Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-05-25

with or even hear about, are over.
Then. too, in those days-they are not
so far distant-occasionally Indians
must be driven back on to their reser-
vations, aud sometimes they would be
too strong for the little garrison. and
days and nights of agony would pass
IN expects ton of their making a break
in the walls and numbering every one
inside the Enclosure, including women
ana children.
Yet there was pleasant side to the
life. The garrison shut OF from the
world constituted a family consisting |
of two divisions, the one being COM
posed Of the officers and their families, |
the other Of the men and their families |
Between officers and men was a divid- I
ing line as to association on familiar |
terms, but there was a union OF heart |
The enlisted men understood that this /
line had from time immemorial been F!
considered necessary to the discipline
and efficiency OF an army.
Years ago there was one of these
army posts in what is now a sovereign
state in the American Union. One day
when a supply train arrived it brought
something to stir the tiresome life of
the officers divisional young lady She
came TO visit Mrs. Major Bertrand,
wife of the commandant, whose niece
she was. Her coming had been talked
about, but her appearance was disap-
pointing. She was not especially pref
ty, though she possessed a soft dark
eye which was very expressive, though
| OF what no one could exactly deter
/ mine.
! Within four hours after her arriv-
/ al she had divided the garrison into
/ two sections, consisting Of those who
/ liked and those who distrusted her.
However, it was not long before her
! friends were converted to the opposite
side by the fact that she was caught
talking with private in the ranks
| named Conover few Of those who
had fancied her demonstrated with her.
telling her that perhaps she didn't
know that association with an enlisted
man by the families of the officers was
prohibited. She listened to them de-
murely with those singular eyes OF hers
fixed on them, but said nothing. New
ertheless only a few days had passed
when she was again seen talking with
the same man.
The matter now came to the ears or
Mrs. Bertrand, who gave her niece
lecture and told her that if she was
against caught noticing any one OF the
enlisted men as an equal she should
be sent home. Then Evelyn-EVelyn
Pierce was her name-asked with real
or feigned innocence-her aunt could
not tell which-why she could not treat
one in the ranks just as she would
.reat an officer. Mrs. Bertrand could
only say that it wasn't the custom and
has been an unwritten law in the army.
And so Miss Pierce was in disfavor.
Those who showed their condemnation
most openly were the women OF the
garrison The officers, whatever they
thought of the young lady's action.
though they refrained from showing
her marked attention. always treated
her with studied politeness This was
due the communicates wife. whose
niece and guest she was. But 1t was
not long before several of the unmar-
ried officers began to find it difficult to
] let Miss Pierce alone. There was some
thing about her that the cloud hang
ing over her could not obscure. Fur
thermo-e. she had voluntarily brought
that cloud upon herself and gave no
, evidence of being ashamed OF it. Pos
sibly an attra ction in her was that no
one could quite make her out Some
i lnN -ha
, was very shrewd
One day an Indian came into the fort
and told the major commanding that
those of his tribe on the reservation
the fort was intended to keep in order
were preparing for war, He said that
e he knew In the end an uprising would
e be disastrous to his red brothers and
that the move would be n grievous err
e rot. At any rate, be had come &c
warn his white brother. and. having
e come. he could not go back. He mus
remain In the fort or be killed. He
was, of course, suffered TO remain.
The coming OF this redskin. who
a soon become known as Uncas. cast q
deeper blot upon Miss Pierce. He was
seen TO look at her covetously, and she
J. was seen chatting with him, az sht
had chatted with Private Conover
n Soon after this conversation she wen
to the major and told him to IOob
out for UncaS The mator asked hel
on what she based her distrust, anC
a she replied that he had a wicked eye
The major told bis wife what EvelyI
10 bad said, but as 90 one else had no
ticed any wickedness In the redskln'i
eye and as Mrs. Bertrand was very
q much troubled about Evelyn's actions
she lost her equanimity and attributes
her nieces accusation to a desire Z
hide the real cause of her treatment
q of MIN. The major did not entirely
agree with his wife. but he couldn'
send Uncas out on suspicion to b.
murdered by his own people. so h
II took no action IN the premises.
II One evening when darkness had fall
en- Uncas met Ey eIyn just going int
her aunt's quarters and beckoned he
to follow MIN. whispering. 81 show yOI
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