The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1897-08-12

heart OF its people he was commanding
officer of his company and camp. with
out definite instructions of any kind
and only his native common sense TO
guide him.
Lambert has since told two women
his wife and his mother-how his
thoughts wandered back to the peace
full old homestead in the far northland.
and to the teachings of his boyhood
days. He made a 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 IL the prim
and starchy dame were TO call upon
him, as she occasionally had on his SUI
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 them, especially by those Off
GERS who were themselves graduated
from the ranks of the volunteers-it
was for trespass on the Walton place.
The fellow had climbed the fence and
was pilfcring 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
ont his candle, determined. if possible
thing, to get to sleep. 1t was just a
quarter-past IL when he wound his
watch and slowed it under his rude
pillow. His revolver. the days pur.
chase. lay, with some matches. close a,
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
lantern on the morrow. even if he
bought it of Cohen; but 1t 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, thai
reused him, he knew not how many
minutes or hours = later? Some
thing was whispering, surely. The
wind had been doing good deal of tha'
sort of thing all the night long among
the leaves. a good deal of snarling ant
growing at times, and there was nut
tered snarling going on around hin
now. That might be the wind; but tn,
wind would not trip up over tent
rope and say such blasphemous thing
about it, even if it did nearly pull tn,
flimsy structure down. In an insian
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, We
hurried movement. more straining a
the ropes on the side nearest the cap
tain's tent, and heavy, startled breath
ing.
| hor he, al
for the revolver. Answer, or fire."
Then came a mighty strain. jerk,
stumble and plunge, the sound as of
heavy fall, followed by instant scram
BILE and a rush of footballs around tn
rear of camp. Lambert was out of be,
and into his boots in half minute
but in his haste he upset the chair oil
which lay the matches, aud the bo,
went rolling to the floor. Pistol il
hand, he darted out in the night ant
found ii black as Erebus. Quickly h
ran to the first sergeant's tent, bu
Burns was hard to waken after tn,
long days work. Once reused, how
ever, he was soon out, lantern in hand
while Lambert hastily dressed, an,
then together they secuted camp. !
glance at their tent showed that Rigg
and Murphy were still absent. pee
at the watch showed that it was almos
two O'clock; a search around Lambert
tent revealed nothing beyond the fac
that the corner peg to which the tent
fly was guyed was torn from tn
ground and the soft, sandy soil shove,
that heavy boot-heels had made thei
imprint. Then Burns, still lantern
bearing, went crouching low aroun'
the back of Closes tent, while Lambert
with straining ears, stood stock still al
instant in front, then, of sudden, tor
like mad through the rousing camp
out past the dim white canvas of tn
wagons, out past the startled sentry
up the steep pathway to the hard re,
road beyond, down which he ran oil
the wings of the wind till he reaches
the gateway to the forbidden ground
for woman's agonized shrek ha,
rung out upon the night, and the soun'
of blows, of crashing glass, Of fierc
and desperate struggle, of muttere,
oaths, OF painting, pleading, half-stifie,
cries, of wild dismay and renewe,
screams for help, all came crowding o.
the ear from the heart of the Walton
| Dlace