Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-07-30
FROM THE RANKS.
 By OAPTAIN CHARLES KING.
tcopyright. Is9i. by the J. B. Lippincott Col
CHAPTER TIL

had with mOtherly pride and pleasure yielded to their constant importunities and shown to one party after another an album of graphs-hkenesses of her only daughter. There were little cartes de yisite representing her in long dresses and baby caps; quaint little pictures of a chubby faced, chubby legged infant a few months older; charming studies of a little girl with great black eyes and delicate features; then of tall, slender slip of a maiden, decidedly foreign look ing; then of a sweet and pensiye face, with great dark eyes, long, beautiful curling flashes and very heavy, low archcd brOws, exquisitely nodded mouth and chin and most luxuriant dark hair; then others, still older, in every variety of dress, even in fancy costume, such as the girl had worn at fair or masquerade.
 These and others still had Mrs. May nard shown them, with repressed pride and pleasure, and with sweet acknowl- edgment of their enthusiastic praises. Alice still tarried in the east, visiting relatives whom she had not seen since her fathers death three years earlier, and long before she came to join her mother at Sibley and to enter upon the life she so eagerly looked forward to- ''way out in the west, you know, with officers and soldiers and the band and buffalo and Indians all around you''- there was not an officer or an officers wife who had not delightedly examined that album. There was still another picture, but that one had been shown to only chosen few just one week after her daughters arrival, and rather an absurd scene had occurred, in which that most estimable officer, Lieutenant Sloat, had figured as the hero. A more simple minded, we'll intentioned fellow than Sloat there did not live. He was so full of kindness and good nature and readiness to do anything for anybody that 1t never seemed to occur to him that everybody on earth was not just as ready to be equally accommodating. He was a perpetual source of delight to the colonel and one of the most loyal and devoted of subalterns, despite the fact that his locks were long silvered with the frosts of years and that he had fought through the war of the rebellion and risen to the rank of a field officer in Maynard's old brigade. The most tenn perate of men ordinarily, the colonel had one anniversary he loved to cele- bratc, and Sloat was his standby when the 3d of July came round, just as he had been at his shoulder at that supreme moment when, needless of the fearful sweep of shell and canister through their shattered ranks, Pickett's heroic Nirginians breasted the slope of Ceme- tcry Hill and surged over the low stone wall into Cushing's guns Hard, stub born fighting had Maynard's men to do that day, and for serene courage and determination no man had beaten Sloat
 Both officers had bullet hole mementos to carry from that field, both had won their brevets for conspicuous gallaDtry, and SlOat was a happy and grateful man when, years afterward, his old command CT secured him a hcutenancy ill the regular service. He was the colonel's henchn:ln, although he never had brains enough to win place on the regimental staff, and when Mrs. Maynard came he overwhelmed her with cumbrous com plimcnts and inccSsant calls. He was, to his confident belief, her chosen and accepted knight for full two days after her arrival. Then Jcrrold came back from q brief absence, and as in duty bound went to pay his respects to his colOncl's wife, and that night there had been a singular scene. Mrs. Maynard had stopped suddenly in her laughing chat with two ladies, had started from her seat, wildly staring at the tall, slender subaltcrn who entered the gate way, and then fell back in her chair, fairly swoOning as he made his bow.
 SlOat had rushed into the house to call the colonel and get some water, while JCrrOld stood paralyZed at so strange a reception of his first call. Mrs. Maynard revived presently, explained that it was her heart, or the heat, or something, and the ladies on their way home decided that it was possibly the heart, it was certainly not the heat, it was unques- tiOnably something, and that something was Jerrold, for she never took her eyes off him during the entire evening and seemed unable to shaFe off the fascina- tion. Next day Jcrrold dined there, and from that time on he was a daily visitor. Every one noted Mrs. Maynard's strong interest in him, but no one could ac- count for it. She was old enough to be his mother, said the garrison, but not until Alice Renwick came did another consideration appear. He was singularly like the daughter. Both were tall, 1.-the, slender. Both had dark, lustrous eyes; dark, though almost perfect, skin, ex- quisitely chiseled features and slender, shapely hands and feet. Alice was 'tthe picture of her father" said Mrs May nard, and MT. Renwick had lived all his life in New York, while MT. Jerrold was of an old southern family and his mother a Cuban beauty who was the toast of the New Orleans clubs not many years Before the war.
 Poor Sloatl He did not fancy Jerrold and was as jealous as so unselfish a mortal could be of the immediate as cendancy the young fellow established in the colonel's household It was bad enough before Alice joined them. After that it was we'll nigh unbearable- Then came the 3d of July dinner and the colonel's one annual jollification Nc man ever heard of Sloat's being intoxi- cated He rarely drank at all, but this evening the "reminiscences of the day, the generous wine, the unaccustomed elegance of all his surroundings, due tc Mrs Maynard taste and supervision, and the influence of Alice Renwick'. exquisite beauty had fairly carried hin away.
 They were chatting in the parlor while Miss Renwick was entertaining some young lady friends from town ant listening to the band on the parade Sloat was expatiating on her grace ant beauty and going over the album fo
 the twentieth time when the colonel
 with a twinkling eye. remarked to Mrs
 Maynard:
 II think you ought to show Majo
 By act of congress officers may be ad
 dressed by the title of the highest ranl
 held by them in the volunteer servic
 during the war. The colonel alway