Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1898-12-30
will be ample. and I cannot rest now

across the sa1low moonlit surface OF the
parade to where the oil lamps were
burning bleari1y in the guardroom. He
is not there said he. "He has gone
down to the corrals. But'-a happy
thought striking him-''in less than ten
minutes he will be coming through here
on his rounds. I gave him the key OF
our rear gate. It's warm and pleasant
out here. You might hail and halt him
as he enters"
Meantime there had been a sore, sore
hearted young wife farther up The row.
AS wrath and passion sobbed them
selves away and the devil of jealousy
wore itself out, and the thought of
Randy's patience and gentleness and
of all that Mrs. Hayne had said of his
unfiagging tenderness and love. poor
Florence began to wonder if she had et
angered him beyond repair. His last
act had been one of fond, thoughtful
care. He had spread the shawl over her
and fingered over it as though he lived
to touch her, mad, miserable. ugly,
hateful as she had been, and she had
spitefully thrown it off. She picked 1T
up now and strove to arrang@)it as he
had DONE but could not. She arose
and bathed her face and eyes, and gazed
out over the now deserted parade. She
had not even stirred when the Rif1erS
marched away. She paced the floor
again and felt that she was wesaA. and
became conscious that she wae most
automatically hungry, and tlen-Oh,
heavensSg how could she!-how could
she have forgotten? Here was Randy
on guard, up all night, and never before
since they came back from their wed
ding tour had she fafta1 when he was
officer of the guard to have delightful
little chatting dish supper all ready for
him at IL o'clock, AID he used to come
over from his duties for half an hour
and eat with such an appetite and praise
lter Welsh rarebit, or her oysters, and
then take her in his arms with such love
and delight in his fond eyes, and here
and here it was onaA o'c1ock and she'd
utterly forgotten it. Oh, poor Randy
must be starving!
In ten minutes Mrs. Merriam had
bundled up her disAevelled hair, donned
some more becoming gown than the
tumbled wrapper, and had hustled
downstairs and lighted the parlor lamp
to signal Randy to come home and be
fed and forgiven, and then she ran.
fire, and theE) peeped over toward the
distant guardroom and saw no sign of
his coming. She trotted through the
kitchen and banged Justify at Hop
Ling's door and bade him rise and 60
summon his master, but the mental ans
swered not. He, too. had slipped away
to the Junction-not so much to see the
Rifiers off as to have a shy at fan-tan,
nd
She had been born and reared in garri-
son. No one could teach her the ms
and outs of post life. Why shouldn't
she run across the wide, dimly-lighted
fiat and surprise her darling at his desk,
and bid him come bsme with her and
let her Irvine herself about him, and
have a happier cry as she told him how
weak and wicked and cruel and hateful
she had been, and beg 10 be taken back
into his love and trust. Yes, yes, we'll
she knew that he was too noble, too
grand to treat her sternly, coidly, be-
cause of her tempestuous outbreak. It
was all because she loved him so-loved
him so that it was torture to think any
other woman could claim or hold or
even attract him. With Frightening
eyes. with bounding heart, she threw
over her head and shoulders a light
wrap and stepped out on the piazza.
Somebody was coming across the pa
rade-from the guardhouse-evenn now.
He was still too far away to be recog
nized, but as he halted one minute and
turned as though to listen to the SEN
tries just beginning to call half-past
one, the moonlight glinted on the steel
scabbard, and she knew it must be
Randy. Then he was coming to her
after all, and she need not have to seek
him and be the first to make up as
she used to say in girllsh days. The
call went round with echoing ring, and
then en- came her loving husband again.
How she loved that martial stride of
his! How erect and strong and SOL
dier1y he seemed! How-why-he
wasn't coming-straight to her He had
reached the flagstaff. There lay the
beaten pathway right before his ewes
and hers. He must see the bright lights
of his home bidding him come and find
love and welcome. But he had turned
away-was walking, not toward the
west end, but straight for the middle of
the row. straight to where the Graftons
lived-where-that woman lived.
But that meant nothing. Oh, moi
Florence well knew that meant moth
ing. Had he not said only little while
before that never would he see or sneak
with her without coming first to his
wife, his Florence, and letting her
know? Yet, why should he go thither,
at this hour of the night? That was not
the way to the sentry posts. Uncon-
sciously she approached the edge of the
piazza-she saw him reach the road
way-saw him cross it-saw him-mer-
| ciful God! could she believe her eyes?
saw him enter what must be the
Creations gate and then become lost in