The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1900-11-20
was to buy white clothes and ship. if he

was to buy white clothes and ship. if he
could. on cargo steamer.
Here he broke in If helped him to
Karachi, he would arrange all the rest
Then l ordered him to wait where he
was until it was dark enough for me to
ride into the station without my dress
being noticed. Now, God in his wisdom
has made the heart of the British sol
der, who is very often an unlocked
rufian, as soft as the heart Of little
child in order that he may believe in
and follow his officers into tight and
nasty places. He does not so readily
come to believe in a "civilian, but
when he does he believes implicitly
and like dog. had had the honor of
the friendship Of Private Ortheris, at
intervals. for more than three years.
and we had dealt with each other as
man by man Consequently he consid
cred that all my words were true and
not spoken lightly.
Mulvaney and left him in the high
grass near the river bank and went
away. still keeping to the high grass,
toward my horse The shirt scratched
me horribly
We waited nearly two hours for the
dusk to fall and allow me to ride off
We spoke of Ortheris in whispers and
strained our ears to catch any sound
from the spot where we had left him
But we heard nothing except the wind
in the plume grass
I've bruk his head, /" said Mulyaney
earnestly. 'time an ag'in. I've nearly
kilt him wild the belt. an yet can t
knock thin fits out av his soft head
No! An he's not soft for he IS reason
able an likely by natur' Fwhat is ut2
Is ut his breedin which is nothin, OF his
edukashin which he niver got? You
that think you know things. answer me
! that.
But found no answer l was Won
dering how long Ortheris, on the bank
| of the river. would hold out and wheth-
er should be forced to help him to
desert, as had given my word
| Just as the dusk shut down and, with
a very heavy heart was beginning to
SusatiO IAlJ ilOiSC VIC utdIo VIII
shouts from the river
The devils had departed from Private
Stanley Ortheris, No 22,639, B com
pany The loneliness, the dusk and the
waiting had driven them out as had
hoped We set off the double at and
found him plunging about wildly
through the grass, with his coat off -
my coat off. mean He was calling for
us like mailman
| When we reached him, he was drip.
ping with perspiration and trembling
1 like a startled horse We had great diff
Guilty in soothing him He complained
that he was in civilian kit and wanted
to tear my clothes off his body or
dered him to strip, and we made sec
ond exchange as quickly as possible
The rasp Of his own ''grayback" shirt
and the squeak of his boots seemed to
bring him to himself He put his hands
before his eyes and said:
/ "Wot was it? amt mad, i ain t
sunstrook, an I've bin an gone an said
an bin an gone an done - Wot ave
bin an donel''
"Fwhat have you done?" said Mul-
vaney. "You We dishgraced yourself
though that's no matter You've dish
graced B comp ny. an. worst av all,
you've dishgraced meme that taught
you how for to walk abroad like man
whin you was a dhirty little. fish
backed little. whi1nperin little recruity
las you are now. Stanley Orth 'risl''
Ortheris said nothing for awhile
Then he unslung his belt, heavy with
the badges of half dozen regiments
that his own had lain with, and handed
it over to Mulvaney
''I'm too little for to mill you, Null
vaney. : said he, IAN you We strook mt
before, but you can take an cut me in
two with this ere if you like
Mulvaney turned to me-
"Lave me talk to him, sorr. said
Mulvaney
l left, and on my way home thought
good deal over Ortheris in particular
and my friend Private Thomas Atkins
whom love-in general
But l could not come to any conclu-
sion Of any kind whatever