The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1899-04-07
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barrooms anu over the poker table at
Gate City, where Burleigh was patron
and an oracle, but in the distant camps
along the Platte and Powder rivers and
among troopers and linesmen nearer
home there were odd glances and nudg-
ing elbows whenever Burleigh's boast
ings were repeated. Even as far as de-
partment headquarters the story was
being told that the mere report of Big
band of Sioux ahead" sent in by the
advance guard, a report that brought
Loring and Stone eaping nimbly out
of the ambulance, rifle in hand and
ready for business, sent Burleigh under
the seat and left him there quaking.
sect your men down from the Big
Horn" was John Folsom's urgent adj
vice to the department commander.
"Get your men up there, +" was the or
der from Washington, and no wonder
, the general was troubled Then, in the
midst of it all, began to come these ru-
mors affecting Burleigh's integrity;
then the determination to send Loring
to look after this new boon companion
with whom Burleigh was consorting );
then dispatch from old Colonel Ste
vens, cold Pecksniff," as the irreverent
youngsters called him, the commander
at Fort Emory, on the outskirts of Gate
City, telling of tremendous storm that
had swept the Laramie plains and the
range Of the Medicine Bow and Rattle
snake hills, just after Lieutenant Dean
had been sent forth with small party
Of troopers to push through to Warrior
Gap with a big sum of money, $40. 600
in cash, for the payment of contractors
and their men at the new post, and,
what was of thrilling import, there had
been deep laid scheme to head him off,
am buscade him and get that money.
Hank Birdsall and his gang, 40 Of
the worst toughs on the western from
tier, had "got the tip" from some one
in the secret in Gate City, and no one
outside of the post commander himself
and one Of Burleigh's confidential clerks
had the faintest linking of the t1ansac-
ton. Nothing but that storm could
have defeated their purpose. Several of
the outlaws and many of their horses
we're drowned, and one of the gang,
rescued at the last minute by the mail
carrier to Frayne, rescued just in time
to save his life, had gasped his confess
sion of the plot. Birdsall and his peo-
pie were now scattering over the terri
tory, but old Pecksnlff felt that matters
[ SO serious demanded full report to the
department commander, and this full
report had reached Omaha the very
night that Loring got his orders tc
leave
Fastening to the Office iii compliance
with the imperative summons, his heart
beating heavily despite his calm OF
manner, his thoughts reverting to that
: we'll known face and the appealing
voice at his window despite his utmost
. effort to forget them, Loring found the
general, with his chief of staff and Cap.
| tain Stone. busy over kilograms and dis
patches. One of these the general hand
{ ed to the engineer. Then, as the latter
> read. the veteran of three wars arose
, from his chair, took the young soldier
{ by the arm and led him aside, pro
i ceeding that caused Captain Stone te
f glance up from the telegram he was
l swiftly copying and to follow with an
$ gering eyes until suddenly aware that
j the adjutant general was observing him
Then his pen renewed it's scratching. Il
3 was not good that newcomer, young
lieutenant, should be preferred to him.
: and it was too evident that between the
e general aud the engineer was bond Of
t some kind the aid could not explain.
"Do you understand this?" asked the
i general, as he pointed to the letter il
1 Loring's hand. 1t was brief enough. II
s was written by a clerk in Burleigh'
: office to a fellow clerk in that of the
/, chief quartermaster at Omaha, and thu
latter had felt it his duty, he said, tt
: inform his immediate superior, who il
t turn had laid it before the chief O
staff. 1t read as follows:
D The old mans ratified as never saw him be
& fore, and God only knows what's amiss. Tw,
!, young ieutenants came in and thrashed hin
right be lore the whole of us, called him "a liza
: and all that. His friend Newhall, that pule,
! him throas,h the yellow fever, he says, wa
n 'here at tie time, drunk, and actually con
graduated t!,en, and, though Burleigh ravet
: and swore cal wrote no end of dispatches t,
s be sent to O..iaha demanding court MARTA
q for Lieutenant Dean, devil one of them wa
|. was threatened and abused by Newhall an,
3 had to buy him off with roll of greenbacks-
/. and i saw it. Who's Newhall, anyhow, ant
a what hold has he on Burleighf Nursing hin
:, through yellow fever doesn't go. Newhal'
. gone, however, either over to Cheyenne or gu
q on the Cache In Poudre. There's somethin,
Y rotten in Denmark, and Iwant to get out o
. this.
i IL have determined to go to Gate CITY
: myself, even though time can ill b,
spared, Loring," said he. 'There il
j urgent need Of my presence at Laramie
: Possibly 1 may have to go to Frayne ani
shall need you with me, but meantime
+ this thing must be explained. Every
t thing indicates that this Captain New
t hall, who was one of his chums in New
v Orleans, has some heavy hold on him
, gambling debt, perhaps. or knowledg,
q of cotton transactions during the war
' cannot but feel that you know some
! thing Of the man. Tell me, did yor
meet that fellow when he was here?'