The Princeton union., 1900-10-18
. lcopyrieht. 1907. BY F. Tennyson Nse,y I

ana Lne faculty OF appearing Ine per-
sonifcation of serene confidence in his
hand" when the twitching of a. nerve
might cost thousand dollars. Folsom
was no match for him in such a game.
Little by little the anger and suspicion
faded from his eyes, and shame-faced
look crept into them. Had he really
so misjudged, so wronged this gentle
man? Certainly there was every ap-
pearance of genuine sympathy and
feeling in Burleigh's benevolent fea-
lures. Certainly he was here almost as
soon as he himself had come, and very
possibly for the same purpose. 1t was
all that old fool Pecksniff's S doing after
all. Folsom had known him for years
and always as more or less of an ass
man of so little judgment that,
though a major in the line at the out
break of the war, he had never been
trusted with a commando in the field,
and here he was now a full colonel with
only three companies left him. Bur-
leigh saw his bluff was telling, and he
took courage.
Come with me-" he said, land let
me reassure you," and the doors of
the commanding officers sanctum
opened at once to the omnipotent dis
burser of government good things,
Folsom following at his heels. Col:
Stevens he began, the moment he was
inside, and before the colonel could
speak at all, ''in a moment of ex-
asperation and extreme nervous-ah-
depression the night I-er-started
east so hurriedly after a most exhaust
ing journey from the Big Horn, spoke
disparagingly of the action of Lieut..
Dean in face Of the Indians the day we
met Red Clouds band, but on mature
reflection I am convinced misjudged
him. have been thinking it all over.
recall how vigilant anddutiful he was
tall times, and my object in hurrying
out here to-day at-ah-almost the in
slant I heard of his arrest, was to
put in the best words could, think of
in his behalf f-to-ah-urge you to re-
slider your action, especially in view
of all the--e-ah-encom passed
upon his conduct in this recent raid on
the Laramie.''
| The colonel whirled around upon him
as he had on Folsom. Maj. Burleigh," :"
he began, II call you to witness that
I am the most abused man in the army.
Here I am, sir, IS years in service,
full colonel, with a war record with
spect, absolutely ignored by these
mushroom generals at Omaha and else
where-stripped of my command and
kept in ignorance of the movements of
my subordinates. Why, sir" he con-
tinued, lashing himself on, as he rose
from his chair, there's my junior at
Frayne giving orders to my troop, sir;
presumes to send them scouting the
Laramie bottoms, when every man is
needed here, and then, when, as it hap
pens, my officer and his men get into
a fight and drive the Indians, to whom
does he report, sir? Not to me, sir
not to his Legitimate commander, but he
sends couriers to Laramie and to
Frayne, and ignores me entirely.''
A light dawned on Burleigh in an
instant. Well he knew that Deans rea-
sons for sending couriers to those
guard posts of the Platte were to warn
them that a war party had crossed
into their territory, and was now in
flight. There was nothing to be gained
by sending a man galloping back to
the line of the railway Is miles to the
rear-no earthly reason for his doing
So But the fact that he had sent run
ners to officers junior in rank to
fairly 'stuck in the CROP of the cap
tious old commander, and he had de-
termined to give the youngster les
son. But now the mail was in, and
dispatches from various quarters, and
telegram from Omaha directing him
to convey to Lieut.. Dean the thanks
and congratulations of the general
commanding the department, who had
just received full particulars by wire
from Cheyenne, and Stevens was glad
enough to drop the game, and Burleigh
equally glad of this chance to impress
Folsom with the sense Of his influence,
as well as of his justice.
o>A'A'' tAiA W SSy COIOAcL nave
long--ah--considered you most unfair
ly treated, but really--ah-in this case
of Lieut.. Deans, it is, as said before,
inexperience and. ah-the result Of
ah-er-- --not'unnatural loss of-er-
balance at most exciting time. A
word of-ah-admonition, if you will
pardon my suggestion, is all he prob
ably needs, for he has really behaved
very well--ah-- surprisingly we'll in
conducting this--ah-pursuit." -
And so was it settled that later the
colonel was to see Mr.. Dean and ad-
monish accordingly, but that mean
time the adjutant should go and whis-
per in his ear that his arrest was end
ed, and all would be explained later,
thereby releasing him before the girls
discovered the fact that he was con-
fined to his tent - :.
But the adjutant came too late. The
fearful eyes of one, the flushed and
anxious faces of both damsels, and the
set look in the eyes Of f|both the young
officers at Deans tent, as the adjutant
approached, told him the cat was out
of the bag. "The explanation cannot