The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-03-30

der that sent his whole command int
the mountains and foothills, and ia
away from the snarls and tangles tina
seemed to have taken root at the fort
Turner's grim, sad, sallow face grew
longer than ever, and even more thai
ever did he seem to withdraw from til,
society Of his fellows. He, too, wa
thankful to get away from the post ant
into the field.
Up to the time the last Of the regi
ment marched from Russell no trace
had been found of the runaway burglars,
but their duped accomplices, Michael
and Bridget, had had their trial, been
found guilty of completely at least and
were "doing time" at Laramie. All
doubt as to how the fire started was at
an end. The generally accepted theory
was that when Mike threw away the
match with which he lighted his cigar
1t dropped, still glowing, in the dust
close to the basket in which Bridget
kept her kindling. The fierce draft
through cracks and orevices famed its
feeble glow into blaze as the precious
pair left the premises. The blaze had
reached the finder. The basket of chips
was soon afire. The flames leaped to the
table, the dry, rough boarded partition
and then the bracket lamp of brittle
glass, filed with forbidden kerosene,
and that, bursting, deluged the wood
work with liquid fire. This was the
explanation accepted by the duly organ
lied board Of survey. Everything con-
nected with the excitement of the
springtide, therefore, had been practi-
cally settled, except the perennial squab-
bles in which Mrs Turner was factor
and tho question of Nathalie Baird re-
lationship to the lamented Boston, who
had disappeared as though from the
face Of the earth.
They were talking Of that very fell
low, were Ray and Maynard the day
they forded the Sweetwater and struck
out for the southwark hills. Maynard
couldn't understand, he said, how men
dared run off with cavalry horses, be-
cause the U s brand on the shoulder
would stamp them at once as stolen
property.
why, bless your heart, Maynard"
said Ray, that's no bar Stealing gov
eminent property is no crime in Wyo-
ming or anywhere else OH the frontier
Besides, all they We got to do is to touch
up that brand little, and the U s be-
comes 0 8 or a toadstool or some other
equally transparent device. But no jury
ever conviots citizen of stealing from
Uncle Sam, out in these parts at least.
Why, it's feather in the cap of those
fellows to run off our stock. and the
gang that did this trick were no novices,
Tor were they few in number
And that night proved tho truth of
Rays conjecture.
Just before sunset away in among the
jagged hills and ravines that hem the
3weetwater valley on the south the dust
'egrimed troop halted and dismounted,
While Ray held brief converse with the
,wners Of little "shack, one of whom
he captain knew. He had served his
line in the old regiment and, in COM
non with all the other "old hands,"
would do almost anything for Ray; but
ow his tongue was tied. Oh, he had
cen nothing, heard nothing! No horse
hieves had been thereabouts. His part
er was sure Of all these points also,
nd even il they had seen or heard it
'ould be signing their own death war
ants to tell. No, neither man could
i've any information.
But Rays dark eyes never left the
z-soldier's face. He read q secret there
nd was watching his opportunity. 1t
ame quickly and while the partner
as taking long, long pull at Rays
roffered flask.
"There's a camp OF 'em right in on
10 Rawlins trail somewhere about Ave
lies ahead-seven or eight mon and
bout dozen horses-some of yours,
re-" whispered the veteran, and the
ptain nodded expressively.
At Q o'clock, despite the long days
arch, Rays men swung readily into
ddle again, and away they went,
cry trooper guessing that the quarry
as somewhere among those heights to
9 south and wondering were they like
cir old time foemen. the Indians
e hards to man. The moon came
'ating into the starry sky from behind
g screen of old Laramie peak and the
ooded range that tumbled across the
stward horizon. The night wind went
hispering over the hills and sitting
Q dust cloud that lowered above the
lumn over the stunted sagebrush, and
o jack rabbits trembled and shuddered
their burrows at the dull, muff1ed
lad of those 900 hoofs. Two miles
'ay from the "shack" the trail grew
ep and tortuous, and Ray babe May
I'd follow slowly with the command,
lille he, with chosen sergeant, pushed
cad in the dim, fairy light and was
eedily lost to view.
Another mile was passed without
INT. They were riding up beside and ,
ing the bed Of stream that the
lting SHOWS of the spring would send
milling in muddy torrent to the val
!, but now the channel was dry as the
'dering bluffs. Not sound had been
lrd from the advance, yet Maynard :
ow they must be nearing the alleged
mp, and he wondered how his captain
uld settle matters with its desperate }
upants. Silent as SO many specters,
men came filing along in his tracks. .
ere were no scabbards to rattle, no
Cling bit and chain, no clank of car U
% against canteen. Long years of In
Il scouting had taught these veterans
ut to carry and how to carry it SO as
give least warning of their move 7
hts. Only the muftied thud Of horse 5
is told occasionally Of the onward c
sage of force of cavalry. Ata steady IL
TX they pressed along until May o,
DIS watch said it was a quarter past b,
and they had traversed nearly five
es, and then shadowy form, horse
man, loomed up under the shoulder ca ca
bluff in front and a warning hand pi
raised. nc
We're on to them, SIR" Whispered W
,eant Burke as Maynard refined up K
de him and signaled to the column
alt. "They re having regular JAM
20 right ahead about 400 wards The .,