The Red Cloud chief., 1901-05-03
Ia al

pitchfork and q clover hoof To such as
these the knight-errantry NJ Drayton ard
y Bartlett may seem problematical: but a
knight-errant Is one who succors beauty
in distress. and who rides abroad redress.
inG human wrongs Whether he employs
an obnoxious insect rather than a sword
as Drayton did. or whether he rides an
s. &. government mule, as Bartlett was
wont to do, is neither here nor there.
Bartlett was riding the aforesaid mure
shortly after the time my story begins
He rode IT up the line. its long gray
ears waggling evenly and restrully, and
came to 1alt In front OF the snt Of
quarters whore DraYton and he roDmsl
Drayton was sitting on the porch, his
feet m tho railing. his chair tipped pack.
and the visor cf his cap puliel down ON
his uoso. He puzzled the can to the hari;
III his head as Bartlett CANE slowly up
the steps.
II wish you would get "A horse" he
complained. "If you could lust realize
the figure you cut on that old elephant!'
That's mule corrected Bartlett
his arm around pillar and letting his
heels dangle. as he perched on the rail-
Ing. TITS also a very nice mule. II is no
longer a shave.tail. but has reached years
OF discretion. The moment man or animal
does that. his appraciative country
straightway has him inspected and con
demncd. Horses may do for some, but
not for one who has the duties OF post
quartermaster to perform. And. besides,
I believe in the infantry and scorn a
hprse,'
'"The scorn," observed Drayton. "of the
fox for the grapes"
Don't rub 1t in" said Bartlett, defect
edy; "Im miserable enough as It is."
Thought you looked rather triste. I'm
all sympathy. Go on"
Bartlett released his hold upon the pill
lar and folded his arm upon his breast in
an attitude combining stern endurance
and precarious balance. "The Collinses
are going to rout the Lawrences out"
Now. the Collinses were Ne family of
Capt Collins-wife mother-in-aw on both
sides. and three small children. They
had that morning arrived at the post.
Collins was in command of Troop l..
which had been moved on some weeks
BEFORE. II he had been well disposed his
entry should not have put the whole gar
rison below his rank In the throes of fear
or progressive turning out" For there
were empty quarters into which he might
have moved exactly as well as not, and
no one have been any the worse off.
But Collins won't see II that way"
Bartlett went on. "tIe ranks Lawrence.
and his wife ranks him, you bet: and it's
the wife and the mothers-in-law who are
going to have the Lawrences' set or
bust"
"Throw them a few buckets OF paint
and calcimine by way OF sop" Drayton
ventured to suggest
"Did," said Bartlett. briefly. "Offered
thf-i half the quartermaster's depart
ment, and a carpenter. and a blacksmith.
and farrler. ito. II they happened to
need one. Told them they could have any
or all of the cOiors of paint of the rain
bow, II they'd just be good-but those
three Graces are bound to have the Law
rences' house.
Drayton opined. with little of the
placidity, nevertheless, with which we all
bear one anothers burdens, that II was a
very great and very profane shame.
There's that poor little woman with
those two little bits Of kids, and Just
moved into those quarters and got them
all fixed up so prettily, and her garden
started. too. Then, those Collinses!
They're a mean lot OF cattle anyway"
He made gesture Of disgust, which
t,yfned the visor around over his left ear.
and was silent a minute through sheer
wrath.
81 told Mrs. Lawrence they would be
serpents- on he wood cutter s-hearth-"
''Serpents, now?" asked Bartlett; "they
were cattle before; and you called that
he pointed over his shoulder-'an ele-
phant. whereas, in point of fact, it's a
mule"
al told her" continued Drayton. un-
moved that 1t wouldn't pay. l know
all about these Collinses-served with
them I'm Texas. l was sitting on Mrs.
Lawrence's steps-I know that | usually
am, 80 you can save yourself-I was sit
ting on her steps when the Collins out
fitkdrove up. The ambulance stopped In
front of the C. O.'s house next door and
Collins jumped out and went In. The
rest OF them just waited. All would have
been well II Mrs. Lawrence hadn't be-
come tender-hearted In a most unneces-
sary way. and hadn't chosen TO disre-
gard any advice" He assumed the look
of prophecy fulfilled 81 told her to sit
still and not get excited and do some
thing rash gave her the benefit of my
knowledge and experience. But II wasn't
any use She made me dry up ana hanS
OF to the kids, while she ran down to the
ambulance and invited the whole caboo-
die to come In and rest and refresh them.
selves. They came. You can bet your
life they came-or they wouldn't have
beeR the Collinses. ! saw Dame C.'s
weather eye taking in the house. l could
see she liked It. and ! knew there'd be
trouble. Mrs. Lawrence kept them to
luncheon-the whole seven of them. Asked
me. too; but the kids were raising Cain,
and the abade OF peace was transformed
so lit out"
"Well | guess she's sorry now-lf that's
any comfort to you. For the Collinses
are not only going to have those quarters.
but they're going to have them quick
Even the c. o. got at Collins. But 1t
wasn't any use. My wife likes the quar-
ters.' says he. And that's all"
They sat in meditation for some time.
Then Dayton spoke.
',!sflike those quarters, too. I'm going |
to have some OF them myself" he said
Bartlett did not understand. and Dray- |
ton undertook to explain.