Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1898-11-03

ing strength, for sunshine, fresh air,
and the brisk drive along the shores of
the winding Catamount, but Merriam
was silent, smiled but seldom, and
laughed not at all. Merriam was plain
ly troubled, and that night, when Mrs.
Tremaine asked her friend, the doctor.
how his patient enjoyed the drive, that
gentleman replied that if it did him
good he gave no sign. 81 believe" said
he, "that Merriam's in love, and that's
why I cannot understand his eager
ness to get back to his troop" And the
mother leaped with hope. She, too. had
had other plans for Florence than that
she should marry a subaNern officer;
but if by chance FYoy had chosen for
herself and fallen in love with one, it
could not have been without some per-
suasion, some pleading ON his part. 1t
must be that he was the first to love
and to plainly show it.
That night Florence was very quiet.
She read aloud to her father, as was her
custom, and chung to him as he kissed
her goodnight Merriam had gone
early to his room, as though fatigued
by the drive or rendered drowsy by the
| unaccustomed motion in the air. Some
was an unusual sound of voices in ex-
cited talk near the guardhouse, and
Tremaine awoke and was dressing hur-
riedly, when rapid steps came up the
walk, and the sergeant of the guard,
with a dust-covered courier, stood at
his door. They bore a note from Whit
taker. A serious row had occurred be-
tween some of the troop and party Of
L,
camping near them for three days.
Pistols were drawn, with the result
that one miner was killed, two troop
ers and one prospector were seriously,
perhaps mortaliy, wounded, and sew
eral others were injured. Could DR..
| Wells come out to them at once for a
| few hours, at least, and was Merriam
| able to ride? The young prospector
who was so seriously wounded had
| begged to see him, as he had important
| information for him, and bade them
| tell Mr.. Merriam that his name was
| McLane, a son of the man who was
| about to marry Miss Hayward. A pen
! ciled note in closed envelope accom-
| panied the verbal message for Merriam.
Florence, listening at her half-open
| door as the captain read Whittaker's
| dispatch aloud to her mother, shrank
back to her bedside, covered her face
| with her hands and sank to her knees.
| 1T was thus she was found a few mo-
ments later. Merriam, aroused by the
unaccustomed sounds, had lighted his
candle and, partially dressed, came
forth into the broad hallway of the
commanding officers quarters, and
Tremaine met and gave him the mes
| sage and the note, which latter Randy
| tore open and read with staring eyes
| For a moment he stood confounded,
then turned sharply to Tremai1e:
| snow, sir, I've got to go, and GO at once
| when Wells Does" then turned and
| hurried to his room.
| The captain himself aroused his post
surgeon, told him the news, and babe
| him see and quiet Merriam as soon as
| possible. The dawn was breaking, and
the rosy light was in the eastern sky
when the doctor reached his patient,
finding him fully dressed and rapidly
slowing in his saddle-bags the simple
articles of a soldiers toilet.
''This won't do, Randy. You're not
| fit to STIR" said he. But his determine
| ton oozed when Merriam, with white
| face, turned and said:
More than my life's at stake here,
| doctor-it's a woman's honor, and I'm
going, live or die