Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1906-08-21

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your married life."
Eyes, I shall miss the little woman
That great barracks is not the same
without her sweet little face about"
"That's pretty tall order" ejaculat
ed a young officer to a friend. And
was, considering that Lady Jones wa
an Amazonian type Of woman, five fee
ten, much given to running the whole
state and known as the 'Ironclad.'
But Larry didn't know that and hat
to say something.
Dear Lady JONES'" sighed the ju
diclal commissioner pathetically. Z"
suppose she returns almost immediate
ly."
"The Lord forbid-at least not for
few days. I want her to enjoy hersel
while she's away. You will feel tn
loss of your wife, Mr.. Barnes, evel
more than I, for Of course she will
never come back to you."
To say that general CONSERVATION
followed this venture Of the captain
is drawing it very mild indeed, for tn
]. C.'s wife was not dead at all, bu
had wandered far away with q lieu
tenant in q Madras regiment.
"It's the Ironclad put him up to that
She was always down on the ]. G. TO
marrying girl half his age." said al
assistant deputy commissioner to
man standing beside him.
/ ff1u QnQrOltIl
ally at the captains coat tails. "Wha
Is It, Johnson?" he asked, suddenl!
realizing the tug.
DINNER Is ON, SIR"
Owing to the indisposition Of th'
chief commissioner, by special arrange
ment the secretary sat at his left, whicl
was rather fortunate, for, by the tim'
dinner was over. the captain had look
ed upon the wine and seen that 1t wa'
good-had looked several times.
"Shall we have the honor Of you
presence Mt the races tomorrow
pleasantly asked small. witty man
four seats down the table.
The captain was caught unaware'
and blurtcd out. where are theyT
"On the race course. SIR"
The answer was simple, straight
forward one, but nevertheless 1t made
everybody laugh.
II thought they were on the moon.'
said the captain in nettled tone.
A man doesn't laugh at a chief com
missioner's joke, as a rule, because III
funny, but the mirth that followed thil
was genuine enough.
"Eir Lemuel Is coming out" sale
Captain Lushton. "Pity the Ironclat
wouldn't go away every week"
In the natural order Of things Sil
Lemuel had to respond to the toast o.
"The Queen" Now the secretary hat
very carefully and elaborately pre-
pared the chief commissioners speech
for this occasion. Sir Lemuel had con
scientiously "mugged" 1t up. and II h'
had not at that moment been a prison
er on board the Newcastle Maid would
have delivered 1t with pompous sin
cerlty which would have added to hi'
laurels as deep thinker and brillian
speaker. But the captain Of tramI
steamer, with n mixed cargo OF sherry
hook and dry monopole In his stomach
is not exactly the proper person to de
liver statistical, semiOfficial aftel
dinner speech.
When the captain rose to his feet thu
secretary whispered in his ear: "Fo
heavens sake. don't say anything abou
the judicials wife. Talk about da
colts" But the speech. so BEAUTIFUL!
written, so lucid In its meaning and 81
complicated In its detail. became
waving sea Of foam. From out the bill
lowy waste Of this indefinite mas,
there loomed only the tall figure Of th'
cadaverous j. c.. and attached to 1t. a!
q tangible something. the fact that h'
had lost his wife and settled the da
colts.
It was glorious, this getting up be
fore two strings of more or less bald
headed officials to tell them how th'
state ought to be run-the ship steered
as 1t were. Gentlemen" he began
starting off bravely enough, I'VE art
pleased to have among US once more
our fellow skipper, the judicial com
missioner"
1.-THE old bucks got rare streak o.
humor on tonight" whispered Lushton.
"His jovial face adds to the harmony
of the occasion. / will not allude to his
late loss, as we all know how deeply he
feels it."
Cad! But he's rubbing it in." said
LuShtOn.
81 repeat, we are glad to have him
among us again. My secretary assures
me that there's not single dacOit left
alive In the province. There's nothing
like putting these rebellious chaps
down. l had a mutiny myself once on
board the kangaroo. I shot the ring
leaders and made every mothers son
of the rest Of them walk the plank
So I'm proud Of the good work the 5u'
diclal has done in this respect,
Now, 1t had been source Of irritat
Ing regret to every deputy commission
er In the service that when he had
caught dacolt red handed. convicted
and sentenced him to be hanged and
sent the ruling up to the judicial fol
confirmation he had been promptly sa,
on officially and the prisoner either par
doned or let of with light sentence
consequently these little pleasantries ol
the captain were looked upon as satire
The secretary sighed as he showed II
his pocket the written speech. which
the captain had allowed to slip to the
floor. It'll do for another time. I sup
pose," he said wearily, when he gets
over this Internal touch Of sun or Bur
ma head"
The other speeches did not appeal tt
Captain Larry much nor. for the mat
ter of that, to the others either. Ht
had certainly made the hit Of the even
ing.
"It's great, this" he said bucolically
to the secretary as they drove home.
"What, sir?'
"Why, making speeches and driving
home In your own carriage. l hate 60
ing aboard ship in jlggledy sampar
ut night. I'll have string Of wharfi
put all along the front there 30 thai
ships won't have to load at their moor
ings. Just put me In mind Of that to
morrow"
Next day there was considerable di
version on the Newcastle Maid. 1.-THE