Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1901-03-20
Weeds of Society,""
The Story Of Snipey and Ripper.
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CNIPEY and Ripper stood in the
y dock, with a NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
anybody air.
Whats the charge against these
fellows?" inquired the magistrate.
Drunk and disorderly, your wor-
ship, and assaulting the police"
There was no defense.
ANY previous convictions?" asked
his worship, with a sour look at the
two youths of promise.
Ripper thrust his hands deep into
his pockets; Snipey, somewhat older,
watched the dockkeeper with an
anxious eye. There were previous
convictions.
THAT will dol" said his worship
severely. "You are evidently in
corrigible. Such fellows are the
weeds of society. It's a pity you can
not be-er-plucked out. You will be
removed to the house of correction
for three months"
A raw-footed and broken detach-
ment. of British infantry regiment
was stumbling gamely along a dreary
ravine in the interior of China. The
NiPCo up ICllCl
force which was hurrying to the res
cue of a missionary station. Two
smart companies had mustered into
the gray light of early morning and
had set out to reconnoiter in the
hills. Through childlike faith in the
efficiency of the information supplied
by so-called intelligence department,
the major commanding the detach-
ment had got hopelessly out of his
reckoning. The intelligence depart
ment of the Chinese had misled
them, and by the late afternoon the
British had fallen into an ambush
From the rocky ridges fianking the
ravine the Chinese showed now and
then the CLEAN of scimitar to their
prey. Little puffs of smoke appeared
more frequently still, and were some
times followed by sickening little
'plops," when the bullet met flesh
and bone in the valley. The dead
lay sprinkled in the wake of the
British in dabs of scarlet, as if they
were playing weird game of hare
and-hounds with death.
The end of their endurance came
when the shadows of the rapidly ap-
preaching night closed upon them.
The word to halt was given and
obeyed, although it's mellow note
killed all hope. Rations of flour and
water were passed round, and, with
the sentries posted. the little body of
British soldiers sat or lay at ease,
rifle in hand, waiting for night and
death.
Two hnnrc nac coH. fhar
handing officer was startled from a
doze by hoarse whisper:
"Majer! majer!"
"Hallo!" he snapped. "Who the
devil is that?"
me, majer-Privit 'Arrison. I've
bin a-talkin' the persition over with a
mate-friend, Begin yer pard'n, sir
| o mine, an we thinks theers a
charnce O. savin' the detachment"
There were a few cxpletives in the
darkness.
"Who told the privates the detach-
ment wanted any saving?"
| Then there was a sound like a sup
pressed chuckle, and the whisper re-
asserted itself. BY and by the ex-
| pletives melted into answering whis-
| pers, then followed silence
| Ten minutes after there slipped in
to the silence the rustic of gently
moving men.
''Snipey, ole mani"
'Kipper!"
Two hands CROPPED ridiculously in
the inky night until they found each
other. A few answering cracks from
the hills were followed by the hum of
| wasted ammunition.
'Majer said as it was a fi-e-ter-one
charnce," replied Snipey, with some
thing of Importance creeping into his
tone.
"Wot else did e say, mate, when
yer axed imp"
"Say? Why, bloomin' 'air-lifters
at fust, as it's is nature to. Then
says /, Me an my pal, majer, reckons
asthese pigtails wun't want ter tackle
in the darkness, a-cause they might
get cut up a bit; so they'll wait an
pot us comfortable in the mornin','
Right y'are, old chap says e. Then
/ says, But if we tried to do a guy,
majer, ole pal, they'd smell rat, an
be down on us like a lot o. winter
sparrers on a hidden considerable
powers o. penetration e says. Then,
says ], 'majer, here's our plan. Let
one or two stop behind an keep a
firm from different places, an they'll
think we're all ERE; then the rest o.
the detachment can creep or foxy
The majer swears, an says it wos a
five-to-one chance. Then e thinks a
bit. Then e says ell try it. Then
volunteers for you an me to stop,
accuse it wos us wot formerlated the
invention. Couple of soaps afore you