The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-10-30
!: Over the Nuts and Wine !:
By FRANCES coURTENAY BAYLOR

for him. ch?p 10! mother. do. Please,
mother. do. o.! father. mother says
we can keep him. o! father. please,
please. please. let us keep HIM" burst
out the boys tempestuously. The doc
tor looked dubious still. Then his
little Mary leaned against his arm and
looked up at him with her beautiful.
gentle gray eyes. and Just said, quiet
ly, Yes. father. please do! want
him. too. and the deed was done. and
Jocko was an adopted.
His Tricks.
The things that Jocko did at that post
would MI a book. He was the double
distilled. quintessence of mischief. a
large family. and the pride. joy and
delight OF the boys. He would meet
their mother at the door as she came
out OF her bedroom smiling placidly
spsctacles. snatch of that cap and
some hair with IL. too; dash off with
those spectacles, and crack them with
u stone, II spirit OF respectful imita-
the family were assembled at break
; fast Joeko would appear at the win
dow. bounce In. seize the china, dash
up TO thereof and drop ii in the court
yard. 10 enjoy the crash oyer and
over again--a thing that conyulsed the
boys with delight. but which was not
properly appreciated at post distant
| from all cities. where china was as
gold. Was the doctor consulting a
medical authority before office hours,
him swiftly of his book, and drop 1T
in the huge open fire--a charming
thing to the boys. who had TO stuff
lhandkerchiefs In their mouths to keep
Syf.Jt ~ fa, l. \
getting a scolding. And there was
not soldier In garrison who did not
dote on Jocko Just as much as the
boys. When 1t came time for that
very. important matter, rabbit traps.
the boys took J ocko out to the wood \
pile. and he presided there, on a stump,
with his arms crossed. in much mourn
full gravity. till they had done a dozen
each for themselves and zone for sis
ter But y, no sooner had they gone
Jocko assumed Bob's attitude, seized
Jacks Ratchet, whisked his own tail
around in front Of him. got the COR
rect position on a log. grinned. raised
a "whack!" as left him the merest
stump where a beautiful tail had been
and sent him dying up into the very
top of a big tree, where he stayed
and cntreatiss to come down were
entirely wasted. They felt terribly
about that tail at first, but afterwards,
when they had glued 1t on and tied 1t
on and wired It on and handaged it
on over and over again. they felt its.
loss to be always proyidential. I t gave
their talents such scope and such fine
play In suggestion. and ingenuity, and.
warm difference of opinion ded to the
only they felt that father Couldn't be
much Of surgeon atterSall, because
he couldn't make It grow on again as
We'll as ever. And then. when no eff
forts on their part could make 1t stay
which they tufted the stump with
horse hair. a plume from mothers
best bonnet, wild grasses, "a red feath-
er duster and a. cavalry helmets plume
q. tuft from g small, cherished fellow
playmate's darby hair and the lamp "a
shade cut up into strips and bound on
with sisters gala + sash. m short.
J locke not half so much a mon
key as 2 whole career which the fam
The Major.
lit was q seven-company post, and
the mai or OF the regiment was g. very
fussy, pompous, ill-tcmpered little
ma rtinet whom the " ole garrison
boys had an Inspiration. Tho major
hated boys. The major fairly frotheds
when. ock o. was mentioned. and was
strongly tn favor Of The I'd octor being
diligence OF those nasty hrats''' IN
these terms do disagreeab Die people
often sneak OF our peerless Tommy
and precious Emnaline everywhere.
Well. tho boys consulted Hooligan,
tho regimental tailor, con-
dded in al the soldiers. and with figs
and raisins secretly drilled their be-
loved ] ockoE for several weeks. Final
III ono Sunday orning at inspection.
hateful, even for him. and perniclstty
beyond belief about buttons, belts,
pipe clay, acc outrements generally, and
position Of guns. Went strutting OFF
across the parade ground at least six
teen feet high In his own estilna-
tion-a dark, sWarthy, little-b iggitY,
much lifted up In spirit. And right
behind him came u dark. swarthy, big
littlety in the pc rso n e off, Zoe o.. in a
MAJORS, rank; ana all. and Initiating;
perfectly every blessed thing that the
major lid. was the most comicals
sight In the world. and all military
We're lost In q perfect roarsI
Of laughter from the lnen, a great
laugh from the Ulcers, and the tit
ters OF the lad les and n urseg mai 8, who
always loo ed on a t inspect on Me, /
boys almost led Of joy. Of course. on
flercely at u ook ., drew his sword, ana
mad a thrust att i'm. But ] oc X The
nimble, was over the post wall In a
inlSling, and was rapturously un-
dressed and commented by his con-
federates almost mINedi lat ell The
major mad q w q AY WI W aver le|
Incident Is tn lxed Az III al a isclp pine
was over In the American array for