The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1900-04-26
CHAPTER XI.-CoNT1NuEp.

CHAPTER X1.-CoNTINUED.
Late that afternoon, just after the
various trunks and boxes of the Frosts
that were to go by the transport were
packed and ready. and Mrs. Frost, look
ing stronger at last, though still frag-
lie, almost ethereal, was returning from
a drive with one of her friends, the at
tention of the two ladies was drawn to a
crowd gathering rapidly on the side
walk not far from the Baldwin hotel.
There was no shouting, no commotion,
nothing but the idle curiosity of men
and boys, for a young soldier, a hand
some, slender, dark-eyed, darkroom
plexioned fellow of 81 or 90, had been
arrested by a patrol and there they
stood, the sergeant and his two SOL
diers fully armed and equipped, the
hapless captive with his arms half filled
with bundles, and over the heads of
the little throng the ladies could see
that he was pleading earnestly with
his captors, and that the sergeant,
though looking Sympathetic and far
from unkind, was shaking his head.
Mrs. Frost, ~listless and a little fatigued,
had witnessed too many such scenes in
former days of garrison life to take any
interest in the proceeding. How
stupid these people are!" she irritably
exclaimed; running like mad and
blockading the streets to see a soldier
arrested for absence from camp with
out a pass. Shan't we drive on?"
"Oh-just n moment, please, Mrs.
Frost. He has such a nice face-a gen.
tleman's face, and he seems SO troubled.
Do look at it,"
like a pout, Mrs. Frost turned her face
again toward the sidewalk, but by this
time the sergeant had linked an arm
in that of the young soldier and had
led him a pace or two away, so that
his back was now toward the carriage.
He was still pleading, and the crowd
had begun to back him up, and was ex-
postulating, too.
awe, take him where he says, SER
geant, and let him prove it,"
Don't be hard on him, man. If he's
taking care of a sick friend, given a
chance" 81
Then the sergeant tried to explain
matters. Il can't help myself, gentle
men," said he; 'orders are orders, and
mine are to find this recruit and fetch
him back to camp. He's two days over
time now"
"Oh, I wish I knew what it meant!"
anxiously exclaimed Mrs. Frost's COM
panion. "I'm sure he needs help" Then
with sudden Joy in her eyes: "Oh, good!
There goes Col. Crosby. He'll see what's
amiss," and as she spoke a tall man in
the fatigue uniform of an officer of in
fantry shouldered his way through the
crowd, and reached the blue-coated
quartette in the center. Up went the
hands to the shouldered rifles in salute,
and the young soldier, the cause of the
gathering which the police were now
trying to dispense, whirled quickly, and
with something suspiciously like tears
in his fine dark eyes, was seer to be
eagerly speaking to the veteran officer.
There was a brief colloquy,.and then
the colonel said something to the SER
geant at which the crowd set up a cheer.
The sergeant looked pleased, the young
soldier most grateful, and away went
the four along the sidewalk, many of
the throng following.
And then the colonel caught sight of
the ladies in the carriage, saw that one
was signaling eagerly, and heard his
name called. Fastening to their side,
he raised his cap and smiled a cordial
greeting.
"Oh, I'm so glad you came, colonel,
we are so interested in that young SOL
der. Do tell us what it all means. Oh!
beg your pardon, Mrs. Frost, l surely
thought you had met Col. Crosby-let
me pre- Why, Mia! What's Are
you i'll? Here, take. my salts, quick!"
"No-no-go on-I-I want to hear!
Where are they taking him?" family
murmured Mrs. Frost"
TRY to control YOURSELF" said her
companion. "Ill tell you in one mo-
ment." Meantime from without the
carriage the colonel continued, address
ing Nita's companion:
HE tells a perfectly straight story.
He says he has an old friend who is so
desperately i'll and out of money-that
he got a doctor for him and had been
nursing him himself. Those things he
carried are medicines and wine that the
doctor babe him buy. All he asks is to
taEe them to his friends room and get
a nurse. then he is ready-to go to camp
and stand for his trial, so l told the
sergeant I'd be responsible"
"Oh, thank you so much! Do see that
tie poor fellow isn't punished. Well
drive right round. Perhaps we can do
something. It is Red Cross business,
you know. Good afternoon, colonel.
Please tell our driver to follow them"
But, to her CONSERVATION, no sooner
had they started than she felt Nita's
trembling hand grasping her wrist, and
turning quickly saw that she was in an
almost hysterical condition.
my poor child, l had forgotten you
were so worn out. I'll take you home
at once-but then we'll miss them ems
tirely. Oh, could you bear"
"Oh! No! MOI" moaned Nita, wiring
ing her little hands. "Take me-an
where. No! Take me home-take me
home! and promise me not to-not to
tell my husband what we saw"
CHAPTER XI.
For a man ordinarily absorbed in his
W command, Col. Stanley Armstrong
had become all on a sudden deeply en-
crossed in that of Col. Canker. The
Frosts had been gone a week via Van