The Dickinson press., 1890-01-18

to short hailing distance.
eve meet on neutral ground out here,
Mr.. Even. l suppose your exclusive
employer over yonder can hardly pro-
hibit your answering civil inquiries after
his health?" And, though he meant to
be distant. Perry found himself smiling
at the oddity of the situation.
"Do you know, was just thinking
about you" answered Even, "and Won
dering whether you were with that party
down yonder7 The old gentleman is
better, thanks. He had two pretty bad
nights, but is coming around slowly"
"And Miss Maitland-how is shop
"Rather seedy. She has had good
deal of care andvexation of late, I fancy,
and this is no place for young girl.
anyhow"
"Well, you have some appreciation of
the true character of Dunraven rs a resi-
dence, after all!" answerry Perry. "Now,
If you can give me any good reason why
she should live in this utterly out-of-the-
way place, you will lift weight from
my mind"
"Oh, they don't live here, you know"
spoke Even, hurriedly. "She comes
here only when her father does. 1t is
her own doing. She goes with him
everywhere, ana will not leave him.
She's all he has, Aon't you know?"
II don't know anything about it.
You Dunraven people seem averse to
any expression of interest or courtesy
from your fellowmen, but I'm free to
say should like to know what on earth
there is in American cavalrymen to
make them such' objects of aversion to
your master; and would bo glad to
know how it is such a girl as that is
dragged into such hole as yonder."
Even sat in silence moment, study-
ing the young fellows face.
"You deserve better welcome there. :"
he presently answered, "and l don't
know that can do better than to tell
you the truth-what know of it. And
let me tell you that if the old man knew
of my speaking of it to any one, I'd lose
the most lucrative but least attractive
place I ever had. Do you scc:"
Then perhaps you had better not tell
me. do not care to pry into secrets"
"Oh, this is no secret. 1t WAS that that
drove him here; everybody knew it in
England. You were mighty shabbily
treated at the ranch, and you rcquited it
by preventing what would have been s.
bloody row, and by lending us helping
hand. Even the old man recognizes
that; and l think he'd be glad to say SO
to you, and see you, if you were not just
what you area cavalry officer"
"Why, what Oh earth can we havo
done? If any of our cloth have wronged
Mr. Maitland in any way, it is our right
to know it and take it up"
"It wasn't your cloth, old fellow"
said Even, thawing visibly, "but it was
the cavalry all the same that broke his
heart and his pride, and made his life
the wreck it is, and drove him from his
home, stunning the sight of his follow
men, all these years-exiling her, too, in
the prime of her young life. Mr.. Perry,
there are only three or four of lis at
Dunraven who know tho story, but we
have only sympathy and pity-no blame
for him, though he is the hardest
ullSleF 1 ever served.
GLOW did it happen:' asked Perry.
Cali through his son. There had been
more of them, but there was only the
one-Archie-when the Lancers were
ordered to South Africa. He was a
youngster, only II, they tell me, and he
had just been gazetted to his cornetcy.
The old man was oil wrapped up in him,
for of tho three boys the eldest had died
only the month before the regiment was
ordered on foreign service and the Sec
ond had been killed In India. Both
these two who were gone had made
themselves famous among their COM
rades by their fearlessness and high
character, and the old man, of course,
could not ask Archie to quit the service
just when orders for dangerous duty
came. The boy went to the Cape with
his corps, and got into the thick of the
Zulu war just at the time Of the massa-
ere of the Twenty-fourth at Isandlwhana
and the fight at Rorke's Drift. I was
at home then, and all England was
quivering with grief over such needless
sacrifice as was made of that regiment,
and all ready to fall down and worship
such fellows as Chard and Bromhead,
who made the superb fight almost at the
same time.
"They say old Maitland wanted to go
himself, as volunteer or something, with
Lord Chelmsford, but it couldn't be
done. His father had fought at Alma
and 1nkerman, and his grandfather had
led the Guards at Waterloo. The whole
tribe were soldiers, you know; and now
Archie was with the Lancers in Zululand,
and the Lancers were going to wipe out
the disasters of the nrst fights Of the
campaign, and Archie was to uphold the
grand old fighting name and come home
covered with glory. lie was the heir
now, and Miss Gladys was but little
girl. l have heard 1t all from Mrs.
Cowan; she was their housekeepcr in
those days, and a sort of companion, too,
to Mrs. Maitland, who was very delicate.
The old man was very fiery and proud
and full of fierce denunciation of every
thing that had gone wrong in the cam
paign; and he offended some people by
the way he condemned some officer who
was a friend of theirs, and there were
others who thought he talked too much;
but he fairly boiled over when the news
came of how the prince imperial had
been abandoned by his escort, and that a
British officer and dozen men had run
two miles at top speed from a beggarly
little squad of nigsers before they dared
look round to see what had become of
their prince, whom they had left to fight
the gang alone. That was old Maitland's
text for month. If any son of his had
ever been of that party he would disown,
disgrace, deny him, forbid him his sight,
cut him off forever. And right in the
midst of 1t ala judgment, some people
said-there came the awful news that
Cornet Maitland of the Lancers was to bc
court lnartialed for misbehavior in face
of tho enemy.
"Of course the old man only ragged at
first; said it couldn't be true; twas all
some foul invention or ridiculous blum
der: but he ran uD to London and saw