The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1898-10-25
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Observation-Disclosures

signaled with his gauntlet, whereat
Brayton slackened speed to the walk,
and gap began to grow between the
rearmost horses Of Mullane's troop and
the head Of DIS already dusty column.
Ride with us moment, won't you,
Barclay?" called the major significant
~ as his subordinate seemed on the
point Of refining aside to wait for. his
men. II want you two to know each
other" And the new and the old cap
tain Of D troop, who had courteous
~ shaken hands with each other when
presented in the dim light Of the declin-
ing moon at O'Clock, now trotted side
by side. Lawrence eying his successor
with keen yet pleasant interest. He had
been hearing all manner of good of him
during the wakeful watches Of the
night, and was manfully fighting
against the faint yet irrepressible feel
ing Of jealous dislike with which broad
er and better men than he have had to
struggle on being supplanted. Do what
he might to battle against it, Lawrence
had been conscious Of it hour after hour.
and felt that he WINGED time and again
when some Of the callers spoke even
guardedly Of the changes Barclay was
making in the old troop, changes all
men except the ultra conservative rank
er element Gas the ranker was SO often
constituted at that peculiar time, be it
understood) could see were for the bet
ter.
4sYou and Barclay lead on, will you
Ned?" said the major, in lis genial
way. 81 wish to speak with Mullane
moment. Whereat he refined out to
the right and waited for the big Irish
man to come lunging up Mullane was
already squirting close at his heels,
gloomily eying the combination in
front "There are Oirish and O'-ish,
as one OF their most appreciative and
broad minded opponents, Private Ter
ence Mulvaney, has told us. and it gall
ed the veteran dragon to see his junior
in rank hidden to ride even for the mo-
ment at the head Of the swiftly moving
column. So, reckless Of the fact that
his individual squirt would call for q
certain forcing Of the pace along his en-
tire troop, now moving in long column
Of twos, Mullane had spurred his horse
4 to close the ID yard gap between him
self and the majo orderly, determined
that there should be no conference Of
the powers in which he was not repre-.
sented.
Captain Mullane, said Brooks, ~
see it is getting dusty. You might di-
vide into sections, as D troop has done,
and keep so wards apart, so that the
dust can blow aside and not choke your
men,"
/ ''This is L troop, sorr. an my men
are not babes in arrums," was Null
lanes magnificent reply. At any other
time he might have felt the pertinence
Of the suggestion, but here was case
where doughboy captain, bedad, had
instigated the measure for the comfort
Of his men. That was enough to damn
it in the eyes Of the old dragon. The
answer was shouted, too, with double
intent. Mullane desired Barclay to hear
what he thought Of such oversolici-
tude, but Barclay, riding onward stur-
Oily il not quite SO easily as was Law
renee gave no sign. He was listening
with head inclined to the words of the
keen campaigner on his right.
Brooks was quick to note the inten-
ton Of the Irish officer, and equally
quick to note the flushed and infamed
condition OF his face, the thickness of
his tongue. $50 no. my Celtic friend. :"
said he, as he saw that two canteens
were swung on the off side of Mullane's
saddle, one at the camille under the
rolled blanket, the other half shaded
\ by the bullying folds of the overcoat at
the pommel. 81 thought there was
more whisky than wit in your eager.
ness at the start Now know it. -
But even to Mullane the major would
not speak discourteously. We all
know L troop is ready for anything,
captain, - he smilingly answered, ''but
have to call for Unusual exertion TO-
day, and the fresher they are tonight
the better. Let them open out, as ]
say, " he continued, and Mullane saw
it was useless to put on further airs.
"Ye 'tind to it, sergeant, - he grunt-
ed over bis shoulder to his loyal bench
man, and then, unlimited, ranged up
alongside the leader.
The prairie was open here, the road
split up into several tracks from time
to time, and the men could have ridden
platoon front without much difficulty
for two or three miles Away to the
southeast the ground rose in slow,
gradual, almost imperceptible. slope to
the edge Of the far horizon, not tree
or shrub exceeding yard in height
breaking anywhere the dull monotony
of the landscape. Eastward, miles and
miles away, line Of low rolling hills
framed the dull hues Of the picture.
Northward there was the same almost
limitless expanse of low, lazy undula-
ton. To the right front, the south and
southwest, the land seemed to fall away
in even longer, lazier pillows until it
fiattened out into broad valley. drain
ed by some far distant, invisible stream
Only to the west and northwest, over
their right shoulders, was there CLEAN
of something brighter The faint blue
outline of the faraway Apache range
WAS still oopppd in ,,locac L,, ,,I;eto,,;,, a,