Omaha daily bee., 1899-06-25
CHAPTER III.
The Gentlemen OF the Guard.

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The Gentlemen of the Guard.
Members of great families frequently re-
gard themselves as submerged individuali-
ties. They wllfully sink all identity Of their
own in the traditions handed down to them,
. and live as mere representatives of line
which bears in common noble name. This
principle, which has something to recon-
mend 1t, was adopted long ago into the sys-
tenn OF the Guard of Maasau, the officers OF
which were first gentlemen OF the guard
and afterward men in the private and ordi-
nary sense OF the term. There were nine
OF them--a colonel-in-chief, whose position
became honorary after his elevation to that
rank; colonel, upon whom devolved the
active command a second in comand, whose
title OF over-captain may be translated
major; three captains, and as many sub
alterns And every individual was drawn
from the nobest blood in the country.
Thus 1t will be seen that Rallywood was
about to enter the best company in Revonde.
On a lofty cliff above the gorge from
which the Kofn issues to curve round the
palace gardens, and exposed to the four
winds OF heaven, stands an imposing square
block of gray buildings. These contain the
permanent quarters of the guard. One
whole side OF the courtyard within Is taken
UP by the domed mess room with its neces-
sary adjuncts and offices
Here on the day following Rallywood's
Interview with Selpdorf, three men lounged
over their lunch. Any one Of them, had he
cared to take the regimental rolls from their
brass bound Golfer in the ante-room, could
have read his own name repeating itself
down the columns as generation after gen.
Grafton lived through its Identical life I'm
the same surroundings, and died, most Of
them going to the devil with fine inher-
tied pride and even gracefully.
Nearly every man who had crossed the
page of the Maasaun annals had dined in
that historic room. and each one of the
men who now held the right to dine there
had hereditary interest. and In many
cases a hereditary characteristic to main
tain. There was old walrus-faced Wallen-
loup; the thin, dark, reckless Colendorp;
Adiron, whose great bulk behind calvary
sword was a sight for the gods, and so on,
the three lieutenants following closely in
the footsteps of the three lieutenants who
had been before them; men who went to
the rendezvous Of duel in all comfort,
affecting to be infinitely more afraid Of
catching cold than of being killed; men
who kissed the wife and dispatched the hus-
band with equal skill and as little noise
might be; men who were feared by tough,
swaggering, rancorous soldiery, whom they
only knew through the hard faced SER
geants; men, in fact, who lived out their
debonair, picturesQuely evil lives to the
satisfaction Of themselves and OF few
others.
On this occasion Colonel Wallenloup the
Commandant, was not present. OF him 1t was
told that while still lieutenant he had
been offered. as reward for services rem
IN ba nd nf
Maasaun regiment he might choose to Sc
aect, and he had replied that he would
rather be lieutenant of the guard than
field marshal elsewhere. And SO he re-
mained to flavor the mess with his some
what blood-and-iron jokes. The messroom
was a spacious hail. and though only three
men sat at table the place seemed full Of
life and color from the black polished floor
ing to the carved and vaulted ceiling, from
which hung in tattered folds the old ban
ners Of the regiment. Red hangings partially
draped the dark walls, and over all from
the stained dome the light fell in rich tones
of color, while through the talk of the men
ran the one weird sound that never ceased
about these walls. the whimpering of the
wind.
Suddenly the door opened and young
man, small and thin, with a faint down
Npon his upper lip. entered quickly.
"Unziar has won" he cried.
won what?" asked Adiron, the senior
man present. as he pourned out another
glass OF wine.
"Won his second match against Aben-
feldt with seven to spare"
Adiron stretched his legs and leaned
back; his figure was well adapted for lean
ing back.
my good Adolf, explain yourself"
Hadn't you heard of it? Why, they ar
ranged 1t last night at Countess Sa-
gan's''
"Abenfeldt fancies himself as shot,
but he forgot he had to do with Unfair"
laughed Captain Adiron
"Abenfeldt bet that he could shoot more
swallows in half an hour before breakfast
than any man In Revcnde. That was in
September you know. and Unziar took him
up-with service revolvers-and shot fifteen,
winning easily. Abenfeldt can't get over 1t
and challenged him to a shooting match
again last night, / say" Adolf broke off
and his face altered he thrust out a little
foot and surveyed the spurred boot that
covered 1t critically. 1--WE Just ridden back
from Brale. That new charger of mine
bolted down the hill by the paling. / went