Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1905-11-01

OF which he was quite painfully though
not dangerously wounded-that he was
in good hands and would be well cared
for, and this news-a great relief-was
promptly transmitted to Freds general
and by him telegraphed to the far
western home.
On a well-made stretcher lay the cen.
trail figure OF household and local in
terest, Lieut.. Jack Chiffon, slowly but
surely gaining strength and spirits
with every day. And who wouldn't
under similar influences for two fair
young daughters of the old common
wealth We'd with each other in assidu-
Gus effort to entertain" the trooper
invalid. Lovely were they both, these
cousins of the blood, and most carefully
had they been chosen for this special
duty by their acknowledged leader,
chief of the little clan of kinswomen.
Brilliant, beautiful and daring, who
OF their brave order could lay claim
10 leadership so long as Rosalie cared
to hold it? They followed and obeyed
her eagerly, loyalty, though in years
she was but IS, and five, at least,
of the sacred band were her seniors.
Ever since the days of short dresses,
braids and pinafores, she had been
dominant among them. Tomboy had
they called Rosalie at ten, for she
could ride any horse within miles OF
stills, flying kites or running races to
the customary allurements of girlhood.
She had one envy, one champion, one
idol-her brother, barely two years
her senior-and apparently but one
sorrOw-that she could not do every
thing that Jack could, and not for lack
of trying.
Then as they grew older, and other
girls brothers began showing hither-
ciety, and coming to see him at all
hours of the day, and other girls them
selves began making eyes at Jack, her
Indifference to the first and her fury
at the second were comical to see. And
then, when the war came on and Vir-
ginia sprang to arms and Jack to sad
die and his first commission in Jeb
Stuarts famous First cavalry, she was
all afire with fervor and patriotism on
the one hand and of mad jealousy of
Maud Pelham on the other, for on
Maud had Jack cast favoring eyes.
And so, when she brought her brother
home to nurse and pet and coddle to
her hearts content, while she was all
soothing sweetness on the side that
showed to him, she fairly bristled on
the other-that which all well-favored
feminine callers, inquirers and friends
must needs encounter when they asked
to see him. She established a regular
roster book and told off the list OF
the sacred band-her bench women, in
to four 'reliefs" of two girls each-one
relief only to be on duty each day and
no outsiders to be admitted. Needless
to say Maud Pelham was not of the
elect, and Jack speedily showed he
wished it were otherwise.
And so this sweet April morning,
with soft, dangerous air playing
about the wooded, sun-kissed heights,
she had two such awfulfy nice
young girls to cheer him, while she
herself turned dutifully to another
wounded officer, a youth in dark blue
and gold who had been for over an
hour a silent watcher of the merri-
ment about Chilton's cot, while he,
Fred Benton, sat lonely and longing
to get far away.
1t was not that they were cold, con-
strained or inconsiderate when speak
ing to him, but, the doctor had to be
much away now; Lieut.. Jack was al
ways surrounded by his fair body
guard; the one man Benton loved, his
boon companion Paul, had gone to re-
Join his regiment, and the one woman
who could have made Benton's stay
world of strange, sweet, watching de-
light was beginning day after day to
show less inclination to approach him
at all. A fortnight of watching that
beautiful dark face had done it's work.
Fred Benton was mending in body,
but not in mind, for doubly now was
he prisoner.
ITO Be Continued