The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1898-02-26
CHATTER v.

1t was October before the surveyors
finished their work i'll the Mescalcro
mountains and Merriam and his men
were recalled to Sedgwick. Late in
! July Billy Whitaker had been relieved
! by his restored comrade and returned
10 headquarters; he lost no time in call
ing on the Haynes. and between him
and that charming little army matron,
Mrs. Nayne, there were exchanged sig
niiicant smiles and knowing looks, and
'iot n few confidential words, to all of
which the blond, Norsc-looking captain
, and husband seemed to give hearty APP
prevail. And letters from the canton
mcnt- long letters - came to Mrs.
liayne from her friend. Mrs. Trcmaine,
and long, loving, blissful missives from
Florence, and when the Haynes, father
and mother, boys and girls. all present.
ly went in to Chicago fer month ut
the fair it leaked out in some way that
Airs. Ilayne left frci:rhted with myst teri
Gus commissions from her friends al the
Cntamolnt, Tremainc's rcverscs permit
ling no such extravaganza us journey
especially in view of the many new
and lovely items that women decrcod as
! indispensable now. And presently it
was known at Sedgwicll that. despite
his complete recovery, Mr.. Merriam
seemed to find it necessary to leave the
detachment in the mountains and make
frequent. even hazardous rides, with
only single orderly, down deep into
The canyon Of the Catamount, and so on
back to Wells and the cantonment.
Long before the Haynes returned from
Chicago, therefore, The sweet secret was
OUT, and all Fort Sedgwick was talking
of Mcrrinm's engagement to Floy IRE
maine She was but 1S; he 2s. She was
shy. sensitive, an idoized daughter.
There were times when she was actual
~ lovely, so deep and tender were her
eyes, so winning her smile, soft and
carcssing her voice. He was stalwart,
soldicrly. 1ine-looking certainly, but a
. man few heartily liked. while few thor
! oughly knew him. He had been wild,
cNtravngant, and, some said, dissipated
the first two or three years after his
graduation. lie was known to be frank
and truthful, and as Il givcr and lender
had been decidedly too generous. lie
was conscientious officer in many
ways. except when he was serving I'M
der Buxton. He couldn't bear "Bux,"
) and Bux not infrcquently spoke dis
paragingly of Merram's ability, thing
that might have hurt him in the eyes
of his superiors but for the fact that
they knew Bux far better than he knew
them. Among officers of his own grade
there were none whose opinion was
worth having who really dislilsed MGR
rinm. but very few who felt themselves
. sufficiently intimate with him to active
ly like. They had nothing against him
, except certain Indifference of manner,
and nothing that called for enthusiastic
praise. His conduct in returning to lis
I regiment from an expensive eastern sta
| ION and putting himself en- retraite I'M
| ill his debts should be lifted and his
duns appeascd met with general COM
mendation. His course in taking the
Meacalcro detail off brother officers
| hands was held to be Enthusiastically
generous. lie had lots of good points,
/! had Merriam. they all conceded, but
there were not four people. officers or
ladies. in either the cavalry or the
| tifcrs who thought him good enough
for Florence Tremaine.