The Weiser signal. [volume] (Weiser, Idaho) 1890-1904, 1901-06-13
CHAPTER VII.

Billy Gray was indeed in close ar
rest and the grim prophecy was full
filled-Col. Canker was proving ANY
thing but guardian angel to him." The
whole regiment, officers and men, bar
ring only the commander, was practi-
cally in mourning with sorrow for him
and chagrin over its own discontinue.
Not only one important prisoner was
gone, but two; not only two, but four
No man in authority was able to say
just when or how it happened, for it
was Canker's own order that the pris-
oners should not be paraded when the
guard fell in at night. They were here
at tattoo and at taps all right. The Of
ficer of the guard, said several soldiers,
had quite a long talk with one of the
prisoners-young Morton-just after
tattoo. ut which time the entire guard
had been inspected by the commanding
officer. But at reveille four most i'm
portant prisoners were gone, and such
was Canker's wrath that not only was
Gray in arrest, but the sergeant of the
guard also, while the three luckless
men who were successfully posted as
sentres during the night at the back Of
the wooden she'll that served as guard
house--were now in close confinement
IN the place of the escaped quartette.
Yet those three were men who had
hitherto been above suspicion, and
there W ere few soldiers in the regiment
who would accept the theory that any
one of the three had connived at the es-
cape. AS for the sergeant = he had
served four enlistments in the -teenth.
and without a flaw in his record beyond
an occasional alteration in the now
distant past, due to the potency of the
poteen distilled by certain Hibernian
experts not far from an old-time plains
fort, where the regiment had rested on
It's march cross continent. As for the
officers-but who would suppose an
oiNcer guilty of anything of the kind
a fiagrant military crime? And vet
men got to asking. each other if it were
SO that Bugler Curran had carried a
note from the prisoner, Morton, to Mr..
Gray about 2:30 that afternoon? And
what was this about Gray's having
urged Brooke to swap tours Will, him
an hour later, and what was that story
the headquarters clerks were telling
about Mr.. Gray's coming to the adiu-
tant and begging to be allowed to
march on that evening instead of
Brooke? II wasn't long before these
rumors, somehow, got to Canker's ears
ana tanker seemed to grow As big
again; he fairly swelled with indigpa-
ton at thought of such turpitude ON
part of an officer. Then he sent for GRAY
II was the afternoon following the |
sailing of the ships with the big brigade
and with pain and wi-Gcrment and
Indignation in his brave blue ewes the |
youngster came and stood before his |
stern superior. Gordon. who sent the
message, and who had heard Canker's
denunciatory remarks, had found time
to scribble word or two: admit /
nothing; say nothing; do nothing but
hold your tongue and temper. If
insists on answers say you decline ex-
cept IN presence of your legal adviser"
80 there was scene in the command
er's tent that afternoon. The morning
mad not been without its joys. Along
about ten O'Clock as Gray sat writing
to his father in his little canvas home,
he heard voice that sent the blood !
leaping through his veins and filled his {
eyes with light. Springing from his
'ampstool and capsizing it as he did
20, he poked his curly head from
he entrance of the tent - and
here she was - only dozen feet
way = Maj. Lane in courteous at /;