Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1897-02-18

what had once been the kitchen gar
den Of the family estate. Quite as
often as not she was on the point OF
hunger, when there was no demand for
the needlework of her quivering old
fingers. Her son did not contribute to
her support. "All of my beggarly pay,
and more, too, goes to keep up appear
ances. My regiment is great on esprit
de corps. I'd like awfully we'll to help
you, mother, but must hold up my
end of the row. am a Claiming"
And she loved him all the better.
While he was with her in the sum-
mer of '85, through sheer lack Of ex-
element he became enamored OF a
certain Anna Trafford. He asked her
to marry him-qulte the last thing he
would have expected himself to do
and she, being completely fascinated,
consented without even a decent
amount of hesitation. 1t was arranged
that in the late fall she should join
Claiming at the town nearest his post,
and there be married
In September the unhappy Mrs. Nor
ton, having gone hopelessly away to
another garrison, the lieutenant re-
Joined his regiment.
In November, giving way ungracious-
~ enough to Anna Trafford's plead
lngs, Charming granted her permission
to join him at tn railroad town. She
was very poor. Generally she was con-
siderate and self-sacriflcing. Now she
clamored, and would not be quieted
until a mortgage was raised on the
wretched little house that was all in
the world her mother and crippled sis
ter owned. She bought her ticket with
the money, and ten days after the re-
ceipt Of Channings letter she was a.
the meeting place-alone.
She spent a day and two nights in
the mean little depot hotel, very near
ly out of her mind with loneliness,
fright, and at last an acknowledged
distrust. Then Channing's mother ar
rived, and an officer met them with
an ambulance.
fever, the mother told her. The doc
tor had telegraphed for her, without
her sons knowledge, the day after the
girl had left the village. Then Anna
reproached herself for her suspicious
with unreasoning bitterness.
The drive to the post took two days.
1t was a horrible experience for the
officer. The road stretched on, on and
on, across desert and bad lands, where
even the greasewood and mesquite
were burned by the terrible sun. The
The beautiful daughter of Col. Ross
was standing by Channing's bed, alone
when the doctor led the mother and
her young companion in The lieuten-
ant had been dead twenty minutes
The dark-eyed woman, did not turn
she had forgotten everything in all
the world save only Channlng's face
When the southern girl dropped down
at the bedside and screamed for hel
husband, she started.
rs the poor thing crazy?" she asked
duly of Mrs. Claiming.
"No. But she was not married tt
him. Only she was to have been mar
ried at Santa Maria two or three days
ago; forget when. He sent for her.
THAT can't be true, because / an
his wife"
Mrs. Claiming caught at the bedpos
with her shriveled old hand. Mon
sense" she said.
Indeed, it is true. Aren't you his
mother?" She put her arm tenderlJ
about the bent shoulders. Il though
you were. You look like him. He ant
I were married last night at midnight
when they told us he was going to die
Anna! Come away, Anna You've
no right there. Get up. This girls hi
wife. He didn't love you. He married
her. He married her-last night"
It was cruel, bit Mrs. Claiming hat
gone mad.
For five years afterward Col. Ros
cared for the insane mother of hi
daughters husband-even when hi
daughter was dead.
But until Charming was buried IL
the graveyard on the hill, where thu
coyotes dug up the mounds at night
and the prairie-dogs parked shrllly
and the snakes glided along the dry
baked earth into their holes-until HI
was buried there, the two women stale
by her. Their trust in the dead maj
never faltered The girl believed HI
had been ensnared on his death-bed
the wife that he had never loved thu
childish, pretty Virginian. Yet neither
out of pity-spoke her convictions.
Watching over his mother, they sa
in the room where he had died, anC
listened to the thud Of the soldiers
feet as they marched by outside, fol
lowing the young officers fag-coveret
coffin. Then there was long, lont
silence. They were wide apart-th'
wife, with her beautiful head in he
hands; the girl, looking straight a
the wall; the old woman, mutterint
and scratching at her gown with he
crooked fingers.
At last came the sound of far-of
volley of musketry. The girl jumped
up. Whats that?"
"The firing over his grave"
II n rn0mant n pama again Thl