Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1894-04-19

active when their patient lay uncon-
scious, seemed to shrink from the long
brown fingers searching blindly fol-
them, and not one word had the maiden
vouchsafed.
Il heard your voice moment ago,
Ruthie. Can't you speak to mo now2"
he asked, half Gliding, half laughing.
Have you forgotten your friend Jim
Drummond and the long, long talks we
used to have on the Newberni"
Forgotten Jim Drummond and those
long talks indeed Forgotten her hero,
her soldierl Hardly. Yet no word
would she speak.
THE little lady seems all unstrung
vet. lieutenant. Miss Fanny will have
to talk for her, I fancy" And Wings
! clear handsome eyes were raised to
Miss Harvey 8 face as he spoke in look
that seemed to tell how much he envied
| the soldier who was the object of such
| devoted attention. shall we move
ahead? The others will join us later
on. D."
But when fow minutes later strong
arms lifted the tall lieutenant from tho
wagon and bore him to blanket COW
cred shelter in deep rocky recess
where the suns rays seemed rarely to
penetrate, and cup of clear, cool
water was held to his lips, Drummond 5
one available hand was uplifted i'll
hopes of capturing the ministering fin
gers. There was neither difficulty nor
resistance. 1t was Sergeant Wing 8
gauntlet, and Wings cordial voice
again accosted him.
"Glad to see you so clipper, lieuten-
ant. Now, | have some little knowl-
edge of surgery. Your right arm is
broken below the elbow, and you re
badly shocked and bruised. | have no
doubt the surgeon will be with us by
this time tomorrow, but can set that
arm lust as soon as l have looked the
ground over and disposed of ourselves
and our prisoners to the best advan-
tage."
How many prisoners have we2"
asked Drummond.
We'll, as yet only Moreno and his
interesting family and two of their
gang, who are very badly wounded.
Some of the others were neither prompt
nor explicit about surrendering, and
the men seem to have been a trifle i'm
patient in one or two cases. You should
hear the old woman protesting to Miss
Harvey her innocence and her husband s
spOtleas character. You understand
Spanish, do you not?"
mo, only the smattering we pick up
at the Point and what broncho' Span
| u, I 10 kor
did you learn it, sergeant? They tell
me you speak it like native"
Wings sunburned face-a fine, clear
cut and manly one it was-seemed to
grow shader or two redder.
"Oh, have spoken it many years.
My boyhood was spent on the Pacific
slope. Pardon me, sir, l want to look
,Aore carefully after your injurie:
now"
But tho ladics-where are they?'
asked Drummond uneasily.
Occupying the sanctum sanctorum
the innermost shrine among the rocks
This is a wonderful spot, sir. We might
eventually have starved these people on
if once they got here, but % determined
. soldiers could hold it against ZOO
I've as yet had only a glance, but tn
Morenos have been here before, it j
most evident for the senorita hersel
showed Miss Harvey into the cave re
! served for the women. There the.
have cool water, cool and fresh air ant
) complete shelter"
e And now, as with experienced hand
the sergeant stripped off Drummond'
G hunting shirt and carefully exposed tn
bruised and lacerated arm and shoul
c der, he piled his patient with question
as to whether he felt any internal pal
or soreness. How man could b
fiattened out and rolled over by such
weight and not be mashed into a jell,
is what | can't understand. You r
about as elastic as ivory, lieutenant
and you have no spare flesh about yo
either. That and the good luck of tn
cavalryman saved you from worse fate
You've got q battered head, broke
arm and had the breath knocked out O
you, and that's about all. But vel
have you on your feet by the time tn
fellows come from Stoneman.
But how about the young ladies Z?
|
anxiously, for his head was still heav
and painful and his anxiety great
He was weak, too, from the shock
Won't they suffer meantime?"
/ We'll, they might-at least Mis-
Ruth, the younger, might in the reac
r ton after their fearful experience, bu
= I'm something Of doctor, as l sale
d and shall Je able to prevent all that.
!. How"
6 well, by giving her something (
C do. Just as soon as they've had
d chance to rest, both young ladies will l
pat on duty. Miss Ruth is to nurs
II you
i Suppose she doesn't want to?"
o Tho case isn't supposable, lieuter
ant. She would have gono into hy'
& terics this morning, l think, had 81
i not been detailed, as a preventive,
|. hold your head. At all events, 81
=, 0uieted down the instant she was tol