Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-11-20


She's all he has, don't you known"
II don't know anything about it.
You DunrIven people seem averse to
any expires sion of interest or courtesy
from your fellowmen, but I'm free to
say SHOULD like to know what on earth
there is In American cavalrymen to
make them such, objects of aversion to
your master; and I would be glad to
know how it Is such a girl as that is
dragged into such hole as yonder."
Even sat in silence a moment, study
ing the young fellows face.
you deserve better welcome there"
he presently answered, land l don't
know that can do better than TO tell
you the truih-what / know of it. And
let me tell you that II the old man knew
Of my speaking of it to any one. I'd lose
the most lucrative but least attractive
place ever had. Do you see?"
Then pc ,haps you had better not tell
me. do not care to pry into secrets"
'Oh. this is no secret. 1t was that that
drove him here; everybody knew it in
England You were mighty shabbily
treated at tie ranch, and you requited 1t
by preventing what would have been
bloody row, and by lending us helping
hand. Even the old man recognizes
that; and hink he'd be glad TO say so
to you, and see you, II you were not just
what you area cavalry officer"
"Why, what on earth can we have
done? II any of our cloth have wronged
Mr.. Maitland in any way, it is our right
to know it and take it up"
1T wasn't your cloth, old fellow"
said Even, having visibly, "but it was
the cavalry all the same that broke his
heart and lbs pride, and MADE his life
the wreck il is, and drove him from his
home, stunning the sight of his fellow
men, all these years-exiling her, too, in
the prime OF her young life. Mr.. Perry,
there are only three or four of us at
Dunraven who know the story, but we
have only sympathy and pity-no blame
for him, though he is the hardest
master 1 ever served"
How did it happen?" asked Perry.
"All through his son. There had been
more of them, but there was only the
one-Archie the Lancers were
ordered to South Africa. He was a
youngster, only II, they tell me, and he
had just been gazetted to his cornetcy.
The old maj was all wrapped up in him.
for of the three boys the eldest had died
only the month before the regiment was
ordered on foreign service and the sec
ond had been killed in India. Both
these two Who were gone had made
themselves famous among their COM
rades by their fearlessness and high
character, and the old man, of course,
could not as < Archie to quit the service
just when orders for dangerous duty
came. The boy went to the Cape with
his corps, and got into the thick of the
Zulu war just at the time Of the massa-
ere of the Tv7enty-fourth at Isandlwhana
and the fight at Rorke's Drift. was
at home lien, and all England was
quivering with grief over such needless
sacrifice as vas made of that regiment,
and all ready to fall down and worship
such fellows as Chard and Bromhead,
same time.
himself, as volunteer or something, with
Lord Chelmsford. but it couldn't be
done. His father had fought at Alma
and Inkerman. and his grandfather had
led the Guar Is at Waterloo. The whole
tribe were so diers, you know; and now
Archie was with the Lancers in Zululand,
and the Lancers were going TO wipe out
the disasters of the first fights of the
campaign. al d Archie was to uphold the
grand old fighting name and come home
covered with glory. He was the hcir
now, and Miss Gladys was but little
girl. / have heard it all from Mrs.
Cowan; she was their housekeeper in
those days, and a sort of companion, too
to Mrs. Maitland, who was very delicate
The old man was very fiery and proud
and full of fierce denuuciation OF every
thing that hal gone wrong in the cam.
paign; and he offended some people by
the way he condemned some officer who
was friend of theirs, and there were
others who bought he talked too much;
but he fairly boiled over when the news
came OF how the prince imperial had
been abandoned by his escort, and that q
British officer and dozen men had run
two miles at top speed from beggarly
little squad of niggers before they dared
look round to see what had become OF
their prince, whom they had left to fight
the gang alons That was old Maitland's
text for moth. If any son of his had
ever been of that party he would disown
disgrace, deny him, forbid him his sight
cut him of forever. And right in the
midst of it ala judgment, some people
said-there ca ne the awful news that
Cornet Maitland Of the Lancers was to be
court msrtialel for misbehsvior in face
of the enemy.
"Of course the old man only ragged a,
first; said it couldn't be true; twas al
some foul inv sntion or ridiculous blum
der; but he ran up to London and saw
somebody at the Horse Guards-tha att
our war Office, you know-and came
back looking century older and simpl,
| crushed to earth. Mrs. Cowan says the,
showed him tie official report of gen
eral officer who was called upon to ex
plain why he had not sent certain troop
to the relief OF an advanced and threat
ened post, and he replied that he ha(
sent the order oy Cornet Maitland, of tn,
Lancers; had given him an escort of /,
dozen men and strict injunctions to pusl
through by night, at all hazards. though
the way was bsset with Zulus, and tina
he neither went through nor returned
but was found hiding at a kraal two day
after. only twenty miles away. Tn,
escort returned, and after much cross
examination had told the story, separate
! ly and collectiy ely, that the young Office
had become utterly unnerved toward
midnight by tie reports from scouting
parties and others; had declared to then
that it was simply madness to attemp
to push through; they would be massa
cred to a man; and, though they an
nounced that they were stanch and ready
he refused, and ordered them to bivoua,
where they were for the night, and il
the morning he had disappeared. They
declared they supposed he had gone bscl
to camp, and after waiting day they
returned, reporting him lost.
when found at the kraal he was de
lirious with fever, or pretended to be
said the genera and he was brought il