Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-09-23

lines. well" said he. "if you s'pose any
order that discriminates against the Red
Cross is going to hold good, once they find
it out. you're bound to get left. They re
feasting the first company now, sir; shall
have it stopped?" And there was grin
under the young soldiers mustache. The
colonel paused one moment, shook his head
and concluded he, too. would better grin
and bear it, Taking the paper in his hand
again he heard his name called and saw
smiling faces and reckoning hands in an
open carriage him. but the sight of
Stanley Armstrong signaling to him from
another. farther away. had something
dominant about it. with you in min
ute." he called to those who first had sum-
moned him. What is it, Armstrong;
Il wish to present you to some friends
of mine-Miss Lawrence-Miss Prime-Mr.
Prime-my old associate, Col. Stewart.
Pardon me- Mrs. Garrison / did not see
you had returned. She had. and was once
more perched upon the step. Mrs. CARR
son-Col. Stewart What we need to know,
Stewart is this: VIII all your men board
the ship by this stage, or will some go
aft?''
''All by this stage-why?'
But the colonel felt a somewhat massive
hand crushing down on his own. and fore
bore to press the question: Armstrong let
him. bending forward. too. and speaking
low; but even as she chatted and laughed,
the little woman on the carriage step saw,
even though she did not seem to look,
listen:
AN awkward thing has happened. The
generals tent was robbed OF important
papers, perhaps two days ago. and the
oner last night Canker has put the officer
of the guard in arrest. Remember good
old Billy Gray. who commanded US at
Apache? This Is Billy Junior, and I'm
awfully sorry" Here the soft gray eyes
glanced quickly at the anxious face of Miss
Lawrence, who sat silently feigning interest
in the chat between the others. The anx
ious look In her eyes increased at Arm
strong's next words: 1.-The prisoner must
have had friends. He IS now said to be
among your men. disguised. and those two
fellows at the stage are detectives. l
thought all that space was to be kept
clear
ut was" answered Stewart, yet the
chief must have been overpersuaded. Look
.. here and the colonel held forth a scrap
of paper. Amy Lawrence, hea ring some
thing like the gasp OF a sufferer in sudden
pain, turned quickly. and that every
vestige of color had left Mrs. Garrison's
face-that she almost Keeling on the
step. Before she could call attention to 1t
Armstrong. who had taken and glanced
curiously at the scrap, whirled suddenly
and his eyes. in stern menace, swept the
spot where the little lady chung but an in
slant before.
As suddenly Mrs. Garrison had sprung
from the step and vanished.
Chapter VII.
Billy Gray was indeed in close arrest and
the grim prophecy was fulfilled-Col. Can
ker was proving anything but guardian
angel to him The whole regiment off,
GERS and men, barring only the commander
was practically in mourning with sorrow
for him and chagrin over its own discom-
| future Not only one important prisoner
was gone. but two; net only two. but four.
No man in authority was able to say just
when or how 1t happened, for 1t was Can
ker's own order that the prisoners should
not be paraded when the guard fell in at
night. They were there at tattoo and at
taps "all secure" The officer of the guard
said several soldiers. had quite a long talk
with one of the prisoners-young Morton
Just after tattoo. at which time the en-
tire guard had been inspected by the COM
handing officer himself. But at reyeiIle
| four most important prisoners were gone
and. such was Cankers wrath, not only
was Gray in arrest. but the sergeant Of
| the guard also. while the three luckless
men who We're successfully posted as SEN
| tries during the night at the back of the
wooden shell thai served as guardhouse
were now in close confinement In the place
of the escaped quartet
Yet those three were men who had hith-
erto been above suspicion, and there were
| few soldiers in the regiment who would
! accept the theory that any one of the three
had copnived at the escape. AS for the
sergeani-he had served four enlistments
] In the --teenth. and without flaw in his
record beyond an occasional alteration in
| the now distant past, due to the potency of
the poteen distilled by certain Hibernian
experts not far from old-time plains
fort. where the regiment had rested on
its march cross continent A. for the