Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1896-11-12
CHAPTER Y.

For several days Trooper Graice had
been in the guardhouse. Absent from
check roll call, from bis quarters over
night and from reveille. he had turned
up at sick call with a battered visage
and all the ear marks Of a drunken row.
He had been hauled up before sum-
mary court, Major Wayne's drst duty
after reporting at the post, and received
sentence Of fine with soowling face
and no word Of plea for olemency or
promise Of beteerment What cared he
for finest He could win more In night
than they could stop in a month. He
was out again doing penance with the
police cart about the post the day the
available transportation came driving
back from the railway with q load Of
precious freight and Trooper Graice,
splitting wood In the major back yard,
dropped tho AZ with savage oath aud
turned sickly yellow for one minute
when he heard the busy tongues of the
domestics next door proclaiming the
arrival Of Lieutenant Farrar's mother
and sister. The sentry on 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 o man whose
eyes were ever about him and whose
ears seemed never to lose o sound, but
the captain merely glanced keenly at
the soldier with his brace Of malcon-
tents and hurried on.
It was Leale who opened the door Of
the stanch Concord and assisted the
ladies to alight-Mrs. Farrar, Ellis (for
the FarTars had returned to the forty
and q stranger, a gentlewoman evident.
~, yet one who seemed to shrink from
accepting aid or attention and whose
beautiful blue eyes ever followed Mira
Farrar. my friend, Mrs. Daunton; my
older friend, Captain Leale, of whom
you have heard so much" were the
words in which these two were made
known to each other, while VIII and
the servants were tumbling out bags
and rugs and wraps, even as another
and similar vehicle was being unloadod
in front Of the colonel's.
Leale dined en- famille at tho Farrars'
that evening, Will proudly presiding,
as became the head of the house and tho
foot Of the table, and beaming upon his
mother, who sat facing him and rejoic.
ing in his happiness Very bright and
coy were the prettily furnished quar-
tors, for, with boundless enthusiasm,
the ladies Of the garrison had aided the
young gentleman in making them at
tractive against the coming Of the vito
Of their honored old colonel and his fair
daughter, and right after dinner the
visitors began to arrive, welcoming,
army fashion, the old friends long en-.
deared to all the other members Of the
garrison, men ana women both, and,
while Mrs. Farrar and Ellis had hosts
Of questions to ask and answer, Captain
Leale found himself interested in en-.
tertaining the stranger, to whom all
this blithe and CHEEKY intercourse, all
the cordial, hospitable, homelike army
ways, We're 80 odd and new. 1t was
tattoo when he rose to leave and met
poor Will without - Will, who had
twice gone up to Fenton's hoping to
steal word or two with Kitty, only to
find that such portion Of post society as
was not gathered about his mother and
sister was congregated ut the colonel's
and then, fatigued by the journey
and showing plainly the effect Of the
excitement Of her arrival, Mrs Farrar
was induced to seek her room, while
Ellis remained in the parlor to chat
with others still coming in to bid them
welcome home and not until long after
10 were the lights turned down In No.
3, and not until even later did they
CLEAN no longer from the big house on
the edge Of the bluff.
Whatever trepidation her friend had
felt as to the effect Of this return upon
Mrs. Farrar, it was soon evident that it
was groundless. Even the day on which
she returned Lucretia's call and was re-
ceived in the familiar rooms, once her
own, she controlled admirably every
sign of deep emotion. She seemed hap
py in being with Will, her idolized boy
and was never tired Of watching him as
he strobe or rode away upon his various
duties.
An admirable soldier was Will, as all
the officers admitted, devoted to his
duties, full Of snap, spirit and enthusi-'
asIn, q fine drill instructor, and teacher
Of the nonoommissionedo officers school,,
yet ever handicapped by that exuberant
boyishness and by the fact that to save
their souls tho old soldiers ana their
families seemed to and 10 absolutely i'm.
possible at first to forget him ~ Mas.
Their Will. Many Of the old sergeauts
and their wives had come to pay their
respects to Mrs. Farrar, and to talk, a.
she loved to hear them talk, Of the colo
mel thoy loved 80 we'll and mourned 80
Loyalty. One and all they rejoiced in
saying everything that soldier speech
could frame in praise Of their new lieu-
tenant, their boy officer, their colonies
soldierly son, even while struggling
against the impulse that ever possessed
them to refer to him as Masther VIII,
or, as he hated still more to be called,
Master Willie. Little BY little the army
punctilio had prevailed, and most Of the
men had learned to refer to him respect
fully as "the lieutenant" and to brace
mp and salute him with all the gravity
AID precision lavished on Fentou or
Leale. Even the Irish trumpeter, with
whom he had ridden races and played
hockey and gotten into all manner Of
mischief about the post in bysone days
-McQuirk-at drst could not suppress
the affable grin that oyerspread his