Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1898-12-22
III Garrison CaD0@1@
By CAPT. cHAS. KING, U. S. Army
CHAPTER XVI

home again, and great was the rejoicing
at Russell. Atherton had directed Stan
nard to move in and take possession of
the best guestroom under his roof.
Barry had applied for long leave of
absence. Walters, with his little com
pany, was relieved from duty at the
post and on his way back to Fort Steele,
and the last thing Warner did before
going was to help carry Maynard over
to the other guest chamber under Ather-
toms roof, where the colonel declared
the gallant young fellow should stay
until perfectly restored. The arrest new
or appeared on paper, never became a
matter of record, for Walters had sup
pressed all further mention of it within
"a hours Of his i'll Judged order. Miss
O'Meara, languishing in the county Jail,
had been subjected to the process known
as 1.-THE sweathox," an interrogatory
torture that is supposed to compel the
suspected malefactor to unwittingly be-
tray the secrets of the gang to which he
may be attached, and Bridget had bro
ken down under the pressure
AS result of her revelation Cook
mad rushed for Kansas and was heard of
no more for several days, and meantime
there wasn't woman at Russell who
did not rejoice in the fact that she at
least had never for an instant believed
that Miss Baird had anything to do
with the persons guilty Of the burglary.
Some of the ladies repeatedly said as
much, notably Mrs. Turner and Mrs.
Raymond. Walters had also had to call,
poor fellow, and tell Mrs. Barry and
Miss Baird how unhappy he was over
having. ever believed that story of the
latter's knowledge of the burglary, but
IN justice to himself be must say that
not only did the sheriff admonish him
that such was his duty, but there were
even two ladies at the post who SINH
larly advised him. Neither Mrs. Barry
nor Miss Baird would ask the question
but Major Barry did, and demanded an
answer, and then Walters named Mrs
Turner and Miss Maynard, both of
whom, as it subsequently TRANSFERRED,
had been actuated only by the purest
and best 81 motives and with no
thought of malice. All they said was
that they feared she was being terror
lied by some scoundrel who had hold
on her, and all they hoped was to re-
heve her from such a horror. OF course
II she had dreamed the captain would
ever quote her or take such steps as he
had done, nothing, said Mrs. Turner,
could ever have induced her to open her
lips.
AS for Miss Maynard, she was in
state bordering on nervous prostration,
yet she would allow no one else to take
her place at Ronald's side. She, and
she alone, should nurse and care for
him, and there were indeed several days
in which his sufferings were such he
was allowed to see no visitor. Then he
began to mend, and Barry had come
and bent over him with world of
gratitude and affection in his speaking
eyes, and Barry said that he expected to
get away within the week, but that his
wife declared that she would not go un-
til she and Nathalie could see and thank
him in person, and Grace Maynard had
to listen to it all.
But two days later the Barrys drove
to the station, all the officers and more
than half the women accompanying
them to the train and seeing them off
with every manifestation of affection.
The doctors had said that it was neces-
sary for Mrs. Barry's health that she
should be taken away from Russell as
soon as possible 1t was interesting to
watch the different women in their
goodby to Miss Baird, without whom
Mrs. Barry went nowhere now Mrs.
Freeman chung to her, kissed ner on
both cheeks, almost cried over her. So
did Mrs. Ray. Mrs. Truscott, too, was
demonstrative. Mrs. Stannard was the
last to leave her, and the eyes of both
were trimming as at last she had to
hurry from the car. All the other wom-
en-, young and old, were gentle and
sympathetic in manner to her. Miss
Maynard, of course, was still at her
brothers. bedside. Mrs Turner, who
rarely missed an occasion of the kind,
had splitting headache this day Of
days, and therefore was unable to come
at.all. 1t was the Barrys' plan to 90 to
the south for complete change and rest,
0ooAA AVA A'AAo' AesAA ode 4NdGud1loJ uLll
then to spend July and August at the
seashore. The insurance adjusters had
come and gone. the fire losses were be-
ing settled. Fort Russell had found out
to its entire satisfaction that the bur-
glaries were fixed on gang of which
Miss Baird could have had no knowl-
edge whatever despite the accepted fact
that she had some suspicious acquaint-
ance. One reason. indeed, that the
Barrys hurried was her continued i'll
health. When DR.. Pease heard all that
Mrs. Barry had to tell him on his re-
turn and had felt Nathalie's pulse and
looked into her sad eyes, he hummed
and hawed and blinked and made some
inquiries of Mrs. Stannard, and finally
told both Major and Mrs. Barry that
they could not too soon get the girl
away from Russell. She was simply dy-
ing by inches there and needed immedi-
ate change. Most affectionate and CRATE
full was the letter Mrs. Barry penned to
the young officer, still lying half blind
and more than half bandaged up at the
colonel's.
Most grateful and timid and shy was