The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1894-05-02

hear from your mother, Wing??"
Nothing new. Bless the dear old
lady! You should have seen her hap
piness in Harvey. She could hardly
bear to let the little fellow out Of her
arms, and how she cried and clung to
him when we parted at the Oakland
wharf Poor little motherl She has
never given up the hope Of seeing that
s~capegrace of an uncle of mine again
elias she ever heard how he tried to
murder his nephew?" queries Drum
mond grimly.
Never. Nor have we the faintest
trace Of him since the break up Of the
old Morales gang at Fronteras. They
went all to pieces after their encounter
with you and G TROOP. What a chain
of disastersl Lost their leaders and
three Of their best men, lost their rem
devious at Moreno's, lost horses and
mules-for what our men didn't get
the Apacbes did-and won absolutely
nothing except the "a hour possession
Of a safe they hadn't time to open.
Whereas 1 got my commission and my
wife; Feeny, honorable wounds and
mention and the chevrons of a first SER
geant; Costigan got his sergeant's
stripes and the medal of honor, Murphy
his ~sergeantcy, Walsh andLatham med
ais and corporalships, and the only fell
low who didn't get q blessed thing but
scars was the commanding lieutenant
your worthy self-thanks to wiseacres
at Washington who say Indian fighting
isn't war"
Didn't I get a letter Of thanks from
the department commander" grins
Drummond. What else could I ex-
pect?"
"What else::" is Wings impulsive
rejoinder. Then, as though mindful
Of some admonition, quietlng at once
and speaking in tone less suggestive,
"Well, in your case / suppose you can
be content with nothing, but bless me
if I could" Then, suddenly rising and
respectfully touching his weather beat
en- hat, he salutes a stoutly built, SOL
dierly looking man IN rough scouting
dress, whose only badge Of rank is the
furnished shoulder strap with the sill
yer leaf on the shabbiest old fatigue
coat to be found in the battalion, most
of whose members. however, wear no
coat at all.
"Hullo, Wing-didn't mean to dis
turb your siesta-Drummond here?"
says the commander in his ofhand
way, and at sound of the well known
voice Drummond, too, is on his feet in
a twinkling.
"Seen the papers that came in to-
day." queries the colonel, o~blite1ating
from his sentences all verbal superfui-
ties.
mot yet. sir; any news?"
HI to pay in Chicago, 80 far as
heard from. The railway strike has
taken firm hold there. Police and mi
litia both seem unable to do anything
against the mob, and the authorities
are stampeded. Your home, isn't it,"
..It was once, sir, but that was many
a long year ago."
"W-e-ell," says the colonel reflect
lively, stroking his grizzled beard, Its
my belief there is worse to come. It
isn't the striking railway hands that
will do the mischief, but every time
there's a strike all the thieves and
thugs and blackguards in the commu-
nifty turn out. That's what happened
in Pittsburg-that's what's the matter
in Chicago. It looks to me as though
the plea for regular troops would have
to be granted"
think we can get there, sir?'' asks
Wing eagerly.
"Can'tsay. We're supposed to have
our hands full covering this section Of
Nebraska, though I haven't heard of a
hostile Sioux this summer. Besides,
they have full regiments Of infantry at
Omaha and along the lakes. Doesn't
Mrs. Wing say anything about the
trouble"
..Her letter is four days old, sir, and
only says her father looks upon the sit
uation as one Of much gravity, but
women rarely see troubles Of this kind
until they come to their DOORS"
"Well, this is The Times of two days
ago. It reached Sidney at, breakfast
time this morning, and Hatton brought
two or three copies out when he came
with the mail. Thought you two might
be interested" And with that the
colonel goes strolling along down the
bank of the stream, pausing here and
there to chat with some officers or give
some order relative to the grazing Of
the horses-one Of his especial "fads."
And this evening, just as the sun dis
appears over the low bluff lying to the
west and the horses are being picketed
for the night, while from a score of cook
fires the appetizing SAVIOR Of antelope
steak and the aroma of soldier coffee
rise upon the air, a little dust cloud
sweeps out from the ravine into which
disappears the Sidney road and comes
floating out across the prairie. Keen
eyed troopers quickly note the speed
with which it travels toward them.