The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1907-10-10

called him to serve the colors on those
bleak Dakota prairies. Brant frowned
at the innocent words, reading them
over again with gloomy eyes and an
exclamation of unmitigated disgust,
yet there was no escaping their plain
meaning. Trouble was undoubtedly
brewing among the Sioux, trouble in
which the 'heyennes, and probably
others also, were becoming involved
Every soldier patroling that long
northern border recognized the ap-
proach of some dire development.
some early coup of savagery.
Brant was not blind to all this, nor
to the necessity Of having in readiness
selected bodies of seasoned troops, yet
it was not in soldier nature to refrain
from grumbling when the earliest de
+-'' ~h"~ord To fall to him Rut nr-
ders were orders in that country, ana
although he crushed the innocent pa.
per passionateiy beneath his heel, five
ours later he was in saddle riding
steadily westward, his depleted troop
of horsemen Gathering at his heels
Up the valley of the Bear Water,
slightly above Glencaid.-far enough
beyond the saloon radius to protect
his men from possible corruption, yet
within easy reach Of the military tele-
graph,-they made camp in the early
morning upon a wooded terrace over
looking the stage road, and settled
quietly down as one Of those numer-
Gus posts with which the army chiefs
sought to hem in the dissa tisfed red
men, and learn early the extent of
their hostile plans.
Brant was now in : humor consid-
erably happier tnan when he first rode
forth from Bethune. He watched the
men of his troop while with Quip and
song they made comfortable camp,
and then strolled slowly up the valley,
his own affairs soon completely for
gotten in the beauty of nearby hills
beneath the golden glory of the morn
ing sun. Once he paused and looked
back upon ugly Glencaid, dingy and
forlorn even at that distance; then he
crossed the narrow stream by means
OF convenient leg, and clambered up
the somewhat steep bank A heavy
fringe of low bushes chung close along
the edge of the summit, but a plainly
defined path led among their intri-
cacies. He pressed his way through,
coming into a glade where sunshine
fiickered through the overarchug
br9nPhnc nf %ho
was green and short. like that CT a
well-kept lawn,
AS Brant emerged from the under
brush he suddenly beheld fair vision
of young womanhood resting en- the
grassy bank just before him. She was
partially reclining, as If startled by
his unannounced approach, her face
turned toward him, one hand frasping
an open book, the other shading her
eyes from the glare of the sun. Some
thing in the graceful pOise, the piquant,
uplifted face, the dark gloss Of heavy
hair and the unfrightened gaze held
him speechless until the picture had
been impressed forever upon his men,
DRY. He beheld a girl on the verge Of
womanhood. fair of skin, the red glow
of health flushing her CHEEKS, the lips
parted in surprise, the sleeve fallen
back from one white, rounded arm,
the eyes honest, sincere, mysterious.
She recognized him with a glance, and
her lips closed as she remembered
how and when they had met before.
But there was no answering recO1lec-
ton within his eyes, only admiration
nothing chung about this Nadia to
remind him of a neglected waif of
the garrison. She read all this in his
face, and the lines about her mouth
changed quickly into slightly quiz
-ical smile. her ewes frightening