News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1893-07-20
TCONTINUED.I |

| glad to have him re-enllst, even while
wondering that he should do so. Many
| remembered how he had come to them
haggard and travel worn three years be-
fore and offered himself as recruit.
| This was far out in the mountains. His
language and manners were such that
every one knew it to be IL case of a man
whom fortune had betrayed, and who
took the shilling" as many another
| has done, somewhat as n last resort.
But before he had won his first chev-
rons the men knew well that from some
source or other Ellis was beginning to
receive good deal of money. When
Sergeant Currie was killed by that
tough in the public streets of Sheridan
City-a cold blooded and unprOvoked
murder-and Currie's wife and children
had not where to lay their heads now
that their support was gone, officers and
men ''chipped in" and bought them a
little cottage on the banks of Rapid
run, just at the edge of town.
Ellis had planked down a five dollar
| bill as his share on the subscription list,
but did not Kate Currie, the eldest child,
tell how he had come all by himself af-
terward and given her an envelope
which he babe her hand to mother from
a friend-an envelope which was found
to hold fifty dollar treasury note?
Sporting characters in the regiment who
sought to borrow from Ellis met with
cold, even curt. refusal Neither would
he ever gamble or bet with them. Neither
did he seem to care to go to town at all
when first the regiment moved into this
its most delightful station after years of
service on the distant frontier-nOt until
the order was issued permitting merito-
| riOus soldiers 80 wear civilian dress
when on pass. Then he was almost the
| first to appear on the streets of the
! bustling county seat in a neat, unobtru-
sive, but remarkably well cut and well
fitting suit, and, far better dressed than
most of the townspeople, Sergeant Ellis
| became an occasional visitor, but no one
ever heard Of his patronizing any other
establishments than the bank, the post
and express Offices and the bookstores
Captain Hazlett, calling at the post
Office one day, was surprised to find
Ellis at lock box, the key of which he
calmly placed in his waistcoat pocket
| and then as calmly raised his hat in sal
utation to his superior officer Both
were in civilian dress, both on temper
ary leave of few hours only, both,
| from the point of view of the correspon-
| dent of very enterprising paper, occu-
| pied at the moment the same social
| plane, and his allusions to 1.-The slavish
| Difference demanded by the aristocratic
commissioned force of their enlisted but
4
cussion at the fort. One or two officers
held that Ellis should have given the
military salute and no other, but the
mass of opinion was in favor of Ellis's
action; being entirely i'll civilian dress
| himself, the civilian custom should pre-
vail.
"Well, damn it," said Mr. Randolph,
that consists out here in showing ones
! hands deeper into pockets, fitting the
| cigar higher in the mouth and giving
| just half a nod" 1t was finally con-
ceded, however, that in courteously rails
ing his hat Sergeant Ellis had done about
the right thing, and that in as punctili-
ously raising his own in recognition thu
captain had fttingly and scrupulously
acknowledged the courtesy, the sneers
to the contrary Notwithstanding.
| Still no one supposed that Ellis was
going to re-enlist when his time expired
They had already begun casting about
for somebody else to place in charge of
the frehouse. But Ellis signed the
papers with ready hand, asked for and
got months furlough, with permission
| to leave the department, and was back
in two weeks ready to resume duty, his
dark face tritle paler, his heavy beard
becomingly trimmed, just three days
after Nita Guthries arrival, just three
days before she was to have gone home
Rolfe turned from the sentry and
gazed away eastward. How many a
| long mile down that beautiful valley
were the lights of the rushing train by
this time, and what meant this light so
close at hand, shining family but clear
| ly through the slowly FLASHING rain?
After one, and the sergeant still up and
reading? No, it burned too dimly for a
student lamp neither was it III the SER
geant's room. Following his thoughts,
Rolfe, wrapped in his macintosh.
| moved slowly ont to the eastern edge of
the bold bluff, passing the lirehouse ON
his way A breast-high wall of rough
stone ran diagonally over toward what
was left of the old blockhousc, once
perched on the brow of the cliff, and,
as the captain reached the point of the
| bluff. he became aware of a dim figure
standing silent and motiOnless between
| him and the southern face of the an
tiuuated work. Another man whose
thoughts were following the eastward
windings of that misty valley, was it
not? Another keeping sleepless vigil?
"Who's that?" in low tone, he sudden
ly hailed. A start, a quick turn, then
prompt advance and answer:
Sergeant Ellis, sir"
The deep collar of his overcOat was
turned up about his ears, so that the
face was well nigh hidden, but the voice
was calm and firm.
''You keep late hours, sergeant"
Not without warrant, captain"
"Your warrant might suffer, sir, if
the colonel knew you had lights at two
o'clock"
at is by his authority, sir, that one
lantern burns all night; that is the one
the captain sees.
Rolfe paused, baffled.
"Then believe | will light cigar at
your lantern he finally said, and, turn
ing, he moved away toward the low
wooden building behind him. Ellis
promptly followed, then sprang ahead
and opened the door for his superior's
entrance.
"Let me offer the captain match;
that is an oil lantern" And striking n
lucifer on the strip of sandparer he
held it forth. Rolfe missed the flame
with the end of his weed. Light came
to him, but not to his cigar Mufiled
though his face remained in the depths
of that cavalry collar, Sergeant Ellis
lips and chin were visible through the
opening in the front and in the glare OF
the little match
"When did you shave off your beard,
sergeant? | should hardly have known
you"
The lips trembled but the dark eyes,
the deep voice, were steady as ever;
| "Iast evening, SIR"