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

had done admirably so long as there was
chance of square fighting and his suisse
quent moves, barring the one dash down
stream after fooling party while
the main body slipped across the ford
had been dictated by sound judgment.
He depIored the crippled and depleted
condition of his little command, how
ever. Here was Blunt, one of his best
cavalry officers, seriously wounded and
in high fever; here was Mclean, another
admirable young soldier, he knew not
how seriously wounded; and with old
Bruce laid up with rheumatism, he had
not company officer for duty at the
post The adjutant and quartermaster,
the doctor and his own energetic self
were the only ones he could count on for
the next twenty -four hours, as belonging
to the garrison proper. The infantry bat
TALON that had eamped down on the
flats so short a time before was already
beyond his jurisdiction, III march towards
Fettefman mp the Platte 1t was with
great relief therefore he read that six
troops of the TIL cavalry had reached
Cheyenne and were under orders to march
to Laramie as soon as supplied with am
munition and equipments for sharp field
service.
Presently he heard the suave tones of
DR.. Bayard accosting Mrs. Griffin with
anxious inquiries for his letters, and
courteous apologies for intuuding upon
her during q business hotlrs, but he
had been without letters or papers so
long ROW, had just heard of the arrival
of the stage, Mr.. Holmes was
visiting him and would she kindly
put any mail there might be for Mr..
Holmes in his box. Mrs. Griffin was
quite as susceptible to courteous and
highbred and flattering manners as any
of her sex, and TO her thinking, no man
in all the army compared with the post
surgeon III elegance of department. AT
his bidding she would have willingly left
the distribution OF the mails to almost
any hands, and came forth from behind
the glass partition TO indulge in q chat
with him. She would gladly have in
vited him TO step into the little parlor,
but the major was already there, porting
over his letters, and she could not neg
lect her official duties in the august
presence of the post commander. But
Mrs. Griffin was all smiles as she handed
out the doctor partially completed pack
ct and then i'll q low tone, informed him
that Mai Miller was in the little parlor
behind the office if he saw tit to wait
there, and DR.. Bayard, who could not
abide being jostled by his fellowmen or
even being seen among what he consider
ed the common herd, eagerly availed
himself of her offer. Miller looked up
and greeted him with pleasant nod and
Immediately read to him the news of the
coming of the cavalry battalion from
Cheyenne; then babe him pull up chair
and read his letters by the bright cas-
trail burning on the center table. Out
side in the hall and corridor in front of
the dusty glass partition the crowd
had rapidly increased Not one in
dozen in the gathering had the faintest
expectation of getting letter, but there
was no harm in asking and much mental
solace, apparently, in cultivating the
appearance of a man of the world or Il
woman OF society who was i'll the daily
habit of receiving and responding to
dozen. And so teamsters, laundresses,
scouts, "Indian- bound Black Killers
and one or two sauntering soldiers were
Swarming about the porch and hallway
and jamming in compact mass in front of
the little window whereat the postmis-
treSs behind her Yitreous barrier was still
at work 1t was good-natured, chaff-
ing, laughing crowd, but still
one very Independent and self-satisfed,
after the manner of the frontier where
every man in q mixed gathering is as
good as his neghbor and every woman as
good as she chooses to hold herself. 1t
had made a passage for the commanding
officer and afterwards for the post sur
geon, but that was before it had attained
its present proportions. Now when Mr.
Roswell Holmes paused at the outskirts
with Corporal look by his side, some of
the loungers looked around with their
hands in their pockets; some OF the
cowboys who had earned their
dollars on his ranch nodded
cheerily at sight of their employer,
but this was the United States postoffice,
these were SOVEREIGN citizens and every
man or woman of them, except the half
dozen enlisted men whose mail was always
taken TO barracks, had just as much
right there as the capitalist from Chicago
and knew it. So did Mr.. Holmes. He
returned the greetings as cheerily as they
were given; made no attempt to push
through, and probably would have re-
manned contentedly until the crowd dis
persed and let him in, had not the notes
of the infantry bugle sounding first call
for tattoo summoned Zook and the other
soldiers to make their way to barracks.
81 I'm q thousand times obliged to you,
Corporal Zook, for all you have told me,
and | assure You I'm as proud of the
lieutenant rs you are. Now l may not
be here when the troop gets back to-mor-
row. may have to go back to see if all
is well at the ranch; but after their ride
they II all be thirsty, and when IN very
thirsty there IS nothing l like better than
Il glass of cool lager. There is plenty of
it on ice at the traders and-you do the
entertaining for me, viii you?'' And
the corporal found his palm invaded by
fold of crisp greenbacks.
off is is for the troop, sir, can't say
no, - answered Zook with dancing eyes.
Pay day was some weeks off after all, and
he knew how ''the fellers'' would relish
the traders beer. NOW, if you would
like to sit down, why not go around to
the other side and away from this crowd?
There are empty benches at the stage
Office. L must run, sir; so good night
and many thanks. -
The Office window had just been thrown
open and the distribution was just begun.
1t would be some time before his turn
would come Holmes knew perfectly
well that only for the fun of the thing
some OF those teamsters and scouts would
form ''queue 5" and, with unimpeach-
oh 10 IL,