Valentine Democrat. (Valentine, Neb.) 1900-1930, 1900-08-02
CHAPTER XVII.

ed into three huge laagers, inside of
which were picketed the cavalry horses
the stores and the oxen; outside were the
tents and guns, irregular troops, native
contingent and cooking fires. Captains
Brabazon and Gee had had their little
bell tents pitched as usual side by side;
the former is to be found in his at the
present moment, sitting on his bed read
ing letter by the light Of lantern at
tached to the pole above his head. He
has torn open the envelope with hasty,
nervous fingers and turned it completely
inside out in the hopes Of discovering
line from Esme; but no, there was moth
ing; so with a sharp spasm of misglylng
he falls back on the epistle in his hand.
Dear Captain Brabazon," it says.
"Your letter has just arrived, with full
account Of your unhappy mistake and
fatal precipitation. / am truly and sin
cerely sorry for you. 1t is the most I'M
fortunate thing l have ever heard of IN
all my experience. Esme's disobedience
and your rash, hot temper must, am
afraid, share the entire blame. Of course
it was a most painful time for all Of US
last September; but luckily the wedding
was to have been such a quiet affair that
the real facts have never transplred be-
yond our own circle; and people imagine
that you received sudden order to JOIN
your regiment Esme was naturally
greatly troubled. Her pride received
mortal wound; but l am glad to tell you
that a very gay visit to Brighton COM
pIetely restored her spirits, and L cannot
be too thankful now that the dear girl S
heart was never very much centered N
the match. OF course, when the marriage
was so very advantageous in every way,
/ did not analyze her feelings too closely,
and I knew that you would make her an
excellent husband. But now. that you
have hardly any means besides your pay,
things are quite different, as l need
scarcely point out. Both battalions of
your regiment are abroad in countries
where it would be impossible for Esme to
live; and you see, my dear Miles, much
as I like you, l cannot consult my own
feelings in the matter. 1 stand in very
responsible position to Esme. l fill the
place of both her parents, and it would
not be right to allow her to marry cap
tain in marching regiment, with nothing
but his pay. 1t costs me a great deal
to write this, but it is my duty, and from
your honor, to your love for Esme, and
your desire for her happiness before your
own, to renounce her completely. There
Is nothing more wearing or more mlsera-
bic for a girl than a long and hopeless
engagement. / am sure you will agree
with me. Esme desires me to say that
she received your letter, and sends her
kind regards; and / am, your sincere
well-wisher,
SARAH BRABAZON."
This, then, was the death-knell of his
hopes. Her kind regards!' How unnat-
ural, how almost ludicrous, such a mes
sage sounded! Firmly crumpling up the
letter into a ball, he flung it down pas
sionately, and, burying his face in his
hands, sat without moving for many min
utes.
Some time later Captain Gee looked in,
to borrow a bootlace, and found the tent
still empty; the lamp faring away IN soil
tary extravaganza, an envelope on the
bed. He glanced at it distrustfully. "A
woman's hand, and an old woman's-
slight mourning I'll bet it's from that
old serpent, Mrs. B., giving him piece
of her mind, breaking off the whole bust
ness" said Dicky to himself, blinking
fiercely. At this moment the crumpled
letter also caught his rowing eye. There
was a suggestivenes Of wild, ungoverna-
BILE fury in its present crushed condition
that spoke whole volumes to the far-see-
ing little gentleman, who surveyed it med
Itatiyely, as he anXiously pulled his ten
derly fostered sandy mustache.
$50 that's it." he remarked, after a
pause, "as plain as a pike-staff. III say
nothing, I'll say nothing, though l know
as much about it now as if he had told
me the whole story If he likes to make
q clean breast of it, well and good. L
think myself, he is well out of it. A girl
without q penny! However, I'll say moth
fng-silence is golden" With this valua-
BILE precept in his mind, and bestowing
one last significant glance at Mrs. Braba-
zon's il-used effusion, he put his hands in
his pockets and slowly took his departure.
AS to Miles, he found plenty Of work
q fine specific, and had now hardly ever
an idle minute His mind was filed with
other things besides blighted hopes and
black despair. Foraging parties, fuel,
firearms. forage, ration boards, etc, occu-
MED his thoughts, and he had very little
leisure TO dwell upon his lot. Love, as
Gussie had quoted, lis mere parenthe-
sis in a mans life;;" he is not SO fond Of
allowing himself to dwell on narrowing
recollections as a woman, nor do his
thoughts. like hers, find a melancholy
Measure in visiting the grave of dead
homes. Days and weeks went by, not so
slowly as might be supposed; weeks spent
in foraging, wood cutting, scouting and
bringing in spies, and listening to their
many marvellous tales-taleS that would
have compelled the great Munchausen
himself to veil his face, for Beers i'm
agination can bestir itself at times. Most
of Teddy's spare hours were passed with
his cousin. and he had become a very
popular visitor in the Marcher camp. He
was even welcomed by ''tha ugly little fell
low with freckles," as he mentally called
CAPTAIN Gee, who had now completely
GOT over what Miles termed his ridicu-
ious stiffness about the legacy" and was
Iprepared to extend the hand OF good-fel-
iowship to this other young Brabazon.
For instance, they were both fond Of
horses, Of shooting, of arguing the point,
and of lots of red pepper with their daily
stew. To improve the favor of this said
stew, with some ingredient foreign to the