Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1903-04-25
THE BELLEOF THE GARRISON.
ny p. F. w. RYAN.

younger brother. | was lucky in my
host for he had Travelled wherever the
foot Of man had trod and fought in every
campaign for half a century. and read
everything worth reading from the Bible
to the latest novel, and withal was as
modest as n schoolgirl on her holidays.
George" said !, "let us have a story"
The dear old chap threw himself back
in ms chair and set himself a-thinking.
II declare" said George, Il am quite
out of practice as a raeonteur. / find it
as hard to put my finger on story now
as If / had lived my life in a convent
cell"
Don't trouble; let us talk of the past
and the stories will come" | said, mind
full of earlier days when our evenings
always ended in tale.
TO be sure" said George, there's
enough to talk of from the day that
Haughton and / landed at Bombay to be-
GIN our soldering till returned swords
after half Il century"
"laughton," / repeated, II never heaI1
YOU mention his name before that | can
remember"
a shadow seemed TO fit across his fine
old face, and he stroked his luXuriant sill
yer hair, buried in thought.
Poor Charley! 1t was dark crime
laid him Iowa dark crime committed.
like many another, for woman Years
have since passed. and have seen human
blood flow in torrents, yet | still look
back with horror on the deed of murder
permitted in the trackless jungle when
might
But truce to vain regrets. You will
hear the story. llaughton and | were at
Elton together, and chums all our time
there. We were in everything together,
from making love to the head masters
twin sisters to the iloggings melted out
by their brother On the same day we
were gazetted to the same corps in John
Company service, and embarked ON the
same vessel, which. by the way, you
would call convict hulk, for the East
Our regiment was quartered at Ghaz-
napore, and we had been quartered there
scarcely three months when Haughton
was the idol of his brother officers. ] 10
believe there was not n man among them
who would not have trusted the hand
some, debonair youngster with his life
except, perhaps, one, Il Junior captain
named Barnet.
Barnet was a jealous of Charley as
the serpent of Adam in the garden be.
cause Nilly Prtchard brought all her
forces horse foot and artillcry---to bear
on the heart of the dashing, golden haired
young sub
"AIilly was just such a girl as you may
find in every garrison town in the king
dom-fond of fun and iollity, and always
ready for Irritation, whether it be with
( bn hut Ia, 4
per sub. She is always handsome. al
ways coquette, ready to laugh at the
fellows Jokes or be the confdante of
their troubles, and the favored subaltern
invariably looks forward TO MS captaincy
to marry her. If such girl is common
at home, in India she is an institution.
and the Garrison Belle was II standing
toast at every mess in my time.
"Milly Pritchard was the daughter of
an old official of the company. Her
father had the reputation of being ex-
tremely wealthy, and as she was an only
child she had in addition to her other
charms all the attractions of n great
heircss.
This regimental affair de occur was
watched with lively interest, and there
were many sly Jokes cracked at Barnet's
expense, which, no doubt, did not help
to soothc his wounded pride. Haughton
bore himself spendidly. He neither
courted nor avoided the girl nor be-
uayed the slightest consciousness of I'M
usual favor at her hands. No old cam
paigner could have worn his laurels more
gracefully, and no gentleman could have
behaved with moro perfect breeding to his
less fortunate rival.
But Barnet was bitterness itself At
first he affected to treat Charley cor
tcmrtuuuSly. but the latter soon shove
himself his equal in most things. his SUI
pcrior in many. Then matters became
more strained Barnet was barely civil
and Hnughton was contemptuously in
different
SO things continued for about six
months, Then one evening llaughton
came to my quarters. His face was
death'N pale and his lips were firmly set.
Know he Was struggling to suppress
some violent emotion. 1t was evident
something serious had happened. A row
with Farnet was the first thought that
flashed through my mind lie threw
himself into chair and there was a
pause tor several minutes
George he said at last. 4 must oct
away from here His voice, hoarse and
uncertain betrayed the turmoil Of his
soul
, Get awayN I repeated. Something
Is wrong, Haughtou, What has han,
peuedy'
You are right. Something has han.
pened. | e3mo, 20 into particulars.
George, but its a wou,au-Molv priteh.
ard. ] love the girl-aud She is not in.
different. | should have gone long ago.
but she seemed such u nirt. Who could
have guessed that she'--
lie hcSitated, hut my kuowledrc Of
his honorable nature made his cmntiop
his reserve, his resolve To unit the sta
tior, more eloquent than woIols. could
have sworn that there had been a ser,
that in Il momeut Of uncomfortable mas.
sion the girl had in some way BETRAYED
her love for him. and in the dehrium II
he moment he, too, had been weak. II
was an as clear 10 .nf as laN