Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1899-04-20
CHAPTER XIX

opened his office and got settled down
to work at his new station. Here was a
commanding general who knew some
thing of his past, whose nephew was
with him at the Point, and one at least
OF whose aids had found reason to re-
spect him highly even though they had
differed as to the site for the new post,
and the engineer had seemed to take far
more kindly to the companionship of an
unheard Of sub in the cavalry than he
did to the society of two men so distin-
guished in the department. as Major
Burleigh, depot quartermaster at Gate
City, and Brevet Captain Omaha Stone,
the aid in question
Burleigh had surprised the aid by
display of great interest in and an i'm
patience to meet the newcomer, who
had hurried out from Omaha with not
days delay, and who overlook them
at Fort Frayne after riding by night
through the mountainous region of the
Medicine Bow, with only a single
trooper as attendant and escort. Bur
leigh had been oddly inquisitive,
thought Stone, and had piled the tact
turn engineer with question after ques-
ton about officers whom he knew and
matters he seemed to know along the
Pacific slope. Mr.. Loring was evidently
bit surprised, yet replied courteously,
though very briefly Burleigh did all
the talking the first days drive in the
big ambulance over the rolling open
prairies north of the Platte. giving Stone
no chance at all
He enlivened the occasion and re-
lieved the tedium of the journey with
anecdotes of the general whose command
Loring had recently left, and Strain,
his chief of staff, and Petty-"that
dashed fool Petty, he called him-and
Burleigh had nothing good to tell OF
any Of them, and much that was de-
risive, If not detrimental, of all. Loring
listened with neither assent nor dissent,
as rule, though when appealed to he
said he had no opportunity to study the
characteristics, as described by Burleigh,
as he had spent most of his short serv
ice there surveying in Arizona, and
saw little and knew less of the officials
in San Francisco. One man of whom
Burleigh spoke with regard and regret
was stanch old Turnbull, whose sad
death by drowning in tho surf off Pinos
the quartermaster referred to several
times He seemed familiar, too, with
the story of Loring's conduct the night
OF the collision at sea and the sinking
of the Idaho and referred to that more
than once in terms Of commentator
They stopped for luncheon and to bait
the mules and to give the cavalry escort
brief respite, and it was after this
that Burleigh, as though suddenly re
minded Of something, began:
Il don't know what made me think
OF it unless it was stones speaking of
New Orleans a moment ago, but did
you meet long legged fellow named
Blake in Arizona? knew the girl that
drove him out there. One winter she
was in New Orleans while her father
was commanding the monitors moored
at Algiers-Miss Terrence Saw her
afterward in New York She married
old Granger, you know. Granger was
about Burleigh's age, but BurIeigh was
widower and DESTROYS of being con-
sidered young, And Stone wondered
why Loring should look disquieted if
not embarrassed
81 met Blake. yes. was, however
his prompt reply.
"How's he standing it? He was
good deal cut up at first They were to
have been married last summer He
was regularly engaged to her and never
knew she'd thrown him over until he
met Granger in ST Louis
Then Loring did a thing they both
noted was unlike him Ordinarily he
listened courteously until the question
was finished. This time he broke in:
Blake is III his element doing cayal
ry duty We had lively chase togeth-
er after an officer who was DESERVING to
Mexico. =
80 you did, said Burleigh, with
interest. II remember hearing of it,
You were on his escort, weren t you?
Why, what was the fellows name? |
remember having met him in New Or
leans, too, when read the order to the
court. Let see You were Judge adyo-
cate, weren't your
eyes And his name was Nevins.
"Ah, yes! Dismissed, | believe
What ever became of him? There was
a rumor that he had died.
$50 the consul at Guaymas report
ed, was LoriDg's brief reply.
Well, was it never settled? Wasn't
it proved in some way? 1 heard story
that his wife had followed him out
there. She was dashed sight better
lot than he was. l met her more than
once in New Orleans. She came of good
family, but she was stranded down
there by tie war. They say she had
younger sister who bled her to death
a girl she was educating. L remember
Nevins told me something about her
That fellow had some good points, do
you know, Loring? He behaved first
rate during the fever epidemic-nursed
more'n one fellow through. He said
that that sister was beauty and selfish
to the core, and he wished to God she'd
marry some rich man and let them
alone. Didn't you--didn' | hear that
they were out there and that he made