Waterbury Democrat., 1901-06-27
TEN YEARS TRIAL @ @ A Tbe Story of a :! Soldiers Struggle By Brigadier General
 CHARLES KING \
CHAPTER XVII.
Copyright. 1901. by Charles King.


 attorneys a0d counselors at law, to use the diction of the dramatic papers, "opened to good business" in Brent wood. and its fame spread beyond the Red WateTS valley. One thing about it was objectionable to the junior mem Der from the start. The Seattle had by this Ame subsidized" Cresswell and lipffed the sphere of usefulness of the Concern Langdon had no reason to love the management of either road, but that of the Seattle was especially obnoxious Men with just claims against that company could not look to him for legal aid, and he would have been less than human had he not cared in such cases to appear rather for the plaintiff than the defendant. The road had it's regular staff, of course, and kept it busy day and night. A railroad lawyer may be paid salary no superintendent can aspire to, but he earns 1t and must see to it that local talent along the line is not too often arrayed against him. You're too Quixotic, Langdon," said even his big hearted, big framed, big voiced Kentucky friend You're too much given to kicking against the bricks. That's no way to get ahead in HfeP
 Langdon was boring over some pa- pers at the moment and turned in his revolving chair and looked up with quizzical smile Gray hairs were sprout- ing at his temples, and two or three appeared in the thick growth of his mustache; lines and crows feet were digging underneath his fine, clear eyes, but he was looking the world in the face now. He had his start and sought no favors- 'You are thinking of which case nowY' he asked, and there were two of Langdon's eccentricitieS the senior never ceased to twit him about. One was the celebrated trial of the United States versus Santley, when that distinguished officer was brought to book by an irate colonel of cavalry because of sensational stories growing out of the ravine episode; the other was the arraignment of a former as sistant in the M. V. office at Brentwood as accessory in the safe robbery that had resulted in Langdon's discharge. Sanfley's trial came off long months after the occurrence that led to it, for that story at the time was known to but one woman and half dozen men, but with a host of vivid embellish- menfs was spread broadcast during the winter when one of the '4toughs," whose life had been made almost burden to him when the story gradually made it's way about the battery, concluded that assertion was better than persecution and turned up in Chicago with a piti- ful tale of wrong and oppression, abuse rand tyranny in, the regular army. There was something at bottom. as the fellow told 1t, for investigation de TeIoped that, they had assaulted Lang don, that they had provoked his wrath and that they had insisted that they were obeying Santley's orders. They suore to 1t, in fact, and it might have gone hard with Santley, all things con- sidered, had not Langdon himself jour- neyed to Pawnee, testified to the exact manner and language of the pair and then so aided Santley in his defense that the sIanderers were confounded in open court. It was established that Santley had merely ycautioned the mem
 bers of the battery that they were to pay no more attention to MT. Langdon than to any other civilian, and his ac- cusers broke down when cross exam .ined as to the time, place and circum stances under which he had given them further and specific instructions. It spoiled a newspaper sensation and saved commission. But Santley was sore hurt. Everybody knew he was deeply smitten with Ethel Grahame and had not prospered in his suit.
 Many knew that there was only one man who could set him right before the could ask to do so, and few had any inkling of the plan of the defense when as guest of Major Melville Mr. Lang don appeared at Pawnee little more than two years after his expulsion therefrom, looking very well groomed and fed for a man picked up out of the Chicago street" as the Nathans had said, two winters before, very calm and dignifed in manner, very glad to see Rodney May and Woodrow, very cordial to Charming and his cavalry chums, very courteous to Santley and most civil to Colonel and Mrs. Cat. Nathan and Torrance he never seemed to see, and during his 48 hours so- journ at the post both those warriors were much occupied with home duties. All Pawnee, however, was aware of the fact that Miss Grahame and Law yer Langdon had gone out Hiding to- gether the afternoon of the second day, and Miss Grahame's eyes and color were something beautiful to see as she slid from saddle with just a touch of her slender, shapely hand on Lang don's shoulder as he assisted her to dismount- Everybody else at Melville's was out of sight at the moment, but there were Spectators galore up and down the row and on other piazzas, de spite the chill air of the close of win fer's day. It was perhaps the con- sciousness of this display of garrison interest that prompted that very inde pendent young woman to turn at the fence and accost him once more, there by causing him to leave the horses to the care of Bugler Kerry and to follow her to the steps and stand there, look ing up into her glowing face. with the slant of the setting sunbeams illumin- ing his own clear cut, soldierly visage. Looks to me-" said Captain Cannon to his better half, "much as though Ma than's malevolence meant Langdon's