The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1886-11-27

4 Agnes Royston had captured all our hearts,
| Her sunny face, dainty figure and that
| positive yet delicate elegance which dis
| tinguished the New York girl to the man
ner born were revelation to some and
Renaissance to others. She came upon
us. bright stranger, to recall a world
| where Apaches, sand-storms, roughing it
| and frontier manners were unknown
| Croquet, riding parties under escort, music
and a round of ceremonial garrison teas
| caused our social Sahara to blossom like a
suddenly enriched oasis. She was general
| favorite, and even visited the mems
quarters, where her graceful presence was
| like q stray sunbeam.
| 1t was known in two weeks that she had
| conquered the irascible Black Bill who
had condescended to release 'Hard-headed
| Sidney our most rebelliouS recruit, from
ornamentally parading before a sentinel
with. = fifty-pound mesquit log on his
shoulders at her request. Sidney a raw
boned, rebellious American castaway,
looked, with grateful flash in his cool.
wicked eyes, at the pretty girl, who begged
a boon for stranger. Poor Dick era
hame He messed with me. l had always
! liked the lad since | drilled him, 1.-THE.
| bright-eyed cadet, at the Point, and saw
him take Rabbi over the pole fence at
Roe's Hotel in that particularly neat
style of his on his graduating ride. 1t
was evident Dick was hard hit and his
particular form of the mild lunacy called
| lofSf AhOJlHS4 SulOhlllb pipes
and very shyly dropping His blue eyes
under the wavy brown hair when the fair
divinity asked him the most tri1ng ques-
ton. Still, l thought l recognized an I'M
usually knotting of the bunch of red rib
| bon our troop affected and peculiarly
careful grooming of his big roam charger
'Strideaway.' These dangerous symptoms
were supplemented by the reckless wear
| ing of his best blouse and certain literary
researches in a well-thumbed volume Of
Lucille which, | am ashamed to own, was
gift of some soft-eyed but absent charmer
| of his cadet days. Yet, with all these
signs of imminent Inflammation of the
| heart, L was not a little surprised to be
| officially addressed by him as Miss Agnes
instead of the customary though less
| romantic appellation of Captain | was
| obliged to gallop the troop around the
parade to regain my official composure
| and to sternly reprove Sergeant Mike Null
rain for losing distance with his platoon
when that respectable Hibernian soldiers
real crime was roaring in amazement as
| he heard the words which paralyZed
several files of the best troop. fondly
| imagined, in the service.
And now you have my young friends in
the circle OF your acquaintance. Burning
days gave way to glorious moonlight
| nights when fun was rife, or dark evenings,
when doubled guard protected us from
the deViltry of the Indians who would
| sneak up almost to our sentinels' posts
| Ii there is any spot on earth where a
sweet stranger will receive the united
devotion of all hearts, it is at a
frontier post; or at least it was in
| these days. Time wore on and Dicks in
| fatuation proportionately increased, as the
| days of the stay of our One Fair Goddess
| grew less and painfully small to the many
| gallant suitorS whose readiness was char
acteristic of cavalry gallantry. The in
| fantry were by no means distanced by
| their mnnntnn hratbrap and tha rnGnnpta-
| Die staff kept up SLY attack. Never did
| the different arms of the service meet on
| detached duty with more praiseworthy
zeal There seems to be a fatality about
nice girls, and occasionally heiresses, mar
| rylng in the service. | often wondered if
lovely Agnes Royston would leave US and
pass away forever, a bright memory, and
| be vainly regretted over our flowing cups.
| Fate ordained otherwise-aud it fell about
| in this manner: But two weeks remained
of Miss Royston's visit, when the post was
startled by the desertion of 'Hard-headed
| Sidney whose genial company was not
| regretted as much as the loss of his arms
| and accoutTements. He left us one
night, accompanied by McCarty the Ma
| lingerer,' sly and astute MileSian shirk,
! who had shown through several infantry
| enlistmentS great capacity for swallow
ing liquor and being court-martialed.
McCarty's stories of the old ante bellum
days kept his mess squad in roar and
himself from the non-coms vengeance.
IL was therefore awkward enough
| for Dick Grahame that he was or
dered to take ten men with two weeks
ratlons and scout the mesa and canyon
toward Maricopa and arrest the delin-
quents. Peculiarly awkward, as the grand
ball for Miss Agnes Roystol was to dazzle
| US in week 1t was indeed hard; for had
not Dick sent to San Diego for the prettiest
pair OF gloves, with unnumerabe buttons
as payment OF a wager lost to our
young Queen Bright Eyes at croquet.
The vivacious Sub who would have
gladly welcomed his detail at any
other time, used words which would have
curled the hair of a regulation chaplain
with holy horror. Some other fellow would
have the first waltz; some other fellow get
the old regimental extra, The Blue Dan
ube,' while our forlorn lover would be
camping on the bleak, stony plains, and,
uselesSly perhaps, hunting two stray ras-
Gals. Visions of other fellows pressing that
pretty hand annoyed the youth, who sadly
| mourned the loss of an opportunity to pre-
sent his token and feel the loss of his wager
richly repaid in fastening Miss Royston's
gloves around those pretty blue-veined
wrists. Well, Dicks grumbling had an
end as his sergeant reported the detach-
ment.' Strideaway looked fit for racs
for life, and after galoping across and
reporting departure, Dick came over and
| said goodbye to me.
"All's for the best, dear boy" said as I
shook his hand and gave him my commits
sions for Maricopa
1T was gloomy face that met mine as
he rode away and sent his detachment
down the road. For the first time since
Dick joined he was not at the head of his
command, for he rode across the parade to
where Mrs. Merrifield and attendant ladies
were gathered upon the Majors porch.
Poor Dick The news of his sudden detail
was not general, and our charming visitor
was not at home. 1t was small solace to
our hero to know of her riding with Major
Hatch in that particularly neat trap which
was the envy of the opposing heroes who
sported no team. Across the parade the
gallant roam sped at the full run as the de-
spairing lover threw his hand up in last
salute to me, and watched him sadly fall
in at the head of his little band, and the
gorge swallowed them from my sight.
days passed by and / will pass over
the grand ball. 1t is yet chronicled
in Mcdowell how Black Bill opened
the ball with sweet Agnes Royston,
and looked like the stern old Baron
Rudiger' capturing a fairy; how the
married ladies nearly died with envy;
how our soon-departing friend had
to laughingly retreat before earnest plead
ings for just one more turn OF the grand
culinary triumphs OF the supper; of how
the mess of the First made Miss Agnes an
honorary member; how McSawbones SOL
EMMY danced a stately minust in the Vir-
ginia resl, which closed this memorable
ball. Memorable! Yes; for did we not all