Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1890-08-21

''Suit yourself about that, Freddy, old
boy. I'm going down street with Amos
now. How'll tomorrow morning do?"
every well indeed. You will find me
here any time you come in"
"An right. Now get out of your vel
low stripes and come along down with
us. The carriage is right here at the
door. We're going over to see the
works-Mr. Withers' foundries, you
know. Come"
Eyes, come with us. think have
heard it was your father who-ah-who
was in the same line Of business at one
time, Mr.. Lane" said Mr.. Withers.
Captain Lane, Amos!-Captain Lane!
Great Scott! you mustn't mister man
who has been through the years of SER
vice he has"
81 beg pardon. did not so under
stand you, Gordon, when we were talk
ing last night with the-when we were
having our smoke and chat after dinner.
You will come with us, won't you, cap
tain?'
'Iwish l could, Mr. Withers, but my
office hours have to be observed, and l
cannot leave in the morning. Thank
you heartily none the less. Then you
will be here tomorrow, NOEL?
Tomorrow be it, Fred; so au revoir,
if you can't join us. | mustn't keep
Withers wairing-business man, you
know. God bless you, old fellow; you
don't begin to realize how delighted I
am to Ere you'll So long"
But about dining with us, Cap
tain"-
"Oh, Lord, yesp burst in Noel. "What
evening, now? I'd almost forgotten.
Getting in among bricks and mortar
adde's my head. 'Tisn't,ike being out
in the saddle with the mountain breezes
all around you; hey, Fred? Cad! /
don't know whether can stand this sort
of thing, after our years of cam
paigning." And the lieutenant looked
obviously around upon the dark and
dingy walls and windows.
Suppose we say Thursday evening,
captain" suggested Mr.. Withers; "and
I'll have just a few friends to meet you
two army gentlemen"
81 shall be very happy, Mr.. Withers.'
"Good! That's the talk, Fred.'
heartily shouted the lieutenant, bring
ing his hand down with a resounding
whack between Lanes shoulder blades.
Now we are off! Come along, Amos
And the cousins disappeared down the
dark stairway and popped into the car
riage.
"Not n very demonstrative man, your
friend the captain, but seems to be solid
was Mr.. Withers' remark.
"Oh, yes. He is about as solid as they
make them," answered Noel, airily.
LANE has his faults, like most men. 1t
is only those who really know him, who
have been associated with him for years,
and whom he trusts and likes, that are
his friends, Now, I'd go through fire
and water for him, and he would for me
but of course you wouldn't think it, to
see his perfectly conventional society
manner this morning. If had left you
down at the foot of the stairs and had
stolen up on tiptoe and gone over and
put my arms round his neck, you would
probably have found US hugging each
other and dancing about that room like
a couple of grizzly bears when you came
up, and the moment he caught sight of
you he would have blushed crimson ard
got behind his ice screen in a second.
You just ought to have seen him the
night we met each other with our de-
tachments down near Guadalupe Can
yon when we were hunting Geronimo.
Some id fool of a ranchman had met
him and said was killed in the little af
fair we had with the Apache rear guard.
Why, 1 was perfectly amazed at the
emotion he showed. Ever since then I've
sworn by Fred Lane; though, of course,
he has traits that wish he could get rid
Of"
Good officer, isn't he?"
"Ye-es, Lane isn't half bad soldier.
Of course it remains to be seen what
sort of captain he will make. He has
only just got his troop"
But I mean he-well-is brave
man; has shown up well in these Indian
fights you were telling US about"
"Hmw answered Noel, with quiet
little chuckle. eff he wasn't, you bet
he wouldn't have been all these years in
the Eleventh. A shirk of any kind is
just the one thing we won't stand. Why,
Amos, when old jim Blazer was our
colonel during those years of the Sioux
and Cheyenne and Nez Perez wars he
ran two men out of the regiment simply
because they managed to get out of field
duty two successive years. Oh, no!
Lanes all right as a soldier, or he
wouldn't be wearing the crossed sabers
of the Eleventh"
Mr.. Withers listened to these tales of
the doings and sayings Of the regiment
with great interest. Lame might have
been here dozen years." said he to him
self, "and no one in our community
would have known anything at all about
the dangers his comrades and he had en-
countered in their frontier service. It's
only when some fellow like Noel comes
to us that we learn anything whatever
of our army and its doings."
He took his cousin to the great mold
ing works of which he was the sole head
and proprietor, and presented his fore
men and his clerks TO the captain, and
told them Of his career in the Indian
wars on the frontier, and then upon
change, and proudly introduced my
cousin, Capt. Noel" to the magnates of
the Queen City; and, though not one
out of dozen was in the least degree
interested in ''the captain" or cared
grain of wheat what the army had done
or was doing on the frontier, almost
every man had time to stop and shake
hands cordially with the handsome Off
Ger, for Amos Withers was said to be a