The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1902-10-17
CHAPTER XIII.

ntractable as he was reticent For three
days after the capture Of Nevins the COM
munity was agog with rumor and excite
ment. To begin with. the captive had
the cheek OF brass monkey" said the
sherifr. and swore stoutly that he was a
wronged and injured man. So far from
being a prisoner he should be a pinnacle.
rewarded by a generous and grateful gov
ernment for important services rendered.
Who but he had followed and found the
renegade major and wrested from him
full confession and the key OF the safe
The latter In turn had been forcibly
wrested from him through the malevolent
Jealousy Of that upstart engineer. but
newer, said Nevins, would he now betray
Burleigh's hiding place or impart his con-
fession until full reparation was made for
the wrongs and indignitiss heapsd upon
him The sheriff was fairly dazsd.
Who were all the fellows you had with
you" he demanded. IF they weren't some
OF Hank BirdsaLs crowd. come there TO
raid the quartermaster's depot7"
Nevins indignation was fine 10 see. He
denied all knowledge OF the presence OF
any such. He demanded an interview
with Folsom. He utterly refused at first
10 accord one TO his wife, as Naomi
Fletcher, Folsom's housekeeper was now
understood 10 be. That woman was in
league with his enemies. he swore. That
woman had wrote and bads~nim come arf
then had Folsom and Lorng and other
armed men there TO pounce upon him.
Folsom came and had a few words with
him. but told him bluntly that he wouldn't
believe his preposterous story and would
have nothing TO do with him until he
withdrew the outrageous accusat tions
against both his wife and Loring.
That woman's a million times too good
for YOU" said Folsom.
Then Nevins concluded he must have
n IOrinR IN IN
being conveyed that officer. the bearer.
was hidden TO say that Mr.. Loring re-
fused 10 have anything whatever TO do
with him, whereat the captive ex-captain
ground his teeth with rage and made the
tailyard ring with malediction.
Events succeeded each other with mar
velous rapidity. Folsoms visit was early
the morning after the capture. and by
noon he was bowling along on 20 mile
ride to the ranch in the Laramie valley,
hurried hither by the news that Brdsalls
gang had run of many OF his sons best
horses and that Hal Folsom himself was
missing.
Loring galloped by the side OF the am
bulance several miles. comforting with tho
old frontiersman all the way. then turned
back to resume his work at the depot.
Eagerly he wired dispatches TO the general
which were forwarded from Cheyenne to
the Platte telling OF his important cap
ture. smiling quietly as he wrote.
Had he not promised TO produce the
mysterious Newhall himself? Admirable
service. indeed, had the young engineer
rendered. The testimony OF Folsom.
Loring Jimmy Peters and one or two
wakeful citizens all proved that there
must have been a dozen OF Birdsalfs gang
In town that night.
There could be- -oniy-ore- explanation
for a price was on the head OF every man.
They had come with "Newhalr' and the
key straight from some distant lair In the
Black Hills OF Wyoming, the big shoul-
dered range that stretches from the Lara
mie near its junction with the Platt
southwark to Colorado They were bent
on a sudden rush upon tho corral In the
dead OF night, the forcing OF the gate and
the office door. then with "Newhall' TO
unlock the safe they would be UP and
away like the wind. with money enough
to keep them all in clover-and whisky
until the last dollar was gambled or guz-
Eled.
Loring's suspicious had proved exactly
correct Loring's precautions In having
the office brightly lighted and a show OF
armed men about had held the would-be
robbers at bay during the early hours OF
the night, and then his prompt action In
hurting himself on the mysterious stran-
ger who came stealhily In at Folsom's
back gate had finally and totally blocked
the game.
But just in proportion as Loring turned
out TO be right old Pecksnin turned out
10 be wrong for he had refused n guard
for the depot. and therefore was II now
Pecksniff's bounden duty to himself 20
poohpooh the precautions Of the engineer
and belitte the danger. Not for mo-
ment would he admit that armed des-
peradoes had come at Nevins back. As
for the kay In hts possession. with all re-
spect TO the statements OF Mr. Loring.
the story OF the unfortunate captain was
Just as plausible, and that key should
have been delivered TO him, the oomman-
der at Fort Emory. instead OF being taken
possession OF by the engineer.
True, Nevins had been dismissed in dis
grace, and I'm a question OF veracity be-
tween the two men there was little doutt
that Lorings would prevail. But very
peppery. fidgety. unhappy old man was
Colonel Stevens for many days. prating
about this Independence OF action OF
stripping officers right under his rose.
But the worst came on the day when
the little troop OF cavalry at Fort Emory
was still further depleted by the dotach-
ment OF n sergeant. two corporals and
eight troopers, ordered 20 report with
pack mule and ten days rations To Lieu
tenant Loring OF the engineers, and Col
onel Stevens had not been consulted
again.
The senior colonel I'm the department.
ne had seen his command cut down COM
pany by company until only bare squad.
said he remained 10 guard the most Inn
portsnt post In Wyoming. (Which IL
wasn't by any means, but he had been
led &c think so) And now young whip
persnsppers just out OF West Point were
running away with his men right under
his nose.
But Lorjngs orders came to him d.
rect from Omaha. lie had need OF every
precaution. lie was now going on n mis-
sion that demanded the utmost secrecy.
and the colonel could not more conceal n
movement than a sieve could water.
Quitting the duartermaster's depot one
summer night at IL. the little detachment
rode silently out across the southwark
prairie, swung round 20 the east when
the dim lights OF town were a mile be-
hind, took the trot over the hard bound
Ing turf. and at dawn were heading
straight for the breaks af the Laramie.
Hating for rest and coffee when the sun
was an hour high, they again pushed on
on until noon. when they unsaddled In
q grove Of leafy cotton woods I'm n little
fork OF the Medicine Row waferad 80