Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1907-07-26

u
seething with a bowling mob of dis
charged soldiers, for Mays Regiment
OF Foot, which had arrived home
from the war only three days since
had formally been disbanded. The
town was in an uproar, for their six
years of hardship In Spain made the
soldiers glad to be home again, their
freedom from the bonds of discipline
made them glad to be alive, and their
copious libations of ale were stimu-
lating their already sufficiently exu-
berant spirits.
In the principal inn the officers of
the regiment were gathered together
In the large parlor, anxious enough
to be off and home to their friends.
A glass to the memory of fallen COM
rades, a glass to the Earl of Peter
borough, one more to the old regi-
ment, and yet another in farewell,
and there was little left to be done.
Many OF them had, however, debts to
settle = debts incurred at dice and
cards during the campaign. Money
had been scarce, for their pay had
seldom been forthcoming at the time
when it was due, so their currency
had been chiefly note of hand. Pre-
vious to the disarmament the whole
regiment had received it's arrears of
pay, together with additional pay for
fourteen days ''in recognition of val
liable services performed during the
war with France" So now or never
was the time to settle up.
Captain James Carey, after study
Ing a memorandum, found that his
debts amounted to 948 los. The sum
he had just received in settlement of
all his claims upon Her Majesty
Queen Anne was $40 15s. Cd. He
went round the room, paying out va
rious sums until he had liquidated
his debts, and then looked with a
queer smile at the whole of his per-
sonal estate-91 SIS. cd. He joined
three others in chaise and posted
up to London
The four old comrades separated
on arrival in the capital. Three of
them were anxious to see their rela-
tives and friends after being so long
parted from them, and though Cap
tain Carey had no one waiting to well
come him he left the others with
hearty handshake and agreed that it
was good to be home again His
share of the cost of the chaise had
swallowed up a large proportion of
h iC 11s
sented to him in the shape of a CO.
nundrum. He walked along Pail
Mall and up st. James street won
dering how long he could live on five
shillings. He reached Whites, and,
glancing into the doorway, pictured
to himself the scene within, which
convinced him that five shillings was
insufficient to provide him with a sin
gle meal. He stepped northward
briskly.
Captain James Carey, of Ways,
has fought six years in Spain for Her
Majesty Queen Anne, God bless her."
he said to himself "He has had
musket ball through the latest part
of his leg, leng-legged French cav
alryman's sword tickling the inside
of his floating ribs, and his eyebrows
and lashes burnt up by an Internal
hand grenade. God bless the Queen"
The last calamity had been a sore
trial to him, and for some months af-
ter the accident he had avoided the
society of the ladies of Barcelona.
But now his eyebrows and eyelashes
had grown again, and, contemplating
his poverty stricken state, he wished
himself back in Spain.
For these dire disasters Her Maj
esty awards me fourteen days pay
five pounds and twelve shillings-and
has no further use for my services.
God bless the Queen"
He walked on jauntily, the passers-
by turning to look at the bold soldier
whose deeply tanned face so obvious
1y proclaimed his recent return from
the wars.
49," he continued his reflections,
"since Her Majesty, God bless her, is
not disposed to support her gallant
soldier, Captain James Carey, the gal
liant soldier must cen exact toll from
her dearly beloved and faithful SUBJ
jects.'
Now Captain Carey was proposing
to himself no extraordinary thing,
for many good officers of Queen
Anne, King William and King James
had found, on the disbanding of their
regiments, no other means of liveli-
hood than that of knight of the
road. The life presented attractions
for soldier beyond the primary OBJ
ject of gaining gold, and Captain
Carey's spirits rose at the prospect.
He turned down the Edgware Road
by Tyburn Gate and walked on until
as dusk fell, he entered the village
of Kilbourne.
The more he thought over his plan
to win fortune the more convinced he
became that it was the only course
open to him. The prospect of having
something to do was vastly pleas
ing, and the only drawback was that
if Margery Wingate should hear of
it before he had gathered sufficient
wealth to enable him to settle down
as a country gentleman his chances
of winning her would be gone for
eva Ere he left with his regiment
for Spain he had won Margery's
heart, but Sir Richard had firmly
refused to consent to the union. An
ensign of a regiment of foot, with
nought in the world but his pay, was
not the man to marry his daughter.
An ex-captain of regiment that did
not exist seemed even less likely to
find favor with Sir Richard, Captain
Carey thought, and it was the reali-
cation of this fact that forbade him
to attempt to see Margery until he
could go to her father as a sutton
such as would find favor in his eyes.
But throughout the six long years
of continuous fighting the picture of
Margery had dwelt in his mind, and
he had ever looked to his return to
England as the day when he would
see her again. And now he had reso-
lutely determined not to see her-of