News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1893-07-27
CONTINUED

side lines, lariats, picket pins and all
that sort of truckl 1t was simply bar
barous. He curbed his tongue as well
as he knew how, for plainly he saw that
his chums were mischievously exulting
over him, but any one who knew Brew
ster could see his wrath and discom-
future. The announcement was made
Just before luncheon was over. The ad-
jutant came bolting in with the order,
and shutting his ears to the chorus of
expletives.
what time did you say boots and
saddles would sound?" fiercely demanded
Randolph.
I'm quarter of an hour; so you've no
time to waste saying swear words or
asking damn fool questions. And as fer
you, Curly, you're for guard tomorrow.
Brewster finished his cup of tea in an
undignitied gulp, quitting the table and
the room in three strides. There was
just time to scurry over to Berrien's
and see her for five minutes before he
had to jump back to his quarters and
into riding boots, etc. Any pretext
would answer-the dance tonight. for
instance.
"Get my field rig ready at once and
bring my horse up here in ten minutes"
he called to his servant, slashed at his
natty uniform with a whisk broom and
bounded out of the door, only to ell
counter the man of all others he least
cared to see coming in.
"Were you just going, Brewster?
There is matter / want very much to
ask you about, and thought this the
time to catch you without fail" The
voice was that of Captain Rolfe.
81 am just going out, captain, and I'm
hurried, but if you will step in I'll be
back in ten minutes"
"Well-l, ordinarily, would not de-
tain you, and-d, pardon me, if you were
going to Major Berrien's, they are all at
luncheon. have just left there"
Brewster flushed in spite of his effort
ut control. His first impulse was to say
he was going over anyhow, if only to
leave word, but, since he could not hope
to see her, what was the use? 1t chafed
him, however, to note that Rolfe, in that
calmly superior way of his, was pressing
on into the hall, as much as to say, at
is my will that you give up what you
have in view and attend at once to my
behest," just as though Brewster were
still his second lieutenant, instead of
1exant Brewster, commanding
Tne "Black Horse" troop. 1t must be
confessed that there was about Rolfe an
intangible something that ever seemed
to give that impression to the juniors.
1t was one of the things that set their
teeth on edge, as they expressed it, and
set them against him. Feeling as he did
toward the captain and exasperated at
the way in which events seemed consplr-
ing against him, Brewster threw open
his door.
walk in, as | said, captain. Make
yourself at home. | wish to go into
Haddock's moment, and will be right
back" 1t wasn't that he had anything
to say to Haddock, but Haddock had
succeeded him as second lieutenant of
Rolfe's troop, and was no fonder of his
stern, self willed commander than Cur
ly himself had been. 1t was simply
that he would not yield moral victory
to Rolfe, and that in naming Haddock
he knew he gave at least a slight return
for the annoyance afforded him by the
captains .untimely call.
Giving no sign whatever as Brewster
sprang away down the steps the captain
passed on into the plainly furnished sit
ting room. Already McCann was busy
hauling out the ieutenant's field boots,
breaches and overcoat. whisking off the
dust and indulging in Milesian comment
as he did so. At sight of Rolfe he
abruptly ceased, hustled forward and
offered the captain a chair, and mo-
ment later bolted across the hall to per-
form similar services in overhauling
and dusting Mr.. Randolph's possessions.
Left to himself, Rolfe wearily turned
to the mantel, and without show of in
terest glanced over the various photo
graphs there displayed. They were
mainly of army friends, young fellows
in whom he felt slight interest at any
time and none at all now. So were those
in the basket on the round table. Brew
ster was popular, if one were to judge
by the array of pictures that had been
sent to him by their prototypes. Then
there was large, handsome album lying
open on the desk near the window.
Turning listlessly thither Rolfe gave a
shrug. of the shoulders, something al
most like shudder, at sight of the pho
tograph which lay uppermost, a cabinet
portrait, highly FURNISHED and finished
of an exuberant woman in evening dress
In that neighborhood everybody knew
her by. sight. He himself had received
| invitations in her hand to lunch or to
dinner He knew the writing of the
note that lay beside the album, first page
| uppermost. He would have had no eyes
| at all had he not seen the Carroll, mon
ami," with which it began. With a
shiver of disgust he whirled over page
of the album, as though to cover and
hide the beguiling face, the betraying
words, and then Brewster came bound
| ing back and in. Rolfe's hand was still
on the album as he turned to face him.
The eyes of the two men met, and
again Brewster flushed hOtly. He re-
membered that only in the morning s
mail had the large packet arrived con-
| tanning this unasked for and unexpected
addition to his portrait gallery. He had
not opened it until after court-had not
| more than glanced at the photograph
even then, beautiful as it was from an
artistic point of view. Then that note,
/ and that idiotic, semisentimental begin
ming! She had never called him Car
roll, but in certain evasive, insinuating,
in-well, we have no word for it in all
the vocabulary of the United States-in
a way he could not but see and could
not find way to object to, she had been
lately verging in that direction. 1t was,
"Now, Mr.. Carroll Brewster" or my
good friend Carroll" or "Sir Carroll,
or in some way CARROLL but here was
an out and out Carroll, the first of the
kind. A month before he might not
have flinched; now he shrank from the
mere idea of familiarity of the faintest
kind. He had been striving to cut loose
from her in every possible way, but hers
was friendship that "clung closer than
brother" and just as sure as shooting
Rolfe must have seen that Internal pic
ture, those misleading words. Brewster
read it in Rolfe's calm brown eyes, but
he would not discuss matters with him
much less stoop to explain,