The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-11-04

Then he Strengthened himself, and walked
to the door, and two or three men hanging
about there with Hollingworth saw his face
and were suddenly more afraid than they
had ever been in their lives. and they
shrank away And Flat lurchsd past them
and went across the room, and before any
body could get to him he had taken down
his rifle
No doubt Flat cursed that rife many
time afterwards. Something damned. or
something stuck-anyhow, before his
trembling fingers could put things right
he was pulled down by dozen pair of
hands. and the rifle torn away from him.
And thereupon rose a hubbub and such in
terchange of opinion as you can only hear
in a barrack room-and as can only hap
pen in a barrack room-there arose di-
version which put Flat clean out of every
ones mind
For there was one man Of Company d
who loved dogs-any sorts of dogs and all
sorts of dogs-much better than his own
soul. and who had witnessed the occur
renee wherein Hollingworth and the dead
mongrel were concerned. and he told the
former his opinion of him in such very
plain and easily understood language that
within two minutes everybody but Flatt
was hurrying off to a quiet corner. AS TO
what happened there between Holling-
worth and the dog-lover matters not: but
the events in which they figured for the
best of an hour made everybody forget
that Flatt had been on the verge of
murder.
That afternoon, for the first time in his
life, Private Nathaniel Flat got drunk.
Not quietly drunk, nor outrageously drunk;
but hopelessly, Overwhelmingly drunk. He
was not aware that he spent the succeed
ing night in durance, but he was painfully
aware that he had transgressed next morn
ing.
But transgression became common to
him. He had broken out at last. said
the sergeant who had been watching him,
and now he was "a-going it with the
worst of EN-" And so Private Flat
probed some very low depths of hell and
suffered badly. and there were times when
he was sorely tempted to put bullet
through his brain.
But there was one thing kept him back
He had made up his mind that sooner or
later he would give himself the pleasure
of killing Private Hollingworth He was
not quite sure how he would do 1t. but
he would do it somehow. An opportunity
would come when he could perhaps do 1T
comfortably at his leisure. Meanwhile he
would get drunk as often as possible, and
spend his time in doing cells, and shot
drill and so on, and in anticipating his
revenge.
Meanwhile some other folks were
| troubled about Flat Hollingworth was
| trobled because he remembered the look in
| Flats eyes when he sighted him over that
| murderous rifle He had left Flat alone
after that, but he was not sure of him and
| for a long time he kept out Of dark corners
| and lonely places
Flat himself frequented lonely places a
great deal; so it was in one of them that
| the colonel came across him one memoir
| able afternoon. Oddly enough, the colonel
| had had Flat in his mind for quite ten
| minutes when he CHANGED to meet him.
| 1t bothered him that one of his men should
| be slipping along the broad and easy path
| so quickly as Flat seemed to be doing,
and he had more than once wondered
whether it might not be a good thing if he
| had a little friendly conversation with
| the delinquent.
| He came upon Flat therefore at an op-
| perfume moment. Flat was sitting on the
bank of ditch; his elbows on his knees,
his chin in his hands, his sharply outlined
| face the picture of misery and depression.
| The colonel looked at him for a moment
and felt uneasy. Then Flat became aware
of his presence and sprang to his feet and
| did customary reverence. The colonel
| looked at him again and something outside
military feeling suddenly filled his
/! breast.
I'm afraid you're not very happy. my
| man?" he said.
| Flat stood at attention, flushed and
| awkward. There was something in the
| coloners tone which he had never heard
| in his life before.
You don't get very well with your
comrades I'm afraid. eh?" said the colonel.
Then Flat forgot his confusion and
pulled himself straight.
at amt complaints. sir. thank you.
/ said ne.
The colonel smiled. He liked Flat better
| after that.
But you don't get on with them very
| well, Ell? Rather down on you, aren't
they, now and then, eh?"
4
| notified; his mind was endeavoring to
| realize what all this meant.
| I'LL amt got nothing toto say. sir"
| he stammered at last. "rhank you, sir"
Then the colonel liked Private Flat stiIl
/ more. He looked at him more searchingly.
where's that curious-looking dog you
used to have about your he inquired.
"He-he-he's dead, SIR" answered Flat
Dear. deari" said the colonel, who had
long been acquainted with the true facts
| of the unhappy mongrels death. "How
| did he die? What was the matter?"
MET with an accident, sir" said Flat.
| promptly enough.
"Ah, think you are fond of dogs?"
| Yes, SIR
do you know anything about them?''
Flat Observation-Disclosures was his
| strong point. He began to say what he
| knew. and the colonel helped him out. and
within few minutes Flat found himself
appointed TO look after the colonel's dogs,
| OF which there were many, and for a mo-
ment he forgot that Hollingworth had
| killed his dog and that he had sworn to
kill Hollingworth.
| From, that afternoon onward Flatt never