The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1894-10-12
CHAPTER Y

open for him. After the brief talk with
+ Sloat at the Office he had increased the
perplexity and distress of that easily
muddled soldier by requesting his COM
pany in brief visit to the stables and
corrals. A square" and reliable old
veteran was the Quartermaster sergeant
who had charge OF those establishments.
Chester had known him for years, and
his fidelity and honesty were matters the
officers of his former regiment could
not too highly commend. When Ser
geant Parks made an official statement,
there was no shaking its solidity. He
slept in little box Of a house close by
the entrance to the main stable in
which were kept the private horses Of
several of the officers. and among them
Mr.. Jerrold's. and it was his boast that
day or night no horse left that stable
without his knowledge. The old man
was experimenting the morning labors
Of the stable hands and looked up in
surprise at so early visit from the Of
ficer of the day.
"Were you here all last night, SER
geant?" was Chesters abrupt question.
Certainly, sir, and up until l o'clock
or more.
"Were any horses out during the
night-any officers horses, mean?"
mo, sir, not one. .
81 thought possibly some officers
might have driven or ridden to town. "
"No, sir The only horses that cross.
ed this threshold going out last night
were Mr.. Sutton's team from town.
They were put up here until near
o'clock, and then the doctor sent for
them. locked up right after that and
can swear nothing else went out :"
Chester entered the stable and looked
curiously around. Presently his eye
lighted on tall, rangy bay horse that
was being groomed in wide stall near
the doorway.
"Thats Mr. Jerrold's Roderick, isn't
it?"
Eyes, sir. He's fresh as daisy too.
Hasn't been ont for three days and Mr..
Jerrold's going to drive the dogcart
this morning.
Chester turned away.
"Sloat, said he as they left the
stable, ''if Mr.. Jerrold was away from
the post last highland you heard
me say he was out of his quarters
could he have gone any way except
> afoot after what you heard Park say?'
"Gone in the Suttons' outfit, sup
pose, was Sloat's cautious answer
SIN which event he would have been
seen by the sentry at the bridge, would
he not?"
Ought to have been certainly"
"Then we'll go back to the guard
house. " And wonderingly and uncom-
fortably Sloat followed. He had long
since begun to wish he had held his
peace and said nothing about the con-
founded roll call. He hated rows of any
kind. He didn't like Jerrold, but he
would have crawled ventre a terre across
the wide parade sooner than see a scan
dial in the regiment he loved, and it
was becoming apparent to his sluggish
faculties that it was no mere matter Of
absence from quarters that was involv-
ing Jerrold Chester was all aflame
over that picture business, he remem-
bered, and the whole drift of his present
investigation was to prove that Jerrold
was not absent from his post, but alb
sent only from his quarters. If SO, where
had he spent his time until nearly A?
Sloat's heart was heavy with vague ap-
prehension. He knew that Jerrold had
borne Alice Renwick away from the
party at an unusually early hour for
such things to break up. He knew that
he and others had protested against
such desertion, but she declared it could
not be helped. He remembered another
thing-a matter that he thought of at
the time, only from another point of
view. 1t now seemed to have signifi
canoe bearing on this very matter, for
Chester suddenly asked
Wasn't it rather odd that Miss
Beaubien was not here at the dance?
She has never missed one, seems to me,
since Jerrold began spooning with her
last year."
"Why, she was here"
"She was? Are you sure? Rollins
never spoke of it, and we had been talk
ing of her inferred from what he
said that she was not there at all. And
l saw her drive homeward with her
mother right after parade, so it didn't
occur to mo that she could have come
out again all that distance in time for
the dance. Singular Why shouldn't
Rollins have told me?''
Sloat grinned. A dreary sort of smile
it was too. ''You go into society sc
seldom you don't SEQ these things. I've
more than half suspected Rollins of be
ing quite ready to admire Miss Beau
bien himself, and since Jerrold dropped
her be has had plenty Of opportunity. !"
"Great gunsl never thought of it
If I'd known she was to be there, IL
have gone myself last night. How die
she behave to Miss Renwick?"
"Why, sweet and smiling and chip
per as you please. If anything, thinl
Miss Renwick was cold and distant t.
her. couldn't make it out at all. "
"And did Jerrold dance with her?'
"Once think, and they had tall
out ON the piazza-just minute
happened to be at the door and couldn
help seeing it, and what got me wa
this: Mr.. Hall came out with Miss Ren
wick ON his arm. They were chatting
and laughing as they passed me, bu
A. ,x,.,,,o.,t che oauoht al obt of .Torro1