The Advocate and news., 1898-11-23
CHAPTER v.

Brayton, his sub, had not yet "sized
him up." Lieutenant Trott, the new
regimental quartermaster, had arrived
by the Saturdays stage and was ready
to receipt to Lieutenant Winn for all
property he had to turn over, but Winn
had broken down under his weight Of
woe and taken to his bed. From Wasb-
ington came tidings, telegraphed as far
as San Antonio, that Lawrence was
slowly mending and would soon be sit
ting up. Mrs. Winn, absorbed in the
care Of her suffering husband, had ao-
OepCed no H. ,ut,, ,.s. 900 th6 many
sympathetic women who called to ask
II there were not some way in which
they could be of aid reported her as
looking feveI sh and far from well.
Some Of them had ventured to speak Of
the new arrival, and, though her ears
were evidently open, her lips were
closed. That she was willing, If not
eager, to hear anything they had to say
or tell about Captain Barclay was all
very we'll as far as IL went, but what
some Of her visitors most desired was to
hear what she had to say about him.
AS she would say nothing, one or two
had resorted to q little delicate ques-
tioning In the hope Of drawing her out.
Mrs. Faulkner, young matron Of her
own age and previous social standing,
an army girl like herself, and for some
time her one intimate friend at Worth,
went so far as to ask, "You used to
know him very we'll, did you not?" and
was oheckmated by the answer, "Not
we'll enough to talk about, +" which an
swer Mrs. Faulkner pondered over and
considered deliberately and inexcusably
rude. With the kindest feeling for her
in the world, as all the women avowed,
and no animosity whatever toward Bar
clay over and beyond that feeling on
poor Colonel Lawrence's account there
was the liveliest interest at Worth as
regarded Mrs Winn and Captain Bar
clay in seeing what they would do, and,
10 the disappointment Of all Fort Worth,
they had done nothing.
Barclay promptly returned the calls
Of the officers who had called upon him
and had done all proper homage to the
wives Of those who were possessed of
such blessings, but there were still GER
tain quarters where his face or his card
had not been seen--at Captain Grams,
for instance, because that warrior was
ON scout and couldn Z call, ditto his lieu
tenant; at one or two Of the new and
unpublished pillars Of the temple, be-
cause they had not known enough or
had been too shy TO call, and at Winn's,
because that officer was Ill Of o fever
and could not call. There was another
set Of quarters in which he had not yet
set foot, Ned Lawrence's, and that was
the house most people expected him to
visit first.
Nor did he remain at Brooks. The
majors house was big, but so was his
household, "You have q vacant room
here, Mr., Brayton, he said the third
day after his arrival as he dropped in
at his subaltern's, 1T may be o month
before get shaken down into place. !
dislike to disturb women and children,
and so have decided to ask you to let
me move my cot and trunk in here
awhile and to propose my name at the
mess And Brayton, blushing at the
realization Of the fact that the furniture
in the room referred to consisted solely
Of some chairs, a square pine table COW
cred with q cavalry blanket, with q
cigar box half full Of smoking tobacco,
another half full of white beans and a
pack Of cards. for its sole ornaments,
nevertheless bravely ushered his new
captain into the bower, and Barclay
looked neither surprised nor satirioal at
the sight. "We sometimes play a mild