Le MeschaceÌbeÌ. [volume] ([Lucy] La.) 1853-1942, 1895-02-16

veteran by the heels, and his old
enemy, rheumatism, took fresh and
forcible hold. When d troop rode
away to. take, the field, poor Morgan
was groaning both in flesh and spirit,
and when late that autumn Schramm
came posting homeward under subpoene
to testify in re The People VS.. Lacy,
the cheyrons of a sergeant. decl1ed his
sleeves in recognition of a ride of
over hundred miles through Indian
haunted wilds to bear dispatches to
distant command, but neither cap
tain nor Connie was there to bid him
welcome. The lonely grave out on the
prairie lacked the bunch Of wild flow
ers which formerly declsed it every
Sunday morning. The old quarters
down the row We're peopled by
strangers to the German soldier now.
The sweet face of the gnadige Frau
lein smiled no more from the dormer
window over the veranda; the Nor
gans, one and all, were gone. A retir-
ing board had pronounced the old
dragoon unfit for further service, and
with his own fuel and quarters to fur
nish as best he could, with no more
medical attendance or supplies from
Uncle Sam, with all the brood to feed
and clothe and educate, without word
of aid or welcome from the kinsfoHk in
the east, poor Morgan meelsly took his
discharge and his retired pay, and a
tiny two-storied cottage in an out-of-
the-way street in Butte, and strove to
set up housekeeping with Connie at
the head and Chinese man-of-all-work
at the foot Of the new establishments.
Rand had been to see them and urged
their all coming eastward awhile as
his guests at home, but the railroad
company had offered Morgan a little
berth which he considered it his duty
to accept at once, and Connie secuted
the idea of her being in need of rest or
change; she could not think Of leaving
father; and within the month t seemed
as though her vision were preternatu-
rally clear, for presently poor Morgan
could not leave the house at all. It
was. at this stage of the proceedings
that as Connie, broom In hand, and an
old silk handkerchief over her head,
was sweeping out the hall one sharp Oc-
tober morning, the Chinaman having
been discharged as the result of a
strike for more wages and less work,
she sent a whirl of dust upon the glis-
tening boots of q statuesque trooper
with hand at salute and blue eyes
beaming in delight at sight of his
friend the captains daughter.
s'Oh, Schr-r-ramm!" she cried, throw
ing down her besom and joyously
grasping his gauntleted hand. Where
did You come from? Come right in;
papa will be SO glad!-Here's Schramm
Schramm, daddy dear;" and,
first closing the outer door, she opened
that which led to the den, and ushered
the sergeant in and watched with
glistening eyes the greeting of the two
soldiers. Schramm must stay and take
luncheon with them, ''We are no
longer on duty, lad said Morgan,
with a sad smile, sand if you'll have a
bite with us and tell us all about the
old troop it'll be a comfort" And
Comics eyes and lips were
even more insistent. Off came
the blue overcoat, and there
in all the glossy sheen of the new,
snug-ftting blouse, with the triple
bars of his sergeant's chevronss, the
frame OF their soldier guest
stood revealed, and they made him sit,
and Connie poured his tea and hustled
in and out of the kitchen, and Schramm
sat with bis old captain and talked by
the hour of the troop, and how well
Jeffers held his own now as first SER
geant, ard what fine soldier Treacy
was, and yet-he did not say how or
why, but fast as their term of. service
expired the old hands took their dis
charge, and then ..took on in. some
other troop. And all the time he
talked, whensoever she fitted in or
out or by, the blue eyes would follow
and were full of light md reverence
and watchful care. IT was as he
walked slowly away, two hours later,
eagerly promising to come again, that
those same blue eyes were clouded with
deep anxiety Morgan was failing so
last.
The trial, he told them, was to begin
forthwith; but il never did In some
1f Lacy's appealing letters to former
employers IN official station in Wash