Daily camera., 1897-01-22

"In town, somewhere. III find out"
But here the lieutenant checked him. A
feeble voice was just audible in the ad-
joining room:
"Have they gone? Have | been i'll?
Esther-dairilter see that-No! |
must see that young officer, at once"
Not tonight, mother" answered the
elder girl, pleadingly. 'Not tonight.
Tomorrow; you'll be rested then"
''That may be too late. Whatever
happens, there must be no court-mar-
tial. He said ] should have to testi-
fly; so would you. You saw, Esther,
and if under oath we should have to
tell
''Quick! Come out of this!" whis-
pered Lambert, hoarsely, and dragged
the sergeant after him to the dark and
wind-swept shadows of the yard
Sunday morning came, gloomy,
cloudy. with the wind still moaning
among the almost leafess branches and
whirling dust-clouds from the crooked
road. After night of so much excite
ment camp slept late. Lambert was
aroused somewhere about seven by a
scratching at the tent flap, and Sergt.
Burns, answering the summons to
"come in, 'poked his freshly shaved face
through a framing of white canvas to
ask if he might send the lieutenant some
breakfast from the cook-fire. 1t was
barely "a hours since his arrival in camp.
and SO crowded had these hours been
with event. experience and novelty that
the young officer seemed to feel he had
been a month on duty. There lay his
blue flannel blouse at the foot of his cot.
Unseen hands had tossed it from the
window at which on his first appear
ance the previous night slender, white
robed form had been piteously crying
for help. He drew it to him and
searched the left shoulder strap. Yes!
Even now three or four curling hairs
were twining like the tendrils of vine
about it's dead-gold border and across
the field of sl1y-blue velvet-another
vogue to the day. ''She had time to dis
entangle the mass, but could not see
these fine filaments in so dim a light"
he laughed to himself. "Only fancy
what my Merrimac madre would say if
she were to hear that a pretty head
southern girls head-had been resting
on my shoulder the very first night |
got here! Only fancy what the damsel
herself would say, if she had chance to
say anything! And as her mamma
well, what wouldn't she say?"
Lambert had lots to think of as he
made his soldier toilet and came forth
into the gloomy, moisture-laiden air,
for the southeasterly wind was sweep
ing the rain clouds up from the distant
gulf, and nature looked bleak and dis
NAL. Two items occurred to give him
comfort. No sooner had he stepped out
into the open space than the one sentry
at the other end of the camp shouted:
''Turn out the guard-commandin Of
ficer!' which was unnecessary at the
distance and under the circumstances,
vet clearly proved that the disposition
among the men was to brace up In
recognition of the arrival of an officer
who knew what discipline meant.
And then, looking suspiciously as
though he had been waiting for chance
to undo the i'll effect of his blunder OF
the previous day, there in front of
Burns tent stood Corporal Cunningham,
company clerk; and the salute with
which he honored the camp commander
was as pregnant with good intent as 1t
was clumsy in execution. Somebody
had placed an empty clothing box by
the side of the tent, covered it with can
vas fly, and set this improvised table for
one with the best tins the company mess
afforded. Somebody else had carefully
BACKED the lieutenant's boots and shoes,
and presently up came young German
soldier bearing the lieutenant's break
fast on the company cooks breadboard,
which was covered with a clean white
towel.
"Burns is one of the oaks, at any rate
thought Lambert, as the sergeant fol-
lowed to see that all was in proper order.
Ham and eggs, soldier coffee" can OF
milk, corn-bread and hardtack, were set
before him with pardonable pride and
Burns explained that they bought eggs.
milk, and corn-bread of an old darby
who came over from the village almost
every day. Then Lambert bethought
him of his captured pail of butter, and
brought it from the tent. This does
not belong to me-" he said. "It rolled
out from the Walton hedge last evening.
Do you know who their regular Gus
toner is?"
81 don't, sir. Yet / know Mcbride
and others sometimes had butter-good
butter too, like this. The captain
doesn't buy any, and wouldn't allow the
company to buy any there. Not that nc
cared. sir; only the old lady was SO up
pish and made such row when any OF
our fellows we're seen even talking to
her people that he gave regular orders
forbidding it. No one from the Walton
place dare set foot inside camp, and he'll
make it hot for Riggs when he gets