The Wadsworth dispatch. [volume] (Wadsworth, Nev.) 1892-1899, 1895-06-12
DEAD SEA


The assertion is frequent and well
supported that quite two-thirds of
the frontier posts r within rifle
range of hades. This is not strictly
true, however, of more than a half
dozen. 1t is truest, too, of Cum
mings. The sur is hot, and the air is
fiery, the wind is scorching, and the
sand is binding in many places upon
the face of the earth, but not as they
are in Cummings. Before reveille it
is pleasant to arise and take inro
breath of endurable air, and once
again at tattoo, but between those
times the fiery furnace of old would
make an abiding place quite as pleas
ant.
Human life there partakes of the
character of the vegetation. 1t is apt
to be blasted or scorched or wither-
ed-what there is of it-more than
in most places. 1t may be that all
pity was dried up in the majors
soul; that remorse had been burned
away from Hartley by the sun; that
resistance was melted in the majors
daughter. Howbeit, the three of
them managed to add one more heart
OF ashes to a big list.
Truman came straight from the
green byways of Leavenworth to
Cummings, and not even the respon-
sibilities of his exalted rank of Sec
ond lieutenant could prevent his
being put very speedily upon the
sick list. 1t was some sort of fever
and took a fine hold upon him, be-
cause there was more than the mad
dening dryness to worry the poor
boy. He let it all out to the doctor
in his delirium. but the doctor was
careful not to divulge the fact that
he had learned a great deal from the
rawlings of the family life and dis
grace of his patient. Truman's first
question when it was over was to
ask if he had talked much" The
surgeon said Yes" but added that
the mutterings were quite unintelli-
gible and was glad of his falsehood
when he saw how Truman's face re-
laxed, and he took in a long breath
of furnace air from very relief. OF
course the doctor advised a sick
leave and told the boy to go home,
br4xryi~. oil &6a xvb;1a khok ALo-o r,oe
ne home. Truman acquiesced and.
would have gone off upon his wan
derings as soon as he was able to
endure the seven miles ambulance
drive to the railroad if things had
not happened as they did.
It came about that one day, the
first that he was up, Truman
aged to travel as far as the front
door of his quarters, to open it and to
stand upon the sill looking over the
white parade ground. He turned his
head and saw a woman in the door
of the house next to his. Thesun and
the glare had blinded his eyes, used
for the past month to aroom darken-
ed by horse blankets tackled up at
the windows, and he could not dis
tinguish the face. However, there
was only one woman who vas at all
likely to be in that particular spot
the wife of the major commanding,
the only officers wife in the fort.
So Truman raised his voice and call
ed q feeble GOOD morning. and
was surprised that he did not recog-
nize the tones of the reply, which
were surely not those of the high So
prano of the majors wife. The sur.
prise made him sway a little uncer.
tainly, but when his eyes suddenly
distinguished the face of the lady in
the doorway he lost control of his
muscles, and being startled all but
fell face downward upon the sand
from sheer weakness.
1t was not until some days later
that he knew that only a pair of soft,
warm arms had kept him from