Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1891-03-19
CHAPTER VII.

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"Hclloi heJlol tohdt's thisg'' he said.
In the soft, June like weather of that
memorable week at Ryan the ladies
1 spent but little of their waking moments
\ indoors, and even the broad verandas of
\ the colonel's quarters on the north side
were no more popular or populous than
those of Capt. Lane at the southwest
4 corner. Mrs. Lane and Miss Marshall
1 attributed this to the fact that the sun
on its westward way passed behind their
cozy home and left the front piazza cool
and shaded, whereas even the canvas
hangings in front of the Morrises' could
not quite shut out the glare. But Mrs.
Morris laughingly declared that since
\ their coming into the society of Fort
4 Ryan she had become 'sa decided back
number
Whether the theory of the colonel's
wife was true or not, it must be said
to her credit that she accepted the situ-
alton with charming grace, and was
quite as frequent visitor at the Lanes
as many of the younger women. Her
own guests had departed, leaving her
somewhat lonely, she said; and while she
thought it by no means a proper or con-
yentional thing that she should be so
constantly visiting people who 50 seldom
honored her she could not but have ocular
proof at all hours of the day that Mrs.
Lane and her fair friend, Miss Marshall,
could not sally forth to make calls except
at the price of leaving a number of call
ers in the lurch. There were other young
ladies in garrison just then-Miss Whar-
ton visiting her brother and Miss McCrea
staying at the Burnhams'. There were
several pretty girls in the neighboring
town who frequently came out and spent
a few days with the families at the post,
and all these of course, as well as the
young married ladies, were the recipients
Of much attention on the part Of the Of
fcers, young and old 1t is fact well
understood in army circles that few off
GERS are too old to tender such attentions
and no woman too old to receive them.
And Mrs. Lane was rejoicing in the
success of her projects for the benefit of
pronounced success from the day of her
arrival; and yet it was somewhat diff
cult to say why She was not beauty,
despite her lovely eyes; she had none of
those hattering, soothing, half caressing
ways some women use with such telling
effect on almost every man they seek to
impress. She was not chatty. She was
anything but confidential. She was
rather silent and decidedly reserved,
yet most attentive listener withal; and
then she had the courage of her opin-
ions. Her prompt and prominent part
in the little drama enacted the night of
her arrival had made her famous in the
garrison; her frank, unaffected, but gra-
cious ways had done much to make her
popular.
The statement that she was an orphan
and poor, combined with the fact, which
the other women SO speedily determined,
that she was not pretty, had removed
her, presumably, from the range of
jealousy. The other girls found her
very entertaining, since she let them do
much of the talking, and were willing
to accord to her a certain quiet style OF
her own. The men were glad to be civil
to any friend Of Mrs. Lanes. And yet
Georgia Marshall had not been there a
week before, as Mabel confidently pre-
dicted. she was having in abundance
tetes-a-tete of her own.
1t was the third morning after the es-
cape of the prisoner Goss, and for forty
eight hours nothing else had been talked
of among the soldiers, and nothing had
excited so much comment among the
families at the post. Up to this moment
not trace had been found The two
iron Stats in front of his window had
been cut through swiftly and noiselessly
from within with watch spring saws, and
the tallow and iron filings lay about the
stony window sill. He had been thor
oughly searched before being put in that
cell, and it was absolutely certain that
neither files nor tallow were then in his
possession. The guard swore that no
man had had access to him afterward.
A wire netting prevented anything from
being thrown to him from the outside,
and this had been forced upward and
outward after the bars were cut.
1 The sergeant of the guard was sure
that no man had touched or even spoken
to him, except when he himself had
seen his dinner and supper handed in.
There could have been no collusion on
the part Of the sentries, for the men ON
/ No. / all through the day and night
were of the infantry, and warm friends
of Brent, who would have lost no chance
of putting bullet through the supposed
assailant in the event of his attempting
1 to escape. The blacksmith said it would
4 take several hours-at least five--to file
/ through those two bars, and the man
must have worked with the patience of
a beaver 1t was drop of only seven
feet to the ground without, for the win
dow overlooked the uphill slope back of
the guard house; and yet, as he proba-
bly, had to come through head first, that
was quite fall. The prints of his out
| spread hands were found in the dust
heap, and it looked as though he must
have lain there some moments before
stealing away.
The sentry far down by the wood
yards, No 8, stated that Just as he was
calling off and standing faced to the
east SO that his voice might carry to the
guard house. he heard sudden stumble
behind him; man tripped over log
between him and the road, then ran like
mad down toward the old station. It
was too dark to recognize who it could
be- The officer of the guard had stopped
to interrogate the sentry on reaching
his post, but Mr.. Hearn had pushed
ahead, and down at the foot Of the hill
had plainly heard horses hoofs and
the light rumble Of wheels crossing the
bridge and going at d spanking trot;
yet soldiers returning from pass, relia-
BILE men. had neither seen nor heard