Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-11-09

to Du nraven and the rest of us haven't.
Possibly some Of the Eleventh were
piauei because they had no such luck,
or pei haps their ladies did not like it be-
cause Quin wouldn't tell them anything
about what he saw. At all events, he
refused to talk on the subject at all, and
allowed people to draw their own con-
clusio u.s."
He probably told his post COM
mander," suggested Lieut.. Farnham,
who. rs acting adjutant of the post and
an aspirant for the ad1utancy of the
regiment, thought it good opportunity
of putting in a word as indicative of
what ne considered the bounden duty of
an officer under like circumstances.
well, no, / fancy not" replied Bel
KNAPP. About the only thing we really
do know is that, in a somewhat angry
interview last fall, Col. Stratton forbade
DIR. O. ms leaving the post or going to
Dunra ven without his express permis-
sion. | happened to be in the office at
the time"
"Wss it before or after that he was
said to go there so often?" asked Farm
ham.
"Wen, both" answered Belknap, re-
luctantly. But understand me, Mr..
Farnhsm, I know nothing whatever of
the matter"
IL 81 ould not suppose that Col. STRAIT
ton wo aid care to restrict his post sur
geon from going thither if they needed
his pro essional services" said Col. Brai-
nsrd, pleasantly.
"That was the point at issue, appar-
emily" answered Belknap. "Col. STRAIT
ton sale that it was not on professional
grounds that he went, and thereby seemed
to widen the breach between them. DIR.
Quin would not speak TO the colonel after
that, except when duty required it,"
The conversation changed here. and
little more was said; but Col Brainard
could not help thinking of matter that
he carefully kept to himself. 1t was not
his custom to require his officers to ask
permission to leave the garrison for ride
or hunt when they were to be absent
from nc duty, and only by day. Here it
was midnight, as he thought it over, and
the doctor had not returned, neither had
he mentioned his desire to ride away,
although he had been with the colonel
well nigh an hour before parade. True,
he had sent the doctor word to go and
Join Lie IT. Perry at the gate of Dun
raven, and that would account for his
detention; but he knew that the surgeon
was several miles away from his post and
his patio nts at the moment that message
was sent.
Meantime, Perry, too, was having a
commur ion with himself, and finding it
all vexs ton of spirit. All the way
home thu memory of that sweet English
face was uppermost in his thoughts. He
had beer startled at the sight of young
and fair woman at Dunraven; he had
felt a sense of inexplicable rejoicing
when She said to him, Il am Miss Matt
land;' it would have Jared him to know
that she was wife; he was happy, kneel.
ing by Il e side of the beautiful girl he
had never seen before that evening, and
delighted that he could be of service to
her. AL this was retrospect worth in
dulging; but then arose the black shadow
on his vision. How came DR.. Quin
striding in there as though native and
10 the minner bornT-how came he to
call her Gladys" Perry had been
pondering over this matter for full half
an hour On the homeward ride before he
bethought him OF Mrs Lawrence's re-
marks about the signal lights One
thing led to another in his recollection of
her talk. The doctor answered the sig
mails, no one else; the doctor and no one
else was received at Dunraven; the doc
tor had declined to answer any questions
about the people at the ranch; had been
silent and mysterious, yet frequent in
his visits And then. more than all,
what was that Mrs. Lawrence said or in
timated that Mrs. Quin, such a lovely
woman, tDo," had taken her children and
left him eIrly that spring, and all on &C
count of somebody or something con
nected with Dunraven Ranch? Good
heavens! 1t could not be- "Gladvs."
And yet
Instead Of taking bath and going to
bed, Mr.. Perry poked his head into
Parkes bachelor chamber as he reached
the little cottage they shared in common.
No Gladys disturbed the juniors dreams,
apparently, for he was breathing regu-
larly, sleeping the sleep of the just; and
so, finding no one to talk TO and being in
no mood to go to bed at an hour so com
paratively early when he had so much TO
think about, Perry filled a pipe and
perched mself in big chair by the
window seat, intending to think it all
over again. He was beginning to hate
that doctor; he would have chafed at the
idea of any bachelors being before him
in an acquaintance with Gladys Maitland,
but a MARI ed man knowing her SO well
as to make his wife Jealous and himself
Indifferent to that fact-knowing her SO
well as TO orive ''such a lovely woman,
too, into taking her children and Quit
ting the ma rital roof-that was too much
OF N bad tn Lng, and Perry was sore dis
comtted. lie got up, impatient and rest
less, passed out to the little piazza in
front of his quarters, and began pacing
up and down, the glow from his corncob
pipe making fiery trail in the darkness.
he would lave been glad to go back to
the colonel and keep watch with him;
but there was one thing connected with
his visit to Ounraven that he could not
bear to speak of, especially as those
words of NJ IS. Lawrence required again
and again II his memory. He had not
said one word-he did not want to tell
Of Gladys Maitland.
And SO i. happened that Perry, too,
was awake and astir when the footsteps
of the cavalry sergeant were heard on
their way 10 Capt Stryker's quarters.
Listening, be noted that the soldier had
halted at tbs colonels, held a brief con-
versation With that officer, and then
turned tack across the parade. Instant
ly divining that news had come Of Sergt.
Gwynne, Perry seized his forage cap and
hurried in pursuit. He overlook the
trooper just beyond the guard house and
went with hum eagerly to the sta bles. A
moment more, and he was bending over
a soldiers be dside in little room ad ioin-
ing the forage shed and by the light of a
dim stable lantern looking down into the
bruised and battered features of the non
commissioned officer, whom he had pro
nounced of all others at Rossiter the
most respected and highly thoupht of nv