Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1890-03-01

their prince, whom they had left to fight
the Gang alone. That was old Maitland
text for a month. IF any son OF his hao
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 it ala judgment, some people
said-there came the awful news thai
Cornet Maitland of the LaEcers was to be
court martialed for misbehavior in face
of the enemy.
"Of course the old man only ragged al
first; said it couldn't be true; twas al
some foul invention or ridiculous blum
der; but he ran up to London and saw
somebody at the Horse Guards-that's
our war Office, you know-and came
back looking century older and SIMPLY
crushed to earth. Mrs. Cowan says they
showed him the official report of a gen
eral officer who was called upon to ex'
plain why he had not sent certain troops
to the relief of an advanced and threat
ened post, and he replied that he had
sent the order by Cornet Maitland, of the
Lancers; lad given him an escort OF g
dozen men and strict injunctions to push
through by night, at all hazards, though
the way was beset with Zulus, and thai
he neither went through nor returned.
but was found hiding at kraal two days
after, only twenty miles away. Ths
escort returned, and after much cross
examination had told the story, separate.
ly and collectively, that the young Officer
had become utterly unnerved towards
midnight by the reports from scouting
parties and others; had declared to them
that it was simply madness to attempt
to push through; they would be massa-
cred to a man; and, though they an.
nounced that they were stanch and ready,
he refused, and ordered them to bivouac
where they were for the night, and in
the morning he had disappeared They
declared they supposed he had gone back
to camp, and after waiting a day they
returned, reporting him lost.
"When found at the kraal he was de-
Iirious with fever, or pretended to be.
said the general, and he was brought in
under arrest and the trial was to pro-
coed. I don't know how it turned out
He was not court martialed, but permit
ted to return to England. 1t was said he
told very different story; that he had
begged the brigade major who detailed
the escort to let him have half dozen
of his own Lancers instead Of the pack
of irregulars they gave him; he did not
trust them, and feared they would aban-
don him as they had the prince; but the
o,1A lvo1A h1
changed-these men knew the country
and all that sort of thing, you know; and
there was one fellow in the Lancers who
stuck to it that he believed Maitland had
tried his best to get through alone. But
twas all useless; somebody had to be
held responsible, and the failure was all
heaped on him.
meantime, there had been fury at
home; old Maitland had written casting
him off, repudiating-cursing him for
all l know-and the next thing there
came a messenger from the captain of
his ship at Southampton. They brought
his watch, his ring, his sword and port
manteaus, and letter which was writ
en- on receipt Of that his father sent
lima long letter, that the old man
lever read to any living soul, but broods
ver to this day. The young fellow babe
hem all good-by; he would not live to
lisgrace them further, if that was what
was thought of him at home, and leaped
overheard from the steamer the night
lfter she weighed anchor-no one aboard
could tell just when, but he was writing
N his state room as she cleared the har-
Dor, and the steward saw him undress-
.ng at 9 o'clock. In the morning every
hing about his belongings was found in
perfect order-his letter to the captain
Of the ship, the portmanteaus, watch,
ing, clothing, etc., just as he described
IN that letter-and he was no more seen.
It was the conviction of all that he must
have leapsd overheard in the darkness
when far out at sea.
and never lifted it again. Then, all
alone, and iercely rejecting anything
like sympathy, old Maitland took to
travel-came here to America, wandered
around the world, stunning men as he
would these prairie wolves; and when
he had to go to England he would see no
one but the attorneys and solicitors with
whom he had business. Here at Dun
raven he is more content than anywhere,
because he is farther from the world.
Here Gladys is queen: twas she who
named it, two years ago, for her mother
was a connection of the earl's. But
Maitland even here hates to have his
name mentioned; and that is why / say
he refers all business to me and keeps
himself out of everything. Do you see
what weight he earliest?
Mr.. Even had grown red with the IN
tensity and rapidity of his talk. He re-
moved his hat and mopped his face and
brow with big silk handkerchief, and
then glanced again at Perry, who had
listened with absorbed interest and who
was now silently thinking it over, look
ing curiously at Even the while.
"Have I bored you half to death?"
asked the Englishman, somewhat rue
fully. 81 never told that story before,
but it has been smoldering for years."
'Bored2 MOI Inever was more inter-
ested in my life. Twas thinking what
different sort of fellow you were from
the man met out yonder the other day.
Did they never do anything to clear the
matter up? In our country it never
would have been allowed to rest there"
SIT was too far gone; and when
the boy killed himself the thing was
used by all the government papers
you'd call them administration organs
as confession of judgment. When
the Lancers came home there was some
talk, but it was soon hushed. Maitland
had shut up the old place by that time
and cronn no ono knar 1uhara hut L r,oad