The Advocate and news., 1899-02-08
CHAPTER XVI

SA@@AN &AfAo A4
Three days more and back came Mul.
lane with the wretched prisoner Mars.
den. The Irish captains eyes grew sau-
Ger big when he heard the narrowing
details Of recent events nc the post.
Never in it's lveliest days. before OF
ginOe, had Worth known ON excitement
to match this, for, with the best inten-
tions in the world, there wasn't wom-
an In officers row who could get at the
bottom facts of the episode. Rumors Of
the widest kind that were early in
circulation were best left to the imagi-
nation Of the reader. The only thing
actually known was that Mra Winn
and Captain Barclay were going ont
riding at reveille; that Winn surprised
them aud knocked the captain down;
that Winn was now in close arrest, Bar
clay on the mend and again sitting up,
Mrs. Winn confined by illness to her
bed, Mrs. Faulkner "a most important
person she) in devoted attendance, all
their differences forgiven, If not forgot.
cen, and there were few Mrs. Faulkner
would not have forgiven for the bliss
of being for the time the most sought
after woman at Worth, for every one
wanted to know how Mira Winn was
every hour of the day, and hoped to
hear what dreadful imprudence Of hers
it was that caused the equally dreadful
fraoas.
Gravely and quietly the doctors told
their story to the colonel; that there
was no arrangement or engagement TO
ride together; that Captain Barclay
had no idea Mrs. Winn ever rose---much
less rOde--that early, and most men ao-
cepted the statement as true. But there
was the fatal exhibition Of Barclays
letter by Mrs Winn to confront the
women, who would have held him
guiltless and saddled all the blame upon
her lovely, sloping shoulders What
had he TO write to her about, unless IL
was to ask her to ride or something Of
the kind9 And the idea Of their daring
to select such an hour instead of going
ont when--when people could see. And
then there was the fact that Mr.. Winn
still refused to be Feconciled TO his
wife. What did that mean If not that
he deemed her guiltyg Blythe, who
had kindlier feeling for Winn than
had most men at Worth (fOr Brayton
now was utterly set against him and
refused to go near HIM, sent in his
card and begged to be allowed to see
him, and Blythe's face was sad and
gray when half an hour later he came
forth again.
Colonel, said he to Frazier, "some.
thing has got to be done for that poor
fellow or he'll 80 mad. Collabone has
told him Barclay was totally ignorant
of Mrs. Winn's plan to ride that morn
ing-that his assault was utterly un.
justiflsble, and between that and the
contemplation Of his wife's brainless
freak and all his old trouble I'm SORE
ly afraid he'll break down---go all 20
pieces Can't something be done?"
Both Frazier and Brooks Thought
something ought to be done, and SO said
Blythe and De Lancy and Follansbee
and Fellows when they came trooping
home empty handed from their scout
Only Mullane's detachment had accom-.
plished anything, and such success as
he had was due almost entirely 60
Winn's persistent effort and energetic
trailing. Something was being done to
hunt up stolen stores as revealed by
Marsden, but poor Winn, who had rid.
den home so full Of hope and pluck and
energy, now paced his narrow room for
hours or lay upon his lounge, face
buried in his arms either dull and
spathetic or smarting with agony.
On Mrs. Winn old CollabOne had lit-
tle sympathy TO waste. Bluntly he told
her that she was responsible for the
whole business and deserved to bO