Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-08-01

SeTNeu.
 As has been said, Captain Chester had decided before o'clock that but one course lay open to him in the matter as now developed. Had Armitage been there he would have had an adviser, but there was no other man whose counsel he cared to seek Old Captain Gray was as bitter against Jerrold as Chester him. self and with even better reason, for he knew well the cause of his little daugh- ter's istless manner and fearful eyes She had been all radiance and joy at the idea of coming to Sibley and being near the great cities, but not one happy look had he seen in her sweet and wistful face since the day of her arrival. Will ton, too, was another captain who dis liked Jerrold, and Chester's rugged sense of fair play told him that it was not among the enemies of the young officer that he should now seek advice, but that if he had a friend among the older and wiser heads in the regiment it was due to him that that older and wis CT head be given a chance to think 6 lit tie for Jerrold's sake And there was not one among the seniors whom he could call upon As he ran over their names Chester for the first time realized that his ex-subaltern had not n friend among the captains and sfnior officers now on duty at the fort. His indiffer- ence to duties, his airy foIpishness. his conceit and self sufficiency, had all serv- ed to create a feeling against him, and this had been intensified by his conduct since coming to Sibley. The youngsters still kept up jovial relations with and professed to like him, but among the seniors there were many men who had only a nod for him on meeting Wilton had epitomized the situation by saying he "had no use for a masher," " and poor old Gray had one day scowl- sional beauty.'
 In view Uf all this feeling, Chester wopld gladly have found some man to counsel further delay, but there was none. He felt that he must inform the colonel at once of the fact that MT. ter rold was absent from his quarters at the time of the firing, of his belief that it was Jerrold who struck him and sped past the sentry in the dark, md of his officer was called to account for his strange conduct the better. As to the episodes of the ladder, the lights and the form at the dormcr window, he meant, for the present at least, to lock them in his heart.
 But he forgot that others, too, must have heard those shots, and that others, too, would be making inquiries.
 CHAPTER VI
 A lovely morning it was that beamed on Sibley and the broad and beautiful valley of the Cloudwater when once the sun got fairly above the moist horizon. Mist and vapor and heavy cloud all seemed swallowed up in the gathering, glowing warmth, as though the king of day had risen athirst and drained the welcoming cup of nature. It must have rained at least a little during the dark ness of the night, for dew there could have been none with skies so heavily overcast, and yet the short, smooth turf on the parade, the leaves upon the little shade trees around the quadrangle and all the beautiful vines here on the trel liswork of the colonel's veranda shone and sparkled in the radiant light. The roses in the little garden and the old fashioned morning glory vines over at the east side were all aglitter in the flooding sunshine when the bugler came out from glance at the clock in the adjutant's office and sounded "sicls call" to the indifferent ear of the garri- son.
 Once each day at 7:3O q. m. the doc tor trudged across to the hospital and looked over the half dozen "hopelessly l,,t wanted to get off guard duty or a morn ing at the range. Thanks to the search ing examination to which every soldier must be subjected before he can enter | the service of Uncle Sam and to the dis ciplined order of the lives of the men at Sibley, maladies of any serious nature were almost unknown. It was n glori- ously healthy post, as everybody admit | ted, and, to judge from the specimen of | young womanhood that came singing "blithe and low" out among the roses this same joyous morning, exuberant well being was not restricted to the men. A fairer picture never did dark beau | ty present than Alice Renwick as she bent among the bushes or reached high among the vines in search of her favor ite fiowers-tall, slender, willowy, yet with exquisitely rounded form; slim, dainty little hands and feet; graceful arms and wrists, all revealed in the flowing sleeves of her snowy, weblike gown, fitting her and displaying her sinuous grace of form ns gowns so sel. dom do today. And then her face-a glorious picture of rich, ripe, tropical beauty. with its great soulful, sunlit eyes. heavily shaded though they were with those wondrous lashes: beautiful, too, in contour, as was the 1.-the body. and beautiful in every feature, even tC the rare and dewy curve of her red lips, half opened as she sang. She was smil ing to herself us she crooned her soft, murmuring melody, and every little while the great dark eyes glanced ovel toward the shaded doors of bachelors row. There was no one up to watch and tell. Why should she not look thithel and even stand one moment peering un der the veranda at n darkened window half way down the row, as though i'm patient at the nonappearance of some familiar signal? How came the laggar6 late? How slept the knight while hert his lady stood impatient? She twinet the leaves and roses in fragrant knot ran lightly within and laid them or the snowy cloth beside the colonel's sea at table, came forth and plucked som' more and fastened them, blushing, bliss
 full, in the lace fringed opening of he
 gown, through which, soft and creamy
 shone the perfect neck.
 Daisy, tell my fortune. pray:
 He loves me not-he loves me,"
 she blithely sang, then, hurrying to tn
 gate, shaded her eyes with the shapel.
 hand and gazed intently. Twas near
 ing s-nearing breakfast time. Bu
 some one was coming. Horridl Captain