Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1901-05-28


bered over the rails, and in less than
a minute every man was at his post.
Quickly the staff officers made the
rounds, received the reports of the
detachment commanders and the boat
crews, and returning, with soldierly
salute, gave the result to the COM
manding officer, who had taken po-
sition with the captain on the bridge.
For five or ten minutes the upper
deck was dotted by squads of blue
shirted soldiers, grouped in disci-
plined silence about the boats. Then
the recall was sounded, and slowly
and quietly the commands dispersed
and went below.
1t SO happened that in returning
to the forecastle about dozen troop
ers passed close to where Stuyvesant
lay, languid spectator, and at sight
of his pale, thin face two of them
stopped, raised their hands in salute,
looked first eager and pleased, and
then embarrassed. Their faces were
familiar, and suddenly stuyvesant re-
membered. Reckoning them to come
AASoASAS AS ASS0iy SpOhc.
"You were in the car fire. thought
I knew your faces"
Yes, SIR" was the instant reply
of the first. Were sorry to see the
lieutenant so badly hurt-and by that
blackguard Murray, too, they say. If
the boys ever get hold of him, sir,
he'll never have time for his prayers"
mo, nor another chance to bite"
grinned the second, whom Stuyvesant
now recognized as the lance corporal
of artillery. Hes left his mark on
both of US, sir" and, SO saying, the
soldier held out his hand.
In the soft and f1eshy part Of the
palm at the base of the thumb were
the scars of several wounds. It did
not need an expert eye to tell that
they were human tooth marks. There
were the even traces of the middle
incisors, the deep cash made by
the fang-like dog tooth, and between
the mark of the right upper canine
and those of three incisors a smooth,
unscarred space. There, then, must
have been a vacancy in the upper
jaw, tooth broken off or gone en-
tirely, and Stuyvesant remembered
that as Murray spoke the eye tooth
was the more prominent because of
the ugly gap beside it.
HE had changed the cut of his
jib considerably" family whispered
Stuyvesant, after he had extended
kind but neryeless hand to each, "but
that mark would betray him any
where under any disguise. Was Fos-
ter ever found?"
"No, sir. They sent me back to
Sacramento, but nobody could re-
member having seen anybody like
him. I'm afraid he was drowned
there at Carquinez. My battery went
over with the third expedition while
was up there. That's how happen
to be with the cavalry on this trip"
Then up went both hands to the caps
again and both soldiers sprang to at
tention.
Stuyvesant, looking languidlyaround,
saw that Mr.. Ray had returned, saw,
moreover, that his sister was leaning
on his arm, her eyes fixed on the
speakers weather-beaten face. Again
it all flashed upon him--the story of
Fosters infatuation for this lovely
girl, his enlistment, and then his
strange and unaccountable disap-
pearance.
I'm sorry, men," interposed Mr..
Ray in pleasant tone, "but the sur
geon has ordered us not to talk with
Lieut.. Stuyvesant, and shall have to
repeat his order to you. You were
in the car that was burned, I sup
pose"
"Yes, sir. Beg pardon--we didn't
know about the doctors orders.
We're mighty glad to see the lieuten-
ant again. Come long, Mellen."
Wait" whispered Stuyvesant.
"Come and see me again. l want to
talk with you, and-thank you for
stopping to-day"
The soldiers departed happy, and
Stuyvesant turned wistfully to greet
Miss Ray. She was already beyond
reach of his voice. leaning on Sandy's
arm and gazing steadfastly into San
dy's face. He saw Mrs. DR.. Wells
coming swiftly towards him with in
quiry in her eyes, and iInpulsively,
peevishly and in disappointment he
turned again his face to the wall, as
it were. At least that was not the
Red Cross nurse he longed for, good
and sympathetic and wise in her way
as she undoubtedly was.
He wished now with all his heart
that they had placed his chair so
that he could look back along the
promenade deck instead of forward
over the forecastle at the sparkling
sea. He felt that, pacing up and
down together, the brother and sis
ter must come within ten feet of his
chair before they turned back, and
he longed to look at her, yet could
not. Sturgis had said he would re-
turn in few minutes, and he hadn't
come. Stuyvesant felt aggrieved. 1t
would be high noon before many
minutes. Already the ship officers
were on the bridge ready to take
| the SUM-" and mess-call for the men
was sounding on the lower decks. He
would give fortune, thought he, to
feel once more that cool, soft, slen-
der little hand on his forehead.
There were other hands, some that
We're certainly winter than Miss
Rays. and probably quite as soft and
cool, hands that before the report of
his slur upon the Red Cross would
| gladly have ministered to him, but
he shrank from thought of any touch
but one. He would have given an
other fortune, if he had it, could
Marion Ray but come and sit by him
and talk in her cordial, pleasant