Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1901-05-30

LerOJ euteFeu JHo uOSpllal LOT the GUS
tomary reading, she sent the steward
to tell Mr.. Hunter that she hoped he
would be able to see her soon after /
and then indomitably went ON with her
self appointed task
| AT 11:15 the post surgeon came, 81
lently gave her his arm as they left the
big sunshiny ward and led her to
doorway up the corridor in front of
which sentry was pacing-a sentry
who halted and presented arms as the
doctor opened the door and ushered her
/ in.
1t waa that night that Merriweather
was brought back from town to the
gnardhouse, shot and stabbed, as has
| been said. Mrs. Merriweather had fled
during the previous night, and the SER
geant had been missing since reveille.
1t was the next night that Stannard re-
turned and had Brady hunted up Then
came new labors and hcnors for Sheriff
Conway, and this time there were no
troops to divide the houors of the ca2-
tire with him, for his prisoners were
| leserters alone from an oyerindul-
gent husband. the others from not too
lndulgent Uncle Sam. Pawnee was the
Mecca of the fugitives Thither had
Mrs. Merriweather fled to married sis
ter. Thither had Croxford and Elzey
followed, after having remained to cover
her retreat and settle matters with the
! sergeant, which they had done only too
effectually, for Merriweather's days
| were numbered.
Two days later Stannard had straight
ened out affairs at the post in marvellous
fashion (all save matters domestic
wherein, said he, no wise man med
dled), and the man to start him ON the
right scent was that scapegrace, the Kid,
whom he had disciplined time and
again in Arizona days and appreciated
at his true value. The Kids derisiye
and explosive laughter when told that
Major Mainwaring had ordered Trooper
Hunter confined as accessory to the mag
azine robbery, etc., had been promptly
reported to Stannard OH his return, and
that versatile young reprobate was sent
for, marched to the adjutant office and
oollared by his old time troop command
er, for one of his several enlistments
the Kid had spent with Stannard, and
knew him WELL
And this was what the Kid dtvulged.
Every one knew he could use lasso
like cowboy, and Croxford had asked
him, just for deviltry, to join him and
"some other fellers" in roping the
swell, Hunter, on the midnight relief,
and he was going to, but happened to
/ hot : ~ ,
that set him to thinking He'd heard
! the women talking about Mrs Merri-
weather's boasting that she had made q
A conquest of the swell recruit, and he
remembered Merriweather's black eye
and the rumor that it was Hunter "laid
him out, " and the Kid scented mischief
4 and backed out. Then Croxford came
and told him it would be best for him
toskeep his promise, as he might get the
credit of it anyhow, which prompted
the Kid to tell them all to go to Bally-
hack. But when Elzey and Hughes later
came and stamped HIM to join them
in spree to town that night and dis
\ played their money he forgot Croxford,s
threat in the prospect Of whisky and,
anything for frolio, started with
them, only to run foul Of the patrol just
across the creek.
But the moment he heard Of Hunters
being hauled out of the stream after the
explosion the whole plot dawned on
him, and something more, for he re-
membered the stories of forage and CAR
trldges being sold in town and saw that
1t was planned to fix the guilt on Hun
ter, and, if not, to fix the crime of the
assault on the sacred person of sentry
upon himself, the innocent Kid. Then
Stannard would have cross questioned
the two deserters. for such they were,
despite stalwart protestations that they
We're only out for "a hours fun, but de-
tectives, ferreting their movements,
/ warned him to make no attempt. Merri-
weather might make an antemortem
statement, but not these men, Neither
4 would Mrs. Merriweather peach" She
was in the county Jail begging piteous-
I. ly to be taken to her Danny and declar-
ing he and she were only going to Paw
nee to see her sister for day, and he
must have been waylaid in town.
But while Stannard was waiting for
Merriweather to regain consciousness
and Brady to become once moro re-
sponsible being there came still another
witness, an old carpenter and new citi-
zen of Butte, who appeared at Ransom,
/ solely troubled on account of a friend
there enlisted whom he hadn't seen for
many day--not, in fact, since the
! morning Of the train robbery-and had
just heard of him as having been arrest
ed for completely in the robbery of the
magazine. Stannard heard his story,
which was that the accused was man
OF means, a charitable, kind gentleman,
who just for within had come out to
enlist for awhile in the cavalry; that
he had helped him, the carpenter, to a
home and work and his wife to health,
and his clothes and things were all at
his, the ex-tramp carpenters, house, and
oouldn T he see Mr.. Hunter? Whereupon
STANDARD said, Come on, took him
to the hospital and marched into the
room where, seated in an easy chair,
was the invalid benefactor, and with