Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-01-23

Her name was Evelyn Sa1nton. and thought
it almost pretty as herself OF course. from
the first moment that 1 saw her. which was
about fifteen minutes after nv arrival she was
the most interesting person on the post to me.
rather expected that she would be III state of be-
reavement for some absent warrior and that
should have no chance at all, bat l seemed to
make very happy impression. PERHAPS it
was because i was an entirely new kind of man
10 the young woman. whose experiences had
been exclusively among the military. At all
events my rivals were out of sight and seemed
to share the proverbial fate of the absent l
enjoyed an amount of Miss Sainton's society
which L should not have thought practicable
except under the most primitive conditions of
society. L began to believe in Daisy Miller
whom had scnffed at as an apocryphal type
after my experience with the maidens Of
New York and Newport. Most Of nv mornings
were passed on Miss Sainton's piazza, reclin-
ing in a hammock. She sesmed to have no
women friends and CASUALLY alluded to the
other ladies of the post as ''old CATS One of
these same ladies cOnfided to me with tears
in her ewes that she had tried to be a Christian
mother to that poor orphan child but her adj
vances had been received in n manner TO pre-
ciude their repetition. Miss Sainton regularly
invited me to partake OF luncheon and dinner
with her. an eigLt-year-old brother being the
only other member of the family, but / lnva-
riably declined. had a sterner realization of
the outraged sense OF prOpriety in the Chris
tan mothers Eext door than my would be
hostess and. at great personal sacrifice betook
myself three times day to the slIanty OF a
Chinaman. who presided over what was known
as the Bachelors mess. The pay master and his
clerk. who was also his son. were being enter
tanned IN the matter of meals by the lame in
!antry captain. So the contract surgeon was
my only companion at the mess. Poor young
man! He was Consumed with a hopeless pas
sion for Miss SaintOn. who treated him with
open scorn. He had the very largest ears |
p Wei hRy sx4s. rtx.l&
to his bead and the upper cartilaginous part of
them was remarkably thin. During dinner he
used to SIT with his unconscious back turned to
anopen western door. and the setting sun sbone
through those ears with a peculiar radiance.
AT that season the afternoons at Fort William
were spent by every human being in his bath
tub. Ny striker, who one of the paymas-
ter s guard. had orders to while awav his morn
ing hours In securing line specimens of taran-
tulas, centlpedes aud scorpions and ii he was
successful Miss Sainton and would diversity
the evenings by watching o three-cornered
tight between these reptiles in box with a
glass cover. This | considered to be a HARM
less If not distinctly moral amusement and
WAS surprised that 1t called down a severer rep
rotation from the neighbors than some. TO me-
more unhallowed practices. Il heard murmurs
OF cruelty ana cock fights One escapade l
did enter into against my conscience, and that
vas an evening expedition to the neighboriug
town OF Lake. This was a mining village ex-
cluslvely Inhabited by the worst class of min
ers, gamblers and cowboys. Shooting out
each others lights was the most pacific
diversion which engaged the denizens
of Lake and vendetta murders anc
lynchlnSs were the exclusive TOPICS
OF conversation at the saloons which prin-
cipaliy composed the town. There was a small
drug store. which had bravely set up q soda
| water fountain few weeks before, ostensibly
| III the cause of temperance. but after most OF
| rs faucets and al OF ITS superfuous ornaments
| had been playfully removed by bullets the
proprietors views on the liquor question had
| notified sufficiently for the inocuous sirups to
\ be replaced by the usual beverages.
| The soda water fountain WAS the objective
point of Miss Saintons excursion. l lad not
visited Lake myself and only came into poses
sion OF these interesting particulars about ii
| later. or l should have refused to share her
/ adventures he hrst OF our experiences was the
i meeting with three very drunken soldiers one OF
| whom my companion promptly recognized as
| the striker, or soldier servant. attached to her
| own household. She a Young woman of sin
/ gularly simple and direct methods Of though,
and actlon-or SO 1t seemed to me-and il was
/ with difficulty that restrained her from stop
ping the trio in the road to remonstra.e with
/ Riley on his condition. One peep into the
| interior OF the drug store, where fair mum.
Der of the representative citizens Of Lake
were assembled, was sufficient to discourage
any further desire for adventure on the par;
| OF my intrepid little friend. She arrived
at the post in tears. after having heard hei
| personal appearance freely commented upon
in IL manner chiefly complimentary, to be sure
but in terms not sGited to polite feminine ears
| These episodes during our retreat we're so fire.
| quent that / was forced toabanGon my declared
| intention 20 return and chastise such imper
thence. l was hardly prepared to clean GU
the town" single-handed, and my own peculiar
tiles as a tenderfoot mad called down much un
kind criticism
| However, on the strength OF our mutual ad
ventures. kissed Miss Sainton goodnight tina
| night for the first time. and, AS il turned out
for the last time, for the next morning til,
| paymasrer received u telegram saying that thu
road was safe and the troops at Fort Noun
| tain ciamorous for their pay.
have not yet mentioned what proved to b
the vital point in my little story, which wa
| the circumstance that Col SaInton kept a tele
graph instrument in his house. OF course hi,
daughter. with her uneasy energy had lon,
ago mastered the alphabet and ured the in
strument constantly and frivoiousiy Tn,
lieutenant 10 whose quarters had fallen hei
had educated and equipped himself TO keep he
IN praetiee, and was often arrested at unex
pected hours-snatched from the bath tub O
the bed-by the irsistent little click which n
tirst meant nothing to me, but which, after
course Of instruction from Miss Santon. bees,
4 To mako a0raenhla Oh .