Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-08-13
FROM THE RANKS.
By CAPTAIg CHARLES KING.
tCOpyriehr. Is9.. by the J. B. LippincOtt Col
CHAPTER XIX.

! ceiyed in action with hostile Indians would soon expire, and the question was, should he ask an extension, apply for a discharge or go back and rejoin his troop: It was n matter on which Mrs. Maynard should naturally be per mitted first choice, and to her wish there was every reason for according deep and tender consideration. No words can tell of the rapture of that re- union with her long lost son. It was a scene over which the colonel could nev cr ponder without deep emotion. The tclcgrams and letters by which he care fully prepared her for Frederick's com ing were all insufficient. She knew well that her boy must have greatly changed and maturCd, but when this tall, bronZ- cd, bearded, stalwart man sprang from 1 the old red omnibus and threw his one serviccablc arm around her trembling form the mother was utterly overcome Alice left them alone together full 1 hour before even she intruded, and lit tie by little, as the days went by and Mrs. Maynard realized that it was really her Fred who was whiStling about the | cottage or booming trooper songs in his great basSo profundo and glurying in his regiment and the cavalry life he had led, n wonderful content and joy shone in | her handsome face. It was not until the colonel announced that it was about time for them to think of going back to Sihlcv that the cloud came. Fred said he couldn't go.
 In fact, the colonel himself had been worrying q little over il. As Fred Rem l wick, the tall, distinguished young man | ill civilian costume, he would be wei come anywhere; but, though his garb | was that of the sovereign citizen so long as his furlough lasted, there were but | two weeks more of it left, and officially | he was nothing more nor less than Ser gcant Mcleod, Troop B, --th cavalry, and there was no preCcdtnt for n colo | ncl's entertaining as an hOnorrd guest | and SOCial equal one of the enlisted men of the army. He rather hoped that Fred would yield tn his mothers cntrcatiCs and apply for a discharge. His wound and the latent trouble with his heart would probably render II an easy mat ter to obtain. and vet he was ashamed of himself for the feeling.
 Then there w;iS Alice. It was hardly to la supposed that 90 very high bred a young woman would relish the idea of being sccn around Fort Siblcy on the arm of her brother, the sergeant; but, wonderful to T, late. Miss Alice took n radically different view Of the whole situation. So far from wishing Fred out of the army. she impOrtuned him day after day until he got out his best uniform, with its rCsplendent chcvrons
 
 low helmet cords, though they were but humble wOrstCd. and when he came forth in that dress, with the bronze med al on his left breast and the sharpshOot- CTS silver cross, his tall, athletic figure showing to such advantage, his dark, southern, manly features SD enhanced by contrast with his yellow facinGs. she clapp,'d her hands with q cry of delight and Spr.lng into his one available arm and throw her own about his neck and kissed him again and again.
 Even mamma had to admit he looked a~tuni<himEly we'll but Alice declared l Sh,. would never thereafter he rCCunCil- | ed to seeing him i'll anything but a cav airy uniform. The colonel found her not at all of her mothers way of think ing. She saw no reason why Fred should leave the service. Other sergeants had won their commissions every year. Why not he: Even if 1t were some time ill coming. was there shame or degradation in being n cavalry sergeant: Not bit of it! Fred himself was loath to quit. He was getting little homesiCk. too homcsiCk for the boundless life and space and air of the broad frontier, homt$ick for the rapid movement and vigorous hours ill the saddle and on the scout His arm was healing and such q deli, -,ht of letter had come from his captain, telling him that the adjutant had just been tO SCe him about the new staff uf the regiment. The gallant ser geanr major, q young Prussian of mark cd ability. had been killed carly in tho campaign. The vacancy must soon be filled, and the colonel and the adjutant both thought at once of Sergeant Me Le,1d- 1T won't stand i'll your way, ser gCant," wrote his troop commander, but you know that old Ryan Is to bt discharged at the end of his sixth en liStmcnt, the 10th of next month. Thcr, is no man I would sooner see in hi: place aS first sergeant of my troop thar yourself. and hate to lose you. But as it will bc for the gain and the gooC of the whole regiment. you ought to accept the adjutant's offer. All the mer rcjoicc tn hear you are recovering sC fast, and all will be glad to see Sergeant McLcud back again.
 Even Mrs Maynard could not bu SEC tn, pride and comfort this lctte gave her son. Her own longing was t' have him established ill some busines in the east, but ho said frankly he hao no taste for it and would only pine fo the old life in the saddle There wor, other reasons, too, said he. why he fel that he could not go back to New York and his voice trcmbled, and Mrs May nard said no more. It was the sole allu sion he had made to the old. old sor was incomplete
 The colonel and the doctor at sible. believed that Fred could bc carried pas the medical board by little manage rncnt, and everything began to look a though he would have his way. Al they wcrc waiting for, said the colonel was to hear from Armitage- He wa still at Fort Russell with the headquar tcrs and several troops of the -t
 cavalry His wound was too severe fO him tO travel farther for weeks to cOms
 but he could write, and he had bee
 consulted They were sitting under tn
 brad piazza at Sablon. looking out a
 thr lovely. placid lake and talking
 over among themselves
 II have always leaned on Armitag '. ever since I first came to the regimen
 and found him adjutant, " said the colo |, ncl II always found his judgmen clear. but sincc our last experience
 have begun to look upon him as infalli . ble ''
 o Alice Renwick's face took on a foo