by Charles King
CHAPTER IV.
For forty-eight hours Fort Worth was in turmoil. To begin with, thesudden, unheralded advent of a department inspector in those days meantsomething ominous, and from Frazier down to the drum-boys the garrisonscented mischief the moment that familiar old black-hooded, dust-coveredspring wagon, drawn by the famous six-mule team, came spinning in acrossthe _mesa_ just after retreat, no escort whatever being in sight.Cavalrymen had trotted alongside, said Riggs, from two of the camps onthe way, but they had made that long day's drive from Crockett Springsall alone, trusting to luck that the Friday gang, so called, would notget wind of it. Just who and how many constituted that array of outlawsno man, including its own membership, could accurately say. Twopaymasters, two wagon-trains, and no end of mail-stages had been"jumped" by those enterprising road agents in the course of the fiveyears that followed the war, and not once had a conviction occurred.Arrests had been made by marshals, sheriffs, and officers in command ofdetachments, but a more innocent lot of victims, according to thetestimony of friends and fellow-citizens, never dwelt in Dixie. Threeonly of their number had been killed and left for recognition in thecourse of those three years. One only of these was known, and theso-called Friday gang managed to surround its haunts, its movements, andits membership with a mystery that defied civil officials and baffledthe military. Escorts the size of a cavalry platoon had been neededevery time a disbursing officer went to and fro, and a sizable squadaccompanied the stage whenever it carried even a moderate amount oftreasure. At three points along the road from the old Mexican capital tothe outlying posts, strong detachments of cavalry had been placed incamp, so that relays of escorts might be on hand when needed. At threedifferent times within the past two years, strong _posses_ had gone withthe civil officials far into the foot-hills in search of the haunts ofthe band, but no occupied haunt was ever found, no band of any size orconsequence ever encountered; yet depredations were incessant. Themail-stage came and went with guarded deliberation. The quartermaster'strains were accompanied by at least a company of infantry. The sutler'swagons travelled with the quartermaster's train, and the sutler's moneywent to San Antonio only when the quartermaster and commissary senttheirs, and then a whole squadron had been known to ride in charge.Anything from a wagon-train down to a buckboard was game for the gang,and soldiers, ranchmen, and prospectors told stories of having beenhalted, overhauled, and searched by its masked members at various times,and, whether found plethoric or poor, having been hospitably entertainedas soon as robbed of all they possessed. Only four days before Riggsmade his venturesome dash, three discharged soldiers, filled withimpatience and whiskey, had sought to run the gauntlet to the camp atCrockett's, and came back, in the robbers' cast-off clothing, to "takeon" for another term, having parted with their uniforms and the savingsof several years at the solicitation of courteous strangers they metalong the route. Nothing but an emergency could have brought Riggs, fulltilt, for he was getting along in years and loved the comforts of hisarmy home.
Emergency it was, as he explained to Frazier instantly on his arrival.The general had indubitable information that ranches to the south hadlong been buying government stores, bacon, feed, flour, coffee, etc. Thesource of their supply could only be the warehouses at Worth, andMarsden was a "swell" sergeant, whose airs and affluence had made himthe object of suspicion. Those were the days when cavalry regiments hada commissary, but Congress did away with the office, and Winn, whom anindulgent colonel had detailed to that supposedly "soft snap" whenregimental head-quarters were stationed at Worth, had been left therewith his bulky array of boxes and barrels when the colonel and staffwere transferred to a more southern post, the understanding being thathe was to turn over everything to Frazier's new quartermaster as soon asthat official should arrive. Frazier's appointee, however, was alieutenant from a distant station. The War Department had not improvedthe appointment when made. Correspondence had been going on, and onlywithin the week was notification received that the choice was finallyconfirmed and that Lieutenant Trott would soon arrive. Meantime Winnremained, but the stores were going. Somebody had money enough to bribethe sentries nightly posted at the storehouse at the northern corner ofthe big rectangle, and wagon-load after wagon-load must have been drivenaway. Outwardly, as developed by the count made early on the morningfollowing Riggs's coming, all was right, but a veteran cavalry sergeantscoffingly knocked in the heads of cask, box, and barrel, and showed howbacon by the cord had been replaced by rags and boulders, sugar, coffee,and flour by bushels of sand, molasses and vinegar by branch water, andtea and tobacco by trash. "Two to three thousand dollars' worth ofrations gone," said Riggs, at noon, "and the devil to pay if Winncannot." Vain the night ride to Fuller's ranch in search of Marsden.That worthy had long since feathered his portable nest, and on one ofthe quartermaster's best horses had left the post within the half-hourof Riggs's coming, no man knew for what point after once he crossed theford. Hoof-tracks by the hundred criss-crossed and zigzagged over thesouthward _mesa_. Thick darkness had settled down. Fuller's people sworeno signs of him had been seen, and, though patrols kept on all night,poor Winn came back despairing an hour before the dawn to face his fate;even at noon he had hardly begun to realize the extent of hisoverwhelming loss.
"Go home and try to sleep," said the colonel, sadly, to the dumb andstricken man. "You can do no good here. I'll send the doctor to you."
But Winn started up and shook the old fellow's kindly hand. "I cannotgo. My God! I must know the whole business," he cried. "I cannot sleepor eat a morsel."
"Whatever you do, don't drink," said Riggs, in not unkindly warning. "Goand see your wife, anyhow, for an hour or so. She has sent threetimes." But words were useless. Sympathetic comrades came and strovewith him and said empty words of hope or cheer,--empty, because theyknew poor Winn had not a soul in the world to whom to look for help. Kinto half a dozen old army names, it helped him not a whit, for no one ofthem was blessed with means beyond the monthly pay, and some had noteven that unmortgaged. Twenty-five hundred dollars' shortage already, tosay nothing of the cash for recent sales, and more, no doubt, to come.The very thought was ruin. Refusing comfort, the hapless man sat down athis littered desk, stared again at the crowded, dusty pigeon-holes, andsaw nothing, nothing but misery, if not despair.
Brayton went over at luncheon-time and begged a word with Mrs. Winn. Shepeered over the balustrade from the second story, with big, black-rimmedeyes, but could not come down, could not leave baby, who was fretful,she said. Oh, why didn't Mr. Winn come home? What good did it do to stayover there and worry? When would they get through? Brayton couldn't say,but Winn couldn't come,--felt he must stay at the office; but if Mrs.Winn would have some tea and a bite of luncheon prepared, he, Brayton,would gladly take it over. Yet even this friendly office seemed to bringno solace. Winn barely sipped the tea or tasted the savory broth.Frazier and Riggs went out to luncheon, leaving him still seated at hisdesk; and their faces were black with gloom when they reached thecolonel's door. Winn's distressing plight, following so shortly afterthe dire misfortune that had happened to Lawrence, would have saddenedthe whole garrison and tinged all table-talk with melancholy but for theblessed antidote afforded in Captain Barclay's sudden and mostunlooked-for coming.
And what a surprise it was! All one afternoon and part of one eveninghad Fort Worth been telling that Captain Barclay had refused theassignment to a regiment and post where he must meet Laura Winn; that hehad resigned rather than encounter once more the woman who had playedhim false; that he was too wealthy to care to bury himself in thisout-of-the-way hole in Texas anyhow; and even while they were talking,all unheralded, here he was. The major's hospitable doors opened toreceive him within ten minutes of his dust-covered advent, and only byhearsay all that night could the garrison know of his presence. Onesmall sole-leather trunk, with the travelling-bag, rifle, field-glasses,canteen, and lunch-box, constituted all the personal luggage of the newarrival. It could not even be said that any one outside of Brooks's hade
ven seen him, so coated with dust were the contents of that old springwagon when unloaded at the colonel's steps; and many a woman hastened toher door on the following morning, attracted thither by the announcementthat Captain Barclay was on the major's porch.
There, with his host, he stood for quite a while, the major pointing outthe landmarks along the westward range, and indicating, apparently,other features in the landscape. One or two officers, hastening by,raised their caps or ran up the steps and shook hands with thenew-comer, but he was presently summoned in to breakfast, and neighborscould only say he was not very tall, not very stout, not very slight,not very anything. Captain De Lancy, who had had three minutes'conversation, said he "seemed pleasant," but that was all. Mrs. De Lancywas confirmed in her preconceived opinion that men were owls, becauseher husband was unable to add to the military descriptive list of browneyes, brown hair, brown beard and clothes, any of the particulars shesought. He couldn't tell whether Barclay had fine teeth or goodcomplexion, what his mouth was like, whether he had nice hands andvoice. Indeed, he couldn't see why Mrs. De Lancy should be so anxious toknow. Not until towards noon was any reliable particular concerningCaptain Barclay passed along the line. Then the domestic bulletin dealtout the fact that the millionaire mine-owner wore a flannel shirt and asilver watch, which information was distinctly disheartening.
But that evening, while the colonel and other officers began calling atBrooks's to welcome formally the unexpected addition to the commissionedforce, Mrs. Brooks was able to slip out and over to her crony, Mrs. DeLancy, and in ten minutes she had an audience, married and single, thatgladdened her heart. She could and did talk almost uninterruptedly forover an hour. Arriving dames or damsels were signalled not to interrupt,and, joining the circle, patiently withheld their questions until shepaused for breath; and then what every one seemed to want to know was,had he said anything or asked anything about Mrs. Winn? He had. Heexpressed the utmost sympathy with poor Mr. Winn. He told Major Brooksof a similar experience that occurred in the --d Cavalry only the yearprevious, and how it would probably take the defrauded officer years tosquare the account. He most delicately inquired as to the general healthand well-being of Mrs. Winn, whom he had had the pleasure, he said, ofmeeting several years before; but more particularly he had asked aboutLawrence, and Lawrence's children, and who was in charge of them; itwas evident that he was deeply concerned about them and most anxious tomeet Captain and Mrs. Blythe.
"Well, that's one thing at least in his favor," was the verdict; forthroughout Brooks's battalion, as it was then called, or squadron, as weshould call it to-day, there existed an indefinable feeling ofantagonism towards this stranger within their gates, thus coming tousurp the place Ned Lawrence held in their hearts and homes, if nolonger on their rolls. Some one slipped out and brought in Mrs. Blythe,for whose benefit Mrs. Brooks not unwillingly went over all she had toldabout Captain Barclay's queries as to the children and theirbenefactors; and that sweet, tender-hearted, motherly woman ought tohave softened to him, but didn't. "He could have heard it all at SanAntonio for the asking," she declared. "But he didn't stop two days atSan Antonio," explained Mrs. Brooks. "The moment he heard that ColonelRiggs was going on by special ambulance he begged to be allowed to gowith him, and Riggs couldn't see a way to say no, and later confessed hewas very glad he had said yes."
"Brooks, you were all growling at the idea of having any outsider, muchless a doughboy, take Lawrence's place," were the bluff old veteran'sexact words; "but you mark what I say. I was rather prejudiced againstthis young fellow myself, and it has just taken this jolt together fromSan Antonio to satisfy me he is grit to the backbone, and you are in bigluck to get him."
At least a dozen men called at the major's that evening to pay theirrespects to the new comrade. It was long after taps when the last oneleft, but, almost to a man, they gathered at the club-room later tocompare notes. Hodge, of course, had called among the first, his claimof intimate or at least old acquaintance rendering it necessary.Barclay's brown eyes certainly lighted at the sight of the face he hadknown in the far northwest; he chatted for a moment with theinfantryman, and expressed his pleasure at meeting him again. ThenBlythe entered, with his grave, massive face and courteous yet reservedmanner; and Brooks spoke of the fact that Barclay seemed to shake handsmore earnestly with him than with any of the others, and to look at himoftener, though striving to slight no one. They sat there, as men willat such times, somewhat awkwardly, only one speaking at once, andgenerally the same one. Hodge, for instance, had much to say and manyquestions to ask about fellows he had known in Wyoming, and when he leftand others came in, three or four went at the same time, having satstolid listeners, calmly studying Barclay with their eyes and finallysaying good-night, and "hope to see you when you get settled," etc.
They were talking of him at the store, and wondering when and where hewould settle, and whether he would take Lawrence's quarters, and whatwould then become of Ada and little Jim, who with old Mammy stilloccupied their rooms there and had all the furniture as poor daddy leftit, but who went over to the Blythes' three times a day to take theirrations with their army chums and playmates, the little Blythes. "What agodsend it would be if he would buy poor Ned's books and furniture!"said De Lancy. "It would yield enough to send those poor babies home."
"Home," said Blythe, sadly: "what home has a child whose kith and kinare all of the army? They have neither home nor mother."
But no man made the faintest comment on facts the women remarkedinstanter, that Barclay's watch was only silver and his guard aninexpensive little cord or braid of fine leather, worn about his neck;that his travelling suit was of rough gray mixture, and his shirt aflannel _neglige_. But then, as Mrs. De Lancy explained in extenuationof their blindness, he had donned his uniform by the time they calledthat second evening, and it became him very well.
