The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1890-04-10

but always friendly and kind. One thing
went the rounds like lightning.
"You'n be getting your discharge now,
sergeant" said Mrs. Reed, tho Volubl0
wife Of the leader Of tho band, land
taking up your residence at the ranch, !
suppose. OF course the British minister
can get Il for you In q minute"
"Not Q bit Of Il, MrA Reed" was the
laughing answer. ~ enlisted TO serve
Uncle Sam Eve years, and he's been too
good Q friend to mo 10 turn from. I
shall serve out my time with the tn"
And the sergeant was true TO his word
n 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 10 the letter.
Stryker offered him Q furlough. and
Gwynne thankfully took Q week, that
he might DO BY his fathers side and help
nurse him to better health. by that
time, too, the garrison will have grown
o little more accustomed 10 Il, sir, and
| will have less embarrassment In going
on with my work" :.
Two days before his return 70 duty
there came o modified sensation In the
shape Of the report that q trooper Of
Wayne's company had deserted he
was q man who had borne bad reputa,
ton As . turbulent. mischief making
fellow, and when Sergt. Leary heard Of
his going he was In q state Of wild ex.
element He begged TO DO 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, had managed to pick Il up and
carry Il away In the confusion, and had
shown II to his friend in Wayne's troop
when they got back. The latter per.
suaded him to let him take Il, a. the
lockers Of the men who were at Dun.
raven were sure, he said, to be searched
II was known that he had Q grudge
against Gwynne; he was one Of the men
who was TO have gone 10 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: ho could
easily have entered through the win
dow. And this explanation-the only one
ever made-became OF once accepted a.
the true one throughout the garrison.
During the week Of his furlough the
sergeant found timeto spend many hours
by the bedside Of Lieut.. Perry, who was
rapidly recovering, and 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
q fine officer and gallant gentleman 10
the service Of the old country, he said.
and headmired many q 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 cavalryman 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.
oughbred at Dunraven should be Perry's
the moment he was able to mount again
and hew constantly revolving in mind
how he could show his appreciation Of
the officers who had befriended his son.
MrR Cowan, too, never tired Of hearing
Perry's praises, and eagerly questioned
when the narrator tagged There was
another absorbed auditor, who never
questioned and who listened with down
cast eyes. Il 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. BY Withdrawing the hand he
had impulsively seized when at last she
appeared to bid him adieu, and cutting
short his eager words with "Mrs. Belknap
will console you. dare say" and ab-
ruptly leaving the room.
Poor Nedi In dire distress and per.
plexity be was driven back to Rossiter.
and that very evening he did most SEN
sible and fortunate thing; he told MIRA
Sprague all about It; and, instead Of con-
doing with 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
Fuefully asked her II that was the sym
patty 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 zee she's jealous7"
And the very next day she had Q long
talk with Dr.. Quin, whose visits 10 Dun
raven still continued; and one bright
afternoon when Gladys Maitland rodeup
to the fort to return calls. she managed
to have quite chat with her, despite the
fact that Mira Belknap showed q strong
desire 10 accompany that fair English
girl In all three Of her vista In this
effort, too, the diplomatic services Of
Capt Stryker proved rather too much
for the beauty Of the garrison Was Il
possible that MrS. Sprague had enlisted
him also In the good causei Certain Il
q that the dark featured captain was
Miss Maitland's escort a. she left the
garrison. and that Il was with the con.
Sciousness Of impending defeat that Mrs
Belknap gave utterance TO the opening
sentence Of this chapter; Mr.. Perry had
distinctly avoided her ever since his re-
turn
One lovely evening late In Nay Mr.
Perry was taking his hrst ride on the
new horse, O splendid bay and Q perfect
q