Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-08-09


 nerve and pulse to throb and thrill with the glorious excitement of quick assem- ply and coming action. Aye, we are miles and miles away. We leave the dear old post, with homes and firesides, wives, children and sweethearts, all to the care of the few whom sickness or old wounds or advancing years render unfit for hard, sharp marching, and, thank God, we'll be there to take hand and help those gallant fellows out of their "corral'' or to have one good blow at the cowardly hounds who lured and lied to them!
 How the assembly" rings on the morning air! How quick they spring to the ranks, those eager bearded faces and trim blue clad forms! How buoyant and brisk even the elders seem as the cap tains speed over to their company quar- ters and the quick, stirring orders are given: Field kits; all the cooked ra- tions you have on hand; overcoat, blanket, extra socks and underclothes; every cartridge you've got; haversack and canteen and nothing else. Now get ready-lively!' How irrepressible is the cheer that goes upl How we pity the swells of the light battery who have to stayl How wistful those fellows look, and how eagerly they throng about the barracks, yearning to go, and, since that is denied, praying to be of use in some wayl Small wonder is it that all the hustle and excitement penetrates the portals of Mir. Jerrold's darkencd quar- ters, and the shutters are thrown open and his bandaged head comes forth.
 GsWbat iS S'f hn 1a1,,.,,,,ls. # light battcryman who is hurrying past.
 "Ordcrs for Colorado, sir. The regi- ment goes by special train. Major Thorn tons commands been massacred, and there's big fight ahead. "
 My God! Here, stop one moment! Run over to Company B and see if you can find my servant or Merrick or somebody. If not, you come back quick 1 want to send a note to Captain Armi tage."
 II can take it, sir. We're not going. The band and the battery have to stay.
 And Jerrold, with trembling hand and feverish haste, seats himself at the same desk whence on that fatal morning he sent the note that wrought such dis aster, and as he rises and hands his missive forth, throwing wide open the shutters as he does so, his bedroom door flies open, and whirling gust of the morning wind sweeps through from rear to front, and half score of bills and billets, letters and scraps of paper, go ballooning out upon the parade.
 By heavenv' he mutters, that's how it happened, is it? Look at them go!'' for going they were, in spiral cd dies or fiuttering skips, up the grassy quad" and over among the rose bushes of Alice Renwick's s garden. Over on the other side of the narrow, old fashioned frontier fort the men were bustling about, and their exultant, eager voices rang out on the morning air. All was life and animation, and even ill Jerrold's selfish soul there rose respon- sive echo to the soldiery spirit that seemed to pervade the whole command. It was their first summons to active field duty with prospective battle since he had joined, and with all his shortcomings as a duty officer ill garrison and his many frailties of character, Jcrrold was not the man to turk ill the rear when there was danger ahead. It dawned OH him with sudden and crushing force that now it lay i'll the power of his enc mics to do him vital injury; that he could be held here at the post like :, suspected felon, q mark for every fin ger, a target for every tongue, while cv- cry other officer of his regiment was hurrying with his men to take his knightly share ill the coming onset. II l was intOlerable, shameful. He paced the floor of his little parlor i'll nervous misery, ever and anon gazing from the window for sight of his captain. It was to him he had written. urging that he | be permitted a few moments talk. This is no time for personal misun- derstanding, he wrote. II must sec you at once. can clear away tho doubts can explain my action; but, foI heavens sake, intercede for me with | Captain Chester that I may go with tho command. v
 As luck would have it, Armitage was with Chester at the office when the let ter was handed in. He opened it, gay, whistle of surprise and simply held it forth to the temporary commander. Read that, he said.
 Chester drowned, but took the not, and looked it curiOusly over.
 II have no patience with the maI now," he said. "Of course. after wha I saw last night, begin to understand the nature of his defense, but we don want any such man in the regimen after this. Whats the use of takinl him with us:''
 That isn't the point. said Armi tage. Now or never, possibly, is tn, ! time to clear up this mystery. O 1 course Maynard will be mp to join u by the first train, and what won't it b. worth to him to have positive proof tha all his fears were unfounded:'
 Even if it wasn't Jcrrold. there i still the fact that l saw . man chamber ing out of her window How is that t. be cleared up?" said Chester gloomily.
 That may como later and won't b such bugbear as you think If you ar not worried into morbid condition over all this trouble, you would no look so seriously upon a thing which regard as a piece of mere night prowl ing. with a possible spice of romance.
 What romance. I'd like to know?"
 Never mind that now. I'm playin detective for the time being. Let III see Jerrold for you and find out wha he has to offer. Then you can decide Are you willing? All right! But re member this while think of it. Yo admit that the light you saw on tn wall Sunday night was exactly like tha which you saw the night of your advcn ture, and that the shadows were throw in the same way. You thought tha night that the light was turned up an
 afterward turned out in her room, an that it was her figure you saw at tn window. Didn't you?''
 "Yes. What then?''
 Well, I believe her statement tha she saw and heard nothing until reveillt I believe it was Mrs. Maynard who di