Daily camera., 1897-01-21
Copyright ,ss4. by J. B. LippIneos conp.ny.l

Lambert has since told two women
thoughts wandered back to the peace
full old homestead in the far northland,
and to the teachings of his boyhood
days. He made sturdy fight against
the feeling of loneliness that oppressed
him. He wished the wind did not blow
so sulkily, in such spiteful,. vicious
puffs. 1t seemed as though nature had
combined with old Lady Walton to give
him ungracious welcome to this par
ticularly shady side of the sunny south.
The wind itself was whispering sarcas-
tic and whitening remarks to him, like
those the sergeant repeated as coming
from Madam Walton to the defenseless
captain; and even Burns sense of sub
ordination could not down his impulse
to chuckle over some of them. What
would Lambert do or say if the prim
and starchy dame were to call upon
him. as she occasionally had on his su-
perior, driving him at last to the refuge
of the nethermost depths of his tent,
whence, as Burns declared, "the cap
tain couldn't be induced to come out
till the old lady was back inside her
own door,"
The last time he "tied up Riggs
a punishment much resorted to in the
rough war days and those that closely
followed thea, especially by those Off
GERS who were themselves graduated
from the ranks or the volunteers-it
was for trespass on the Walton place.
The fellow had climbed the fence and
was pilfering among the old fruit trees
when caught by Madam Walton. That
was bad enough, but he had been i'm
pudent to her, which was worse. The
men themselves would probably have
ducked him in the stream-the old,
self-respecting soldiers, that is-had the
captain not ordered his summary pun
ishment. Lambert was wondering
what steps he should take in the inter-
ests of discipline, when he finally blew
out his candle, determined, if a possible
thing, to get to sleep. 1t was just
quarter-past 12 when he wound his
watch and slowed it under his rude
pillow. His revolver, the days pur-
chase, lay, with some matches, close at
hand. He had even placed his sword
and belt at the foot of his cot. The
last thing he thought of before closing
his eyes was that he would have to get
a lantern on the morrow, even if he
bought it of Cohen; but it was also the
last thing he thought of when the NOR
row came.
Was it the wind again, whispering
ugly things, or the ghost of Lady Wal
ton, with her acidulated tongue, that
reused him, he knew not how many
minutes or hours = later? Some
thing was whispering, surely. The
wind had been doing a good deal of that
sort of thing all the night long among
the leaves, u good deal Of snarling and
growing at times and there was NUT
tered snarling going on around him
now. That might be the wind: but the
wind would not trip up over tent
rope and say such blasphemous things
about it, even if it did nearly pull the
himsy structure down. In an instant
Lambert was wide awake.
"Who's there?" he challenged, stern
ly.
No answer-not in words, at least
but there was sound as of stealthy, yet
hurried movement, more straining at
the ropes on the side nearest the cap
tain's tent, and heavy, startled breath
ing.
who's there?" he repeated reaching
for the revolver. Answer, or fire"
Then came a mighty strain, jerk,
stumble and plunge, the sound as of a