The Florence daily tribune., 1898-03-25


A.'tRre IS aiii under my roof. Command
my services.
"cGoEGE GRAFTON. Captain
Then Gragtua followed ths trail of the
adiutnnt-wert struightway 20 huston.
who was talIr~ lis nnouday sivsta au6
hatcd % he dissnibed at such timt
and WIS crusiy. ~ could lie expected
when asket' eiiii on hy CAM Graf
ton TO ride emit gaG meet heA,ounded
ollccr lic hsw i'sEs a'tautrrr,.
-A.y Col sil M sir Nu 10 seat
ter irt Tcaral sia1 70 thc fiur winds,
with i;rady and Ccrcorau PAST praying
Ter here, Hnl then have my troop leads
erS statttring tool The Lord onlv
lnoUs what's Romg TO happen beforS
we get Through with this day. aud now
Ner1iam's shat nFd otherwise injured,
ard aA on aresSot of those beggarly
Grpoeers. Ne. sir, Not another man
gees out till we've rounded up those al
ready nasld
Capt. Grafton turned without a word
Of rrmoustrance, with his usual grave
sIlHie. From there he went 10 see tina,
Merriam's home was in readiness, and
then ia his win, who read tdings of
new disaster in his troubled eyes.
oh, GeorgeN she cried. "wlll this
dreadful day never end? The servants
eay Merriaa's shot and mortaily
wounded, aad that the Rincrs are
wrecked Mt Calamas Gorge"
Merriam is shot and not mortally
wounded, dear, aud the RiGers refused
TO be wrcc,zedai ca,amas Gorge. Where
is Mira. Mclare? Has she lteard?"
Doing placidly in her room-too
much slahcn to come downstairs to-
day. Had her coffee and her luncheon
in bed. and gave Annette positive or
ders TO let her know nothing about
Florence, erd she hain't But present.
" when shc dresses Tor the afternoon
and comes Down and hears about Ran
dy2 What then2"
'Still sleeping, is she?" asked Graf
ton, ignoring for moment the ques-
t'on aa to what might happen when
their guest awolSe and heard the news.
yet I think you said she was greatly
excited nfter getting that second dis
patch, and had been dreadfully nerv-
ous''
"s'he certa;nly was for-snme hours
and YOU know she walked ard tossed
tast night after she came upstairs
Then she seemed to fall into Il deep
sleep. and Annette said she could hard
y urouse her for her coffee this morn
ing"
Grafton tugged at his mustache and
gurc himsrlf over to deep thought a
few ainutes. Mrs. Grafton nnxiously
watching sis face.
''}fci, saifi he, starting up, and. as
i were, Shaking himself together. 'iet
her have her steep ont. ! fancy more
news Is on the road; know her lawyer
is"
~WRy' Mr.. Parry?-her brother-in-
law?"
"'fhc very same. Ha-let, and his
train IS ridctracked by strikers miles
atore Giaa-Ten. There are three dis
pateies from him for Randy now"
Ms. crafa1 was silent n moment, as
she c35 ~ his yide looking up into his
tholg, ffu faee. rs though seeking
there the solution Of the questions that
Tu1.iel her. Then, busting away with
her finTcr tips some fakes OF cigar
gsias iliat clung to the bteast Of the
csttf;di9's 7,.aie ess coet, She ventgged:
"fletc me two things can't under
stan1. lf he's her lawyer why he should
he wiring 70 Randy and not to her, and
Nliy it is the strikers don't cut the
wires if they want to cut or all bust
ness
His brond, brown hand patted caress-
ingiy the taper, white fingers toying
about the little toggle of his watch
chain. as he loolsed down into her anx-
isl.g ttrtfsrr-,,asJ f..o
His letters TO Fan have been unan-
swered, and he probably expects her to
pay as little attention to l1isdispatehes
As for the wires, they are more neces-
sary TO the strikers in their combna-
fions than 10 anybody else, otherwise
they'd have cnt them long ago-ah, here
zones our messenger now"
And sure enough the orderly trum-
peter came trptting up the steps, the
usual brown envelole in his hand.
Mrs. Grafton eagerly watched her
husband as he read. Il thought So
said he, looking quietly up. Read
that" and handed her the dispatch.
ITO Cept. Grafton. Fort scdgwlck:
Thanks for your courtesy. Shocked to
hear Of Ierriam's uighap. Mrs. MeIane
should have met mo IN Denver ihree days
ago. Must be ready moment road opens.
edward PARRY
Three hours later. just as the ladies
and children began to appear in their
fresh afternoon toilets and their baby
carriages and nurses we're in force along
the gravel walk, and the band was as
sembling for its daily concert on the
parade, vision Of womanly loveliness,
albeit CARRIED in somber black, came
slniliugy down the stairs at Grafton's
aud rustling out TO shower gracious
welcome on the lttle group of ladies
and officers on the front piazza. Some
of the men were Whitaker and
Minturu notably being nearest the door
others sunring themselves Out along
the fepee, while The Indies occupied
their csmP-ehairs or The steps rs hest
pleased their fancy. Grafton's wasa
ways popular rcrdCzYuils dn the cav