The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1899-04-17

patches. But poor little Rosa, not SIX
months a wife, to be butchered in this
lonely furnace to crafty mailman
whim-it was hard.
Jack" she said, as she leaned over,
her face almost touching mine, you
can save me, Jack!'
In an instant duty, honor, esprit de
corps loyalty to my senior officer, and
all, vanished As 1 felt her warm
cheek against my own. my sympathy,
my admiration for Rosa became in an
instant converted into a fierce, unreal
soning love. My arm was round her
waist in a moment, and one sweet, sin
full kiss sealed the compact between me
and the devil who masquerade as the
guileless and timorous young bride.
Jack" she said, I'VE must be care
full. There is no time to lose. Who
can tell whether the grooms that fol-
low us may not have seen that kiss?"
She was cold, calculating and reason
ed admirably. AS for me, the blood
i rushed through my veins like liquid
| fire, and my heart palpitated to an al
most painful extent
Jack" she said, once more, 'it is for
tonight. He knows it; he has told me
so. We must fly tonight"
/ am not coward. To make love
to another mans wife is one thing, to
run away with her-another; but to
desert ones colors, to desert ones
brother officer, to leave him to certain
death in the hour of his need and at the
same time to run away with his wife,
is piece of villainy too moHstrous for
the mind of any man to conceive or eX-
eeute.
/ explained, I argued I pleaded for
time; I swore l loved her; I told her
that by an act such as this l should
become an outcast. All to no purpose.
IF you love me, Jack" she said,
surely you would not have me handed
over to the tender mercies of wretches
such as those
| And with her little cutting whip she
| indicated the two native grooms
Her kiss was burning on my lips, but
l was not the man to desert my colCrs
| in the hour of danger under the excuse
of an intrigue. l said to har:
It's bad business, Rosa: it seems
to me he ought to put you in safety,
somehow or another"
jack she said, with savage deter
mination, I'm give him q chance He
can save me tonight. if he will 1t is
| only a four hours ride after all But
promise me one thing, Jack: if he
should refuse, you will save me. You
can be back before dawn, to be butch
cred with him, since you prefer it."
| I shook my head.
DO you refuse me still?" she cried
Then, by heavens" she screamed, as
she shook her little fist at the blue sky,
TN go by myself for you are both OF
you towards you would be- paladins'"
l did not answer her, but womanlike
she pestered me into making her a
promise. 1 agreed that her horse and
| the Coloneis should be brought round,
as if for moonlight ride, after dinner
Then, and not till then, did her tears,
her piteous tears. cease to flow
Forgive me, dear old Jack" shei said,
L knew you would save ME after ALL -
All, me, I did save her, but at what
a price,
| Dinner was over, and we stood in the
compound outside the mess room. the
Major, his wife and l. Some sort of
attempt at floral ornament had been
made in the so-called garden by a few
rows of strathmonium plants. whose
large white flowers, which open only at
night, gave their heavy perfume to the
tepid air. We smoked our ''Trichvs''
better ones than they give us here (said
Fowler, with, sigh. Then there was a
horrid scene between the pair She i'm
plored him on her knees, in the dust. as
woman might plead with an execu-
TONER for her wretched life; but she did
not move the Major.
My dear he said grimly, you did
not marry me for my good looks: you
married me, Rosa. for my POSITION My
position, my dear, has its duties. and
one of them IS to take my chance of
death in this hole. My wife has thrown
in her lot with me. I take it that that's
so, Fowler?" said the Major, turning to
me.
Il could run across with her, if you
liked, you know, rs far as Murghab:
it's only twenty-five miles. and the
roads are good
Now, at Murghab was large can
tonment-English families. ladies and
children; and what was more import
ant. an English regiment and some
guns.
Fowler" said the Major, IT can trust
YOU my boy. but I can't trust her: she'll
have to stay and take her chance with
the old man. after ALL
l saw there was no use arguing with
him. There was only one chance; to try
and shame him into it. I left the pair.
she pleading and entreating, but the
man was not to be moved.
From the regimental lines came the
sounds of music and song, but the men
were less noisy than usual, and. to my
mind. that BODIED mischief.
l had made her a promise I sup
pose it was her only nance of escape. If
the Major chose to take her out again.
and she bolted to Murghab, SO much the
better for her, and it could do him no
harm; for at the pass We We're, scandal.
even the scandal of an Indian station,
was dead. OF course he couldn't leave,
but he might easily have sent her off
with Sergeant's guard; he could do
IL this very night even if he chose But
he didn't. To my mind he knew that
things had come to crisis and I felt
that he had treated me badly in not
taking me into his confidence. But why
should he have done so? Perhaps he
looked on me as his wife's lover; so 1
was. in one sense. Perhaps he Thought
that he was revenging himself on us
both IN booming us to a. certain and
horrid death; so I pondered as I en-
tered the mess tent. Not a servant in
the place.
Perhaps | was too late, after all.
ran out of the mess tent as I did so
came upon my own. syce-a little old
man, who had been with me since nv
grlfhndays. He had nothing to do with
the regiment, and I could trust him.
Tor ne had been my confidant in many a