Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1894-11-29

,t's.S1.1s ~ Hss. y" III aflIss-eeS,SSEi
..+]s- zsssizss
aIpI. .SfaS-s7S''1'-@-''
ALICE, THE CoLoNEL's DAUGHTER.
tellectual refinement which seemed
sadly out of place in one whose lot was
cast among the rough soldiers of the
ranks. 1t must be remembered that
write of the days just following the
close of our great civil war, when the
ranks of the regular army on the
frontier were made up of rough, litter
ate men largely fished from the slums
of the eastern cities, many of them
having fled to the west and buried
themselves in the army under assumed
names to escape the consequences OF
crime. Alice Sanford had never dreamed
the barracks of the private soldiers
sheltered man of artistic tastes, and
the spectacle presented of soldier
welding the pencil of the artist was
to her a revelation.
The soldier becoming aware of her
presence glanced up from his work,
and, noting that it was the daughter
of the commanding officer who had ap-
preached him, quickly arose to his feet,
removed his cap and silently waited
for her to address him should she de-
sire to do so.
81 am sorry l disturbed you," she
said. ''Will you permit me to look at
the sketch You are malsing?"
cit is as yet far from complete" he
quietly responded, land / fear you may
not be able to form an intelligent idea
of what its appearance will be when
the details are filled in. began it but
an hour ago"
He handed her the picture, and she
sat for some moments closely studying
it, occasionally casting her eyes across
the intervening desert to the Fra Girls
tobel range.
You have chosen beautiful study"
she finally said. I'm my eyes the Fra
Cristobel is the most attractive of all
the ranges which surround u.s."
81 experience great pleasure In
sketching it," he replied. This will
be my third sketch of the range, and
seem to never tire of tracing its bold
outlines and copying its rugged details
of rock and pine"
Returning the picture, with a
simple "thank you," she rode home
ward. She allowed her pony to walk
slowly along the trail and did not even
chide him for stopping occasionally to
snatch mouthful of grass as he loitered
along, so busy were her thoughts with
the humble private soldier whom she
had Just left. She had seen in the yet
crude sketch the work of a master
hand, and she wondered why it was
that one so gifted should be wearing
the uniform and performing the duties
of a solder. q His manner was that of
the polished gentleman, his speech re-
fined and pleasing, and his general de-
meanor was widely different from that
of any of the other soldiers with whom
she had been brought in contact. What
could a man of his attainments be do
ing in the ranks of the army? The
question flashed through her brain, but
no reply followed in its wake. A frown
swept over her face, but as quickly
vanished at rebuking thought.
so, no, not crime" she unused.
"Those clear eyes of his mirrored a
clear soul. He must not be classed
with those who lurk in the shadow of
enlistment to escape the searching
eye of justice. There is a romance
strewn along his trail of life. There
must be- Perhaps it was an affair of
the heart. Yes, that must be the cor
rect solution of the queer problem.
Some cruel fair one in the far-away
east, of which | have read but never
seen, has crushed his happiness and he
fled to the army ranis>s hoping to meet
death at the hands of an Indian foe
man. How could girl be so cruel to
so handsome a man, and one so intelli-
gent and refined?"
Thus she unused until she reached
her home. Throwing the rein to the
orderly in waiting she softly entered
her fathers sitting-room and awoke
him from the half sleep into which he
had fallen in his easy chair by feath-
cry kiss on the check.
''Well, Sunshine, did you enjoy your
ride?" he asked, drawing her to a sea-
on his knee and mere forcibly return
ing her kiss.
80, very much, papa. / rcde clear
down to the Tafoya ranch six miles be
low, and on my way back found sSch
n curiosity
You are eternally picking up curios
What was it this time? A moss agate,
q new species of cactus, a rare flower
that you never happened to come onto
before, or a magnifcently large horned
toad?"
so, no. papa, none of those. l could
never place this one with my collection.
1t is not of the geological, floral nor
reptile species, papa; but a living, NOV
ing, breathing-human being"
"a Mexican freak, eh? And what
was it lil1e?"
''No, nor was it a Mexican. You are
horribly poor guesser, papa. 1t was a
soldier, private soldier of the post.
came upon him while he was sl1etching
the Fra Cristobel range, and when
asked if | might look at his sketch
really expected to see nothing but awk-
ward ill-shaped work. You can inn
agine my surprise when | observed
that he was an artist of no ordinary
skin. Oh! there must be such a ro-
nance connected with his life. Have
you ever discovered men of refined
tastes in the ranks, papa, driven there
by romantic causes?"
''Tes, the romance of crime. The
service and an assumed name have
served as a barrier between many a
criminal and the outraged laws. Who
is this fellow?"
80, am sure this man is not a crimi-
nal. papa. You would share that be-
lief with me were you to see him. l
spoke but a few words with him, and
did not ask his name. He wore the
cavalry uniform"
"Weu, Sunshine, it is not at all i'm
probable that if bis past history were