The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1910-10-20

HOR. said Mr. Ennis. saunter.
ing in TO his comrades he'd.
side the following morning.
I'm instructed to pay you q
kiss" Lanier's bandaged head spun
on the pillow Ee had but one girl in
his mind
"Wh-who?" be demanded
Ennis threw his head back and
laughed. Nine times out of ten when
fellow is asked Will you take it now
or wait till you get it?' he's wise to
take it now. If I'm any judge I
should say yos'l better wait till you
can get it. which may be in less than
a week
Ennis. if YOU can quit being an
ass long enough to tell me what Won
mean and where you've been I'll thank
you If You can't | wish you'd get
ont. Cgashe" concluded Bob. with a
L oSe into Apache and the pillow.
Well. il probably isn't just The kiss
YOU We're thinking of no more was
when l got it-but, Robert, my son
and fellow soldier, it's my recorded
conviction that the most enviable
member of the regiment this day of
our Lord is your twin trooper friend
Rawdon. l saw him off on his we'd
ding tour. and he didn't have on your
Clothes"
Lanier's head popped up in an in
slant. the one visible eye all eager in
terest. Where were they married?
When did they get off? Was Lowndes
thereT were the questions that flew
from his lips.
Arena. On No. 6. Don't know"
was the categorical answer Raw
don brought the parson out from
Omaha, and the Osborns gave her
away. Of Lowndes I've seen nothing
since the night you staked him at
Laramie. and what I've heard of him
you refused to listen to. Of that cal
low specimen of the effete and ultra
refined Back Bay district you've long
since had my opinion. He's too good
and gentle for this western world Of
ours. Bob. and he and his shuddering
kinSfolk suffer too much by contami-
nation
"Oh. shut up. dad. His people did
wire him that his mother was desper-
ltely i'll. They merely wanted to get
him away from the campaign. He'd
been gambling. the pesky little fool,
with some of the Rawhide crowd, was
all out Of cash and dared not tell his
guardian That's all there was to 1t.
Soon's he gets his money he'll square
up-thought perhaps he had. since
RawdOn had enough to marry on.
Lowndes owed him ten times what he
owed me. | reckon
To them. thus engrossed in confden-
tial chat. there suddenly entered the
two doctors "Rlack Bill" the inspector.
had given notice that he must needs
have speech with the culprit. if that
bandaged. blistered and unprincipled
young man were in condition to see
him. BLACK Bill and his host had
been having a night of it. Button was
in high fettle over the amazingly truth
full and unlocked for articles in the
Mail and as eager to know and re-
ward their author as he had been to
apprehend and punish the earlier de-
| tractor Button had begun 70 ''wab-
BILE" as Bill expressed it, in his spleen
against I.anier until so suddenly
'braced" by the truculent stand of
CAPTAIN Snaf,e. whose half drunken
words the previous night were by this
time known all over the post
Tie matter was now liz the hands OF
Colonel Riggs. however. and it was his
| to determine what further action to
| take. Snaffie had named as his witness
Sergeant Fitzroy. Private Kelly (who,
though drunk on duty. had not been
so drunk. said Snaffle and FitZroy. that
: he could not recognize an officer when
he saw HIM. and the third witness. to
the amaze of Barker and the derlslOn
Of Ennis when told of it, was no less
a person than poor Tom Rafferty,,
Laniers own striker" and hitherto
devoted henchman And to the con-
sternation of Stannard. Sumter and
others Captain Snaffle had hePn able
to back his words. Riggs sent for the
two availab!es. FitZroy and Kelly. and
the two had declared they could not
be mistaken: that they had heard Miss
Arrold's scream. followed instantly
by the crash OF glass. Fitzroy admit
ted that he was at the moment at Cap
tain Snaffie's back door; said he ran
round TO the Sumters' gate. that he
distinctly saw the figure of a man in
soldiers overcoat and fur cap leap
ing and sliding down the roof and that
a moment later he grappled with it in
the dark woodshed. dropping his hold
only when angrily ordered to do SO.
the voice adding instantly. I'm Lieu
tenant Lanier" Fitzroy declared that
moment later Rafferty, rushed to the
spot. recognized the lieutenant and by
him was sternly ordered to leave.
TO be continued
m n m n lEApA rTfEc o puv