Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1890-03-08

incre was an awxwsru pnnse TOR
moment. Tho officers looked bIankly
from one 10 another, and then bcgan
craning their necks TO search for the
post uuartermaster, who sat an absorbed
listener. Then the colonel spoke again:
II appreciate your promptness, Mr..
Hayne; but have you considered that In
choosing quarters according TO your rank
you will necessarily move somebody outi
Wc are crowded now, and many Of your
juniors are married, and the ladies win
want time TO pack"
An anxious silence again. Capt. Ray
ner was gazing at his boot toes and try.
ing TO appear utterly Indifferent; others
leaned forward, az though eager 10 hear
the answer. A faint smile crossed Mr..
HAYNES features: he seemed rather 10
enjoy the situation:
IL have considered, colonel. ! shall
turn nobody out, and nobody need bc in
copmoded in the least"
aOh! then you will share quarters
with some OF the bachelorsY' asked the
colonel, with evident relief.
"No, sir;' and the answer was stern in
tone. though perfectly respectful; II
shall live as have lived for years--ut.
terlv alone"
One could have heard a pin drop in the
ofIice--evcn on the matted floor. The
colonel half arose:
"Why, Mr.. Hayne, there Is not va
cant set OF quarters in the garrison. You
will have to move some one out IL you
decide to live alone"
"There may be no quarters in the post,
sir, but, IL you will permit me, can live
near my company and yet in officers
quarters"
"How so, sir2"
"ln the house out there on the edge Of
the garrison, facing the prairie. II Is
within stones throw OF the barracks Of
Company q, and is exactly like those built
for the officers in here along the parade"
"Why, Mr.. Hayne, no officers ever
lived there. II is utterly out Of the way
and isolated. I believe It was built for
the sutler years ago, but was bought in
by the government afterwards. Who lives
there now, Mr.. Quartermaster9"
'No one, sir. 1t is being used as tail
ors' shop; half dozen of the company
tailors work there; but can send them
back to their own barracks. The house
is in good repair, and, as Mr.. Hayne says,
exactly like those built for officers use. !"
"And you mean you want to live there
alone, Mr.. HayneT
~ do, sir, exactly"
The colonel turned sharply to his
desk once more. The strained silence
continued moment. Then he faced his
| officers.
"Mr. Hayne, will Sou remain few
moments? l wish to speak with you.
Gentlemen. that is all this morning."
And so the meeting adjourned.
While many of the cavalry officers
strolled into the neighboring club and
reading room 1t was noticed that their
comrades of the infantry lost no time at
intermediate points, but took the short
est road to the row of brown cottages
known as the officers quarters. The
feeling OF constraint that had settled
upon all was still apparent in the group
that entered the club room, and for a
moment no one spoke. There was a
general settling into easy chairs and
picking up Of newspapers without refer
ence to age or date. No one seemed to
|
felt it necessary to have some apparent
excuse for becoming absorbed in other
matters, This was SO evident to Lieut..
Blake that he speedily burst into laugh
the first that had been heard
when two or three heads popped out
from behind their printed screens to in
quire into the cause of his mirth that
light hearted gentleman was seen sprawl.
ing his long legs apart and gazing out OF
the window after the groups of infantry
men.
"What do yon see that's so intensely
funnyr' growled one of the elders among
the dragons.
Nothing, old mole - nothing" said
Blake, turning suddenly about. 1T looks
too much like funeral procession foI
fun. What I'm chuckling at il the ab
surdity of our coming in here like sc
many mutes in weepers. It'snonc of oui
funeral"
''Strikes me the situation is damned
awkward" growled ''the mole" again
Heres fellow comes in who's cut by
his regiment and has placed ours undr.
lasting obligation before he gets inside
the post"
"Well, does any man here know the
rights and wrongs of the case, anyhow
said tall, bearded captain as ho threw
aside the paper which he had not beer
reading, and rose impatiently to his feet
1T seems to me from the little Two heard
OF Mr.. Hayne and the little I've seen, thai
there is q broad variation between fact.
and appearances. He looks like gentle
man"
'No ono does know anything more oi
tho matter than was known at the time
Of the court martial five years ago." an.
swered "the MOLE" "Of course you have
heard all about that, and my experience
is that when body OF officers and gen.
tlemen find, after due deliberation on tn,
evidence, that another has been guilty o
conduct unbecoming an officer and {
gentleman, the chances are a hundred L
one he has been doing something dis
reputable, to say tho least"
Then why wasn't he dismissed?'
queried a young lieutenant. THE Law
says he must be-"
"That's right, Dolly; pull your Ives ant
Benet ON 'em and show you know al
about military law and courts martial.
said the captain, crushingly. "It's on,
thing for court TO sentence and anothe
for the president to approve. Hayn,
was dismissed, so far as court could d,
it, but the president remitted the Who'll,
thing"
There was more to 1t than that
though, and you know it, Buxton" sal,
Blake. "Neither the department com
mander nor Gen. Sherman thought tn
evidence conclusive, and they said so
especially old Gray Fox. And YOU asl