A SOLDIER'S SWEETHEART

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1508, 24 January 1901, Page 24

A SOLDIER'S SWEETHEART

Lieutenant D. Dallas tells an amusing story in the ‘ Navy and Army Illustrated.' It is of two of our leather-chasing Tommies, ivho have now gone, to the front. Sometimes when a guard is being paraded there is some manoeuvring on the part of the men as to position in falling in, with the object of securing a particular .post. When the sergeant is telling off his guard he can select the men for posts as he chooses; but the usual practice is simply to revise the lumbering, i.e., if the relieved guard numbered from the right he would number from the left, and vice-versa. In connection with this incident, the much-desired post was the General's quarters, and the immediate reason was the existence of a pretty maid-ser-vant. Tom 'Smith, of B Company, had basked in her smiles, and whenever good fortune and the orderly sergeant had put him on that guard, he had, when the shaded of night had fallen, been regaled with a little supper. The lady was not niggardly of her smiles, however, nor of the General’s property in the way of cold meat, and! Jim Thompson, of D Company, had had his fair share of both. Things had gone on all right, for the girl was circumspect, and the two men had never mounted guard together. Now egcli had drooped her a line intimating that he was for guard, and would try to be sentry from 10 to 12. This rather put her out, but she reasoned that they couldn’t both be on sentry at- the same time, and time would show which. About a quarter past ten she slipped over to the sentry-box, a jug of hot coffeei in one hand and a plate covered with a cloth in the other. ‘‘Hist!” “Hullo, my dear,’’ said the sentry, pleasantly, “that something for me?” The voice was not that of Tom fc>mith, neither was it that of Jim Thompson. “Wasn’t Tom Smith for this post ?” she said, anxiously. “Yes, he was.” replied the sentry, eyeing the provendor. .“And Jim Thompson; is he- on guard?” The sentry laughed. “Well, you see, it’s like this, my dear —they were both on guard ; Jim wanted this post, and Tom wanted this post, an’ of course tbev couldn’t both have it on the same relief; an’ after the guard mounted they fpuncl out what each otner wanted it for, aid the end of it was they had a fight at the: back of the guard-room, and the serfc caught tliGin* and now they 10 both in#the guard-room, an’ they’ve got to stay there; but never mind, my dear, Tm here, and I daresay 111 do as well. And he did