Year: 1867

hardly knew DOW 70 pass the tltne EtlSl u
think but ny ideas only Travelled in the same old
grooves again.


| invited the assistant-s1rgeou to come up 70 ny
quarters, and introduced him 70 nv sister. He wa:
quite young fellow and seemed quite hatterei by
my simple attention. for in the army they have not
quite made Cd their minds whether a medical oil
Ger should be treated gentleman : hlt the
strangesf thing ever saw in my life was my sister
conduct OF course, speaking to you fellows
shau't be misunderstood and some OF you have
seen her. She laid herself oat 10 please him 10 az
extent never should have thought my dear grave
Megsie capable Of: sang to him. played 10 him
and made eyes at him til shought her brain was
turned. She said she would like TO see his quar-
ters asked him TO ask 10 lunch, and shut me up
like rat trap when | ventured 10 hint that II
might not be convenient.


Well be went away at last. as mad as she.
spoke to her after he WAS gone, and she fell into
nv arms. sebhing as if her heart was breaking and
then. without word Of explanation, ran out OF the
room.


Next day we went to his quarters, and nothing
would satisfy her but that he shoald mix up some
medicine for her out of the bottles OF his little trav
cling case. There she was. handling. and
shifting, and tasting everything. like child
of ten rather than girl of eighteen. She led h N
about the room made him bring books from the
opposite end of it 40 that ste might read about
the properties of the drugs and, in short, behaved
so like lunatio that thought the trouble about
Gerald must have affected her mind. | got her
away at last and Intended TO insist On her remain
ing in the house and putting some ice to her head
II was quite unnecessary the minute we LETT the
surgery she was calm and silent as a man.


Well. the DAYS passed in some sort OF dreary fash.
ion, till the evening of the llth had been asked
during the day TO go down with the officers to see
some rife practice, at some temporary marks and
| went down.


1t was rather late when rode up to the firing
point, and they were Just leaving off, and one of
them came up and said


Il say. captain, tell US the cause of these new
bullets turning inside out :" and he handed me a
bullet reversed iast such another as William has
in his hand.


took it lust to explain the matter to him, when
thought struck through my mind ike flash of
lightning.


Saved. bv God!" exclaimed. g Who's got
that bullet out of the saddle


What buet?"


Z" Geralds.-my cousinss,''


/" oh Gentleman Jacks affair." The doctors
got it,


Where is he?'


Don't know,-quarters, think


- No, he's coming into town; saw him on the
road as we came by


I sped on into The town. leaving them tc think
what they pleased and spent more than two hours
finding the doctor. At last caught him.


In another minute we were riding full gallop to
his quarters.


He had the buliet,--a little bruised and singu-
larry tlattened and blunted at the point,-it must
have beer inst spent when it struck.


then went To the sergeant who had charge OF
the nineteen rounds of ammunition that were found
in Gerala's pouch About midnight ] contrived to
find him, and after some little delay got possess
ion OF them.


then returned to the doctor and we compared
the nineteen bullets with the one found in the sad
die then rln to the telegraph clerk. ronsed him
out of his bed and told him to telegraph tn the
headquarters in Calcutta, to the lieutenant in
charge of the magazines.


After an hours waiting, ringing at the bell, an
answer came that tn night -watchman would fetch
the lieutenant. l then sent message No. /.


- Examine the books and see the date Gu whlch
the last ammunition sent for the OF the 10th
Dragons find the same parcel, and carefully re
move one cartridge from each of twenty packages
selected at random take ont bullets and remove
plugs and send No. in base of cup of bullets.


The answer came back that he understood, and
would rouse up the people to do 1t.


After an hour an d half, the answer came oack


All the bullets are numbered ), with dot on
the right.


then sent message No. T.


Examine what cartridges bear the No. with
a dot on the left. and report to whom lssued, and
when; report quickly mans life depends on
speed.


Again waited another hour. No answer came.


It was getting late-half past two at four the
parade would take place. urged more speed.


The reply came:


. We have len men breaking open barrels, and
searching. No No. yet found


At last it came


shipment WAS damaged aud useless, and sold in
bulk To native dealers for value as old metal at one
Of the clearance sales some time ago.


had learnt all could. | spurred back to camp
with the bullet from which | had never parted, in
my pouch. shall never forget the scene.


In the middle of the camp the men were drawn
up in three sides Of square: IN the centre OF the
~. ,sr1a- rara11 asbn cd m
them saw them as | came down the hill take
of his iacket and lash his wrists. sped on.
could see the old colonel with the paper in his hand
standing alone, and then | saw nothing more for
din in the road concealed them as rose again to
the crest at less than quarter Of a mile, saw
woman rush in from between the ranks towards
the triancleS, holding something IN her hand,
darted on and rushed into the square, bnt Just 10
time to seize the tarrier arm as the lasA was de
scendiug. and to see that the woman was my sister
aud that she was being led away between two ser
geantS


Stop, colonel. for the love of God" cried
with my hand still graspng the iarrier arm : :"
have evidence to prove the man not guilty.


then showed the colonel the bullet that had
come from the saddle and the Others from the
ponch. and pointed out to him that while one was
marked No. . the Others were all marked No ),
with dot. | assured him on my honor As an OH
Ger and gentleman, that 1t was ALMOST impossible
that No bullet could By any chance get into a
package of No bullets. He was glad TO hear me-
and agreed TO postpone the execution OF the sen
tence till further orders from the general OF his
division.


I've heard some shouts. and I've seen some dis
plavs of enthusiasm in nv time. bnt / shall never
forget the shout that the minute that the colo
mel had pronounced that the execution OF the sen
tence on Corporal Ashton would be postponed IN
til further orders.


The men had been standing at q attention, many
of them v til the tears rolling down their cheeks,
but when they heard postponed they broke
ranks rushed ND TO the trianges. cut the lashlngs
broke the cat, screamed, shouted, danced ike mad
men.


=. Three cheers for Gentleman Jack and his
wife Again again, boys =


Officers and all joined in fer a few minutes
There stood the old grayheaded Colonel IN the
midst Of scene that oatbediamed bediam


As for me was ike man IN dream ieit
hundred hands grasping mine. had my sister
sobbins in my arms, and then heard the Colonel
say to the hacler. :. Sound the assembly,


What change In less than a minute stood by
the fallen trianges in the centre of three lines OF
living statues. Not sound not a movement


Major jackson. reform your column and break
eff the men, said the Colonel; and then walked
away with myself and my sister,


But what did your sister do there


Well she had promised Gerald that he should
not suffer the disgrace Of the lash and had during
the hour thought she was foong with the doctor,
managed to get hold Of his bottle Of prGsslc acid
and had ra>hed out with half OF it for him ana hali
for hee>elf and her appearancehad 50 Thoroughly
surprised every one that she had reached the tn
angles and almost raised il to his lips, waen the
doctor recognizing his own blue bottle. struck her
hand violent blow, and dashed 1t to the ground.
besides disabling her from getting her own snare.


And how did the affair end Was the General
of the division satisfied