The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1902-03-05
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"About the meanest thing I ever did"
said Bass McPheeters. who had served
as q volunteer through the Cuban cam.
paign, "was to steal brandy on the
dead dagos. Every man Jack Of them
had q flask. / guess it was the worst
brandy ever distilled. but 1t tasted
mighty good to me. and. as I say.
stole It and drank 1t and felt like
ghoul all the time"
"Ah. you're thin-skinned." growied
Eeathcote. a Harvard man who had
come to be Texas ranger because ne
was plucked at West Point; III you
want to feel real downright thirty
cents you ought to try peacemaking
between q woman and q wife-beating
husband. I did. You remember 1t.
don't you, Harris? The time I came
back from Langtry in an ambulance?
I made peace between them all right,
but what they did to me between
them was q plenty. Eobbing dead
daxos is q Sabbath pastime compared
to peacemaking and twice as remuner-
ative."
Neither one Of You knows what he's
talking about" drawled Lieutenant
Collins, who was doing his second .year
ON the frontier with his regiment. and
held the record as the only officer In
It who was not pulling wires for de-
tached service. Zone Of you is thief
and the other fool. but can tell you
an experience that made me look like n
thief and feel Ike q fool for long
time.
"You remember. Hcathcote. while
was at the academy was forever run.
ming bacs to Cincinnati to spend day.
q week or q month. or whatever time l
could get on sick leave. bogus tele-
grams OF other subterfuses. Well. they
were all bogus. but l had 4 reason. or
thought l had. for going there so often.
Woman? Yes. Of course 1t was wom-
an. That is. she was the making OF q
fne and beautiful woman. She was 4
mere girl then. just come eighteen. and
as gentle and generous 4 soul as ever
lived. I might as well admit that l
had my heart set and my hopes built
on her and-los.. didn't find out that
part, the loss part. though. till my last
visit to Cincinnati and rs that's what
I started out to tell about. II just be-
gin there.
"well, I don't think Eiith-that was
her name-I don't think she ever knew
how felt toward her: you see was
never forehanded with women, or she
wouldn't have invited me to her thea
ire party. don't know exactly how
ksr mother sprung it. hut anyhow we
hadn't been In Edith's hoIse five min
utes before everybody knew that she
was engaged to Herbert Humphreys. n
spruce little dandy with light-colored
eyes and clothes that would have made
Freddie Gebhard look like costermon-
ger. didn't like him first. last nor any
time. but Of course was 4 prejudiced
party.
well, I was assigned. that's what
sou call il. guess: was assigned to
Fannie Ziegler-you know the Zieglers.
Heathcote? Brewers. you know. and
we went of to the theatre IN lot Of
carriages, the girls all talking about
the coming wedding and what lovely
doings would be pulled Of. and what
q lovely ring that was Edith had. and
me-you can just guess how I enjoyed
that theatre. party. don't remember
what the play was or who was In my
carriage besides Fannie or anything
about 1t except that one Of the party
was n girl cousin OF Edith's who had
come from New Orleans to be leading
lady. or bridesmaid. or whatever 1t Is
at the wedding.
"well. sir. she was sumner!
think II I hadn't been so faded on