Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1899-05-04

command of the post, was making fire.
quent and impetuous inquiries. Colonel
and Mrs. Atherton had gone east on two
months leave; Major and Mrs. stan
nard had gone 70 Russell for fortnight
to visit old friends in another regiment,
and here, to his huge delight, was Main
waring in command of an eight com
pany post Then the surgeon asked why
Mainwaring was so anxious to have the
patient out and learned something that
proved painful shock.
"Wcll, major" said he after a sol
emn silence, "of course yea re COM
manding officer, but | find it mighty
hard to believe that story, ah'i protest
against it's being made known to him
until he is strong enough to bear it,
which he isn't now.
There had been much talk at the hos.
pital among the stewards and attendants
and patients who could talk at all as to
the result of the board of survey prompt
ly convened at Colonel Atherton re-
quest to ascertain the cause of the mys-
terious explosion which had wrecked
tho magazine and ruined its contents,
and it did not take long for such keen
scouts and trailers as Ray, Blake and
old wilkins to make up their minds.
Coupled with what had occurred at the
south gate that night, just little while
before the explosion, there was no doubt
that an extensive robbery had taken
place and that the object of tho destruc-
ton of the magazine was the oblitera.
ton with it CT evidences of the crime.
1t seemed that shortly before / &c
that night two veteran sergeants OF
Truscott's troop returning from Butte
on pass became aware of a wagon driv.
ing ahead of them as they left town and
soon disappearing out on the prairie
east of the road. Now, there was not a
ranch or house to which it could have
gone. Everything of that kind lay far
ther down the stream, where it swept
In bold curve, first to the south, then
eastward again. Rumors of forage steal
ing they had heard, and therefore de-
cid2d 20 find where the wagon went, but
after searching awhile in the gale and
the darkness they gave it up, yet warn
ed the sergeant Of the guard as they
alightod at the south gate, and their
hack driver returned with his rig to
town.
Captain Blake was notified, and a
patrol was ordered out to scour the
flowed back of the stables. They hadn t
gone 80 yards before they stirred up a
squad of troopers that scattered at their
approach, but one was captured-Ray )
rapscalliOn of trumpeter, the Kid
and the Kid refused fatty and charac-
teristically TO say who the others were.
y privileged character was the Kid. He
had been ten years or more in the regi-
ment and ten dozen times in scrapes.
A better little soldier on campaign or a
worse one in garrison couldn't be found
in all the til, and as the regiment
had spent more of those ten years in the
field than in the fort the Kid had still
"a small balance to his credit. He had q
medal of honor from congress for hero
ism in fierce, savage battle and record
for deviltry of every conceivable kind.
Ray was the only man, except Ather.
ton, he either feared or loved. Grinnine
from ear to ear, he told Blake that there
wasn't any officer in the regiment smar
enough to scare him into giving away 8
fellow soldier, and Blake sent for Ray
Something told him there was mischie1
afoot, and Ray and the explosion came
almost together
Only two men in all Fort Ransom
however, were found to have anything
to explain as to their whereabouts tina
night. First Sergeant Merriweather
whom the sergeant of the guard had in
quired for just after visiting sentries
and solely because u light was burning
so late i'll his window. The second wa
the new trooper, Hunter, found nearly
800 yards away from his proper post
blinded, senseless, bleeding and hal
drowned. The Kid had told the plausi
Bile tale that "him and three other fel
lers was sneaking Off to town for
lark" when detected. Merriweather de
clared that he had heard horses stamp
ing and snorting in the stables and ha,
considered it his duty, though no longe
stable sergeant, to go and investigate
and that he saw no sentry on No. q
but hunted up and down for him, won
dering where he could tie, and was 81
occupied when the explosion occurred
But Hunter had not yet been approach
ed. There We're reasons why 1t wa
deemed best to let him suppose no sus
picion attached to him.
For, no sooner was it light enough t
see, the morning after the explosion
than Anterior had some of his best Off
GERS securing the prairie for traces
They found bricks, bullets and unexplod
ed boxes of cartridges all over the neigh
borhood, but not one of the 40 revolver
and only 20 of the 50 boxes of carbine
rife and revolver cartridges that SHOULD
have been there. OF the barrel of riff
powder and half barrel of cannon car
tridges not IA vestige, of course, remain
ed. All this was brought out by tn
board, and, the board 5 findings havin
been sent to department headquarters
Anterior, as has been said, had gone OF
on leave; so had Stannard, and this lef
Mainwaring in command.
Not word, not hint to that fello,
until | tell you, said Mainwaring t
the post surgeon, who, an older ma
and major senior in rank by severa
years, was nevertheless his inferior /
tho eyes of military law and regulation
he being debarred from assuming com
mand. And so, as Hunter grew stronge
every day and watched with eagernes
for the coming each morning of tn
/ Young devoted there daWned upOu hiI