The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-04-01
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@9at ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Heroes are just the last people in
the world TO say heroic things" was the
remark which set my friend Clarence
telling this story. The man who made
the remark was short, stout person,
who seemed as rule dlslnclined to
talk. Somebody had quoted Macau-
ley's-- ~ ,5a -.
If my standard bearer fall, as fall full well
For h never saw promise yet of such
Press where YOU See my white pumes
we above the ranks Of war, ...-
And be your oriilamme to-day, the helmet
That led to the stout man removing,a
very big cigar from his mouth to make
make the above assertion, and, as US
ral, Clarence had a story to point the
moral"
"rll tell you what saw with my own
eyes at Port Gala, in Ceylon," he said,
"and what l heard with my own ears.
What makes 1t stick In my memory all
the more Is, that It was the last thing
remember happening before left Cey-
lon.
u had got myself and all my traps on
board the P. and o. steamer TO leave.
But In those days-t don't know how 1t
is now-the steamers used to be kept
waiting at Port Gala for other steam
ers from other ports Sometimes, X
| the currents about Cape Comor!n or, tho
straits were particularl-- unreasonable,
you might have to put up with forty
eight hours Of waiting. This time we
| had to walt more than day for boat
| that was brlning passengers from Sing
apore and Hong Kong. In that way Il
| became acquainted before we weighed
| anchor with particularly Interesting
| group OF passengers. This group con-
sisted of IN elderly lady. wife OF An up
| country judge. her daughter and two
men. The daughter had been ordered
home to England for her health The
| two men-well, that's where my story
comes in.
"My sympathles ought to have been
with the elder OF those two. because he
was coffee planter. and so was I. or
had been until q few weeks before. The
| IOileC pldilNcI Ildh WIS VII
familiar terms with Mrs. Judge and the
young woman. and mamma seemed to
treat him with distinguished consider
alton. From that l gathered that he
was the favored sultor. The other man
was persevering sutton. evidently, but
not nearly as likely to win as his rival,
| judging by the signs Of parental incli-
nation. He was young subaltern n
Il British regiment stationed up country
and that was how and where he had
made the acquaintance Of Miss Edith
may as well say at once that his name
was Cropley-Lieut. Cropley. soon
picked up the whole thread of Cropley's
story. II was an old story: the only
new feature In II to me was the prompt
ness with which the young man had
| managed to get leave Of absence and
| sail on that steamer as soon as he knew
that the coffee planter was going to be
a fellow passenger with Edith and her
mother. think the mother was rather
surprised when Cropley bobbed up on
board: whether Edith was equally sur
prised. can't say.
with all my enterprise and inqulsl-
| tiveness. | couldn't find out for sure
whether the girls sympathles were
with the coffee planter or with Cropley
that Is. until the morning after we
had gone on board and waited night
in the harbor Until then. I thought
she was rather Indifferent, with. per-
haps, slight natural preference for the
younger man. But then 1t was easy to
see that the poor girls, health was fee
BILE.
"Cropley and I made friends very
fast. He was an ingenious, whole-soul-
ed youngster. From his way Of talk
ing to me. as we sat together late that
night by the ships rail and smoked,
watching the lights Of the harbor, It
was plain that he was anxious to find
some one to tell his troubles to. He
was not rich. ! found, and the coffee
planter. l guessed. was. II he could
only get Edith to say Yes he was quite
prepared to leave the army and go back
to Ceylon as a coffee planter, in hopes
of being some day as rich as his rival.
bad move l said. The other man
has long start Of you on that line. If
you give up your red coat you throw
away your strong suit. don't you see?
IT don't know whether he did see II
In that light, but do know that Crop
ley seemed wonderfully comforted by
the interest l took in his affairs. He
went to bed--or to his bunk-in more
CHEEKY mood that he had seemed to be
in when we first struck up an ncquaint
ance. Next morning he was apparently
in the best Of spirits.
1--we been thinking over what you
told me last night. he said. pulling nj
his pipe after titiin. before the ladies
had shown up on deck. 1t is a run
thing he said: this business Is rather
like game. isn't it,
II told him that both love and wal
were huge CANDLES. and In both games
It was all-importans to show gpot
front to the enemy-Or the adversary
This philosophy seemed to amuse him
but he certainly practiced 1t that morn
ing. When Edith and her mother cam,
or deck he Joined them. utterly una
Dashed by either the presence Of tn,