The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1899-08-24
CHAPTER IN-COnlinuCG.

L
send the doctor to you
But Winn started up and shook the
old fellows kindly hand. II cannot 20.
My God. must know the whole bust
ness!' he cried. Il cannot sleep or eat
morsel''
"Whatever you do, don't drink, >"
said Riggs, in not unkindly warming
$50 and see your wife, anyhow, for an
hour or so. She has sent three times. -
But words were useless. Sympathetic
comrades came and strove with him
and said empty words Of hope or cheer
empty because they knew poor VIM
had not a soul in the world to whom to
look for help. Kin to half dozen old
army Names it helped him not a whit
for no one Of them was blessed with
means beyond the monthly pay, and
some had not even that unmortgaged
Twenty-Five hundred dollars shortage
already, to say nothing of the cash for
recent sales, and more no doubt to
come. The very thought was ruin. Re-
fusing comfort, the hapless man sat
down at his Uttered desk, stared again
at the crowded, dusty pigeonholes and
saw nothing, nothing but misery, if not
despair.
Brayton went over at luncheon time
and begged a word with Mrs. VIM.
She peered over the balustrade from the
second story, with big, black trimmed
eyes, but could not come down, could
not leave baby, who was fretful, she
said. Oh, why didn't Mr.. VIM come
home? What good did it do to stay over
there and worry? When would they get
through? Brayton couldn't say, but
VIM couldn't come-felt he must stay
at the office, but if Mrs. VIM would
have some tea and bite of luncheon
prepared, he (Brayton) would gladly
take it over. Yet even this friendly
office seemed to bring no solace. VIM
barely slipped the tea or tasted the savory
broth. Frazier and Riggs went out to
luncheon, leaving him still seated at
his desk, and their faces were black
with gloom when they reached the colo
nel's door. WINS most distressing
plight, following so shortly after the
dire misfortune that had happened to
Lawrence, would have saddened the
with melancholy but for the blessed
antidote afforded in Captain Barclays
sudden and most unlocked for coming.
And what surprise it was! All one
afternoon and part Of one evening had
Fort Worth been telling that Captain
Barclay had refused the assignment to
a regiment and post where he must
meet Laura Vim, that he had resign
ed rather than encounter once more the
woman who had played him false that
he was too wealthy to care to bury
himself in this out of the way hole in
Texas anyhow, and even while they
were talking, all unheralded, here he
was. The majors hospitable doors
opened to receive him within ten min
utes of his dust covered advent, and
only by hearsay all that night could
the garrison know of his presence. One
small sole leather trunk, with the trav-
cling bag, rifle, feldglasses, canteen
and lunch box, constituted all the per-
sonal luggage of the new arrival. It
could not even be said that any one out
side of Brooks had even seen him, SO
coated with dust were the contents of
that old spring wagon when un]oaded
at the colonel's steps, and many wo-
man FASTENED to her door on the follow
ing morning, attracted thither by the
announcement that Captain Barclay
was on the majors porch
There, with his host, he stood for
quite awhile, the major pointing out
the landmarks along the westward
range and indicating apparently other
features in the landscape. One or two
officers Fastening by raised their caps
or ran up the steps and shook hands
with the newcomer, but he was present.
ly summoned in to breakfast, and neigh
bors could only say he was not very tall,
not very stout, not very slight, not very
anything. Captain De Lancy, who had
had three minutes conversation, said
he seemed pleasant, but that was all.
Mrs. DE Lancy was confirmed in her
preconceived opinion that men were
owls because her husband was unable
to add to the military descriptive list of
brown eyes, brown hair, brown beard
and clothes any of the particulars she
sought. He couldn't tell whether Bar
clay had fine teeth or good complexion,
what his mouth was like whether he
had nice hands and voice. Indeed he
couldn't see why Mrs. De Lancy should
be SO anxious to know. Not until to-
ward noon was any reliable particular
concerning Captain Barclay passed
along the line. Then the domestic bull.
letin dealt out the fact that the million
aire mine owner wore flannel shirt
and silver watch, which information
was distinctly disheartening.
But that evening, while the colonel
and other officers began calling al
Brooks to welcome formally the unex.
pected addition to the commissioned
force, Mrs. Brooks was able to slip out
and over to her crony, Mrs. De Lancy,
and in ten minutes she had an audience,
l. married and single, that gladdened he,
heart. She could and did talk almost
uninterruptedly for over an hour. Ar
irving DANES or damsels were signaIe6
not to interrupt and, joining the circle
patiently withheld their questions unit