Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1895-05-25
CHAPTER |.

49,,
IHe crash Of n rifc, Il hcnry fan, q moan.
ThCH-SlCnCC.
1t must have been nearly midnight.
The lights in the barracks and at the
old hospital beyond had long since been
extinguished, and only here and there
along the row of officers quarters and at
the guard house, suggestively planted
half way down the slope toward the post
traders store, was there sign Of wakeful
life One or two upper windows gave
forth feeble CLEAN, and there was quite
IA jOvial glow pouring from the open
doorway of the colonefs big house across
the dark rectangle. 1t fell upon the tai
white flagstaff and displayed it from
base to crosstrees, a solitary, ghost like
shaft, and then, with gradually dimin-
ishing power, illumined the graveled
, pathway that bisected the parade and
}led from the broad flight of steps in front
of the commanding officers to the ma
ior's on the southern side. Overhead
the stars were glittering III an absolutely
cloudlesj sky. Not n breath Of air was
} stirring the forest down Ill the black
depths Of the valley to the south. Soft
ened b. distance, the rush Of the river
over its rocky bed fell upon the ear like
soothing lullaby.
Ten minutes earlier the sound of sill
very laughter and CHEEKY voices had
come floating across the garrison, and
half ii dozen little groups had strolled
away from the colOnel's gate, some turn
ing to right and left, others crossing in
the broad stream of light from his open
portals. One by one the doors of the
various quarters had opened to admit
their occupants. Il few lingering good
nights had been exchanged between gal
liant young bachelors and some dainty
form enwrapped in fieecy burnouo, and
then even those night owls the young
sters' had betaken themselves to their
domicileS One after another doors We're
closed lights popped up in the second
floor windows, curtains We're drawn. the
=. lights enshrouded. and finally a silence
= as of solitude spread its mantle over the
parade, and the corporal of the guard,
leaning against the gate post at the
southwestern entrance, bethought him
made for night.
He was Of medium height. but IN ath-
letIc, well built young fellow, as any one
might have seen as the corporal stood
under the big lamp at the guardhouse
but few moments before. He had
handsome. clear cut face, with good
deal of soldier bronze about the cheeks
and jaws; he wore his natty undress
uniform With an easy grace. and carried
the long Springfield as though it were a
toy. The crossed rifles on his forage
cap, the buckle of his cartridge belt,
even the copper cartridges themselves,
cleaned in the lamplight. The chev-
rons on his sleeve, the narrow stripe
along the seam Of his trousers, the Ber-
lin gloves he wore, were all spotlessly
white, and Corp. Brent was what the
men were won't to call "a dandy Jack"
though there was not man in the troop
barracks at the western end of the pa
rade who cared more than once to put
on the gloves with the dandy" Brent
had speedily demonstrated the fact that
ne could outspar any man in the cavalry
portion of the garrison, and that only
oeTSl. NOulOTS, Oh v company, was aDle
to beat him in IL bout.
In the little battalion of infantry
Brent was Il popular man; SO, too, had
he been in the cavalry command that re-
Gently occupied the post but these fell
lows of the Eleventh. who had but late
ly marched in. seemed rather slow to
discover his many good traits. Very
possibly they did not like the apparent
ease with which he had defeated the
champions they had SO confidently sent
against him. Still it was IA good natured,
not vindictive, sort of jealousy--that
soldierly rivalry between the two corps
that seems irrepressible and that really
does no great harm-and Brent had be-
gun to win friends among the troopers
who liked the frank laughing way he
had, when an order was suddenly issued
by the new post commander, the en-
forcement of which stirred up row.
As the last visitor left the colonePs
gate and he closed his door, thereby
shutting out the broad CLEAN that, al
most like that of the headlight of loco
motive. had shot athwart the parade,
Corp Brent was bordering over this very
matter.
Col. Morris was a man who hated ir-
regularity of any kind, and as the grass
began to sprout in the spring he noted