The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-02-15
CHAPTER L.

IDSfl-SIdGllcB.
It must have been nearly midnight.
The lights in the barracks and at the
old hospital beyond had long since been
extinguished, and only here and there
along the row Of officers quarters and at
the guard house, suggestively planted
half way down the slope toward the post
traders store, was there sign of wakeful
life. One or two upper windows gave
forth feeble CLEAN, and there was quite
a iovial glow pouring from the open
doorway of the colonel's big house across
the dark rectangle. 1t fell upon the tall
white flagstaff and displayed it from
base to crosstrees, a solitary, ghost like
shaft, and then, with gradually dimin-
fishing power, illumined the graveled
pathway that bisected the parade and
led from the broad flight of steps in front
of the commanding officers to the ma
jor's on the southern side. Overhead
the stars were glittering in an absolutely
cloudless sky. Not breath of air was
stirring the forest down in the black
depths of the valley to the south. Soft
ened by distance. the rush of the river
over its rocky bed fell upon the ear like
soothing lullaby.
Ten minutes earlier the sound of sill
very laughter and CHEEKY voices had
come floating across the garrison, and
half a dozen little groups had strolled
away from the coloneTs gate, some turn
ing to right and left, others crossing in
the broad stream of light from his open
portals. One by one the doors of the
various quarters had opened to admit
their occupants, few lingering good
nights had been exchanged between gal
liant young bachelors and some dainty
dorm enwrapped in fleecy burnous, and
then even those night owls 1.-THE young
sters" had betaken themselves to their
domiciles. One after another doors were
closed, lights popped up in the second
floor windows, curtains were drawn, the
lights enshrouded, and finally silence
as of solitude spread its mantle over the
parade, and the corporal of the guard,
leaning against the gate post at the
southwestern entrance, bethOught him
how expressive was the sign the Indians
made for night.
He was of medium height, but an ath-
letic. well built young fellow, as any one
might have seen as the corporal stood
under the big lamp at the guardhouse
but few moments before. He had a
handsome, clear cut face, with good
deal of soldier bronze about the cheeks
and jaws; he wore his natty undresS
uniform with an easy grace, and carried
the long Springfield as though it were {
toy. The crossed rifles on his forage
cap, the buckle of his cartridge belt
even the copper cartridges themselves
cleaned in the lamplight. The chev
rons on his sleeve, the narrow strip
along the seam Of his trousers, the Der
lin gloves he wore, were all spotlessly
white, and Corp, Brent was what thu
men were wont to call "a dandy Jack,
though there was not man In the trool
barracks at the western end of the pa
rade who cared more than once to- pu
on the gloves with the dandy" Bren
had speedily demonstrated the fact tha
he could outspar any man in the cavalr,
portion of the garrison, and that onl.
Sergt. Connors, of c company, was abb
10 beat him in a bout.
In the little battalion of infantr,
Brent was popular man; so, too, hat
he been in the cavalry command that re
Gently occupied the post: but these fel
lows of the Eleventh. who had but late
" marched in. seemed rather slow t.
discover his many good traits. Yer,
possibly they did not like the apparen
ease with which he had defeated tn
champions they had so confidently sen
against him. Still it was good natured
not vindictive, sort of jealousy-tha
soldierly rivalry between the two corp
that seems irrepressible and that reall
does no great harm-and Brent had be
gun to win friends among the troopers
who liked the frank, laughing way h
had. when an order was suddenly issue
by the new post commander, the Ell
forcement of which stirred up a row.
AS the last visitor left the colonel
gate and he closed his door, thereb
shutting out the broad CLEAN that, a
most like that of the headlight of loco
motive, had shot athwart the parade
Corp Brent was bordering over this yer
matter.
Col. Morris was q man who hated il
regularity of any kind, and as the gras
began to sprout in the spring he note
that it failed to grow along what wa
evidently a short cut between the soutl
west gate, the way to town and the il
fantry barracks at the eastern end. TIL
former post commander. a cavalryma
like himself, had not paid much after
ton to this sort of thing, and the il
fantry had grown to look upon the sho,
cut as sort of tkoroughfare sacred |
their uses; no officer ever had occasio
to go that way. When, therefore, IL
beaten pathway was plowed up and +
sodded, and an order was issued that Il
men must conhne themselves to Il
gravel path or roadway there were ju
few old foot soldiers who saw fit
grumble, and some Of them, returni1
late at night from a visit on pass to Il
neighboring town, made sarcastic all
sions to the new order as they trudg,
homeward under the windows of t
officers quarters on the south side.
Others still, trusting to darkness al
theory that all officers should be alb
at that hour, proceeded to wear a parall
path; and these two transgressions /
ing occasionally repeated and the ofic