The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1898-10-18

4 rode buoyantly, with almost hopeful
eyes and certainly better color than he
/ had had for months, despite the fact
that he had lost both flesh and color
during his illness. Something had hap
pened to tighten his load of dread and
care. Something must have happened
to enable Lawrence to take that long,
long journey back to Texas. Fort Worth
INDUCED in all manner of theories as to
| where the money was coming from,
! and Barclay of course was suspected,
even Intercepted. The frankest man in
some respects that ever lived, Captain
Galbraith Barclay was reticent as a
clam when he saw fit to keep silent,
and men found it useless to question or
women to hint. AS for Vim, he had
but one classmate at the post, Brayton,
who had never been one of his intimates
at the Point, and being rather, as was
said. of the "high and mighty" re.
served and distant sort with the subal-
terms he found at Worth on joining
three winters before, VIM had never
been popular. Lawrence was his one in
innate, despite the disparity in years.
And SO no man ventured to ask by what
means he expected to meet the demands
thus made upon him. The board of sur
vey ordered to determine the amount Of
the loss and fix the responsibility had
no alternative. Winn and his few
friends made hard fight, setting forth
the facts that the count had been made
every month as required by orders and
Il a hot t,x,l
ing cren every bale, box and barrel and
sitting; over the contents it would have
been Impossible to detect Marsden's
methods. On some things the board was
disposed to dare regulations and raps on
the knuckles and to let Winn off on
several others, but what was the use,
1.-THE proceedings would only be sent
back for reconsideration, said their
president, and as it transpired that
Winn had not exercised due vigilance,
but had trusted almost entirely to his
sergeant, they decided to cut the Gordian
knot by saddling the young officer with
the entire responsibility, which meant
sooner or later a stoppage of nearly
1000 CT his pay.
1t is a sad yet time honored common
tary at the expense of human nature
that the contemplation of the misfor-
tunes of our fellow men is not always q
source of unalloyed sorrow. There was
genuine and general sympathy for Law
renee, because he had been poor and
pinched and humbled for years, had
worn shabby clothes and had sought all
possible field duty, where deeds, not
duds, as garrison wit expressed it.
seemed to make the man. He had frank
ly spoken OF his traits and worries to
such as spoke to him in friendship
and this, with his deep and tender
love for his children and his capital
record as a scout leader, had Won over
to him all the men who at one time
were envious and jealous and had cher
lshed the line man S prejudice against
the fellow whose duties for years had
kept him on the staff The women were
all with him and that meant far more
than may seem possible outside the
army. There was many gentle dame
in the old days Of adobe barracks who
could be az Artemisia in the cause of 6
friend
No one knew just what object Nec
Lawrence had in coming back to Dixie
Every one knew he had Indignantly re-
fused the second lieutenancy, despite
the fact that one or two men with wal
service and rank almost equal to his
own had meekly accepted the grudging
ly rendered commission and others were
said to be about to follow suit-all, pre-
sumably, with the hope that theil
friends and representatives in congress
assembled would speedily legislatt
them back where they thought they be
longed. No one knew where Ned Law
renee had made raise of money, bu
q raise he certainly had made. for, tt
Blythe's indignation, there came draf
of $500 to cover the expenses, he said
OF his children and Old Nanny and t,
pay th,N atter some of her wages. Thu
balance he would settle, he wrote, whel
he arrived. Blythe would far rather b,
had waited until his accounts were ad
justed; then, if Lawrence were il
funds, Blythe could have found no faul
with this insistence on at least PARTIAL,
defraying the expenses incurred in pro
viding for the little household Law
renee hoped to have his accounts adjust
ed, his letter said, and he had reason t
believe, from what friends in Washing
ton told him, that he would find hi
successor willing to receipt to him TO
missing items, trusting to luck and th
flotsam and jetsam of the frontier to re
place them in course of time. Lawrenc
indeed was curious now to meet ant
know Captain Barclay, for he had bee
told many things that had gone far t
remove the feeling of unreasoning an
tagonism he had felt at first.
Only one thing did he say to Blyth
, that threw light ON his future plans
II am dreadfully sorry, " he wrote, 1T
hear such i'll tidings about Harry Winn
l was always fearful there was some
thing wrong about that fellow Mars
! den, and sometimes strove to cautio
t him-I, who could not see the beam i
my own eye-I, with two scoundrels i
4