Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1898-11-10
CHAPTER V.


finished their work in the Mescalero
mountains and Merriam and his men
were recalled to Sedgwick. Late in
July Billy Whitaker had been relieved
by his restored comrade and returned
to headquarters; he lost no time in call
ing on the Haynes, and between him
and that charming little army matron,
Mrs. Hayne, there were exchanged sig
nificant smiles and knowing looks, and
not a few confidential words, to all of
which the blond, Norse-looking captain
and husband seemed to give hearty APP
prevail. And letters from the canton
ment long letters = came to Mrs.
Hayne from her friend, Mrs. Tremaine,
and long, loving, blissful missives from
Florence, and when the Haynes, father
and mother, boys and girls, all present
ly went in to Chicago for a month at
the fair it leaked out in some way that
Mrs. Hayne left freighted with mysteri-
Gus commissions from her friends at the
Catamount, Tremaine's reyerses permit
ting no such extravaganza as journey
especially in view of the many new
and lovely items that women decreed as
Indispensable now. And presently it
was known at Sedgwick that, despite
his complete recovery, Mr.. Merriam
seemed to find it necessary to leave the
detachment in the mountains and make
frequent, even hazardous rides, with
only a single orderly, down deep into
the canyon of the Catamount, and so on
back to Wells and the cantonment.
Long before the Haynes returned from
Chicago, therefore, the sweet secret was
out, and all Fort Sedgwick was talking
of Merriam's engagement to Floy Ire
maine. She was but IS; he %. She was
shy, sensitive, an idoliZed daughter.
There were times when she was actual
" lovely, so deep and tender were her
eyes, so winning her smile, soft and
caressing her voice. He was stalwart,
soldierly, fine-looking certainly, but
man few heartily liked, while few thor
Oughly knew him. He had been wild,
eXtravagant, and, some said, dissipated
the first two or three years after his
graduation. He was known to be frank
and truthful, and as a giver and lender
lad been decidedly too generous. He
was a conscientious officer in many
ways, except when he was serving I'M
der Buxton. He couldn't bear "Bux,"
and Bux not infrequently spoke dis
paragingly of Merriam's ability, thing
that might have hurt him in the eyes
of his superiors but for the fact that
they knew Bux far better than he knew
them. Among officers of his own grade
there were none whose opinion was
worth having who really disliked Mer-
riam, but very few who felt themselves
sufficiently intimate with him to active
iy like. They had nothing against him
except a certain indifference of manner,
and nothing that called for enthusiastic
praise. His conduct in returning to his
regiment from an expensive eastern sta
z ton and putting himself en- retraite I'M
iii his debts should be lifted and his
duns appeased met with general COM
mendation. His course in taking the
Mescalero detail off brother officers
hands was held to be enthusiastically
generous. He had lots of good points,
had Merriam, they all conceded, but
there were not four people, officers or
ladies, in either the cavalry or the
Rifiers who thought him good enough
for Florence Tremaine.
.sWish her joy? Aye, with all my
heart" said the old colonel. when the
news of the engagement was brought
to him, ''but can we hope it?' Even
Capt. Hayne was not sure, though he
tried to be, and found comfort and in
SEPARATION in the enthusiasm of his de-
voted wife and in the stanch opinions
of Billy Whitaker. These two were
the two at Sedgwick to whom that en-
gagement brought gladness without al
10y, and since there were not four pee-
pie in the combined commands who
could thoroughly approve the match
it follows that at most, therefore, there
could be only one more, but that one
was the most confident, the most en-
fhusiastic. the happiest, the gladdest
fhe proudest, the fondest girl TINT ever
lixed-Fiorence, her own sweet self In
a passion of tears. one exquisite, moon