The citizen., 1913-10-10

illtlng IN one hand tin cup of coffee.
Gentlemen, all we of the Seventh re.
Jolce in the honor of the service,
whether 1t be upheld by officer or en-
llsted man. l bid you drink a toast
with me to Sergeant Hamlin."
But, General, have done nothing
to deserve"
! Observe the modesty of a real
nero. Yet wait until | am through.
with due regard for his achievements
as soldier, l propose this toast In
commemoration Of greater deed of
gailantry than those of arms-the cap
ture of Miss Molly Mcdonald"
There was quick uplifting of cups,
burst of laughter, and a volley of
questions, the Sergeant staring about
motionless. his face flushed.
What Is 1t, General?"
Tell us the story"
Give us the joke!"
But l assure you 1t is no Joke. l
nave 1t direct from the fair lips of the
lady. Brace yourselves, gentlemen.
for the shock. You young West Point
ers lose, and yet the honor remains
with the regiment. Miss Molly Nc
Donald, the toast of old Fort Dodge,
whose bright eyes have won all your
hearts. has given hers to Sergeant
Hamlin of the Seventh. And now
again, boys. to the honor of the regi-
ment!"
Out of the buzz of conversation and
the hearty words of congratulation,
Hamlin emerged bewildered, finding
himself again facing Custer. whose
manner had as swiftly changed into
the brusque note of command.
81 have met you before. Sergeant"
he said slowly, before your assign
ment to the Seventh, l think. | am
not sure where: were you in the Shen-
andoah?"
81 was, SIR"
"At Winchester"
81 saw you first at Cedar Creek,
General Custer; I brought a flag"
That's 1t; l have the incident
clearly before me now. You were a
lieutenant-colonelT
'Of the Fourth Texas, sir"
Exactly; think heard later-but
never mind that now. Sheridan re-
members you; he even mentioned
your name to me few weeks ago. No
doubt that was what caused me to
recognize your face again after all
these years. How long have you been
in our services"
| Ever since the war closed"
For moment the two men looked
into each others faces, the command
er smiling, the enlisted man at re-
| spectful attention.
Il will talk with you at some future
time. Sergeant" Custer said at last.
resuming his seat on log. Now we
shall have to consider tomorrow's
march. Were you within sight of
Black Kettles camp"
No. sir; only of his pony herd
out In the valley of the Canadian"
Where would you suppose the
camp situated?"
Above. behind the bluffs. about
the mouth of Buffalo Creek"
custer drew the map toward him.
scrutinizing it carefully.
You may be right. of course" he
commented, his glance on the faces OF
the officers, "but this does not agree
with the understanding at Camp Sup
ply, nor the report of our Indian
scouts. We supposed Black Kettle to
be farther south on the Washita. How
large was the pony herd"
We were not near enough to count
the animals. air, but there must have
been two hundred head"
"A large party then, at least. What
do you say. Corbin?"
The scout addressed, conspicuous
in his buffalo skin coat. leaned against
the tent-pole, his black whlskers NOV.
ing industriously as he chewed
Wal, Gineral," he said slowly. T
know this yere Brick Hamlin. an
he's right smart plainsman. sojer 'er
no sojer. II he says he saw thet pony
herd, then he sure did. Thet means
considerable bunch O. Injuns thar, er
tharabouts. Now | know Black Ket-
tle's outfit is down on the Washita, SO
the only conclusion is that this yere
band thet the Sergeant stirred up Is
some new tribe er other, a-driftin'
down frum the north. reckon IL We