Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1901-08-21
n Ten I ears I rial|
|$S{ The Story Of . Soldiers Struggle
81 By Brisadier General
|28 Charles King +;
1884 Copyright 1901 by Charles King

| II spoiled n newspaper sensation anu
saved u commission. But Santley was
sore hurt. Everybody knew he was
deeply smitten with Ethel Grahame
and had not prospercd in his suit
Many knew that there was only one
man who could set him right before the
court, and that was the last man he
could ask to do so, and few had any
! inkling of the plan of the defense when
as guest of Major Melville Mr.. Lang
don appeared ut Pawnee little more
than two years after his expulsion
l'therefrom. looking very well groomed
and fed for man picked up out of
| the Chicago street" us the Nathans had
said. two winters before very calm
aud dlgniiied in manner, very glad to
| see Rodney May and Woodrow, very
cordial to Claiming and his cavalry
chums, very courteous to Santley and
most civil to Colonel and Mrs. Cat.
Nathan and Torrance he never seemed
to see, and during his As hours So
| journ at the post both those warriors
were much occupied with home duties.
All Pawnee. however, was aware OF
| the fact that Miss Grahame and Law
yer Langdon had gone out riding to-
1 gcther the afternoon of the second day,
and Miss Grahames eyes and color
We're something beautiful to see as she
slid from saddle with Just touch of
| her slender, shapely hand on Lang
don's shoulder rs he assisted her to
dismount. Everybody else Mt Melvllle's
was out of sight at the moment, but
there were spectators galore up and
down the row and on other piazzas, de-
spite the chill mir of the close OF Il win
ter's day. 1t was perhaps the con-
seriousness of this display OF garrison
interest that prompted that very indie
pendent young woman to turn at the
fence and accost him once more, there
by causing him to leave the horses to
the care of Bugler Kerry and to follow
her to the steps and stand there, look
ing up into her glowing face, with the
| slant of the setting sunbeams illumin.
ing his own clear cut, soldierly visage.
Looks to me" said Captain Cannon to
his better half, much ms though Ma.
than's malevolence meant Langdon.s
ultimate bliss" And as Cannon was one
of the very many of Ethel Grahame's
| appreciators 1t was proper that Mrs.
Cannon should promptly point out to
him the detrimental side, which she
did
What good will 1t do him? She
hasn't penny, and he has nothing but
his debts"
Some women, my dear" said the big
gunner oracularly, "are treasures with
out penny. AS for Langdon's debts"
he added, with sigh. ~ wish saw as
clear sky ahead"-a speech which ru-
incd the serenity OF Mrs. Cannon's usu-
ally sunny temper as much us week,
and Cannon's coffee was cold and
streaky on the morrow. That visit
was quite the episode OF midwinter at
Pawnee In ways more than one. Ma.
than. Torrance and Santley, who had
been quite close community, had
flare up of some kind and parted com.
pany. This was .quixotism No. 1-this
trip to Pawnee and to the defense of
Lieutenant Santley, according to Cress-
wells views. he was for duel when
first the story Of Sankey's malignant
persecution of his new partner reached
his cars. 1t was nearly n vain effort
for Langdon to tell him the story was
grossly exaggerated. 1t had all the ele-
ments Of probability, said Cresswell,
and he hardly knew what to make of
Langdon's Indifference. Then, several
months later still. as the result of
Cresswells persistent proddings, there
We're indications that the NJ. v. people
were actually bestirring themselves
oyer that old safe business, and one
April morning brentwood was excited
by the story that young Frewen, an
| English lad whose father had died in
the service of the road six years be-
fore, was behind the bars awaiting
| trial on charge of being the safe rob-
Der. This was certainly not what
Cresswell had been working for He
believed that Belts Junior was the
| man, as he had the safe combination
and access to the office at all hours
Frewen had neither. Brett senior was
'sup the road" the night preceding the
discovery of the loss, and Langdou had
been in the office alone for an hour
after the money was placed in the
drawer and before he took the evening
train to Gnnnison. The officers Of the
road at the time seemed certain that
everything pointed to Langdon, but 1t
| transpired later that every cent he had
spent could otherwise be accounted for.
| Young Belts was something of
swell in his way, a gallant among the
Brentwood girls, but he had spent no
money beyond that which he received
as salary and that "given him by his
father" which statement the senior
confirmed. For time it looked as
though the thief had been scared into
hiding his plumber and was waiting I'M
til the hue and cry was over before
unearthing and using it. Frewen was
| a shy. quiet little fellow who lived