The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1895-01-18

away XIOln oi16U PlChCOCo AASAOoAA . 4o1
out over the prairie where now the
loved mother had been resting long
months beyond the twelve, away from
aging father, from laughing girl and
romping boy, Connie Morgan's heart;
shining through hef. steadfast eyes,
was following the fast-fading DUST
cloud that told where the squadrons
were marching sturdily away to drive
the Indians from their old haunts down
the wild wastes Of the Mini Ska, and
Perry Thornton riding on his first cam
paign.
CHAPTER ".
The cavalry battalion had been gone
only two days. Some few of the Of
fcers' families, we'll assured that 1t
would be Thanksgiving In earnest be.
fore they could hope to see the cam
paigners again, had taken wing to the
east and were domiciled with friends
or relatives far from scenes which SO
Constantly brought to mind the image
of the absent husband and father. In
most eases, however, the little house
holds remained at the post, assured by
department headquarters that they
should be undisturbed in the tenure Of
their army homes. Morgan, whose
health and spirits Had slowly revived
es the sun came northward over the
line, had striven to convince Old TIP
top and the surgeon thnt II would do
him good 10 60, but was fatty denied
the luxury he craved and hidden to re-
main at the post. The department. conf
mander came ont to look over the field
in early May, and told Morgan that he
meant to keep him on duty at the post
all summer in the hope that the autumn
would end Him promoted to his cap
taincy. Then he might be able to get
an order to go before q retiring board
and go home to the old state and old
frierds he had not seen for years.
Morgan thanked the kind-hearted chief
for all his help and consideration, but
his tired eyes wandered away over the
prairie to the lonely grave he often
managed to visit now. If it were only
possible to retire for good, and all, how
willingly would he GO and be laid away
there by Caffie's side, were there only
some provision for Constance and the
babies! 1t appalled, him to realize that
CiiCJ "C1C oCpChoGhC neSC'upCiy 1POh
so slender q thread as his life; that he
must struggle on, must exist, must
suffer, and try, at least, to bs Strong
that they might not starve. If only
those debts were paid, if only he could
retire and take the children to some
quiet eastern home, however humble,
where they might be sent to school and
| where Connie might receive the educa-
ton thus far so utterly neglected, then
Morgan might live on, grateful and al
most content. He could surely get some
clerkship, some desk wetl. that would
enable him to 6dd few hundred dol
lars yearly to the allowance of a re-
tired dragon. He did not begin to
know, poor fellow, how universal was
the theory among business men that
old soldiers were unfit for business Of
any kind. He wrote to Carries broth
ers again, saying nothing, of course, of
how often and how much he had helped
them in the past, and begged them to
find some opening that would warrant
his retiring. Noanswer came. He wrote
| again. Then Bob sent few curt lines:
Yours reed. contents noted. Tho't VIM.
had ans'd or Wild have done so. Business very
slack. Times hard. No opening Of any kind.
hid to dischg two clks last month. Better
hang on to your present situation awhile long
or. II anything turns up will let you know.
Tyr bro. an'y."
Morgan read human nature we'll
enough to see just how much that
meant. He would "hang on to the sit
uation" as a matter of course, despite
the fact that the doctor said the rheu-
xr,o,,1I 70 hsp, 1o,;o ~
as he remained in that climate. Both
Gen. c. and the colonel had again
interested themselves in his behalf,
and the railway managers said they
could place him in their Office in town
when he got ready to retire. The sal
airy was very small, but would help.
The work was exacting, however, and
the doctor said he simply could not
| do it in that climate.
"Never mind, old friend, we'll fix
it somehow" said Tintop, cheerily, as
he came to say good-by, looking very
much the younger of the two as Nor
gan leaned heavily on his stick. "You
just stay here and run the ordnance
| Office this summer. There's bound to
be promotion by fall" And so, sadly
enough, the veteran trooper had seen
the squadrons ride away, and he was
| left sole representative of the commits
stoned force of his regiment at old
Fort Ransom, and not till they had
been gone two days did he note that
Connie was dropping.
what is it, Little Mother, he said,
fondly stroking back the tumbling
mass of auburn hair and kissing her
white forehead. ''Tired out with all your
household care? Growing too fast?
Lot and Billy too much for you now?''
The big pathetic brown eyes were
swimming little, but she looked
bravely up. perhaps it's spring fever"
she said, with an attempt at laughing
it all lightly away. I'm sure there's
nothing else. I'm only trifle tagged.
It will be all right now that we can
get out again in the sunshine every
day."
She was fastening his necktie for him
at the moment; then, patting his griz-
zled cheek, she took the whis2x broom
to dust the worn old fatigue coat pre-
pa-atory to letting him stump forth
on his hating way to the ordnance
storehouse, but there came a rousing
rat-tat-tat at the front door just at the
instant, and, nanny being up to her
elbows in flour and Penner away at the
commissary, Connie sprang to answer,
and there, precise and soldierly as