Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1897-07-10
For ten minutes lambert exercised his

mutt, uuu tneu, w succT UisS uSt, hTcN
the bride on the sidewalk, picked up ai
abandoned half brick. and let the mul,
fave IL IN the flank. lie merely twitchct
his scraggy hide. raised one instant tn,
nearmost hoof, but never lifted hi!
head. The brute was hungry from lonl
fasting, and did not mean to be dis
turbed, and Lambert, who had cater
nothing since the previous day, wa,
presently In full sympathy. Once more
lie looked around in search of som,
human being, and found himself con
fronting n citizen In shirt sleeves and ,
tangled head Of hair, who, leaning out
Ct o second-story window. wnsneverthe
less not 90 feet AWAY. For momen,
each reg ,rded the other without word
Then the native spoke:
"What We tryin' to do?"
81 was trying to catch that mule"
"Want him FIR nnythihg?"
mo; only l found him tangled in his
reins, md he got away after ! loosed
Kim"
The native regarded the newcomer
curiously. Lambert had slung his
blue cape over the hitching rail during
his brief pursuit Of the ungrateful
Least and his neat-fitting suit Of tweed
was something new to Tugaloo eyes.
So was the jnunty drab derby.
"You don't b'long roun' yerc, do your
qucried Tugaloo next.
81 don't; and the Lord knows don't
want to; and I'd be glad to find some
way Of getting myself and my trunk
yondcr, out TO camp. Can you auggcs,
any?"
"Wc-cll, you might walk. Don't reck.
on your trunk kin, though. Knew the
way?"
mo"
"Foller the track down thar q piece
an you'll come to path along the
branch. It'll take you right in 'mongsi
the tents. faint more II few rnwds.'
THANK you, my friend. You're the
first live man I've found. / suppose J
can send in for my trunk?"
NNNNoh y Nuhs kuN
an wagons enough"
Lambert gathered up his belonging.
and trudged away. lie did not mean
to yield TO the feeling of depression that
wns struggling to possess him. yet the
blue devils were Juggling Mt his heart.
strings. Wasn't this just what his class
mates had prophcsicd would happen Il
he went into the infantry? Could any
service be much more joylcss. unevent.
full, forlorn. than this promised to bei
MARK Tapley himself would go t:
pieces in such II place." lie had heart
some one at headquarters say of Tuga.
loo, but he meant TO out.1apley Mark
ifneed be, aud nobody should know how
much he wished he hadn't been assigned
to this sort Of duty and to this pnrticu'
lar regimcnt-certainly not his class.
mates, and, above all, not the loving
mother ut home. Heavens! how unlike
was this blenred. wasted. dcsolate lane
to the sweet and smiling New England
vale where his boyhood had been spent
to the thickly-settled, thrifty, bustling
shores Of the Merrimac.
He had walked nearly mile and had
seen no sign OF camp or sentry. but on
a sudden the path left the brushwood
beside the sluggish branch" rounded
n projecting knoll, and was lost in
rough, red clay, country road. A fence,
with a thick hedge Of wild-rose-bushes,
wns 10 his lcft-lcaves and roses long
since withcred-and over the tops he
caught sight of the roof and upper
story Of some old southern homestead,
at which he had q better peep from
The gateway farther along. A path OF
red brick led to the fight OF steps,
broad and bordcred by unpretcntiou'
balustrndes. Dingy white columns
supported the roof Of a wide piazza
smoke was drifting from battered
pipe projecting from the red brick
chimney at the north end, and the
mir WIS family scented with q
most appetizing fragrance OF broiling
iain. II made Lambert ravenous.
Somewhere around the next bend in
The road, beyond the northward extrem-
ity Of the old fence, he could hear the
sound of voices and n splashing Of water
on, he found himself over.
ooling level "bcneh" surrounded
IN three Sides by deep bend OF tn.
itrcam and partially separated from
he red roadway by fringe OF stunted
rees and thick, stubborn bushes; and
iere, in IN irregular square, Lambert
'ame face to face with the encampment
" the first company, outside of West
Point, 1t WINS ever his luck to join. At
hat particular moment he was Just
bout ready to resolve II should be the
ast.
On two aides OF the square, facing
ach other and perhaps 20 yards
part, were the "a" tents Of the com.
AMY, ten on side. At the flank farth.
st from the road and pitched SO as &c
ace the center OF the Enclosure was a
'all tent, backed by one or two OF the
mailer pattern. Nearest the road was
second wall tent, used, possibly, by
he guard-though no guards were Wis.
white canvas cover OF IN army
'agon. and few more scattered "a"
cnts. Cook-fircs had been nblaze and
fere now smouldering about the wag.
n. Several men in gray wooden shirt:
'ere washing their faces ut the stream;
Tiers, In light-bluc overcoats, were
auntering abou; the tents, some OF
those occupants, rs could be easily
cen, were still asleep.
Standing at the edge OF the winding
Dad, and thinking how easy n matter
would be to toss hand-grenade into
ne midst Of the camp, Lambert paused
moment and studied the scene. Rest
lg on his sword. still in its channels
use, with his cloak and satcheI