The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-06-26


the even ranks Of pent-up horror.
And in q moment the order came to fall hnck.
But II vas toe sadly late, The strong brick
plosion that shook thu very earth ind sent II
lingering v2cnno OF fire and fragment up Into
:. In all this timo no ono bud sccn whnplc;
GS %as on his nHnE whsH tat ,rn s
then il Is massive lgurr his cool head. AMI
strong hnnd had not been noticed. No one
dent enough. There wps terrifying strnggic
in the honr that followed the explosion. Their"
Tor tho hardy s ' Who III" iaen WIEN th
walls went down, Aud there was night ot
busy cursing struggling, failing, triumphant
effort that drove any individual from The gen
ernl thought
MINOR conra' was tho first e. recover. lls
slant connecting hnr with an" man h won
dcred whcrc she was, \ tour of the officers
quarters TAT cd To discover lie" hurried
search WAS badly rewarded.
Thcn came tho news tint tho stables had
been opened from the further sid and thnt
Of them with side snt'li". At midnight. tue
worst ,"3n- "Nrr. the company ru'nman1Grs
Snr4 e. H. r iG' t" Earnm E4a c
countH4 ioTt6 ordinar,iy he wouId havS hr. N
rMi asked Tor a mounted dotail, and gu.
lored dowA the road with u dozen mrl. \
mile, from, tn" fort they came TO fGe,h M.
regular cat OF iron hoe on tho sinrly rocks
by Nnyoloc. An huar. nmd the yhito moon
lust rising the pass ton miles 'i"m thu fo,t.
~, Dnyhrcnk showed them, y iicn,ins lnir down
there in tho taliry. settled to uL.grn running
with tho fastest horses in The dni@,in cnt, and
the grim Major ;;roUnd his teeth with tho
hopc"ssn"ss Of "vnrtaking them
rG.y sh"Gih not hnvn boon cHrturcd. Thcrr
t1rm thrrc was lh"rly h"fo.c. But y In"
worry tin," when the chase cmHd most hope:
ii t, /
nvnE rrupl" turncl his bridlr rem. de- rr' cd
nj. slender companion nna made f"r'hG hiIl-;
swerved moment ~ the saddle. Then ."
r"inGd W, licked win starinE eyes u, ~
away from hor and, turning. 'rontc' MAJOR
the ":liEeE sayT ne greeting t. h!s TistGr;
man to take her in charge. then LED his rur-
wi ncrI =, the lrye nnn I'M the hills whe'e
They plunged down cnn"r they rushed ur
slope. they followed the heavy trail of the
fugitive. never once Stacking rein. never 70! II
moment pausins by III" way.
painting horse on The very highest top OF "a"
recrcant Whirre had i;on" thcy did not know
wherS va not, MT \ f3otlrint in the AMI ,h nI
vanished, they hunted for hours Win car
hines in their hands. and with hard resolve
to Kill or cartnre this miscrcnnt who had in
onn night adj Tod arson aud kidnapping aud
basest d.scrtion TO his record.
But they did not lind him. Under n sinking
sun they returned to The valley road and came
uron thu slender girl waiting for them in
charge OF a stole soldier
Who was with you:" demanded Major Con-
rad OF his sister.
Didn't you find him ?" asked the girl: and
following the query came IL slow discovery and
n swift resolve. She would not say n word.
They took h"r bnck to camp. At shutdown they
rode alone into the dismantled. smokiny ruin.
AMI the first man thcy saw N the groups dis
cussing tho fire was Private Whirple.
lie seemed to have been at tho fort al day.
An inquiry tailed to fastcn anything upon him.
The girl closed her lips and would not speak.
She WAS packed of to the states for they could
neither compel nor punish her. Whipple
nOintcd to his rr"scnccn ut all calls. and deilcd
discipline They could not convict him.
The ruined fort was abandoned Its tum-
hlcd walls still tell tho tale OF that fire which
came in the night SO strangely. but they tell
nothing more.
And to this day no man knows how tho blaze
began. Whirpic served out his time. n dis
cred ted. mstrustcd FELLOW. avoided by his
comrades and eyed by his uiiicerS. Yet he did
his dtty n hundred lines. He never gave them
pct, on which TO hang an accusation. And
when his discharge c;tmo ho laughed at the
commanding officer. whose curse rang across
the parade SO plainly one night ut retreat.
Near where Fort Discovery, with it. ninety
tons OF ammunition. was destroyed stands tho
present Fort Wingate. and there is no remind
or OF that gha-tiy night except the mounds Of
ruin hall covered with yucca pants. or hiding
beneath til" cncrJachiu. Branches of tho
EnuriinE cpdars.