by Oliver Optic
CHAPTER IV
THE FIRE OF TEMPTATION
Captain de Banyan sauntered gracefully up the saloon, with Somers at hisside. He appeared to be perfectly at home, and to have all the ease andfinish of a thorough man of the world. His movements were calculated tomake a sensation; and, as he passed along, old topers and gay youngbloods paused to glance at him. If the captain had been in command of theArmy of the Potomac, his elevated position would hardly have justified amore extensive flourish than he made.
Lieutenant Somers was duly impressed by the magnificence of hiscompanion, though the surroundings of the place created some painfulmisgivings in his mind. The captain sat down at one of the little tableswhere the frequenters of the saloon who were disposed to prolong theenjoyment of their drams discussed "juleps," "cobblers," and othervillainous compounds.
Somers could not do less than seat himself at the other side of thetable. He was ill at ease, even while he was endeavoring to seemindifferent and at home. I am sorry to say he was haunted by thatabominable bugbear which often takes possession of the minds of young menwhen they find themselves in the presence of those who are adepts in thearts of vice--a fear of being thought "green," "verdant," or beingmeasured by some other adjective used in fast circles to caricature theinnocence of a soul unsullied by contact with the vices and follies ofthe city. He half expected that some of the dissolute young wretches whowere drinking, swearing, and pouring the filth of a poisoned mind fromtheir lips, would ask him if "his mother knew he was out." He tried tomaintain his self-possession, and to seem at home where ruin was riotingin the souls of young men. If he did not entirely succeed, it was all themore to his credit.
"What will you take?" demanded Captain de Banyan, after they had sat atthe table long enough to examine the prominent features of the saloon.
"Take a walk," replied Lieutenant Somers.
"No, no! What will you drink?"
"Nothing, thank you. I've just been to supper, and don't want anything."
"Yes; but people who come in here, and listen to the music, are expectedto patronize the establishment. I'm going to have a brandy smash: shall Iorder one for you?"
"No, I thank you."
"But I can't drink alone."
"I never drink."
"Nonsense! A lieutenant in our regiment, and not drink! I see! Youhaven't learned yet; but it won't take you long. Your case is exactly myown. I was about your age when I went to the Crimea, and didn't know winefrom brandy. After the battle of Balaclava, where I did some little thingwhich excited the admiration of the nobs in command, Lord Raglan sent forme, and invited me to take a glass of wine with him. Of course, I couldnot refuse his lordship, especially as he was in the very act ofcomplimenting me for what he was pleased to call my gallant conduct. Idrank my first glass of wine then. It was Sicily Madeira, and light,sweet wine; and, my dear fellow, you shall begin with the same, and wewill drink the health of Senator Guilford and his fair daughter. Waiter,one brandy smash and one Sicily Madeira."
"Really, Captain de Banyan, you must excuse me," stammered Somers,completely bewildered by the eloquent and insinuating manners of hisbrilliant companion, who had spoken loud enough to attract the attentionof a dozen idlers greedy for excitement of any kind, and to whom thelatter part of his remarks seemed to be addressed, rather than to thetimid young man in front of him.
Captain de Banyan appeared to have a point to carry; which was nothingless than to overcome the conscientious scruples of the young officer. Hehad spoken loud enough to attract the attention of these miserabletipplers, that Somers might be over-awed by their presence, andintimidated by their sneers, and thus compelled to taste the intoxicatingcup. The squad of fast men who had taken positions near the table wereinterested in the scene, and impatient to see the pure soul tumbled fromits lofty eminence.
"Here's the nectar!" almost shouted the captain as the waiter placed thedrinks upon the table. "Wine for you; brandy for me. You will be promotedto brandy one of these days, my boy, when your head is stronger and yournerves stiffer. Lieutenant Somers, here's to the health of the patriotstatesman, Senator Guilford, and his lovely daughter;" and the captainpushed aside the straw in the vile compound, and raised the glass to hislips.
Somers was embarrassed at his position, and bewildered by the dashingspeeches of his companion. A dozen pair of leering eyes were fixed uponhim; a dozen mouths were wrinkled into sottish smiles, called up by hissufferings at that critical moment. He reached forth his hand, andgrasped the slender stem of the wine-glass; but his arm trembled morethan that of the most hardened toper in the group before him. He had beentrembling in the presence of that squad of tyrants--those leer-eyedgrinning debauchees, who seemed to be opening the gate of hell, andbidding him enter.
"Tom Somers," said the still small voice which had spoken to him athousand times before in the perils and temptations through which he hadpassed, "you have behaved yourself very well thus far. You have beenpromoted for bravery on the battlefield; and now will you cower in thepresence of this brilliant brawler, and these weak-minded, cowardlytipplers? What would your mother say if she could see you now, with yourshaking hand fastened to the wine-cup? What would Lilian Ashford say?Dare you drink the health of Emmie Guilford in such a place as this? Youshould have smote the lips that mentioned her name in such a presence!"
He drew back his hand from the glass. His muscles tightened up, as theyhad on the bloody field of Williamsburg. Tom Somers was himself again.
"Come, Somers, you don't drink," added the captain sarcastically.
"No, I thank you; I never drink," he answered resolutely, as he cast asteady glance of pity and contempt at the bloated crew who had beenreveling in his embarrassment.
"You won't refuse now?"
"Most decidedly."
"Lieutenant Somers, I took you for a young man of pluck. I'mdisappointed. You will pardon me, my dear fellow; but I can't helpregarding your conduct as rather shabby."
"I never drink, as I have said before, and I do not intend to begin now.If I have been shabby, I hope you will excuse me."
"Certainly I will excuse you, when you atone for your folly, and drinkwith me."
The spectators laughed, and evidently thought the captain had made apoint.
"Then I can never atone for my folly, as you call it," replied Somers,his courage increasing as the trial demanded it.
"What would Lord Raglan have said if I had refused to drink his SicilyMadeira?"
"Very likely he would have said just what you said; but there would havebeen no more sense in it then than now."
"Bully for young 'un!" said a seedy dandy, whose love of fancy drinks hadmade a compromise with his love of dress.
"I will leave it to these gentlemen to decide whether I have not spokenreason and good sense."
"I will leave you and these _gentlemen_ to settle that question to suityourselves, and I will bid you good-evening," said Somers, rising fromhis chair.
The unpleasant emphasis which he placed upon the word "gentlemen" createda decided sensation among the group of idlers; and, as he stepped frombehind the table, he was confronted by a young man with bloodshot eyesand bloated cheeks, but dressed in the extreme of fashion.
"Sir, you wear the colors of the United States Army," said the juveniletippler; "but you can't be permitted to insult a gentleman withimpunity."
Lieutenant Somers wanted to laugh in the face of this specimen ofbar-room chivalry, for he forcibly reminded him of a belligerent littlebantam-rooster that paraded the barnyard of his mother's cottage atPinchbrook; but he was prudent enough not to give any further cause ofoffense. Bestowing one glance at this champion of the tippler's coterie,he turned aside, and attempted to move towards the door.
"Stop, sir," continued the young man, who plainly wanted to make a littlecapital out of a fight, in defense of the dignity of his friends. "Youcan't go without an apology, or--or a fight," added the bully, shakinghis head significantly, as he placed himself in front of the younglieutenant.
"What am I to apologize for?" asked Somers.
"You insulted the whole party of us. You intimated that we were nogentlemen."
"I haven't spoken to any of you since I came in," protested Somers. "Inever had anything to do with you, and I don't know whether you aregentlemen or not."
"You hear that, gentlemen!" added the bully.
"I think I have said all that is necessary to say; with your leave I willgo," said Somers.
"Stop, sir!" snarled the young ruffian, putting his hand on thelieutenant's collar.
"Take your hand off!" said he sternly.
The fellow complied.
"This thing has gone far enough, sir," said Captain de Banyan, steppingbetween Somers and his assailant. "Lieutenant Somers is my friend; and,if you put the weight of your little finger upon him, I'll annihilate youquicker than I did a certain Austrian field-marshal at the battle ofSolferino. Gentlemen, permit me to apologize for my inexperienced friendif he has uttered any indiscreet word."
"He must apologize!" blustered the young ruffian. "He says we are nogentlemen. Let him prove it."
"You have proved it yourself, you little ape," replied the captain, as hestepped up to the bar, and paid his reckoning, bestowing no moreattention upon the ruffled little bully than if he had been a very smallpuppy; which perhaps he was not, by a strict construction of terms.
"I demand satisfaction!" roared the flashy little toper. "Apologize, orfight!"
"Neither, my gay and festive lark," said the captain with abundant goodhumor, as he took Somers's arm, and sauntered leisurely towards the door."Now, my dear fellow, we will go and hear what Lieutenant-ColonelStaggerback has to say about the battle of Bull Run. I was in thataction, and rallied the Fire Zouaves when Colonel Ellsworth was killed."
"Colonel Ellsworth! He wasn't killed at Bull Run!" exclaimed Somers,astonished beyond measure at the singular character which his companionwas developing.
"You are right; he was killed at Ball's Bluff."
"I think not; but were you at Bull Run?"
"Certainly I was. I was on General Fremont's staff."
"Were you, indeed? Whew!"
"What may be the precise meaning of that whistle? Do you think I was notthere?"
"Well, I don't remember to have seen you there?"
"Very likely you did not; but you will call to mind the fact, that thingswere rather mixed up in that action. But never mind that: we will talkthose things over when we get down upon the Peninsula, and have nothingelse to think about. Do you really mean to say, my dear fellow, that younever drink at all?"
"I do not."
"Well, I have heard of a man climbing up to the moon on a greasedrainbow; but I never heard of an officer before that didn't drink."
"I'm afraid you haven't been very careful in the choice of yourcompanions. I know a great many that never taste liquor under anycircumstances."
"It may be so; and I am willing to confess that I have found one. Iwouldn't have believed it before if I had read it in the Constitution ofthe United States. I owe you an apology, then, for letting on in thatsaloon. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings, my dear fellow; but Ithought you were joking."
"I hope you will not repeat the experiment, then; though I shall considermyself fair game if I ever enter another rum-shop," replied Somers.
They proceeded to the place designated for the lecture; and Captain deBanyan betrayed his interest in that memorable battle, where he hadserved on the staff of General Fremont, by going to sleep before theeloquent "participant" had got half-way through the exordium. LieutenantSomers listened attentively until he was satisfied that ColonelStaggerback either was not in the battle, or that he had escorted "BullRun Russell" off the field.
When the lecture was finished, Somers awakened his edified companion, andthey returned to the hotel; though the captain hinted several times onthe way that the "elephant" could be seen to better advantage in New Yorkthan in any other city in the Union. The young lieutenant had an utterdisgust for the elephant, and took no hints. Before he retired thatnight, he thanked God, more earnestly and devoutly than usual, that hehad been enabled to pass unscathed through the fires of temptation. Hewas still in condition to look his mother in the face.