Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1903-09-10

wounded.
1t was not vet five o'clock, but DR..
Waller was up and devoting himself
to the needs of his patients, and Dade
had coffee ready for the general and
his single aide de-camp, but not sip
would the general take until he had
seen the stricken troopers. He knew
Field by reputation, well and favor
ably. lie had intimately known
Fields father in the old days, in the
old army, when they served together
on the then wild Pacific shores
where rolls the Oregon" The great
civil war had divided them, for Field
had cast his soldier fortune with his
seeding state, but all that was
thing of the past. Here was the son,
| loyal soldier of the flag the father
had again sworn allegiance to when
he took his seat in the house of rep
| rCsentatives. The general thought
highly of Field, and was sore trou-
| bled at his serious condition. He
knew what dispatches would be com
| ing from the far south when the tele
graph line began the busy clicking of
the morning. He was troubled to find
the lad in high fever and to hear that
he had been out of his head. He was
more than troubled at the concern,
and something like confusion, in the
old doctors face.
You don't think him dangerously
wounded, do you?' he asked.
Not dangerously, general" was
the reply. ''It's-well, he seems to
have something on his mind" And
more than this the doctor would not
say. 1t was not for him to tell the
chief what Webb had confided ere he
left the post-that most of the cur
rency for which Field was account
able was so much waste paper. Field
| lay muttering and tossing in restless
| misery, unconscious most of the
| time, and sleeping only when under
the influence of a strong narcotic.
| Dade, with sadness and constraint
| apparent in his manner, hung back
| and did not enter the bare hospital
room where, with only a steward in
attendance, the young soldier lay.
| The doctor had gone with the general
| to the bedside, but the captain re-
mained out of earshot at the door.
First call for reveille was just
sounding on the infantry bugles as
| the trio came forth. Il have sent
for Hay already, general" Dade was
saying, as they stood on the wooden
veranda overlooking the valley of the
murmuring river; "but will you not
come now and have coffee? He can
| join us over at my quarters"
Already, however, the orderly was
hurrying back. They met him when
not half way over the line of officers
| quarters. The few men for duty in
the two companies of infantry, left to
guard the post, were gathering in lit
| tie groups in front of their barracks,
awaiting the sounding of the assem-
| bly,. They knew the chief at glance,
and were curiously watching him as
he went thoughtfully pacing across
the parade by the side of the tenn
porary commander. They saw the
orderly coming almost at a run from
| the direction of the guard house, saw
him halt and salute, evidently making
some report, but they could not guess
what made him so suddenly start and
run at speed toward the southwark
bluff, the direction of the traders cor
raj and stables, while Capt. Dade
whirled about and signaled Sergt.
Crabb, of the cavalry, left behind in
| charge of the few custOdians of the
troop barracks. Crabb, too, threw
dignity to the Winds and ran at the
| beck of his superior officer.
'llave you two men who can ride
| bard dozen miles or so-and carry
out their orders?" was the captains
sharp demand.
Certainly, SIR" answered Crabb.
professionally resentful that such a
question should be asked of men of
the til cavalry.
Send two to report to me at once,
mounted. Never mind breakfast"
And by this time, apparently, the
chief, the post commander and pos
sibly even the aide-de-camp had for
gottemabout the waiting coffee They
still stood there where they had
| halted in the center of the parade.
The doctor, coming from the hospital,
was signaled to and speedily joined
| them. The buglc sounded, the men
mechanically formed ranks and
answered to their names, all the while
watching from the corner Of their
eyes. the group of officers, now in
creased by two infantry subalterns,
| Lieuts. Bruce and Duncan who raised
their caps to the preoccupied general,
such salutation being then a fashion,
not n regulation of the service, and
stood silently awaiting instructions.
| for something of consequence was
surely at hand. Then the orderly
again appeared, returning from his
mission, out of breath, and speaking
with difficulty.
| Craps / mean the Frenchman.
sir, says it was after four. perhaps
half past when they started, Pete
drivin'. He didn't see who was in it.
Twas the covered buckboard he took,
sir--the best one
And then, little by little, it trans
pired that Hay, the post trader whom