Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1899-04-27

| could tell things and would if not
properly persuaded" Certain it is
that for the first year of his service
Brady spent and drunk more than a
second lieutenant share. Then the SEN
ator failed of reelection, owing possibly
to some shortcomings i'll his mines; his
nephew, the paymaster succeeded i'll
planning robbery that worked better,
aud this opened the stagnant flow of
promotion in the pay corps, and left
Brady without protector.
But he held life office If he behaved
| himself, and being bachelor i'll a regi
ment that spent most of its days in the
Inexpensive Injuries of field service he
had managed to pay his debts, and so
long as he let whisky alone keep out of
serious trouble. But Brady and John
Barlcvcorn never connected" that tho
former did not, as Blake said, make an
ass of himself, and his asininity took
shape in peculiar form of mania that
aftlicts the bibulous Hibernian--that of
imagining, believing and telling tales
of deep and bloody mystery at the ex-
pcnse of his fellow men in higher So
cial esteem than himself. Friends Brady
had few, enemies none worse than him
self He felt the isolation of his lot,
wanted to marry and was refused by
the girls he wanted, which made him
gloomior, hut campaign work saved him
from tho solace he would have sought,
and Brady had been doing fairly well,
for him, when Rawson returned from
leave and gave him crony and an ex-
cuse for start. Anterior whisked the
crony off, as has been said, before much
mischief was DONE but he could not
Danish the whisky, and Brady marched
on guard the morning of this eventful
day looking much the worse for three
weeks wear and tear and little the bet
ter for two strong cocktails
Still he was not incapable of perform
ing his duty by any means, though eyes
ana nose held out their danger signals.
Blake had given him a sharp reminder
at retreat, and Brady bad taken "a sitter
brace for fear of consequences. He was
feeling shakv when the colonel strobe
into tho i'll lighted room of the officer
of the guard, Blake at his heels, and
thus addressed him: "Nlr. Brady,
want you to keep a special watch
against fire tonight. Order your sentries
abont the stacks and stables to allow no
one to approach them with pipe or cigar.
Who are scntries on Nos and 6:''
Brady looked appealingly at the ser
geant who quickly produced his lists.
"Reinhardt and Monahan, first relief ;
Blair and Scully, second; Duffy and
irJ civ e;,
Hunter'5 our new man, said the
colonel, eying sharply the officer of the
guard. Have You given him personally
his orders?"
"N-not his night orders as yet, sir, :"
said Brady, well knowing he had ques-
toned him as to none of them, day or
night
"Well, SIR" said Anterior, "you
cannot be too iglant tonight. Make
frequent inspections and see that your
'noncommissioned officers do likewise I"
Then, as once more he got out into the
wind, he bent his head to avoid the
blast Have you cautioned him, Blake?
He looks anything but alert.
Il don't think he's been drinking
much today, sir. He seems to realize
that he can take no chances. III keep
an eye on him.
There was joyous little gathering
at Rays that night. The Manwarings
Truscotts and Blakes, with devoted Dr.
Jayne on Miss Leroy's account, had
dined there; number of post people
had dropped in later, and Miss Leroy,
Cooking uncommonly we'll, if not alb.
solutely pretty" said lady friend, was
being made much of by everybody, de-
spite slight propensity on the part of
some to be- facetious about the daily
Bible class, for that artful maiden and
daughter of the church, after getting
her auditors interested in tales of food
aud field, had gradually led ON to the
introduction of holer themes. BY the
end of the first week the New Tesla
ment was slipped in among her books,
and selected chapters were explained in
very different style from anything her
soldier patients had ever heard before,
and these had become part of the lesson
of the day. Blake declared that Father
Keepe of Butte was getting jealous, but
Miss Leroy was serenely superior to any
anu al dlluslOuS OF rtlleCtlOuS. one
would stoop to neither controversy nor
defense. 1t was her faith, and that was
enough. The quartermaster had laugh.
ingly suggested that he thought of get
ting sent to hospital so as to become one
of the elect, and Miss Leroy had studied
his face one moment with those clear,
beautiful eyes of hers and gravely re
piled that it might be necessary for him
. to go to even greater lengths before he
, could be considered worthy. Then Main
waring had loosely asked why she
, didn't start missionary boom among
, the officers, whereat Miss Leroy flushed
just little and then smilingly replied
that it was not because they did mo-
, need it more than the men she had met
} but she had no surplus energy to waste
HAS no surplus seed to SOW on bar
, rem ground, major" interposed Blake
You remember the parable of the hare
and the tortoise" Which helped Main
1 waring no whit, and only evoked re
. proachful glance from Miss Leroy, see
I ing which Blake whispered so that sew
eral heard, "Id wear sackcloth anC
= ashes week if Mainwaring could prove
. he knew the difference between Jacob
, Ladder and Jack and the Beanstalk. "
' "Blake, demonstrated Truscott q
, moment later, when he got him to on,
side 'yOu must bp mora Drudent No