The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-09-10
.FA11 5T f'L fz,5s 5H6KT ST6RIGS is

not mitch over five foot tall but the
Queens Own Hussars Is n tearin' line
regiment. AS between horse and foot, Ills
ia question o. which gets the chance. All
& the way from Salasun to Corlfna twas
we that took and gave the knocks-at
Mayorgn and Rueda and Bennyventy.',
&rrhc renson sr,3I can speak The names
SO pat Is that my father learnt 'etn by
heart aftcrwardl from the trumpctor, who
was always talking about Mayorga and
Rueda and Bcnnyventy) We made tho
rear guard under General Paget. and
drove tho French every time, and all
the infantry did was to sit about IN
wine shops till wo whipped em outt an
steal nm stragglo an play the torl- fool
IN general And when It came TO q
stHnd-up fight at Corunnn, twas we that
Ind to stay stasick8 aboard the Transports,
an watch the nfnntryin the thick O. the
capcr. Very well they behaved, too: 'spe-
ciully the Fourth Regiment. an the For
ty-second Highlanders. an tho Dirty
Half Hundred. Oh, ay; they're decent
regiments, nil three. But the Queen
Own Hussnrs Is a tearin fine regiment.
So you played OIL your drum when the
ship was goin'! down? Drummer John
Christian. III have to get YOU a new
pair o. drun-stcks for that
HtFs1P GIN SlIt LppChlhs tiittl 'lllc
next day the trumn..er marched into
$fIclston and got carpenter there to
turn him u pair Of lockwood drumsticks
for tho boy. And this was the beginning
of one Of the most curious friendships
you ever heard tell of. Nothing delighted
the pair more than to borrow a boat Off
my father and pull out to the rocks
where the Primrose and the Despatch
had stuck and sunk; and on still days
twas pretty 10 hear them out there OFF
the NIanacles the drummer playing his
&tattoo-for they always took their music
With thcm-and the t.umpeter practtcins
calls and Ming his trumpet speak like
ali angel
But If the weather turned roughiah.
they'd DO walking together and talking;
leastwise, the younger listened while the
other dlscoursed about Sir Johns cam,
paign in Spain and Portugal telling how
each little skir1nsh bcfell; and OF Sir
John himself, and VI General Baird and
General Paget, and Colonel Vivian, his
S own commanding officer, and what kind
OF men they were; and OF the last bloody
stand-up at Corunna, and so forth, as II
neither could have enough. IA
IS. But al! this had come to an end In the
late summer, for the boy, John Chris tian.
y being now well and strong again, must
go UP to Plymouth to report himself.
was his own wish, for believe King
+ george mad forgotten all about him-and
his friend wouldn't hold him back AS
Tor the trumpeter, my father had made
an arrangement to take him on as lodger
az soon as the boy left, and on the m orn.
ing fixed for the start he was upS a E the
door here by s o clock, with his tr,lrnpet
slung by his side, and all the rest Of his
belongings in a small ,valise. A. Monday
morning 1t was, and after breakfast he
mad mad fixed to walk with the boy some way
on the road toward Helston. where the
coach started My fat Their left tnem az
breakfast together and went out to nea +
tho pig and do a few odd morning Jobs
o.. that sort. When he&came back the
boy was still at table,, and the trumpeter
standing here by the chimney place with
the drum and trumpet in his hands,
hltched together just as they be at this
moment a.s i5 yI F,af1 I''E%
Look at this, he says to my father,
showing him the lock, Il picked 1t up Off
q starving brass worker in Lisbon, and
It is not one of your common locks that
one word OF six letters will open at any
time. There's JANUS in this lock; for
you We only to make the rings spell any
slx-letter word you please and snap down
the lock upon that. and never soul can
open it--not the maker. even-until some
body comes along that knows the word
YOU snapped It on. si
Now H. Johnny ,d here's Eoin and he
he can make pretty music on 1t, the
parchment gags In wet weather, by rea-
son SC OF the sea water getting at It, an
II ls carries It to Plymouth they'll only
as for me, shan't haveEthe heart to
| put lip to the trumpet any more when
Johnny's gone, So we've chosen a word
that; and, BY your leave. iii hang EN-
| here together on the hook over your fire.
place. Maybe Johnny'll come back, may
oe not; maybe, II he comes, I'll be dead
TRY their music for old sake's sake. But
! if5h he novtt comes nobody can separaie
en-; for nobody besides knows the word.
and II II, you oa, marry and have sons, you
the souls of Johnny Christian, drummer
Of the marines, and William Talifer,
once trumptc!r, Of the Queens Own Illus
ment. pom the hook there, and the bow
stood UP and thanked my father and
the door. toward Helston. N,
Somewhere on the road they took
leave OF one another: bnt nobody saw
the parting, nor heard what was said be-
tSa a., them !, en- About in the afternoon
the hill and by tho time my father cama
home from the fishing, Tho cottage was
tidted up and the tea ready. and The
whole place shining like q new Din, From
t hat time for I'VE years ne lodged here
and thing the garden. And ali the
while he was steadily failing; the hurt
In his head spreading, in manner In
his limbs. Ny father watched the feeble.
ness growing rony ,ss on hin, but said nothing.
word about the drummer. John Christian.
nor did any letter reach them, nor word
| of his doings.
The rest of the tale you're free TO
believe sir. or not, as you please, It
always declared ha was ready to kiss
the Book upon It before Judge and jury.
lie said, too that he never had the WI
to make up such 2 yarn; and he deieel
any, one to explain about the lock, in
shall Judge for yourself. \. ~.
my father said that about 8 o'clock
in the morning, April Il, OF the year four
teen, he and William Tall!fer' were Sit
ting now. My father had pnt on his
mn hia Snillarr NV ha litrht 20 IN