Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1899-04-15
By BLEASDALE CAMEROl

First post had gone on the huglc Mt
Fort Saskatchewan and the major was
sitting on the porch of his quarters.
discussing with his adiutant the details
at a practice march arranged the fol
lowing week for b troop The hard blue
Of the sky changed to purple. then 10
steel gray and Saturn appeared low
'luwn on the western horizon Over
the level stretches of the prairie the
night wind blew softly rustling the
yellow grass Ii was peculiarly soothing
10 the two officers smoking in lazy con
ientment after an arduous day in the
blazing August sun They paused in
their chat. and their thoughts drifted
Ia other lands They saw faces the pen
Sive faces of women and the laughing
ones of little children while they watch
I'd the stars come ont. one by one. in
the deepening dusk They remembered
that those same stars shone over the
homes which sheltered those women and
children then seemed like sentinel eyes
keeping tirelts vigil over those loved
ones. sepa(ated from them by long
leagues of>hill and plain and by the
vicisstudes of soldiers calling and
their hearts warmed To their friendly
twinkling
Al length the majors vagrant
thoughts reverted To the matter in hand
Thirty miles will do for the first day
he resumed That will take you into
the Beaver hills where there's good
camping. now the cool nights keep the
flies down Hows regimental No
alag
IAN right again. sir. said the ad-
infant Slight attack of influenza, the
veterinary surgeon said il was He Ill
The door of the guardhouse across the
square opposite swung open. and a
hugle rang ont shrilly on the quiet night
air The two officers sprang TO their
feet A shot went off. followed by an
other and another Forms fitted back
and forth through the bars of light
which streamed across the parade
ground from the barrack windows The
officer of the day hurried up. touched
his bat and said
Il have to report. sir. that the pris-
oners McCorkle and Milligan have over
powered the guard and escaped
The major muttered something not
on record. took three strides up the porch
and two back and then rapidly deliver
ed his orders
Detail Kay and Hatherton to scout
south toward Blndman river: they II
probably work round 10 that vicinity
sooner or later Send Smith and Ed
monds north TO the Athabasca landing
and Murphy and Kraus east as far as
Saddle lake Fontaine and Christianson
can take the north bank of the Sas-
katchewan as far as Lac Ste Anne
Twenty minutes later the four de-
tails pulled ont of Fort Saskatchewan
on blind search for as choice pair of
blacklegs as might have been found any
where within 100 miles
Up To the winter before some of the
Saskatchewan fellows had cultivated
the idea that they knew little about
the game Of poker hut after Cracker
hlA hdilAiEfI W imam -h'N VI
dweli among them for month they
had been driven stubbornly to the con
viction that somehow they had made
an error of Judgment little earlier.
Calgary had been flower night
blooming cereus. from the professional
gamblers point of view. but the bloom
had worn off il had become too slow
a 4. L. 1 r
the Saskatchewan game and moved
north He Thought there might be a
profitable opening for him there. and he
was correct His operations at the green
table had been quite satisfactory TO
himself. and necessarily anything but
satisfactory 10 any ,ne else
Still the game went on. and Cracker
box continued To pull down his lackpots
with complaccnt regularity. until one
night things happened Ii had been his
deal of course He was discovered with
four mines in his hand. and as three
were held among the other players
round the board Crackerbux was called
on for explanations. which he gave at
the point If six shooter They carried
the wounded man horne and Cracker
box To the guardhou>e He had done
fatigue duty ON the woodpile and round
the kitchen sink under the eye of an
unsympathetic sentry and while he
did not say 80. thought il WAS no sort
of occupation Tor a gentlelnanly pro
fessiunal gambler He bad been await
Ing with feelings of deep distrust the
departure of the next stage which
should carry him to the territorial pen
10 abide events while the sick man lin
gcred Perhaps they would even show
50 little difference To his cloth and SEN
sitivenr>s there a. I" put him ON the
stone pile with ASCENDING hank officers
and other low vlulaiurS uf the law The
thought made his uuSirils curl. But