Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1890-04-18


,ess an eye for the picturesque and beau
.iful. If so, he deliberately condemned
himself to the daily contemplation of a
,reeess barren, streaked III occasional
shadows with dingy patches of snow,
only in spots by abandoned
old hats, boots, or tin cans blown be-
vond the jurisdiction of the garrison
police parties \ line of telegraph poles
was all that interviewed between his fence
and the low lying hills of the eastern
horizon.
Southeastward lay the distant roofs
and the low, squat buildings of the from
tier town; southwark the shallow valley
of the winding creek in which lay the
long line of stables for the cavalry and
the great stacks Of hay; while the row
on which he chose to live--"Prairie ave-
nue." as it was termed-was far worse
at lis end of it than at the other 1t COW
cred the whole eastern front. The big,
brown hospital building stood at tho
northern end. Then came the quarters
of the surgeon and his assistants, then
the snug home of the post trader, then
the store and its scattering appen-
dages, then the entrance gateway, then
a broad vacant space, through which the
wind swept like a hurricane, then the
little shanty of the traders fur house
and one or two hovel like structures
used bv the tailors and cobbler OF the
adjacent infantry companies. Then
came the cottage ITSELF south of it stood
the uuartermaster storerOom. back OF
which lay an extension filled with ord
nance stores, then other and similar
sheds devoted to commissary supplies,
the post butcher shop, the saddler's
shop, then big coal sheds, and then the
brow of the bluff, down which at a
steep grade plunged the road to the
stables. 1t was as unprepossessing a
place for home as ever was chosen by
q man of education or position; and Mr.
Hayne was possessed of both.
In garrison, despite the flat parade,
there was grand eXpanse of country to
be seen stretching away towards the
snow covered Rockies. There was life
and the sense Of neighborliness to ones
kind. Out on Prairie avenue all was
wintry desolation, except when twice
each day the cavalry officers went plod-
ding By on their way to and from the
stables, muflled up in their fur caps and
coats, and hardly distinguishable from so
many bears, much less from one another
And yet Mr.. Iayne smiled not unh&e-
PLY as he glanced from his eastern win
dow at this group of burly warriors the
afternoon succeeding his dinner at the
colonel's. He had been busy all day long
unpacking books, book shelves, some
few pictures which he loved and his
simple, soldierly outfit of household
goods, and getting them into shape, His
sole assistant was Chinese servant, who
worked rapidly and well, and who
seemed in no wise dismayed by the
bleakncss of their surroundings. If any
thing, he was disposed to grin and in
dulge in high pitched commentaries in
"pidgin English" upon the unaccustomed
amount of room. His master had been
restricted to two rooms and kitchen
during the two years he had served him
Now they had d house to themselves
and more rooms than they knew what
to do with. The quartermaster hao
/ sent a detail of men to put up the stoves
/ and move out the rubbish left by the
| tailors; Sam" had worked vigorously
with soft soap, hot water and big MOI
| in sprucing up the rooms; the adjutan'
had sent little note during the morn
/ ing, saving that the colonel would be glaC
to order him any men he needed TO pm
the quarters in proper shape, and tha
Capt. Rayner had expressed his readi
ness to send a detail from the company
to unload and unpack his boxes, etc, u
which Mr.. Hayne replied in person tina
he thanked the commanding officer 70
his thoughtlulness, but that he had yer,
little to unpack, and needed no assist
ance beyond that already afforded by tn
quartermaster's men. Mr.. Billings coul,
not help noting that he made no allusiol
to that part of the letter which spoke o
Capt. Rayner's offer. 1t increased hi
respect for Mr.. Haynes perceptiv
powers.
While every officer Of the infantry bat
talicn was ready to admit that Mr.. Hayn
had rendered valuable service to the me-
of the cavalry regiment, they were nc
so unanimous i'll their opinion as to ho'
it should be acknowledged and requite
by its officers. No one was prepared ia
the announcement that the colonel ha
asked him to dinner and that Blake an
Billings were to meet him, Some fey
of their number thought it going too fal
but no one quite conceded with the v'
hement declaration of Mrs. Rayner ths
it was sn outrage and an affront Anne
ut the regiment in general and at Cap
Eayn6r in particular. She was an enc
getic woman whs2 aroused, and thei
was no doubt of her being very niue
aroused us she sped from house to nous
TO see what the other ladies thought {
it, Rayner's wealth and Mrs. Rayner
qualities had made her an undoubte
though not always popular leader in a
social matters in tho RiAers She va