The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1898-09-18

hey could be of aid reported her as {
looking fever:6h and far from we'll. s
Some Of them had ventured to speak of {
the new arrival, and. though her ears {
were evidently open, her lips were
closed. That she was willing, if not
eager. to hear anything they had to say :
or tell about Captain Barclay was all !
very we'll as far as it went, but what
some of her visitors most desired was to
hear what she had to say about him.
AS she would say nothing, one or two
had resorted to little delicate ques-
tioning in the hope Of drawing her out.
Mrs. Faulkner, a young matron Of her
own age and previous social standing,
an army girl like herself, and for some
time her one intimate friend at Worth,
went SO far as to ask, "You used to
know him very well, did you not?'' and
was checkmated by the answer, "Not .
we'll enough to talk about, " which an |
swef Mrs Faulkner pondered over and !
considered deliberately and inexcuAbly !
rude With the kindest feeling for her
in the world, as all the women avowed,
and no animosity whatever toward Bar
clay over and beyond that feeling on
poor Colonel Lawrence's account, there
was the liveliest interest at Worth as
regarded Mrs. Winn and Captain Bar
clay in seeing what they would do. and,
to the disappointment of all Fort Worth,
they had done nothing.
Barclay promptly returned the calls
Of the officers who had called upon him
and had done all proper homage to the
wives of those who were possessed OF
such blessings, but there were still GER
tain quarters where his face or his caro-
had not been seen-at Captain Grams,
for instance, because that warrior was
on scout and couldn't call, ditto his lieu
tenant; at one or two Of the new and
unpublished pillars Of the temple, be-
cause they had not known enough or
had been too shy to call, and at Winn s,
because that officer was i'll Of fever
and could not call. There was another
set of quarters in which he had not yet
set foot, Ned Lawrence's, and that was
the house most people expected him to
visit first.
Nor did he remain at Brooks. The
majors house was big, but so was his
household. "You have vacant room
, here, Mr. Brayton,' lie said the thirt
day after his arrival as he dropped IL
! at his subaltern's. 1T may be month
= = before get shaken down into place
dislike to disturb women and children
and so have decided to ask you TO lie
me move my cot and trunk IN herr
= awhile and to propose my name at tn
= mess. - And Brayton, blushing at tn
realization of the fact that the furnitur
in the room referred to consisted solel
!. of some chairs, a square pine table GOV
y cred with a cavalry blanket, with
o' cigar box half full of smoking tobacco
: another half full of white beans and
~ pack of cards, for its sole ornamentI
" nevertheless bravely ushered his me-
captain into the bower. and Barcla
- looked neither surprised nor satirical 1
:. the sight. 1--WE sometimes play mil
e game of draw here, SIR" said dow
~ ~ right Brayton, (which accounts for tt
appearance of things, but my stTik
- can clean it up in ten minutes, and u
~ are most welcome"
- 'It won't put you out in any way
~ asked Barclay, without the comment
~ an uplifted eyebrow ON the evidence
- duced.
~ ~ "Not SO much as poker, If it does
=, ALL said Brayton promptly. He W
=: - determined his captain should know c
- -. extent of his fraiities AT tine start
'ot os Barclay smiled qnietly and t1rned
u % the boy with liking in his eye IT
' oo hardly ten years your senior, Brayton
'H said he, land so shall not preach, bu
-. believe We can put that room 10 a lit
80 better use.'
o. The next day he took his seat at
~ bachelors mess, where a dozen 0ftic
ln were congregated, all OF them but t
his juniors in rank. The sideboard v
asA IavishIy decked with the indispensab
~ of that benighted day The old tim
"0 and the new took their anteprand
1lo' cocktail or toddy and Hospitality invi
" Barclay to join. Barclay smiled gra
~ fully, but said he had "never yet got
300 the way of it somehow, nor did
more than sip at the bordeaux VIII
tno the uresiding officer ordered served
is lo honor Of the occasion. The mess y
80 rather silent. Most men seemed deslr
4.1o of listening 20 Barclay when he sp
eS'o at all. They knew every twist and +
- of each others mode of speech by t
C time and could repeat verbatim ey
story in the combination. Barclay mi
-: have something new, bnt If. he did
.eia .e had no chance. Captain Follansbeet .
.sIao , Lo and kept the floor from first to last
20 was airing his views on the subjec
fAn consolidation, reorganization and p'
,uIo ,'. fcation as practieed at the war dep
OA00 ment, q topic which the others CON
~. cred inexcusable not SO n1nch from
-, fact that it must be most nnpalatabl
~ Al Captain Barclay, beneficiary OF
'"0- business, as it turned ont, as bees
Follansbee had worn them all out v
it weeks before.
- IL And, TO everybody's surprise, so
o9 nt from seeming annoyed or enbarra
AAU o,. bored Barclay led him on from .