Omaha daily bee., 1899-06-25

"Tnsermann's dead. He died last night al
dinner time"
The mems eyes shot for second at In
| sermanns empty place, which he was never
| to occupy again.
"Ah, told him that scooplng pass ot
his was a mistake" commented Adiron.
And the worst of 1t is that his death
breaks the line OF the Xanthal Insermanns
| Poor old Insermann. he was the last OF a
good stock, and 1, for one, don't like new
blood. What have you to say about that
| pass now, Colendorp? II am not mistaken,
you defended it?"
"Insermann was by three inches too TALL
| replied the individual addressed. For a
| short man one would be hard put to 1t to
discover more useful-Hullo!"
The folding doors had been flung open
| with crash and a man OF 90 or there-
abouts, dressed in the gorgeous green and
| gold Of the guard, strobe in tempestuously.
He was short and heavily built, with
weather-red face and a coarse, overhanging
| mustache, which gave him rather the ex-
preston of an angry walrus. So angry, In
deed, was he that his words came voleying
out inarticulately. In his hand he held
| crumpled sheet of parchment.
The men rose as he took his place at the
| head OF the table.
| "Insermann's dead, and Selpdorf says
-" The colonels choked calculations
| broke his voice failed him, and he sent the
paper fluttering from his hand across the
silver and glass till little Adolf picked 1t
up. In another moment Colonel Wallenloup
was more coherent.
81 am afraid must have walked up the
hill rather too quickly" he said, apologet-
| tcally, after draining a great goblet OF beer.
However, 1t is not to be deuied that M.
Selpdorf begins to take too much upon him
self. The entire administration of the state
is in his hands, and yet he is not satisfied
with that position! No, he aims even
higher; he desires to nominate the officers
OF his highness guard"
Every man present had his own peculiar
ity The colonel's reputation would not
have stood so high as 1t actually did but
| for his insensate temper. Perhaps the an
ecdote told Of him that, when discussing
the point of having been ruled out of ac
tion during certain army maneuvers he be-
| came SO enraged that he pursued the UNI
pire in question with wooden tent ham,
mer, had added more to his popularity than
all his thirty odd years OF service and his
immense genius for fertilization.
Some of the continental armies are al
ways marking time and they do not prize
the mcst the man who marks time best,
or touch of romance into the dullness of
routine, and they prefer the humor to be
led up to by the winding road of eccen.
tricity. 1t was never dull with the guard
They possessed officers who kept their world
on the move.
Gentlemen" said Wallenloup at length,
when his last remark had been received
with approval, II have the honor to in
form you that M. Selpdorf has seen fit to
appoint, vice Captain Insermann, deceased.
Lieutenant John Rallywood of the Frontier
cavalry"
A silence followed this announcement.
upon whose recommendation has M. Selp-
dorf taken this step?" inquired Captain
Colendorp gravely.
Reasons of state-mere reasons of state
He had the audacity to tell me so'
Il understood, sir, that you had other
views" said Adron.
well, yes, we had virtually agreed upon
our choice, l may say, gentlemen"
Certainly, sir. And you made that clear
to the CHANCELLOR"
Il did so-perfectly clear. told him in
the most reasonable manner that we wanted
no condemned rabble in the Maasaun guardi
l told him that we had practically decided
on Abenfeldt in case of a vacancy occur
ring I even went so far as to remind
him that there had been Abenfeldts among
us for four centuries"
He couldn't meet that argumentr ex-
claimed Adiron.
mo, he parried 1t, gracefully, I admit
He reminded me in turn that there had
been Selpdorfs also in the guard, and swore
that had he son of his own to nominate
he must still at this moment have given
the preference to this Englshman. l left
him to reconsider the matter however, and
rode home, to find that already waiting for
me in my quarters" and he pointed to the
parchment in Adolfs hand.
Adolf looked up with a smile.
HE will not Join Immediately. sir this
Rallywood?" he said, with his gentle lisp.
''Not for week"
Then 1t doesn't really matter you
know" added the young man.
Wallenoup's red-shot eyes cleaned upon
him suddenly.
"As your commanding officer, SIR" he
said, grimly, 81 don't understand your
meaning; but" and an odd smile fickered
about the savage lips.
"As a private gentleman, colonel" put
in Colendorp.
"As private individual I understand
your meaning very well. But II were
here as your colonel. Lieutenant Adolf, by
heaven, sir, not all the officers OF the guard,
past or present"-he rose to his feet as he
spoke, and. grasping the hilt of his sword,
glared round upon them-"should dare to
hint at insult to comrade," and he drove
the blade home with clatter into its scab-
bard, and strode out OF the room as he had
come, like a thunderstorm.
The men waited in silence until the echo
OF his footsteps died away, and in the mind
OF each rose a vivid memory. 1t hap
pened from causes which might, in the
case Of the guard OF Nassau, be called nat
ural, that the three present lieutenants,
viz; Unfair, Yaranhem and Adolf, had
Joined on the same traditions OF their i'm
mediate predecessors, each instantly agreed
to challenge each OF the others, the result
OF which would, in all probability have
been the speedy occurrence OF three fresh
vacancies in the list of officers.
Wallenloup heard OF this, and sent for the |
lieutenants. whom he considered too yalua- |
BILE to be thus easily lost.
Gentlemen" he said, II am about to en- |
force an old order that expressly forbids |
quarrels amongst the members Of our corps |
II you want TO fight, fight some one else |
There are plenty of men who stand badly In |
need OF being killed. Turn your attention |