The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1899-09-07

had the door Of Barclay quarters open.
eel and swalluwca. up the new callers
than the majors wife turned hack to it.
"You don't mean letter from
him?' she asked, with nod OF the
head at Barclays quarters
"ldldn't mean to say anything about
it, . said Mrs. Faulkner with proper
hesitation, "but you seem to know as
much rs do, and she made no secret
of it whatever. Indeed I don't know
that there's anything in it that any body
mightn't see.'
II think she has no business what
ever receiving letters now that her hus-
bands away-nor any other time, for
that matter" said Mrs. Frazier hotly,
land mean to tell her so, and I'm as.
tonished at him.
For heavens sake don't tell her l
let it out" exclaimed Mrs. Faulkner.
you've just got to say you saw it
away from his door,.
"Well, think the sooner Mr.. Harry
VIM gets back the better it will be
for this garrison, and I'll say so to
Colonel Frazier this very night" ex-
claimed the colonel's wife, bristling
with proper Indignation. "And he'll
come back if we have to send couriers
to order him.
But no courier was needed to sum-
mon Lieutenant VIM. Two days later,
fast as jaded horse could carry him, fol.
lowed by a single orderly, he was COM
ing, full Of hope and pluck and en-
thuslasm, the bearer Of tidings that
meant SO much to him, that might be
OF such weight in the removal of some
portion at least Of the serious stoppages
against his pay. Away out in the
Apache mountains, where the remnants
OF the Friday gang seemed to have scat
tered into little squads of two or three,
one party had been trailed and chased
to its hole, wild nook in the rocks,
and there in brief, bloody fight two
more OF the gang bit the dust in reach
ing that height Of outlaw ambition,
"dylng with their boots on Others
were wounded and captured, and still
another, neither wounded nor combat
ant but trembling skulker, was drag
ged out from a cleft in among the
powders and kicked into the presence
OF the commanding officer by burly
lrishman who would have lost the bliss
Of dozen pay day sprees rather than
that one achievement, for the skulking
captive was Marsden, and Marsden was
English.
A more abject, pitiable, helpless
wretch even Texan troopers had never
seen. lmploring his captors to protect
him against the illimitable posi- bilities
OF lynch law-for there were veteran
soldiers present to whose thinking
drumhead court martial and summary
execution were all too good for Marsden
the ex-sergeant told the story of his
steallngs and the names Of his accom-
plices, but declared that all his ill gotten
gains were gone. Every cent he had at
the time Of his flight was taken from
him, he protested, by the gang Of des-
| refuge.
Hes lyin, sorr," declared Sergeant
Shaughnessy at this juncture. Hes
hidin the hoith of it somewheres, an
there's nothin like the moose of a lariat
to frishen his mimory.' But old Null
lane ordered silence.
"Go you back to Worth fast as you
can," said he to VIM. "Write the re-
port for me to sign before you start
Tell the colonel where what is left of
the stolen property can be found, and
We'll bring Marsden along with US. The
quicker you get there the more you can
save.
Worth was $50 miles away on a bee
line, and VIM had to twist and turn,
but he rode with buoyant heart. By
prompt measures much of his misfor-
tune might be wiped out. Then, with
the proffered loan with which to settle
his accounts and pay off certain pressing
creditors, he could start afresh, his head
at last above the waters that had weigh
ed him down. He would lead SIMPLE
Inexpensive life, and Laura would have
to help him. He could set aside one
fourth, or even perhaps one third, of his
pay to send each month to the bank at
San Antonio. It would be hard, but at
least he would be honest and manful,
and Laura would have to try to dress
and live inexpensively. She used to say
she would rather share exile and poverty
with him than a palace with any other
man, but that seemed bit like hyper
bole in the light of her subsequent ca
reer.
Long before this, he said, the bank
would have sent the money to Worth.
It was doubtless now awaiting him in
Fuller's safe, or possibly Trott's. How
blessed thing it was that the cashier
| should have been an old and warm
| friend of his father-that he should
have written proffering aid for old
times sake to the son of the soldier he
had known and been aided by and had
learned to love in bygone days. It was
odd that Mr., Cashier Bolton had not
made himself known to him, Harry
VIM, when he and his lovely bride
were in San Antonio, but all the more
was the offer appreciated. It was odd
that he should couple with the offer a
condition that VIM should give his
word not to tell the name of his IA
ther's friend and his own benefactor,
and further to agree neither to drink
| nor hot a cont m oDv eomo ~ ohopoo