Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-08-03
FROM THE RANKS.
By CAPTAIN CHARLES KING.
Copyright. Is9i. by the J. B. Lippincott Col
CHAPTER VIII.

from the railway station to the hotel at Lake Sablon Two of them were wom- en of mature years, whose dress and bearing betokened lives of ease and con- fort Another was a lovely brunette of less than 20, the daughter evidently of one of these ladies, and an object of loving pride to both. These three seemed at home ill their surroundings and were absorbed in the packet of let ters and papers they had just received at the station. It was evident that they were not new arrivals, as were the oth CT passengers, who studied them with the half envious feelings with which newcomers at a summer resort are apt to regard those who seem to have been long established there, and who gather ed from the scraps of conversation that they had merely been over to say good by to friends leaving on the very train which brought ill the rest of what we good Americans term the busload. |" There were women among the newly I arrived who inspected the dark girl with that calm, unfiinching, imperti- nent scrutiny and half audibly whispered | comment which, had they been of the | opposite sex, would have warranted their being kicked out of the conveyance, but which was ignored by the fair object and her friends as completely as were | the commentators themselves. There were one or two men in the omnibus who might readily have been forgiven an admiring glance or two at so bright n vision of girlish beauty as was Miss Renwick this August afternoon, and they had looked, but the one who most attracted the notice of Mrs. Maynard and Aunt Grace-a tall, stalwart, distin- guished looking party in gray travelling dress-had taken his seat close to the door and was deep in the mornings pa- per before they were fairly away from the station.
 Laying down the letter she had just finished reading, Mrs. Maynard glanced at her daughter, who was still engaged in one of her own, and evidently with deep interest.
 From Fort Sibley, Alice?''
 ''YcS, mamma. all three-Miss Cra- ven, Mrs. HOyt and - MT. Jerrold. Would yOu like to see it?'' And, with rising color, she held forth the one in her hand
 Not nOw," was the answer, with q smile that told of confidence and grati- fication both. Ut is about the german, 1 suppOsc:"
 'Yes- He thinks it outrageous that we should not be there-says it is to be the prettiest ever given at the fort, and that Mrs Hoyt and Mrs Craven, who are the managers for the ladies, had asked him to lead. He wants to know if We cannot possibly come.' k I should be-" said Aunt Grace, with sympathetic interest.
 .'Ycs, am, answered Miss Renwick reficctively. Tt had been arranged that it should come off next week, when, as was supposed, we would be home after this visit. It cannot be postponed, of course, because it is given ill honor of all the officers who arc gathered there | for the rifle competition, and that will De all over and done with today, and they cannot stay beyond Tuesday next | We must give it up. auntie, " and she l looked up smilinGly, and you have made it so lovely for me here that can ,lO it without a sigh. Think of that an army german-and Fanny Craven avs the favors are to be simply lovely. Yes. did want to go, but papa said he felt unequal to it the moment he got back from Chicago, day before yester- day, and he certainly does not look at I'll well. So that ended it, and wrote 1t once to Mrs. HOyt. This is her an- swer now.
 What does she saw"
 ''Oh, it is very kind of her. She wants me to come and be her guest if I .g,. mamma will not leave him. She says | NIT. HOyt will come down and escort me But would not like to go without mamma, and the big dark eyes looked mp wistfully, land know she does not care to urge papa when he seems so in. disposed to gGing.'
 Mrs. Maynard's eyes were anxiou: and troubled now. She turned to hel sister in law:
 Do you think he seems any better; Grace? I do not.
 Tt is hard to say. He was so nerv ously anxious to get away to see th' general the very day you arrived herr that there was not a moment ill whicl I could ask him about himself, and sine his return he has avoided all mention of it beyond saving it Is nothing bu indigestion and he would be all right il q few days. I never knew him to suffe in that way in my life. Is there an! regimental matter that can be troubling him:' she asked in Q lower tone.
 Nothing of any consequence what ever. Of course the officers feel cha grincd over their defeat in the riff
 match They had expected to stan, very high, but Mir Jerrold's shootin
 was unexpectedly below the average and it threw their team behind Blu the colonel didn't make the faintest al fusion to it That hasn't worried hin . anywhere near as much as it has tn others, should judge"
 ' "I do not thiRk it was all MT. Jer , rold's fault, mamma" said Miss Ren
 wick, with gentle reproach and a yer , becoming flash. ''I'm going to stan } up for him, because I think they al
 blame him for other mems poor work
 He was not the only one on our tear
 whose shooting was below forme !, scores
 They claim that none fell so far be
 low their expectations as he, Alice
 You know am no judge of such mat
 ters, but MT. Hoyt and Captain Ora
 both write the colonel that MT. Jerrol = had been taking no care of himseI
 whatever and was entirely out of form,
 Tn any event, I'm glad the cavalr
 did no better" was Miss Renwick
 loyal response. "You remember tt
 evening we rode out to the range, an
 Captain Gray said that there was tt ]. man who would win the first prize frol - Mir Jerrold-that tall cavalry sergeal
 who tainted away-Sergeant McLeo' Don't you remember, mother? Vel
 he did not even get 0 place, and M ,. Jerrold beat him easily"
 o Something in her mother eyes war
 ed her to be guarded, and in that ind