Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-02-03


Had he come too late to win
that sweet, youthful, guileless heart,
or had he come only just in time 70 see it
given to another: Had he, il the light
of what he had seen and heard, any right
to speak of matters that had gra vely
distressed him2 Was it his bOunden duty
to disclose certain suspicious, display
certain proofs? Or was it more than all
his, the man e part, to stay and help
to sweep aside the web that was
unquestionably weaving about that
braYe-faced, elear-eyed, soldier
ly young subaltern: Despite Bay
ard 5 detractions; despite Mrs. Miller'S
whispered confession that there was a
thief in their midst, despite the fact that
his'walIet was stolen from the OvercOat
pocket when no one, to his knowledge,
but Mclean himself had been there;
despite the discovery on the floor-in
front of his bureau-0f a hand
kerchief embroidered with Nc
Lean 5 initials; despite the fact
that it was known that he had been
placed heavily in debt by the stoppage of
his pay, Mr. Roswell Holmes could not
find it in his heart 10 believe that the
young soldier could be guilty of theft.
He would not believe it of him even rs a
rival
Then there was another thing. Who
was the silken-skirted woman he met in
the darkness but an hour or so before
the woman whom he had attempted to
accost but who slipped past him like q
will-O' -the-wisp-iu silence? How was
it that the door to Hatton s hall was
it was always open? Why was il that
the light in that lower hall was extin-
guished, and by whom was it done? Had
he not gone thither almost Immediately
after recovering from the surprise of his
encounter on the veranda and found the
hospital attendant grumblingly relight-
ing it? The man had heard some queer,
swishing sound, he explained as he sat
by Mr.. Blunt's bedside, and 60 some
thing that sounded like drawers be-
ing opened in the room below He
stepped out in the hail. he said, just i'll
time to hear the lock of the front door
hastily turned and somebody go steathily
ana quickly out on the veranda-'' swish
ing all the way. The ladies had been
over along the upper gallery two or three
times to bring cool drinks to Mr.. Blunt s
door and inquire how he was getting on
Mrs. Post and the young lady, Miss For
rest, he meant, but they wouldn I want
anything in Mr. Mclean s rooms down
stairs The man looked curiously up at
Mr.. Holmes.as he told his tale. Holmes
was puzzled, too, but babe him keep
quiet. Some one of the servants, per-
haps, who wanted q match, he suggested,
but the little soldier shook his head. Ser
wants didn It wear dresses that swished'
like that.
The crowd was beginning to thin con-
siderably, as Holmes could tell by the
sound of receding voices. He decided
that it was about time for him to move
and get his own mail when he became
aware of something dark and shapeless
crouching along close under the pOstoffice
end Of the building and slowly and
cautiously approaching the window from
which the light was streaming At first
he thought it some big dog scratching his
side along the cleats of the wooden wall,
but as he stood silently observing the dim
shadow it was evident that no quadruped
was thus warily creeping towards him.
Holmes stood leaning against a storehouse
platform IN the deepest shade of an over
hanging roof; the figure was perhaps
twelve or thirteen yards away, and as it
neared the window the vague outlines of
the mysterious creature became more
the beams of light that had shot across
the dark Enclosure the figure paused;
slowly raised itself, a hand went up to
the head and whipped off Il cap just as
the crown was tinged by the CLEAN from
within. Holmes distinctly saw the re-
Election OF the light on the brightly pol
ished brass of the device, but could not
make out whether the device itself was
the crossed rifles of the infantry or sabers
of the cavalry. Then the hand was laid
upon the sill: the body slowly unbent and
the head was raised until two beady ewes,
under low forehead and crop of thick
dark her, could peer in between the
Stats. One lingering scrutiny of every
person and object visible in the room,
then down he crouched and, almost OIL
all tours, slipped away to the corner of
the building, Holmes now briskly strid-
ing in pursuit. Half way back across
the court, just as ne entered the beam of
light. the latter S foot came down upon
the edge of one of those tough and elias
tic hoops, such as are sure to be living
about in the yards Of commissary and
quartermaster storehOuses, and in the
twinkling of an eye it whirled up and
struck him with a sharp and audible snap.
In an instant the crouching figure shot 10
It's 1ul nelgbJ ana darteu out OF sight
around the corner. When Holmes
reached the front of the building not a
man in uniform was visible Cowboys
and a scout or two remained. The stage
driver was again the center of attraction,
and all were grouped about him on the
low piazza. Holmes called one of the
ranchmen to one side and asked him if he
had seen or heard anything of q soldier
who came suddenly around the corner,
but the man shook his head Stepping
inside the office he met the major and
his host, DR.. Bayard, just issuing from
the little sanctum beyond, while a tail .
well-formed colored girl stood in front,
of the little wicket and a number
of loungers still hung about the
place. The officers stopped and said
they would wait until he got his letters,
and as he took his place near the window
Mrs. Griffin was just hading little packet
to the colored girl. The light fell on the
topmost letters, addressed in bold, Iegi-
Bile hand TO Miss Fannie Forrest, and
Holmes could plainly see the postmark
and device on the upper corner, showing
that it came from the Red Cloud agency,
and old Camp Robinson. 'fHallo''
thought he TO himself 81 had forgot
ten that we were as good as cut off from
them now, and they are sending around
by way of Sidney and CHEYENNE. -