The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1901-06-13
their Maker Mt such times, even In Sc

their Maker mt such times, even In SOL
dier oath. 1t is awe, not blasphemy.
"By God, lieutenant, that's what we'd
a.been doing but for your order" 1t
was the sergeant who spoke.
And at that very hour there was ex-
citement Mt Fort Emory. At eight
o'clock the colonel was on his piazza
looking with gloomy eyes over the dis
taBt rows OF empty barracks. The
drum-major with the band at his heels
came stalking out over the grassy pa
rnde, and the post adjutant, girt with
sash and sword belt, stood In front Of
his Office awaiting the jor,
who was unaccountably delayed. Re
duced TO a shadow the garrison ut Fort
Emory might reasonably have been ex-
cused, by this time, from the ceremony
Of mounting n guard, consisting prac-
aically of ten privutes, three of whom
wore the cavalry jacket; but old "Peck-
sniff" was determined to keep up some
show of state. He could have no pa
rade or review, but at least he could re-
qulre his guard to be mounted with all
the pomp and ceremony possible. He
would have ordered his officers out In
epaulets and the full dress 'Kossuth"
hat OF the period, but epaulets had
>bcen discarded during the war and not
yet resumed on the far frontier. So
the rank and file alone were called
upon to appear In the black -fen thered
oddity a misguided staff had designed
as the headgear OF the army. "Peck-
sniff's" half dozen doughboys, therefore,
with their attendant sergeants and
corporals In the old fashioned frock
and felt, and still smaller squad OF
troopers In yellow.trimmed jackets
and brass-mounted forage caps, were
drawn up at the edge OF the parade
awaiting the further signal of adju.
tant's call, while the adjutnnt himself
swore savagely and sent the orderly
on the run for the scrgeant-m jor.
When the clock-governed functionary
/. was missing something indeed must be
going wrong.
Presently the orderly came running
back.
"Sergt. Dineen isn't home, sir, and
his wife says he hasn't been back since
the lieutenant sent him To town with
the last dispatch"
Tell the first sergeant of b COM
pany, then, to act as sergeant major at
once" said the adjutant, and hurried
over to his colonel. "Dineen's not back,
sir" he reported at the gate. "Can
anything be wrong?"
II ordered him to bring with him the
answer TO my dispatch to the general,
who wired to me from the railway de-
pct st Cheyenne. Probably he's been
waiting for that, and the generals
away somewhere. We ought TO have
IN operator here day and night" said
PecksniR, petulantly. But the irrita-
tion In his eyes gave way TO anxiety
when 81 that moment the suffers
buggy was seen dashing into the gar
fison at headlong speed, his smart
trotter urged almost 10 run. Grlggs
refined up with no little hard pulling
at the colonels gate, and they could
see dozen yards on that his face was
pale.
"Have you any idea. colonel" he
began the moment the officers reached
him. "where Mai. Burleigh can be-?
He left the depot somewhere about
three o'clock this morning with that
Capt. Newhaii. He hasn't returned
and can't be found. Your sergeant
major was waylaid and robbed scips
tisns after midnight, and John Fol-
ssn YVES piekcd " ssssslsss IN ~