| Show i iu By Capt Charles King U S A M Author of DrnRAvEN RANCH THE COLONELS DAUGHTER MJOUONS FAITH ETC iAt I j Copyright by J B Lippincott Company Philadelphia and published by special arrangement with them CRPTER XVI XV-I H 1iIr I 4rcfl a i err PH Iritt Uicjirst man who dares enter Straight as an arrow Mr Blake had sped across the parade darted through the east gate and turning had arrived breathless at the wooden porch of Haynes quarters Two bewildered looking look-ing members of the guard were at the door Blake pushed his way through the little hallway and into the dimly lighted parlor where a strange scene met his eyes Lieut Hayne lay senseless and white upon the lounge across the room a young and pretty woman singularly sin-gularly like him in feature and in the color of her abundant tresses was kneeling kneel-ing beside him chafing his hands imploring im-ploring him to speakto look at her unmindful of the fact that her feet were bare and that only a loose wrapper was thrown over her white night dress Capt Rayner was seated in a chair deathly white and striving to stanch the blood that flowed from a deep gash in his temple and forehead he seemed still stunned as by the force of the blow that had felled him andBuxton speechless speech-less with amaze and heaven only knows i what other emotions was glaring at a tall athletic stranger who in stocking feet undershirt and trousers held by three frightened looking soldiers and covered by the carbine of a fourth wash was-h rlin defiance and denunciation at the c commanding officer A revolver lay upon the floor at the feet of a corporal of the guard who was groaning in pain A thin veil of powder smoke floated through the room As Blake leaped inhis cav nlry shoulder knots and helmet cords gleaming in the lighta flash of recognition recog-nition shot into the strangers eyes and he curbed his fearful excitement and stopped short in his wrath What devils work is this demanded Blake glaring intuitively at Buxton These people resisted my guards and bad to take the consequences said Bux ton with surly yet shaken dignity What were the guards doing here What in Gods name are you doing here demanded Blake forgetful of all consideration of rank and command in tho face of such evident catastrophe I ordered tl > uu hereto enter and search A pause Search what what for Fora woman I had reason to believe to had bronght out hero from town What You infernal idiot WhyS Why-S shes his own Bister and this gentlemans wife wifeThe The sDrace broken only by the hard breathing of some of the excited men and the icoaning cry of the woman was I for a moment intense Isnt this Mr Hurley asked Blake suddenly as though to make sure and turn nnn incfwnt from Jbis furious glare at his superior officer The stranger till held though no longer struggling S replied between his set teeth Certainly rye told him so By heaven Buxton is there no limit to your asininity What fearful work will you do ne turn t-urn arrest you sir if you speak another an-other disrespectful word thundered Buxton recovering consciousness that as oommanding officer he could defend him S I self against Blakes assault Do it and beyou know what I xfvould say if a lady were not present Do it 5f you think you can stand having this thing ventilated by the court Pah I cant waste words on you Whos gone for the doctor Here you men let goof go-of Mr Hurley now Help me Mr Hur ley please Get your wife back to her room Bring me some water one of I you And with that he was bending I bend-ing over Hayne and unbuttoning the fatigue fa-tigue uniform in which he was still dressed Another moment and the doctor doc-tor had come in and with him half the 7 young officers of the garrison Bayner was led away to his own quarters Bux ton dazed and frightened now ordered the guards back to their post and stood pondering over the enormity of his blunder blun-der No one spoke to him or paid tho faintest attention other than to elbowS elbow-S him out of the way occasionally The doctor never so much as noticed linn Blake had briefly recounted the catastrophe catas-trophe to those who first 1 arrived and as I the story went from mouth to mouth it grew no better for Buxton Once he turned short on Mr Foster and in aggrieved I ag-grieved and sullen tone remarked I I I thought you fellows in the Riflers > said he had no relations We werent apt to be invited to meet I I them if He had but I dont know that anybody was in nosition to know any thing about it Whats that got to do with this affair Id like to hear At last somebody took him home Mrs Waldrou meantime had arrived and been admitted to Mrs Hurleys room The doctor refused to go to Capt r Rayners even when a messenger came I r from Mrs Rayner herself Ho referred her to his assistant Dr Grimes Hayne had regained consciousness but wag sorely shaken He had been floored by a blow from the butt of a musket but the report that he was shot proved happily hap-pily untrue His right hand still lay near the hilt of his light sword there was little question that ho had raised his weapon against a superior officer and would have used it with telling effect Few people slept that night along officers offi-cers row Never had Warrener heard of such excitement Buxton knew not what to do He paced the floor in agony I of mind for he well understood that there was no shirking the responsibility responsi-bility From beginning to end ho was the cause of the whole catastrophe He had gone so far as to order his corporal fo fire and he knew it could be proved against him Thank God the perplexed corporal had shot high and the other men barring tho one who had saved Rayner from a furious lunge of the lieutenants lieu-tenants sword had used their weapons as gingerly and reluctantly as possible At the very least he knew an investigation investiga-tion and fearful scandal must come of it Night though it was he sent for the acting act-ing adjutant and several of his brother captains and setting refreshments before be-fore them besought their advice He was still commanding officer de jure but he had lost all stomach for its functions Ho would have been glad to send for Blake and beg his pardon for submitting t his insubordinate and abusive Ian guage if that course could have stopped inquiry but he well knew that the whole I thing would be noised abroad in less than no time At first he thought to give orders I against the telegraph operators sending any messages concerning the matter but i that would have been only a temporary hinderance ho could not control the instruments in-struments and operators in town only three hailed away He almost wished lie hadbeen knocked down shot or stabbed in the melee but he had kept in the reai when tho skirmish began and Rye and the corporal were the sufferers They had been knocked endwise by Mr Hurleys practiced fists after Hayne was struck down by the corporals musket mus-ket I was the universal sentiment amon the officers of the th among ofcers as they scattered to their homes that Buxton had wound himself up this time anyhow and no one had any sympathy for him not ono The very best light in which he could tell the story only showed the affair af-fair as a flagrant and inexcusable out rage rgeCpt Eayner too was in fearful plight He had simply obeyed orders but all the old story of his persecution of Hayne would now be revived all men would see in his participation in the affair af-fair only additional reason to adjudge I him cruelly persistent in his hatred of i I the young officer and in view of the I utter ruthlessness and wrong of this assault as-sault would be more than ever confident of the falsity of his position in the orig inal case A he was slowly led upstairs up-stairs t his room and his tearful wife I and silent sisterinlaw bathed and I cleansed his wound he saw with frightful fright-ful clearness how the crush of circumstances circum-stances was now upon him and his good name Great heaven how those words of Haynes five years before rang throbbed throb-bed burned beat like trip hammers through his whirling brain It seemed as though they followed him and his fortunes like a curse He sat silent stunned awe stricken at the force of the calamity that had befallen him How could he over induce an officer and a gentleman to believe that he was no instigator in this matter that it was all Buxtons doing Buxtons low imagination i imagi-nation that had conceived the possibility of such a crime on the par of Mr Hayne and Buxtons blundering bull headed abuse of authority that had capped the fatal climax It was some time before his wife could get him to speak at all She was hysterically bemoaning the fate that had brought them into contact with such people and from time to time giving vent to the comforting assertion that never had there been a cloud on their domestic or regimental sky until that wretch had been assigned to the RUlers Sne Jew irom tIe flurried and guarded explanations of Dr Grimes and one or two young officers who helped Eayner home that the fracas had occurred oc-curred at Mr Haynes that there had been a mistake for which her husband was not responsible but that Capt Buxton was entirely to blame But her husbands ashen face told her a story of something fardeeper she knew that now he was involved in fearful trouble and whatever what-ever may have been her innermost thought it was the first and irresistible impulse to throw all the blame upon her scapegoat Miss Travers almost as pale and quite as silent as tho captain was busying herself her-self in helping her sister but she could with difficulty retrain her longing to bid her b silent Slie too had endeavored t learn from her escort on their hurried homeward rush across the parade what the nature of the disturbance had been She to had suggested Clancy but the officer by her side set his teeth as he replied that he wished it had been Clancy She had heard too tho message brought by a cavalry trumpeter from Mr Blake He wanted Capt Ray t come t Mr Haynes assoon as ho had l S seen Mrs Ray safely home and would I he please ask Mrs Stannard to come with him at the same time Why should Mr Blake want Mrs Stannard at Mr Haynes She saw Mr Foster run up I and speak a few words to Mrs Waldron and heard that lady reply Certainly I j I will go with you now What could it I j I mean At last as she was returning to j her sisters room after a moments ab1 i i sence she heard a question at which I I I her heart stood still It was Mrs Ray ner who asked But the creature was there was she notThe answer sounded more like a moan of anguish S The creature was his sister I was her husband who But as Capt Rayner buried his battered bat-tered face in his hands at this juncture the rest of the sentence was inaudible Miss Travers had heard quite enough however She stood thero one moment I appalled dropped upon the floor the bandage she had been making turned and sought her room aud was seen no more that night Over the day or two that followed this affair the veil of silence may best bo drawn in order to give time for the sediment I sedi-ment of truth to settle through the whirlpool of stories in violent circulation The colonel came back on the first train after the adjournment of the court and could hardly wait for that formality I Contrary to his custom of sleeping on a question he was in his office within hal an hour after his return to tho post and from that time until near tattoo was busily occupied taking tho statements of the active participants in the affair This was three days after its occurrence and Capt Eayner though up and able to be about had not left his quarters Mrs I Bayner had abandoned her trip to the east for the present at least Mr Hayne still lay weak and prostrate in his darkened room attended hourly by Dr Pease who feared brain fever and nursed assiduously by Mrs Hurley for whom Mrs Waldron Mrs Stannard I and many other ladies in tho garrison could not do enough to content themselves I them-selves Mr Hurleys wrist was badly sprained and in a sling but the colonel went purposely to call upon him and to shake his other hand and he begged to be permitted to see Mrs Hurley who came in pale and soft eyed and with a gentle demeanor that touched the colonel more than he could Lei Her check flushed for a moment as he bent low over her hand and told her how bitterly he regretted that his absence from tho post had resulted in so grievous an experience ex-perience it was not the welcome he aud his regiment would have given her had j they known of her intended visit To > Mr Hurley he briefly said that he need I not fear but that full justice would be i meted out to the instigator instigators I of the assault but as a something to make partial amends for their suffering I he said that n thing now could check the turn of the tide in their brothers j I 1 favor All the cavalry officers except j Buxton all the infantry officers except I j Eayner had already been to call upon him since thenight of the occurrence and had striven to show how distressed they were over the outrageous blunders o f I their temporary commander I i Buxton had written a note expressive I of a desire to see him and explain but was informed that explanations from S him simply aggravated the injury and Eayner crushed and humiliated was I fairly in hiding in his room too sick at heart to want to see anybody and wait I anybdy anr wait ing for the action of the authorities in the confident expectation that nothing I less than court martial and disgrace would be his share of the outcome He would gladly have resigned and gone at I once but that would have been resigning under virtual charges he had to stay and his wife had to stay with him and Nellie with her By this time Nellie Travers did not want to go She had but I j one thought nowto make amends to Mr Haync for the wrong her thoughts I had done him It was time for Mr Van i Antwerp to come to the wide west and I look after his interests but Mrs Rayner i had ceased to urge while he continued to implore her to bring Nellie east at once Almost any man us rich and independent I in-dependent as Steven Van Antwerp would have gone to the scene and settled matters I mat-ters for himself Singularly enough this one solution of the probjem seemed never to occur to him as feasible Meantime the colonel had patiently unraveled un-raveled the threads and had brought to light the whole truth and nothing but the truth I made a singularly simple I story after all but that was s much the worse for Buxton Tho only near relation rela-tion Mr Hayne had in the world was this one younger sister who six years before had married a manly energetic fellow a civil engineer in the employ of an eastern railway During Haynes mountain station exile Harley had brought his wife to Denver where far I better prospects awaited him He won promotion in his profession and was now one of the principd engineers employed em-ployed by a road running new lines thfough the Colorado Eockies ugh Journeying Journey-ing to Salt Lake he came around by way of Warrener so that his wife and he might have a look at the brother she had not seen in years Their train was due there early in the afternoon but was blocked by drifts and did not reach the station until late at night There they found a note from him begging them t take a carriage they would find waiting for them and come right out and spend the night at his quarters he would send them back in abundant time to catch the westward train in the morning He could not come in because that involved then the-n of asking his captains permission permis-sion and they knew his relations with that captain S It was her shadow Buxton had seen on the window screen and as none of Bux I I tons acquaintances had ever mentioned that Hayne had any relations and as Hayne in fact had had no one for years to talk to about his personal affairs nobody but himself and the telegraph operator at the post really knew of their sudden visit Buxton being an unmitigated cad had put the worst interpretation on his discovery and in his eagerness clinch the evidence of conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman upon Mr Hayne had taken no wise head into his confidence dence Neyer dreaming that the shadow could be that of a blood relation never oo doubting that a fair fri companion from the frontier town was the explanation explana-tion of Mr Haynos preference for that out of the way house and late hours he stated his discovery to Eayner as a positive posi-tive fact going so far as to say that his sentries had recognized her as she drove away in the carriage I he had not been an ass as well as a cad he would have interviewed the driver of the carriage but he had jumped at his theory and his sudden elevation to the command of the post gave him opportunity to carry out his virtuous determination that no such goings on should disgrace his administration adminis-tration He gave instructions to certain soldier I clerks and daily duty men employed I in the quartermaster commissary and ordnance offices along Prairie avenue to keep their eyes open and let him know of any visitors coming out to Haynes by night and if a lady came in a carriage car-riage he was to be called at once Mr Hurley promised that on their return from Salt Lake they would come back by way of Warrener and spend two days with Hayne since only an hour or two had they enjoyed of his company on their way west and the very day that the officers went off to the court came I the telegram saying the Hurleys would arrive that evening Hayne had already talked over their prospective visit with I Maj Waldron and the latter had told I his wife but all intercourse a friendly character was at an end between them and the Eayners and Buxtons there were no more gossipy chats among the ladies Indeed itso happened that only I to one or two people had Mrs Waldron had time to mention that Mr Haynes sister was coming andtneither the Ray I I ners nor Buxtons had heard of it neither had Nellie Travers for it was after the evening of her last visit that Mrs Wal dron was told Hayne ran with his telegram to the major and the latter had introduced himself and Maj Stannard to Mrs Harley when after a weary wait of some hours the train arrived Blake too was there on the lookout for some t friends and ho was presented to Mrs i Hurley while her husband was attending I attend-ing to some matters about the baggage I The train went on eastward carrying the field officers with it Blake had togo I to-go with his friends back to the postS 1 post-S and Mr and Mrs Hurley after the former j for-mer had attended to some business and seen some railway associates of his at the hotel took the carriage they had had before and drove out jto the garrison whdre Private Sehvieinkopf saw the lady rapturously welcomed by Lieut Hayne and escorted into the house while Mr Harley remained settling with the driver out in the darkness I was not long before the commanding officer pro tern was called from the hop room where the dance was going on delightfully delight-fully and notified that tho mysterious visitor had again appeared with cvi dent intention of spending the night as the carriage had returned to town Why certainly reasoned Buxton I Its the very night ho would choose since everybody will be at the hop no one will be apt to interfere and everybody every-body will be unusually drowsy and less inclined to take notice in the morning Hero was ample opportunity for a brill iant stroke of work Ho would first satisfy himself she was there then surround sur-round the house with sentries so that she could not escape while he with the officer cer of the day and the corporal of the guard entered the house and confronted him and her That would wind up Mr Hayes career beyond question nothing short of dismissal would result Overlie Over-lie went full of his project listened at Haynes like the eavesdropping sneak i he was saw again the shadow of the graceful form and heard the silvery happy laugh and then it was he sent for Rayner It was near midnight when he led his forces to the attack A light wa now burning in the second story which he thought must be Sams but tho lights had been turned low in the parlor and the occupants had disappeared disappear-ed from sight and hearing By inquiry that bed he had ascertained Haynes room was just back of the parlor A man was stationed at the back door others at the sides with orders to arrest any one who attempted to escape then softly stepped to the front door tell ing Rayner to follow him and the corporal cor-poral of the guard to follow both To his surprise the door was unlocked and a light was burning in the hall Never knocking ho stepped in marched through tho hall into the parlor which I was empty and signaling Come on tobin to-bin followers crossed tim parlor and seized the knob of the bedroom door I was locked Eayner looking white and worried stood just behind him and the corporal but astep farther back Before Buxton could knock and demand admission admis-sion which was hisintention quick footsteps foot-steps came flying down the stairs from the second Btor and the trio wheeled about in surprise to find Mr Hayne I dressed in his fatigue uniform standing I at the threshold and staring at them with mingled astonishment incredulity arid indignation A sudden light seemed to dawn upon him as he glanced from one to the other With a leap like a cat i I he threw himself upon Buxton hurled him back and stood at the closed door confronting them with blazing eyes and clinching fists S Open that door sir cried Buxton You have a woman hidden there Open or stand aside You hounds Ill kill the first man who dares enter was the furious answer an-swer and Hayne had snatched from tho wall his long infantry sword and flashed the blade in the lamplight Eayner made a step forward half irresolute Hayne leaped at him like a tiger Fire Quick shouted Buxton in wild excite meat Bang went the carbine and the bullet crashed through the plaster overhead over-head and seeing the gleaming steel at his superiors throat the corporal had sent the heavy butt crashing upon the lieutenants skull only just in time there would have been murder in another il r second sec-ond The next instant he was standing on his own head i the corner seeing a multitude of twinkling whirling stars from the midst of which fom Capt Eayner was reeling backward over a chair and a number of soldiers were rushing upon a powerful Dicture of furiousmanhood r 1 S stranger in shirt sleeves who had leaped from the bedroomS bedroom-S Told as it wasas it had to be allover all-over the department there seemed to be but one thing to say and that referred to Buxton Well isnthe a phenomenal phenome-nal ass S CHAPTEBXVI Lj S S ti She seized a S wrap and stepped to the doorway door-way Mr Hayne was up and around again The springtime was coming and the prairie roads were good and dry and the doctor had told him he must live in the open air awhile and ride and walk and drive He stood in no want of mounts for three or four of his cavalry cav-alry friends were ready to lend him a saddle horse any day Mr and Mrs Hurley after making many pleasant acquaintances ac-quaintances had gone on to Denver and Capt Buxton was congratulating himself that he at least had not run foul of the engineers powerful fists Buxton was not in arrest for the case had proved a singular poser I occurred oc-curred during tho temporary absence of the colonel ho could not well place the captain under arrest for things he had done when acting as post commander comman-der In obedience to his orders from department headquarters he made his report of the affair and indicated that Capt Buxtons conduct had been inexcusable inex-cusable Rayner had done nothing but as was proved reluctantly obey the captains cap-tains orders so he could not be tried tred Hayne who had committed one of the most serious crimes in the military cata logue tbpt of drawing and raising a weapon against an officer who was in discharge of his duty Rayner had the sympathy tho whole command and nobody would prefer charges against him The general decided to have the report go up to division headquarters and thence it went with ics varied comments com-ments and indorsements to Washington and now a court of inquiry was talked of Meantime poor bewildered Buxton was let severely alone What made him utterly miserable was the fact that in his own regiment the th nobody spoke of it except as something that everybody knew wassure to happen tho moment he got in command I it had nt been that twould have been something else The only certainty was that Bux ton would never lose a chance of making an ass of himself Instead of being furious with him the whole regiment officers and men simply sim-ply ridiculed and laughed at him He had talked of preferring charges against Blake for insubordination and asked the adjutant what he thought of it I was the first time he had spokento the adjutant adju-tant for weeks and the adjutant rushed out of the office to tell the crowd to come in and hear Buxtons latest It began to look as though nothing serious would ever come of the affair until Eayner reappeared re-appeared and people saw how very ill he was Dr Pease had been consulted and it was settled that ho as well as his wife must go away for several months and have complete rest and change It was decided that they would leave by the 1st of May All this Mr Hayne heard through his kind friend Mrs Waldron Ono day when he first began to sit up and before he had been out at all she came and sat with him in his sunshiny parlor There had been a silence for a moment as she looked around upon the few pictures and uponthafc bareness and coldness which do what he will no man can eradicate from his abiding place until I un-til woman he calls l the deftand S dainty hand of I shall bo so glad when you have a wife Mr Hayne was her quiet comment com-ment mentSo So shall I Mrs Waldron was the response And isnt it high time wo were beginning begin-ning to hear of a choice Forgive my I intrusiveness but that was the very matter mat-ter of which the major and I were talking talk-ing as ho brought mo over II There is something to be done first Mrs Waldron he answered I cannot offer any woman a clouded name I is I not enough that people should begin to I i believe that I was innocent and my persecutors per-secutors utterly in error i not perjured I must be able to show who was the real culprit and that is not easy The doctor and I thought we saw a way not long ago but it proved delusive And he sighed deeply I had expected to seethe I see-the major about it the very day he got I back from the court but we have had no chance to talk I Mr Hayne she said impulsively a womans intuition is not always at fault Tell me if you believe that anyone any-one on the post has any inkling of the truth I have a reason for asking I did think it possible Mrs Waldron I cannot be certain now and its too late anyway How too late Whats too late He paused a moment a deeper shadow than usual on his face then he lifted his head and looked fairly at her I should not have said that Mrs Waldron It can never be too late But what I mean is that just now I spoke of offering no woman a clouded name Even if it were unclouded I could not offer it where would Because you have heard of the engagement en-gagement a the quick eager question ques-tion There was no instant doubt in the woman as t where the offering would be made i i oalv cou I knew of the engagement only a day ago he answered with stern effort at self control Blake was speaking of her and it came out all of a sudden He turned his head away again It was more than Mrs Waldron could stand She leaned impetuously towards him and put her hand on his Mr Hayne that is no engagement I of heart to heart It is entirely thing of Mrs Rayners doing and I know it She is poor dependent and has been simply sold into bondage And you thinkshe cares nothing for the position the wealth and social advantages ad-vantages this would give her Ah Mrs Waldron consider I have considered M Hayne if I were a man like you that child should never go back to him And they are going go-ing next week You must get well It was remarked that Mr Hayne was out surprisingly quick for a fellow who had been so recently threatened with brain fever The Eayners were t go east at once so it was said though the captains leave of absence had not yet been ordered The colonel could grant him seven days at any time and he had telegraphic notification that there would be no objection when the formal application reached the war department Bayner called at tho colonels office and asked that ho might be permitted to start with his wife and sister His sec ond lieutenant would move in and occupy oc-cupy his quarters and take care of ah his personal effects during their absence ab-sence and Lieut Hayne was a most thorough officer and he felt that in turning over his company to him ho left it in excellent hands The colonel saw the misery in the captains face and he was touched by both looks and I words Yqu must not take this last affair too much to heart Capt Rayner We in the th have known Capt Buxton so many years that with us there is no question as to where all the blame lies It seems too to be clearly understood by Mr Hayne As for your previous ideas of that officer I consider it too delicate a matter to speak of You must see however how entirely beyond reproach his general character appears to have been But heres another matter Clan cys discharge has arrived Does the old fellow know you had requested it No sir answered Eayner with hesitation hesi-tation and embarrassment We wanted to keep him straight as I told you we would and he would probably get on a big tear if he knew his service days were numbered I didnt look for its being granted for fortyeight hours yet I I Well he will know it before night and no doubt he will be badly cut up Clancy was a fine soldier before he mar ried that harridan of a woman She has made him a goofl wife since they came into the Rulers colonel and has taken mighty good care of the old fellow It is more than she did i the th sir She was a handsome showy woman wom-an when I first saw herbefore my promotion pro-motion to the regiment and Clancy was one of the finest soldiers in the brigade bri-gade the last year of the war She ran through all his money though and in the th we looked upon her as the real cause of his break down especially after her affair with that sergeant who deserted de-serted Youvo heard of him probably He disappeared after the Battle Butte campaign and we hoped hed run off with Mrs Clancy but ho hadnt She was there when we got back big as ever and growing ugly Do you mean that Ir Clancy had a lover when she was in the thT Certainly Capt Rayner We supposed sup-posed it was commonly known He i was a fine looking black eyed dark haired dashing fellow of good education educa-tion a great swell among the men the short time he was with us and Mrs Clancy made a dead set at him from the start Ho never seemed to care for her very much This is something I never heard of said Eayner with grave face and it will be a good deal of a shock to my wife for sho had arranged to take her east with Clancy and Kate and they were to invest their money in some little business at their old home Yes it was mainly on the womans account we wouldnt reenlist Clancy in the th We could stand him but she was too much for usand for the other sergeant too He avoided her before we started on the campaign I fancy Odd I cant think of his name Billings what was the name of that howling swell of a sergeant who was in Hulls troop at Battle Butte time Hull > was killed I mean the man that Mrs Clancy was said to have eloped with Sergt Gower sir said the adjutant without Isoking up from his work He did loos up however when a moment after the eaptain hurriedly left the office and hp saw that Eayners face was deathly death-ly white it was ghastly What took Rayner off so suddenly said the colonel wheeling around in his chair hI dont know sir unless there was something to startle him in the name Why should there be There are those who think that Gower got away with more than his horse andS and-S arms colonel hewasnotat Battle Butte though and that is what made it a mys teryWhere l Where was he then Back with the wagon train sir and f ho never got in sight of the Buttes or I Eayners battalion You know Eayner had four companies there I I I dont see how Gower could have i taken the money if thats what you mean if he never came up to the Buttes Rayner sworo it was there in Hulls original package Then too how could Gowers namo affect him i he had never seen him Possibly he has heard something Clancy has been talk g I have looked into that said the colonel Clancy denies knowing any I thingsays he was drunk and didnt know what he was talking about All the same it was queer thought the i adjutant and he greatly wanted to seethe see-the doctor and talk with him but by tho time his office work was done the doctor had gone to town and when he came back he was sent for to the laundress quarters where MrsClancy was in hysterics hys-terics and Michael had again been very S o I Soon after the captains return to hit quarters it seems a messenger was sent from Mrs Bayner requpsting Mrs Clanc t come and see her at once Sho was ushered up stairs to madames own apartment much to Miss Tr ver surprise I prise and that young lady was urthei astonished when Mrs Clancy reappeared reap-peared nearly an hour later to see that she had been weeping violently Tha house was in some disorder most of tht trunks being packed and in readiness fos the start and Miss Travers was entertaining taining two or three young officers and waiting for her sister to come dow t luncheon The boys were lachrymose over her prospective departure least they affected af-fected t band were variously sprawled about the parlor when Mrs Clancy descended and the inflamed condition con-dition of her eyes and nose became apparent ap-parent to all There was much chaff and fun therefore when Mrs Rayner finally appeared over the supposed affliction ol the big Irish woman at the prospect oi parting with her patroness Miss Tray ers saw with singular sensations that both the captain and her usually self reliant re-liant sister were annoyed and embarrassed rassed by the topic and strove to change it but Fosters propensity for mimicry and his ability to imitate Mrs Clancy combined brogue and sniffle proved too much for their efforts Kate was in a royally bad temper by the time the youngsters left the house and when Nellie would have made some laughing allusion to the fun the young fellows had been having over her morning caller she was suddenly and tartly checked witht Weve had too much of that already Just understand now that you have no time to waste if pour packing is unfin yur unn ished We start tomorrow afternoon I Why Kate I had no idea we were to go for two days yet Of course I can be ready but why did you not tell ma before I did not know itat least it was not decided until this morning after the captain came back from the office Thera is nothing to prevent our going uowthal he has seen the colonel There was not before Kate for Mr Billings told me yesterday morning and I told you that the colonel had said you could start at once and you replied that the captain could not be ready for several sev-eral daysthree at least j Well now he is and that ends it Never mind what changed his mind It was unsafe to trifle with Nellie Travers as Mrs Rayner might have known She saw that something had occurred I oc-curred to make the captain eager to start at once and then there was that immediate imme-diate sending for Mrs Clancy the long secret talk up in Kates room the evident evi-dent mental disturbance of both fem inines on their respective reappearances and the sudden announcement t her While there could be no time to maka formal parting calls there were still some two or three ladies in the garrison whom she lon ed to before longed see ofore saying I adieu and then there was Mr Hayne whom she had wronged quite as bitterly a any ono else had wronged him He was out that day for the first time and she longed to see him and longed to fulfill ful-fill the neglected promise That she must do at the very least I she could not see him she must write that ha might have tho note before they went away l these thoughts were rushing through her brain a she busied herseli about her little room stowing away dresses and dropping everything from time to time to dart into her sister room in answer to some querulous calL Yet never did she leave without l quicll glance from her window up and down the row For whom was she looking SIt S-It was just about dusk when she heard crying downstairs child and appa rently in the kitchen Mrs Rye was with the baby and Miss Travers started for the stairs calling that she would go and see what it meant She was down in the hal before Mrs Rayners imperative tive and repeated calls brought her to a full stop What is it she inquired You come back here and hold baby I know perfectly what it is It is Kate Clancy and she wants me You can da nothing Too r madame The intervening doors wero opened and in marched cook leading the poor little Irish girl who Wa sobbing piteously Mrs Bayner came down the stairs with all speed bringing her burly son and heir in her arms She would have ordered Nell aloft but what excuse could she give And Miss Tray ers was already bendinc over the child and striving to still her heartbreaking criesWhat What is it Wheres your fate demanded Mrs Eayner Oh maam I dont know I cams here to tell the captain Shure hes discharge dis-charge maam an his hearts broke entirely an mother says were all to go with the captain tomorrow and he swears hell kill himself before hell go an I cant find nit maam Its almost n ao dark now Go back and tell your mother I want her instantly Well find your father Go she repeated as the child shrank and hesitated Here tho front way I5 And little Kate sped away into the shadows shad-ows across the dim level of the parade Then the sisters faced each other There was a fire in the youngers eye that Mrs Eayner would have escaped i she could Kate it i t get Clancy away fro the possibility of revealing what he knows that you have planned this sudden sud-den move and I know it said Miss Travers You need not answer She seized a wrap from the hat rack and stepped to the doorway M Bay ner threw herself after her Nellie where are you going W will you do To Mrs WaldronSjKate if need b to Mr Haynes 0 This story was commenced In THE StWDAT HERALD February 2 Back numbers can bo obtained at this oClce1 S ITo BE CONTINUED NEXT STJKDAT |
