Omaha daily bee., 1899-09-17

- Synopsis of Preceding Chapters.
The regimental camp on Preside Heights,
overlooking. San Francisco harbor, is
Manila SHrnf1 S and p By 't the arrival from New YORK
of lady visitors at headquarters. The visit
ors are in search of a runaway boy who y
believed to have entered the army, ana
Lieutenant Gray, the most popular young
officer In his regiment, through 2 supposed
~ sMfiGsaHln my fa w1re See IS 81 e 1ns yI'i by 6! Pat fell.,
lows. The party, escorted by Col9nel Arm
s snG : s a,ssmqs Z f by tSe on sts s4e orr of a sf youns
prisoner who breaks away from his guards
near them and by a collision among the
carriages.
Not ten minutes later occurred the COLI
sion between the hack and the heels that
resulted in the demolition of one and de
moralization' of the rider OF the victor.
While the latter was led away by the
obedient Mr.. Ellis, lest the sight OF him
should bring on another nervous attack, Mrs.
Garrison was suffering herself to be COM
forted. Her nerves were gone, burt she mad
not lost her head. Lots of Preside danes
and damsels were up on the heights that
day in such vehicles as the post afforded.
None appeared in anything SO stylish and
elegant as the carriage of the Prime party.
She was a new and comparative stranger
there and II would vastly enhance her social
prestige, she argued, to be seen In such
'swell" surroundings. With q little tact
and management she might even arrange
matters so that, willy niAy, her friends
would drive hes home instead Of taking
Colonel Armstrong back to camp. That
would be a stroke worth playing. She
owed Stanley Armstrong a bitter grudge
and had nursed 1t long. She had known him
ten years and hated him nine of them.
Where they met and when it really matters
not. In the army people meet and part in
a hundred places when they never expected
to meet again. She had married Frank
Garrison in a hand gallop, said the garrison
chronicles, before she had known him two
months said the men. before he knew
her at ALL" said the women. She was four
years his senior IL the chaplain could be be-
lieved, and five months his Junior IL she
could. Whatever might have been the dis
crepancy in their ages at the time of the
ceremony no one would suspect the truth
who saw them now. 1t was he who looked
aged and careworn and harassed and she
who preserved her youthful bloom and vi
vactty.
And now, as she reclined as though still
too weak and shaken to leave the carriage
and return to saddle her quick wits were
planning the scheme that should result in
her retaining and his losing the coveted
seat. There was little time to lose. Most
OF the crowd had scattered and she we'll
knew that he was only waiting for her to
leave before he would return. Almost at
the instant her opportunity came. A COW
cred wagon refined suddenly alongside and
kind and sympathetic voices hailed her:
d let us drive you home, Mrs. Garrison;
you must have been terribly shaken" She
recognized at once the wife and daughter of
a prominent officer of the post.
oh, how kind you are!' she cried. "I
was hoping some one would come. In
deed, l did get a little wrench And then,
as she moved, with a sudden gasp of pain,
she clasped Miss Lawrence's extended
hand.
Indeed, you must not stir, Mrs. Garri-
son." said the young lady. 1--WE will drive
you home at once" Miss Prime and her
father were adding their pleas. She looked
up, smiling family.
81 fear l must trouble you," she faltered.
"oh, how stupid of mel But about STAN
ley Armstrong; haven't even thanked
him. All, well-he knows. We've been
such good friends for ~years-dear old fell
iow!"
CHAPTER ".
There had been a morning of Jubilee in
the camp of the Fifth Separate brigade,
and a row In the tents of the regulars. Up
to within a fortnight such a state of affairs
would have been considered abnormal, for
the papers would have It that the former
were on the verge of dissolution through
plague, pestilence and famine due to the
neglect Of officials vaguely referred to as
the military authorities" or 'the STAFF
while, UP to the coming OF Canker to COM
mand, sweet accord had reigned in the reg
ular brigade and the volunteers looked on
with envy. But now a great martial
magnate had praised the stalwart citizen
Boldiery whom he had passed in
review early in the day, and
set them to shouting by the announcement
that, as reward for their hard work and
assiduous drill, they should have their
hearts desire and be shipped across the sess
to far Manila 1t had all been settled be-
forehand at headquarters. The chief" had
known for four days that that particular
command would be selected for the next
expedition. but 1t tickled the boys to
have 1t put that way, and the home papers
would make 30 much OF II. So there was
singing and triumph and rejoicing all along
tho eastern verge OF a rocky, roughly paved
cross street and rank blasphemy across the