Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-08-04
FROM THE RANKS.
By CAPTAIN CHARLES KING.
CHAPTER y.

must have another Whit of tobacco that
night as an incentive to the think" he
had promised himself He had strolled
through the park to the grove of trees
out on the point and seated himself in
the shadows. Here his reflections We're
speedily interrupted by the animated
flirtatiOns of few couples, who, firing
of the dance, came ont into the GOODNESS
of the night and the scclusion of the
grove, where their murmured words
and soft laughter soon gave the captains
nerves n strain they could not bear. He
broke cover and betook himself to the
very edge of the stone retaining wall ont
ON the point.
He wanted to think calmly and dis
passiOnately. He meant to weigh all he
had read and heard and form his asti
mate of the gravity of the case before
going To bed. He meant 10 be impartial,
to judge her is he would judge any 9TH
cr woman 81 compromised, but for the
lif, of him he could not He bore with
him the mute image of her lovely face,
with its clear, truthful, trustful dark
eyes. He saw her as she stood before
him on the little porch when they shook
hands on their laughing-or his laugh
Itu SIT "Oul1l
How perfect she was! Her radiant
beauty, her uplifted eyes, SO full of
their self rcpruaCh and regret at the
speech she had made ut his expense!
How exquisite was the grace of her
slender, rounded form as she stood
there before him, one slim hand half
shyly extended TO meet the cordial clasp
of his own! He wanted to judge and
be just, but that image dismnyed him.
How could he look on this picture and
then ON that, the one portrayed in the
chain of circumstantial evidence which
the colonel had laid before him: 1t was
mun>trOuS! 1t was treason to woman
hood! One look i'll her eyes superb in
their innocence, was too much for his
determined impartiality Armitage gave
himself 4 mental kick for what he term
ed his imbecility and went back TO the
hotel.
Its no use, he muttercd. I'm a
slave of the weed and can't be philoso-
phcr without my pipe
Up To his little box of n room he
CliEIbtd, found his pipecase and tobacco
pouch. and i'll five minutes was strolling
ont TO tn" point once more. when he
cam" suddenly upon the night watch
man. 4 Parsonage of whose functions
and authority hc was entirely ignorant.
The man eyed him narrowly and es-
saved tn speak. Not knowing him, and
desiring 10 Ia alone. Armitage pushed
past and was surprised to find that a
hand was ON his shoulder and the man
NJ his side before he had gone a rod.
Beg pardon, sir, said the watch
man gruffiy. but don't know you.
AR Won stopping at the hotel:"
Il am. said Armitage coolly, tax
ing his pipe from his lips and blowing
a cloud over his other shoulder. And
who may you bc?''
Il am the Waterman, and l do not
remember seeing you come today
Nevertheless did -
''On what train, sir
This afternoons up train
You certainly were not on the omni-
bus when it got here.
Very true. 1 walked over from be-
vOnd the SchoOlhouSe. -
''Yuu must excuse me, sir. did not
think uf that. and the manager requires
me to know everybody, Is this Major
Armitage:"
''Arrnitacc is my name. but I'm not
a major
Yes. sir; I'm glad to be set right.
And the other Ccntlcman-him as was
inquiring for Colonel Maynard tonight:
He's in the army. too. but his name
don't seem 10 be ON the book He only
came in on the late train.
Another man to see Colonel May
nard:" asked the captain. with sudden
T.
sure I've no idea. What was he like?'
Il don't know, sir. At first ! thought
| you was him. The driver told me he
brought a gentleman over who asked
some questions about Colonel Maynard,
| hut he didn't get aboard at the depot,
and he didn't come down to the hotel
| got of somewhere up there on the
bench. and Jim didn't see him. "
Where's Jim?'' said Armitage
Come with me. watchman. want
To interview him.
Together they walked over to the
harm, which the driver was inst locking
up after making everything secure for
the night.
Who was it inquiring for Colonel
Maynard" asked Armitage-
Il don't know, sir. was the slow
answer. There was man got aboard
a. ! was coming across the common
| there in the village ut the station There
were several passengers from the train
! and some baggage, so he may have
! started ahead on foot, but afterward
| concluded 10 ride. AS soon as saw
him get in 1 rcined up and asked where
he WAS going. He had no baggage mol
nuthin. and my orders are not TO haul
anybody except people of the hotel, 81
he came right forward through the bus
and took the scat behind me and said
twas all right, he was going to the
hotel. and he passed up half dollar.
told him that 1 couldn't take the money
that bus fares We're paid at the Office
and drove ahead Then he handed
me cigar, and pretty soon he asked
me if there were many people, and who
had the cottages, and when told hin
he asked which was Colonel Maynard :
but he didn't say he knew him, and tbs
next thing I knew was when we go
here TO the hotel he wasn't in the bus
He must have stepped back through al
those passengers and slipped off up thcr,
on the bench. He was in it when W,
passed the little brown church up on tn
hill"
What was he hke?''
Il couldn't see him plain He step
ped out from behind tree as we drov
through the common and came RICH
into the bus 1t was dark in there, ant
all know is he was tall and had OF
dark clothes. Some of the people insid
must have seen him better. but they ar
all gone TO bed, suppose
II will go over to the hotel and in
quire anyway" said Armitage, and di'
So The lights We're turned down. an
no one was there, but he could hea
voices chatting in nuiet tones on tn