Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1894-06-29
IN THE RANKS.


the plains. Just as far as the eye could !
reach not q break on that ocean OF earth
could be seen, not sign of human habi-
tation, not particle Of life and not
trace of vegetation except tufts Of bunch
grass and sugebrush, and away on all
sides the sky and earth seemed to meet.
TWAS like the dawn of creation, or rather
after the end Of the world, when every liv-
ing thing has been swept from the earth.
On that vast treeless, trackless desert but
two objects could be seen-one man rid
ing slowly forward, and the other bird
that foated lazily along through the warm
air as if looking for tree, and not seeing
one it flew to the ground just in front of
the horseman and burst into flood OF
sweetest melody.
1t was in the early morning, and the
sun was Just rising in the east and send
ing his glorious light streaming over the
desolate waste, and though it 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 com
ing 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 covered with lux
uriant beard, and when he took of his hat
and raised himself in the stirrups 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,
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 are seen every day, and
the routine of fort life becomes drearier
with each setting of the sun. Occasionally
a friend of one of the officers or of their
wives comes out, and the guest is vel
coined as q benediction from heaven, but
The men in the ranks have no visitors, and
their lives become as monotonous and tire
some as the life of o hermit.
The fort from which the private came
was located back of him 20 miles and stood
alone on the plain which stretched away
from it for apparently countless miles,
without even pocket or buffalo wal
low to break its levelness But the fort
was GAClUGu lON. n OtillN Va ALANASAANi @SNN
by Young Horse, had broken away from
the agency and had started across country
with no special place for its destination, a
wandering collection of murderers and
plunderers, seeking like a vulture, some
thing to rob, kill, destroy, and the COM
handing officer had sent out his scouts to
locate them, return and lead the cavalry
to where they were located. The private
occasionally got off his horse to walk bit
and listen or he stood up in the saddle,
and with his fieldglass swept the plain for
sight of the red desperadoes.
IF those red devils go east, they will
surely strike the main trail for the fort,
he said, speaking aloud-a habit so many
frontiersmen have-"and If l am not mis-
taken a sister Of Mrs Colonel is coming
out to the fort for visit. But 1 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 In
dams"
It was u thought which troubled him.
for he spoke of it to himself several times
AS the sun rose higher up in the heavens
the semidarkness lifted, and the bright
sunlight streamed over the bleak plain
and in the clear air objects were visible
many miles away. Standing up in hi
saddle, the private took his glass ant
looked long way, and there saw thre'
objects moving rapidly along
Notwithstanding the great risk he wa
rincurring, he rode forward slowly, the OBJ
ject being not to tire his horse, for the an
final might have a long and hard run ahea'
of him. Soon he was enabled to study tn
three objects closer through his glass.
"There are two men and woman, h
said. ''I'n bet Mrs. Colonel's sister ha
arrived and is making for the fort and on
of the men is the postman and the other
guard By Jove, that's pluck for her t
start"
He spurred his horse forward, but tn
others had seen him coming and wer
resting awaiting for him to come VI
The woman was young and pretty, and
the private came up she laughed gayly.
II suppose you have been sent out
meet me-" she said 81 am Mrs. Colonel
sister, and wrote her that would arriV
Mt the station yesterday, but no one mi
me. These gentlemen, learned, were g
ing to the fort, and so decided to joi
them"
sit is very long and tiresome rid
miss" said the soldier, land you are y