Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1912-07-12
Evelyn
Pierce
A Story Of the Old u. S.
Army
By EDWIN THORNTON

The days Of army posts on the west.
cru frontier. garrison shut up by II
self with no outsiders to see or talk
with or even hear about are over.
Then, too. IN those days-they are not
so far enthusiastically Indians
must be driven back on to their reser.
vatiOns, and sometimes they would be
too strong for the little garrison, and
days and nights Of agony would pass
in expectation of their making a break
In the walls and numbering every one
inside the inclosure including women
ana children.
Yet there was q pleasant side to the
life. The garrison shut or 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 divid.
ing line as to association on familiar
terms, but there was q union Of heart
The enlisted men understood that this
line had from time immemorial been
considered necessary to the discipline
and efficiency Of an army.
Years ago there was one Of these
army posts IN what Is now sovereign
state In the American Union. One day
when a supply train arrived 1t 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 nice,
she was. Her coming had been talked
about, but her appearance was disap
pointing. She was not especially pref
ty, though she possessed 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 int
two sections, consisting Of those who
liked and those who distrusted her.
However, 1t was not long before hei
friends were converted to the opposite
side by the fact that she was caught
talking with a private in the ranks
named Conover A 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 OF
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-Eyeiyn
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
treat 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 dlsfnvor.
Those who showed their condemnation
most openly were the women Of the
garrison The officers, whatever they
thought of the young lndy's action,
though they RETAINED from showing
her marked attention, always treated
her with studied pollteness. This was
due the commandments wife, whose
niece and guest she was But II was
not long before several OF the unmar
ried officers began to find II difficult to
let Miss Pierce alone. There was some
thing about her that the cloud hang.
ing over her could not obscure. Fur.
thermore. she had voluntarily brought
that cloud upon herself and gave no
evidence Of being ashamed Of It. Pos
sibly an attraction In her was that no
one could quite make her out Some
said she was a fool. others that she
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
he knew In the end an uprising would
be disastrous TO his red brothers and
that the move would be a grievous err.
ror, At any rate. be had come TO
warn his white brother, and. having
come. he could not 90 back. He must
remain In the fort or be killed. He
was, Of course, suffered 10 remain.
The coming of this redskin, who
soon become known a. Uncas, cast a
deeper blot upon Miss Pierce. He was
seen TO look at her GENEROUSLY. and she
was seen chatting with him, az she
had chatted with Private Conover.
Soon after this conversation she went
to the major and told him to look
out for UDcaS The major asked her
on what she based her distrust, and
she replied that he had a wicked eye
The major told bis wife what Evelyn
had said. but ne no one else had no
ticed any wickedness In the redskins
eye and az Mrs. Bertrand was very
much troubled about Evelyn's actions
she lost her equanimity and attributed
her niece's accusation to q desire TO
hide the real cause of her treatment
of him. The major did not entirely
agree with bis wife. but be couldn't
send Uncas out on suspicion TO be
murdered by his own people, 30 be
took no action IN the premises.
One evening when darkness had fall
On Uncas met Evelyn just going into
her aunts quarters and beckoned heI
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