The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1896-07-30
BRIAN MEDAL

Hsia h.1 been ean.Asr,a promising
fecrlIs p3serluiy banL sitl .ijtl
Of chest aud development Of bieep
which sos favor 10 bic physical eIsmint
lan, bic bright eyes aud alert nance
augtred veil Tor hls intelligence. BIZ
sb,!hy 20 rie vas Immediately evident
.pd. though bis styie Of fqBitstion in
iofsed b., sdni siou that be had learBsd
10 g circus traln, yr, be vas ss imitsii't
asa monkey, sud soou looked AS entirely
part q the borse rs did the other mem
bsrs Of Ir Op l. Tbongh be les ed
that be hs1 never touched a ssbfe nor
see1 cavS ~ rifle U. al after his enlist
uent, be proved 10 be equally quick 10
AfQniflns the various drIll., and, alasi
10 evading barrack regulations, At the
cod Of the wiGter which succeeded his AZ
rival at Fort Fletcher be had speht more
hours 10 .be eusrdhouse than sry man 10
the regiment. bat invariably for offences
against rules aud Limitations, never for
either drunkenness or brsplIng Light
OF hesrt and keen Of VT. be hat become
a fsyorite among bis comrades, Who shel
tered him in many scrspe perpleIiy
| TO bis captain who was student of ehsrs
ter, and an silliction to the SARGENT. who
was directly responsible for the good be
hsVior OF the troop.
When 90 Indian rtyolt broke on. dur
lug the next summer, Brlans career bad
ceased 10 b. considered promising. But
through the coarse Of that campaign bis
record was trscel with white stones
Stesdy on a march, alert on a scout /
dauntless in light. he finally achieved |
regiment.l reuown OF volunteering frst to
brlug water for the wounded under heavy
dre
Upon the return of the command TO
Fort Fletcher Busn's captain suggested
him asa candidate for the soldiers much
desired N edal for gallant conduct" The
colonel, however. was disciple OF rout
he. who detested enthusiasm and sbhor
red mistake as utterly as crime.
A medal Tor the most unruly member Of
your troop, Captain Cameron be eIclaim
Cd We will wait uLtIl We see whether +
be can keep out of the guardhouse. We
should serously endaDger the general IN I
luence of that medal if We gave it to a =
hooper whom we may be obliged to court ;
martial. /
II we withheld the medal, which he pro /
1aby knows be deserves, because we fear
bat be may perhaps disgrace it, the iuAu r
nee Of our doubt may be bad for Brian, r
cameron demonstrated. 8
| cannot argue my decisions in regimen c
al affairs, the colonel declared, and the h
conversation ended. ii
Possibly Brian resented the injustice il
I his disappointment; possibly the mono (,
ony OF bsrrack life stirred hIs restlessness u
0 greater INSTRUMENTATION, when it had -
1st its single charm Of novelty. Certainly
is misdoings Increased IN number and h,
iscredt. AT the posttrader's establish n
,ent be was the hero OF several scenes OF
horse play, so i'll appreciated by the vic hi
ms rs to require authoritative ioterVen III
on, aod bis leaves to visit Zenith City p,
ere so invariably overstsyed that their
susl conclusion was twenty four hours ev
rest ,Convuced at last that such remedy nj
as OF no avail. Captain Cameron refused
sign another "leave. THE lecture which ~,
,companied this refusal was received ii,
ith sulIenDess which wass new fault IN nr
s hitherto chGery scapegrsce, and Cam 20
on conclu led the interview more peremp Or,
tily than was his wont. Before he had 60
sing on the following morning the ser
ant reported Brisn's disappearance His al,
tence bad been discovered Ut reveille.
isty search through the post had reveal -,
no token Of him, and though the zen n
les had neither seen nor beard him, there
ss long beat Of rampant, skirtinR
e edge Of the bluff, where half
coz4n men less agile than Brian could lac
We escaped unobserved on a moonless o,i
sht me
A detail under the sergeants command
IS seLt out to patrol the surrounding nh
lntry, and Cameron rode TO Zenith City
secure the assistance Of the civil author cb,
az OF the town % the frontier. bow ma,
r. deseriion 10 likely 10 succeed, il the I'm.
,ltive possess s average cIeverness and {
ne ready money. Brian was known to IA
We his last pay nstslment unspent,sud thu
1ueh bis descripi n was teIeRrapbed vii
the various stopping plsces OF the lel inI
gstone steamer, with bad started ou =
= day Of his evasion, yet there s,retched lin,
prairie, limitless beyond the power OF ou
sctive watching, Nobody expected that hin
would be found and when a week pass !
without news OF bin tue garrison talk a.;
Of other subjects. uo,
1T Cameron vas thinking OF Bnan's
ct connection With his troop IS be rode i
ough the post gateway one May after I
ID. he bad liked the gsyety, the alert aou
s. the daredevil courage OF this fellow -.
0 bad given so much trouble, aud Who ...
nov guilty Of such serious military >. j,
.nce. He blamed himseli that be had Lu.
made 6rmer stand for 10 tlce 10 the
.ir Of The medal
,log q man that you respect him, aud Il
tfsch hin TO become respectable be
tered r-sfetiully. 49,
ie rode slogly for iouR distance, try -.
10 sDsser The qaes Iou that has yDIad a
sy foldisrly soul ss 10 the exact point