The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-05-03

there na1st be a. ieaw . hGn3ree q c@zr
rzes gree tagging siorx w.ra fhs cough
boys In Hopes of ro1ra Of drinks At the
Junction. probably I waat u1oarte6
ratrof 10 20 In n once and herd EN- an
back otherwise some % thea VIII BE- car
NED away sn ths train. s1rs as shooting.
lssr give yogr stable sentrv orders 20 les
coxe1 h1r~ss cut I'm Send M Whitaker
"a eozn-art. he waited 20 -arn cat and 20
az escort Let's OF yoar men are in there.
! sssppcse. Captain Graftsr." he eonelue9.
as ne turned TO the xzert ot,Sesr at RS
ale.
Half 4 dozen. possibly, sir. though I
tosbt H. DO yon wish horses and men
from ry troop IL not. sl-. III retire
Yes. sir. ] do. ! want three men and
horses from zach troop-xoo6 ren too
IL send squad from Just one troop. these
runagstes VII be 55Sn ca just that one
company. ard well be Ii hot water for a
Whole year
Grsftoa silently touched his cap ard
turned away. Far on 70 the southeast
there was q sound OF cheering and the
band had struck Up some roiiicklnT quick
step. ~herest Old Bux gri'fsd bis
teeth and svors anew. Damn those
internal IDIOTS Do you know whatn
BE- the result Of this, The regiment VIII
get away on the train. and then that band.
instead OF coming back. Will go TO Higuefs
saloon. and there they'll start a bale. and
have that whole g-eascT population in
there drinking mc~czl and 'guardiente.
and ripping and fighting until eseryh-ody's
heastly drunk won't have II. ssrT' and
he giared az the officer OF the quart as
though be considered that silent official a
eo-conspsrsior. Il wont have IL, ! say.
] wish Mr.. Whitaker 20 start at once and
round W the whole gang"
And with that he strobe portentoasiy
Away in the direction OF headquarters. the
orderly following Sish grin. Corporal
AAEoney came In from his round. report
Ing and an right and everything Sc
cure
bat there's one thing. sir: Ne. can't
begin 20 zee the length Of his post. and
with so many private horses in the little
stables back OF the row what's TO pre-
vent them beggars from town running OF
half dozen heafg Once across the mesa
and into the santa Clara country these'd
b. no catching them"
We must take the chaHces," said Aer-
ram. briefly. The commanding officer
Will not permit any increase Of sentries-'
Yet the eorporafs warning made him
think Of his owD fayorife saddle-horse
and Efoys pretty bay She rode so we'll.
so fearlessiy, areiess,y. that one OF his
very FIRST gifts to her had been this dainty
little mare. swift asd sarefooted a
greyhound. and aeost as wonderful a
jumper. and Florence gloried In her ami
In the dashing rides they used 70 take.
They didn't mind the lack of shaded bri-
dle-paths. They secured the plain full
gailop. riding rsekiessly after the bound
ing tachrabbits. and coming hcme all
athri1I and aglow with the glorious exer-
else But OF late the rides had become
more sedate and slow and less frequent.
and when Mrs MeIane proposed being
Of the party Florence discovered Mignon
TO be suddenly lame. and had a shoe re-
moved and hoof poulticed. and Randy
smiled but said nothing Mignon was
surprised, perhaps. but not Mr.. Merriam.
He .es thinking Of the unprotected condi-
ton Of those stables back of officers row,
where those gentlemen who owned pri-
waite stock were required to keep theirs.
instead OF. as had been customary under
a previous administration, at the cavalry
or au@riermasters ccrrafs. The colonel
OF the Rifiers had once been knuekIe-
raped for allowing public forage TO be
fed 10 private mounts OF some garrison
ladies'. and now he had his eyes open The
Freemans. Haynes. Graftons and Msr-
Rams. as well a. the doctor. ali had prf-
vate horses for ladies' use, so did certain
others. and although every mounted OFF,
Ger could draw forage for tao horses not
peck OF oats could he get beyond that,
ana when II came to forage for ladies'
horses--anImais never ridden or driven ex-
eept by ladies. and too light for govern
that entirely. and was sustained by viz
tuous congress
SO Randy had 10 buy forage for Mignon.
and luckily forage was cheap. with ali
those ranches Of Santa Clara close at
hand He had often thought how easy II
would be for greasers natural horse
thicves-to sneak In on thai southern front
of a dark night and make of with four OF
five favorite horses. and the colonel used
10 Keep three Sentries along there. Now
they bad only one. All the more reason
for my keeping personal watch on that
'front.'" thought Randy, ''and that viii give
me an occasional chance 10 look IN on
Florence
one o'clock came. and the call had gone
from sentry 10 sentry. thanks to the
bvcathless stiffness OF the air. ard The moon
was climbing high. ard Bux was stn uo
and swearing. A wire came out from
the Junction thar the special would not
be there for two hours 50 The Riaers had
stacked arms. unsiunE packs. and were
SMOKING or skyiarking as suited their
humor The colonel had given permission
for 4 dance at Migisfs. The hand vas
playing, and there WAS toility IN she wind
Bux said he wouldn't have the cavalry
mixed up In any such tomfoolery, however.
and the patrol was sadiled and ready TO
start Grafton coming hack from his
stable. where he had gone 10 personally
see 10 the selection OF the mounts re-
duircd. stopped and drew Merriam z, one
side.
I'm sorry for the needless trouble Won
took thfs evening. Merriam had honef
that Mrs. McIsane would see you and have
done with II. Another dispatch came for
her three hours ago. and u seems to have
reused her TO action. She was W and
dressed in time to See the regimen, or.
and now. ! presume. she's flirting WITH
Whitaker. There are lights IN the parIor.
At all even - the orderly hasn't found him.
and bax may send you after the strasglers
IN town"
Then reckon I'll start and make the
rounds and get CIT % the way ~asf
Randy. BY the way. captain. / hope
sNour private stable - well secured We
have only one sentry on tha, whole front
now. and that matched team az vou-s ts .
powerful temptation 20 Bravo horxe-ran-
cserS- | mean 20 make tTo or three rrsp-
around ire row tonight"
well, then can save yon several hun
dred ysris Merriam" sa,a Grafton f,7,-
bling in his pocket Take the short -ot
through nv vRri. There are no nr4vr..
horses between me ami ;he east era ~
ihe lins. YOU know. Here's the Key to the
rear gate"
Merriam took t' and thanked him heAr,-
ay
IN so - Sse corralS arsf.- saAs ~
and then cone over your way. Good
night"
The lShts serc sttH burning slrslv =,
Ire pars,r as Grafio1 reached his omar
ters. bat the slender form u a vr~r1a-
stood Between I'm and the door Il va
Ms Mei-sSe- and sse eesap a. aseN.
4 have been waiting auxiotss1T 60 w.,
capsRln Dear Har-se. hss raoA - 49,
room tired eu1. snf thought NJ ws1,-
saker would never e-vs-f yasrsv - >.