The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1899-09-14
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running to the other end Of the row,
was something they could not under
stand.
Then Mrs. VIM, in riding habit,
came suddenly forth upon her piazza,
and, gazing wildly up and down, caught
sight Of her husband, now some so
PAGES away along the gravel walk.
Stretching forth her arms to him. she
began to call aloud: Harry, Harry !!
Please come back!" He never turned.
She ran down the steps and out to the
gate and called him louder, louder, SO
that they could hear the voice all over
the garrison in the sweet, still morning
air; but on he went, doggedly now,
faster and faster. She gathered up her
clinging skirts in one hand and, plead
ing still, followed after. Not until he
had mounted the steps at the colonel s
did the young officer turn again. Then
with up!ifted hand and arm he stood
warning her back. Something in the
attitude, something in the stern, quiv-
ering, white face seemed at last to bring
to her the realization of the force Of
Ills tuSpOkeu OeuuuC1aClOn.
"Harry! Harry!' she cried. "Oh,
come and let me tell YOU! You don't
understand! meant no wrong! was
only going for ride. Not with him.
not with him, Harry!' and so, plead
ing, weeping, she followed almost to
the colonel's gate before the door was
opened from within and VIM was
swallowed up in the darkness Of the
hall.
By this time some inkling of the
trouble had been borne to Collabone,
ever an early riser. AS he came hastily
forth from his quarters the first thing
he saw was the dropping form of Mrs.
VIM weeping at the colonel's gate
Selling her arm with scant ceremony,
he whirled her about and bore her
homeward, she sobbing out her story as
they sped along, he listening with
clouded, anxious face.
go back to your room, Mrs. VIM, !"
he said, so solemnly and warningly she
could not but heed. "Go to your baby
I'll go first next door, then I'll find
your husband." She shrank within the
hallway and threw herself, weeping
miserably, upon the sofa in the pretty
parlor-the parlor where she had so
fascinated Hodge. There the sound of
her baby's wailing reached her in an
interval Of her own, and she called to
the nurse to do something to comfort
that child. There was no answer.
"Miss Purdy," with gathering tongue
and eager eyes and ears and half q
dozen sympathizing neighbors, was out
in rear Of the house, deaf to demands
of either mother or child. There Cola
bone found her and sent her scurrying
within before the fury of his wrath.
"Now, this will not do, Mrs VIM, -
he said, as following he lifted the moan
ing woman from the sofa "You must
go to your room-to your child, as I
told you. Captain Barclay will soon be
all right He has lost much blood, but
the hemorrhage is checked. Now will
go for Mr.. Vim. It's bad business,
but don't make it worse by any more
nonsense. With that he not too gen.
thy pushed her up the first few stairs,
then turned abruptly and FASTENED
away to Frazier's
In the hall he found that gray hair
ed, gray faced veteran listening stupid.
~ to VIM.
Il don't understand, SIR he was
saying. "You struck him-with what?'
L don't KNOW said VIM. "They
say I've killed him. Ihave come to sur
render myself" His eyes were as dull
and leaden as his heart.
Its not so bad,' burst in the doc
tor. Barclay fell or was knocked over
a chair, and the jar reopened his
wound. He tainted from loss of blood,
but it's checked now.'
"But-how-why?" the colonel was
stammering. Over the balustrade aloft
popped one head nightcapped, and two
with tousled hair, and blanched faces
were framed in all three, and gasping
words were heard, and whisperings as
OF awestricken, news craving souls.
"Where did this occur and when did
| you return, sir?''
ION the back porch of my-of our
quarters, colonel-when I got back,
just before gun fire.
"And what possible excuse or expla.
nation have you, sir? What could war
rant such-such conduct?'' demanded
Frazier, as though at a loss for suitable
words. Yet, even as he asked, his
wife's predictions reasserted them.
selves, and he glanced uneasily aloft.
"Come into the parlor, colonel" i'm.
plored Collabone. "Say no more here.
Let me explain. It's all a wretche6
mistake,'' and half pushing, half pull
ing, but all impelling, the doctor sue
ceeded in hustling the post commander
and the inert, unresisting subalterr
within the parlor. Then, to the infinite
disgust of the colonel's wife, he shut
yes, slammed the door.
A quarter Of an hour later, in clos,
arrest, Lieutenant VIM returned tt
his own roof and locked himself in hi
den. Mrs. VIM, kneeling at the key
hole, pleaded ten minutes for admis
sion, all in vain. Then she sent he
maid FOX DR.. Collabone and Mrs. Faulk
ner and went straightway to bed.
CHAPTER XVI.
Three days more and back came Null