eturn from town, his
first care, as became the trained groom, was for his horses, and he was
rubbing them down and bedding their stalls for the night when the
sergeant of the battery guard, lantern in hand, appeared at the door. It
was not yet tattoo, but by this time the darkness was intense, the
heavens were hid, and the wind was moaning about the stables and
gun-shed and whistling away over the dismal expanse of flat, wet,
ditch-tangled fields towards the swamp. But the cockney's spirits were
blithe as the clouds were black. As was usual when he or any other
servitor was in attendance on Waring, the reward had been munificent. He
had lunched at Cassidy's at the lieutenant's expense while that officer
and his friends were similarly occupied at the more exclusive Moreau's.
He had stabled the team at the quartermaster's while he had personally
attended the _matinee_ at the St. Charles, which was more to his taste
than Booth and high tragedy. He had sauntered about the Tattersalls and
smoked Waring's cigars and patronized the jockeys gathered there for the
spring meeting on the Metairie, but promptly on time was awaiting the
return of the party from their drive and lolling about the ladies'
entrance to the St. Charles Hotel, when he became aware, as the lamps
were being lighted and the dusk of the evening gave place to lively
illumination, that two men had passed and repassed the open portals
several times, and that they were eying him curiously, and chattering to
each other in French. One of them he presently recognized as the little
"frog-eater" who occupied the old house on the levee, Lascelles, the
husband of the pretty Frenchwoman he and the lieutenant had dragged out
of the mud that very morning and had driven up to the old D'Hervilly
place on Rampart Street. Even as he was wondering how cabby got out of
his scrape and chuckling with satisfaction over the scientific manner in
which Mr. Waring had floored that worthy, Mr. Jeffers was surprised to
find himself most civilly accosted by old Lascelles, who had been
informed, he said, by Madame his wife, of the heroic services rendered
her that morning by Monsieur Jeffers and Monsieur le Capitaine. He
begged of the former the acceptance of the small _douceur_ which he
slipped into the Englishman's accustomed palm, and inquired when he
might hope to see the brave captain and disembarrass himself of his
burden of gratitude.

"Here they come now," said Jeffers, promptly poc