The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1900-12-22
PART III.
CIIAPTER I

1hSAC- a1SdSlIOuS ElIdHa llle one 10
the Southland SUNK into their holes
In hotel back bedrooms. In shady bar
rooms. or in the negro quarters OF
Georgetown, as If the majestic. white
robed goddess. cnthroned upon the
dome of the capitol, had at last de-
scended among them, II was shifting
to right and left with the fiat and
flash of her insufferable sword.
into this sitting atmosphere. of greed
and corruption Clarence Brant stepped
from h shadow of the war departs
ment. For the last three weeks he
haunted Its a~nteroons and audience
chambers, in the vain hope of righting
himself before his superiors, who were
content, without formulating charges
against him, to keep him in this dis
grace of inaction and the anxiety OF
suspense. Unable to ascertain the de-
tails of the accusation, and conscious
OF his W secret, he was dcbarrcd the
last resort of demanding a court-mar-
lial. which he knew could only exoner-
ate him by the exposure of the guilt
OF his wife, whom he still hoped had
safely escaped. His division command
er. in active operations in the field, had
no time to help him at Washington.
Elbowed aside by greedy contractors.
Iorestailed by selfish politicians and
sustaining the ordinary method of in
tiuence, he had no friend to turn to. In.
ms rev years of campaigning he had
lost his instinct of diplomcy without
acquiring a soldiers bluntness.
The nearly level rays of the sun fore
ed him al last to turn aside into one of
the openings of a large building--a fa-
nous c~araVansary of that hotel-haunt-
ed capital-and he presently found
hlmself III the luxurious barroom, fra
grant with mint and cool with ice
slabs, piled symrletrically on its mar
pie counters. a few groups of men
We're seeking GOODNESS at the small Ia
bles, with glasses before them and
palm-leaf fans in their hands, but a
larger and noisier assemblage was col
tected before the bar. where a man.
coliarless and in his shirt sleeves, with
his back to the counter, wa preten-
tiously addressing them. Brant. who
mad modify dropped into a chair in the
corner, after ordering a cooling drink
as an excuse foi' his temporary refuge
from the sitting street. half regretted
his enforced participation in their con-
VITALITY. But a sudden lowering of
the speakers voice into a note Of
gloomy significance, seemed familiar to
MIN. lie glanced at him quickly, from
the shadow of his corner. He was not
mistaken-it was Jim Hooker.
For he first time in his life, Brant
Wlshed to him. In the DAYS OF
his W prosperity his heart had al
ways gone out towards this old com
panion of his boyhood; in his present
humiliation his presence Jared upon
MN. He would have slipped away,
put to do SO he would have had to pass
before the counter again, and Hooker,
with the self-consciousness of a story
teller, a an eye on his audience,
Brant, with a palm leaf fan before his
face, was obliged TO listen.
Yes. gentlemen" said Hooker, eN-
amining his glass dramatically, when
a. mans been cooped up in u rebel
prison, with a death line before him
that he's obliged to cross every time
he wants a square drink, 1t seems sort
OF Xix a dream Of his boyhood to be
standin here comf'ble before his
liquor. alongside o. White men once
more. And when he knows he's bin put
to all that trouble jest to save the rep
utation of another man, and the Sc
crets of a few high and mighty ones.
go agin hint He stopped theatrical
~, seemed to choke e~motionally over
his brandy smash. but with a pause OF
dramati! determination finally dashed
1t down. mo. gentlemen" he contin-
used. gloomily, II don't say what Tn
back in Washington for-T don't say
what I've bin sayin' to myself when
49, $3.50 P'SniIlS sllS NEeNelSl outer NV
biscuits in Libby priscn-but eff YOU
don't see some pretty big men in the
war department obliged to climb down
In the next few days my name amt
Jim Hooker, of Hooker, Meecham &
CO., army beef contractors, and the
mar who saved the fight ut GRAY
Oaks"
The smile Of satisfaction that went
nround his audience-an audience
l ~ toll ~ -otr~ tl,- $40 -. -
formance-might ave startled a van
ity less oblivious than Rockers, but
1t only aroused Brant's Indignation and
pity, n made his position still more
intolerable. But Hooker, %scornfully ex-
pectorattng a thin streamSof tobacco
juice against the spittoon, remained
for an instant gloomily silent.
Tell us about the fight again. said
a smiling auditor.
Hooker looked around th= room witt
a certain dark s~uspiciousness, and
then III IN affected lower voice, which
his theatrical experience made perfect
ly audible. went on: ut amt much
to speak of, and If 1t wasn't for the
principle Of the thing l wouldn't be
talkin'. A man who's seen Injin fight.
In don't go much on this here West
Point fghtins by rule-of-three-but
that amt here OF there. Well, I'd biz
out a-scoutin'-just to help the boys
along, and I vas sittin' in my waEor
about daybreak, when along comes 6
brigadier general, and he looks into
the wagon flap. / oughter to tell yor
first, gentlemen, that every mint liz
was expectin' an attack-but he didn'
let OH g hint Of It to me How are
you, JIM says he. How are YOU
generate says /. Would you mint
lending me your coat and hat?' say.
he. I've got a little game here witt
my pickets, and i don't want to be rec.
ognized. Anything to oblige, gen.
eral.' saysI !. md with that l strips of
my coat and hat and he peels and put,
them On. Nearly Il same figure
Jim,' he says, lookin' at me. ..Suppos,
YOU just try on my things and see
With that he hands me his coat--ful
uniform, by God-with the little golt
cords and laces N the epaulets Will
a star, and / puts it on-quite innocen
like. And then he says. handin' M
his sword and belt: Same inche,
round the waist, too. You may asANe1
keep EN- on till I come back, says hi
for It's mighty damp and malarious d
this time nround the swamp AM
with that he lights out. Well, gentle
men, / hadn't sat there five minute
before bang! bang! rattle! rattle! ker
shiz! and i hea u yell. ] steps out o
the wagon: evcryt,ing's quite dark
but the rattle goes on. Then alon;
trots an orderly leadin' a horse
Mount, general he says We're at
tacked-the rear guards on us,
He paused. looked around his audi
ence and then In n lower voice said
darkly: Il amt q fool, gentlemen, an,
in that minute a mans brain work
at high pressure. and I saw 1t all.
saw the little game OF the %brigadier-
to skulk away in III clothes and leav
me to be captured in his. But / ain,
a dog, neither, and I mounted tina
horse, gentlemen, and lit out to wher
the men were formin' / didn't dar
to speak lest they should know me, bu
I waved my sword, and by O.! the,
followed mel And the next minute W