Mower County transcript., 1898-08-10
oouldn't move Mrs. Ray and ne bspy

ooulonsS move MIS-. Ray and the blbys
boys MP from the hotel until Oapt.in
Freeman had chosen and why Mra.
Blake should remain at Cheyenne near
her own old home until the Trusootts
and Rays had settled on what houses
they would take. They wanted the big
double brick next but one to the colo.
nels, but were afraid to move in lest
the new surgeon ordered out from Onna.
ha should take 9 fancy to that very oct.
1t was all plain sailing, as she could
see, for the colonel, the two majors and
the two senior captains, but then came
the tug Of war. The Greggs had moved
into No 5 confident the doctor would
prefer the other side Of the garrison, the
very house the Trqsootts and Rays
thought to occupy together, but the doc
tor came, saw and concluded that the
house he and Mrs. Doctor wanted was
No. and no other, whereat Mrs. Gregg
was furious and the captain philosophic.
II told you SO, M'riar," he was unfeel-
ing enough to say dozen times day
until she flew to the Stannards for sym-
pathy.
1t seemed to Miss Leroy that whether
these families got settled or not the
feuds never would be, and yet in less
than ten days even the young married
couples were snugly slowed away.
Smiles and sunshine met her on every
side. The men, who looked like hairy
monsters at first, had shaved their
boards and donned their neatly fitting
uniforms. The band played every after
noon. Parades were fine, guard mount
ing "lovely." The little dinners and
suppers and dances were just as jolly,
friendly and delightful as could possi-
bly, be. Many of the young matrons
were charming companions. Several Of
the young officers danced divinely, all
OF them rode we'll. and none of them
thought anything of coming banging at
the hall door at any hour Of the day to
ask Mrs. Mainwaring to come and do
this or Miss Leroy to come aud see that.
The ladies ran in and out from house to
house as though it were one big family,
and before the 10th of November came
Miss Leroy found herself completely
carried away by the life and swing and
movement that seemed to characterize
everything that went on in the old regi-
ment. She was on the pleasantest of
terms with Mesdames Ray, Truscott and
Blake. She found her aunt tireless as
hostess She admired the colonel and
his accomplished wife. She "took' to
Mrs. Stannard from the start and Won
dered why Mrs. Mainwaring didn't en-
thuse over her as everybody else did.
She liked bluff old Stannard and most
of the officers thoroughly, and so, blithe,
busy, ION the CO., as they said, from
morn till late at night, she had we'll
nigh ceased to think of the shock she
had sustained on the night of the colli-
sion or to speculate about the tall young
gentleman who had restored her to con-
sciousness and to whom she had not re-
stored the handkerchief and flask, when
the 10th of November came, and with
it her birthday, new sensation and an
excitement at the fort.
The recruits brought to Ransom by
Lieutenant Rawson were for distribu.
tion to those troops of the regiment
most in need Of new blood, and, as luck
would have it, these were all of the
battalion at Fort Fred Winthrop an
outlying post close to the now crowded
reservation of the Sioux. Thither had
Atherton ordered Rawson without de-
lay of q day, partly because recruits
were needed, but mainly because the
lieutenant showed symptoms of an on.
coming attack Of bibulous character,
and Atherton would have none of that
in his garrison. Rawson was ordered
northward forthwith and marched with
his Johnny Raws at dawn next day,
and, except for the voice of one crying
in the wilderness that the party had
looted the groggery Of Laramie Pete at
the Dry Fork of the Ska, nothing more
was heard Of them till they joined at
Winthrop, none the worse for their
wintry march. Ray had looked over the
array and decided that he could afford
to wait and pick for himself. Sergeant
Kearney had gone back to the recruiting
depot. The regimental adjutant had
been designated as recruiting officer at
the station and had disdainfully reject
ed one after another half dozen seedy
looking tramps, when one day, perhaps
the fifth after their arrival at the post,
the sergeant major put his handsome
head into the Office, followed it in, care
fully shut the door behind him, stood
sorupulously at attention and hemmed
behind his hand to attract his superior's
notice. 49,,
Mr.. Dana looked up from the tangled
mass of figures at the foot of his regi.
mental return, laid down his pen and
said, ".Weli?" .>--s .. -,
"Will the adjptant see man that
wants to eniist?"
"Not if he's like the lot that have
been here so far. - ,-~:
"He isn't, sir, but don't know
about him. .
"What's the matter? I haven't time
to waste if he isn't good enough to suit
u.s." And Dana glanced out along the
wooden porch as though in search Of
the would be trooper. ~ ss.. .<.tS.5I.
= "He's good enough, I don't doubt,
SIR" said the sergeant major, a half
smile breaking about the corners of his