The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1900-05-10
doctors are confident 81 his recovery IL

HOW dld THIS letter come? he asked.
"Dy the Salvador yesterday"
sand the next mail for Honolulu"
queried Armstrong, rising from his
chair and handing back the folded let
ter.
"The next mail closed an hour ago,
man. The China sails at two. No other
boat for a week. Where are you going
now?"
$40 camp for ten minutes. then to
the Presidio."
swell, hold on. What am I to say
to the general as to Gray and those let
ters?" asked the staff officer, intent
upon the subject uppermost in his mind
at the moment.
"You can't say anything that will
reach him before he returns. You have
just told me no other boat would start
for a week. By that,time he'll be COM
ing home" And with that Armstrong
let himself out and strobe to the ele-
vator, leaving his friend to rcogitate
on the question over his luncheon. 1t
was decidedly that officers opinion that
Armstrong knew much than he
would tell.
But Armstrong knew much less than
he himself believed fastening back
to camp and ordering his horse, he was
500 speeding up the slope to the wind
swept heights overlooking the Golden
Gate. The morning had opened fine
as silk, but by noe the sky was hid
den in clouds and the breath of the sea
blew in salt and strong. The white.
caps were leaping on the crest of the
surges driving in through the straits
and the surf bursting high on the
jagged rocks at the base of the cliffs. A
little coast steamer from Santa Bar
bara way came pitching and plunging
in from sea-, and one or two venture
some craft, heeling far to leeward,
tore through the pillows and tossed
far astern a frothing wake. With
manes and tails streaming in the stiff
gale, the troop horses of the Fourth
cavalry were cropping at the scanty
heritage down the northward slope,
and the herd guard nearest the road
lost his grip on his drab campaign hat
as he essayed a salute and galloped off
on a stern chase down the long ravine
to the east, as the colonel trotted brisk
ly by. One keen glance over the bay
beyond rocky Alcatraz had told him
the China was not yet away from her
pier. He might have to send a dispatch
by that swift steamer. and even then
it would be six days getting to Hawaii,
He wondered what Canker's grounds
could. be for saddling so foul a suspi-
cion on the boys good name. He won.
dered how long that poor lad would
have to struggle with this attack of
fever and remain, perhaps happily, un-
conscious of this latest indignity. He
wondered if Amy Lawrence yet knew
of hat serious seizure, and, if she did,
what would be her sensations. Down
the winding, sloping road he urged his
way, Glencoe, his pet charger, marvel
ing at the unusual gait. The cape of
the sentry's overcoat whirled over the
sentry's head and swished his cap off
as he presented arms to the tall soldier
squirting past the guardhouse. II envy
no n who has to put to sea this day."
said Armstrong to himself, as he turned
to the right and refined up in front of
a little brown cottage peeping out from
a mass of vines and roses, shivering
in the wet wind. Half a dozen strides
took him across the narrow walk and
up the wooden steps. With sharp en-
phasis he changed the little gong bell
screwed to the back of the door and
waited impatient of the servants COM
ing. There was no answer He rang
again and still again, and no one came.
A glance at the windows told hat the
white lace curtains hung there draped
as prettily as ever. Fresh flowers stood
on the window sill. A shawl and a
pillow, the latter indented as by a hui
nan head, lay in the lounging chair
On the little porch. Another chair
stood but a few feet away. There was
even a fan, though fans in a Frisco
summer are less needed than furs; but
nowhere saw he other sign of the tenn
porary mistress of the house. He went
round to a side window and raped.
No answer. Then he turned to the
walk again, and, taking the reins, babe
the orderly inquire next door if Mrs.
Garrison could be found. Yes, was
the answer; she went driving to Golden
Gate Park with Mrs. Stockman an hour
ago, and Mrs. Stockman was to leave
for Los Angeles that night. Odd! If
Mrs. Garrison drove to Golden Gate
Park the easiest and best way was that
along which he came, and he had met
no carriage. In fact, not since that
night at the Palace had he set eyes on
Mrs. Garrison, or until the coming of
this sorrowful news about Gray had he
cared to. From all that he heard Mrs
Frank was enjoying herself at the
Preside. Cherry having gone one way
and her devotee another, Mrs. Frank
speedily summoned a chum of old gar
rison days to come and keep house with
her for awhile, and Mrs. Stockman,
whose lord had left her at the call of
duty, and gone to Manila with his men,
right gladly accepted and much en-
joyed the fun and frolic that went or
night after night in Mrs. Franks cozy
parlor, or the mild filtration, possibly,
in the recesses of Mrs. Franks EN-
powered porch. The last expedition
had borne off almost all the regular
element at the post, but had not left it
poor, for, fast as camp grounds could
be made ready for them, vastly to the
disgust of the saloon keepers and street
car magnates who had reaped rich
harvest from Camp Merritt, regiment
after regiment, the volunteers came
marching over from the malodorous
sand lots and settled down in sheltered
hooks about the Preside. So cavaliers
in plenty were still to be had, cavaliers
whose wives and sweethearts, as a rule,
were far away; and Mrs. Frank loved tc,
console such as were SO bereft. The
chatting dish and Scotch and soda
were in nightly request; and ever WON.
On s;La aida,4 Of eli faaa.: AIss E,a~l-