Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-09-21
CHAPTER Y.

CHAPTER V.
For several days Trooper Graice had
been in the guardhouse Absent from
check roll call, from his quarters over
night and from reveille, he had turned
up at sick call with q battered visage
and all the ear marks Of q drunken row.
He had been hauled up before sum-
mary court, Major Wayne's first duty
after reporting at the post, and received
sentence of fine with q scowling face
and no word CT plea for clemeucy or
promise OF betterment. What cared he
| for fines? He could win more il q night
than they could stop in month. lie
was out again doing pcnance with the
| police cart about the post the day the
available transportation came driving
back from the railway with load Of
precious freight, and Trooper Graice,
splitting wood in the major S back yard,
dropped the ak with savage oath and
turned 4 sickly yellow fer one minute
| when he heard the busy tongues of the
| dOmestics next door prCclaiming the
| arrival Of Lieutenant farrar's mother
| and sister. The sentry Oh duty over
| prisoners babe him stop his swearing
and get to work again, for Captain
Leale was passing rapidly up the walk
| in front, and Leale was man whose
| eyes were ever about hin and whose
| ears seemed never to lose n sound, but
the captain merely glanced keenly at
| the soldier with his brace of malcon.
tents and hurried on.
1t was Leale who opened the door of
| the stanch Concord and assisted the
ladies to alight-iIrs. Farrar, Ellis for
the Farrars had returned to the fort
and :: stranger, gentlewoman evident.
ly, yet one who seemed to shrink from
accepting aid or attention and whose
| beautiful blue eyes ever followed Mrs.
Farrar. My friend, Mrs. Daunton; my
older friend. Captain Lealc, Of whom
you have heard SO inuch," Were the
words in which these two were made
known to each other, while Will and
the servants were tumbling out bags
and rugs and wraps, even as another
and similar vehicle was being unloaded
in front Of the colonel's.
! Leale dined EN- famille at the Farrars
that evening, Will proudly presiding,
as became the head of the house and the
foot Of the table, and beaming upon his
mother, who sat facing him and reioic
ing i'll his happiness. Very bright and
coy were the prettily furnished quar-
tiers, for, with bcundless enthusiasm,
the ladies of the garrison had aided the
young gentleman i'll making them at
tractive against the coming of the wife
of their honored old colonel and his fai,
daughter, and right after dinner the
visitors began to arrive, welcoming
army fashion, the old friends long en-
deared to al the other members of this
garrison, men and women both, and
while Mrs. Farrar and Ellis had hest.
of questions to ask and answer Captain
Leale found himself interested in Ell
tertalnlng the stranger, to whom all
this blithe and CHEEKY intercourse, al
the cordial. hospitable, homelike army
ways, were so odd and new. 1t wa!
tattoo when he rose to leave and met
poor Will without - Will, who hat
twice gone up to Fenton's hoping Il
steal "a word or two with Kitty, only tc
find that such portion Of post society 4.
was not gathered about his mother ant
sister was copyrighted ct the colonel.
and then, fatigucd by the Journey
and showing plainly the effect of the
excitement Of her arrival, Mrs Farral
was induced to seek her rool2, Will,
Ellis remained in the parlor to chat
with others still coming III to bid then
welcome home, and not until long aftel
10 were the lights turned down in No
5. and not until even later did they
CLEAN no longer from the big house OF
the edge Of the bluff.
Whatever trepidation her friend hat
felt as to the effect of this return upor
Mrs. Farrar, it was soon evident that i,
was groundless. Even the day on which
she returned Lucretia's call and was re
ceived i'll the familiar rooms, once he,
own, she controlled admirably every
sign OF deep emotion. She seemed hap
py in being with Will. her idoiizcd hoy
and was never tired Of watching him a,
he strQs.e or rode away upon MS variou.
duties.
An admirable soldier was VIII. as al
the officers admitted, devoted 10 hi,
duties, full Of snap, spirit ard enthusi
asm, a fine drill instructor, and teache,
OF the noncommissionedo officers school
yet ever handicapped by that exubcran
boyishness and by the fact that to saw,
their souls the old soldiers AID theii
families seemed to find it absolutely i'm.
possible at FIST 70 forget him as Mas
Their Will Many Of the old sergeant:
and their wives had come to paw thei,
respects to Mrs Farrar, and TO talk, a;
she loved to hear them talk, Of the colo
mel they loved so well and mourned sc
: Loyalty. One and all they reioiced il
) saying everything that soldier speecl
) could frame in praise of their new lieu
tenant, their boy officer, their colonel.
: soldierly son, even while struggling
) against the impulse that ever possessed
, them TO refer TO him as Masther Will
, or. as he hated still more to be called