The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1902-11-06
CHAPTER XIV.

In the valley OF the south Cheyenne and
close TO the rugged cliffs OF the Black
Hills q summer camp had been pitched.
and nearly a thousand troops were under
canvas. After four months OF bitter
weather and experiences guarding thou
sands OF morose sullen savages, cowed
into subjection after their fiery outbreak.
ord "Cat" and his troopers were reveling
In the poetry OF soldiers life In the field.
ard Melville. with two OF the batteries.
was keeping them company. They were
far enough from the agencies TO be free
from daily contact with begging. bother
some Indians and near enough to the
railway TO have daily supplies from the
east. Mrs. Cat had taken notion that
she should OF all things enjoy a summer
under canvas. and even the assurance
that II meant ruin to the complexion did
not deter certain regimental beauties
from following her example ''Cat" would
haye said no at the outset had he seen
what II might lead TO. but he didn't. and
II ne had wolld probably have been over
ruled, Mrs. Cat being a woman OF much
mettle In all matters OF domestic econ
omy. She came. had an extra hospital
tent pitched and established her little
court. Several experienced cavalry women
speedily followed and were soon snugly
and happily bestowed in camp. the tents
OF the married officers being set at the
northwest end of the mesa. close under
the bold pine bluffs. and in June. when IL
was fully determined that the summer
should be spent there by the field COM
msnd. Melville took a weeks leave,
run TO Pawnes. and returned with Mrs.
Melville. Miss Grahsme and the children,
a proceeding that gave much JOY TO
Messrsd Woodrow and Santley Of the gun
nefs and TO Captain Claiming and cer-
tain other cavalry bachelors. for Ethel
Grahame had won the honest admira-
tion OF all the men she knew. Claiming
and Santley especially.
Nathan's battery was with the COM
mand. but Nathan was not. The doctors
had declared summer at the seashore
Indispensable In the case OF Mrs. Ma
than, and the captain applied for three
months leave. He and his guns had not
been exposed to any extent during the
brief and bloody campaign that followed
the outhreak Eof the Sioux. but Melville
snd "Cat|seenied TO think the battery
could spare him. II left Torrance in com
mand. a far better soldier. despite his
snobbish qualities. And, though the de-
partment commander made a wry face
and the division general snined sugges-
lively as he tossed the application 10 his
chief OF staff the leave was granted. The
summer opened gloriously. Squadron and
battery drills went on each morning in
splendid shape on the broad. level flats
adjacent TO the stream. and shooting.
fishing and picnic parties were OF fire.
quent occurrence IN the hills. Cat en-
tertainsd prominent western statesmen
and railway officials once or twice in
June and was not always happy In so
doing. for more than once or twice they
touched on dangerous, ground. and II
there was a topic on which "Cat" was
touchy now II was that OF Eric Langdon-
Langdon. whom he had practically kick
Cd out of Kansas City only TO see him be-
come a hero In Nebraska.
In one sense the year had done Its best
for Langdon. He had become the idol OF
large class OF the population. but that,
unless man have political aspirations,
isFnot of-fnriHsic Or practical value and.
furthermore, 'fs rarely or long duration.
The populace needs new sensations. Shot
through. the leg in the dash 10 the rescue
OF the train. he had finally tainted from
loss OF blood while rescued and rescuers
were embracing and shouting and was
found unconscious and well nigh dead ly-
ing in a ravine full quarter of mile up
the track. beyond the train. 10 which
point ne seemed TO have followed. fight
ing, as though TO assure himself the In
dians contemplated no return attack.
Frontier surgery is expert In gunshot
wounds. Il having little else 10 deal with,
and rude appliances kept body and soul
tose thar until the coming of experts with
the troop train from Omaha.
Later, while the soldiery went on 10
round ,ip renegade Indians, Langdon was
taken back 10 Brentwood and nursed and
coddled for long weeks. The regulars
came in time for a stif winter fight with
the Sioux hut the ranch and railway peo-
pie would hear OF only one hero, Eric
Langdon The new manager OF the Big
Horn called 10 see him and thank him
L. h ma
full OF a scheme 10 have him legislated
back into the army. and n bill TO that ef-
feet was actually introduced Langdon
said IL. was time wasted, but Nebraska
sepa tors and representatives were conf
dent. ~ was a feast n good thing 70 push
along. as ~ would keep him from turn
ing up as a possible congressional candi-
date himself
sitting about the campfires on long win
ter evenings and reading the local pa
ners there was no end OF chan and fun
among the regulars over that possibility.
The train and station hands all along the
Big Horn and Seattle, both. seemed 10
have forgotten their grievance Of the year
gone by and would shout for Langdon AT
the fainest mention OF hls name. Two
napers. ''disaruntled." 10 use their own
Eneliah. with their representative and To
bother him probably as much as TO boom
Iangdor openly advocated placing Eric In
no,ninatior. whereat Rodney MAY ana
Woodrow chuckled with Joy az Claiming
drawled out an inquiry Of Nathan. How
would Il do to have Langdon on tine
bouse military committee. for instanceY''
where at Nathan scowled, but said
naught that was audible.
There was a man, not In the ramy.
who took the possibility more seriously,
and that was Langdon's friend and bene-
factor. Cresswell. who, as had been said.
had aspirations Of his own. There Is
little doubt that had an election been
possible that winter and the ex-officer
a candidate Langdon would have stood
quite n chance. But by the time he was
hohblIng about on crutches. In March, the
furore and subsidized. Cresswell, south
erner. still ragged IN his heart over the
assault OF which he had been the victim.
II was not the physical suffering. nut
the indignity. that ranked and ne had
not ceased his efforts through detectives
10 ferret out the guilty parties. but with
little luck. Certain men once prominent
among the railway hands had left the
state, but no one kney why or whth-
er