The times., 1890-10-03

the railway, and the doctor rode away
beside them. But this was ten days
after.
True to Lanes prediction, tho court
met and adjourned on the following day.
Col. Stannard and Maj. Turner tele-
graphed that they were delayed en- route
to the railway, and nothing was heard
from the other missing members. Two
days more found the court in readiness,
but the trial did not begin. There ar
rived on the express from the east, the
night before all seemed ready for the
opening session. Lieut.. Bowen, of the
cavalry recruiting service, with two
guards who escorted the ex-clerlz Tain
tor.
kilograms for Capt. Noel had been
coming in quick succession, but he him
self had not been seen. 1t was Lowndes
who took the replies to the Office. The
first meeting of the court was to have
occurred on Monday. Tuesday evening
the Judge advocate sent to the accused
officer copy of the additional specifica-
tions to the charge of conduct unbecom-
ing an officer and a gentleman, and no.
titled him that the witnesses had just ar
rived by train.
At o'clock Wednesday morning Mrs.
Lowndes was aroused by tapping at
her door, and recognized the voice Of
Mrs. Noel calling her name. Hastily she
arose and went to her, finding her trem-
bling and terrified. Gordon, she said,
had been in such misery that he would
not undress and try to sleep, but had been
restlessly pacing the floor until after mid
night. Then he had gone down to make
some memoranda, he said, at the desk in
which he and Mr.. Falconer had their pa
pers, and, as she could not sleep, she
soon followed; but he was not there.
Occasionally he had gone out late at
night and walked about the parade after
every one but the guard had gone to bed,
and she thought he must have done SO
this time, and so waited, and waited,
and peered out ON the parade and could
see nothing of him. AT last she could
bear it no longer.
Lowndes had heard the sobbing voice
and one or two words. He was up and
dressed in no time, and speedily found
the officer of the day. "Do you think he
could have made away with himself
suicide?"
Suicide! mol" answered Lieut.. Tracy.
"He's too big coward even for that"
No sentry had seen or heard anything
Of him. The whole post was searched
at daybreak, and without success. A
neighboring settlement, infested by
miners, stock men, gamblers and fugi-
tives from justice, was visited, but moth
ing was learned that would tend to dis
pei the mystery. One or two hard citi-
zens-saloon proprietors-poked their
tongues in their cheeks and intimated
that ''if properly approached" they could
give valuable information; but no one
believed them. That night, deserted and
well nigh distracted, Mabel Noel lay
moaning in her little room, suffering
heaven only knows what tortures; far
from the yearning mother arms, far
from home and kindred, far even from
the recreant husband for whose poor
sake she had abandoned all to follow
him, for better for worse, for richer for
poorer, in sickness or in health-only to
be left to the pity and care of strangers.
But she was in an army home and
among loving, loyal, simple hearts. The
women, one and all, thronged to the lit
tie cottage, imploring that they might
"help in some way" The men, when
they were not damning the runaway,
were full of suggestion as to the course
to be pursued. Mabel would accept only
one explanation of his disappearance;
crazed by misfortunes, he had talon his
own life; he had said he would. But
the regiment could not believe it, and in
forty-eight hours had traced him on the
saloon keepers horse over to the South
ern Pacific and thence down to Ell Paso
More than one man gave a sigh of relief
that the whole thing could be so easily
settled without the scandal of all that
evidence being published to the world.
The court met and adjourned pending
the receipt of orders from the converting
authority. The telegraph speedily di-
rected the return to their stations of the
several members. Lieut. Bowen went
back to the east, leaving Taintor in the
guard house, and in a week Reginald
Vincent came to take his sister home
and to whisper that Gordon was safe in
the City of Mexico-Mr. Withers was
sending him money there; and so from
her bed of illness, suffering and humilia-
ton the poor girl was almost carried to
her train, and all Fort Gregg could have
wept at sight Of her wan and hopeless
face.
She shrank from seeing or meeting any
Of her old associates, yet was eager to
reach her mothers roof, fondly believing
that there she would find letters from
her husband. 1t hurt her inexpressibly
that he should have fed without one
word to her of his intentions; but she
could forgive it because of the suffering
and misery that bore him down and un-
settled his mind. 1t stung her that Mr..
Withers, not she, should be the first to
learn of his place of refuge; but per-
haps he thought she had gone east at
once, and SO had written there. She at
tributed his desertion to the strain to
which he had been subjected; but she
had been spared the sight of those last
specifications" Her first inquiry, after