Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-12-18

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rever leen intimate with any of them
but always friendly and kind. One thing
went the rounds like lightning.
you Il be getting your discharge now,
sergeant" said Mrs Reed, the voluble
wife of the leader Of the band, land
taking up your residence at the ranch, l
suppose OF course the British minister
can get 1t for you in a minute"
Not bit of it, Mrs. Reed" was the
laughing answer. 81 enlisted to serve
Uncle Sam FIVE years, and he's been too
good friend to me to turn from. l
shall serve out my time with the --th."
And the sergeant was true to his word.
II old Maitland could have prevailed, an
application for his sons discharge would
have gone to Washington; but this the
soldier positively forbade. He had eight
months still to serve, and he meant to
carry out his contract to the letter.
Stryker offered him a furlough, and
Gwynne thankfully took a week, that
he might be by his fathers side and help
nurse him to better health. by that
time, too, the garrison will have grown
little more accustomed TO it, sir, and
| win have less embarrassment in going
on with my work"
Two lays before his return TO duty
there came a modified sensation in the
shape Ct the report that trooper Of
Wayne'3 company had deserted. He
was n an who had borne bad reputa-
ton as a turbulent, mischief making
fellow, and when Sergt Leary heard of
his going he was in a state of wild ex-
citemenL He begged to be allowed to
see his captain, and to him he confessed
that one of his little party of three had
seen the ring drop from Mr. Maitland's
finger the night of the first visit to Dun
raven, lad managed to pick it up and
carry it away in the confusion, and had
shown It to his friend in Wayne's troop
when they got back. The latter per-
sladed him to let him take it, as the
lockers Of the men who were at Dun
raven were sure, he said, to be searched
1t was known that he had a grudge
against Gwynne; he was one of the men
who was to have gone to the ranch the
night they purposed riding down and
Challenging the Englishmen to come out
and fight, but had unaccountably failed
at the last moment. They believed that
he had chosen that night to hide the
ring IN the sergeant's chest: he could
easily lave entered through the win
dow. And this explanation-the only one
ever maie-became at once accepted as
the true one throughout the garrison.
During the week of his furlough the
sergeant found time to spend many hours
by the bedside of Lieut.. Perry. who was
rapidly recovering, AMI who by the end
of the week had been lifted into an easy
invalid chair and wheeled in to see Mr..
Maitland. When not with Mr.. Perry,
the young troopers tongue was ever
wagging in his praise. He knew many
a fine officer and gallant gentleman in
the service OF the old country, he said,
and he tmired many a captain and sub
altern in that of his adopted land, but
the first one to whom he ''warmed"-the
first one to win his affection-was the
young clvalryman who had met his pain
full wound in their defense. Old Matt
land listened TO it all eagerly-he had
already given orders that the finest thor
oughbrel at Dunraven should be Perry's
the mon ent he was able to mount again
and he was constantly revolving in mind
how he could show his appreciation of
the officers who had befriended his son.
Mrs. Cov-an, too, never tired OF hearing
Perry's praises, and eagerly questioned
when the narrator tagged There was
another absorbed auditor, who never
nj nd H.
cast eyes. 1t was she who seldom came
near Perry during his convalescence, she
who startled and astonished the Young
fellow beyond measure. the day the am
bulance came down to drive him back to
the fort 10y Withdrawing the hand he
had inn ulsively seized when at last she
appeared to bid him adieu. and cutting
short his eager words with Mrs Belknap
will console you. dare saw" and alb
ruptly leaving the room.
Poor Nedl In dire distress and per
plexity be was driven back to Rossiter.
and that very evening he did a most SEN
sible and fortunate thing; he told Mrs.
Sprague all about it; and, instead Of con-
doing w tn him and bidding him strive
to be patient and saying that all would
come right in time, the little woman's
kind eyes shone with delight, her cheeks
flushed with genuine pleasure; she fairly
sprang from her chair, and danced up
and down and clapped her hands and
laughed with glee, and then, when Perry
ruefully asked her if that was the sym-
pathy he had right to expect from her,
she only laughed the more, and at last
broke forth with;
"Oh, You great, stupid, silly boyi You
ought to be wild with happiness. Can't
you see shes jealous2"
And this very next day she had long
talk with DIR. Quin, whose visits to Dun
raven still continued; and one bright
afternoon when Gladys Maitland rode up
to the for to return calls, she managed
to have quite a chat with her, despite the
fact that Mrs. Belknap showed strong
desire TO accompany that fair English
girl in all three OF her visits. In this
effort, too, the diplomatic services of
Capt. Stry ker proved rather too much
for the b',auty OF the garrison. Was it
possible that Mrs. Sprague had enlisted
him also in the good cause? Certain it
Is that the dark featured captain was
Miss Mai lands escort as she left the
garrison, and that it was with the con-
seriousness of impending defeat that Mrs.
Belknap gave utterance to the opening
sentence CT this chapter; Mr.. Perry had
distinctly avoided her ever since his re-
turn.
One lovely evening late In Nav Mr.
Perry was taking his first ride on the
new horse, splendid bay and perfect
match for Gladys Maitland's favorite
mount. Already had this circumstance
excited smiling comment in the garrison:
but If the young man himself had noted
the close rese nblance it conveyed no
blissful augury. Everybody remarked
that he had lost much Of his old buoy
ancy and life, and it must be confessed
he was no. loo king either blithe or well.
Parke had suggested riding with him
an i-vita ion which Perry treated SO
coldly tina the junior stopped to think a
moment, and began to see through the
and SO Mr.. Perry was suffered
In SGT fort n alnuu haf