Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1901-03-01
CHAPTER l.

Riding at ease in the lazy afternoon
sunshine, a single troop of cavalry was
threading it's way in long column of
twos through the bold and beautiful
foothills of the Big Horn. Behind them,
glinting in the slanting rays, Cloud
peak, snow-clad still, although it was
late in May, lowered above the pine
crested SUBMITS of the range. To the
right and left of the winding trail bare
shoulders of bluff, covered only by the
dense carpet of bunch grass, jutted out
into the comparative level of the east
ward plain. A clear, cold, sparkling
stream, on whose banks the little COM
mand had halted fer noontide rest,
went rollicking away northeastward,
and many a veteran trooper looked
longingly, even regretfully, after it,
and then cast a gloomy glance over
the barren and desolate stretch ahead.
Far as the eye could reach in that di-
rection the earth waves heaved and
rolled in unrelieved monotony to the
very sky line, save where here and
there along the slopes black herds or
scattered dots of buffalo were grazing,
unvexed by hunters, red or white, for
this was 80 years ago, when, in
the westward prairies, and there were
officers who forbade their senseless
slaughter to make food only for the
worthless, prowling coyotes. No won
der the trooper hated 10 leave the foot
hills of the mountains, with the cold,
clear trout streams and the bracing
air, to take to long days marching over
dull waste and treeiess prairie, covered
nv
dry ravines, shadeless, springless, al
most waterless, save where in I'M
wholesome hollows dull pools of stag
nant water still held out against the
sun, or, further still southeast among
the "breaks" of the many forks of the
South Cheyenne, on the sandy flats
men dug for water for their suffering
horses, vet shrank from drinking it
themselves lest their lips should crack
and bleed through the shriveling touch
of the alkali.
Barely two years a commissioned Of
ficer, the young lieutenant at the head
of the column rode buoy antly along,
caring little for the landscape, since
with every traversed mile he found
himself just that much nearer home.
twenty-five summers, counting this
one coming, had rolled over his curly
head, and each one had seemed bright
er, happier, than the last-all but the
one he spent as hard-worked ''plebe"
sat the military academy. His gradua-
>,tion summer two years previous was
glory to him, as well as to pretty sis
ter, young and enthusiastic enough to
think brother in the regulars, just
out of West Point, something to be
made much of, and Jessie Dean had lost
no opportunity of spelling her soldier
or of wearying her school friends
through telling of his manifold perfec-
tions. He was manly, stalwart, hand
some fellow, as young graduates go.
and old ones wish they might go over
again. He was fond and not too teas
ing kind of brother. He wasn't the
brightest fellow in the class by thirty
odd, and had barely scraped through
one or two of his examinations, but
Jessie proudly pointed to the fact that
much more than half the class had
-'scraped off" entirely, and therefore
that those who succeeded in getting
through at all were paragons, especial
ly Brother Marshall. But girls at that
school had brothers Of their own, girls
who had never seen West Point or had
the cadet fever, and were not i'm
dressed with young officers as painted
by so indulgent a sister. Most of the
girls had tired of Jessie's talks, and
some had told her so, but there was
one who had been sympathetic from
the start-a far western, friendless sort
of girl she was when first she entered
school, uncouthly dressed, wretchedly
homesick and anything but compan-
ionable, and yet Jessie Deans kind
heart had warmed to this friendless
waif and she became her champion
her ally, and later, much to her genu-
inc surprise, almost her idol. It pres
emily transpired that 'the Pappoose,'
as the girls nicknamed her, because it
was learned that she had been rocked
i'm an Indian cradle and had long worn
.moccasins instead of shoes (Which &C.
counted for her feet being SO much
finer in their shape than those of heI
fellows), was quick and intelligent be-
yond her years, that. though apparent
iy hopelessly behind in all their studies
at the start, and provoking r1dicule an6
sneers during the many weeks of hel
loneliness and home-longing, she sud
denly began settling to her work with
grim determination, surprising hel
teachers and amazing her mates by
the vim and originality of her meth
DDS, and before the end of the year
climbing for the laurels with menta
strength and agility that put other eff
forts to the blush. Then came weeks
of bliss spent with doting father a
Niagara, the seashore and the Point
a dear old dad as ill at ease in eastern
circles as his daughter had been a
first at school,<until he found himsel
welcomed with open arms to the Off
GERS messrooms at the Point, for Johl