ONE YEAR AGO. One year ago we sat where tall trees made Above our heads a sympathetic shade; The world was all in bloom; the very air Pulsed with the eunimer, round us every where. We saw the blue sky through the green arcade: The birds and breezes sung our serenade; That happy day, the day beyond com- pare, One year right hand, which held the stock of to? whip. Hu was as cool as ice, too, and sur vey« 1 the writhing, spluttering bully on the ground with infinite amusement in his steady blue eyes, as blue as those of the astonished little acrobat besile the ladder, who kept dashing his tears away and caught his still sobbing breath as he gazed with awe and reverence on “the swell wot bad wollopad Mr. Frisco”—the great and mighty Mr. Fr.sco, who, to his poor, benighted little mind was the very embodiment cf strength and power. We saw each other’s souls; with joy afraid, We turned away to do as duty hade; O love! the sweet, sad knowledge that we share Has made all days since then more dear and fair, Tnough silence on our lips her finger laid, One year ago. —Carlotta Perry in Brooklyn Maga zine. CHAPTER I. “Now come, young shaver, look alive! At ft again? Come, be quick, don’t wa to my time like this, or,” with a threatening and significant quiver an l crack of a long white whi<, “it’ll be m o es? for you. D’ye hear?” “Yes, yes, Mr. Frisco,” he replie 1, in a ■baking voice, an 1 he braced himself up for another effort. He then add'd in lower tones of utter desperation, I know 1’11 never be able to do it.” “Be quick al out it, then,” the man called Frisco growled in brutal savagenes?. “I've ■pent more time over teaching you this, you young limb of evil, than all your cursed little body is worth. I believe j ou do it on purpose.” “No, I don’t. I don’t, Mr. Frisco,” in an agony of appeal, and with a glance of terror at the white thong in the ringmaster’s strong and merciless hand. “Ab, well, you’d better do it this time,” was t he reply. There was a moment of intense silence in the deserted circus ring, lighted only by one flaring gas jet and such daylight as could flicker feebly through the ventilation aper tures at the top of the tent. The boy, an ill-fed, meager-faced, un der-sized lad of 12 years old or so, with thin trembling lips, tightened by a life of misery and fear, and with big, bright, blue eye?, unnaturally keen anl quick, stood ready to mount the ladder leaf ing to the several trapeze swin js high above their heads. Po r little chap, poor waif and stray, bound body and soul to the owners of a traveling circus! He had now been many days trying hard to achieve a difficult ami dangerous trapeze leap, which was, in fact, utterly beyond the strength of his poor half-starved little body to perform. He k iew he should never do it, he hal tried hard, nay, his very best. That leap was never absent from his thoughts for a single instant during his waking hours, very sel dom from his dreams! Night after n’ght he dreamt with horror of bis morning’s rush through the air, and of the failure of his little nervous fingers to catch the bar of the opposite swing, and many a time he sat up on his poor hard bed and hugged himself to make quite sure his body was still whole and his bones unbroken. “Como, up you go! How much more of my time are you going to waste?” shouted the ringmaster, savagely. So up ho went, stood for a moment on the tiny platform high up aloft, a quivering, shuddering figure in a set of worn and ragged tights, looked desperately round, as if appealing for help to the rows and rows of empty ghost-like benches, clenched his hands hard for a moment, the nervous hands whose palms wore hot and wet with the sweat of fear, wipol them hastily ou bis tight-clad thighs, took the leap, and, mi sing the bar, fell ! A fierce oath burst from the ringmas ter’s lips as the lad fell with a dull thud into the net below. There was a quiver and a crack of tho long white whip, fol lowed by a piercing shriek as the boy rolled out of the ne ting on to the ground and rush'd for protection to the hate 1 lad der, which was no protection at all from the cruel lash wielded by Frisco’s strong and merciless arm. “Up you go, no n<>naente,” be shouted. “Fall this time, curse you, and you shall do the trick without tho netting.” “I’ll be killed,” sobbed the boy. “It’s all you’re worth! Up you go, I say, and be quick about it,” and a crack of the whip gave point an l accent to the words, onlv too well understood by bis wretched little vict So up he tolled once more, dashing the tears from his eyes as ho climbed the crual, and to him now, dizzy height, then bo reache I tho platform again, an I looke I his fate hard in tho face, a« hard as the blinding tear , which came thick and fast over the big blue eyes, would let him. If ho failed this tiiu», ob, what, could save him then? Ho know that tho absence of the netting below would take all his nerve away, and that the leap to follow would bo his last. It only he could manage to clutch that 1 ar this time! If only hi legs would not shake under him, and his hands tremble so! If only tho tears which filled his eyes---- “B j quickr shouted the hoarse voice below him. and so, in haste, he took the lean, and fell again! The white thong fl «w out again with a hiss, and cm lei once more round the tor tured and quivering little b wly. Again tho boy’s piercing shrieks echoed through the gloomy circus tent. “You shall do it without the net,'* the ring master shouted, flinging down his whip and flying to unfasten the cords which bold it in place. As the boy rolled down at his feet he kicked him aside, but the next instant he had measu ed hi* length upon the gro.ind, an l lay biting tin) filthy and trampled sawdust of the ring. "No, by Jove, that he do»s not, you infer nal coward,” shout d a voice in his cars. “A? I live, you shall have a taste of your own treatment, (let up!” As tho bully regained his feet tho thong of hh own whip whizzel through the air and caught him neatly in a double circle round the leg*. Ay, not'only round the leg*, but fel again and again, in sharp cutting strokes, picking out deftly here and there every soft point of him, untd pretty nearly every inch of his brawny body had paid the dearest penalty of bis co ward ¡co. At last he full writhing to the ground again, shrieking, groaning, swearing, curs ing and vowing vengeance on the wretched little acrid wit’s avenger. I he newcomer stayed his arm and drew the long white thong through his glove I left hand, as if it ha 1 done good service and he w as grateful to it. A long, lithe, handsome fellow he wa* soldier all over him, well set up and smart, neaiiy and plainly dtertsed, with no sign o. ornament about him but a little pin of lai>o lazuli in his white cotton cravat and r oouple of diamond rings on tha strung, bar ■ “As I live, you shall have a taste of your own treatment.* He know that “the swell” in question wai Cant. Ferrers, of the Scarlet Lancers, then lying in Idleminster barracks. Ho know him quite well, for the officers bad often patronize I the circus during the few weaks the tent had been pitched in the city, and once Capt. Furrers had tipped him half a crown for an especially difficult feat he had performed on a bespeak night for the oifi- cors of the regiment. It was true that Mr. Frisco had promptly taken the half Town from him, but, all the same, that fact notwithstanding, tho mem ory of the giver had dwelt lovingly ever since in his heart. And behold! There was his ben ‘factor quietly an! caressingly drawing Mr. Friso’s white thong through his fingers a id smiling down upon that gentleman’s writhing and quivering form in a way which v.ould have made the lad laugh out loud if he had d are J to do it. He wondered what “the swell from the barracks” would do next. And presently he saw and heard. “Here, stop that row,” he said, authorita tively. The lad rubbe.l his bruises and fairly chuckled; the ringmaster continued his writhing and groaning, throwing in an oath here and there by way of a little variation. “Do you bear?” said Ferrers, raising his voice, “or do you want another taste of this? Get up!” Very slowly and unwillingly the ringmas ter rose from the sawdust-laid grounl, driven to it by the significant spread of the soldier’s strong right arm. “Are you this boy’s father?” Ferrers de manded, curtly. “No.” “Where is his fatherF “He’s dead.” “And his mother?” “She’s dead too?” “Ah’—and who looks after him?” “I do” (very unwillingly). “Oh! you do? Ah! Nice way you’ve got of doing it! Well, if you want him back agryn you can apply to the magistrates, and, meantime, I shall give the police orders to look after you at once. Come along, my lad.” “He’s my apprentice—he’s bound to me,” I he ringmaster put in sullenly, as the I oy cropt round to his new friend and projec tor’s side. At the same time ho edged away from th 3 reach of Ferrers’ arm. “He has cost me pounds and pounds, and-----” “Yes. You can tell all that to tho magis trates, you know,” said the soldier, blan lly “By the way, have you any papers to show? Becaus?, if you have, the magistrates will be glad to see them also. However, here is my card—though you know me well enough without it.” lie made a gesture to tho boy to go before him, and went out of the tent, still carrying the whip in his hand. Frisco shook his fist at his retreating figure, and growled ouc an oath or two. not loud—ho was too fearful of roudng tho lion again for that—but very deep. There wore generally a few loungers and ne’er-do- weels banging about the circus tont, but uot ono of them had thought of going within to inquire into the cause of thi shrieks and screams which all of thorn hal hoard quite as plainly as Capt. Ferrers had done. Thoy wore accustomed to them—at least, such as belonged to the company were; it was onlv one of tho youngsters gutting an extra licking, and if Frisco was a bit hard on them, why, doubtless, Frisco had plenty of provocation. Any wav, it was no business of any one elso’s, and Frisco was a danger ous customer to interfere with. Now, when the lad, followed by Ferrers, emerged from tho tent, there were a d zun or so of them lounging against the railing, which served for entrance and advertise ment boards alike. They saw that the lad had been in for it again—he always did seem to be in for it, poor little toad—thoy fam led it must be, half of it, through sh »e • obstinacy, for be was an uncommo fly clever lad at certain things, of which the snake performance was ono. One or two of the circus troupe look *d up in rough pity, which was, however, quickly che» ked by tho sight of the big soldier—well known to all of them—who cam) jus be hind him, carrying Frisco’s butter knowu whip in his hand. Hollo! they wondered wl at was up now, an l thoir wonder was cer tainly not decreased when Capt. Ferrers hailtnl a passing cab, bode th» boy get iu, entered it himself, and was driven away iu the direction of the barracks. “That was Capting Ferrers,” said one, “ami he had Frisco’s whip in his ’an 1.” “Been a-leathering o’ Frisco, I should think,” suggestei another, but without th** wildes idea that his words, uttero I in j wt, were as goapsi truth. “’Ere he is to speak for ’isself. Til ask *im,” laughed a third, who < banco I to b» too big to st ami in any awe of the ringmaster. “’Edo, Frisco,” he remarked lightly, “*as the »well from ttk> barracks been a-leatbering of yer?” Frisco mutterel something quite unintel ligible, anl passed on, leaving the little group staring after him in profoun lest sur pr.se. “You've ’it the right nail on the ’ead this time, old boy.” exclained one at la t, ad dressing the big young man who wa* not afraid of Frisca “Well, I'm bio wed,” said the big young man, blankly. ____ CHAPTER II. Tho little acrobat, in his worn and shabby tights, when Capt. Ferrera tol I bun to get into the cab, s?at«»d himself meekly and with fear and trembling, though with now and then a glance of passionate admirntiou and reverence at h s deliverer on th»* oppo site seat to him. He hardly knew wluit t » think of him—certainly assom th ng scarce .y human, for humanity of F rrers’ typs had never before dawned upuu ibe, udl now, changeless horizon of his sad life. He had never hoard of God or of heaven, ex cept in such ways a? did not givo him any idea of their bless d goodness and p<ace; he ha l never heard of the angels at all, or per haps he might have likened Ferrera to one of them; but as it was, he simply, in his un formed and ignorant mind, thought of how he should like to bo in a circus of which “the swell was b<ws.” The soldier guessed something of what was passing through his mind. “A: j you cold?” he askel in his kindly voice, the voice which had brought comfort to many and many an aching and weary heart. Tho boy nodded. “Aye, sir,” and shiv ered. “Well, nover mind, my lad, you shall be warm by and by. Ob, what’s your name?” “They call me Houp-La,” tho boy ro- plied. “Houp-La, ah! A very likely name for you. But what is your real name?” “Tom Snow,” hesitatingly. “Leastways, tha was wot old Mrs. Wilson used to tell me my name wos.” “And who is Mrs. Wilson?” “She’s dead. She wos the lady wot kept the wardrobes.” Involuntarily the soldier’s lips relaxed into a smile, and the boy struck in eagerly: “She wo? werry good to me, wos old Mr?. Wilson. She wos a werry kind lady. Some times she used to give me my tea ” “And how long has she been dead?” “Oli, a long time. 1 wes a little chap then.” Ferrers smiled again. “You’re not a very big one now, my boy. How old are you!” ‘‘Twe’ve. Going on thirteen, sir.” ‘•Ah!’’ Then, after a pause, “Can you read?” The brown head was vigorously shaken, and the blue eyes stared widely at the ques tion. “Or write?” The head was shaken again. “No; but I can do the snake trick and the wriggling dodge—t’ w’re both werry difficult,” eagerly. Ferrers laughed. “Yes, I know. I’ve seen you do them both. Now here we are,” as the c b stopped at the door of the officeis’ quarters. “Come with me.” There were several officers, some in uni form and some in plain clothes, standing about tho doorway, who stared in surprise as FeiTere followed by the little acrobat, alighted from the cab. “Why, Booties,” cried one of them, “what are you up to now?” “At it again?” aske 1 another. “Yes, at it again. I’ll tell you all about it by and by,” said Booties, good-naturedly, and disappeared with his strange com- pan’on. “Why, it is young Houp-La from the circus,” exclaimed Lacy. “I’m going after him—er—to see what it means.” He fou id the favorite of the regiment, which Booties was to every man, from com manding officer down to the last-joined sub altern and most lately -enlisted recruit, sit tingin a big chair before the fire watching the boy, who was crouched all of a heap on the bearskin rug, luxuriating in the heat and wai m light of the bright flames which blazed half-way up the chimney. Booties looked up. “Ah, is that you, Lacy? Come iu.” Lacy closel the door, and pushed the easiest chair he could find up to the fireside. “Bootle?,” he said solemnly, “pwray, are you going to establish a Foundling—er— Hospital? Be-caus?, if you are—you had— er—better take my advice and make it? headquarters at Furwrers Court wrather than in Idleminster Ba wracks.” Bodies laughed outright. “You moan young Houp-La, there. Oh, lie’s nil right; he’s going under Terry’s care. Don’t trouble about him; he’ll be in no body’s way, and Terry has been asking for extra help ever so long.” “Where did you pick him upF asked Lacv. “Down at the circus. That brute Frisco was teaching him a new trapeze trick, with the aid of that,” pointing to the long white whip set up against the dressing-table; “and I stopped him and brought young Houp-La away. That’s all.” “Of course,” Lacy murmured. “It goe3 without saving. And—er—how did the ele gant M’’ Fwrisco come off?” “H h wolloped ’im,” put in young IIoup- La, jerking his thumb towards Booties, a whole world of delight shining in his bright and intelligent eyes. “Ah! walloped him, did heF repeated Lacy with interest; “and what did Mr. B'wrisco sav to that?” “’Owled,” answered the boy tersely, bold ing both his hands to the warmth of the fire. He had learned one lesson, this little circus rider, and that was to make a lew words go a very long way. Both his hearers laughed, and then Lacy asked Booties how it was that he had chanced to be in the circus at that time of dav? “Oh, I was going down to the club, an 1 I bappmed to hear young Houp-La streaming as I passed. That was all about it,” care lessly. “A fter all it is a very simple matter. He will be und^r Terry’s charge-go to ■c io< 1, a id make himself useful” “I’m to be among the ’orses,” explained the boy, suddenly finding his tongue, and turning his blazing eyes upon Lacy; “and I’m to have top boots and a tall ’at, like Mr. Fi’isco, and go out with the kerridge. And, my word, it were good to see hm this a’ter- noon. ’E come in, and ’e see wot ’e were up to, anl when ’e 'it out at me, tho capting, ’e ’its out at ’im, aud ’e sends ’im flying down in the sawdust—and then,” excitedly, “ ’e says, says ’e, ‘Get up!’ and ’e ’ad to get up, aud then tho capting ’e givo him proper. 1 I never see such a wolloping! Mr. Fri *e won’t do no double someraot to-night, ’e won’t- And then,” getting on to hisfe't, aud standing a small skinny figure, lookin ' smaller than he really was by reason of the shabby old tights, worn and torn, with here an I there a spangle still clinging to them; “and then, Mr. Frisco, *e drops down at last, and ’e lie? a-cussinganl a-s wearing like hur roar, and the capting *e says, ‘D’ye want some more o' this? Rtop that ’ere row,’ ’e says. ‘D’ye 'ear?* * I never s^e nothink so gooi afote,” fairly chuckling. “With ’is own whip too—that was the best of it.” “It does ent,” continued young IIoup-La, nodding at the whits thong. “T know it well.” Then bis poor, pinched little faca brightenel up into positive radiance. “Bat the opting ain’t never going to let me go back to’im—never no more.” “Here is Terry. Now you shall go along with hi n and 1 ave soma dinner an l a tub a id som» warm clothe?. An.i mind, you’re not to go ou.side thj barrack gates. Do you he irF “Ye?, sir,” then nd led earnestly, and look ing his new master straight in the face: “Not if I wos to swing for it.” Booties laughed, but staved the lad a mo men!; before Terry took him away. “Look h me, my boy. Do you know what a lie is?'* “Yes, sir, I da” ‘‘Weil, 1 want you to rem»mber thi*: That whatever happens to you, whatever trouble y*»u may get into, you must ne er tell a lie by way of trying to save yourself Liss always are f. un I out sooi er or later, an l thev never do any gooi at all to any cne—never.” There * as a moment’* silence. Then tbs 1 1 nor. miserable little waif fell down at i Beetles’ feet, and fl ing his arms round his ku<»es. “I’ll never do nothink wofll ▼« you,” he oriel, sobbing wildly. “1 never will not never—no, uot if 1 was to swing for it.” < than content to do what.v.r peas, a — «o. d and Uaadsoiua busbund beat. g Lacy was »till iu the re?imenti in -•om- modyot a foop now but otherw^ nn- chuu -eL The same »oft »jx-eeb, the buuu gentle manners, the same kind manitxl, but waiting. M be always Mid from the first he ahould p". little “Mignon.” Ter.v was »till Capt. Hr rer»’ bead groom, and Tom Suuw hud po».- tivelv not grown an inch. Atul then there arose throughout the length an i breadth of the civilize t world ruiror» that affairs were what the young e l mibalt.-rns in the Sea-let Fca-l«t lancer, inneen cal nn'l “unci mmonly greggv in «-I. the »nat- east an very soon, from being thus lightly and mn- lesslv terniel “very groggy, affaire in the east began to assume a serious aspect; in deed, so serions, in truth, that they so ■ i re- s lvod themselves into orders lor that eg ■ ment to bold itself in readiness for a< tive Next came the news of tha bombard ment of Alexandria, and then the Scarlet Lan cer-got th ir final ordors, and tho whole regiment was in a state of exultation an “ I'll never do nothink woVll vex you.* "Th-re, there, there!” said Booths, pat ting the boy’s brown bead, that be might check this sudd n outburst of passionate gratitude. “N<.w go along with Terry, and mind you do w hat he bids you. There, go along.” It occurred to both the effleers at the same moment that he was by no means an ill- looking boy. True, he was undersized and meager, and Lis face was pinched and white, the lips very tight and drawn. But, though his face was tear stained and the blue eyes red with weeping, he was not dirty. In fact, his nightly perf< rmances prevented any possibility of that, and he bad always been considered one of the best-1 >oking boys in the troupe. “Poor little chap!” said Booties, as the door closed behind the groom and the boy. “I’m glad I happened to be passing just then.” “Vewry lucky for him,” murmured Lacy. “His fortune’s made.” Booties laughel. “Oh, nonsense! I’ve no doubt he will turn out a very smart groom; and, as I said just now, Terry has been needing help badly for a long time.” He then told Lacy all the details of the scene he had witnessed—how Frisco had sent the lad up the ladder twice, when it was evi dently impossible he could perform the feat —how he had threatened to make him try it without the netting spread for protection below, and had even gone so far as to begin to undo the ropes which held it in place. Finally, how he had knocked him down, and then made him get up anl take a regu lar sound hiding, just by way of letting him know what the cut of that particular whip was like. “But I let the brute off too easily,” Booties wound up, regretfully. “I almost wish 1 had given him a little more.” “I don’t suppose he dojp,” laughed Lacy. rising. “Well, I must le off.” It was surprising how soon young Houp- La, or Tom Snow, as he soon came to be called, settled down into his now life. He took to it as a young duck takes to water. Within a week he was wearing the darling ambition of his heart—-that is, top boots and a tall hat with a cockade—an l had achieved as smart a salute and “yessir” as any groom in the regiment. Booties declared ho was the sharpest-witted boy he had over known, at which, of course, neither Booties nor any one else wondered when his training was taken into consideration. He was popular, too, with every! ody, high and low. He worked hard at his les sons—ho would do anything t> please Terry —and be adored Booties. All his master’s oelongings were sacred in his eyes, and hi» orders once given wore as unalterable as the laws of the Medes and Persians. In Tom’s eyes there wa8 no officer in the regiment— the regiment! nay, in the whole ot the ser vice—whom he would admit to be as strong >r as clever, as handsome or as rich, as his master; not one who could ride, or drive, or shoot, or do any mortal thing with t ..same degree of excellence to wLich the cap’n at tained. Yes, he bad very early dropped the “capting,” and now clipped the word as short as any soldier in the barracks. In fact, in Tom’s eyes, Booties, like the king, could do no wrong. The winter months wore away, and by and by the Scarlet Lancers were moved from Idleminster to Aidershot, when Tom numbered among his experiences a different kind of march to thoso which he had share i with the traveling wagons of the circus, for his master chose him to accompany Terry with his second charger, partly because be was an unu.su lly light weight, anl partly because he wanted to keep him under his own eye. By that time Tom was thoroughly au fait ot all the ins and ou s of barrack life, hcul learned to sp. ak very much better than when Ferrers had rescue 1 Lim out of Fiisco’s cruel hands; could alrea ly read a page fairly well, if the words were not too long, and could write his own name legibly by dint of sprawling his left leg well out and lolling ¡■omo two inclies of his tongue out of the meu h which was not nearly so pinched and t.ght as it had been afcretime. “Ah! he’s all very smart and that just now,” said Hartog me day to Booties; “but wait a few months until the change has had time to work. He’ll gat fat, an 1 then where will your nica smart lad be? Simply not worth his sa t.” But Toni never did get fat, not even plump. He ate well and bear lily, but though his lips grew less tight and his blue eyes rather le s anxious and bright—less unnaturally bright, I should say—he never camo to bo anything but a skinny slip of a lad, with a pinched, pale face and a deadly sharp tongue, and he did not seem to grow at all. No one was sorry for that Neither Booties nor Terry wished him any taller or heavier. The lad himself boasted of his sm i l size and weight. He Lad no further ambitions—be had, in fact, reached the summit of his hopes and d? ires. Capt. Feners needed a light-weight about his horses, and very often a sharp groom al out himself. Tom supplitxl both needs to a nicety. He had no desire to grow into a man, because he was perfectly happy ns Capt. Ferrers’ boy. He ha 1 known rou ;h weather, and now that he had got into ap r: which seemed only suited fcr small cralt ho was not anxious to go into a three-d »cker. Thus more than tw o years pass© I away, and many changes came about in the Sear- et Lancers, such chan res as do c< me about m a regiment during so long a «pace of time. A very grace ul poe: sinp touchingly and tenderly upon that theme: All are scattere I now, and fled; Bome are married, some are dead. It was true of the Scarlet Lancers, as of the circle of life—and among the n amed ones was Booties! But the tale of Booties’ love and marring» has lieen told already in the sto yeailei "Booties’ Baby.” It is enough to say here that he marnei the widow of a brother-*»fti- ocr, a lady, w ho had one little chil i, whom, for other reasons than for the mother's sak», Bootlm loved as his own flesh. But though be marnei be did not leave the service; h) was, in fact, too thoroughly and re lly at heart a soldier to entertain that idea tor a moment, and his wife, Mrs. Booties, as all the tcariet Lancers cal.ed her, was more It is true that down in the very lowest depths of their hearts there lay man : an anxbus thought and care for those who must be loft behind; many a doubt ii t ie glory which might conr) was worth all the blot'dihed and iniserv which it must cost; 1 ut on the snrfac), the bearing of each and all was fearless and gay; hope rose upper most, and cost was set aside as a thin 4 ol naugit. . Th re wa? a vast amount of chaff ove • tli< first appearance of the new uniforms —t.ie serge tunic*, with their heavily wa. tel spine protectors; the rough boots, wit a their ample log bandages, an I all th? °th ‘i paraphernalia ingeniously contrived to vard off the ill effects of the treacherous Egyptian climate. Lacy expressed himself as most highl z de light d with his great goggle spectacle » an 1 walked about the barrack square wenrin: them for hours after they came into his po» session—by way, be said, of getting used tc the feeling of them. And th n came the last awful morning,_ a morning dull and gray, with drizz iug mist and rain, tha Scarlet Lancers saile l «way to tha mockingly gay strains of “The Gin 1 Le ive Behind Me," some to win honor an 1 glory, indeed, but all to run the risk of com ing horn • again maimed and sh tt ve I, or, perhaps, whan tha war should be all oyer, to lie, the very flower of a great nation, rotting iu Egyptian soil. CHAPTER III There was very little of bravado pnyety wlren the good ship Clyde slipped adown the channel that night. Odlceri and men alike were very quiet, and Torn Snow crept softly in and cut of the cabin share 1 by h s master with Lacy and Hartog, and laid out hi. ni ss things with silent and reverent sym pathy fur t' gravity on that master’s face, for Bootle? had not, as yet. got over tha age ny be felt as he encountered the yearn ing misery in his wife’s beautiful eyes, aud as Mignon’s parting sobs fell upon bis oars. In truth, it was one of the three most bitter days that ever cast their shadow over the brightness of his pleasant and sunny life. For himself, young Tom had no fe lings save thoso f the wildest exultat on and de light. Until the last moment he had never dared to think it posable he could accom pany liis master on the expedition. Night after night he hal watered his pillow with tears at the thought of being left Lehinl, and the..— will, of course he was very sorry for the cause, and he pulled as long a face over the misfortune as anybody, though t'jo young monkey’s heart was beating and throbbing with joy at the chance it gave hitn. This was how the chance occurred. Tho very day before tho regiment was to leave its quarters, Terry fell upon the stairs leading to one of the troop rooms, and slip ped his knee cap. Going v a for him out of the question, and not to be thought of; in fact, nobody did tnink of it for a moment. An I than Booties uad to cast about in order to tind souieb sly suitable to fill Terry’s placu for Terry, a.though he wos in r.ality a groom, yet was accustomed to do much about his master’s person. “1’11 take young Houp-La,” he said sud denly to Mrs. Booties, after he hal gone over in his mind all the likely me.i he knew. “Ho knows how to do for mu just as well as Terry does. I’ll take him." And so young Tom was riggxl out in haste, anl followel his masters fortunes into the land of th i Pharaohs. Booties’ choice proved to bu a very wis > selection. The voyage out was tho moe. miserable time he bal ever passud; true, he had at one period boon more unliairjy, bu. never had he known before what it was to really miss a daily presence out of his life, not one, but two—his wife and Mignon. In every respect young Tom suited him; he knew just what he wanted, and just wh n he wanted it; he was great at holding his tongue, and nevor bothering his master wi h questions about this or that, as a strange servant must necessarily have done. Hu was intensely sympathetic to the sleep! si pain in Capt. Ferrers’eyes; and, aft rail, w hat sympathy is thoro which is so sw ■<> as the sympathy ot those who themselves !iav? known the extremes of pain and misery; Young Tom, too, was sympu’hetic in silence. Then, moreover, apart from his services to his master, he jrovel quits a hod in him self by wav of re ieving the tedlu n anl weari less which the voyage was to the m m, to whom eve:y hour seam d the leng.b of a day, every mile as long as a dozen. It is always hard to keep men amused uud con tent on board ship, particularly on boa- I a troop ship, where, with all rank», lire is a continuous fight for daily bread, to say noth ing of comfort, from port to port. It is a tedious and irksome enough tint ■ to tiie officers, who have the bes. accommo dation which the ship affords; but for those wno live between deck.), v ,h but few papers and amusements and but a limit« 1 amount ot leer and tobacco, matters are still worse; and it is not easy to find words to convey anything like an adequare idea of What that life’s w earmess and ennui really is It was here that young Tom, from being only a sharp-tongued general favorito, sud denly grew, like Capt. Garnet’s heal, as Lacy remarked one night whon they were s.earning past the African ceast. into “a gwreat and—er—shining light." With his master’s permission and some help from the sailors, he got the tailor to make him up a set ot clown's garments, and furbished up all his old circus tricks with such ri-btg.iol will that more than once he ha I the honor of appearing bet. re the most distingui»h ■ 1 officers on board the Oyde. He please 1 them each and all so greatly that w hen hj took his white hat round for contributions to the fun 1 for the wives and children who had leen left behind, he obtained so good a sum that Booties, whose heart was tenicr to every man who could in any wav ap proach or share his feelings on that stibiee* made it np to the even and resp-c-abre amount of £5 out of his own pocket. And then at last they steamed into the harbor ot Ale van Irin, and the vovage was over. For some of them it wa. verv near in lee.1 to the does of thevovag. of lif> but th’y never se mel to think of it, action was the order of the day, and displnte In -s an 1 down-heartedness apparent.y had flown from their midst All energy «-d u tle—tall lancers clunker along th. k u mined eastern looking str ets, tramno' and out ot thi bazaars and cates, lau • h *“ in good-natured British contempt’at everything they saw, grumbiad ia Brit ah style at all d.scomforta, roundly at the flic* anl with sunburne 1 tars from the shifn? of w * the harbor, and scatter-d everywhere^ energetic signs of British rule an 1 0CCu tion. “I sav, Bill,” said on? strar pin» ■houldered rod jacket to one of agroun f bia comrades on« night, “wasn’t tbe(h lain preaching about tho seven plaguJí Egypt tho Kuu iav aforo wo left’om»?’ 1 "Ayl" responde 1 Bill, senlinj a . cloud of smoko into the miditof adonji fli^ “Do you rememt er what they wa?F “Why,” answered Bill, hesitatingly, w as frogs. fli‘s and lice—and darkn« »H blood—that’s four. And hail, aud biains 1 suppose they’re boil*, or wuss—anj loss of the firstborn.” “By gum!” ejaculated the first, “butold Pharaoh must have ’ad some grit in him t stand all that. I wonder if they had an baccv in the n days,” and then he, tco, w a mighty draw at his big pipe, and kt th. flies in his immediate n ighborhood havetb. lull ltenefit thereof, afte- which ho sna- contemptuously into ths midst of th'svam by way of distinctly adding insult to injury The files did not particularly seem to¿ precinto tho attention, and they forthwith settled down upon Private John Wood, Na 741, as if they had a sp ciel mission froa Arabi Pasha to determine tho ex ict value of “grit,” as “gr.t” goe.-, in tho ranks 4 tho British army. “Blowed if ever I knew the like d this," quoth Private John Woo l, No. 741. “iVh'v old 1‘naraoh must have ’ad a hide hi» Beezlebub.” CHAPTER IV. Private John Wood, No. 741, was not the ouly man in the Scarlet Lancers vfae “grit” th? flies took an op »ortunit,- ot valuing. They settled down upon Lacy if ho wero a sweet and toothsome mors 1 such as did not often come iu their wav, which probably wa? exactly tho true state of the case. But Bootlo? they left strangely alon^- perhaps he took after Pharaoh of old. Aw way, cert, in it is that hj suffered less from the climate an 1 its attendant plagia than any other officer in the regiment, and it was partly owing to this—at least L was entirely duo to his habitu illy cool and self-pomemed demeanor, wh ch ho could not have main, tamed had th? flies pest?re 1 him as they did some of tho others, Lacy, lor instance-^that one evening, a few days after they had left Alexandria and Rarnleh behinl them, when he was lying half asloop ¡n his hammock, a thump-thump sounde I upon the woodan ¿x which stood just outride the entrance to his tent. “Yes—what is it?” he called out sleepily; then, as an orderly appeared in the door way, asked, “Well, orderly; what hit?” “The colonel’s compliments, sir, uni he wishe? to see you as soon as possible.” “Very well. Tell the colonel, with my compliments, that I’Ll be with him immedi ately,” he answered, and tho orderly, salut ing, disappeared. With all haste he rolled out of the ham mock, and straightened himself a1 regarded his hair and the fastenings of bis undresi jacket, buckled on his sword, and went off to the colonel’8 quarters, in ignorancj that young Tom Snow, who had been loafing outside the tent until his master should shout for him when it was time to dress for mess, and so had heard tho message which the orderly had brougiit, was fob owing him, and that, when Booties went in, ho flung himself down upon the sandy ground, in blissful disregard of any plague that might Le lurking there, be it Egyptian or other wise. The sentry on duty outside the colonel's tent, of course, noticed him, and uttered a facetious remark alter the mauni. in which most of the Scarlet Lancers were accus tomed to address the sharp-tonguod, amus ing little circus waif. “ ’Elio, young Haup-Lx What may you be a-doing of ?” “1 a n’t a-doing of nothing,” retorted young Houp-La, civilly, “except a-waiting of my master, Capt’n Ferrers, who yousw a-going into the colonel’s quarters je> now.” The sentry laughed and wheeled round on his allotted twenty yards of sentry-go, never dreaming of ordering young Tom off, for be was generally considered in the regnnentas a thing of naught, beyond the fact of his be ing a favorite protege of Capt. Ferrers. So there he remained, and there, with bis sharp young ears pressed c.ose toa littledis crepancy in the canvas, which protected the officer commanding the Scarlet Lancers from the ni¿ht dews and damps, Tom Snow, the circus waif, became cognizant of and acquaint'd with the details auJ particulars of one of the most important and dnigeroa missions which was intrusted to or accepted by any one of the officers and mea w jo car ried her majesty’s unifoim into the landos the Pharaohs in the campaign of’82. He heard every word that passed between his master and the three gray-haired officers whom he found there. It was not only a very difficult, but a very dangerous errand which Capt. Ferrers had beeu chosen to perform. The order was given in the simplest and mo^t soldierly words, and so young Toni was able to gather its exact meaning as daarly as Booties hin> self could do. In subst auce it was to ccnvej a certain paj or, written in cypher, to the officer commanding a body of troop? ly^ about five miles from the Scarlet Lancer» j camp, which was but a short distance in® the town of ALu-G< um, held by a strong force of the rebels under the command Arabi him eif. To reach th) other British camp theenr- must pass almost through th* reb.'l un*| else he would find himself close under tee walls of Abu-Goum on ih<‘on * h.and, or a-1 volved in tho swamp; which skirled then# gin of Lake Goum on the o.her. The general impressed upon Boo les i need for caution and dispatch as he in-H*’1 the paper to his hands, not w ithout • making him exactly acquainted wit contents in case of accident by the way. that if the paper were da mago J or ren j- | illegible he might not reach the utiur ca . in ignoi anee of hi? mission. ,, And young Tom heard it all—ev'ry wnrJ Not only beard, but saw I Sawtbegon^ give the paper—saw his master place it small pocket book of brown leather an I bims'lf out, after a s.leut grip of the « outstretched to him—saw then that be 1* I Unt and went has ily in ihe d.recti» J own—and, seeing that, the c^ca,.*?¡L<e4 up from his pest of observation and wiw c him swiftly. . u When he reached Capt. Ferrers found his master bending over a bound box which stood in one cor^rS. a box which Tom knew contained vol vers. I “Is that you, Tom?” he askel. “Ytss.r, ' answered Tom. • and advancing into the middle - ft«* □ “Take mv flask round to <he me s1 | get it filial with bran ly—and be quicfc “Yesp.r,” said Tom. . . J H* never hesitated an & should da The moment be entered • | be had seen that on the chest \ kw master’s table Capt. _F?rren ***