The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1899-03-07

We're concerned, bat pathetically point.
ed out to the robber chief the hardship
of being berefs at one fell swoop of the
expensive and only consolation the coun-
try afforded, and despite his wrath and
disappointment at finding that the gen.
tlemen had already been robbed-two of
thom having spent four nights hand
running at the post poker room-the
leader was not so destitute of fellow
feeling as to condemn the hapless trio
to the loss of even the necessaries of life,
! and mercifully handed back half gal
lon.
eve hope to catch some of you gen.
tlemen when you haven't been playing
poker, said he. striving to stifle his
chagrin. "Who got tall, anyhow" he
asked, with an eye to future business
'Ah, yes! Might have known it, 4" he
continued in response to the rueful ad.
mission of one of the party. "Wonder-
fully smart outfit that at Cooke, won
derfully-most as smart as some of our
people at Sancho's. Well, SO long, gen.
tlemen. Ii any of your friends are COM
ing this way, recommend our place.
won't you? We've treated you rs we'll
as we know how. Drive on, Jimmy.
Nobody else will stop you this side of
Date. They know we got here first. -
Arizona was an interesting region in
those days of development that followed
close on the heels of the war Hundreds
of experienced hands had been thrown
out of employment by the return of
peace, and the territories overlooked
with outlaws, red and white, male and
female. 1t was taking one's life in ones
hands to venture pistol shot beyond the
confines of q military pest 1t was i'm
possible for paymasters to carry funds
without a strong escort of cavalry. The
only currency i'll the territory was that
put in circulation by the troops or paid
to contractors .ough the quartermas-
ter's department. Even Wells Fargo,
pioneer expressmen of the Pacific slope,
sent their messengers and agents no far
Their then than the Colorado river, and
!, Uncle Sans mail stage was robbed so
often that 4 registered package had
grown to be considered only an adver-
tisement to the covetous of the fact that
And SO, when the record of the court
was duly signed and sealed in huge Off
cial envelope, and Lieutenant Loring,
even more grave and taciturn than usu-
al, went the rounds of the rude quarters
to leave his card or pay his ceremonious
parting call on the officers who knew
enough to call on him-which in those
crude days of the army many did not
he was asked by more than one expert
enced soldier whether he had requested
an escort in view of the fact that he
was burdehed with valuables that,
though small in bulk, were convertible
into cash that was anything but small
in amount.
To such queries Mr.. Loring, who had
! an odd aversion to answering questions
as to what he was going to do. merely
bowed assent and changed the subject
Lieutenant Gleason, an officer who had
recently joined the infantry and was
one of Nevins' victims, man Of unusu-
al assurance, despite his few months of
service, had persisted in his queries to
the extent Of demanding from what
quarter l.oring expected to get an escort
Blake being away at the Hassayampa
and no other cavalry being within go
miles, and Gleason felt resentful.
though he deftly hid the fact, because
the engineer ignored the question until
it had been thrice repeated, and then he
said. somewhat tartly, "That is my af-
fair, Mr.. Gleason"
Everybody thought that Loring was
decidedly unsociable, and some went SO
far as to call him supercilious and
, naughty.
'Too blanked big to mingle with
men who fought all through the war
I while he was a schoolboy at the pu.nt, I"
said Gleason. who had never seen u
skirmish.
This latter gentleman took it much
amiss that Loring had won the shoulder
straps Of a first lieutenant the day he
first donned his uniform (many vacan
cies then existing in the corps Of engi-
neers), while Gleason and others with
what he called war records were still
second lieutenants Officers of the cali.
Der Of Turnbull and Starke saw much
to respect in the grave, silent, Thought
full young officer. but the juniors-the
captains ane ieutenants-though they
had marked the ease and ability with
which Loring handled what was prob
ably his first case as judge advocate,
nevertheless agreed that he was "offish"
toward the general run of ''the line,
held himself aloof as though he consid-
cred himself of superior clay, didn't
drink, smoke. swear or play cards and
was therefore destitute Of most elements
of soldier companionship as then and
there defined. 1t was resented, too, by
almost everybody that Loring would
not say when and how he expected to
leave Camp Cooke He had come on
Sancho's famous roam, but had returned
that animal by special courier without
delay.
Starke and Turnbull were informed.
but at Loring's request saw fit to hold
their tongues. No one should know, he
had said to them, if he was to be re-
sponsible for those valuables. 1t might