New-York tribune., 1901-03-17
THE FORTUNE OF WAR.
From The King.

! From The King.
Characters: James Sorrel cold Crimea'C. Tex
sergeant Northumberland Fusiliers).
Private No. Tl.32l. William Peppercorn cNorth-
cumberland Fusers).
Mrs. PeppercOrn
Mary Sorrel cod Crimeas" youngest daughter).
Scene: The parIor of "Old Crimeas'' cottage,
No. Balaclava Row, Aldershot IL is a small
room very simply and plainly turniSned.
Tackled on the wall is large Union JdcH'
Here and there are portraits OF tne hIhe;
Wellington. Roberts and other generals lacked
unframed on the wall Tne curtain rIsss s anu
discovers "OId Crirnea'' hanging a long festo"n
of red. white and blue paper over the Wihu1W, I,
humming out the while in hearty .; sollie'. ls,e
excited voice bars of See, The Cohlueilns
Hero Comes He is fine we'll preserved '-d
! man of some sixty-eisht TO seventy years oi
"0ld Crimea" (after humming whole bar
loudly accompanying the air with Stet'siJ
knocks of the hammer puts In another tdch: 1s
his finger drops the hammer and puts MS hHSet
in his mouth. turning away with an eXpreSSI"h
of pain on his face Presently. taking MS hhstr
thrusts il under his arm, speaking with great
warmthI-Dag the 'ammer dag the tack- uas
! the wall. dag everything! l knew mould 90 IL
| Id "a betted my pension on H. MOST IKE oi1cn-
ened the nail by the feel. Dag this plumber $
work CHe stamps about, singing See the
Conquering Hero furiously, as though ne owen
the air a grudgeD
/ (NIrs Peppercorr a stout. bonny faced. bright
woman of middle age. without bonnet ana with
her twisted in her apron, opens the irVnt
dOOr.)
Mrs Peppercorn CbustIns cheerfuly in. leav-
ing the door half Openb-MOrnin', sergeant
Beautiful morning for the boys 70 come march
| in 'Orne on, Ell?
old Crmea'' (stin furious)-BeautifGI, beauti-
/ ful-Dag that tack, Dag it,
! Mrs. PeppercOrn-Why. sergeant, W:iat ; the
matter? Ave you 'urt yourself?
Odd Crimea-'Urt myself. Mrs Peppercorn?
No. mum. 1t 'ud take more than a small anIner
and little bit Of a tin tack 10 urt an old s"i-
der. Annoyed is the word. mum-annoyed.
| Mrs. Peppercorn-Oh, well, then, sergeant an
1oyeds the word But I think nothin' never
ought to annoy and you day like this,
when boys is a-comins back from the front.
an all.
th.t annoyed the word lied in my teeth
wct there is of EN-. and there amt full COM
pany. there's only enough for picket duty.
! Pr'aps you know what the right word is when
a drives in a tin tack into the tip of is
| finger?
/ Mrs. Peppercorn-Yes. sergeant The word is,
Why don't you look what you're a-dOin' Of"
/ "Old Crimea" Gaughingl-ShalI tell you what
/ should DO with you. mum, if was ten years
/ yOunger-a Siddy youth. so to- speak?
| Mrs. REPRESENTATIVES, mussy no.
| sergeant
! old Crimea'- Marry you. my dear.
| Mrs. Peppercorn- my. there's an old CO.
quette for you, And why. pray?
/ "Old Crimea' So | could look comfort
able while YOU drove in the tacks, Ha' ha, ha!
| / feel that gay to-day. and that strong and
! young. you can't think. mum. It's '3vin my
! boy back again that's dOin' it, I'll bet my pen
sion IT is, Mrs. PeppercoTn, what about Jhe
decorations, eh: Ever see anything like it in
your time?
sergeant. cepting. p'r'aps. the Jubilee My
goodness. call EN- grand.
/ odd Crimea'' (heamingl-Well. not grand.
mum. But you might call EN- artistic Now. II
l 'ad To- write a truthful description of 'em for
the London papers. should use the words hele-
giant soOtabe. eaudy and refined, ProudlyD
You see. mum. it amt every day that . father
as the proud privilege Of welcoming ONE such
a son as mine mum Lord, hut l knew ed be
a good 'un the very day e was horn. Mrs
! Peppercorn. Ii you'll believe me, that AIRY IF
rnine-on the very day he born-'eard the
call for dinner sound in the baTriCk yard sa; UP
and opened is mouth wide il would go
That's Gospel. Look AT i'm, now. mentioned n
dispatches for distinguished conduct in the field:
, credit tn is King. is country and is regiment
/ Mrs. PeppercOrn-Aye. sergeant. 'e'S "A good
boy-but SOS mire, for the matter of that. al
though e amt 'ad the luck TO get into the d.S-
patches.
old CriIuea' (COUrteOuSlyl-M PeppercOrn
| stand corrected. OF course. yours is Z coed
hoy and good soldier. too. Should | ave i'm
as SOn-in-law If = wasn't? But YOU .nuSn';
mind an old man thinkin' mostly of his own son
ON day like this. MUM AIRY fills my eart t.
day, num- and that's fact. 4 sergeant ut
twenty-eiSht is AIRY; the youngest sergeant II
the Fighting Fifth That's SOmethin' To he
proud of. mum, that is. But what did yG.l OK
pect? The son of a tightin' man. the gran'Sun
of hghtin man. and the great -gran'son of n
hghtin' man, All. Mrs. Pepperc0rn. when nv
boy the last of four sons. comes in ut that door
this mOrnin' with the bran w s:r.pes OIL is eft
arm. with the sun and wind on is face and =.
| looks at is old father with lis mothers eVes
and silently says Father. ave done tiutv to