The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1898-04-23
CHAPTER XVI.

Late that anxious night one battalion
OF the rif1ers returned to Scdgwlclk,
Haynes company one of the four, and
very grave he locked when told of the
events of the past IS hours. Acting OH
the report of Capt. Grafton that Apache
signs had been found in the foothills
north of Jose's, Buxton had ordered an
other troop to march to reinforce him,
and this troop lIayne obtained permis-
dawn, so he had barely three hours in
which to prepare. MIR. Parry, wearied
with his journeying and many cares,
had been escorted to Merriam's vacated
quarters by Whitaker some little time
before midnight, and there he was
made welcome by Hop Ling and given
the room abandoned by the master of
the house SO short time before, Mnnv
people, between anxiety as to the fnte
OF their beloved Florence and their
eagerness to receive the riticrs on their
return. sat up until two o'clock; but
Parry, though filled with anxiety as
Keen, was we'll aware that nothing was
to be gained by hi; spending wakcful
night and listening to nil manner of the
DRY as to the cause of the fair fugitive's
sudden DETECTION from the road to the
ranch. Hayne. therefore, did not meet
nor see him, but, as soon as it was light,
rode forth ahead of the troop, meaning
to go first to Josc's, see his wife and DR..
Gould, and then strike out northward.
confident of meeting the second troop
somewhere in the open country that
there spread for miles before him.
BnXton had sent party on the trail
OF Merriam within an hour of his dash
and with orders to bring him back to
the post, but they had not been heard
from since their start, and" said Whit
taker, they're not likely to be. Those
fellows barely ride one mile to Randy's
two. It's my belief he will just pull up
at Jose's and then go straight on to the
foothills, as probably she did"
But Randy was having a ride the like
OF which was not recorded in the annals
OF Fort Scdgwicll since the days when,
long before the war, the First Dragons
and the Navajos battled for the MASTER
ship of the Santa Clara. Ignorant us
yet of the report of Apaches in the
foothills Of the Mcscalero, his one the
DRY was that she had gone to Jose's,
intending from there to push on to the
enrichment. The thought of her dar-
ing SO long and SO hard Il ride ut a time
when she should be guarded with the
utmost care was in itself source of
dire distress to him, and he could hard
II have speeded fnstcr and with grim
mer determination to defy all pnin or
WEAKNESS had he dreamed of tho dead
ly pcrils that lurkcd about her path.
Of the fact that Valdez and his few fol-
levers had eventually fled northward
and across the road to the Catnmount
he had heard nothing. Through Hop
Ling's chatter he had gathered that
Grafton and his men were gone in
scnrch of Florence and that Mrs. Haync
and DR.. Could were at .Josc's. lie dare
not stop to make inquiries at the gar
rison. He was under medical caro-
therefore under doctors orders, and
on complaint of the acting sur
gcon it would be perfectly COM
potent for Buxton to place him
in close arrest. His one idea, there
fore, was to put as much ground
as possible between the post and him
self He know he could get another
horse ut Josc's, so Brown Dick was
never spared an instant. at three
O'Clock. galloping free, the~ gallant
horse was stretching away northwest
ward over the low, rolling cnrtll-wavcs
that seemed to spread to the very lap
OF the Mcscalcro, spanning the horizon
toward the setting sun. Far behind
MIN, the scattered ranches and the
sparse green foliage of the Santa Clara.
Far away on either hand, the Iumpy,
sandy barren. dotted everywhere with
little dull-hncd tufts of coarse heritage
or stunted sage. Ahead of him the tor
tnons, twisting, dusty trail, dented
with scores of hoof-prints. the tracks Of