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

o1n. 4nAb W1Atny nAn long Mnce feafk
cred his portable nest and on one ~ ~
quartermaster' q best horses had IafI ~.
post within the half hour Of Ris-.s
coming, no man knew for what 49,.
after once he crossed the ford. Er,s
tracks by the hundred crisscrosael -
zigzagged over the southward -
Thick darkness had settled down. RI.
ler's people swore no signs Of him ~
been seen. and, though patrols kent =
all night, poor 2Winn came baek 4.
spairing an hour before the da- J.
face his fate. Even at noon Sa 49,
hardly begun to realize the exssut =
his overwhelming loss
"Go home and Try to slespI {" said ~.
colonel sadly to the dumb aud stricl-s,
man. 'sYou can do no good here 'rn
send the doctor to you"
But Winn started up and uhook a.
old fellows kindly hand. 'sF esnn6ks-
My God. r must know the whole -.
nesst' he cried 81 cannot sleep or 81
q morsel."
Whatever you do, don't drink -
said Riggs, in not unkindly wHrninu
go and see your wife. anyhow. for !.
hour or so. She has sent three times y
But words were useless. Sympafbae;.
comrades came and strove with hin,
and said empty words Of hope or cher
empty because they knew poor Win,
had not q soul in the world to whom =
look for help. Kin to half a dozen ola
army names, it helped him not whit
for no one Of them was blessed With
means beyond the monthly nav. ana
some had not even that urmortoapad
Twenty-Five hundred dollars shortaOa
already, to say nothing of the cash for
recent sales, and more no doubt m
come. The very thought was ruin. Re
fusing comfort, the hapless man a.
down at his Uttered desk, stared again
at the crowded, dusty pigeonholes and
saw nothing, nothing but misery, if not
despair.
Brayton went over at luncheon tina
and begged q word with Mrs. VIM.
She peered over the balustrade from tha
second story, with big, black trimmed
eyes, but could not come down, could
not leave baby, who was fretful, she
said. On, why didn't Mr. Vim coma
home? What good did it do to stay over
there and worry? When would they get
through? Brayton couldn't say, but
Winn couldn't come-felt he must stay
at the Office, but if Mrs Winn would
have some tea and a bite of luncheon
prepared, he (Brayton) would gladly
take it over. Yet even this friendly
Office seemed to bring no solace. Vim
barely slipped the tea or tasted the sa7ory
broth. Frazier and Riggs went out to
luncheon. leaving him still seated at
his desk, and their faces were black
with gloom when they reached the colo
nel's door. Winn's most distressing
plight, following SO shortly after the
dire misfortune that had happened to
Lawrence, would have saddcned the
whole garrison and tinged all table talk
with melancholy but for the blessed
antidote afforded in Captain Barclays
sudden and most unlocked for coming
And what a surprise it was! All one
afternoon and part Of one evening had
Fort Worth been telling that Captain
Barclay had refused the assignment to
a regiment and post where he must
meet Laura Winn, that he had resign
ed rather than encounter once more the
woman who had played him false, that
he was too wealthy to care to bury
himself in this out of the way hole In
Texas anyhow. and even while they
were talking. all unheralded, here be
was. Tiio Tnaj01 SospiitaSie doors
opened to receive him within ten min
utes of his dust covered advent, and
only By hearsay all that night could
the garrison know OF his presence. O2s
small sole leather trunk, with the tr1v-
cling bag, rife, fieldglasses, cantsen
and lunch koz, constituted all the per
sonal luggage of the new arrival
could not even be said that any one out
side of Brooks had even seen him, 90
coated with dust were the contents Of
that old spring wagon when unloadea
at the colonel's steps, and many a Wo-
man hastened to her door on the follow
ing morning. attracted thither by tns
announcement that Captain Barclay
was on the majors porch.
There, with his host, he stood fos
quite awhile, the major pointing on.
the landmarks along the westWaiu
range and indicating apparently otna
features in the landscape. One or Two
officers fastening by raised their cap
or ran up the steps and shook nano'
with the newcomer. but he was presenF
ly summoned in to breakfast, and neign-
bors could only say he was not very az
not very stout, not very slight, not ssiy
anything. Captain De Lancy, VINO nss
had three minutes conversation SAaa
he seemed pleasant. F" but that was A.
Mrs. De Lancy was confirmed In y.
preconceived opinion that men Se,s el'
owls because her husband was unaOls
to add to the military descriptive Us. :,
brown eyes, brown hair, brown pa.
and clothes any of the Particular - ~
sought. He couldn't tell whether D1-
clay mad fine teeth or good compieAlO.1 !.
what his mouth was like, whetne, = :.
had nice hands and voice. lndeeo -