The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1895-03-29


Sred s ehances foE s commission ere
gSoG. Is the inclosed papers vii show
yyu, but even were this not The case I
would have hut enc thing 10 say III an
syyez to gonr tetter-Ae should 60 back
to Lis troop
h1feFer our friends and fellow cit
lzeEss may think On The EaBicet, j hold
that tho profession CT the soldier is 70
the tIll as hoa0nableas ang IN civil life,
and It Is liable 1t any moment TO be
mcEe useful I do not mean tie Cfdcer
alone. ] say and mean ths soldier. as
for me, I would rather be FIRST sergeant
Of my troop or company or sergeant
major Of my regiment than any iieuten-
ant ia it except Che adjutant.. Hone Of
promotion is ali that can make Q subal-
terms life endVrable, but the star ser
geant CT tho first sergeant, honmed and
respected By his officers, decorated for
bravery By congress and looked ND to by
his comrades, is a king amongmen. The
pay has nothing TO do with It 7 say to
Renwick. Come back as soon as your
wound will let you, and envy him
the welcome that will be his
AS for me, ] am even more eager to
get back to you al. but things look very
dubious. Tie doctors shake their heads
at anything under q mcnth and say I'll
be lucky if I eat ny Thanksgiving din.
ncr with sou. IF trying to got well is
going to help, October 6hallrot lie dono
with before B company will report me
present again.
i need not tell you, my dear old
friend, how / rejoice with you in your
bum and haw and this IS all about
something else, " goes on the colonel in
malignant disregard Of the longing
lcoks IN the eyes Of three women, all Of
whom are eager to hear The rest Of it,
and one Of whom wouldn't say so for
worlds Write to ne often. Remen-
her nle warmly to the ladies of your
household. | fear Miss Alice would de-
spise this wild, open prairie country.
There is no goldenrod here, and I so Of
ten see her as-hum and hum, and ali
that sort Of talk Of no interest to any.
body, says he, with a quizzical look
over his bows" at the lovely face and
form bending forward with forgetful
eagerness to hear how "he so often sees
her, " And there is a great bunch Of
gOldenrod ia her lap now and a vivid
blush on he's cheek. The colonel is wax.
ing as frivolous as Fred and quite as
great tease,
And th-n October comes, and Fred
has gone, and the colonial and his house
hold are bacb at Sibley, where the gar
rison is enraptured at seeing them, and
where the women precipiiatc themselves
upon them "a tumultuous welcome. If
Alice cannot quite mako Up her mind
10 return the kisses and shrinIs slightly
from the rapturoUs embrace Of some Of
the younger Snd more impulsive Of the
sistelhoOd, il Mrs. Maynard is a trife
more distant and stately than was the
case before they went away, the garri-
son does not resent it. The ladies don't
wonder they feel indignant at the way
people behaved and talked, and each
lady is sure that the behavior and the
talk were all somebody else's-not by
any possible chance could it be laid ct
the door Of the speaker.
And Alice is the reigning belle be-
yond dispute, though there is only sub
dued gayety at the fort, for lie memory
Of their losses at the Spirit Wolf is still
fresh il the minds of the regiment.
But no man alludes to the events of the
black August night; no woman is PER
mitted to address either Mrs. lLaynard
or her daughter On the subject. There
are some who seek to be confidential
and who cautiously feel their way for
an opening, but the mental sparring is
vain. There is an indefnable some
thing that tells the intruder, "Thus far
and no farther. Mrs. Maynard is
cordial and hospitcble; Alice
sweet ard gracious and sympathetic
even, but confidential never.
And then Captain Armitage, late in
the month, comes home on crutohes
and his men give hin a welcome that
makes the rafters ring, and he rejoices
in it and thanks thcu from his heart
but there is a welcome his eyes plead
for that would mean to him far more
than any other, How vistfully he stud
les her facet How unrlistaksble are tho
love and worship in every tcnel How
quickly the garrison sees it all, and
Low lad tie E2rTieon is to SEQ whether
or not it's welcome to herl But Alice
Renwick is 20 maiden to be lightly
won. The very thought that the garri-
son had SO easily given her over to Jer-
reid is enough to mantle her cheek with
indignant protest. She accepts his at.
tentiOns as she does those Of the young
er officers, with consummate grace. She
shoyg8 no preferences will grant no ia
yors. She makes fair distribution Of her
dances at the hops at the fort and the
parties in town. There are young civil
ians who begin to be devoted in society
ard to come out to the fort on every
possible opportunity, and these. too. she
welcomes with laughing grace and cor.
diality. She is a glowing, radiant, COR
geous beauty this cool autumn, and she
rides and drives and dances, md, the
women say, fiTts and looks handsomer
every day, and poor Armitage is begin
ming to look very grave and depressed.
He woes and wins not, - is the cry.
His wound has almost healed so far as
tho thigh is concerned, and his crutches
arc discarded, but his heart is bleeding,
and it tells on his general condition.
The doctors say he ought to be getting
well faster, and So they tell Miss Rem
wick-at least somebody dces-but still
she relents not, and it is something be-
yond the gaTison's power Of conjecture
to decide what the result will be. Into
her pretty white and yellow room no
one penetEates except 1t her invitation,
avau Evher, fhss rrng-~fe~7, 1r-5sc-r,--, --,-.-1