San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-08-04


clear of most of the temptations to which
young officers were subjected, he had
won reputation as a capital duty Off
GER" that was accented here and there
by some brilliant and dashing exploits
in the numerous Indian campaigns
through which the Eleventh had passed
with no small credit. Lane was never
one of the jovial souls Of the regiment.
His mood was rather taciturn and con-
templative. He, read good deal, and
spent many days IN the saddle exploring
the country in the neighborhood Of his
post and in hunting and fishing.
But, from the colonel down, there was
not a man in the Eleventh who did not
thoroughly respect and like him. Among
the ladies, however, there was one or,
two who never lost an opportunity of
giving the lieutenant a feline and not in
effective clawing whenever his name
came up for discussion in the feminine
conclaves occasionally held in the regi
ment. Sometimes, too, when oppcrtun-
ity served, he was made the victim of
some sharp or sarcastic speech that was
not always easy to bear in silence. Mrs.
Judson, wife of the captain of B troop,
was reputed to be down on Lane" and
the men had no difficulty whatever in 10
eating the time when her change of heart
took place. 4
The truth of the matter was that,
thanks to simple habits and to his sense
80 aoo,o,nx, lava bod o,;ta a o,,,o 1;<x1a
balance in the bank, and the ladies of
the regiment believed it to be bigger
than it really was; and, having approved
the furnishing and fitting up Of his quar-
tiers, the next thing, of course, that they
essayed to do was to provide him with a
wife. There the trouble began. Stimuli
taneously with the arrival Of his first
bar as first lieutenant there came from
the distant east Mrs. Judson's younger
sister Emmy" and Mrs. Loring's pretty
niece Pansy Fletcher. Lane was prompt
to call on both, tc take the young ladies
driving or riding, to be attentive and
courteous in every way; but, while he
did thus perceive a divided duty"
what was Mrs. Loring's horror on discov-
ering that pretty Pansy had fallen rap
turously in love with Jerry" baltimore,
as handsome, reckless and impecunious
young dragon as ever lived, and moth
ing but prompt measures prevented their
marriage! Miss Fletcher was suddenly
re-transported to the east, whittier Jerry
was too hard up to follow; and then, in
bitterness of heart, Mrs. Loring blamed
poor Fred for the whole transaction.
Why had he held aloof and allowed that
that scamp-that ne'er do weel-to cut
in and win that innocent child's heart,
as he certainly did dor Against Latti-
more the walls of her wrath were emptied
coram publico, but against Lane she
could not talk so openly.
Mrs Judson had beheld the sudden de-
parture of Miss Pansy with an equanim-
ity she could barely disguise. Indeed,
there were not lacking good Christians
in the garrison who pointed significantly
to the fact that she had almost too hos
pitably opened her doors to Miss Fletcher
and her lover during that brief but vol
canic romance. Certain it is, however,
that it was in her house and in certain
little nook off the sitting room that their
long, delicious meetings occurred almost
daily, the lady of the house being busy
about the dining room, the kitchen, or
the chambers overhead, and Emmy, who
was a good girl, but densely uninter-
esting, stunning on the piano or yawn-
ing over a book at the front window.
What Mr.. Lane needs is a gentle,
modest. domestic little woman who will
make his home restful, peaceful ref
uge always" said Mrs. Judson; and, in
ferentially, Emmy was the gentle and
modest creature who was destined so to
bless him. The invitations to tea, the
lures by which he was induced to be-
come Emmy's escort to all the hops and
dances, redoubled themselves after Miss
Fletcher's departure; but it was all in
vain. Without feeling any particular
affinity for Mr. Lane, Emmy stood ready
to say Eyes" whatsoever he should ask;
but weeks went on, he never seemed to
draw nearer the subject, and just as
Mrs. Judson had determined to resort to
heroic measures and point out that his
attentions to Emmy had excited the re-
mark of the entire garrison, and that
the poor child herself was looking wan
and strange, there was stage robbery
not twenty miles from the post. Lane,
with fifteen troopers, was sent in pur-
suit of the desperadoes, and captured
them, after sharp fight, ninety miles
up the river and near the little infantry
cantonment at the Indian reservation;