Omaha daily bee., 1899-06-18

During this period of disruption and
trouble Counsellor, who happened to be
distantly connected with him, came into his
life. They did not meet very often and
spoke little when together, but mutual
knowledge and liking resulted. Friendship
Is living thing; it cannot be made; it
grows.
Rallywood, when he turned to seek the
means of a livelihood, found himself as he
said long afterwards, standing in tue corri-
dor of life with all the doors shut and no
key to open them.
His tastes and training alike led in the
direction of a military career and presently
he went out to the cape. where he spent a
year or two in a police force which was in
time disbanded, and he returned to Eng
land once more at a loose end.
At this iuncture Major Counsellor sug-
gested to him the possibility of obtaining
commission in the little army of the
duchy Of Maasau. This hint set him on
the right track. The regiments of Maasau,
though few in number, carried splendid
traditions Their ranks were drawn from
stolid, silent peasantry, and offcered by
wre-strung, high-tempered aristocracy,
born of mixed race, it is true. but none
the less frantically devoted to the freedom
and independence of their shred of a father
land.
In compliance with a private request on
the part of Major Counsellor, the British
minister at Revonde bestirred himself to
procure a commission for Ralywood, who
thus became a lieutenant in the frontier
cavalry, and for more than five years had
taken his share in riding and keeping the
marches of Maasau, gaining much expert
ence in capturing smugglers and in super
intending the digging out of showed up
trains. But life on the frontier, though
crammed with physical activity and routine
work. was in every other respect monoto-
nously empty, and breaks in the shape of
furlough were few and far between. Half
liked, wholly respected and a little feared
among his comrades, but always remaining
a lieutenant to whom the state owed eight
cen months arrears of pay, Rallywood, in
return, owed to Nassau only the qualified
service of an unpaid man, but gave it the
full devotion of capable officer.
AS to Counsellor, no one could quite ac-
count for his presence at Revonde at the
present moment He was supposed to be
attached in some indefinite way TO the lega-
tion but he described himself as n bird of
passage, whose appearance in any European
capital simply meant whim or pleasure, for
he was growing old and lazy, and could not
be brought to account for"his wanderings.
which he assured those who ventured to in
quire were chiefly undertaken in search of
health. Nevertheless, wherever he went or
came something interesting in a political
sense-and more often than not in favor
of British interests-was almost sure to
happen.
In former days he had filled the position
Of military attache to two or three Of the
more important embassies, and was said to
be the best known man in Europe. He had,
moreover, the right to carry upon his breast
the ribbon and decoration of more than one
exclusive and distinguished order. or the
many rumors associated with him this say
ing was certainly true, that one could never
enter the smoking room OF any diplomatic
club In any city in Europe without standing
a fair chance OF encountering Major Coun-
selor warming himself beside the stove.
Therefore he had naturally an enormous
circle OF acquaintances, each individual
knowing very little about him, though he
always formed an intereHting subject Of con-