Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1901-05-30

my mental condition the magazine
WASH TIA circumstance in the way of a
wreck, begad," explained Mainwaring
to his senior, who stroye to keep a
straight face, but oouldn t); Mrs. Merri-
weather, disappeared since the night of
Hunters transfer from hospital to
guardhouse; Sergeant Merriweather,
transferred from guardhouse to hospital
with bullet through one lung and a
knife wound in the other; Corporal
Croxford and Trooper Elzey, deserted
two hitherto shining lights of the gar
rison and admirers of Mrs. Merriweath-
/ erC"Could Mrs. Merriweather have gone
/ with either of them?" asked some one
of the ladies' "Or with both?" asked
certain brutes among the officers) land,
finally, Lieutenant Brady, back from a
bacchaaalian bout with his kindred
spirit Rawson, and now laid by the heels
i'll quarters with an Irish orderly in at
1 tendance, for doctors would have moth
ing to do with him.
The way Stannard sailed in was char
arteristic. Brady had not been drunk
4 on duty. He had taken advantage Of
the absence of Atherton and Stannard
to relax the reins of his self control, but
had only got good start when he sought
and received a seven days leave from
Major Mainwaring, which enabled him
to meet Rawson at Pawnse, This was
about ten days after the explosion. He
was to have staid his week away, but
in two days suddenly reappeared in
Butte, full of whisky aud information.
Mainwaring, who knew him but slight
ly. received dispatch saying that he
/ had news OF most important character
resulting from discoveries he had made
| at Pawnee and urging the commanding
officer to meet him at the railway sta
ton on his arrival, which Mainwaring
! did, and then the very next night or
1 dered Hunters arrest.
~ always said that when Brady
drank he could be depended upon to
make an ass of himself, " said Blake,
"and this proves it," But what Brady's
revelations might have been Mainwar-
/ ing refused to disclose. 1t was enough,
he said, to hang Hunter high as the
hayman, and the hay contractor, in
Mainwaring opinion, was the double
dashedest scoundrel that ever lived.
This statement SO rejoiced Blakes heart
that he repeated it broadcast and was
in the merriest of moods until he heard
that Mainwaring had forbidden Captain
Rays having an interview with his inn
\ prisoned recruit. Then Blake boiled
over and made the odious comparison
between Mainwaring's brain and the
blown up building which resulted in
his own summary confinement to quar-
tiers. Brady's leave had still two days
to run when Stannard got back, but
Stannard had heard enough of his do
iRgs in Butte to Warrant the Immediate
action taken. An officer was sent with
the post ambulance and orders to fetch
him forthwith. Then and there Dana
waited on him with the majors mes.
sage to the effect that he would give
him "a hours in which to sober up and
face the music, and Brady had sense
enough to know he had no time to lose.
Then another snarl had to be olsen
tangled in which Stannard could not
help, since it was purely domestic. The
veteran post surgeon had had flare up
with Mainwaring, all on account of
Trooper Hunter. The doctor protested
against his PATIENTS being put in the
guardhouse, declaring that no matter
what the charges were he was entitled
to humane as we'll as medical treatment.
Mainwaring said the man of his own
yolitlon had removed himself from hos.
4 pitaf and therefore deserved no consid-
GRAFTON. The doctor said if Hunter were
Kept in the prison room with the garri-
son malefactors overnight he would
hold Mainwaring responsible for ill re-
suits that were certain to occur, which
staggered Mainwaring for a minute.
He finally compromised, ordered Hun
ter sent back to hospital, but put in a
room by himself with sentry at the
door and another at the window, and
orders prohibiting his being seen or
4 spoken to by anybody except the doc
tors and the steward, unless it were
himself or on his own written order.
Then Mainwaring had to go home and
face the women folk, and there for the
first time Miss Leroy, shocked and stnn-
ned, having gone to her room) did Mrs
Mainwaring have him to herself and
tell him Of the Identification of Hunter
as the polite and helpful stranger of the
night on the train. Then, furthermore
did she add her plea to the Doctors and
finally admit that, much to her own dis
4 tress and CONSERVATION, she feared Pet
was actually deeply if not indeed very
4 painfully interested in this mysterious
trooper. In justice to Pet, she must say
that that young lady was probably un-
aware of the feeling that had been grow
ing upon her until the denouement of
that evening. She Mrs. Mainwaring)
had striven to wean her from the morn
ing services, but without success, and
now she knew not what had happened,
| for Pet had shut herself in her room
/ and begged to be left undisturbed.
Which was more than Pet would
permit the major to be next day, how
ever, for she was UP and on the lookout
for him on his return from stables He
marveled and was shocked at the pallor
\ IF ho. fona tho frOpbia in how ovoe