The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1910-10-21

town, and. so far as getting news
from the surrounding universe was
concerned. Fort Gushing might as well
have been In Nova Zembla. And the
Sumters. three. with Miriam Arnold,
had set forth at noon, intending to In.
tercept the eastbound express. and
the colonels spirit was raging In SYM
patty with the storm and In spite Of
| his wife. for some one had started a
tale that Sumter and his household
had ostentatiously called upon Robert
| Ray Lanier. In close arrest. in utter
| disfavor and inferential disgrace.
Now, while an officer in arrest may
not quit his quarters under seven
days and may not even thereafter visit
his brother officers unless authorized,
there is no regulation prohibiting 9TH
er officers or their households visiting
him. Nevertheless. they who publicly
putation Of sympathizing with the ac-
cused at the expense of the accuser.
And so resolved Colonel Button, a
brave soldier, a gentleman at heart, a
kind II crotchety commander and a
lenient man rather than a disciplinar-
ian. A vain man was Button, and
dearly he loved the adulation Of his
comrades, high or low. Veteran Irish
sergeants knew well how to reach the
soft side Of "the old man." Astute troop
commanders. like Snaffie, saved them
selves many deserved wigging by
judicious use of barney. Sterling,
straightforward men, like Major STAN
nard, like Sumter, Raymond and Tru-
scott, of his captains-men who could
not fawn and would not fatter-were
never Buttons intimates.
Button believed 1t of Sumter that he
and his on the way to the railway sta
ton went in and condoled with Bob
Lanier and doubtless vituperated him,
the commander, when in point of fact
no one Of their number had seen or
spoken with Bob.
Then came the storm and then Sun
day and Monday in which no man
went either way between the fort and
town. And then a third in which the
gale went down and the garrison dug
itself out.
1t was barely 8 o'clock. Guard
mounting. the first held since Satur-
day. was just over. The morning re-
ports, the first rendered since Satur-
day. were just I'm, and the staff and
company officers for the first time
since Saturday were beginning to gath
er at headquarters and to compare
notes. All had much to tell. Stan
nard's wood pile, Snaffie's storm shed
and Barkers cow had blown away.
Somebody had just reported Sumter's
north dormer window torn out by the
roots" which moved Button to say to
Sumter, who had returned:
IL hope your quarters sustained no
damage In your absence"
II do not know, sir. I came direct
to the Office to report
"Ah, true. Your household started
before the storm"
"Only started, sir. They went no
farther than the surgeons quarters,
where we learned the train was six
hours late. had-business-in town,
and went on. They remained"
'Then the ladies have not gone
east?"
Neither they nor any one else since
early Saturday morning. The road is
blocked"
1.-THE paymaster too? He went in
right after luncheon"
81 cannot say, sir"
The captain withdrew.
har
men at once, sir, armed and mounted?"
cried Quartermaster Horton, hurrying
in. "The ambulance with the pay
master never reached town."
Order them out at once, Mr.. Bar
kerr" was Buttons instant answer,
turning to his adjutant. who went out
like shot. what time did they
start?"
about 2, Saturday afternoon. 1t
was blowing a gale then and the snow
SO thick we lost sight of them within
a hundred yards. Major Scott declined
an escort; said he and the clerk and
the two men inside were more than
enough. He had only $4,000 left and
thought that too little to tempt any
body"
The silence in the Office was oppres-
sive.
How did you learn they hadn't
reached town." demanded Button.
Sergeant Fitzroy just came out
He'd been in there with Sergeant
Stowell to help find Rawdon. he said. |
Major Scott had a section engaged in
the Pullman for Omaha. and Fitzroy
says he never claimed it-says he
searched every stable for the ambu-
lance. but there was no sign of 1t. and
he says there was a gang Of half
dozen toughs that had been hanging
about town for week, and they've
cleared out. I'D like to go and get |
into riding rig. sir"
go, and I'll have troop out after |
you If need be-" Then. turning to his |
adjutant. Barker, have Sergeant
Fitzroy sent for at once"
fro BE Continued II
ho.., AA.,.I xAf;ti No..yn-..