The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-01-14
CHAPTER XIV,


fosmtng at the month with the violence
Of its own struggles. Far in the heart
Of the hills it had its sourcs in several
clear, cold springs, while the deer
boarded SHOWS OF the harsh winters fed
and swelled it in the springtide until il
reached the proportions of a short lived
torrent. Hinge heaps Of uprooted trees
and tangled brushwood it deposited
along its shores as far down even us the
fort, but nothing was carried below the
suffers. "Ahl's fish that comes to Full
ier's net" said Sergeant McHugh, ian
sorra silver Of q sardine liver got away
from IT,. Once in awhile, after un.
usual Good, the notsam and jetsam Of
the creek would be diversified with
wagon bodies. ranch roofs. camp equi-
page and the like. for 1.-The range. o.
this odd upheaval was locally termed,
was a famous place for prospectors
A beautiful stream was the Blanca
within its mountain gates, but an ashen
pstlor ovsrspread it after its fight for
freedom. 1t Was never the same stream
after it got away. It danced and spar.
killed. past pretty nooks and shaded IA,
wines among the hills. but issued from
the gateway, like the far famed Stink
ing river of the Rannocks and Shoshones
of,northwestern Wyoming, a metamor.
phosed stream. 1t had bad reputation.
It was solely responsible for the fact
that Worth had been located away out
here in the bald, bleak, open prairie
country instead Of among those bold
and beautiful heights to the northwest
1.-THE very spot for military post, :"
said the officers Of the earlier scouting
parties as they camped within the gates
in the midst Of lonely glade, Love.
ly," said the Texan guides in reply,
$50 long as you don't mind being
drowned out every spring" 1t seems
that SHOWS would melt Of a sudden,
tremendous thunderstorms burst among
the crags and food and deluge the val
leys, for the Blanca could not with
sufficient swiftness discharge its swollen
torrents through that narrow gorge.
Beautiful it lay, ordinarily as sum-
mer sea, and the bride path that wound
through the pass was favorite route
for picnic parties from Worth. But
stor1nclouds would rise and turn sum
mer seas to raging water demons. and
then the food that tore through the
gates would sweep all before it like the
unloosed waters Of the Conemaugh that
awful May of 1889.
From Worth to the White Gate the
prairie road wound hard and firm. and
before the late excitement several pic
mic, riding and driving parties had paid
their springtime visits. 1t was quite
the thing, toe, for such maids and ma
irons as were good horsewomen to ride
thither in the lengthening afternoons.
Mrs. Frazier had consulted Collabone as
to the earliest date On which Barclay
could stand a long drive, AZ she wished
to give little fete in his homer and
had planned a picnic to Barrier rock,
a romantic spot just within the gorge
Collabone had referred her to his assist
ant, and that younger officer consulted
his patient before committing himself
to reply.
II don't care to ride in an ambu
lance, doctor. but do long to get in
saddle. There's no strain ON that leg
below the knee. Can't you let me mount
from my back porch here and amble
around these fine mornings before people
are up?" And "Funnybone" assented.
He and Barclay rode out together very
cautiously next morning at reyeille, and,
finding his patient benefited by the gen.
tie exercise on such perfect mount as
either of those Kentucky bays, the doc
tor said: go again. Only ride slowly
and mount and diGmount only at the
back porch, where you have only to
lower yourself into saddle. Be sure to
avoid any shock or jar, then you're all
right"
Hannibal and Mrs. Winn's domestic
were the only persons besides Barclays
orderly to see the start, but had the do
mestic herself been alone it would have
been sufficient to insure transmission of
the news. First she told her mistress
Later she learned from Hannibal that
the captain was going out to stables
next morning the same way and had
ordered coffee to be ready ut reveille
This. too, was conveyed to Laura, and
that evening she sent for tho veteran
stable sergeant Of the troop to which
her husband was temporarily attached
and asked him if Robin Hood. a pretty
little chestnut she used to ride, was
still in the stable. He was, and would
Mrs. VIM be pleased to ride? The
sergeant would be glad to see the lady
in saddle again. Her handsome side.
saddle was, with her bride, always
kept in perfect order, but for several
Mrs. VIM had taken no exer-
else that way.
"I'm going to ride at reveille. SER
geant," she confided to the faithful sol
dier. "It's SO long since mounted l
wish to try once or twice when people
can't see me-" And Sergeant Burns
had promised that as soon as the sentry
would release him after gun fire Robin
Hood should be OH hand. He'd be proud
to come with him himself.
True to his word, Burns was up at
4 :l5. Robin was groomed and fed and
watered and saddled in style and ready
to start the moment the sentry was re.
lieved by the morning gun fire from the
of the order to "allow no
horse to be taken out between taps and
reveille, except in the presence Of a
officer or the sergeant Of
the guard" The sight that met the
eyes as he caEtered around
back Of the row Of officers quarters,
reading Robin by the rein, was one he
never forgot. |
With pal1ld face, down which the
blood was streaming from cut at the
temple, Captain Barclay was seated on
The steps striving to bind handler.
chief about his lower leg. Old Hanni-
bal, forgetful Of the dignity Of the Old
Dominion, was actually running down
The back road in haste, it seemed, to sum-
non the doctor. On the porch amid
some overturned chairs two athletic,
,inewy young men were graphing, one
# them, Lieutenant Brayton, almost
fitting and carrying the other, Menten-
mt Vim, toward his own doorway,
Al Il. - II. l