Evening star., 1903-07-28
CHAPTER Nv.
A Stricken Sentry.

Sentry duty at Camp Sandy along in '7S
had not been allowed to bear too heavily
on It's little garrison There was nothing
worth stealing about the place. said Plume,
and no pawn Shop handy. OF course there
were government horses and mules, food
and forage. arms and ammunition. but
these were the days of soldier supremacy
in that arid and distant land. and soldiers
had 4 summary way Of settling with ma
raudcrs thatwas d!scOuraGing to enterprise.
Larceny was therefore little known until
the law with us delay and crcumventions,
took root In the virgin soil, and people at
such posts as Sandy seldom shut and rarely
locked their doors even by night. Win
Qows were closed and blanketed by day
against the blazing sun and torrid heat.
but. soon after ntshtfall. every door and
window was usually opened wide and often
kept 50 all the night long. In order that
the cooler air. settling down from mesa
and mountain. might drift through every
room and hallway, licking up the starting
dew upon III" smooth. rounded surface of
tho huge ollas. the porous water jars that
hung suspended on every porch. and watt
ing comfort to the heated brows of the
lightly covered sleepers within. Pajamas
were then unknown in army circles, else
even the single sheet that covered the
browsing soldier might have been dispensed
with.
Among the quarters occupied by married
Under the plateau, doors were of little
Count in a community where the only in
truder to be feared was heat, and 80 1t had
Resulted that while the corrals. stables and
Storehouses had their guards. only a single
sentry paced tho long length of the east
ward side OF the post a single pair OF eyes
and a single rife barrel being deemed am
ply sufficient TO protect against possible
providers the rear yards and entrances of
the row. The westward front of the officers
homes stood in plain view, on bright nights
at least OF the sentry at the guardhouse
and needed no other protector. On durk
nights ii was supposed to look oIt for
itself.
the back yard sentry" but this October
night no lacked not for sensation. Lights
burned until very late In many of the
Quarters. while at Capt. Wren's and Lieut.
Blakely's people were up and moving about
until long after midnight. OF course No
6 had heard all about the dreadful affair
OF the early evering What he and his
fellows puzzled over was the probable
cause OF Capt. Wren's furious assault upon
his subaltern. Many u theory was afloat:
Duane with unlooked-for discretion, hay
Ing held his tongue to the brief con-
versation that preceded the blow. 1t was
after IL when the doctor paid his last
visit for the night and the attendant came
out on the rear porch for a pitcher OF
cool water from the ola. 1t was long
hfter II when the light In the upstairs
room at Capt. Wrens was turned low, and
Tor two hours thereafter, with bowed head
The captain himself paced nervously up and
gown. wearing in the soft and sandy soil
mournful pathway parallel with his back
forch II was after 3. noted Private Null
lns or that first relief. when from the
1ear door OF the majors quarters there
emerged two forms in feminine Earb, and,
Lfhere being no hindering fences. away they
FASTENED IN the dim starlight past Wrens.