The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-03-15

! oiohs, Lax ALUM fuouiuB uoTtuWaTu VI
the old accustomed trail as had beel
predicted, had dashed out westward am
made wide circuit before striking TO
the sand hills of Nebraska. There ha'
been no conflict between them and tn
| squadrons of the til. The latter wer
now trotting stern chase with tn
quarry long leagues ahead, and Will
! they We're saying unbecoming and IN
publishable things abroad their bette
halves were thanking heaven at thei
army homes for the news that the flee
ing warriors were safely across tn,
Union Pacific and "scooting' for thu
savage Businesses in far northwest Ne
braska, news which brought DISCUS,
unspeakable to the pursuing troopers
but to these women left at Russell JOY
utterly unconfined.
Isn't it too good for anything?" ex.
claimed Mrs. Freeman as she led the
way into Mrs. Barry's pretty parlor.
"They have got SO long a start our
troops can't possibly catch them, and
the cavalry from Robinson. and Red
Cloud will have to do it ALL I've been
in misery until I got the news just
now. Where's Nathalie? Is she ready!
wanted to drive in before luncheon"
But Mrs. Barry put her finger to her
lips and glanced significantly aloft.
Nathalie is utterly upset about some-
thing this morning." she murmured.
"Do sit down moment, won't you? l
want to talk with you about her. l am
SO troubled OH her account. She has
been ailing for days, as you know, SEEM
ing nervous and troubled, and it has be-
come so much worse of late. What can
be the matter?'
Then Mrs Freeman looked appealing
ly at Mrs Ray, and as she remained
silent the former spoke:
Mrs. Barry, if we, too, didn' t think
everything Of Nathalie shouldn' t say
this, but we both feel-Mrs. Ray and
that you should know the story that
has been going round. We've both heard
it. We couldn't help hearing it. Every
body seems to have heard it in the last
two days. and it isn't all Mrs. Turner'S
doing either. Marion" she said, turn
ing impulsively to her younger friend,
edo help me, it is so hard"
Looking first at one, then at the 9th.
er, Mrs. Barry saw too plainly the sor.
row and embarrassment in each fair
face
"Tell me everything" she murmur-
ed. Surely if trouble comes to her we
should be the ones to help"
ut is briefly this, Mrs. Barry: 1t is
told that Nathalie has several times
been seen either away out on the prairie
before The troops went away, or else
down here near the store since that
time, talking earnestly, pleadingly with
a strange man-not soldier-a tall,
powerful fellow. AT first it was thought
to be-you know-one of Fanny Tur-
ner's fabrications, but Miss Maynard
solemnly assured Mrs Stannard she had
seen it twice, and now, Mrs. Ray,
you've got to tell the rest"
ut is only this, Mrs. Barry: You
know the one failing Hogan, our Irish
groom, has. He is devoted to Captain
Ray, but once in a long while ho yields
to temptation, and the other night he
was in town and had evidently been
drinking when he came back and had
lost his key to the door of the little
room he has in the extension at the rear
of the quarters. Will had gone over to
the barracks, and heard our cook 20 to |
let Hogan in and heard him telling her
thickly of an adventure he had had. He
was excited and talked loudly, and ]
feared it would rouse the neighbors, so
I threw open the back window and told
Jane to make him go to his bed without
another word, and he obeyed, but his
eye was all black and swollen in the
and l saw there was some
truth in what he said-that just back Of
your quarters he had stumbled on big,
burly man in civilian dress to whom a
girl was talking low, begging and i'm.
ploring and crying, and the man an
swered her roughly, and Hogan thought
the girl was your housemaid, for she
heard his step and ran indoors at once,
and then he himself had some words
with the man and got knocked down,
he said, SO quick he never knew what
bit him, aMa the man had vanished
when he regained his feet. Hogan's
man and that described by Miss M
hard are apparently tho same. Who
IAN it be and what possible hold can one
ike him have on girl SO sweet and
'efin u as Nathalie?''
nAIs. Dhrry IIsIeneu wlJnouG InIerpos- I
ng word, but her eyes were eloquent
With sorrow and perplexity. At last 6
he spoke.
"Can you remember the night, Mrs. l
say?" l
ayes, it was the night I was here t
With you-the night the news came /
hat our battalion, too, had to CO." Il
There was moment Of silence. Mrs. Fl
larry had covered her eyes with her s
min white hand and was thinking in
entity, and presently, without removing +
er hand, she asked, and the question I
self was significant: Il
"Doyou know-has Mrs. Turner been IL
cry much with Miss Maynard lately?" il
And her visitors looked at each other s
ithout speaking. After waiting a mo- al
tent for an answer and receiving none a.
[rs Barry looked up. "Why do you
Of speak?" she said to Mrs. Freeman, ="
no sat nearest. lyon know that your b
lence tells me that my conjecture is
'rrect. And now about Mr.. Maynard. o.
rs. Stannard told me that he sat up "
70 days ago, was out on the, porch I'll
while, but that he seemed anything
1t benefited. Did he see Nathalie and III
lis man down by the store2 Is that one p'
ason he has not left his room SINGER" 81
"Yes, Mrs Barry. Miss Maynard has u
Id Mrs. Stannard and others, too, that re
1t only she, but her brother, saw the M
Getting, and her brother recognized nj
Q man as one he had seen in the crowd q
Q day Of the trouble in town. But ~
w let me say right here that can be. kl
we no Ill Of her; that there is proba. ne
y some hold, some claim, or she hi
ould never be seen with such look at
g character, and that he is reprobate I ola
believe. She is shielding he
m for somebody s sake or she never in on