The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1890-03-13


hem all good-by; he would not live to
lisgraco them further, II that was what
was thought Of him at home, and leaped
overheard from the steamer the night
after she weighed anchor-no one aboard
could tell Just when, but he was writing
IN his state room as she cleared the har.
Dor, and the steward saw him undress-
ing at 0 O'Clock In the morning every
thing about his belongings was found In
perfect order-hiS letter to the captain
Of the ship, the portmanteaus, watch,
ring, clothing. etc.. just as he described
In that letter-and he was no more seen.
Il was the conviction Of all that he must
have leaped overheard In the darkness
when far out at sea.
'Then Mrs. Maitland bowed her head
and never lifted 1t again. Then, all
alone, and fiercely 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 1t, two years ago, for her mother
was a connection Of the earl'G 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 q 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 | bored you half to deathT"
asked the Englishman, somewhat rue.
fully. II never told that story before,
but it has been smoldering for years."
Bored? MOI Inever was more inter
ested in my life. Twas thinking what q
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 Il never
would have been allowed to rest there"
at 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 a 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 gone no one knew where, but read
it in one OF the London papers-Truth,
think-a story that two Of the irregulars
had quarreled with their fellows and
after the war was over told q tale that
made sensation in Cape Colony. They
said that the young officer was o ma
ligned man; that up to midnight he had
pushed on, but every scout and patrol
they met warned them that thousands
Of Zulus were ahead, and that Il was
madness to try. The men began whis-
pering among themselves, and begged
the sergeant to attempt to dissuade tho
Lancer officer; and he did, and they all
began to talk, but he refused to listen.
"At last they halted ct little stream
and fatty refused to go o step further.
lie ordered, begged and implored. He
promised heavy reward to any one Of
their number who would come and show
him the way. Then they heard the night
cries or signals Of some war parties across
the fields, and the sergeant and most Of
the men put spurs to their horses; the
others followed, and they rode back Eve
miles until they were within our patrolled
lines; then they bivouacked, supposing.
Of course, the Lancer had followed them.
But he hadn't: he never joined them all
next day, and likely as not he had done
his best to get through that strange
country by night alone, and had tried TO
carry his dispatches to the detachment
They knew they must tell q straight
story or DO severely punished They
were twelve against one when It came to
evidence, as the sergeant pointed out.
and so they agreed on the one that sent
him to Coventry.
"Some Of the Lancer officers got hold
Of this and swore they believed Il true;
but meantime the government had had
the DEVILS own time in tiding his lord.
ship the general over the numerous
blunders he had made In the campaign,
and the Lancers were summarily or.
dered of elsewhere. There was no ono
left to take up poor Archie's cause ct
home, and the thing died out"
"By the Lord Harry, Mr.. Even, It
wouldn't die out herei We Yankees
would resurrect such q thing II Il were
old as q mummy"
''Sometimes I think old Maitland
would be glad Of the chance to do Il.
even broken a. he Is; sometimes, Mrs.
Cowan says, he walks the floor all night
and holds Archie's last letter In his
hands. She thinks he charges himself
with having driven the boy to suicide"
"Does Miss Maitland never revisit tho
old homer asked Perry. after q mo-
ment's thought
''She goes with her father-every-
where. he Is never here more than twice
q year, and seldom for more than six
weeks at time Were It not for her, he
would settle down here, believe. He
went to Cape Colony and tried to fnd
the men who gave out that story, but
one Of them was dead and tho other had
utterly disappeared There were still
Eix survivors Of that escort, the sergeant
among them, and he was man Of some
position and property. They stuck to
he original story. and said the two men
who had started the sensation were mere
Matchmaking vagrants Maitland ad-
vertised everywhere for the missing man,
but to no purpose. think he and Miss
Gladys have finally abandoned all hope