The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-05-18
IN THE RANKS.

and away on all sides the sky and
earth seemed to meet.
1t was like the dawn of creation, or
rather after the end of the world, when
every living thing has been swept from
the earth. On that vast treeless, track
less desert but two objects could be
seen-one man riding slowly forward.
and the other a bird that fioated laZily
along through the warm air as if look
ing for tree, and not seeing one 1t
flew to the ground just in front of the
horseman and burst into a Hood OF
sweetest melody.
1t was in the early morning, and the
sun was just rising in the east ana
sending his glorious light streaming
over the desolate waste, and though IL
was still the dull darkness OF dawn
where the horseman was and the skies
were leaden he could look away in the
east and see the day coming and see
the brilliant crimson sky. He was
soldier and private. You could tell
that from the broad brimmed white hat
he wore, the coarse wooden shirt and
the blue coat, upon which there were
no stripes to show that he had yet
passed the ranks. His face was COW
cred with luXuriant beard, and when
he took off his hat and raised himself
in the stfrrups you could see that his
forehead and his big, heavy hands were
bronzed from contact with all kinds of
weather.
| officers and men in forts who have
never been located on the frontier, or
worse, a thousand miles from nowhere,
to use popular army phrase, know
but little of the trials of those hardy
men away out in the mountains or on
the plains. There is nothing there to
break the monotony. The same faces
a 20 "a ina Of
fort life becomes drearier with each
setting OF tSe syn. Occasionally
friend OF one of the officers or of their
wives come out, and the guest is well
coined as a benedictioin from heaven.
but the men in the ranks have no visit
ors, and their lives become as monot-
onous and tlresome as that of a hermit
l. The fort from which the private
came was located back of him twenty
miles and stood alone on the plain,
/ winch stretched away from ii for ap-
parently countless miles, without even
/ a pocket or buffalo wallow to break
dts leVelness. But the fort was excited
now. A band Of Indians, led by Young
T Horse, had broken away from the
/ agency and had started across country
with no special place for its destina-
/ ton, wandering collection of murder
ers and plunderers, seeking, like a vul-
ture, something to rob, kill, destroy, and
! the commanding officer had sent out
! his scouts to locate them, return and
lead the cavalry to where they were To-
( Gated. The private occasionally got off
his horse to walk a bit and listen, or
ne stood up in the saddle, and with MS
Ileldglass swept the plain for a sight of
the red desperadoes.
II those red devils go east, they will
surely strike the main trail for the
tort, he said, speaking aioud-a habit
so many frontiersmen have-'and if
am not mistaken a sister of Mrs
Colonel IS coming out &c the fort for 2
Visit But ! don't suppose she will be
along for a week yet It'll be tough
luck If she gets to the station over on
the railroad now while every available
man IS out after those cursed Indians. -
IL was thought which troubled him
or he spoke Of it TO himself several
tlmes. AS the sun rose higher up in tbs
r. heavens. the senlidarkness lifted. an6
Inc bright sunlight streamed over the
bleak plain, and in the clear air Obj.
Jects were visible many miles away
Standing up in his saddle, the private
TOOK MS glass ana looked a long way
ana there saw three objects movins
rapidly along.
Notwithstanding the great risk he
was mourning, he rode forward slowly
the object being not to tire his horse
Tor the animal might have a long run
ahead Of him. Soon he was enabled Ia
study the three objects closer through
his glass.
There are two men and a woman ~
he said. I'll bet Mrs. ColoneVs sister
mas arrived and is making for the fort
and one of the men is the POSTWAR. an6
the other guard. By Jove, that's
pluck for her to start"
He spurred his horse forward, bu-
the others had seen him coming anc
come up. The woman was young ana
pretty, and as the private came up she
laughed gaily.
1 suppose you have been sent GU
10 meet me, she said. II am Mrs
ColonePs sister, and I wrote her that
would arrive al the station yesterday
put no one met me. These gentlemen
| learned, were going to the fort. anc
SO decided 10 join chem"
1T is very long and tiresone ride
miss, said the soldier, and you arr
fort
Il don't mind the ride" replied tn,
young lady, for I am very fond of thi.
sort of exercise"
The four started on a brisk trot, anc
in few minutes the postman dropped
back with the private.
DO you think there is any DANCE
from the Indians?" ne asked
There's always danger from the rec
devils when they get started" an
sWered the soldier. You know, w
last heard Of the Indians forty mile
north. That was day before yesterday
By this time they may be making 70
the settlement, and if so we will prob
ably get a distant sight of EN- 4
: / shouldn't think they'd come nea
US if they did, remarked the postnnan
for we are riding straight for the fort
, and don't think they want to COM
near there"
They'd be safe enough" laughed TIL
private, for in this cursed countr,
they could see a long way and coulC
see the cavalry was not near. The,
might be even so bold as to come nj
= almost to the fort gates"
After a while the girl joined tn
soldier. and they talked of the life OF
the plains. She told him she had neve
before been west of Omaha and tina
she thought she would enjoy the trir
and she told him, too, how she ha,
: not seen her sister for eight years
that she had been in school when he
/ sister married and went west with he
/ husband; that their parents had dice
r and that she intended making he
: home with her only relative for awhil
at least.
| The soldier enjoyed her conversatio
Luz thC P4lNdlSS III pIS ranks see so Ill
Z tie or women that one is like an ange
fresh from heaven. In return he toll,
her of army life and the plains, and tn
guard and the postman also relatet
anecdotes of their life on the plains
For two hours they rode and then tn
J private refined in his horse and raise,
his fieldglass toward what appeared t
! be a cloud that was Swimming alonj
on the ground d couple of miles away
Great God, it's the Indiansr' h
gasped.
Without a moments hesitancy the,