The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1904-02-10
A FALSE MASCOT
BY Gwendolen Overton

of paying off some of his debts. Not
that he was o young man of partic-
Ialarly extravagant habits, but Sec
ond lieutenant, be Re married or
single, is always more or less in
debt. He is expected and forced by
an unwritten law to make quite as
good g showing as his colonel and
to keep up quite as much of an ap-
pearance.
The dinner was little unique.
All the officers were to leave at
o'clock that morning on scout.
They were in their field clothes, at
Kings request, and had already the
rough, unshaven look OF luen able
and willing to do or dare anything.
In the hall Of Kings bachelor quar-
ters their felt scouting hats hung
on the rack. On the porches of
their own houses their mess kits,
ready packed, stood waiting to be
strapped upon the mules. Their
clothing and bedding, wrapped in
shelter tents and ponchos, were be-
SLIDE the chests.
Here in the dining -oom-lighted
by lamp which King had admired
while on leave and had gone month
into debt to buy and another which
in fit Of economy he had obtained
from the quartermaster and which
hung in uncompromising ugliness
over the table-sat C company of
twelve, women in evening gowns,
strangely beautiful and modish in
contrast to their surroundings, and
men in uniforms very shiny at the
seams, blue flannel shirts and top
boots. They were cavalrymen and
belonged to Kings regiment. Their
.gayety was not that of prisoners just
before execution, although there
was the chance that any one or pos
,sibly all of them might never come
back alive. But when one has be-
come used to going off every spring
and sometimes every autumn to
~chase-how often in vain the willy
red man one ceases to consider the
possibilities of the outcome, and,
besides, it is not often that officers
are killed in Indian fights. There
is frequently pretty animated ex-
change Of bullets, but the death list
is not heavy.
Howbeit, there are exceptions to
the rule. So these men, each one
under a possible sentence of death,
and these women, each one per-
chance to say goodby forever to the
man at her side, talked and laugh
Led in utter carelessness, finding only
an added zest in the rough clothing
of the men and a little deeper in
terest in the plans they were laying
fer fer their camps and their discus
sions of the contents Of the mess
chests.
The dinner did not go off with
out hitch. That was hardly to be
expected in this faroff part of the
world, q hundred or more miles
from the nearest railroad, depend
'ent on commissary department
and a suffers for its supplies, but
nothing mattered, and nothing was
noticed.
After time they all rose and
went out on the porch, where the
men smoked their cigars. They had
not stayed at the table and sent the
women into the parlor this cine.
They were army officers and pre-
:ferred their feminine friends to
their tobacco, and each one was glad
TO ignore custom which made it.
the proper thing to deprive himself
.of the women for even SO short
time. They we're glad of the excuse.
which the coming party gave them
~of making the most of the few re-
naming hours.
The night was duly dark. The
outlines of the foothills and the
mountains beyond them could not
be seen, but flicker Of light in the
distance from some Indian signal
fires told where they were. Coyotes
were bowling up by the graveyard.
There was a sound of preparation
in the barracks and occasionally the
neigh of q horse at the stables.
The sergeant Of the guard called
.out, ssTen o'clock!'' and the officers
made movement to get their hats.
There was still much to be done be-
fore the night march conmenced.
King sat on the railing of the porch
talking to 9 woman who leaned
against a post. He could not see
her, but knew that her beautiful
face was there close to his.
4. That was enough. He was asking
for q promise before he shouldestart
of. into the heavy darkness across
the plains, but tEa woman had no
wish to promise. She enjoyed Kings
uncertainty far too much. It would
have been commonplace to be eI-
gagged she had discovered that on
previous occasionsbut to have him
= for 9. sritnr would rtnf .ha ca Ind