Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1897-04-20

came shriekin' to the windy, an the
stranger-the gentleman-lept to the
side door, an a-callin' to him to come
an square me an Riggs, whom he got
into the scrape, an there was more
screamin', an, he niver so much as axed
to shpalxe, but run fur his life when the
lieutenant jumped in an batthered
Riggs, who was only askin' a chance to
explain"
do you expect me to believe that any
gentleman stood there and saw Riggs
grapple that poor old lady and never
raised hand to stop it?" asked Lam
bert, almost angrily.
Its Gods thruth, sorr. He was
maxim motions, crazy-like, but he niver
came outside that doorway until he
saw the lieutenant, an then the lamp
whit out, wild him a-runnin'''
The lieutenant pondered moment.
Had Sergt. Burns ventured on an ex-
preston Of doubt, the interview would
have come to an end at once, with Muir
ply in disgrace; but Burns looked full
of honest perplexity, and yet belief.
"1ou ought to have had sense enough
to know should be glad to send to town
for anything Mrs. Walton needed" said
Lambert. "Why didn't Riggs ask per-
mission?-or why didn't you?"
Murphy was certainly frank. "Sure
we both knew it would be anybody but
Riggs the lieutenant would send. We
were guilty enough of going to town
without permission, an drinkin'; but
it was charity, not thavin', sorr, that
we entered the garden for.'
"You may send Murphy back, ser
geant. Well have to hold him until
Riggs can tell his story. Of course"
said Lambert, as the Irishman was
led away, eff there's anything in this
story about the stranger, it helps their
case materially. There was certainly
something queer about the agitated
words Mrs. Walton used just before we
came away-words about their testi-
mony and preventing court-martial
You heard, did you not?"
Eyes, SRA little, anyway"
"Can you imagine who the man is,
or account for his strange behaviour"
II can't sir. It might have been one
of those three or four that Mr.. Parmelee
hauled in-one of the Potts crowd; but
the idea of his standing back and letting
the old lady have that tussle all to her.
self! That couldn't happen, sir, north
or south, unless" And Burns stopped
short.
"Unless what?'
"Well, sir, unless there were reasons
he daren't let her know he was there"
x.
At noon that Sunday it began to rain,
adding to the gloom of Lambert's sur
roundings, and he sat listening to the
steady downpour drumming on the
tautened canvas of his tent, thinking
Of the odd contrasts brought about by
army life. This was his first Sunday
with his company, and in every possible
way it was about as unlike every Sun
day of his previous life as it well could
be. He was trying to write to the
mother far away on the peaceful banks
of the Merrimac, where the rolling hills
were by this time wearing their carly
mantle of snow, and old and young, farm
hands and mill hands, reverent popu-
lace, had obeyed the summons of the
solemn bells that found no echo among
these dripping woods, these desolate
fields.
At intervals during the moist and
chilly morning little squads of negroes
had hung about the westward end of
camp. Something of the events of the
previous night had been put in circula-
ton with the dawn, and, growing as it
rolled, had attained huge proportions
by the time it reached the outlying
plantations five and ten miles away.
This, coupled with the tremendous story
of the Jail delivery at Tugaloo, had been
sufficient to draw the holder of their
number towards that center of interest,
the Yankee camp-though farther they
dared not go. At times there would be
some rude soldier chaff between the
men at the guard tent and these curl
Gus visitors; and no matter how poor
the wit, it never failed of it's reward of
abundant guffaw. The southern negro
needs no visit to the Barney stone;
his fattery is spontaneous.
When Lambert had finished his con-
ference with Burns, and, as in duty
bound, went over to the Walton place
TO inquire how it's chatelaine had passed
the night, he marched forth through a
little congregation of shining black
faces and obsequious and tattered
forms, and had to run the gauntlet of
a chorus of personal remarks, all in
high degree complimentary, as to the
style and fit of his uniform, as well as
his general appearance. In less than
five minutes he returned, but with
such chagrin at heart that it must have
been reflected in his youthful face.
Serene in the consciousness that he was
doing perfectly conventional and
proper thing, he had bounded lightly
up the broad wooden steps and knocked
ut the door. It was opened almost in
stantly by the colored girl whom he
had seen the night before and heard
apostrophized as "You Elinor." The
eager expression in her eyes gave way
at once to something of disappointment
and certainly of doubt. 80
II thought thought it was Mars'r