Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1901-06-06
was in my house right here at Ransom
at that very time. Say, Rawson. you
and Brady haven't had any more sense
in this matter than-I havel''
CHAPTER XIV.

CHAPTER XIV.
A remarkable winter, from cavalry
point Of view, was that, the first which
the old regiment spent at Ransom, but,
like many other things temporal and
most things military, it came to an end,
and people looking back upon it after
ward declared they were rather sorry,
after all, for there was SO much to make
it wildly interesting at the time and to
form topics for talk in the weeks to
come.
Sensations fattened out lamentably
for nearly fortnight after the quash-
ing of Mainwaring S martial indictment
against the swell of the sorrel troop"
as Blake described Hunter, and when
they reopened, about the height of the
holiday season, other names and house.
holds than those herein mentioned were
mainly conspicuous, although Blake
managed to mix in more than one Of
them. Between him and Mainwaring
was patched a truce, based primarily on
the latter's admission that he had prob.
ably made mess of the whole business
but really couldn't be held responsible
in the face of such testimony as was Of
fered by prominent officers of the -th,
Messrs. Brady and Rawson. Then Blake
apologized for comparing the head of
the junior major to the wreck of the
magazine, and peace with honor, though
not without difficulty, was established
SO far as the men were concerned. 1t
was, in fact, less difficult than in the
case of the women, for Miss Leroy had,
it seems, very pretty will of her own
that Mrs. Mainwaring could neither
bend nor break Mrs. Mainwaring was
of an old and distinguished family, and
so was Miss Leroy, and the woman Miss
Leroy most seriously affected was Mrs.
Blake, nee Bryan, daughter of rather
dissolute old ranchman once we'll known
about Russell. 1t stung Mrs. Mainwar-
| ing that her niece should have, as she
said to her and whispered to Others, so
little pride. The story spread in the
regiment through what was Whispered,
not through what was said, and Miss
| Leroy, already popular, became a hot
fayorite forthwith.
She had come to spend the winter,
but as soon as the holidays were over
and her precious post children had their
Christmas tree and other Christmas
joys-even before the new year was
fairly ushered in--she returned from
the morning reading one day and found
Mrs. Mainwaring impatiently awaiting
her. There were invitations for dinners,
etc., extending week, even ten days,
ahead, and Mrs. Mainwaring wished to
know which it was her niece's pleasure
to accept and was aghast at the reply
any that might be acceptable to aunty
up to Jan. 5, none for her after that
date, as she would then have to return
to New York.
Remonstranoe proved utterly useless.
The second week in January saw Miss
Leroy, accompanied to the station by
most Of the ladies and few of their
, lords, safely aboard the east pounc
train, with old 1888 and Jimmy Long il
the lead. There were dozens Of the chill
dren thare to bid her goodby. There
were even a number of enlisted men
with whom she warmly shook hand
before she took her seat in the room.
Pullman. Captain and Mrs. Blake, he
, devoted friends, went with her az far a
Omaha, where she was to join enothe
party. Mrs. Mainwaring fairly dis
, solved in tears as they kissed each othe
goodby, for, after all, Kate was tn
daughter of long loved, long los
brother, if she was headstrong and in
, dependent, and never yet had woman
l left the dingy precincts of old Ransom
0 SO generally and thoroughly esteemed.
s But every one wondered for all tina
! --even the many who would not Civ
( their thought whether a
t understanding did not exist, whethe
s she was not going with the expectatio
Of meeting somewhere the remarkabl
: recruit by the name of Hunter, fc
q Hunter had left on a months furloug
!. just ten days before.
9 Mrs. Mainwaring declared that Kate
! sole reason for going was that she WI
: too conscientious. She found her healt
D restored, no one remembered havin
Q heard Of it as impaired, and she felt 81
Q must return to her kindred in the ca
IS and resume her interrupted duties ther
Il But Mrs. Stannard and other wise won
g en- we'll knew that the main reason #
# her going was that life with Uncle al
% Aunt Mainwaring was not as peacef
Il or congenial, despite their pride in al
affection for her, as it should have bee
d And then there was still another al
|, more vital reason. Everybody" W
n talking about her interest in Troop
10 Hunter and his undoubted admirati'
for her. But Hunter had had to go ba
ot to duty with his troop, had met Mi
t. Leroy only on the long afternoons al
10 evenings when he, with two or thr
10 other bluejaokets, worked at the Il
in looming and decorating under her acti
r. supervision of the post assembly ha
to Then he had had an interview wi
Ray, his captain, that brought matte
|" to a climax. Heapplied for and receiv
III his furlough in the midst Of the no