A Soldier's Trial: An Episode of the Canteen CrusadeKing, Charles
General
A Soldier's Trial: An Episode of the Canteen Crusade
King, Charles
United States. Army -- Military life -- Fiction
because of his undeniable valor in Indian campaign and the fact that
when he let whisky alone there was not a neater, nattier soldier, Horse,
Foot or Dragoon, to be found in the field. Priscilla had indeed gathered
in some of the reprobates, and sought to reach more. She begged that, in
accordance with their plaintive request, the inmates of the guard-house,
immortal "Company Q," might be allowed the benefit and privileges of the
Association. Had not He said He came not to call the just but the
sinners to repentance? and, as Uncle Will whimsically remarked, "If what
Priscilla wants are sinners--she's got 'em."
And this was the state of things when Stone arrived; took command,
reinforced the garrison with eight stout companies and band of the
Sixty-first, and the guard-house with a score of military malefactors
who, hearing of Miss Sanford's Soldiers' Advancement Association, begged
leave to partake of its blessings, including the coffee and sandwiches.
Then Stone suddenly "tumbled to the scheme," as Billy, Junior, a fierce
skeptic from the start, described it. Then Stone himself attended a
meeting, to the obvious embarrassment of the congregation, though
Priscilla beamed upon him in the sudden belief that here indeed was a
heart worth the moving. What Stone saw was quite enough to convince him
of the utter absurdity of permitting the further attendance of, at
least, the guard-house contingent, but he would not wound Priscilla or,
without abundant reason, disturb the edifice builded under Ray's
administration. The Association might even have lived and thrived
another week on Priscilla's ministrations--and at Ray's expense--for
daily coffee and sandwiches for all comers, forty odd, at least, was
proving costly. It was "Company Q" itself that broke it up. The
privilege and the darkness combined enabled certain of its unhallowed
spirits to smuggle whisky into the prison room, and, thus stimulated, a
gifted ex-professional of the "dramatic line" set up a wonderfully if
wickedly witty burlesque of the evening's lecture, to the irrepressible,
and presently uproarious, mirth of his fellow-jailbirds. It was just
what Stone was expecting, and so far from ordering it stopped, he sent
for Ray and bade him listen. Then the post and the squadron commander
shook hands in silence. "You see for yourself," said Stone. "I, too,
have been expecting it," said Ray. Then the guard was sent in. The
impious revel was suddenly and summarily squelched. Then Ray gently told
Priscilla the sinners could come no more, but mercifully would not tell
her much, at least, that he had heard. So the Soldiers' Advancement
Association retrograded in numbers to less than half, and then, as
others not at the moment under guard took alarm, to less than a dozen.
But Priscilla wrapped herself up in the nine that were left, and, as all
barrack room was now needed, for these they fitted up a little apartment
in the basement of the major's quarters, and then came Sandy Ray, as has
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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