Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1888-10-04
CHAPTER v.
A nTTEMMA

Then there was a lHll in the Storm, and
the armies retired to winter quarters. This
gave Harry a chance to make inquiries
about the Frobishams; but, though many
were acquainted with them, none could
give him the slightest clew to their where
abouts, so nothing remained to him but to
trust to the chapter of accidents which
had already afforded him two strange OPP
po%rtunities of meeting members of the fam
lily in which he was so deeply interested.
Thu months dragged YEARLY along; for
it is one thing to spend the winter in a gay
city, adored by the women, feted at ball
and party, and another to drone the DAYS
away IN a squalid village, with no compan-
ionship but such as the barrack-room af-
forded, meeting the same faces every day
and going through the same dull rounds of
duty. Some found refuge in cards and
drinking, gambling their pay away others
turned to study, but the few books they
possessed were ragged and %dogseared by
constant lending; and all looked eagerly
forward to the stirring times that the
spring would bring them, even though
death himself was their herald. Harry's
fathers letters, too, worried him, for the
old man was beset with a strong PRESENT.
ment of evil, to DO brought about by Al
phonse Lecroix, against whom he was per-
petually warning him. Then his constant
illusions to that girl We're not Off nature
to be agreeable to one who loved her so
passlonately that he would not believe ii pos
sible for her pure nature to do any wrong.
! like these impetuous young fellows who
put their lady-loves on pedestals and make
goddesses of them. Their generous
natures are rarely deceived, for l notice
that such implicit devotion is usually re-
warded by the browning blessing OF a good
woman's love.
Pondering over such little troubles, Harry
sat one day in the squalid chamber of a
cottage he had deemed himself fortunate to
secure as quarters, when the door opened
and Gordon Grey entered. There was a
sheepish, hang-dog look about the lads
face which caught Harry's eye at once-so
different from the bright abandon which
usually Illuminated the young fellows hand.
some features.
"See here, Winthrop" he blurted out,
without preface, as he flung himself on
Harry's bed, I'm ii a hole
There was such a climax of comical dis
tress in the expression, that Harry could
hardly repress a smile.
"Oh, you needn't grin. Pm regularly
freed. There's nothing left for me, as far
as l can see, but to just so and blow my
brains out, unless"
"Well, unlessri
"You can let me have two hundred dol
lars and ask no questions what / want il
for
Harry looked at his young lieutenant
curiously, but not unkindly.
"Two hundred dollars is a large sum- he
SAID, gravely, and | must know what you
want it for, or | shall not feel like lending
it to you. Besides, | haven't such an amount
by me, and should be driven to borrow il
| from
"Oh, no, you wouldn't Gordon inter-
rupted, eagerly, "Chatterton said he'd take
your note of hand, If ="
$50 you have fallen into the clutches OF
that unprinc.pled ~scoundrelan Harry burst
forth in righteous indignation. AFTER all
my warnings, too; oh, Gordon Grey, this is
too badn'
81 did not know
"You did, When you told me THAI you
had been seduced into that gambling den o.