Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1889-10-27

| door, stood there few moments, look
ing over the silent garrison and listening
to the retreating footsteps. The sentry
came pacing along the front Of the sta
bles, and brought his carbine down from
the shoulder as he diuly sighted the tai
figure; but, recognizing the stable ser.
geant as he came nearer, the ready chal
lenge died on his lips.
81 thought heard somebody moving
around down here, sergeant. 1t was
you, then, was it,
81 have been moving around-inside
but made no noise. Have you heard
footsteps or voices"
''Both, I thought; but it's as black as
your hat on this beat tonight. / can't
see my hand afore my face"
keep your ears open, then; there are
men cut from one of the quarters, al
least, and no telling what they are up to
Who's in charge at the quartermaster'e
stables?'
''Sergt- Reilly, of the infantry; some of
the fellows were over having little
game with him before tattoo, and !
heard him tell 'em to come again when
they had more money to lose. He anc
his helper there were laughing at the
way they cleaned out the cavalry when
taey We're locking up at taps. The bows
fetched over bottle or whisky With
EN-"
"Who were they?"
"Oh, there was Flanagan and Murphy,
of n troop, and Corporal donovan and
ona or two others They hadn't been
drinkin."
"But Riley had-do you mean?"
HE was little full; not much"
"Wen, look alive now, Wicks. It's
my advice to you that you watch that
end Of your post with all your eyes.
And with this Sergt. Gwynne turned
back into the stable, picked up his Ian
tern and returned to the little room in
which he slept A current of cool night
air, blowing in through the open case
ment, attracted his attention. Odd! He
knew he had pulled aside the shade to
scan the features of the Lieutenant when
he tapped at the pane, but he could not
recall having opened the sash. 1t swung
on hinge, and was fastened by loose
ly fitting bolt. Perhaps the rising wind
had blown it in. He set his lamp down
as before, closed the sash and then closed
and locked the lid of his chest. That,
too, was open. Wiks, the sentry, well
up to the north end Of his post and close
to the entrance Of the quartermaster's
corral, was bawling: "Half past 10
o'clock, and a-alrs WE'LL" when the light
went out in Gwynne's little room, and
all the line of stables was wrapped in
darkness.
Perry fretted around the veranda until
! o'clock, then sought his room. He was
still too excited to sleep, and it seemed
an interminable time before he dozed off.
Then it seemed as though he could not
have been in dreamland five minutes be-
fore a hand was laid upon his shoulder,
shaking him vigorously, and a voice he
well knew was exclaiming, in low but
forcible tones:
awake, lieutenant, wakel Every
horse is gone from the quartermaster's
corral. There must be twenty men gone
down the valley. I've Nolan here for
you at the gate"
In ten minutes Lieut.. Perry and Sergt.
Gwynne were riding neck and neck out
over the eastern prairie-out towards
the paling orient stars and the family
cleaning sky-before them, several
miles away, the dark and threatened
walls of Dunraven, behind them the
stir and excitement and hustle conse-
quent upon night alarm. The colonel,
reused by Perry with the news. had or
dered the instant sounding of the assem-
bly,, and the garrison was tumbling out
for roll call