The Redwood gazette., 1894-01-11

and stripes " he had made under tie
stars and bars. And % he was enlisted,
and to the surprise Of everybody hadn I
taken drop since.
Now this, said the rank and file, was
proof positive Of something radically
wrong, either in his disposition or his
record. It was entirely comprehensive
and fully in accordance with human
nature and the merits Of the case that a
man should quit drinking when he quit
the army, but that q man with the blot
Of an occasional spree on his escutcheon
should enlist for any other cause than
sheer desperation and should then be-
come teetotaler was nothing short of
| prima facie evidence of moral deprav-
ity.
There's something behind it all, fell
lers, = said Corporal Murphy, and
mean to Keep an eye on him from this
out. If he dom dhrink next payday,
look out for him. He's a professional
gambler laying for your hard earned
greenbacks.
And SO while the seniors among the
sergeants were Lecolning gradually the
associates. if not the intimates, of this
fine looking trooper, the mass of the
regiment. CT rather the little detach-
ment thereof stationed at Lowell, looked
upon Bland with the eye of suspicion
There was one sergeant who repudiated
him entirely, and who openly professed
his disbelief in Bland's account of
himself, and that was Feeny. He
may have testimonials from all Texas, -
said he hotly, "but I've no use for that
sort of credentials. Who can vouch
for his goings and comings hereabouts
before he joined us? think Murphy's
right, and if was stationed at Lowell
and belonged to his troop you bet I'd
watch him close.
have been hard matter to find a SOL
der in whose favor appearances were
so unanimously allied. Tall. erect.
sinewy and active. he rode or walked
with an easy grace that none could fail
to mark. His features were fine and
clear cut; his eyes dark hazel. with
heavy curling lashes and bushy. low
arched brows; his complexion, naturally
dark, was bronzed by sun and sand
storm to hue almost Mexican. He
shaved clean all but the heavy mus
tache that dropped over his firm lips,
and the sprinkling of gray about the
brows, temples and 1nustache was
most becoming to his peculiar style.
One prominent mark had he which
the descriptive book of his company
referred to simply as ''saber scar on
right jaw but it deserved mention
more extended, for the whitish streak
ran like a groove from just below the
ear tip to the angle of the square, reso-
lutte chin. It looked as though in some
desperate fray mad sweep had been
made with vengeful blade straight for
the jugular, and, just missing that,
had laid open the jaw for full four
inches.
But" said Feeny, ''what could he
have been doing, and in what position
could he have been, sitting or standing,
to get saber stroke like that? Where
was his guard? A bowie knife, now
and there the suggestion ended.
But it was the SCARED side Of Bland's
soldierly face that young Lieutenant
Drummond was so closely studying as
they rode out into the starlit Arizona
night. He, too, had heard the camp
chat about this apparently frank, open
hearted trooper, and had found himself
more than once speculating as to his
real past, not the past of his imagina-
tion or Of his easy ofhand description.
By this time, in perfect silence save for
the occasional clink of canteen, the
gurgle of imprisoned water, or, once in
while, the click of ironshod hoof, the
troop was marching in shadowy col
umn of twos we'll out beyond the falda
and over the almost dead level of the
plain. Far ahead the beacon still
blazed brightly and beckoned them on
It was time for precaution.
Sergeant, said Drummond, ''send
corporal and four men forward. Let
them spread out across the front and
keep 800 Or 400 yards ahead of us.
Better take those with the freshest
horses, as want them to scout thor
oughly and to be on the alert for the
faintest sound. Any Of our men who
know this valley well?'
None better than Bland here, sir, -
was the half hesitant reply.
"W-e-l-l, I need Bland just now.
Put some of the old hands and older
heads on, and don't let anything escape
their notice.
''Beg pardon, lieutenant, but what's
to be the line of direction? When we
started it was understood that we were
to take the shortest cut for Ceralvo's,
and now we're heading for the Pi-
cacho."
''No, we make for the pass first;
that's the quickest way to reach the
signal station, then we learn where to
strike for the Indians. Did you ever
hear of their being as far west as the
Maricopa range before?''
sNever, sir, in the whole time we've
been here, and since the lieutenant
Joined they've never been heard of
crossing the Santa Maria valley"
"What on earth could tempt them
e A. =