The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-04-14

at the post he had so well commanded
| but in the course of the second year they
were brought East and buried in the beau
tiful cemetery near his own fathers side,
and the veterans OF a famous regiment
bowed their heads beside the helmeted reg
ulars from the forts in the harbor, and
Jacks company sent a superb floral en-
blem to be laid on the fag-draped coffin of
the commander by whose side their popular
sergeant had won his spurs in Indian bat
tie. A famous fellow, with all his modesty
| and good sense, was Jack Ormsby in the
armory of the Seventh all the year that
followed his homecoming from the Sioux
campaign, and again and again did his
comrades make him tell the story of his
sensations and experiences when he fol-
! lowed Farrar into the heart of that fire
splitting village, through that veil of softly
falling snow. How red it grew in many a
place! What scenes of carnage were there
not after the noble colonel fell! Jack S
brain used to turn sick at thought of it
sometimes, but still there was the exulta-
ton of the rescue of those hapless captives,
those poor women being dragged away to
a fate to which torture at the stake were
mercy.
There was the triumph of the overwhelm-
ing defeat and punishment of that great
village of hostiles even when it was re-en-
! forced, as 1t soon was, by the return of
I
! ing and hindering the pursuit of the
! Eleventh. Leale had taken command,
| cool, yet raging over the murder of his
! beloved chief, and while even then seeking
! to carry out Farrar's iniunctions to protect
the women and children, had dealt venge-
fully with the warriors who had rallied to
! the attack. OrmSby was through it all and
bore himselflike man and a sergeant, even
the Seventh, and swore that his Creedmoor
training had been more than enough to
help him empty at least two saddles. If he
had "only had his old Remington" said
he, instead of a cavalry car5ine," Kill
Eagle himself would have bit the dust, for
twice he drew bead upon that savage chief
when the snoW-clOudS lifted late in the
afternoon and let the battlefield be seen.
Great work had the little battalion done
that day, but all the same were they glad
to see the coming column of the Eleventh
just before the red, red sun went down.
Once, just once, after they had been
home perhaps a month, Ellis made him
tell her something of that stirring fatal
day, but soon she shut her ears and fed.
Ormsby came again. He began coming
Often-so often that that became one rea-
son why it was deemed best that Ellis
should return to school. Mr.. Ormsby was
a very fine fellow, and all that, said Mrs.
Farrar's many relatives but really, Ellis
is still too young, and she might do better,
h,
nothing less than worship that exquisite
face, so pathetic above the deep mourning
of her attire, became dismal in his turn
and found no comfort in anything outside
of the armory or Wall street.
The next summer the Farrars spent at
West Point. 1t was Wills first class camp,
and Will was cadet captain of the color
company and capital young officer despite
boyish face and manner, and then Jack
Ormsby, who never before had taken
much stock in West Point" the battalion
looked so small beside the Seventh, and
the band was such miserable little
affair, after Cappa and his superb array
Jack not only concluded that he must
go up there every few days to
try duty and things of that kind,
but Jack decided that Kitty, his precious
sister, might as well go too, and spend
fortnight and she did, under the wing of a
| matron from Gotham, with daughters of
her own, and Kitty Ormsby, only Is, and
as full OF vivacity, grace, sprightliness and
winning ways as girl could be. pretty as a
peach and trimming over with fun, CO.
quetry and sweetness combined, PLAYED
havoc in the corps of cadets and could
anything have been more fortunate ?-the
victim most helplessly, hopelessly, utterly
gone was Cadet Captain Will Farrar
To the CONSERVATION of the widowed
SOIQler
led day after day more deeply into the
meshes, led like slave or like the piggy
in the nursery rhyme with the ring in the
end of his nose by this beWitching. imperi-
Gus, fascinating little creature, ana there
was absolutely no help for it. Anywhere
else almost she could have whisked her
boy under her wing and borne him away
beyond range, but not at West Point. She
had to learn the lessons so many mothers
learn with such bewilderment, often with
such i'll grace, that the boy was no longer
hers to do with as she would, but Uncle
Sans, and Uncle Sam unfeelingly said
stick to your camp duty, with its drills
and parades, rollcalls, practical engineer
ing, forthcoming and spooning in stolen
quence. Mrs. Farrar couldn't carry VIII
away and couldn't order Kitty About
all she saw of her boy was drilling with
the battalion at distance or dancing with
Miss Ormsby close at hand, and, on the
principle that misery loves company, she
soon was comforted by fellow sufferer,
for Just in proportion as the mothers
| boys lnfatuation for this pretty child so
was Jack Ormsby made miserable by see
ing the attentions lavished by officers and
cadets alike on Ellis Farrsr.
And yet the little blind god was doing
Jack far better work than he ever dared to
dream. The mother longed for Will and
no one else could quite take his place. The
lover longed for Ellis, and what earthly
chance has a "cit" lover at West Point,
even though he be swell and sergeant
in the Seventh, 1t resulted that in the
hours when the mother and Jack had to
sit and look on they were brought con-
stantly together, and then in these hours
of companionship Mrs. Farrar began to
see more and more how manful, honest,
self-reliant was the gallant fellow who had
fought by her husbands SIDE Little by
little she learned to lean upon him, to APP
peal to him, defer to him, and to see in
him, after all, man in whom she could
perhaps confde even so precious a treas
ure as her daughters heart, and that sum-
mer at West Point won the mother even if
it did not win the lady OF his love.
That winter the boys came down to New
York, half dozen of Wills classmates
for Christmas leave, and such day and
night of adulation as they received. At
last did Mrs. Farrar quit her seclusion to
give little dinner in their honor, and con-
sent to attend, as a looker-on, the dance
that night at Sherry's where Ellis gave
Ormsby one blessed waltz and Kitty gave
Will the mitten. Oh, darts and flames and
furies, what turmoil there was over that
Christmas dance! Will had to go back with
his classmates in time to report at GER
tain hour, but he told his mother in tragic
tone that all was over hetween him ord