Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1899-05-11
CHAPTER XIII


In the as hours that followed the ar.
rest and incarceration of Trooper Hun
ter one excitement chased another with
such rapidity that it was hard to keep
track of them, and MainwarinR, with
almost sigh of relief welcomed the
premature return of old STANDARD, to
whom somebody (believed to be- Ray)
had given the tip by telegraph that the
sooner he got back the better.
''Iake this internal regiment and see
what you can do with it, " said Main
waring despairingly. Il thought knew
something about soldering, but there's
too id much individuality in the
-th for me.
And, besides Trooper Hunter S incar-
ceration on the charge of aiding and
abettng in the robbery and destruction
of the magazine, the senior major had
the following matters now to tackle:
Captain Blake. in arrest for using in
subordinate language to the command
ing officer (''Said that compared with
my II eatal condition the magazine
wasn't @, cirA INSTANCE in the way Of
wreck, b,gad," explained Mainwaring
to his senior, who strove to keep a
straight face, but Couldn't; Mrs. Merri-
weather, disappeared since the night Of
Hunters transfer from hospital to
guardhouse; Sergeant Merriweather,
transferred from guardhouse to hospital
with "a bullet through one lung and
knife wound in the other; Corporal
Croxford and Trooper Elzey, deserted
oh ,,n i1h 90 hn
rison and admirers of Mrs. Merriweath-
erCCould Mrs. Merriweather have gone
With either OF them" asked some one
Of the ladies, "Or with both?' asked
certain brutes among the officers) -and,
finally, Lieutenant Brady, back from
bacchanalian bout with his kindred
spirit Rawson, and now laid by the heels
in quarters with al Irish orderly in at
tendance, for doctors would have moth
ing to do with him.
The way Stannard sailed In was char
acteristic. Brady had not been drunk
on duty. He had taken advantage of
the absence Of Atherton and Stannard
TO relax the reins of his self control, but
had only got good start when he sought
aud received seven days leave from
Major Mainwaring, which enabled him
10 meet Rawson at Pawnee. This was
about ten days after the explosion. He
was to have staid his week away, but
in two days suddenly reappeared in
Butte, full Of whisky and information.
Mainwaring, who knew him but slight
~, received dispatch saying that he
had news of most important character
resulting from discoveries he had made
at Pawnee and urging the commanding
officer to meet him at the railway sta
ton on his arrival, which Mainwaring
did, and then the very next night Or
dered Hunter s arrest
II always said that when Brady
drank he could be depended upon to
make an ass of himself, " said Blake,
and this proves it." But what Brady s
revelations might have been Mainwar-
ing refused to disclose 1t was enough,
ne said, to hang Hunter high as the
hayman, and the hay contractor, in
Mainwarings opinion, was the double
dashedest seoundrel that ever lived
This statement SO rejoiced Blake's heart
that he repeated it broadcast and was
that Mainwaring had forbidden Captain
Rays having an interview with his i'm
prisoned recruit. Then Blake boiled
over and made the odious comparison
between Mainwaring's brain and the
blown up building which resulted in
his own summary confinement to quar-
tiers. Brady's leave had still two days
TO run when Stannard got back, but
Stannard had heard enough Of his do
ings i'll Butte to warrant the immediate
action taken. An officer was sent with
the post ambulance and orders to fetch
him forthwith. Then and there Dana
waited on him with tho major 8 mes
sage to the effect that he would give
him "a hours in which to sober up and
face the music, and Brady had sense
enough to know he had no time to lose.
Then another snarl had to be Olsen,
tangled in which Stannard could not
help, since it was purely domestic. The
veteran post surgeon had had flare uI
with Mainwaring, all ON account OF
Trooper Hunter. The doctor protested
against his ,2stient's being put in the
guardhousS declaring that no matter
what the charges were he was entitled
to humane as we'll as medical treatment
Mainwaring said the man of his OWE
volition had removed himself from hos
pital and therefore deserved no consid
Grafton. The doctor said if Hunter wer,
kept in the prison room with the garri
ron malefactors overnight he would
bold Mainwaripg responsible for u. Ee