Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1901-01-07
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WbUNDEDNAnE
BY
BRIG.GEN.CHASKlNG. - Y
q o - VISA. SSo9 SSl
[Copyrlght. 1899. by F Tennysou Neely.]

Copyright. 1899. by F Tennysou Neely.J
It did notrtake long to determine the
means by which Nevins had succeeded in
getting away There was little indeed
to prevent his doing so if he saw fit to
go, for unless sentries were posted on
all four sides of his tent he might
crawl off in the darkness unobserved.
The sentry on No. had received orders
merely to summon the corporal and re-
port to him if the officer ventured to
leave his tent, and as No. was post
over hundred yards in length and the
sentry responsible for all of it there
was no right or reason in demanding of
him that he should give his undivided
attention to what might be going on
close to the corral.
In fact, by removing Nevins from the
inner quadrangle of the camp and plac-
ing him outside the walls Major Starke
had made it all the easier for him to
skip a second time if he saw fit to do so,
but Starke reasoned that Nevins still
had some hope that congressional int1u-
ence would save him from dismissal,
and therefore would not peril his
chances by a second flight. Starke did
not know that Nevins was honest at
least in one statement-that he expect
ed dismissal His fate was sealed; his
pay was confiscate to square shortages.
There was actually nothing to be gain
ed by staying at Cooke in virtual con-
fnement perhaps eight or ten weeks
until his case could be decided i'll Wash
ington and the orders received back in
Arizona. 1t actually simplified matters
in many*ways for Nevins to go,
Somebody. for instance, would have
to paw the cost of his subsistence all
that time at Cooke Thrice a day his
meals were sent to him from the little
bachelors mess, already sorely taxed
for the entertainment of the mem
bers of the court, and the four poor fell
lows who constituted that frontier club
had been only too glad when Its men,
bers from other stations insisted that
they should pay their share of the long
three weeks burden Oh the culinary
department But Nevins now was pen
niless, so he said, and why should i'm
pecunious infantry subaIterns support
in idleness a disgraced and virtually
dismissed officer? Yet that is precisely
what that government compelled them
to- door starve him.
Thinking it all over during the day,
Major Starke concluded that at least
Camp Cooke had something to be thank
full for, and sending for Privates Poague
and Pritzlaff be sternly rebuked them
for their probable negligence (for dis
.cipIine must be maintained and with
dire threats of what they might expect
in the way of punishment if they trans
crossed in the slightest way for six
months to come he babe them go back
to duty, released, which they did, each
with his tongue in his cheek and a wink
of the inner eye, as they strobe off to-
gether and went grinning to the guard
tents for their blankets
All the same. Starke wished to know
whittier Nevins had gone and whether
anything new had started him This
time no horse or mule had disappeared.
but the tracks of two quadrupeds were
found on the mesa coming from - Rat
He'll, " as Captain Post, who had done
time in Libby. named the gambling
ranch outside the reservation. to point
within 100 yards of the corral. and
thence bore away southwark straight as
the flight Of the crow. Two reprObates
in the captain company declared that
the black bearded clerk arrested with
Nevins, but released because he was a
civilian over whom the military had no
jurisdiction, had been over at the ranch
all the previous day. Sentry Poague
frankly admitted that he had heard
horses hoofs out on the mesa and voices
in the captains tent, but saw nobody
crossing his post and couldn't be ex
pected to in the pitchy darkness.
Whittier Nevins went was therefore a
matter that could only be conjectured
in the light of later events. How he
went was matter of little moment. 1t
was good radiance TO bad rubbish said
Starze, until at last the next mail came
from Sancho's. For nearly five days the
major declared himself content if he
never saw Nevins again. Then he turned
to and prayed with all his soul that he
might catch him-if only for five min
utes.