Mower County transcript., 1898-09-21

(A ) \
"Among these lay Trooper Hunter"
vine the barraok squad and Sudstown
people would retire, and she could then
devote another hour to lighter reading
for the benefit of her patients exclusive.
~, some of whom were still in the ward
with the graver cases.
And among these latter, with band.
aged eyes and burned and blistered
face and hands, an unreoognizable bun
die Of bandages, lay Trooper Hunter,
over whose head, unseen, unknown,
there was hanging a sword.
For some days and nights concussion
Of the brain was feared. The. magazine
had been blown into a thousand frag-
ments, and how many of these, beams
or bricks, had felled him, no one ever
knew. He was hauled out of the stream,
feet first, like poor Pat Shea, bleeding,
burned and senseless. He began to mend
in few days, however, and by the 9Th
Of December was occasionally sitting up
in an invalid chair, his eyes and cheeks
still under cover. But from the time his
convalescence began Trooper Hunter
had spent two hours each morning lis
tening to the voice of the charmer who
charmed SO wisely, and there came a
day when she bent over his couch and
laid her cool soft white hand on his
forehead and asked him if there were
nothing she could do, no friends or rela-
tives to whom he would like her to
write, and he murmured that he
couldn't think Of any just then, but
might if she'd come again to ask him
on the morrow. She came, and on the
next and the next day, too, marveling
not little at the voice, the intelligence,
the language of this particular patient.
She strove to study his features, but
without success, for when the doctor
thought to remove the bandages the pa
tient declared the morning light was
altogether too much for his weakened
eyes. He would be bandaged in the
morning, though the afternoon sunshine
was really more brilliant, and he didn't
seem to mind it then. Miss Leroy took
to sitting by Hunters bedside as much
as 10 minutes at first; then the 10 be-
gan to lengthen to Is and even 2O> and
other patients waxed impatient and said
things about Hunter and thought things
about her that.proved how jealous is the
human heart, even when it beats be-
meath . flannel shirt. The surgeon said
Hunter could soon return to his troop,
as far as his health was concerned, but
there we're reasons to fear his health
might suffer after he got there, for Ma
jor Mainwaring, now in temporary
command Of the post, was making fire.
quent and impetuous Inquiries Colonel
and Mrs. Atherton had gone east on two
months leave; Major and Mrs. STAN
naxd had gone to Russell for fortnight
to visit old friends in another regiment,
and here, to his huge delight, was Main
waring in command of an eight COM
pany post. Then the surgeon asked why
Mainwaring was so anxious to have the
patient out, and learned something that
proved a painful shock.
"Well, major" said he after SOL
emn silence, "of course you're COM
manding officer, but find it mighty
hard to believe that story, and protest
against it's being made known to him
until he is strong enough to bear it,
which he ism 'tnow. @F @ IA
There had been much talk at the hos
pital among the stewards and attendants
and patients who could talk ut all as to
the result of the board of survey prompt
~ convened at Colonel Atherton's re-
quest to ascertain the cause Of the mys-
terious explosion which had wrecked
the magazine and ruined its contents,
and it did not take long for such keen
scouts and trailsrs as Ray, Blake and
old Wilkins to make up their minds
Coupled with what had occurred at the
south gate that night, just little while
before the explosion, there was no doubt
that an extensive robbery had tAkan
place and that the object Of the destrnc-
tion Of the magazine was the oblitera-
tion with it Of evidences Of the crime.
1t seemed that shortly before IL 80
that night two veteran sergeants Of
Truscott's troop returning from Butte
on pass became aware Of q wagon driv.
| ing ahead of them as they left town and
soon disappearing ont on the prairie
east Of the road. Now, there was not q
ranch or house to which it could have
gone. Everything Of that kind lay far.
ther down the stream. where il swept
= bold curve, first to the south, then
eastward again. Rumors Of forage steal
Ing they had heard, and therefore de-
oided to find where the wagon went, but
after searching awhile il the gale and
the darkness they gave + up. vat uarn.