Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1890-05-04

fore them besOught their advice. He
was still commanding officer de iure, but
he had lost all stomach for its functions.
He would have been glad to send for
Blake and beg his pardon for submitting
TO his insubOrdinate and abusive Ian
guage, if that course could have stopped
inquiry: but he well knew that the whole
thing would be nOised abroad in less
than no time.
At first he thought to give orders
against the telegraph operators sending
any messages concerning the matter; but
that would have been only temporary
hinderance he could not control the in
struments and operators in town, only
three miles away. He almost wished he
had been knocked down, shot or stabbed
in the melee: but he kept in the rear
when the skirmSh began, and Rayner
and the corporal were the sufferers.
They had been knocked "endwiSe" by
Mr.. Hurley's practiced fists after Hayne
was struck down by the cOrporaiS mus
ket 1t was the universal sentiment
among the officers of the til as they
scattered to their homes that Buxton had
''wound himself up this time, anyhow
and no one had any sympathy for him
not one. The very best light in which he
could tell the story only showed the af-
fair as a fragrant and ineXcuSable out
rage.
Capt. Rayner, too, was in a fearful
plight. He had simply obeyed orders;
but all the old story of his persecution
of Hayne would now be revived; all men
would see in his participation in the af-
fair only additional reason TO adjudge
him cruelty persistent in his hatred of
the young officer, and, in view of the
utter ruthleSSneSS and wrong Of this as
saut would be more than ever confident
of the falSity of his position in the orig
inal case As he was slowly led up
stairs to his room and his fearful wife
and silent siSter-in-law bathed and
clcanSed his wound. he saw with fright
full clearneSS how the crush of circum-
stances was now upon him and his good
name. Great heavens. how those words
of Haynes five years before rang. throb-
bed. burned. beat like trip hammers
through his whirlng brain. 1t seemed
as though they followed him and his
fortunes like curse. He sat silent,
stunned, awe stricken at the force of the
calamity that had befallcn him.
How could he ever induce an officer
and gentleman TO believe that he was
no inStigatOr i'm this matter?-that it
was all BuXton'S doing, Buxton low i'm
agination that had conceived the posi-
blity of such a crime on the part of Mr..
Hayne, and Buttons laundering, bull
| n Of nj
capped the fatal climax? 1t was some
time before his wife could get him to
speak at all She was Historically be-
moaning the fate that had brought them
into contact with such people, and from
time to time giving vent TO the comfort
ing assertion that never had there been
a cloud ON their domestic or rcgimental
sky until that wretch had been assigned
10 the RifIerS. She knew from the hur-
ried and guarded explanations OF DR..
Grimes and one or TWO young officers
who helped Rayncr home that the
frcacS had occurred at Mr.. Haynes
that there had been mistake for which
her husband was not responsible. but
that Capt Buxton was entirely to blame.
But her husbands aShen face told her
"A story Of something far deeper; she
knew that now he was involved in fear
full trouble. and. whatever may have
been her inncrmoSt thoughts. it was the
first and irresistible impulse to throw
all the blame upon her Scapcg0at.
Miss TraverS. almost as pale and quite
as silent as the captain. was buSying her
self i'm helping her sister; but she could
with difficulty restrain her longing to bid
her be silent. She, too, had cndeaVOred
To learn from her escort on their hur-
ricd homeward rush across the parade
what the nature of the disturbance had
been. She, too. had suggested Clancy,
but the officer at her side set his teeth
as ne replied that he wished it had been
Clancy She had heard, too, the mes
sage brought by a cavalry trumpeter
from Mr.. Blake. He wanted Capt. Ray
to come TO Mr. Haynes rs soon as he had
seen Mrs Ray safely home. and would
he please ask Mrs. Stannard to come
with him at the same time? Why should
Mr.. Blake want Mrs. Stannard at Mr..
HAYNES? She saw Mrs. Foster run up
and speak few words to Mrs. Waldron
and heard that lady reply: Certainly;
l will go with YOU now" What could it
mean? At last, as she was returning to
her SiSte's room after a moments alb
Sence. she heard a question at which her
heart stood still. 1t was Mrs. Rayner
who asked:
But the creature was there, was she
not?"
The answer sounded more like a moan
of anguish.
Ia ii ~
her husband who
But. as Capt. Rayner buried his bat
tered face in his hands at this iuncture.
the rest of the sentence was inaudible.
Miss TraverS had heard quite enough,
however. She stood there one moment,
appalled,, dropped upon the floor the
bandage. she had been making. turned
and sought her room, and was seen no
more that night.
Over the day or two that followed this
affair the veil of silence may best be
drawn. in order to give time for the sed-
iment of truth to settle through the
whirlpool of stories in violent circula-
ton. The colonel came back on the
first train after the adjournment OF the
court. and could hardly wait for that
formality. Contrary to his custom of
sleeping on" a question, he was in his
Office within half an hour after his re-
turn TO the post. and from that time I'M
til near tattoo was buSily occupied taxi
ing the statements of the active partici-
pants in the affair This was three days
after its occurrence; and Capt. Rayncr
though up and able to be about, had not
left his quarters. Mrs. Rayner had
abandoned her trip to the east, for the
present at least.
Mr.. Hayne still lay weak and PROSTATE
in his darkened room. attended hourly
by Dr. Pease. who feared brain fever,
and nurSed aSsiduouSly by Mrs. Hurley,
for whom Mrs. Waldron. Mrs. Stannard,
and many other ladies in the garrison
could not do enough to content them
selves. Mr. Hurlcy's wrist was badly
sprained and in sling; but the colonel
l, I Il 70.