself into madness as he went on
ITO hell with your thinkin. you dirt
spies'a
"Simmons. ye so-oor, chuckled TIA
parrot in the veranda, sleepily recogniz
ing well known voice And that wa
absolutely all
The tension snapped. Simmons fe
back on he arm rack deliberately-th
men We're at the far end of the room
and took out his rifle and packet {
ammunition Don't go playing til
goat Siml said Losson ''Put
down But there was a quaver in HI
voice Another man stopped, slippe
his boot and hurled it at Simmons
head The prompt answer was a she
which. fired at random. found its billie
in Losson $ throat Losson fell forwal
without word and the others sea
tered
lyon thought it wasl'' yelled Sin
mems lyon re drivin me to it! l tie