The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1899-06-06

| smlilnk oH ne rattles the roll IN
fine style, with no breaks. and the
| captain was crossing the parade
| ground from his house when Meigs
steps TO the end OF the line.
'Ri--ight dress! says he.' sharp
| and loud; for he had u fine, command
| ing voice. had Meigs. Steady Frontl
\ and back he starts for his place 10 sa-
lutte the captain and report the COM
| pany present or accounted for He
| didn't get there right away. Half
way he stopped, and, oh, boys, you
| should have seen the horror i'm that
poor DEVILS fare Twas a dead mans,
so IL was. saving the way his lower
Jaw dropped down and jerked up and
| dropped down and Jerked up. Then
he says, i'm "A cracked. low voice:
Twas an accident he says. and
waited minute. as II he was listening
| 10 some one. and then ups with his
| rife. butt TO the front, and hits out
at the air. We were all too astonished
TO move. Anyway. II was all'over In
self, and when the captain arrived,
| though his face was white and his
voice shook, he saluted all right and
| reported. But none OF us dared To
speak To the new first that night, and
he locked himself I'm his orderly-room.
But we was shook, and IL was Reddy
Rodd he saw, was the whisper that
night. Little Coxey. the trumpeter. son
OF old Coxey, OF l. company was my
neighbor In barracks. his bunk next
mine In a corner. The little man was all
ashake with fear at the ghost stories
he heard that evening before taps. and
Bill let's you and me double up says
he after tattoo. / was but a raw rookie
myself and was glad of his company
under the blankets, special when we
was walked up near midnight by howl
from the orderly room, where Meigs
slept alone. We sat up and COxey grab
bed my hand. That howl was not re-
peated, and after minute the sergeant
in charge of barracks gets up 10 the
orderly room door and knocked and
asked IL there was anything wrong
After time Meigs answered: Nothing
sergeant Sorry to have disturbed you
i guess j had a nightmare
:" Twas Reddy Rodd he saw again,
little Coxey whispered 10 me. Bill do
you think it was really an accident?
They were both In love with Lucy Klein
hart. weren't they?'
Don't you dare even whisper such
things says l. and he was still holding
my hand when | got TO sleep. Old Co>y
ey-he's with the cavalry now, a first
| sergeant himself and a fine build OF a
man.
Them young devils of trumepters
hear every word spoken I'm the post. and
Coxey must have heard what had not.
Nasty things were being sGsd about our
new first sergeant. Everybody thought
that Lucy would have chosen Reddy
Rodd In the end and when the marriage
with Meigs was spoken of the boys said
accidents always made room for some
ones prOmoticn Coxey was not the
only one whispering.
ID company gave a hop the night aft
er that howl from the orderly room,
and il was full dress affair, and the
grand march was led off by DIS old
man with the firsts wife on his arm.
Most of US went. and when the officers
had gone we set in for the real dancing,
and, of course. for the first waltz Meigs
goes up to ask Lucy. He was like "A
ghost himself, but she was as rosy and
jolly as ever. She was standing right
in the middle of the room. and we made
way for Meigs 10 reach her and watch
ed them natural like, for they were TO
be married the next week-week before
Christmas Up steps Meigs TO within
five PAGES and there was no one be-
rtween them. Suddenly Meigs stopped
short, and the swest broke out all over
him. and his lower jaw dropped down
and jerked up, and dropped down and
jerked up, and his face was like the
face of a hanged man, only white. Lucy
was smiling at him when he stopped,
and when she saw him turn like that
she started to go to him, crying Are
you sick?' But he didn't answer. and
in a second Lucy, she, too, stopped
stone still and the red ran from her
cheeks and she shook.
Reddy Rodd!' she cried, and faint
ed.
The fellows ran TO help her, and
some were gong To catch Meigs. when
he made a sptng at-at something and
began to wresCle with-with it. 1t last
ed a second. and he was carried out
frothing at the mouth. They carried
him TO the hospital. and there he lay
until the night of Christmas eve
"TlN broke up the dance and there
was queer talk among the fellows that
night Old Kleinhart ne had a house
i'm Laundress' row. and ] tell you his
neighbors were scared the night of the
dance. Lucy went into the next fit as
soon as they got her out of the last. and
when she wasn't in a fit. she was lying
with staring eyes, answering yes or
no while she listened to Reddy Rodd
1t was Reddy Rodd. and everybody
knew his ghost was in the post. and
you couldn't have got the sergeant ma
jor himself to cross the parade ground
after dark alone. And CoXey and me.
we was mighty glad Meigs was in the
hospital and not in his orderly room
bowling at midnight The hospital fell
lows said he was quiet enough up there,
and only asked to be let alone. Reddy
Rodd's ghost didn't bother him there
cause IL was busy fixing things up With
Lucy And oI,s klelnhart he says morn
ing after the dance Htfcy woufin, nev-
er marry Meigs. but ii was good eX-
cuse for the old chap to get drunk and
be carried TO the guard house.
Lucy was around the post An day
or two, but we didn't know her hardly. |
She'd pass you without seeing you, with |
a face like milk. And sometimes her |
eyes would glare. and sometimes she'd |
cry. while she helped her mother with |
the washtubs. You bet no one said |
'Megs' to her. But the scaringest |
thing about her was like II happened |
To me when I gave her good morning |
at the postofice. She began u talk to |
me. and all OF "a sudden she stopped |
and her eyes wase fixed and she says. |
faraway like. but a bit impatient-'Yes |
-yes--yes. You do your part: I'll do |
mine. | am quite strong enough she |
kept talking To herself that way like. |
but Coxey and / we guessed that IL |
was Reddy Rodd she was a-talking TO. |
And. mind you it was. Leave the fire |
alouo. van There's lght enough 10 lis