Williston graphic. (Williston, Williams County, N.D.) 1895-1919, 1901-12-05

ing with fever in her bones and deliri-
UNI whirling the brain. She raved of a
yellow horse, Of Hutchins, and this and
that, but no one thought to send for
the man in question. and the days
passed and she came back to life and re-
grets. 81.
Thus it came about that as she
waited for new strength she recalled
the dispute in early May in which
she had accused Hutchins of caring
more for clash of arms and the
streaked glory of war than for her,
and of his answer:
1T is not a question of what |
care for you, but what I ought to do"
He answered that question by en-
listing, and she returned the little
things that he had given her, and
then woke night after night in her
sleep calling for him to come back.
Here, too, now was this dreadful sick
ness and the possibility that during
it he might have slipped away from
Camp Wikoff and her. The first day
she dared to attempt it she was at
the camp and among the rough rid
ers. Hutchins was in the city. She
found her way to the yellow horse,
now quite. fat, and he was exceeding
ly glad to strike up an acquaintance.
She kissed his name, his face, his
homely ears, wherever she thought
Hutchins might have caressed him.
Then she tied in the name bit of
blue ribbon-the kind Hutchins had
given her in the past. Beneath that,
and we'll hidden in the name, she
knotted one of her gloves, and then
she went away.
This was on Saturday, and she
learned to her dismay that the regi
ment would be disbanded the follow
ing day-sunday. Hutchins returned
from New York, and, as was his won't,
being a strictly western man, went
to his horse, and thus discovered the
blue ribbon. It affected him much
as the finding of tiny shoe would
the father of lost child. He blew
hot and cold inwardly, and all that
had made him long during the heat
of battle that he might be killed
rushed away, and in it's place re.
turned tenderness and great longing
for the girl he believed to he west
of the mountain walls.
Now he tugged at the ribbon, striv.
ing to get it loose and wondering who
placed it there. In doing this his
hand found the glove, and when he
brought that forth he yelled, capered
about, Rugged the yellow and un.
derstood. She had been there, to his
horse; this was her message to him.
But where was she? Inquiry of his
comrades brought to him but vague
descriptions of lady who had dared
enter the stabling grounds and pay
extra ordinary attention to Hutchins'
yellow. He was left to wait for some
act of her own that would bring them
face to face.
Sunday came to Camp Wikoff. The
colonel gave word to his rough riders
that he would pay his farewell re-
spects to them that afternoon. The
time came and the event was a sermon
from the lips of the man who had led
them in battle. The men were grouped
on the sand dune caps of the camp. A
pitiless sun beat down on the tents.
In the distance the national colors
hung heavy at Gen. Wheeler's head
quarters. The ocean was molten
brass.
No altar was there save Gods earth
and the crown of His heavens. The
choir was these young boys and old
men gathered from all parts of the
nation. They came from Texas, Ari-
IONA, New Mexico, the Dakotas, some
from the Atlantic seaboard. Most of
them possessed blue eyes. Their faces
were beardless.
The colonel stood on a wind-riven
mound of sand and spoke from the
text: "Don't Get Gay"
The bullet-cut colors were Tapping
at his side. The colonel said the world
was lenient to a soldier for about ten
days after he was mustered out of the
service. At the end of that time judy
ment would be assed upon him for his
good or bad qualities-not upon his
soldierly career, but upon his moral
stamina.
"Therefore," he said, "be square and
don't get gay"
A man from the Gila country fecked
what he said was dust from his eyes,
but it glistened like a tear. 10 the
rear Of the men passed a girl, In sum-
mer garb, and who moved directly to
where the horses stood-to the side
of homely yellow western horse. She
held her head high and listened to the
meh singing their regiment hymn. Up
to the dome of the heavens rang the
colonel's voice:
mine eyes have seen the glory of
the coming of the Lord"
In the gathering twilight the voices
of Titanic men answered.:
"He is trampling out the vintage
where the grapes of wrat til are stored -
Then together, leader and followers
sung:
"His truth is marching on"
She could not resist the influence of
voices and words-the tears came fast
and fell upon the yellow brute. Thus
she heard:
ooh, be swift, my soul, to answer
Him.
Then was silence. A trooper came
out of the throng, came away from
the colors, came to the sad-eyed yell
low, by whose side the girl was stand
ing. Arms embodied her, kisses COW
cred her hair, her face was lifted to
that of another, and the voice OF
Hutchins, choked and broken, was say.