The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1898-12-24

There's no telling when you'll ever get
that inheritance. When lawyers once
get hold of an estate it's dollars to
dimes nobody else ever does, and by the
time Judgment is awarded in your IA
vor it will be eaten up in fees and in
Vulnerable charges. You cannot count
OIL cent of it. You cannot save any
thing to speak of here. Just capitalize
those debts of yours; borrow the money
from some business man on reasonable
time and interest, get your life insured
in his favor, and go out and join our
troop. We can have you relieved as at
your own request, and once out on the
frontier YOU can save so much month,
and little by little pull yourself out"
And leaving his pretty sweetheart.
his chosen friends and pleasant sur
roundings.- this was exactly what
Randy Merriam did. Ned Parry, with
puzzled look on his face, had listened
to his mournful recital, had promptly
offered his services and his bank ac-
count, and made but one stipulation:
'Don't you go near those fellows, Mer-
riam. Let me have the bills and I'll
send you the receipts" for Parry had a
theory of his own.
| Sedgwick was as dreary post, so far
as surroundings were concerned, as
could be found in the west. 1t stood
on pebbly mesa, fat and barren, over
looking the narrow, tortuous, shallow
canyon. through which rippled the
waters of the San Mateo. Across the
western horizon hung a low, jagged
curtain of distant blue mountains. Far
away to the northwest a snow peak
shimmered in the dazzling sunshine,
but north, east and south the low roll
ing contour of the prairie, like the
ground swell of the ocean, was lost in
illimitable monotony. The only trees
were some willows down in an arroyo
that emptied it's rivulet after rain
storm into the stream. The only green
things were the Blinds and vines upon
the piazas of the officers quarters. Yet
Sedgwick was big post, an important
post, for great Indian reservation lay
only 20 miles away toward the noun
tains. Two lines of railway met at the
| junction three miles down stream, and
by riding few miles westward one
came suddenly. upon a fertile valley,
where grass and trees abounded, and
where all nature seemed to smile, and
where by rights the old post should
| have been located; but all that was In
dian reservation when Sedgwick was
built, and not until long after did the
| territorial officials succeed in getting
it Topped off from Los allotment and
thrown open to settlement. Along the
/ bowery shades of the Santa Clara were
now ranches by the dozen, and hun
bred or more of enterprising settlers,
snd between them and the thronging
| garrison at Sedgwick was peace and
good will and every kindly relation,
when Randy Merriam came out in the
December of the Columbian year, de-
termined to take his punishment like
man. He had sworn off cigars and
cXtravaganccs of every kind. For q
time he even declined to subscribe to
the hops, which were charming affairs,
for the, band was excellent and the regi-
ment blessed with many lovely and
lovable women. Merriam spends al
of his money in stamps" was the com.
ment of the garrison wits, for he wrote
day after day to his distant darling in
the east. That winter Ned Parry ac
cepted the junior partnership in tho
great firm of Graeme & Rayburn, in
Chicago, and moved thither with his
lovely wife, while Fan remained with
Aunt and Uncle Mellen in Gotham, pin
ing, presumably, for her far-away sol
der boy, and yet writing much less fire
quently than he did, for the demands
of society were incessant and auntit
kept her ION the 60"
One day in April there came letter
from the east at sight of which Randy
Merriam's face was radiant with Joy
1t briefly told him that the long ,itiga
ton was over and that some $4,000, al
that was left of the original $4,000, were
at his disposal. Jubilantly, confidently
then, he wrote to Fanny to name tn,
day, and in course of time there came ;
reply, long, se.f-accusing, penitent
miserable, but al.-sufficient. The day
was named, and so was the, man-Mr
John Harold McLane, of New York,
wealthy widCwer of SIS.
The wedding of Miss Hayward ant
Mr.. McLane followed so speedily the an
Iouncement of the engagement tina
elderly club men, long years the chum
of the groom, barely had time to con
coct suitable forms of compliment am
congratu!ation. The reception whicl
followed the ceremony, however, wa
on such a scale of magnificence as t
leave little room for doubt that the Mel
lens had long been preparing for tn
event. The business relations eXistin;
for a decade between Uncle Mellen an,
John McLane were well understood
Indeed the match was declared TO be O
Uncle Melen's making, ard the Who'll
transaction was openly referred to b
younger club men as most MellenchoI
ly affair. Charlotte Parry went on fror
Chicago to attend it, but Ned, her de
voted lord, Pleading very pressing pre-
fessional engagements, positively re
fused to go. He wrote a letter TO Uncl
, Mellen about that time, however, whic
gave other reasons for his non-attent
: ance, and to which the recipient, afte
4 4