The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1898-10-21
t.sAI 1888. q 4 s:liee,Neq11.sqMe.sx>
CHAPTER VIII.

tattoo, and first and foremost the re-
turning wanderer was driven to his
own doorway and left for half an hour
with Ada and Jimmy-the one sobbing
with joy, the other laughing with de-
ight-on the fathers knees. Then Mrs.
Blythe stole in to bid them to the wait
ing supper, and, pending Lawrence's
temperance somewhere along the line,
the officers gathered in low voiced
groups discussing the startling event Of
the evening. Bralligan, raging for the
blood of the double dashed, triple adj
jectived hound who had assaulted him,
had been lugged home by two or three
of his kind, consoled by Captain Null
lano with the assurance that he'd SEQ
that the preacher gave him full salts
faction in the morning, for, with ma
tive love of ruction, Mullane stood
ready to bear the subaltern' s challenge
even though his better nature told him
the duclling was richly deserved; with
Irish honor in question, Mullane was
for fight Frazier and Brooks, of course,
said the seniors present must not be al
lowed official knowledge of what had
taken place. though in those benighted
days OF magnificent distances from the
center of civilization and the exploring
grounds of reporters of the press, many
a stirring row was settled without its
ever being heard Of beyond the limits
Of the garrison in which it occurred.
Captain Barclay, contenting himself
with the one blow, despite an I'M Chris
tian impulse to follow it up with kick
at the sprawling figure, had stood calm
ly by when Bralligan's associates lifted
him, half stunned, to his feet, then,
addressing himself to Mullane, with
just the least tremor in his voice and
twitching to his muscles, remarked:
"Of course you know what led to this
sir. 1t your lieutenant desires to follow
it up, you can find me at my quarters %
Then, looking very deliberately around
upon the little circle Of flushed or pallid
faces-there were only five officers pres
ent-he slowly turned, walked away
and shut himself in his room.
A light was still burning there when
Brayton tiptoed in at half past 10. He,
with several other cavalrymen, had
been sitting in the majors parlor, lis
tening to Lawrence's tale of his expert
ences in Washington. VIM had rejoin-
ed the party late. and one glance at his
face was enough to tell Brayton that
somewhere he had heard of the fracas
at the clubroom. Brayton S boyish heart
was bubbling over with pride and de-
light in this new and unlocked for side
to his captain. Every day of his service
with that officer only served to strength.
en- the regard and admiration Brayton
felt for him. Barclay had made no
pretense Of being cavalryman on the
strength of his assignment to that arm.
He started with the assertion that he
had everything to learn, and then sur
prlsed his subaltern by an extensive
knowledge of what we then called "the
tactics. I" He was certainly not as much
at home in saddle as on foot and did
not pretend to be, but he was by no
means poor or ungraceful rider. He
had light, gentle hand, at least-a
thing much harder for most men to ac-
quire than a good seat. He was very
cool, just and level headed with the
members OF the troop, not a few of
whom thought to run it'' on the
"doughboy" captain, but all such prof.
ects had fattened out within the fort
night after his coming. Barclay might
not know horses, but he did know men,
and the first sergeant was the first to
find it out-the new captain calmly and
almost confidentially pointing out to
him, after ten days of apparently casual
glancings over the messroom and
kitchen, that the men We're not getting
their proper allowance Of coffee, and
that the savings made on the rations
did not all go where they belonged.
"Boy an man, sorr," began Sergeant
Sullivan oratorically and with fine in
dignation, "I've sarved in the dragons
or cavalry the best Is years Of me life,
an this is the furrst time me honor S
been called into account. I shall finder
me resignation at wanst. -
81 have had its acceptance in con-
temptation for some days, sergeant, ;"
was the calm response. "But first We'll
overhaul the accounts"
Gourmet Larns SORT, would niver
have treated an ould soldier in this
way"
Ihat, fear, is true" was the i'm
perturbable response, "and as conse-
quence the colonel appears to have been
robbed right and left. your own name
being brought into question That will
answer for the present, sergeant.
And when the troop heard that Dem
ny Sullivan had been "broke' and was
to be tried by court martial for thiev-
ing great was the comment excited,
and the men began to wonder what
manner OF doughboy was this, after all,
that had come to them-the doughboy
that ould Denny had so confidently
counted on running to suit himself
But this didn't begin to be all A very
acute trailer was Galahad Those were
days i'll which only a subaltern, and not
always even suhaltern, was expected
to appear at morning stables, but the
new captain liked to rise early, he said.
He was up with the sun or earlier, and
hoofs or wheel tracks about the stables