IKe (olonel 
 
 72 
 
 3 
 
THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; 
 
 OK, 
 
 WINNING HIS SPURS. 
 
 BY 
 
 CAPT. CHARLES KING, U.S.A. 
 
 PHILADELPHIA: 
 
 J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY. 
 I 890. 
 
Copyright, 1882, by J. B. LIPPINCOTT A Oo. 
 
TO 
 
 MRS. JAMES B. RICKETTS, 
 
 WHO, 
 
 WHETHER SHARING THE LOT OF WOUNDED PRISONER, 
 
 OB 
 
 GRACING THE HIGHEST CIRCLES OP SOCIETY, 
 
 HAS BEEN 
 
 THE DEVOTED WIFE TO ONE, 
 
 T.HB 
 
 FAITHFUL FRIEND TO MANY A SOLDIER, 
 
 THIS 
 
 ARMY STORY IS DEDICATED. 
 
 M12567 
 
PEEFACE. 
 
 MR. RALPH WALDO EMERSON is responsible foi 
 the statement that "Spartans, stoics, heroes, saints, 
 and gods use a short and positive speech." TJiis may 
 account for the fact that there are no conversations 
 worth reading in this entire story. 
 
 The spontaneous wisdom and eloquence that ani 
 mate the characters of Bulwer and Disraeli to the 
 habitual and familiar use of language outrival ling the 
 diction of Richelieu ; the colossal attainments of the 
 natives neighboring Chattanooga, as set forth in St. 
 Elmo, and discovered (by aid of the unabridged) in 
 their oif-hand chats ; the wit and sparkle of that phe 
 nomenally delicious couple, Tom and Bessie, who irradi 
 ate not only " One Summer," but every season in which 
 they may be encountered, all will be found wanting 
 herein. My people simply talk, as people in the line 
 of the army will talk, most prosaically. 
 
 When it comes to portraying life in the staff, as op 
 posed to existence in the fighting force, needless to say 
 some other pen must be employed than that of 
 
 THE AUTHOR. 
 
 November, 1882. 
 
THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; 
 
 OR, 
 
 HIS SPUES. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 <e SERGEANT-MAJOR !" 
 
 " Sir-r-r !" and the rasp and rattle of a hastily-moved 
 chair preceded but an instant the appearance of a 
 soldierly form in the doorway. 
 
 " That Prescott mail s late again to-day?" 
 " Yes, sir ; been late every time last three trips." 
 The sergeant-major clips his words as close as his 
 cropped hair and uses no superfluities. Having said 
 so much he waits, mutely " standing attention," for his 
 superior s next remark. The latter is dreamily con 
 templating a pair of rather shapely feet perched on the 
 desk in front of him, and tapping the boot-toes thereof 
 with a long ruler. Finally he queries, 
 
 " Think that man Finnegau s been drinking again ?" 
 
 " Looks like it, sir ; but can t say. Horse shows hard 
 
 riding every night when he gets in ; but you can see 
 
 him for six miles up the valley, and he comes at an easy 
 
 lope all the way from the Point." 
 
4 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 The adjutant slowly lets down his long legs, quits 
 his chair, takes from its case a signal-service binocular 
 and saunters to the open doorway leading to the parade. 
 His subordinate remains a moment, in his invariable 
 attitude, at the door of the inner office, then, finding 
 himself addressed no further, steps back quickly as he 
 came. 
 
 Leaning against the post of the narrow piazza in 
 front, the adjutant blinked his eyes in unwilling defer 
 ence to the blazing sunlight and gazed out towards the 
 north. 
 
 Before him, straight away, lay a level barren of 
 gravelly earth, brown and desolate : no sprig of grass, 
 no sign of shrub or tree ; the parade of Camp Sandy, 
 in the year of our Lord 18 7-, was as bald as the head 
 of the commanding officer. Midway between the office 
 and the glistening white line of picket-fence that 
 spanned the northern limit of the garrison a lance-like 
 staif shot upward into the burning vault of heaven, 
 and from its summit hung motionless the heavy folds 
 of blue and scarlet and white, the symbol of Yankee 
 supremacy in the midst of surrounding desolation. It 
 hung aloft as though paralyzed with wonderment at its 
 unlovely companionship, 
 
 " It hung in the heat like some bright dead bird, 
 And the air was so still you could hear the tramp 
 Of the pacing sentry all over the camp." 
 
 Bounding this arid surface on right and left were two 
 long lines of adobe buildings. Those on the eastern 
 side, with their broad piazzas and mansard-roofs, indi 
 cating in greater pretence the homes of the officers of 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 5 
 
 the command ; those on the left, low, one-storied, and 
 colorless as the dun hue of the parade itself, the quarters 
 of the men. 
 
 Beyond the former, a thousand yards away, rose a 
 turreted palisade of conglomerate shale and yielding 
 sandy earth that shut out wall-like all view to the east. 
 At its foot rolled the shallow stream from which the 
 post derived its sole supply of water. It never seemed 
 to rain at Camp Sandy, though torrents might be de 
 scending in the mountains that shut it in. To the west, 
 beyond the line of barracks, lay, in the same colorless 
 clods of adobe, the cavalry stables, the quartermaster s 
 " corrals," and beyond them tumbled heaps of foot 
 hill rolling higher and higher until, in the near dis 
 tance, they rose a thousand feet above the plateau and 
 joined the long ridge of mountain-chain that stretched 
 down, claw-like, from the grand range of the California 
 Sierra. Northward the eye roamed over a valley 
 hemmed in towards the setting sun by dark, pine- 
 covered mountains, while on the other side, vivid, daz 
 zling, scintillating in the blazing rays, lay the barren 
 yet brilliant cliffs of the Red E-ock country. The 
 winding fringe of cottonwood in the valley depths a 
 lively green contrasted with the sombre hue of all 
 nature near it marked the course of the stream, and 
 far, far to the north, plumb under the spot where 
 Ihe pole-star glowed at night, a snow-capped peak 
 glistened and shimmered through the heated air, the 
 one gleam of blessed coolness vouchsafed in the entire 
 picture. 
 
 Still holding his binocular in his listless hand, the 
 adjutant lounged in the shade of the porch, and gazed 
 
 l* 
 
6 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 drearily over the scene before him. Save the occasional 
 lizard, darting about the sun-baked parade, no sign of 
 life or motion greeted the eye. Along " officers row" 
 every blind was tightly closed against the blazing west. 
 One or two sleeping forms could be detected along the 
 shade-line of the opposite " quarters" ; but even at the 
 guard-house the sentry had been drawn inside, and was 
 pacing the narrow corridor in front of the barred win 
 dows, through which swarthy, hungry-eyed Apache 
 faces were doubtless glaring out in miserable hatred of 
 their captors. 
 
 It was a cheerless scene, and in face and form, ex 
 pression and attitude, there could be detected on the 
 part of the one visibly wakeful being a thorough appre 
 ciation of its dreariness. Tall, "six feet two in his 
 stockings," lithe and thin in flank, but with massive 
 shoulders and powerful limbs, the adjutant s form would 
 have enraptured the life guardsmen of England. Clad 
 in the coolest of white duck and flannel, every line of 
 his frame was patent to the observer, and the head and 
 face were fitting accompaniment. Eyes of darkest hazel, 
 a straight, slender, broad-nostriled nose, a mouth firm 
 and clear-cut under the curling moustache, chin and 
 jaw square, resolute, and clean-shaven, forehead broad 
 and white, in odd contrast to the bronze that spread 
 over face and neck, hair that might have been dark 
 and wavy in boyish days, but now close-cropped to the 
 shapely head, the adjutant was well termed among his 
 comrades a " splendid-looking fellow." Yet at this 
 moment the whole face was marred by its expression 
 of utter weariness and discontent. 
 
 Turning sharply with a disgusted snap of the case, 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 7 
 
 he looked at the thermometer hanging well back in the 
 shade, 
 
 " One hundred at 5 P.M. ! Well ! not so bad as yes 
 terday, but hot enough for Tophet. What in Tophet 
 did we ever take this hole from Mexico for anyhow ?" 
 is the muttered comment that falls from his lips. "An 
 ape or a Greaser is the only thing on two legs fit to 
 live in this infernal Arizona, and yet, by gad, here s 
 old Pelham going to bring his wife and daughter out 
 to join." 
 
 Something in the absurdity of this last idea provoked 
 a smile upon the face of Mr. John Truscott, adjutant 
 of Uncle Sam s th regiment of cavalry, and while 
 he did not give way to soliloquy his thoughts ran some 
 what as follows : 
 
 " She s the girl" (she being, of course, Miss Pelham, 
 the daughter aforementioned) " the youngsters have all 
 been raving about for the last two years. Just finished 
 school in New York, but spent her last two summers 
 at West Point, and had no end of adorers in the grad 
 uating class. I half fancy Glenham to be one of her 
 victims. Almighty good thing for her and the old 
 folks if he is, for the Fates have blessed him with in 
 finite lucre, and those three boys of Pelham s have 
 drained him poor as as, begad, as I am. Wonder 
 what she s like anyhow? You never can tell from 
 what these young fledglings say. Good Lord! how 
 long it is since I ve had a glimpse of a pretty face, or 
 anything civilized !" 
 
 Mechanically, Mr. Truscott turned once more north 
 ward, and, adjusting the glass, took a long survey of 
 the valley and the point where the road disappeared 
 
8 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 among the mountains. This time, with better success, 
 his practised eye noted the faintly visible whiffs of dust, 
 rising at intervals beyond the cottonwoods, yet four 
 miles away. 
 
 A sudden clatter of hoofs came rapidly up the slope 
 in rear of the office from the south, and a horse and 
 rider plunged into space by his side. 
 
 " Mail in yet, Jack ?" shouted a fresh cheery voice, 
 and the sunburnt, bright-eyed young face of the horse 
 man beamed down upon the adjutant. 
 
 " Nary," is that official s inelegant but terse reply. 
 " Coming though, I think," he adds, as he notes the 
 shade of disappointment creeping over the features of 
 his interrogator. " Where have you been ?" he asks. 
 " You must find riding hot work such a day as this ?" 
 
 " Can t help it," replies the junior, swinging lightly 
 to the ground. " Old Catnip says those herds have got 
 to be visited by the officer of the day at least once be 
 fore stable-call, and I made it late as I could. You 
 look bored to death, Jack." 
 
 Now, just why every officer in that garrison should 
 invariably address Mr. Truscott as " Jack" is one of 
 those mysteries which has puzzled metaphysicians. 
 Some profound thinker has recorded as the result of 
 his observations that a man hailed by his fellow- men 
 by his Christian name may be beloved, but is always 
 "blind to his own interests." The two fit into one 
 another after a fashion, for it usually happens that the 
 man " blind to his own interests" is apt to be the most 
 unselfish and considerate fellow imaginable, and as 
 such is apt to be popular, and, in army circles, to have 
 " troops of friends" until, in his blindness, he stumbles 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 9 
 
 into a scrape, when it is curious to mark how quickly 
 the "Jack" gives place to the distant surname, and the 
 friends dwindle to few. Mr. Truscott was popular, 
 but it rose from no pronounced " blindness to his own 
 interests." He was generous, even lavish, in his way, 
 but with all the fact of an acknowledged intellectual 
 superiority over his comrades, and the record of being 
 a splendid soldier and a " thorough -bred" gentleman, 
 the best explanation of his popularity, perhaps, is to 
 be found in the remarks of Captain Tanner on the sub 
 ject. " I like Truscott," said he, " because in the 
 eight years I ve known him he has never spoken ill of 
 a man behind his back, and because he holds a woman s 
 name as sacred." The knot of officers to whom this 
 opinion was delivered contained no dissenter. Yet Mr. 
 Truscott had his enemies. A certain uncompromising 
 " hit-or-miss" way of doing his duty, and coming down 
 hard on delinquents, had stirred the rancor of more 
 than one of his brethren, who, negligent or ignorant 
 themselves, had no patience with his sternly military 
 system, and, having been rapped over the official 
 knuckles by the commanding officer, they would gladly 
 have seen the adjutant deposed from his influential 
 position. Nor was it among his own sex that Mr. 
 Truscott had acquaintances who were not all well-wish 
 ers. In the utter isolation of that distant station those 
 ladies of the regiment who had followed their husbands 
 in their exile (and perchance brought unmarried sisters 
 with them) had, or fancied they had, little else to talk 
 of than the affairs of the garrison and of their neigh 
 bors. Possibly that very trait which so aroused the 
 enthusiasm of Captain Tanner, " that he held sacred a 
 
10 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 woman s name, and could not be brought to speak ill 
 of one," was the very thing which rendered him un 
 bearable to some three or four of their number. For 
 how inexpressibly stupid in the eyes of one woman is 
 the man who cannot be induced, for her entertainment, 
 to criticise another ! 
 
 Treating them one and all alike with a certain grave 
 courtesy and gentle deference, he trod metaphorically 
 upon the sweeping trains of both Mrs. Raymond and 
 Mrs. Turner, and in the observance of a strict neutrality 
 had at one time or other given offence to these rival 
 belles of the garrison. " Why," said Mrs. Raymond, 
 " I merely hinted to him at the hop last week that Mrs. 
 Curtis s last dress from San Francisco must have been 
 a frightful tax on her husband s pay, and you know it 
 was, and he drew himself into his shell in that awfully 
 superior way of his and fairly snubbed me." Now, 
 Mr. Truscott was incapable of " snubbing" any woman. 
 Grant-like, he fell back upon an inflexible silence when 
 pressed for his opinion on matters of which he chose 
 not to speak. But this passive rebuke was to women 
 of Mrs. Raymond s calibre as exasperating as an active 
 "snub," and in her feline way she resented it. 
 
 Neither she nor her sisters in garrison cared to de 
 clare open war against the best-looking man and one 
 of the best partners in the command. Besides, Mr. 
 Truscott had a way of showing very delicate attentions 
 to the ladies of the regiment, though distributing all 
 such with a strict impartiality ; for whether from hunt 
 ing, a trip to Prescott, or the rare luxury of a " leave" 
 in San Francisco, he seldom returned without an ac 
 ceptable remembrance for each and every one. Then, 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 1] 
 
 too, he bad all the latest books and magazines. " He 
 kept up his reading," as the officers said, and his taste 
 was indisputable. Younger officers went to him in 
 their troubles and perplexities, sure of sympathy, and 
 surer still of inviolable confidence ; older officers, sorely 
 against their will at times, consulted his opinions on 
 matters wherein they should have been, but were not, 
 thoroughly informed. But for his part, it was a cir 
 cumstance of frequent remark that he never once was 
 known to seek advice or sympathy, and never alluded 
 to affairs of his own. Many and various were the 
 theories advanced as to why Mr. Truscott, at the age 
 of thirty, remained unmarried. Most of his brother- 
 officers had taken unto themselves wives, and were as 
 happy as is possible under such circumstances, but to 
 all questions, however deftly put, bearing upon the 
 matter, the adjutant replied with imperturbable gravity 
 that he thought too much of the sex in the abstract to 
 offer it anything so unworthy its acceptance. 
 
 There were matrons in the regiment who looked 
 upon him as a most eligible catch for a younger sister, 
 and who had imported such sisters in days when the 
 th was stationed in climes more accessible for the 
 avowed purpose of capturing the tall subaltern, but 
 Jack appeared as serenely unconscious of their wiles 
 as he did of the oft-thrown signal for flirtation from 
 some of the giddy matrons themselves. Tradition had 
 it that Mr. Truscott s obduracy was due to a love-affair 
 of long standing ; that since the days of his graduation 
 he had adored and been adored by a damsel far away 
 in Massachusetts, and for a time it was known that 
 delicate missives with a womanly superscription reached 
 
12 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER , OR, 
 
 him from that quarter ; but, some three years before, 
 he had gone East on a long leave of absence, and when 
 the regiment received orders for Arizona had suddenly 
 reappeared in their midst, older, graver, and at times 
 very absent-minded, but never since had he sought 
 further opportunity of going to " the States," and his 
 secret, whatever it might be, was buried in his own 
 bosom. Wherever there are women there are apt to 
 be audacious flirts, and many a time had some practised 
 coquette baited her hook in the vain hope of getting a 
 rise from the adjutant of the th. It would be a re 
 flection on his sagacity to say that he did not see the 
 fly, but he possessed the faculty of appearing so utterly 
 obtuse as not to see it, and, whether real or assumed, 
 his indifference was unmistakable. Nellie Blossom, 
 the brightest, merriest, and withal the fairest girl 
 known to military circles in the West, the niece of 
 one of the prominent officers of the department, had 
 actually been accused by the critical matrons of the 
 garrisons of Prescott and Camp Sandy of having 
 thrown herself at Jack Truscott s head. But she had 
 returned to San Francisco wiser if not sadder, and was 
 last heard of flirting desperately with the artillerymen 
 at Alcatraz and the Presidio, and when inquisitive 
 Circes of Camp Sandy sought to probe Jack s inner 
 consciousness, they received for all answer an assurance 
 that if he could admire any one as much as he did the 
 ladies of the th, that lady was Miss Blossom. 
 
 One day " Old Catnip," as he was popularly termed, 
 Colonel Pelham, as he was known officially, electrified 
 the garrison of Camp Sandy by the information that 
 Mrs. Pelham and his daughter Grace were coming out 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 13 
 
 to join. Now, it is a peculiarity of the ladies of the 
 army that the simple announcement of a fact is as 
 stimulative of conjecture and reflection as was the fall 
 of Isaac Newton s apple. There wasn t a woman in all 
 Camp Sandy who did not immediately set to work to 
 fathom the motives of Mrs. Pelham in thus suddenly 
 starting for such an utterly out-of-the-way place as 
 Arizona; and there was not a woman in all Camp 
 Sandy who by noon on the following day had not 
 decided that she was coming to capture Lieutenant 
 Arthur Glenham and his handsome fortune. Grace 
 was a girl of sixteen at school when the regiment was 
 hurried to the Pacific coast, and Mrs. Pelham had de 
 cided to remain in New York until her daughter s 
 education was completed. Each summer she had gone 
 with her to West Point, where Grace had been an 
 acknowledged belle among the cadets, and where frank, 
 whole-souled young Glenham had most unequivocally 
 shown himself an adorer. It was said that he had 
 gone so far as to offer himself to Grace, saying humbly 
 that " he wasn t much to look at, but at least he could 
 offer the woman he loved a home and an ample fortune." 
 Grace never told it to a soul, nor had she encouraged 
 the boy, but a sharp-sighted mamma had noted every 
 symptom, and speedily won from Glenham himself a 
 statement of his prospects financial, and had bidden 
 him hope as regarded his prospects otherwise. Mean 
 time, jolly old Pelham had established his headquarters 
 at Sandy, and his red face and bald head could be seen 
 for an hour each morning at the office, after which they 
 were invisible until sundown, when he reappeared on 
 the veranda of his quarters ready fr* chat with any one 
 
 2 
 
14 TEE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 who came along, and was completely happy if three or 
 four of his officers would consent to spend the evening 
 and play whist with him. 
 
 Glenham s classmates had exchanged some sly witti 
 cisms when the order assigning him to Pelham s regi 
 ment was received, and it was said at Sandy that the 
 colonel eyed the young gentleman very sharply when 
 he reported for duty. " Mr. Truscott," said he, " I 
 think that young fellow has some good points about 
 him. Suppose you take him in hand and draw him 
 out." So it happened that Glenham had been welcomed 
 to the adjutant s quarters, and, as there were by no means 
 houses enough to give each subaltern a " set" to him 
 self, he had there remained to this day. 
 
 It was Arthur Glenham himself who reined up at 
 the adjutant s office, and it was his cheery voice that 
 accosted Truscott in eager inquiry for the mail. 
 
 The two officers were a striking contrast. Glenham 
 was short in stature, broad of shoulder, stout of limb, 
 with a face almost as broad in proportion as his body, 
 with merry laughing blue eyes, a large mouth, ex 
 panded in the perpetual grin which his perfect teeth 
 rendered excusable, a face and form, in fact, indicative 
 of the utmost good nature, if not of the utmost 
 intellect. And Glenham was more than good-natured. 
 He possessed a trait rare as is an unconscious manner 
 in those men to whose grandsires wealth was unknown. 
 His bounty was lavish, yet no comrade was allowed to 
 feel that he was the victim of a special favor. As a 
 consequence, young Arthur was frequently imposed 
 upon by the rank and file of the regiment, who were 
 incessantly coming to know " Would the loot nint lind 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 15 
 
 me the loan of tin dollars till pay day ?" and then, in 
 emulation of Captain Costigan of convivial memory, 
 going off to disburse the amount at the sutler s store. 
 
 For a long time Truscott noted the frequent appear 
 ance of the worst class of men in the command at the 
 back door of his quarters; they invariably inquired 
 for Lieutenant Glenham, and always wanted to see 
 him alone. Truscott said nothing; but had no diffi 
 culty in divining the object of these visits. One day, 
 however, the colonel was more conflagratory in temper 
 than was customary ; " Fm willing to put up with the 
 pay-day spree," was the warrior s remark, after some 
 indirect profanity, " but here s the guard-house cram- 
 full of the old topers of the garrison this morning, and 
 the sutler swears he hasn t trusted them a cent s worth. 
 Now where in blazes did they get their money ?" 
 
 Finding himself addressed, the adjutant replied that 
 he " thought he could find out, and, furthermore, could 
 put a stop to it in future." Pelham stared hard at his 
 subordinate for a moment, as though he half detected 
 the fact of his entire knowledge of the source of sup 
 ply. He longed to press the matter and extract further 
 information, but in the calm gravity of Mr. Truscott s 
 manner he was vividly reminded of the experience of 
 a former colonel of the regiment, and having been in 
 the habit of declaring that it served the colonel right, 
 he turned sharply on his heel and walked to his 
 private desk. A moment more and his voice was 
 heard, placid and low, "Very well, Truscott; you 
 attend to it." 
 
 The story of this previous experience was an old one 
 in the regiment, indeed, had been told all over the 
 
16 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 Plains. Its former colonel was blessed with a wife, 
 daughters, and as many unmarried feminine relations 
 as Sir Joseph Porter, K.C.B., and ordinarily half a 
 dozen of them were his guests in garrison. His adju 
 tant, a consumptive relic of the war, had won his un 
 dying gratitude by taking a sister-in-law off his hands, 
 but, as he was compelled to bury that adjutant with 
 military honors some six months afterwards, and sub 
 sequently to provide for both the fatherless and the 
 widow, the benefit was but temporary. Then he sum 
 moned Truscott to headquarters, and appointed him 
 adjutant vice the defunct brother-in-law. Truscott 
 speedily showed consummate ability in the performance 
 of his duties, but a correspondent lack of inclination 
 for the delicate functions of his predecessor. Resisting 
 all feminine wiles, he declined to spend his unoccupied 
 hours in dancing attendance upon the sisters, cousins, 
 and daughters, though always showing them scrupulous 
 attention at the garrison hops ; but there was one thing 
 in which he utterly differed from the deceased, and in 
 which he succeeded in winning the ill will of every 
 woman in the colonel s household, and, of course, be 
 fore long that of the colonel himself. Nothing would 
 induce him to talk to them of the affairs of any officer 
 or lady in or out of the regiment, and no longer could 
 they derive information from the man whose position 
 enabled him to be " well posted." 
 
 This was outrageous. " The idea that the adjutant 
 of my husband s regiment is going to ignore my posi 
 tion is something I ll not tolerate," was the repeated 
 remark of " Madame la Colonelle" to her cronies in the 
 garrison. " You ll see that he cannot hold it a week." 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 17 
 
 Naturally, iu less than a week, Mr. Truscott, from a 
 dozen different sources, received what "his friends" 
 chose to denominate " warnings," but he went on about 
 his duties as usual, for the colonel had many soldierly 
 qualities that he firmly respected. It pained him 
 greatly to note the daily increasing coldness and in 
 justice of the commanding officer, but he said nothing. 
 
 One morning the storm broke. Something had gone 
 wrong at the colonel s. They were then stationed in 
 Kansas, near a large railway town, and it was a source 
 of much gossip that several of the young officers were 
 frequent visitors during the midnight hours at places 
 of varied entertainment in the vicinity, but none had 
 been absent from any roll-call or duty. There are 
 always one or two officers to tell the colonel of such 
 affairs, and always ten or a dozen women to tell the 
 colonel s wife, which generally amounts to the same 
 thing. 
 
 On this particular morning the colonel s face was 
 wrathful, and he opened fire on his adjutant at once 
 with, 
 
 " Mr. Truscott, what officers were absent from re 
 veille this morning?" 
 
 Truscott promptly rose, stood like a statue before his 
 colonel, and calmly replied, " None, sir." 
 
 " Then you and they must have made almighty good 
 time back from town. I am told you were playing 
 poker at the Alhambra till after four this morning." 
 
 " So far as I am concerned- your informant is mis 
 taken. I was not out of the garrison, sir." 
 
 There were several officers sitting or standing about 
 the room. Some slipped quietly out, unwilling to listen 
 b 2* 
 
18 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 to a conversation already so painful. Others remained, 
 with attentive ears. 
 
 "At all events you know who wwe there, and I 
 expect you, as ray staff-officer, to inform me." 
 
 "It so happens, colonel, that I do not know. I 
 have not even heard." 
 
 " Well, I know that you do know who were playing 
 oards in Captain Lapham s quarters two nights ago, for 
 you were seen coming from there at ten o clock, and 
 this was probably the same party." 
 
 " I was Captain Lapham s guest on that occasion, as 
 were the others, colonel ; and now I must say emphat 
 ically, but with all respect, that I never heard of such 
 a thing as its being the duty of the adjutant to keep 
 the commanding officer informed of the movements of 
 the officers off duty, but as such seems to be your view, 
 I beg to be relieved at once." 
 
 " You are, sir, you are ; and, had I listened to ad 
 vice, you would have been long ago," fairly roared the 
 colonel. " Leave the office at once !" And, with the 
 respect of every man in the regiment, Jack Truscott 
 took himself back to his troop. Some time afterwards, 
 over a year, promotions and retirements brought Col 
 onel Pelham to the command of the th, and about 
 the first thing he did was to send for Truscott and re 
 instate him in the adjutancy. 
 
 From that day to this the colonel never regretted it, 
 and it was with complete assurance that he left the 
 matter of stopping the irregular supplies of the garri 
 son to his staff-officer. Glenham s open-handed liber 
 ality met with a sudden check, nobody knew why or 
 how, for what passed between Truscott and himself was 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 19 
 
 never mentioned, but a report rapidly gained credence 
 in Camp Sandy that Mr. Glenham had lost a great deal 
 of money in unfortunate investments. Soft-voiced 
 sirens inquired of Mr. Tmscott whether Glenham had 
 said anything to him about his losses, and on -Mr. 
 Truscott s replying gravely that he had not, and merely 
 bowing with equal gravity to the supplementary re 
 mark, " You know, as his room-mate and most inti 
 mate friend, I thought he probably would have told 
 you. Of course, it s a matter I would never think of 
 mentioning," the soft- voiced siren had retired in defeat, 
 and conveyed her verdict to some chosen intimate that 
 Mr. Glenham must have been speculating heavily, she 
 " had been talking with Mr. Trr.scott, but don t for the 
 world say I said so," etc. Consequently, when Colonel 
 Riggs, the bluff old inspector-general of the depart 
 ment, dropped in at Sandy on his way from a hunt, 
 and with his usual happy facility of hitting the nail 
 on the head accosted Glenham with, " Hello, young 
 ster ! I hear you ve been speculating and lost most of 
 your money," the boy was indignant, and in denying 
 the statement in toto demanded the name of Colonel 
 Rjggs s informant, so that in the course of the week 
 there was an unpleasantness at Sandy, and Mrs. Turner 
 lost one of her admirers. Between Truscott and Glen 
 ham there existed a firm friendship which nothing 
 seemed to shake. The former was neither demonstra 
 tive nor outwardly warm in his manner to the younger 
 man, but it was evident that he influenced him in 
 everything, his duties, his tastes, the employment of 
 his time, and, though imperceptibly, in the selection of 
 his friends and associates. On the other hand, Glen- 
 
20 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 ham, in his impetuous and enthusiastic way, was wont 
 to talk of Truscott and his admiration for him by the 
 hour. So when it was noised abroad that Miss Grace 
 Pelham was soon to arrive, and all the story of Glen- 
 ham s devotion to her was renewed, it was with much 
 amazement and more incredulity that the ladies of the 
 garrison heard Mr. Truscott s answer of " Nothing," in 
 response to their eager queries as to what Glenham Lad 
 ever told him about her. 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 21 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 BIG with importance was Mrs. Captain Raymond 
 when the mail from Prescott finally came in on this 
 hot September evening and there was placed in her 
 han ^s a letter from no less a personage than " Lady 
 Pelham," as the th was accustomed to designate the 
 portly matroa who shared the joys, sorrows, name, and 
 much more than shared the stipend of the jolly colonel. 
 
 Seldom was it that her ladyship saw fit to honor the 
 lesser lights jf the regiment with letters written in her 
 august hanc . " Never indeed/ said Mrs. Wilkins, 
 who was not one of her ladyship s satellites, "unless 
 she has an axe to grind or wants chestnuts pulled out 
 of the fire." Mrs. Wilkins was rich in metaphor, but 
 limited in elegance, and from the first had made an 
 unfavorable impression on the new colonel s wife ; but 
 none the less was Mrs. Wilkins eager to hear the pur 
 port of her ladyship s communication, and so postponed 
 her departure for tea, barely restraining her impatience 
 until Mrs. Raymond had finished the eight closely- 
 written pages and looked up, expectant of question. 
 " What does she say about Grace and Mr. Glenham ?" 
 was the first propounded. 
 
 U W ell," replied the recipient, slowly. "You 
 mustn t mention it to a soul, because she says I m not 
 to allude to it ; but, as you were here when the letter 
 
22 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 came, why, I can t see how she can expect me to say 
 that she did not mention the subject when she did ; but 
 you mustn t breathe it. They are not engaged." 
 
 " Oh, of course I knew that all along," persisted 
 Mrs. Wilkins ; " but what does she say ?" 
 
 And so after much interchange of solemn promise* 
 never to tell a soul or betray one another, Mrs. Ray 
 mond read to Mrs. Wilkins an extract pretty much as 
 follows from the last page of her ladyship s letter : 
 
 " Oh, I knew there was something else I wanted to 
 speak about. You know Mr. Glenham, of course, and 
 very probably you have heard some silly rumor con 
 necting dear Grace s name with his. Now let me assure 
 you, my friend, there is absolutely nothing in it, that 
 is, of course, nothing definite. He was perfectly de 
 voted to her at West Point, and evidently very much 
 in love ; but Grace is so young, you know, so perfectly 
 childlike, that his marked attention seemed to make no 
 impression upon her, and no child of mine shall ever 
 be coerced in a matter of the affections. Such things I 
 look upon as criminal in a mother. Of course with 
 his fine character and attainments, not to mention his 
 means, it might not be a bad match for Gracie, though 
 she could look much higher. You have no idea how 
 lovely the child has grown, and only I can say how 
 utterly sweet and lovable a daughter she is ; but she is 
 very sensitive, and with regard to Mr. Glenham is pain 
 fully nervous at times about meeting him again. She 
 gave him no encouragement at all, and assured me that 
 her heart was untouched, but, as I say, she was very 
 young and inexperienced, and no one can predict what 
 may come of it. Now with your known tact it will 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 23 
 
 be an easy matter to give people to understand (\\ ithout 
 letting it be known that I wrote you) that there is no 
 engagement, but that any allusion to the matter in 
 Grade s presence would be prejudicial" "Yes, she 
 has written prejudicial, then scratched it out and written 
 painful," said Mrs. Raymond " painful to her in the 
 last degree. Some women are so heedless and others 
 
 so malicious that it would be just like " And 
 
 here Mrs. Raymond stopped short with an embarrassed 
 cough and " Well, that s about all," which Mrs. Wil- 
 kins did not at all believe, but went off homeward, 
 confident that her ladyship had made a most uncom 
 plimentary allusion to herself in the very line where 
 Mrs. Raymond balked, which, in fact, she had. 
 
 " Don t tell me any such stuff," soliloquized the irate 
 lady, as she banged the door of her own domicile 
 behind. u That woman will bow down to and worship 
 money wherever she sees it, and she ll just make that 
 girl marry him. See if she don t." And at an early 
 hour that evening Lieutenant Wilkins made his appear 
 ance at the card-room down at the store, a circumstance 
 that by this time had become the generally accepted 
 signal at Sandy that the wind was in the east at " Castle 
 Wilkins," as that subaltern s quarters were dubbed by 
 the " society" of the post. 
 
 To just how many more of her intimates that and 
 other portions of her ladyship s letter were read by 
 Mrs. Raymond is not of sufficient importance to relate. 
 That she had revealed the chapter on Grace to one was 
 sufficient to insure its speedy transmission throughout 
 the garrison, not perhaps with strict accuracy as to 
 detail, but with those unavoidable embellishments with 
 
24 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 which the sex succeeds at most times in quadrupling 
 the proportions of any story. 
 
 Mid-October came, and the blazing sun disappeared 
 at an earlier hour behind the range to the west, and 
 crimsoned and gilded the lofty battlements of Squaw 
 Peak down the valley even as the evening recall from 
 herd and fatigue duty was echoed from the mesa across 
 the stream. With each succeeding day old Pelham 
 waxed more jolly and jubilant, and huge were the 
 preparations being made at the commanding officer s 
 mansion for the reception of her ladyship and the sole 
 daughter of his house and name. 
 
 " They sail from San Francisco to-morrow I" he 
 shouted one evening to the knot of officers coming in 
 from retreat roll-call, and waving the brown envelope 
 of his dispatch, the colonel soon gathered his adherents 
 about him. " They sail to-morrow. Come in every 
 body. Let s drink their health and wish them God 
 speed I" And the glad-hearted veteran set before them 
 the unaccustomed luxury of fruity Cucumungo wine, 
 the nectar of Californian vintage, and clinked his glass 
 with one and all in joyous recognition of their cordial 
 good wishes. 
 
 " I go all the way to the Colorado to meet them," 
 said he. "They will reach Yuma by Tuesday fort 
 night, and the general has given me his own teams and 
 ambulance to bring them to Prescott, and there all of 
 you who can must come up to the ball the staff are to 
 give them. We ll have lots of good times, and escort 
 them down here in style." 
 
 Why was it that in his rejoicing the honest-hearted 
 old fellow put forth his hand and rested it kindly on 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 25 
 
 young Glenham s broad shoulder, and that he looked 
 into the boy s flushed and eager face with eyes suffused 
 with unbidden tears ? Every man in the party noted 
 the fact, and even there some smiled significantly. 
 
 That night Truscott turned over lazily in his bed, 
 where he had lain for some time listening for the regular 
 breathing, placid as a baby s, that generally marked 
 Glenham s slumber. Then he hailed through the open 
 doorway, "Glenham, I wish you d go to sleep and 
 snore ; I miss my lullaby. I ve fixed it all with Wil- 
 kins that he is to take your duty for a week, so that 
 you can have all that time in Prescott when the Pel- 
 hams come. Now do go to sleep, and don t toss about 
 there any longer." And without another word or 
 caring to hear Glenham s confused expression of thanks, 
 Truscott turned his face to the wall again and was lost 
 in his own reflections. 
 
 Early in November the " Newbern" was telegraphed 
 at the mouth of the Colorado, and Colonel, Mrs., and 
 Miss Pelham were the guests of the commanding 
 officer at Yuma. Six days more and, their long drive 
 across the desert completed, they would be at Prescott. 
 It did not require half an eye at Sandy to mark how 
 eager, nervous, and absent-minded Glenham had be 
 come. It had been arranged that six of the officers, 
 including Truscott and himself, were to leave for Pres 
 cott as soon as the Pelhams arrived there, and that as 
 many of the ladies of Camp Sandy were to accompany 
 the party to take part in the festivities at headquarters 
 Grand times were anticipated. The staff of the com 
 manding general were to give a ball in honor of the 
 arrival of so noted an army lady as Mrs. Pelharn and 
 B 3 
 
26 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; Oil, 
 
 so lovely an army girl as her daughter. Then the 
 infantry officers of Fort Whipple were to give another, 
 and there would be a series of dinner-parties, rides, 
 drives, picnics, and possibly hunts in the neighboring 
 mountains. The band of the infantry was daily prac 
 tising the latest and most attractive music, imported 
 from New York expressly for the occasion, and their 
 energetically eccentric leader was grinning and capering 
 and writhing himself into the verge of convulsions in 
 his efforts to make them throw espressione into the 
 waltz composed and most respectfully dedicated to her 
 Excellenza Signora Colonel Pelham by her most humble 
 and admiring servant Paolo Bianchinnetti. Bandmaster 
 Paolo was always composing and dedicating waltzes to 
 the ladies of the senior officers, and trusting to luck to 
 secure the kindly graces of the younger ones, in which 
 course he was wiser in his generation than many a 
 native, for while the dancing subalterns swore at him 
 for his execrable time, the elders swore by him, and 
 they held the balance of power. 
 
 The time was fast approaching. Captains Raymond, 
 Turner, and Tanner, with their wives and the three 
 young lady relatives who were to make up the party, 
 were to drive in two large ambulances over the moun 
 tain roads to Prescott, while Truscott, Crane, and Glen- 
 ham escorted them on horseback. The command of 
 the post in Pelham s absence had devolved upon Cap 
 tain Canker, a martinet in his way, and a man whom a 
 little brief authority would transform into a nuisance. 
 The party was to start on Monday morning, and on 
 Sunday night, after parade, Mr. Wilkins came to Trus 
 cott with an air of profound embarrassment. " Jack, 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 27 
 
 I ve got to go to Prescott after all. Mrs. Wilkins has 
 set her heart on going within the last ten days, and I 
 cannot get out of it." Truscott said not a word, so 
 Wilkins stumbled painfully on, " I never wanted to go, 
 and I know that it will disappoint Glenham, as I had 
 promised to take his duties." 
 
 " You were to have taken his tour as officer of the 
 day Tuesday, and to have attended his stable and com 
 pany duties during the week," said Truscott. " When 
 did you decide to go ?" 
 
 " Not until this morning." 
 
 Why didn t you tell me then ?" 
 
 " Well, I thought Mrs. Wilkins would change her 
 mind." 
 
 " When did you tell Captain Canker ?" asked Jack, 
 and a set look came into his face as he gazed straight 
 into the eyes of the other. 
 
 " I told him this morning, and he said it was all 
 right." 
 
 "That s all I want to know," said Truscott, and 
 turning abruptly, he walked over to his office. Just 
 as he expected, Captain Canker was seated there over 
 hauling some late muster-rolls, and as Truscott entered, 
 the temporary commander accosted him with, "Mr. 
 Adjutant, you will notify Mr. Glenham that he cannot 
 go to Prescott to-morrow as Mr. Wilkins is entitled to 
 the preference, and he has decided to go." 
 
 Truscott replied, quietly, "Very good, sir," and 
 seated himself at his desk as though the matter were 
 definitely settled. 
 
 Now, Canker hated his colonel, who had on several 
 occasions interfered with his harsh and arbitrary sys- 
 
28 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 tern as troop commander ; he heartily disliked, yet re 
 spected, Truscott, because he was the colonel s loyal and 
 trusted staff-officer, and he was at all times as discour 
 teous and fault-finding with his second lieutenant, Glen- 
 ham, as he dared be at a post where the colonel was 
 always ready to listen to any appeal for justice, either 
 from officer or man ; but Canker was weak withal, and, 
 finding that Truscott would ask no questions or express 
 no opinion as to his action in Glenham s case, he pro 
 ceeded to do just what Truscott was morally certain he 
 would do, defend it. " You see, Jack/ said Canker, 
 " I must have at least two subalterns here this week. I 
 would be very glad to oblige Mr. Glenham by taking 
 stables, recitations, and the like, but we must have four 
 officers for officer-of-the-day duty. If anybody were 
 here to take his place, I would be delighted to let him 
 go." Truscott continued his calm occupation of con 
 ning over some company returns, and merely bowed in 
 acquiescence, so Canker continued : " It is very disa 
 greeable to me to have to interrupt so pleasant a pro 
 gramme, but you see yourself that we ought to have 
 four officers for duty, do you not ?" 
 
 " Undoubtedly," says Truscott, imperturbably. "We 
 ought to have a dozen." 
 
 " I m glad you agree with me," says Canker. " Mr. 
 Glenham is prone to think me extremely exacting and 
 capricious where he is concerned, and will be more apt 
 to complain than ever." 
 
 "Doubtless he will be much disappointed," says 
 Jack ; " but he will see the real reason as quick as the 
 rest of us, and, as he would not think of asking any 
 one else to give way in his favor, he will take it as it is 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 29 
 
 meant." And the adjutant looks squarely at his supe 
 rior as he says it. 
 
 Canker doesn t half like the ambiguity of the reply ; 
 but after scrutinizing the features of his junior in a 
 quick, furtive glance, he says, hurriedly, 
 
 " Of course, certainly ; but if any of the subaltern 
 officers who are going were to remain here in his stead, 
 then I would be willing to let Glenham go. However, 
 I suppose every man has set his heart on attending 
 those balls, and there will be no chance of that." 
 
 " Every man, to my knowledge, is very eager to go," 
 replies Jack, " but I presume I may say to Glenham 
 that if some one of the lieutenants will stay and take 
 his place, he can leave with the party at reveille." 
 
 "Oh, certainly, certainly/ replies Canker. And 
 with that and the conviction that nobody will make 
 any such quixotic offer, he presently says " good-night," 
 and goes off homeward. 
 
 His footsteps are no sooner out of hearing than 
 Truscott rises and strolls out upon the piazza. The si 
 lence of night has fallen upon Camp Sandy. The 
 bright stars are twinkling aloft through the rare, cloud 
 less atmosphere. Here and there along the company 
 quarters a gleam of light streams out through open 
 doorway or window upon the parade, and some half- 
 dozen of the men are droning a sentimental ditty in a 
 style uncultivated, but apparently satisfactory to them 
 selves. Far across the parade, along officers row, the 
 lights are more frequent, and an occasional burst of 
 musical laughter, the soft tinkle of a guitar, and the 
 deeper voices of some of the garrison beaux, floating on 
 the still night-air, tell where the usual party has gath- 
 
 3* 
 
30 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 ered on some one of the broad piazzas for the evening s 
 ration of gossip and small talk. Truscott sticks hia 
 hands deep in his pockets, and, fixing his eyes on the 
 toe of his boot, gives himself to solitary reflection. 
 Two or three of the greyhounds rise, stretch, yawn, 
 then come up to their friend and poke their cool muz 
 zles against his wrists, and mutely plead for recognition. 
 He draws his hands from their ambush, and bestows a 
 few absent-minded pats upon their sleek heads, em 
 boldened by which, two of the lithe creatures place 
 their paws upon his breast and strive to lick his face. 
 "Down, Hualpai! down, Verde!" he protests, as he 
 brushes them off; then seeing their crestfallen looks as 
 they slink away, he whistles them back, whereupon 
 they come, bounding, and Truscott laughs to himself, 
 as he covers their heads and flanks with hearty slaps 
 of endearment. " Good boy, Wally ! good boy, Verde ! 
 You d miss me, at any rate. By Jove, I ll do it !" 
 Another minute and he stepped into the telegraph- 
 office, took a couple of blanks from the desk, placed 
 them in the ordinary brown envelope, closed it, then 
 turned to the soldier operator, 
 
 " Corcoran, several officers will breakfast in the mess - 
 room at reveille to-morrow. Address this envelope to 
 me, and bring it to me there at that time ; do you un 
 derstand ?" and with that he left. 
 
 Long before the sun came peeping over the Mogol- 
 lon range (locally known as the Mogeyone) on the fol 
 lowing morning, and even as the mellow notes of the 
 cavalry trumpets floated upward with the flag through 
 the balmy air, hailing the dawn with stirring reveille, 
 a busy group, horses, mules, and men, were preparing 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 31 
 
 for the start from officers row. A large ambulance, 
 with its frisky four-in-hand of sleek, well-fed mules, 
 was loading up with baskets, satchels, and trunks in 
 front of Captain Tanner s quarters, another, similarly 
 supplied and occupied, stood at the Raymonds door. 
 In front of bachelor s hall were the favorite " mounts" 
 of Truscott, Gleuham, and Crane, and those of the 
 two orderlies who were to accompany the party. The 
 orderlies themselves were busily strapping on the sad 
 dle-bags and ponchos of their leaders; for while it 
 rarely rained at Sandy, as has been said, it might pour 
 in torrents before they reached the Agua Fria. In the 
 mess-room three or four officers in riding dress were 
 hastily sipping their coffee, when Glenham, feverishly 
 impatient as all could see, rose hurriedly from the table, 
 and bidding the others make haste, strode to the door, 
 and there bumped up against the telegraph operator. 
 
 "For the adjutant," said the latter, saluting and 
 answering the inquiry in the lieutenant s eye. 
 
 Truscott received the brown envelope without a word, 
 slowly opened and drew forth the contents, which he 
 glanced over with a slight uplifting of the eyebrow, 
 and then silently rose and walked off towards his office. 
 
 "Now, what s up ?" said Crane. " Two to one that 
 means that a scout s to be sent out right away, 
 those cussed Tontos must be jumping the reservation 
 again." 
 
 " If that were the matter the order would come to 
 the C. O., not to the adjutant," said Glenham ; " but 
 we can t wait ; it s time we were off. I ll hail Jack 
 and see what s the matter." With that he called his 
 orderly, who came up leading the lieutenant s horse. 
 
32 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 Glenham quickly mounted, and cantered across the 
 garrison after Truscott, overtaking him at the office. 
 
 The adjutant turned, and, without giving his friend 
 time to question, held out his hand. " Glenham, you 
 and Crane go ahead ; I can t leave now, but I ll follow 
 as soon as it is possible for me to get away. Just tell 
 the orderly to leave my saddle-bags at the house and 
 take Apache 7 back to the stable. Off with you, eld 
 boy," as Glenham hesitated, " and good time to you ; 
 I m going right to the telegraph-office." 
 
 " One second, Jack : nothing serious, is it ?" 
 " Nothing at all, Glenham ; go ahead." 
 The ambulances, with cracking whip and plunging 
 mules, were rattling out of the north gate ; fluttering 
 white handkerchiefs signalled "come on;"* Crane and 
 his party were mounting ; the hounds, leaping, yelping, 
 and excited, were rushing about the parade in anticipa 
 tion of a chase up the valley. So with one uneasy, 
 half-dissatisfied glance at his friend, Glenham suddenly 
 struck spur to his horse, wheeled, and, with a wave of his 
 hand, galloped off in pursuit. Truscott stopped at the 
 door and gazed after the stout, bulky young knight, 
 who " bobbed" clumsily in his saddle as he rode. A 
 smile half amused, half sorrowful, stole over his face. 
 " Poor Arthur, ten times three years in the riding hall 
 couldn t have made him a horseman." 
 
 Three hours later the commanding officer pro tern, sat 
 in state to receive the report of the officer of the day. 
 The trumpets were " turning off" the old guard, and 
 two tall subalterns entered girt with sabre and precise 
 in dress. Acknowledging the salute of the first, and 
 reaching out his hand to receive the guard report book, 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 33 
 
 Captain Canker looked up in amaze at the familiar face 
 and form of the adjutant, who calmly raised hand to 
 cap visor and remarked, " I report as new officer of the 
 day, sir." 
 
 Canker reddened and stammered for a moment, then 
 hurriedly stuttered, " You are not required to perform 
 guard duty, sir. It is Mr. Glenham s turn. Where 
 is he, sir?" 
 
 " Well on his way to Prescott, captain. You were 
 so good as to say that he could go if any one of the 
 subalterns would remain and take his duties. I do 
 that, sir." 
 
34 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 PERCHED aloft in the very summit of a glorious 
 mountain range, yet nestling in the shelter of pine- 
 covered heights sweeping in circle around it, watered 
 by the purest and coldest of running streams, and rev 
 elling in an atmosphere bracing and clear as only a 
 Sierran atmosphere can be, the little town of Prescott 
 and the outlying post of Fort Whipple owed to nature 
 all their attractiveness. They were embowered in a 
 veritable oasis, for, whether from east or west, north 
 or south, miles of desert sand or sterile and volcanic 
 rock had to be traversed before the eye of the traveller 
 rested upon the glad sight of something like civilized 
 homes. In the days of which we write San Francisco 
 lay three weeks journey away, and more than a month, 
 unless one took a bumping trip to the railway by 
 l( buckboard," was occupied in the devious route to the 
 Atlantic States. Rugged miners, savage Apaches, root- 
 grubbing Digger Indians, swarthy Mexicans, and prowl 
 ing coyotes were the inhabitants apparently indigenous 
 to the soil, but to prey upon their necessities those 
 pioneers of civilization, the shop-keeping Israelites, had 
 established the inevitable " slop-shop," and those pre 
 cursors of settlement, the scum and froth borne ever 
 upon the outermost wave of the great tide of emigra 
 tion, the bar- and gambling-hell-keepers, had planted 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 35 
 
 their vile booths around the plaza, and stood guard 
 with self-cocking revolver over their stock in trade ere 
 ever the outlines of that plaza were staked, 
 
 A governor in course of time had been duly expa 
 triated to look after the interests of the United States 
 in this hopelessly turbulent neighborhood, and for some 
 years twice the realized revenue was spent in keeping 
 up communication with his exiled excellency. Event 
 ually, as a means of recruiting a population fast killing 
 itself off, to the no great detriment of society in general, 
 but the undoubted jeopardy of the commercial interests 
 of those merchants who had shipped their goods thither 
 in hopes of fabulous profit, a few lodes were duly 
 "salted" by experienced hands of Californian educa 
 tion, the inflammatory announcement was made that 
 Arizona was teeming with mineral wealth, and gold, 
 silver, copper, and iron could be picked up by the 
 bucketful. A swarm of eager adventurers pushed in to 
 try their luck, and having invested their last shilling in 
 the attempt, were compelled to stick there and swindle 
 others into coming and doing likewise, and finally it 
 was brought about that three regiments and a brigadier- 
 general of the United States army had to be scattered 
 broadcast over this barren land to whip into subjection 
 the Apache hordes, who looked with not undeserved 
 hatred upon the original white invaders, and one of 
 ihese regiments was so composed of horses and men as 
 to comply with the generally accepted requirements 
 which in this country entitle it to the designation of 
 cavalry. 
 
 Two years of sharp work and stubborn fighting in 
 the mountains had won for the th the peace they 
 
36 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 were now enjoying, but had effected many important 
 changes on their muster-rolls. Some of their best and 
 bravest had been sacrificed in the thankless task, and 
 bright hopes, buoyant, loyal, gallant hearts, lay buried 
 under the worthless soil with no other honors than their 
 comrades parting volley, no other notice than the pithy 
 explanation of the yearly register in its list of casual 
 ties, "Killed in affair with Indians," every bit as com 
 plimentary and gratifying to mourning widow or 
 stricken parent as though it read " in pothouse brawl." 
 What though the regiment could tell (when it chose to 
 talk of those things) of deeds of heroism that rivalled 
 the blazoned records of the great war or matched the 
 later knightliness of Beresford at Ulundi? What 
 though in hand-to-hand encounter young striplings 
 from the Point had won their spurs or received their 
 death- wound, and dying had, like Philip Sydney, 
 spurned the cooling drink craved in their burning 
 agony that an humbler comrade, needing it more than 
 they who could but die, might drink and live ? What 
 though in the proud, yet untold record of their cam 
 paigns, thirst and starvation, bitter cold and scorching 
 heat, lonely death in a distant land, the torture of car 
 riage through miles of mountain wilderness that fester 
 ing wounds might receive the care only to be looked 
 for days journey away, all were borne uncomplainingly, 
 unflinchingly for duty s sake ? What though not one 
 defeat had marred the wreath of hard-won conquests, 
 that never had officer or man like craven Gary turned 
 his back upon wounded friend or advancing foe? 
 What mattered it that their general, himself as reckless 
 in exposure as their hardiest trooper, sought again and 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 37 
 
 again the recognition their deeds demanded ? An all- 
 powerful if not all- wise Congress had decreed that 
 Indian warfare was not war in the sense that permitted 
 any honor or reward to be extended to its participants. 
 As a Western and consequently friendly Representative 
 once put it, a man might sit in an easy-chair through 
 four years of a great rebellion, and without ever hear 
 ing the whistle of a bullet be " brevetted" all the way 
 up from captain to major-general, but let him get shot 
 into smithereens in hand-to-hand struggle with the 
 Indians of our mountains and prairies, why, that wasn t 
 war said the Senate, and so the recommendations of 
 the general and the nominations of the President went 
 into the Congressional waste-basket, and except the 
 copper-bronze medal worn by some few enlisted men, 
 an affair similar in appearance and presumably equal 
 in intrinsic value to the old-fashioned cent, the regi 
 ment had gone unrewarded. 
 
 But peaceful times seemed to have come. Band after 
 band of hostile Apaches had surrendered and been 
 gathered on the reservations. Scouting expeditions 
 became infrequent, visits began to be exchanged be 
 tween the detached posts, and at department head 
 quarters balls and " hops" were of weekly occurrence. 
 The arrival of ladies from the States brought about a 
 revival in the latent interest in Eastern fashions, fem 
 inine conversations became less intelligible to masculine 
 ears, and feminine garments as noted at the dancing- 
 parties became scant as to skirt and entangling as to 
 trains. Those heroines who had gone into Arizona 
 with the th had originally astonished the Mexican 
 Befloritas by the balloon-like expansions of dress-goods 
 
 4 
 
38 THE COLON BUS DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 worn just below the small of the back, alluded to as 
 paniers, and maintained in position by " bustles." 
 Now it seemed that a new order of things was to come 
 into vogue, and Mrs. Wilkins, an exponent in fashions, 
 whatever she might be in linguistics, had already won 
 enviable distinction by appearing at Sandy in what she 
 assured her friends to be the " very latest style of 
 po^linay." The other ladies readily forgave the brief 
 ascendency thus acquired in consideration of the sly 
 merriment occasioned by her unconscious slaughter of 
 the proper name. 
 
 And so it happened that all was jollity in the Ter 
 ritory when Grace Pelham arrived at Prescott, and so 
 it chanced that two nights after her arrival there were 
 gathered from far and near, from Bowie, Lowell, 
 Apache, and Grant, along the southern line of posts, 
 from Yuma and Mohave, from all over Arizona little 
 squads of officers and ladies, eager as children, after 
 their long exile, to join in the festivities consequent 
 upon the coming of her ladyship and the colonel s 
 daughter. 
 
 The day of the staff ball had come. Every instant 
 of Grace s waking hours had been occupied with re 
 ceiving visits, driving, riding, and dining. The dele 
 gation from Sandy went en masse.) as soon as the proper 
 toilets could be effected after the rough and dusty drive, 
 to pay its respects to madame and to loyally welcome 
 the younger lady. Glenham, a radiant, intensified 
 Glenham, was already there, and there the ladies and 
 their lords left him when they retired to their temporary 
 homes. "He s simply dead in love with her," said 
 Mrs. Raymond to Mesdames Turner and Wilkins. 
 
WINNING IIIS SPURS. 39 
 
 " Yes/ said Mrs. Wilkins, " and her ladyship s dead 
 in love with his money," and somehow or other Mrs. 
 Pelham was duly informed of the remark before the 
 setting of a second sun. 
 
 Glenham was dead in love with her. From morning 
 till night he hung about the girl ; he it was who secured 
 the first ride, the only one before the ball ; he who was 
 accepted as her escort thereto; he who accompanied her 
 to the croquet ground or band concert, who alone of the 
 subalterns was invited to the general s house to sit by 
 the side of the sweet, fair guest and dine with them en 
 famille. 
 
 "It s a put-up job," said the slangy and sulky young 
 fellows who were vainly striving to " cut in" and catch 
 an unoccupied moment ; but between them and the ap 
 parently unconscious object there ever interposed that 
 placidly smiling, imperturbably watchful mother ("that 
 confounded old tabby," said Ray of Camp Cameron). 
 It was all plain sailing for Glenham, all rock, shoal, 
 and sand-bar for them. 
 
 "But where s Truscott?" said Colonel Pelham, sud 
 denly, the morning of the ball ; and with a pang of 
 self-reproach, Arthur Glenham for the first time re 
 membered that his friend was left behind. " A tele 
 gram reached him just as we were starting," he ex 
 plained, " and he said it would be impossible for 
 him to start until later. He made us come on with 
 out him, but I surely thought he would be here last 
 night." 
 
 " Deed and you re wrong there, Mr. Glenham," 
 broke in Mrs. Wilkins. " I can tell you the whole 
 thing in a jiffy, colonel. With Captain Canker in com 
 
40 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 mand there was no chance of little Glenham s getting 
 away, and it s just my belief that Mr. Truscott stayed 
 back in his place. Ah, Miss Gracie," she added, mis 
 chievously, " there s one young man that don t come to 
 his knees even for you." After which graceful piece 
 of badinage the lady confronted Lady Pel ham, and the 
 two dames squarely met one another s glance, the war 
 began right there. 
 
 In the silence that followed Glenham stood like one 
 in a maze, the colonel turned sharply on his heel and 
 left the room. Ray and Captain Tanner nearly col 
 lided with him in the hall, and came in upon the group 
 wondering what old Catnip was damning that man 
 Canker for this time. 
 
 Half an hour later Captain Canker, seated in the 
 adjutant s office at Camp Sandy, received a dispatch by 
 telegraph in these words: "Department commander 
 desires Lieutenant Truscott s presence to-night, unless 
 services urgently needed." Canker ground his teeth, 
 threw the paper to the adjutant, thrust his hands in his 
 pockets, and strode to the door. There he turned and 
 angrily spoke, " You can go, of course, but this is a 
 damned piece of interference on somebody s part." 
 Truscott glanced at the telegram and went on with his 
 writing without a word. 
 
 Canker walked away half across the parade, then 
 stopped, pondered a moment, and returned. "Mr. 
 Truscott, I can t spare any more teams or men. If 
 you go you must ride, and you cannot take your or 
 derly. I don t intend to allow government horses to 
 be ruined by fifty-mile gallops while I m in command," 
 and with that he was off. 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 4} 
 
 Truscott looked at the clock, sent a few lines to his 
 servant, finished his work, and, as the noonday sun beat 
 hotly down, with Sandy far behind, he crossed the first 
 range and rode rapidly over into the gorge of Cherry 
 Creek alone, 
 
42 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 CHAPTER IV, - 
 
 THE ball was at its height. The well-waxed floor, 
 on which the post quartermaster had lavished his finest 
 boarding, and enthusiastic bachelor officers hours of 
 individual supervision and personal effort, shone like 
 satin, and rendered all bur ihose who were thoroughly 
 experienced vaguely nervous and reluctant about join 
 ing in the most solemn of square dances. Around the 
 walls, draped with flag and guidon, and glittering with 
 sabre and scroll-work, were interspersed dozens of 
 lamps with polished reflectors. Candles and kerosene 
 furnished all the illumination that sun or moon with 
 held, despite official edicts against volatile and explo 
 sive oils. Crude and warlike as may have been the 
 decorations, never did the " swellest" German at Del- 
 monico s present much better music or any better 
 dancing than was to be found at the large garrisons of 
 the frontier, and certainly for genuine enjoyment an 
 army ball yields the palm to no other. An army lady 
 never becomes a wall-flower. She has this one com 
 pensation for marrying in the service. After two or 
 three seasons in the great cities of the East even the 
 prettiest girl becomes to society people passee, and, 
 once married, only when exceptionally attractive and 
 brilliant does she continue to be sought as a partner; 
 but, owing probably to the dearth of young and un- 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 43 
 
 married ladies, the army wife retains all the hold she 
 ever had upon bellehood, even increases it in many in 
 stances, and the bright and witty and dancing woman, 
 though her children be tall as herself, never lacks for 
 "attention." As for the army girl, with any viva 
 city, with any pretensions to beauty or grace, she lives 
 and moves a queen. 
 
 And so the ball-room was filled with dancers ; the 
 sombre uniforms of the staff and the infantry, the 
 gayer trappings of the cavalry, the aiguillettes of the 
 aides-de-camp mingling with many an exquisite toilet 
 that would have shone resplendent in the distant East. 
 It was long after midnight, supper had been served, 
 even the musicians, in detachments, had been fed and 
 otherwise comforted, some few elders had slipped away 
 and gone homeward, but the ringing music of " Le Roi 
 Garotte" sent ten full " sets" through the figures of the 
 Lancers, and compelled many a staid spectator to beat 
 time with his feet. Many a group of lookers-on 
 watched the spirited movement of the dance from cor 
 ner and doorway, while out in the " club-room," where 
 numbers of the senior officers and non-dancing civil 
 ians from Prescott had gathered for a smoke, many a 
 time had beaming Colonel Pelham to touch glasses with 
 friend or comrade who came to congratulate him on the 
 arrival of madame, and to say, with serio-comic earn 
 estness, "By Jove, Pelham, if I were twenty years 
 younger there would be another victim on Grade s 
 list." 
 
 Well might they do her homage. Confessedly pretty 
 before, Grace Pelham was simply lovely, radiant, to 
 night. Taller perhaps than many girls of her age, 
 
44 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 yet not above the average height, with a form slender, 
 willowy, and graceful, there was a queenliness in her 
 bearing that distinguished her even in her girlhood. 
 Perhaps this was due to the carriage of her royal head, 
 for that was Grade s glory. Small and shapely, it was 
 crowned with a wealth of soft shining hair, the richest 
 hue of golden brown, shot with radiant lights and 
 tints of reddish bronze. Who could tell its color? 
 "Red, of course," said Mrs. Wilkins at first sight. 
 " Chestnut sorrel/ said Captain Turner, who loved the 
 color as that of the mount of his company. " Golden 
 bronze," said Ray of Camp Cameron ; and the " bonni 
 est brown in the world," said a poetical aide-de-camp. 
 All about her pure white forehead and temples it clus 
 tered in shimmering little curls, each with a halo of its 
 own. Thence, brushed smoothly back, it was gath 
 ered in one massive knot, mantling, yet disclosing the 
 perfect shape of the head it graced. 
 
 " A thing to be braided and jewelled and kissed, 
 Twas the loveliest hair in the world, my pet," 
 
 was poor Glenham s constant thought of it, and all too 
 soon that of more than one other. 
 
 But Grace s glories ended not here. The dark eye 
 brows which spanned her forehead were full, boldly 
 marked, yet but slightly curved, and underneath the 
 brows, curtained with lids of purest white, shaded and 
 fringed with lashes long, thick, and curling, were eyes 
 so large, so soft, yet so ready to flash with merriment 
 or sparkle with animation, that to look into their dark 
 depths was enough to make more than one young fel- 
 
WINNING IIIS SPURS. 4 
 
 lo\v long to see them melt with tenderness. Like her 
 hair, Grace Pelham s eyes were indescribable in color, 
 for they too were shot with odd little gleams of golden 
 light. " Yellow, you know ; real like cats," said Mrs. 
 Wilkins, and yet those eyes were lovely. Lovely in 
 the frank, fearless innocence of their gaze ; lovely in 
 the truth and purity of soul that shone through evory 
 glance ; lovely in the thought and earnestness of their 
 expression ; lovely despite the dash of yellow in their 
 hazel brown ; lovely enough to be declared her very 
 best feature, unless the sweet soft mouth were excepted. 
 Once before in his lifetime the narrator had seen such 
 eyes as Grace Pelham s, but not once a mouth like hers. 
 Closed, it was the perfection of Cupid s bow, so uner 
 ringly had nature stamped thereon the utmost grace of 
 curve and line. Even the point in the short upper lip 
 was as exact as though modelled from the marble of 
 Praxiteles. Around the corners were clustered such 
 shy little curves and ripples that that looking was 
 longing; and when Gracie smiled, white, even teeth 
 flashed through their roseate frame-work. Her mouth 
 was always an attractive feature, but simply exquisite 
 in repose. Du reste ? a fair oval face, a straight, 
 " thorough-bred" nose, a delicately modelled chin with 
 its faint suspicion of lurking dimple, a throat and neck 
 white and soft and spotless, and hands and feet long, 
 slender, the former at least fragile-looking and softly 
 white. " Too thin and scrawny to my taste/ 7 said Mrs. 
 Wilkins, redundant in person as she was in criticism. 
 " The sweetest girl in the army, Nellie Blossom not 
 excepted," said Lieutenant Ray, as he gazed at her 
 through the canopied entrance to the ball-room, and 
 
i6 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 then sighing profoundly as he contemplated the mort 
 gaged condition of his pay accounts, turned back into 
 the club-room. 
 
 Not a vacancy was there on Grace s card that night, 
 and though she showed no favor, kept no waltz or galop 
 for one who might prove a better partner than another, 
 she had engagements for every number from first to 
 last before she had been half an hour in the ball-room. 
 Glen ham as her escort had seized upon the card, and, 
 with boyish selfishness, scribbled his initials in five dif 
 ferent places. Later in the night, finding new appli 
 cants for her hand who protested against being com 
 pelled to go home without one dance with the belle of 
 the evening, she had laughingly summoned her cav 
 alier and notified him that he must yield at least two 
 of his claims in favor of the unprovided-for applicants, 
 a thing that young Arthur most grudgingly acceded to. 
 
 Waltz, lanciers, quadrille, and galop succeeded one 
 another in rapid succession as the night wore on, and 
 still even matrons and " chaperons" danced untiringly ; 
 still some new sweet strain from Paolo s orchestra 
 would call the half- wearied ones again to the glassy 
 floor. There was marked diminution among the spec 
 tators at the windows where, earlier in the evening, 
 dozens of the soldiers and the soldiers wives had gath 
 ered to feast their eyes upon the scene within. There 
 was hardly an elderly man among the dancers, yet the 
 sets continued full, and the spirit and movement un 
 tiring. 
 
 It must have been late in the morning, past three 
 o clock, when, after a genuine romp through the merry 
 figures of the army quadrille, the dancers hurried out 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 47 
 
 in couples to the club-rooms for a breath of fresh air 
 and a sip of punch or lemonade, as tastes might de 
 mand. Among them strolled Grace with her partner, 
 an aide-de-camp on the staff of the commanding gen 
 eral, and with him she stopped one moment at a table 
 where Colonel Pelham, with three or four oldsters, was 
 deep in a game of whist. The colonel looked fondly 
 up into her sweet flushed happy face, and taking the 
 hand she had rested lightly on his shoulder, pressed it 
 to his cheek, as he inquired, 
 
 " Having a good time, daughter ? Any of these 
 boys dance any better than your father could fifteen 
 years ago ?" Whereat everybody laughed. " Fact," 
 he continued ; " I wouldn t mind trying a tilt with the 
 majority of them now, except Kay or Truscott. How 
 does Truscott dance, Grade?" 
 
 "I haven t met him, father. Is he here to-night?" 
 
 " Here !" exclaimed the colonel. "Whylisn t he? 
 General," he cried, turning suddenly to another table, 
 Avhere, all alone, sat the chief, absorbed, as was his wont, 
 in a game of solitaire. " General, hasn t Truscott re 
 ported? I declare I had forgotten." 
 
 " Not to me," said the chief, looking up with an ex 
 pression of evident anxiety. " Where s Wickham ?" 
 A soldierly, black-haired, black-bearded officer stepped 
 quickly to him. " Wickham, didn t you get reply to 
 the dispatch to Sandy about Mr. Truscott ?" 
 
 " Yes, general. Truscott left the post before ten this 
 morning." 
 
 Grace noticed a sudden twitch of the arm of the 
 aide-de-camp on which her hand was resting. Looking 
 quickly up, she saw him biting at the heavy moustache 
 
48 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 which shaded his mouth, though his sharp, eager eyes 
 were fixed upon the general s face. 
 
 " I don t understand it," said Pelham, gravely. " It s 
 a long, rough, fifty-mile ride, but Truscott has often 
 made it in ten hours." 
 
 " Pardon me, Miss Pelham," quietly spoke the aide- 
 de-camp. " There goes the waltz you promised Evans, 
 and he will be tearing things to pieces in his efforts to 
 find you if we don t get back to the ball-room." And 
 with that he led her quickly away, talking laughingly, 
 but in three minutes he was back beside his chief, and 
 a hurried conversation took place in a low tone. 
 
 "No, gentlemen," Colonel Pelham was saying, in 
 answer to a suggestion from the card-table, " it s no 
 case of a lost shoe or a lame horse. Truscott never was 
 known to lame a horse or to start with a loose shoe. 
 Something has gone wrong, or he would have been 
 here before ten o clock, and now it s half-past three." 
 Another minute, and after some muttered words with 
 the general, Wickham and the aide-de-camp silently 
 slipped out of the room. 
 
 Even the Pelham ball (as it was long afterwards 
 termed among the participants) had to come to an end 
 some time. Yet it was after four o clock when the last 
 waltz found still a dozen enthusiastic dancers gliding 
 about the room, and the performer on the double-bass 
 falling asleep to the droning accompaniment of his own 
 music, was aroused by a kick to the consciousness that 
 his comrades were playing "Home, Sweet Home," 
 while he was still sawing away at his part of u Kiinstler 
 Leben." From first to last it had been one glowing 
 triumph for Grace, and her ladyship had listened with 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 49 
 
 pardonable and parental pride to many a tribute to her 
 daughter s beauty, her winning ways, and unaffected 
 manner. Now, as fleecy wraps were being donned 
 previous to venturing forth into the sharp morning air, 
 Mrs. Pelham stood at the door of the dressing-room 
 exchanging last good-nights with those who had lingered 
 to the end. Of these were our Camp Sandy party, one 
 and all indefatigable dancers, except Lieutenant Wil- 
 kins who had long since been snoring with his head on 
 his arms in a sheltered corner of the card-room ; but 
 even the asperity of his better-half had melted under 
 the genial influences of such music, such partners, and 
 such punch, and for once she had spared him public 
 reprimand; but the sight of her ladyship, smiling, 
 portly, and majestic, showering confidential salutations 
 upon her intimates and condescension upon the juniors, 
 was, as she happily expressed it, " the red rag for my 
 bull," and once more the matrons met with a clash, and 
 one incident occurred to mar the equanimity with which 
 Mrs. Pelham had witnessed her daughter s triumph. 
 It had required no keenness of perception throughout 
 the evening to note how thoroughly she bad kept Grace 
 and her partners under view ; how eagerly she watched 
 the devotion of Glenham ; how frowningly the atten 
 tions of such ineligibles as Ray, Evans, Hunter, and 
 the like had been regarded ; for poor as those youngsters 
 might have been in pocket, in point of personal attrac 
 tions poor Glenham had little to offer in competition 
 with them. 
 
 " Ah, Mrs. Pelham," said Mrs. Wilkins, halting in 
 front of the colonel s wife, " Miss Gracie has won all 
 hearts to-night. I predict it won t be long before we 
 c d 5 
 
50 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 have a grand wedding at this rate. Sure all the young 
 fellows will be cutting one another s throats if she 
 isn t married inside of the year." 
 
 Amazed at the effrontery of her manner, as well as 
 stung by its fearlessness, Mrs. Pelharn s portly bosom 
 swelled with wrath, and the color surged to her fore 
 head. In the desperately hopeless effort of crushing 
 her foe with an overwhelming hauteur, she replied, 
 
 "It is to be hoped, Mrs. Wilkins, that my daughter 
 will have too much character to rush into any such 
 matrimonial gulf as you suggest. She will be guided 
 by her parents, not by freak or fancy, and need be in 
 no hurry." 
 
 " Deed and you re right, Mrs. Pelham ; she ll never 
 be in a hurry so long as only such brainless boys as 
 Glenham are allowed to approach her. But wait till 
 men like Truscott step in. It s her father s own 
 daughter she ll be then, or I m mistaken." And a 
 sarcastic laugh was the only rejoinder her ladyship had 
 time to make before Glenham and Grace appeared at 
 her side; but wrath was in her heart and vengeance 
 plotting in her brain as she turned to her escort. 
 
 It was so new to her to be braved and badgered this 
 way by a woman vastly her inferior in social station ; 
 the wife of an officer, to be sure, but that officer but 
 an old lieutenant of her husband s regiment, a man 
 who, having rendered his country good service during 
 the war of the Rebellion, had thankfully accepted a 
 second lieutenancy in the regular cavalry at its close. 
 He and his sharp -sigh ted, razor-tongued wife had 
 "joined" together in J 67, and long association among 
 ladies of refinement and culture had only slightly 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 51 
 
 dulled the edges of her uncouthness; but she was a 
 prudent, saving, and thrifty woman in her household ; 
 had been a far more valuable helpmeet to patient, 
 plodding Wilkins than he knew, and, except when in 
 dulging in a fit of ill temper and consequent explosive- 
 ness of language, she kept his home in reasonable com 
 fort and his children in excellent dress and discipline. 
 Policy she had, and cared to have, none. She had 
 some warm impulses; was a faithful friend in time of 
 trouble or illness ; had been a devoted nurse to young 
 Gregg when he was down with the mountain fever, and 
 to Plympton when he was slowly recovering from the 
 wounds the pestilent Apaches had inflicted in the last 
 fight he and her husband had had with them ; but the 
 moment another woman attempted to override or ignore 
 her there rose in her bosom a spirit of resentment that 
 overswept all bounds. She had neither education nor 
 polish, but a faculty of saying just what she thought, 
 and more too, and, to use her husband s rueful admis 
 sion, "She wasn t afraid of the devil." 
 
 Still swelling with suppressed wrath was the colonel s 
 wife when Lieutenant Kay, with his cavalry circular 
 (" cape" as they called it) thrown over his arm, re-en 
 tered and hastily approached her. Well he knew that 
 madame had more than once that night looked askance 
 at his attentions to Grace ; possibly, too, he realized the 
 importance of seizing upon the opportunity while it 
 served, for his manner was deferential and courteous in 
 the extreme as he bowed before her ladyship. " Colonel 
 Pelham has been called off with the general, madame. 
 1 cannot imagine what is going on, but may I not have 
 the honor of escorting you home ?" 
 
52 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 Now, here was a young man who properly appre 
 ciated her position, or his own inferiority, no matter 
 which. So lately dared by one of her own sex, her 
 ladyship s ruffled feathers were smoothed by the tone 
 of deference with which the diplomatic Hay made 
 tender of his services. Her flushed features unbent in 
 a smile of patronizing (matronizing ?) consent, and, 
 with a sweeping and comprehensive good-night bow to 
 the throng, she accepted the subaltern s arm and majes 
 tically left the hall. 
 
 Gracie lingered, with Glenham flitting impatiently 
 about her. There were so many good-nights to be said, 
 so many repetitious of "Just the loveliest ball ever 
 known," so many projects for rides or drives and dances 
 when they had had time to get over this one, though 
 there was not a belle present who did not profess her 
 entire ability to start right on and begin all over again, 
 but at last the group broke away, and in a few moments 
 Arthur Glenham was leading his sweet partner up the 
 winding path towards the general s house, and not a 
 soul was within earshot. 
 
 Brilliantly the stars were gleaming in the rare purity 
 of the Sierran atmosphere. Cold and calm and glit 
 tering they shone down upon the dark pine-crested 
 heights, and upon the dim valley in which sleeping 
 town and outlying cantonment lay nestled. High aloft 
 the studded girdle of Orion hung resplendent in the 
 zenith, while farther west, from the lowering front of 
 the great Bull, Aldebaran, radiant in his isolation, shone 
 sparkling through the silent skies. Eastward, fringing 
 the tumbling, ragged outline of the hills, a grayish pal 
 lor overspread the firmament, but left in deeper shade 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 53 
 
 all objects at their base. Here and there along the 
 spur of foot-hill glimmering lights betrayed the homes 
 of the officers, and lower down, midway across the val 
 ley, a broad yellow glare shot athwart the high road 
 from the doors of the post-trader s, opened at that late 
 hour presumably for the benefit of the drivers and 
 hangers-on who had conveyed the guests from Prescott, 
 but probably more to the benefit of the trader himself, 
 for Arizona whiskey is of the vile vilest. The last 
 wagon-load had rolled away towards town, the beat of 
 hoof and rumble of wheel dying in the distance full 
 ten minutes ago, and still those enticing doors stood 
 open, evidence of further patronage, yet no sound came 
 from the usually noisy bar- or card -room. All was so 
 still that the cry of the sentinel s "Half-past four 
 o clock and a-a-alPs well" rang through the frosty air 
 like notes of clarion. 
 
 Along the opposite ridge the dim night-lights at the 
 hospital had given place to some unwonted illumination. 
 Glenham and his companion strolling slowly up the 
 path must have marked it, had she known how unusual 
 a feature these lights were at Whipple, had he marked 
 anything but the beauty of the sweet face that enchained 
 his eyes. For a moment they paused midway up the 
 steep and looked back towards the now deserted ball 
 room " whose lights were fled." It lay in a little val 
 ley midway between them and a line of low one-storied 
 buildings on the rise beyond. Oh, Glenham, where 
 were your eyes that you noted not the lights moving 
 rapidly to and fro among them, the offices of the adju 
 tant-general and aides and the telegraph station? Where 
 were your eyes that you saw not, still farther beyond, 
 
54 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 the line of windows in the cavalry quarters, or, clown 
 in the valley of the stream itself, the flitting lanterns 
 in the stables and corral ? Poor boy ! he saw nothing, 
 thought of nothing but the face and form beside him, 
 the glorious eyes that had haunted his dreams for two 
 long years. The pair had stopped one brief moment 
 to look around at the scene they had so lately left, and 
 she, noting how he had no eyes for aught but her, 
 marking with woman s quick intuition the silence that 
 had taken possession of him, dreading the avowal she 
 knew must be trembling on his lips, strove to move 
 on again, and broke nervously into speech, but he re 
 sisted the gentle effort, and looking up she met his 
 gaze. With an intensity of longing she had never 
 dreamed of seeing Glenham s blue eyes were fastened 
 passionately upon her face, drinking in her beauty. 
 With a quick, impulsive movement he seized the 
 slender hand that had lain upon his arm, and eagerly, 
 brokenly, almost sobbingly, the words burst from his 
 lips, 
 
 " Grace ! Gracie ! I can wait no longer. You know 
 I love you ; you must know it. Haven t you one word 
 of hope for me after all this long time ?" 
 
 No time to hesitate now, no backward look or step , 
 the plunge was taken ; the words that, come what might, 
 could never be forgotten, were spoken irrevocably. All 
 along she had known they must be said, though in 
 many a gentle way she had striven to give him to 
 understand how hopeless it was, and now she must 
 meet the words and, all too late, turn them back. 
 Looking quickly into his quivering face, yet making 
 no effort to disengage the hand he clasped so tightly as 
 
WINNING IHS SPURS. 55 
 
 almost to crush, her answer came like a cry of pain, 
 " Oh, Mr. Glenham ! I have tried so hard to avert 
 this. I had hoped, almost prayed, you had forgotten 
 what what you told me at West Point." 
 
 For a moment no further word was spoken. She 
 could hear the heavy beating of his heart, the gasping 
 sob that rose to his lips, as, in dumb misery, his head 
 fell upon his breast. 
 
 " If it had been a thing I could write of, I would 
 have tried even harder to explain to you why it could 
 never be," she presently went on gently, almost caress 
 ingly, her tone was so full of sympathy and sorrow. 
 " You remember, don t you, that I told you two years 
 ago, when you first spoke of of this, that, though I 
 did like you, it could only be like ?" 
 
 Mutely he bowed his head, then releasing her hands 
 he clasped his own, and leaned drearily against the little 
 tree that stood beside the path. Then once again his 
 head drooped upon his breast, and, with sudden move 
 ment, he covered his face with his hands, and next 
 great sobs shook his young frame. Distressed beyond 
 measure, alarmed at his violent grief, Grace knew not 
 what to do. The tears were streaming from her own 
 eyes as she stretched forth her hands, and, clasping 
 his wrist, strove to turn him towards her. " It breaks 
 my heart to see you suffer so, and yet I have no words 
 to comfort you. Oh, Arthur, I never deserved such. 
 I never thought it possible. Why did you not believe 
 me when I told you then ? Surely, I have not let you 
 cherish this feeling for me." 
 
 Almost roughly he shook her hand away, and started 
 up. u I m not reproaching you," he said. " You could 
 
56 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 not crush it out if you had tried ten times as hard ; 
 but Grace, Grace, I could not help hoping. You were 
 
 so young then ; your mother No ! I couldn t 
 
 have crushed it even if she had not " 
 
 "She! my mother!" broke in Grace. "How do 
 you mean, Mr. Glenham ? Mother could never have 
 induced you to believe other than what I told you." 
 
 But Glenham had no time to reply ; a quick, springy 
 step was heard approaching. In the dim light a sol 
 dierly form came swinging into the path, and, catching 
 sight of the white " burnouse" which enveloped Grace s 
 throat and head, Lieutenant Ray stopped and held out 
 his hand. 
 
 " Just in the nick of time, Miss Pelham. I m off 
 to join my troop fast as horse can take me. That you, 
 Glenham ? We ll probably meet again then. All you 
 Sandy fellows are ordered out. The Tontos have 
 jumped the reservation. Good-by, Miss Pelham. If 
 you miss the tassel of your fan to-morrow don t think 
 you lost it, I stole it an hour ago." And with that 
 he bounded down the path. 
 
 Even as he disappeared a ringing trumpet-call pealed 
 stirringly through the air the well-known signal, 
 " Boots and Saddles !" and Glenham started from his 
 attitude of utter despondency with an exclamation of 
 almost fierce delight : " Thank God for that, for any 
 thing of the sort !" And, dashing his hand across his 
 eyes, the boy turned hastily up the path, leading his 
 startled companion by the hand. 
 
 " Tell me what it means, Mr. Glenham," she said, 
 as soon as she could recover breath. 
 
 " More fighting and scouting, I suppose. I hadn t 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 57 
 
 hoped for anything half so good," he added, biting 
 savagely at his lip. 
 
 Two horses, held by an orderly, stood in front of the 
 general s quarters, and the door opening suddenly gave 
 exit to the aide-de-camp who had been one of Grace s 
 devotees during the night. Springing down the steps, 
 he swung into the saddle before he heard Glenham a 
 hail. 
 
 " You ll find Turner and Raymond over at Wick- 
 ham s office," was all he had time to say. " They ve 
 got the orders for Sandy," he called back as he disap 
 peared, followed by his orderly. 
 
 " Then it s good-by, Grace," said Glenham, slowly, 
 as they ascended the steps. His voice was harsh and 
 constrained, stern and harsh it sounded to her, but he 
 was struggling against his deep emotion now, and the 
 soldier in him rebelled at the betrayal of weakness. 
 
 On the porch he stopped, still not looking in her 
 face: "I don t know when we ll meet again. I did 
 not mean to risk and lose all so soon, but but I was 
 a fool, I suppose. You let Ray have that tassel, give 
 me this glove. It isn t much to ask now." 
 
 It was Grace s turn to be wellnigh weeping. Despite 
 her efforts the great tears were coursing down her cheeks, 
 and she could not trust her voice to utter a word. The 
 sight of his suffering, the utter dejection of his tone 
 and mien, were too much for her nature, always sym 
 pathetic, always gentle. 
 
 "Just one word, Grace," he said, as he suddenly 
 turned and seized her hands. " You say I must not 
 hope. I m going now without another plea. Tell me 
 the truth, is there any man for whom you do care?" 
 
58 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 And her eyes, tear-dimmed, yet sweet and truthful, 
 looked fearlessly up in his face. " No, Mr. Glenham, 
 no." He bent low over her hand, pressed it to his lips, 
 and turned suddenly away. " No/ 7 she cried, " no one 
 whom I even like as I do you." He would have 
 turned once again to her, but the door opened suddenly, 
 a broad light streamed out upon the porch, and Graco 
 Pel ham, her face flushed and wellnigh bathed in tears, 
 confronted Jack Truscott. 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 59 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 TWENTY miles up tho valley above Camp Sandy lay 
 the agency of the Indian reservation, and for some 
 time previous to the date on which our story opens a 
 young cavalry officer of large experience among the 
 Apaches had been doing the double duty of command 
 ing the Indian scouts and acting as agent for the six 
 or seven thousand aborigines then being fed and clothed 
 at the expense of the government. Of course, there 
 had been, previous to his time, an actual (bond fide was 
 almost written) Indian agent, one of the factors of that 
 mysterious and complicated piece of cabinet- ware known 
 as the Bureau, but, though this was before the halcyon 
 days of Schurz, even the Department of the Interior 
 could not close its eyes to the convincing proofs of the 
 peculations which he had been so injudicious as to strive 
 to keep entirely to himself, and so, having proved a 
 doubly unprofitable servant, the Bureau was not un 
 willing to cast him out, whereupon he showed signs of 
 insanity, was placed under medical care, and escorted 
 back to his home in Massachusetts under the guidance 
 and at the expense of Uncle Sam, the method of his 
 madness subsequently manifesting itself in the realiza 
 tion that had he been discharged on the spot he would 
 have been compelled to pay his own way. Then there 
 was an interregnum. Even Indian agents could hardly 
 
(JO THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 afford the trip to Eastern Arizona, the journey to San 
 Francisco and thence by sea or desert to the Colorado, 
 and thence by " buckboard" to the mountains, costing 
 more for self and family than one could possibly hope 
 to save in a year without getting found out. " If it 
 were not for those d d army officers," said one of 
 these shrewd financiers, " a man might live like a gen 
 tleman even in Arizona." But the commanding gen 
 eral had for years of his life been dealing with In 
 dians, and his maxim was to fight like blazes when 
 fighting had to be done, teach them to dread the power 
 of the Great Father, but to promise and insure fair 
 treatment when they surrendered. The general had 
 promised these Apaches fair treatment, and was bound 
 to see his promis e carried into effect. This led to his 
 keeping an eye on the agents, and that led to the agents 
 hating him worse than one of their own inspectors, 
 which, after all, is a mild way of putting it. Nearly 
 all the Arizona agents about this time were doctors of 
 something or other, and bore the title if for proficiency 
 in no other art, science, or profession than that of 
 " doctoring" returns, and when this particular doctor 
 was taken crazy and home (where he took to lecturing 
 on the wrongs of the red man, and to himself the con 
 tributions of the charitable), the general was empow 
 ered to name a pro tempore agent, and sent Lieutenant 
 Stryker of the th. Stryker was well known to all 
 the Apaches as a fearless young chief who had thrashed 
 them many a time, and the one thing an Indian re 
 spects is bravery when combined with force. As a 
 consequence there was peace and propriety on the res 
 ervation. Stryker kept rigid account of the warrior? 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. (ft 
 
 under his control ; there was little or no straying away 
 from the limits, the few settlers began to take courage 
 and let out their stock to graze, new " ranches" began 
 to spring up in the deep valleys, and all promised 
 well until the arrival of another " ringster" from the 
 East relieved Stryker of his duties, and the Indians of 
 restraint. Still there had been no outbreak; the road 
 between Prescott and the valley of the Sandy, though 
 lying dangerously near the Apaches, was considered so 
 safe that the mail-carrier rode to and fro without es 
 cort, and small hunting-parties scoured through the 
 mountains without meeting a " hostile" ; "but for some 
 weeks past unpleasant rumors had been in circulation, 
 and for three or four days the agent had been sending 
 down to Sandy sullen-looking specimens of the tribe, 
 with the request that they be confined in the guard 
 house, among the murderers and worst characters of 
 their brethren lodged therein. The guard reported 
 that they were holding frequent pow-wows in the 
 prison room, and that when out at work under the sen 
 tinels, occasional attempts had been made by them to 
 steal knives, scrap-iron, and any odds and ends of 
 metal that could be sharpened and used. Stryker had 
 been sent to the southern part of the Territory, and 
 none of the officers at Sandy knew anything of the new 
 agent. The surgeon at the reservation, however, had 
 twice been down to the post, and on both occasions had 
 displayed keen anxiety as to the condition of affairs. 
 He even asked Colonel Pelham to come up and take a 
 look at things, saying that at the rate he was going on 
 the agent would precipitate a mutiny in less than a 
 fortnight, he was arresting and ordering into confine- 
 
 6 
 
62 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 raent some of the best and most influential Indians on 
 no pretext whatever, and what was worse, said the doc 
 tor, " he is making them believe it is by your order or 
 that of the general." Pelhani had decided to lay the 
 whole matter before the department commander in a 
 written communication, but the result was as yet un 
 known, as the general could not interfere with the pro 
 ceedings of an officer of the Interior Department, and 
 could only " forward" the statement with a strong in 
 dorsement, in which case it generally resulted in being 
 pigeon-holed among the musty files of the Bureau, and 
 the informant was the only one who got into trouble. 
 
 And so it happened that the solitary ride on which 
 Jack Truscott had set forth proved an eventful one. 
 Along towards two o clock in the afternoon he had 
 stopped to water his horse at a little spring well over 
 towards the valley of the Agua Fria, loosening the 
 girths and easing the saddle a while to rest his pet 
 "Apache." The horse was a noble specimen of his 
 race, tall, sinewy, almost gaunt in build, but with pow 
 erful limbs, an eye full of fire and intelligence, and the 
 tapering, sensitive ears of the purest breed. Truscott 
 stood with his left arm thrown negligently over the 
 withers, stroking the glossy mane, and softly patting 
 the sturdy neck of his friend, all the while talking 
 caressingly to him, while "Apache," having indulged 
 in a dozen long-drawn swallows, was now, with uplifted 
 head and dripping muzzle, taking a leisurely survey of 
 the scene preparatory to another dip. Satisfied ap 
 parently with the tranquillity of his surroundings, he 
 was about to return to the sparkling water at his feet, 
 when the leaves were stirred by a faint, rustling breeze, 
 
WINNING HIS SPUHS. (53 
 
 and suddenly he threw up his head and with dilated 
 eye and nostril gazed fixedly into the thicket near him. 
 Next he gave a start, snorted as though alarmed, and 
 sprang back towards the road. Truscott/s quick hand 
 was on the rein in an instant, while with his right he 
 as quickly unslung the Henry rifle, that swung, Arizona 
 fashion, athwart the pommel, still speaking gently, 
 soothingly to his horse. " Steady, boy ! steady, old 
 man ! you don t scare as a rule ; what do you see, 
 sir?" and with his rifle at ready the adjutant backed 
 slowly from the thicket, stepped to the near side of his 
 horse, and then deftly reset and " cinched" his saddle. 
 Still " Apache" quivered with strong excitement, and 
 Truscott, keeping his eyes fixed on the quarter from 
 which his alarm seemed to come, led back to the road ; 
 there he stopped to consider. " Apache" still stamped 
 and snorted, a thing he had never been known to do 
 under ordinary circumstances, and his conduct was a 
 puzzle. He had seen, smelled, and chased bears with 
 out special emotion before, and no other beasts of prey 
 were to be found around Sandy, rattlesnakes were 
 plenty, but not a whit did " Apache" mind them, but 
 the one thing he hated was an Indian. Could it be 
 that Indians were crouching in the tangled brushwood 
 back of the spring ? 
 
 Truscott slung the reins over a stumpy little cedai, 
 cocked his rifle, and, bending low, stepped over the 
 brook and, parting the interlacing branches, forced his 
 way through the bushes. Something wet and slimy on 
 his hand caused him to raise it to the light, and he found 
 it stained with blood. Close examination showed fresh 
 gouts of blood on the leaves and twigs on either side. 
 
64 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 then came a little patch of sunlight, a mere break in 
 the thick tangle of shrubbery, and there, stripped, 
 gashed, mutilated, two arrows still sticking out from, 
 the brawny back showing the shots were from the rear, 
 lay the corpse of Finnegan, the mail-carrier ; horse 
 and equipments, arms, ammunition, clothing, and boots, 
 all but the ghastly life-ridden frame, gone. Further 
 search revealed the soldier s blouse and shirt, so hacked 
 with knives and stained with gore as to be useless even 
 to an Indian, while among a pile of rocks were scattered 
 the letters and papers of the mail for Sandy. Five 
 minutes more and Jack Truscott was speeding down 
 into the valley to the west, sparing neither spur nor 
 word, and " Apache," nerved to excitement, was making 
 the best time known to Arizona records. 
 
 The winding, rocky road lay for a distance undei 
 hanging cliffs and boulders, and Truscott, bending low 
 over the pommel with his Henry advanced on the 
 right, peered warily ahead at every turn. A few miles 
 farther, down in the open valley, lay a ranch where 
 travellers and teamsters were accustomed to rest and 
 refresh themselves and their cattle. The next turn 
 would bring him in view of the valley and the ranch 
 itself, and with keen anxiety he gazed as "Apache" 
 bounded over the road. Another moment and the 
 bend was reached, the valley lay before him, and plainer 
 than ever before there stood the ranch, a glare of flame, 
 while a thick cloud of smoke, black and heavy, floated 
 slowly into the air. Never drawing rein he darted 
 ahead ; he knew that a party of cavalrymen from the 
 post were out repairing on the line of the military tele 
 graph, that they were on the western side of the range 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 65 
 
 and could not fail to see the conflagration down in the 
 valley ; he knew that a few strides more would bring 
 him to the point where the road and the telegraph line 
 lay side by side, for the latter had been strung across 
 country by the most direct route, and between the Agua 
 Fria and the Sandy ran far south of the winding high 
 way. The sergeant in charge of the party was an 
 Irishman who bore an enviable name for bravery and 
 efficiency in Apache warfare, and Truscott felt sure that 
 he and his men would not be far away when there was 
 need of his services. " Two to one the sergeant has 
 seen that fire long before this, and he and his men are 
 well on their way," was his reflection as he galloped on. 
 He was among the foot-hills of the western slope 
 now; the road dipped and twisted among the spurs, 
 sometimes in plain view two miles ahead, sometimes 
 not a dozen yards. At a sharp bend " Apache" sud 
 denly swerved violently to the left, and Truscott reined 
 up alongside the smouldering remains of a wagon, near 
 which, gashed and hacked with savage fury, lay the 
 body of a Mexican teamster. The cattle had disap 
 peared, driven off to the northward as the trail indi 
 cated, but examining 1he ground, Truscott saw to his 
 joy the fresh imprint of a score of horse-shoes, cross 
 ing the road from the south, evidently in pursuit. Once 
 more " Apache" felt the spur and darted west along the 
 road, once more his rider came into view of the ranch, 
 and saw with satisfaction that while the sheds and "cor 
 ral" were a mass of flames, the home of the station- 
 keeper was still safe. The one thing now was to find 
 the sergeant and his men and hie to the rescue. Trus 
 cott lost no time by following the trail; he knew well 
 e. G* 
 
66 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 that before this the flames had been seen, and the troop 
 ers were taking the shortest line across country towards 
 the point of danger, if, indeed, they were not already 
 there. Five minutes more and now a gently-sloping 
 stretch of road, only a mile or so, lay between him and 
 the ranch, and then hurrah ! off to the right he saw a 
 little squad of blue jackets bounding over the slopes 
 with carbines advanced, and Jack s voice rang out 
 through the still air, "This way, this way, sergeant; 
 make for the road !" and never drawing rein, he spurred 
 ahead. Now he could hear the crackling of the flames, 
 and every now and then the report of a rifle. Another 
 moment, and scurrying off towards the reservation he 
 caught sight of a party of some twenty Indians, run 
 ning for dear life, throwing away the plunder they had 
 picked up. clinging to the tails and manes of the few 
 horses their luckier comrades had secured ; away they 
 were going, caught in the very height of their devil 
 ment, no time to palaver or parley, their hands still 
 stained with rapine and murder, the cowardly curs 
 had suddenly caught sight of the little band of res 
 cuers, and their first impulse was flight. Truscott 
 turned in his saddle, waving his broad-brimmed hat to 
 the men spurring along behind him, " Head em off, 
 men ; spread out to the right !" and in another instant 
 " Apache s" hoofs thundered through the burning corral, 
 past the scorching ranch, whose beleaguered occupants 
 found time to cheer with delight as they dropped their 
 rifles to rush for buckets and water, out through the 
 open court beyond, splash through the rivulet, scram 
 ble up the bank on the other side, and Truscott was 
 in full view of the chase. But horses were wellnigh 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. (J7 
 
 exhausted now, and eager though the riders might be, 
 it was pitiful to hear the gasp and groan witli which 
 the steeds made answer to the spur. The mounted In 
 dians were plainly seen striking at their comrades, who, 
 clinging to their mounts, impeded their flight, and some 
 of the troopers, trusting to luck, had opened a long- 
 range fire at the pursued. But " Apache" kept on, fire, 
 mettle, endurance, and speed, all were combined in his 
 glorious race, and almost before he realized it Truscott 
 found himself closing in upon the stragglers. 
 
 Throwing away the arms they dared not stop to use, 
 two Indians flung themselves flat upon their faces on 
 the sward ; but another, wheeling quickly, knelt, aimed. 
 Truscott bent low upon his horse s neck, and the harm 
 less flash of the savage s rifle was answered by a surer 
 shot that sent a bullet crashing through the tawny, 
 naked breast. Then there came another report, sharp 
 and ringing, close at hand, and with it poor " Apache" 
 wavered, staggered, plunged headlong to his knees and 
 rolled in agony upon the turf. Truscott alighted, cat 
 like, on his feet, but quickly knelt to avoid the hurried 
 missiles sent back at him by the scattering foe. He 
 ground his teeth in bitter rage as he saw his favorite 
 lying there in his death-struggle, and with vengeful 
 eye drove shot after shot at his slayers, and not till the 
 sergeant and his men could reach him did he know or 
 realize that the blood was streaming down his left arm, 
 and that an arrow had torn a deep rent under the 
 shoulder-strap. 
 
 There was no further pursuit : horses were exhausted, 
 and few white men afoot can catch an Apache ; but 
 four of the tribe had paid the forfeit of their crimes 
 
#8 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 and lay weltering along the trail. Slowly the victors 
 returned to the ranch, where the owner, a sturdy Nor 
 wegian, and his good wife, with eager volubility, poured 
 forth their thanks for the timely rescue, and brought 
 water and bandages for Truscott s shoulder. One or 
 two bucolical-looking Swedes were still dashing water 
 against the adobe walls, as though the now smouldering 
 ruins of the corral-sheds could communicate flame to 
 dried mud, while in one of the rooms two teamsters, 
 badly wounded but worse scared, were stretched upon 
 the floor groaning lustily in their distress. Close by 
 the corral lay two more Tonto " bucks," who had pre 
 sumed too much upon the easy victory over single and 
 unprepared victims, and had ventured with reckless 
 confidence in their overwhelming force to attempt a 
 rush upon the stout-hearted ranchmen. Olson hurriedly 
 told the story of the raid as known to him : how, long 
 before noon, a small party had strolled in to beg for 
 something to eat, and were noticed peering about at the 
 interior of the ranch ; how his wife had snatched away 
 a rifle one of them had taken and was eagerly examining; 
 how, later in the day, a trapper rode by from the east, 
 saying he had seen numbers of Patchie tracks among 
 the hills and didn t like the looks of things ; and 
 finally, how, after two o clock, the two teamsters had 
 come tearing in on one horse saying that the Indians 
 had attacked them in the cafion among the foot-hills, 
 and they had to flee for their lives, then came the 
 Indians themselves. He "thought there must have 
 been a hundred of them," some dressed in soldier 
 clothes, some on horseback, and he and his people had 
 run for the house, which they placed in a^ defensible a 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS (59 
 
 state as they knew how, and fought them back like 
 heroes, according to the good man s story, though, from 
 the fact that few of the Apaches had fire-arms, and only 
 two of them breech-loaders (which they had secured 
 at the expense of poor Finnegan and the Mexican that 
 morning) and that the household was still quivering 
 with excitement, Truscott concluded that their relief 
 at his appearance was the most genuine portion of the 
 entire exhibit. The Apaches had not made a very 
 determined assault, and the besieged would hardly have 
 held out against one. 
 
 It was not probable that another attack would be 
 made that afternoon. The sun was well down towards 
 the west by this time, and Truscott decided, as soon as 
 he could rest his weary horses, to push in to Prescott 
 with the news. A wagon was filled with straw, in 
 which the wounded teamsters were carefully laid. Two 
 of the cavalry horses, refreshed by a two hours halt 
 and a hearty feed, were harnessed in, and, leaving the 
 sergeant with two men at the ranch as guard, the adju 
 tant and a little party of three " effectives" set forth at 
 sundown with the wagon-load of wounded. 
 
 The road was rough, the night, though still and 
 starlit, was dark in the deep pine forests through which 
 they rode after leaving the Agua Fria. Off to the 
 northeast the signal-fires of the Indians told the story 
 of the outbreak, and the highway was deserted. It 
 was near three o clock in the morning before Truscott 
 reached the post, turned over his wounded to the care 
 of the hospital steward, and went to headquarters to 
 make his report. The ball was still in progress, and 
 the strains of gay music fell upon his ear as he climbed 
 
70 THE COLON EUS DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 the slope towards the offices. Lights were burning in 
 the telegraph-room, however, and here he found the 
 operator clicking away at his instrument. " My God ! 
 lieutenant/ 7 said he, springing up ; " weVe been mighty 
 anxious about you. The Apaches have raided the 
 valley, -just got the news from Sandy half an hour 
 ago, and particulars are coming in every minute. Hold 
 on one second until I tell Sandy you are here." 
 
 Stiff, chilled, and tired, smarting with pain from his 
 torn shoulder, Truscott sank into a chair ; his thoughts 
 drifted back over the events of the day, but lingered 
 with keen, and even bitter sorrow on " Apache s" death. 
 For three long years he had been Trtiscott s one pet, 
 his pride and delight. He had borne his rider gal 
 lantly that day over hill and dale, rock and rill, a wild 
 rush to the rescue; he had distanced all competitors; 
 was the only horse "in at the death/ 7 thought poor 
 Jack, and as he recalled that mute appeal in the 
 glazing eyes of his favorite, and recalled too that not 
 once before death put an end to his misery had there 
 been a chance for a single caress or word, not one sign 
 to his faithful charger of the love in which he held him, 
 Jack s pale, set face grew paler, there was an odd quiver 
 about the stern lines of his mouth, and a gathering film 
 in the tired eyes he so hastily covered with his hand. 
 Quick steps came bounding up the pathway, across the 
 narrow piazza, and Colonel Wickham entered with the 
 aide-de-camp. "Well, what s the latest? Have they 
 heard from Truscott?" was his immediate question. 
 
 The operator motioned towards the sitting figure with 
 one hand, w^hile the right kept busily clicking its mes 
 sage, and Truscott, rising, stood before the questioner, 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 71 
 
 who eagerly grasped his hands. " Safe, Jack, thank 
 God ! but you re hurt ! Where did you run across 
 them ? D n it, what a time to ask questions ! We ve 
 had an awful scare about you. Sit down again, man. 
 Here, Bright, run down to the club-room and bring 
 me some whiskey." The aide was off without a word, 
 and by the time he returned with the required stimu 
 lant Wickham, who never used it himself, but knew 
 when it was needed for others, had told Truscott that 
 at midnight a despatch had come from Sandy saying 
 that raid ing-par ties of Indians were in the valley, and 
 that all the settlers had taken refuge at the post. " The 
 general said to keep the thing quiet until we received 
 further particulars, and sent orders to have the cavalry 
 at Camp Sandy out at daybreak on the trail. From 
 midnight up to half-past two reports came of the 
 Apaches being in force along the valley, but not until 
 half an hour before had anything indicated that they 
 were west of the range. Then a ranchman from the 
 Agua Fria had ridden post-haste into the quarter 
 master s corral saying that Olson s ranch had been 
 burned and his family slaughtered ; that lots of team 
 sters had been killed ; and then we thought of you. I 
 hurried off a message to Canker, who replied that you 
 had left the post about ten o clock, and he ( feared you 
 had gone alone. Then the general ordered G com 
 pany out at once, and the men are stirring up now. 
 All the time though we were trying to keep the thing 
 quiet so as not to spoil the Pel hams ball, but just five 
 minutes ago old Catnip and that lovely daughter of his 
 By Jove ! Truscott, there s a girl to make your head 
 Bwim came at the general with point-blank questions 
 
72 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 about you, and I don t see how we could have kept it 
 much longer." 
 
 Then Truscott briefly reported the facts as known to 
 him. Bright, the aide, went off to notify the general, 
 and came back saying that the general begged Truscott 
 to come at once to his quarters, and there Jack found 
 an anxious group, consisting of the department com 
 mander, Colonel Pelham, and three or four captains of 
 the th, and after warm greetings and congratulations 
 the adjutant again recited tersely the story of his ride. 
 The general listened intently, never interposing word 
 or query until it was finished, then it came. " How 
 did you happen to have no orderly ?" and though for a 
 brief instant Truscott hesitated and looked embarrassed, 
 he replied gravely that " an orderly had not been con 
 sidered necessary, everything had been so quiet for 
 months past," and his comrades at least felt pretty 
 certain that in virtually taking upon himself the re 
 sponsibility Jack Truscott was shielding a man who 
 would have lost no opportunity of hurting his defender, 
 could he have done so. The general s orders were 
 prompt. The cavalry officers from Sandy were directed 
 to make immediate preparations to return, escorted 
 thither by the troops then saddling, and with hurried 
 farewells they went off to attend to the matter. At 
 the general s request the colonel and Truscott remained. 
 "The ladies must all wait here at Preseott," he said. 
 "Let Canker and the boys have this tussle to them 
 selves, Pelham, they will scatter and whip them back 
 in short order. You and Truscott must wait here a 
 day or two. Now, first thing, Truscott, I want your 
 shoulder looked after. You are to stay with us. The 
 
WINKING HIS SPURS 73 
 
 doctor will be here in a moment, and I ll show yon your 
 room." Truscott begged to be excused ; he knew that 
 the house was full of the fair sex, or would be as soon 
 as they returned from the ball. Even then their 
 silvery voices and laughter could be heard on the walk 
 outside, and the adjutant was far from indifferent to 
 his personal appearance. Just now, covered with dust 
 and his uniform stained with blood, his face haggard 
 with pain and fatigue, he would have much preferred 
 going off to his bachelor comrades ; but even as he was 
 attempting to enter his protest the door opened, and 
 Mesdames the General and Pel ham, escorted by Lieu 
 tenants Hunter and Ray, came sailing in. "Pretty 
 men you are to desert your wives in this way," vocif 
 erated the portly partner of the general, all in a good- 
 humored glow after her pull up the hill. " Pretty 
 
 men to Why, Jack Truscott! When did you 
 
 get here ? Why, you re so pale and all blood are 
 you wounded ? What s happened ?" And so, hurriedly 
 and disconnectedly, this good lady "the warmest- 
 hearted woman in the army," the Arizona exiles used 
 to call her poured forth question, sympathy, and wel 
 come all at once upon her prime favorite, the adjutant 
 of the th. 
 
 " Now don t bother Truscott," the general vainly in 
 terposed. "The doctor s coming, and I want his shoul 
 der dressed, or he ll be having fever in it ;" but his 
 better half could not be suppressed, and over again, 
 quietly and smilingly, Jack strove to tell something of 
 the day s adventures, but failed signally, because by 
 this time both dames were popping questions at him 
 quicker than he could singly answer either. Ray and 
 
74 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 Hunter stopped only long enough to grasp bis hand, 
 and learn from their colonel that their companies were 
 under orders, when they hurriedly left. The tramp of 
 hoofs and jingle of Mexican spurs was heard in front, 
 staff-officers came quickly and quietly in, received their 
 instructions as quietly from the low-voiced general, and 
 were off in a moment about their business. Pelham 
 seated himself to write a few words of caution to Can 
 ker, who was a reckless and impetuous campaigner, 
 whatever might be his disagreeable qualities, and Trus- 
 cott, breaking away from his female inquisitors, had 
 just stepped to the door to intrust this despatch to 
 Bright, when he came face to face with Grace. It was 
 almost a collision. Truscott stopped short, bowed low, 
 and with a courteous " Pardon me/ held the door open 
 for her to pass. Grace bent her flushed and tearful 
 face, sweeping one quick, furtive glance from under 
 the long lashes at the tall soldier, stepped into the hall, 
 and hearing many voices in the parlor, darted up the 
 stairs to her room, there to bathe her eyes and collect 
 her startled thoughts. 
 
 Finding Bright already gone, Truscott carried the 
 despatch to headquarters, gave it to Captain Turner, 
 and then, feeling weak and weary, returned slowly to 
 the general s. The tear-stamed face of the graceful 
 girl who had swept past him at the doorway had by no 
 means escaped his attention. He knew well that it was 
 Grace Pelham, felt thoroughly satisfied that the foot 
 steps bounding away into darkness as he came out 
 upon the piazza were those of Glenham, had quickly 
 decided that it was more than probable the latter would 
 not care to see him just then, and so had not called 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 75 
 
 after him, and saved himself a fatiguing trip. Re 
 turning to the parlor, he was seized by his colonel. 
 "Now, Truscott, I want to introduce you to my daugh 
 ter. Never mind your dress, man ; I ivant her to see 
 what my fellows have to go through. She ll like you 
 all the better, or I ll disown her." And, pale and half 
 faint, Jack was led up to the group of ladies, and in 
 another moment was looking down into the most glo 
 rious eyes he had ever seen, into a fair frank face that 
 met his gaze with an expression of earnest interest and 
 concern, while a slender white hand cordially greeted 
 his nervous palm, and a gentle voice exclaimed, " It 
 doesn t seem possible that you and I have never met 
 before, Mr. Truscott; father s letters have made me 
 feel as though I knew you." What man would not 
 have thought her welcome both gracious and graceful ? 
 What mamma, with ambitious projects of her own, 
 would not have shown alarm ? Lady Pelham barely 
 gave Jack time to offer any response before she burst 
 in with, "Now, Grace, Grace, Mr. Truscott is utterly 
 exhausted ; too much so to talk, and (with cheerful 
 irrelevance) I know that your father and he have a 
 dozen things to attend to." 
 
 " Not a bit of it," said the colonel. " He shaVt do 
 another stroke of work to-night. I want him to get 
 to bed, but, first of all, to meet Grace. Ah, Truscott, 
 she could ride Apache, I ll warrant you." 
 
 Grace, looking up into the calm features of her new 
 acquaintance, marked a sudden change, a deeper pallor, 
 a knitting of the tired brow, and a nervous twitching 
 at the corners of the mouth. " Miss Pelham s riding 
 is something the last year s graduates never tire of 
 
76 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 talking about/ he answered ; but she thought only of 
 the pang that seemed to shoot across his face, and 
 eagerly spoke, 
 
 " You must be suffering from your hurt, Mr. Trus- 
 cott. Surely you ought to see the surgeon/ and this 
 at once brought the general s energetic lady to the res 
 cue, even Mrs. Pelham promptly joining in the sym 
 pathizing chorus. Jack was remanded to his room, 
 whither the general himself insisted on accompanying 
 him ; the doctor, already summoned, was soon on hand, 
 and the ladies Pelham were left alone. Without a 
 moment s hesitation madame took her daughter s hands 
 in hers, looked searchingly into her face, and said, 
 
 "Grace, you have been in tears. Has Arthur Glen- 
 ham spoken to you ?" 
 
 "Yes, mother." 
 
 " My darling child, I knew it !" And the maternal 
 arms were thrown about the slender form, and an anx 
 ious kiss was pressed upon the pale forehead. Then, 
 " And you answered him ?" 
 
 Grace paused a moment. She well knew her mother s 
 ambition, and her love for all the good that money 
 can bring. She knew how hard she had struggled, 
 planned, pinched, and saved that she, her one daugh 
 ter, the very apple of her eye, should never lack for 
 even the luxuries of life. She loved her tenderly, yet 
 those half-spoken words of Glenham s had given rise 
 to a painful suspicion. She raised her eyes to her 
 mother s face, and replied, 
 
 " I do not love him. I could not accept him, mother. 
 I have tried not to encourage this avowal. Have you 
 ever spoken with him ? You surely have not let him 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 77 
 
 keep up this delusion. I told you at West Point it 
 was useless." 
 
 " Grace, my daughter, think a moment what you 
 are doing. He is a gentleman. He loves you devotedly. 
 He can place you above any possibility of want or care 
 in this world. You may never have such another 
 opportunity. Why, my child, were your father to die 
 to-morrow you would be penniless. Your brothers 
 could do nothing for you. Is it possible you can be 
 blind to our position ?" 
 
 Slowly Grace Pelham drew herself from her mother s 
 arms and stood thoughtfully before her. "Do you 
 expect me to marry a man whom I merely like?" she 
 asked. 
 
 u But why can t you love him ?" broke in her lady 
 ship, impatiently. " It will come soon enough, Grace ; 
 you are too sensible for mere romance. Why, to-night, 
 when I saw you enter in tears, my heart was thankful. 
 I thought of course they were due to anxiety and dis 
 tress at his sudden summons to join his company. WJiy 
 were you crying, I should like to know?" 
 
 "At his emotion. He seemed so so Mother ! 
 
 answer me : had you given him cause to hope that I 
 loved him ?" 
 
 Mrs. Pelham hesitated. She knew her daughter s 
 spirit, her keen sense of honor; she strove to find an 
 answer that might evade the issue, yet satisfy the scru 
 ples of her child, but Grace s clear eyes were fixed upon 
 her face. She reddened, then almost pettishly broke 
 forth, 
 
 u Of course I did not absolutely encourage him, but 
 I did say you were too young to know your own mind, 
 
 7* 
 
78 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 and I m sure I hoped you would come to your senses 
 by this time. Grace, it is undutiftil in you to question 
 me like this. I m sure I acted for the best, and he de 
 serves better treatment at your hands." 
 
 Grace Pelham pressed her hands upon her temples. 
 Less than a year ago, and again, less than six months, 
 when their coming to Arizona was first discussed, her 
 mother had told her that she had never spoken of the 
 matter to Mr. Glenham ; and now for one moment 
 she looked wonderingly, wistfully, into the flushed and 
 angry face of the elder lady, then, with one half-stifled 
 cry, " Oh, mother !" she fled to her own room. 
 
 Half an hour afterwards a half-hour spent in bitter 
 tears she heard her father enter the adjoining room, 
 and address his better half in his usual cheery tone : 
 " It wasn t the wound that made Jack Truscott so mis 
 erable. His pet horse was killed under him in the 
 fight, and he never said a word about it. Why, Dolly, 
 you look used up. What s the matter ?" 
 
 And Dolly replied in melodramatic grandeur, 
 "Hush!" 
 
 Fatigue, excitement, distress, all had spent their force 
 on Grace Pelham. Gentle sleep soon came to soothe 
 her troubled spirit, but, mingling with her last thoughts 
 those words floated through her drowsy brain, "His 
 pet horse was killed under him, and he never said a 
 word about it." 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 79 
 
 CHAPTEE VI. 
 
 MEANTIME there had been the mischief to pay at 
 Sandy. Captain Canker, as we have seen, was irate at 
 the defeat of his little scheme for the " discipline" of 
 his subordinates. It was some consolation to discover 
 that Glenham had escaped the toils only at the expense 
 of Truscott, who, thought Canker, would be far more 
 missed at the ball than the officer whose going he had 
 originally interdicted. Then when the telegraphic sum 
 mons reached him which virtually made it his duty to 
 send Truscott up to Fort Whipple, he was chagrined 
 and disgusted beyond expression. There was an im 
 plied censure in the words " unless services are urgently 
 needed" which indicated to him that the general thought 
 his detention of either Glenham or Truscott a piece of 
 arbitrariness (" not so much that as contrariness," ex 
 plained Colonel Pelham afterwards) and unwarranted 
 by the circumstances as known to him the night before 
 the start. But Canker, like many a better man, was 
 judged subsequently by the light of events that he 
 could not then have known, and, unlike many a better 
 man, received support and sympathy in place of cen 
 sure. Now that two of the colonel s favorites had 
 escaped him, Canker bethought him of a third victim, 
 the regimental quartermaster. This officer, a gentle 
 man who had grown old in service, was already gray 
 
80 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 and rheumatic, who habitually walked with a cane when 
 he walked at all, had originally been appointed to his 
 staff position because, said the then commanding officer, 
 " He isn t good for anything else." He had, neverthe 
 less, proved a very efficient and valuable quartermaster, 
 and had for some years performed the varied and intri 
 cate functions of that office without having added much 
 to his own comfort, but a great deal towards the com 
 fort of others. There is never a time on the frontier 
 when the dames of the garrison, from the lady of the 
 commanding officer down to the widow of the late Pri 
 vate Moriarty (who still hangs on to her husband s old 
 company for sustenance), are not besieging the post 
 quartermaster with some plea or other, a partition to 
 be put up here, a chimney repaired, glass put in, a new 
 coat of paint in the parlor, a storm-door like the 
 colonel s, a new stove like the one you gave Mrs. 
 Major, or a wash-biler an findher like Mrs. Mulligan s. 
 They are always pestering him for something. The 
 great depot of Jeifersonville does not contain the vol 
 ume of stores that could be asked for by the women of 
 a four-company post in one winter ; there is never enough 
 of any one item to go round, and always more appli 
 cants than there are coal-scuttles ; somebody has to be 
 refused, and frequently fifteen or twenty somebodies, 
 and then nothing under heaven can save that quarter 
 master s reputation. The patience of Job (without his 
 boils), the meekness of Moses, and the resources of 
 Rothschild might help that functionary in his desper 
 ately hopeless task of satisfying a whole garrison, but 
 they couldn t do it long. The more you give some 
 women the more they demand, and the annual appro- 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. #1 
 
 priation for the purchase of army stores and supplies 
 could readily be distributed among the laundresses of 
 any one regiment (in the days when we had those bless 
 ings) without satisfying their cravings for more. It 
 isn t always that they really need the article demanded, 
 they simply want something that some other woman 
 hasn t, so that she may want and cannot get it, and the 
 rule is general, being by no means confined to the sturdy 
 wives of the rank and file, but applicable to the ladies 
 whose garments they weekly washed and mutilated at 
 New York prices. God help the nervous, sensitive, or 
 irritable man who has to take these duties on his 
 shoulders; not one in a hundred could long maintain 
 a mental balance, let alone the financial ditto. 
 
 But Bucketts was no such martyr. He had been a 
 colonel of volunteers, was shot through the leg in the 
 Wilderness, and hobbled into the veteran reserves, thence 
 into the infantry of the line as a second lieutenant, and 
 had succeeded only in getting a modest bar on his shoul 
 ders when the consolidation of 71 took place and well- 
 nigh stranded him. Thrown upon the unassigned list, 
 he would have had small chance of retention but for 
 the fact that the " Benzine Board" speedily made more 
 vacancies in the cavalry than in the rest of the arms of 
 service combined, and very properly, said the slow 
 going infantry and artillerymen, we should profit by 
 the fastness of you horsemen which has rendered pro 
 motion a possibility. And so several score of semi- 
 invalided and semi-mustered-out footmen, dozens of 
 whom had never straddled a horse in their lives (and 
 to this day are objects of wonderment to their men when 
 they "get into saddle"), became full-fledged cavalry 
 f 
 
82 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 officers. Bucketts accepted the situation like a man, 
 came out and joined the th in Nebraska when the 
 Union Pacific was being built, his baggage consisting of 
 one trunk and three baskets of champagne. " Gentle 
 men," said he, " I understand that a cavalry officer who 
 is thrown has to set up the wine for the crowd. Thp 
 law of the land has made me a cavalryman, but all tho 
 Congressmen from the Capitol to John Chamberlin s 
 couldn t make me a horseman. There s my credentials: 
 pitch in, and let up on me hereafter I" Bucketts was a 
 popular man from that day. Whereas Canker, who 
 entered the th at the same time and under precisely 
 similar circumstances, barring the wound, seemed to 
 imagine that his new commission as captain of cavalry 
 carried with it all that the name implied, and that he 
 became an authority on horses and horsemanship with 
 out further qualification. Profound discretion in the 
 selection of his " mounts" had enabled him thus far to 
 escape the ignominy of a " throw," but he never rode 
 or could ride a horse twenty-five miles without laying 
 that horse up chafed and sore for days afterward, yet 
 he was incessantly punishing his men for faulty horse 
 manship. 
 
 Bucketts had not done a particle of guard duty for 
 three or four years. His office duties were constant, 
 and when not at his desk he would bestride a fat, easy 
 going little saddle-mule and amble about the post with 
 a green-lined sun-umbrella hoisted over his head and 
 blue-glass shades for his eyes, and thus keep track of 
 the improvements and the working-parties; he gave 
 his whole attention to his legitimate work, and was 
 rarely called upon for any other ; but this time Canker 
 
WINNING HIS SPUES. 33 
 
 concluded, in his own language, to " give Bucketts a 
 whirl." 
 
 " My compliments to the quartermaster," said he to 
 the orderly some hours after Truscott left the post, 
 "and say I want to see him." 
 
 There had been a time when Bucketts and he were 
 on intimate terms, had wellnigh concluded an alliance 
 defensive and offensive on their entrance into the th, 
 because they thought that their new comrades would 
 be apt to slight or snub them in some way ; but Bucketts 
 had speedily won his way into the affections and respect 
 of the officers of the regiment, a thing which Canker 
 never succeeded in doing, and he hated Bucketts and 
 called him a " bootlick" behind his back because of his 
 better fortune. They had drifted apart, and were only 
 on terms of ordinary garrison courtesy, but Canker 
 never lost an opportunity of endeavoring to worry 
 Bucketts in some way, and generally got the worst of 
 it, since Bucketts, without trying at all, could stir up a 
 company commander a dozen times a day. However, 
 Canker had the whip-hand now and meant to use it. 
 It was just the time of day when the quartermaster, 
 having completed the rounds of the post, was wont to 
 send his mule to the corral, get out of his collar and 
 cuffs into an easy old alpaca duster, and with a palm- 
 leaf fan in one hand, and, not unfrequently, a comfort 
 ing beverage of his own composition in the other, to 
 spread himself upon a wicker settee in the cool retreat 
 of his own parlor and doze away an hour in a noonday 
 siesta. " I ll spoil his nap anyhow, d n him !" gritted 
 Canker between his teeth, " and I ll partly pay off old 
 Catnip into the bargain." 
 
84 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 Poor old Bucketts rose with a sigh as the orderly de 
 livered his message, and having arrayed himself in his 
 cool white blouse, he took his cane and umbrella and 
 stumped slowly and painfully along officers row in the 
 blazing heat until he came to Canker s quarters, knocked 
 and entered. " Mr. Bucketts," said the temporary com 
 mander (Bucketts was a brevet major, and generally so 
 addressed ; but Canker had not a brevet, even in the 
 volunteer service, and ignored everybody else s when 
 he could), " you will have to do officer-of-the-day duty. 
 The colonel has seen fit to deprive me of the services 
 of the adjutant this morning, and now I have nobody. 
 You will have to act as adjutant, therefore, attend sta 
 bles with Company A, run your own work, and go on 
 as officer of the day." 
 
 Bucketts merely bowed acquiescence, and looked se 
 renely undisturbed. Knowing his man, the commu 
 nication was by no means unexpected. Indeed, before 
 leaving, Truscott had asked him to attend to these very 
 matters, and had sent a note to Canker informing him 
 that the quartermaster would do so. Canker had an 
 undoubted right to send for the latter and satisfy him 
 self of the understanding, but if it had put the staff- 
 officer to no inconvenience there would have been no 
 solace to his wounded self-importance. Bucketts un 
 ruffled urbanity only served to irritate him the more. 
 " Anything further, sir ?" asked the quartermaster after 
 a pause, in which Canker had been pettishly tossing 
 about some papers on his desk. " Yes, sir. Mr. 
 Bucketts, when you come into the presence of your 
 commanding officer you should wear your uniform : \\ 
 is not respectful to appear as you are dressed." 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 5 
 
 " This is exactly what I wear every day in Colonel 
 Pelham s presence, captain ; he knows that I have to 
 be out much of the day in the hot sun, and it has 
 grown to be a custom here," replied Bucketts, coloring 
 slightly, but speaking calmly notwithstanding his sense 
 of annoyance. 
 
 "That don t excuse it, sir," said Canker; "Colonel 
 Pel ham has ideas of discipline which differ materially 
 from mine. When I am in command it will not be 
 permitted. That will do, sir." And Bucketts, mad 
 enough to hammer his superior s features into pulp, 
 which he could readily enough have done, stumped 
 sadly off to his lonely quarters. So kindly and cour 
 teous himself, so ready to oblige, so considerate in all 
 his relations with others, he nevertheless was keenly 
 alive to any slight or injustice ; and that a man who 
 was in every way his mental inferior should take this 
 method of despitefully entreating him was a hard thing 
 to bear. But then that is one of the blissful features 
 of army life. 
 
 Bucketts misery was not one to lack for company. 
 Too indignant to seek consolation in his customary nap, 
 he was about to return to his office, when the doorway 
 was darkened by the entrance of the officer of the day, 
 one of the subalterns who had not been included in th 
 Prescott party. He looked hot and ill tempered. 
 
 " Bucketts, lend me your mule ; my horse is out at 
 herd with the rest of them, and that d d man, Can 
 ker, has sent me orders to go out at once and visit the 
 herd guard. What s got into him, anyhow?" 
 
 " Take the mule if you like, but don t ask conun 
 drums. He sent for me just now and rode over me 
 
 8 
 
86 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 rough-shod for not being in uniform. I m mad enough 
 to take a drink. Have one ?" 
 
 The junior assented, and, pending the arrival of the 
 quartermaster s mule, the two officers discussed their 
 toddy and the vagaries of their temporary post com 
 mander. Ten minutes spent in this occupation had 
 partially blunted the edges of their grievances, and they 
 were prepared to look with more equanimity upon 
 matters in general, when the orderly trumpeter sud 
 denly darted into the room. 
 
 "Commanding officer s compliments, sirs. Wants 
 to see you both," and was off like a shot. 
 
 "Now what new devilment is he devising?" said 
 Bucketts, ruefully, pulling off his " working-dress" 
 and preparing to get into the hot uniform he had to 
 wear. Before he could complete the change, however, 
 there was a quick, sharp step along the piazza, and 
 Canker himself appeared. 
 
 " Never mind your blouse now, Bucketts ; it s busi 
 ness this time. Here, Mr. Carroll, get your herds in 
 quick as a flash ; take a dozen men with you, armed ; 
 I ll look out for your guard and prisoners ; the Tontos 
 have jumped the reservation !" 
 
 What change in tone and manner ! Ten minutes 
 ago, peevish, querulous, almost complaining, and en 
 tirely unjust, Captain Canker had disgusted his subor 
 dinates. Now, quick, animated, a soldierly ring in 
 every word, his whole bearing commanded their re 
 spect. Many a time before had his comrades noted this 
 odd trait in his character. The presence of danger, the 
 chance of a fight, the excitement of active service 
 wrought an instant change in the very nature of the 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 87 
 
 man and in the thoughts of his officers. A moment 
 before they were ready to hammer him, now eager to 
 support and obey. 
 
 Carroll picked up his sabre, and started across the 
 parade on the run. Canker and Bucketts followed as 
 rapidly as the latter could stump his way while listen 
 ing to his senior s recital of the news. Two ranchmen 
 living up the valley had just come in to say that the 
 Indians had swooped down and driven off their horses 
 and cattle soon after noon. Then, before they had 
 half told their story, a teamster came tearing in to the 
 post from the Prescott road, his horse wounded, saying 
 that the foot-hills were swarming with Apaches, and 
 begging for ammunition. At the guard-house Canker 
 ordered the sergeant to call in at once all the working- 
 parties of the Indian prisoners, and himself inspected 
 the locks and fastenings of the room in which some 
 particularly hard cases were confined. Meantime, Car 
 roll, with a dozen or more of the men, had hastened 
 off to the westward, among the hills and ravines, to 
 search for and bring in the herds, while throughout 
 the barracks the men were quickly and without confu 
 sion buckling oii their " thimble-belts" and revolvers, 
 and gathering, carbine in hand, along the company 
 parades. The civilians who had come in with the 
 news were surrounded by an eager group, and were 
 enlarging upon their experiences of the morning, when 
 suddenly a shot was heard down under the bluff towards 
 the post garden, where many of the Indian prisoners 
 were kept at work during the day. It was quickly 
 followed by another, then half a dozen sputtering shots, 
 and some men over by the hospital, which commanded 
 
88 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 a view of the low ground, were seen excitedly running 
 towards the quarters, and could be heard shouting that 
 the prisoners were breaking away. Canker seized a 
 carbine. "Take command of A company, Bucketts, 
 and stay here. Come on, you other men ;" and away 
 he went at a rush, with half the command at his heels. 
 Sure enough, the prisoners were loose. Running like 
 deer, half a dozen of the lithe, swarthy fellows could 
 be seen a thousand yards away, " streaking it" over the 
 sandy bottom towards the foot-hills, others dashing 
 towards the river, while here and there through the 
 sage-brush and cactus, puffs of blue smoke shot out 
 from carbine-muzzles indicated the slower pursuit of 
 the. astonished guard. Canker swore with rage. There 
 would have been no earthly chance of recovering his 
 charges, when suddenly, in a great cloud of dust and 
 with the thunder of half a thousand hoofs, the herds 
 of two "of the companies came sweeping at full speed 
 around a low hill towards the west, and, skilfully 
 guided by the troopers in charge, bore down direct 
 upon the corrals. " Mount ! quick as you can, all of 
 you I" he shouted, and signalling to the corporal in the 
 lead of the herds, he threw himself upon his horse, 
 quick as the other could vacate the saddle in his favor, 
 and, carbine in hand, and calling again to his men to 
 follow, he tore off towards the chase. 
 
 Bold horsemen there were in the old days at Sandy. 
 There were men that day who threw themselves with 
 out either saddle or bridle upon their horses backs, and 
 trusted to voice, leg, and instinct to guide them. Others, 
 less confident, bridled their chargers, but none stopped 
 to saddle. In five minutes a hundred horsemen were 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 39 
 
 scattered over the valley in pursuit of the escaping 
 Indians. Man after man they were run down, seized, 
 and dragged back, most of them taking it as good- 
 naturedly as though the escapade had been a mere 
 school-boy lark devised for the entertainment of the 
 garrison. Three or four were savage and sullen ; only 
 two made any resistance. Poor devils ! they had nothing 
 to fight with, and only one had been shot by the guard. 
 Canker at first had furiously ordered his men to fire 
 everywhere, but Mr. Carroll and some of the sergeants 
 had quietly cautioned those nearest them to hold their 
 shots or aim high. It was an easy matter to overhaul 
 and recapture so helpless a foe, and shooting them down 
 in cold blood was something the th did not believe 
 in. Canker himself thought better of his order as soon 
 as he saw that his men were masters of the situation, 
 and revoked it, so that the firing ceased entirely. In an 
 hour all but five men were returned to the charge of 
 the guard now strongly reinforced, and sending his 
 prisoners back to the garrison, the commanding officer 
 resumed the search for those still missing. 
 
 Up the stream-bed, through the willows, east, west, 
 and north over the arid valley, the troopers scoured in 
 knots of two or three, Canker riding to and fro, en 
 couraging or swearing as occurred to him most expe 
 dient; and so another hour passed away. The men 
 were widely scattered by this time, and it must have 
 been towards five in the evening when there came from 
 a gorge in the foot-hills, fully eight miles above the 
 post, a sudden rattle of fire-arms. Instead of slacken 
 ing after the first few seconds it increased, and Canker, 
 pausing but an instant to listen, turned an attentive 
 
90 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 ear to the veteran first sergeant, who rode on his left at 
 the moment. 
 
 " That s no overhauling prisoners, captain ; that s a 
 fight," said he. 
 
 "Come on, then!" shouted Canker, and putting 
 spurs to their horses, and signalling to all the men in 
 sight, they dashed off in the direction of the firing. 
 
 It was a fight, sure enough. Far over among the 
 foothills to the west, Lieutenant Carroll, with three or 
 four men, had found traces of some of the fugitives. 
 Following slowly as they could find further signs, they 
 had at last come in sight of the chase, and way in a 
 winding gorge or cafion had pushed in pursuit, when, 
 without the faintest warning, a volley of rifles and 
 arrows brought them to a sudden halt, and one of the 
 men dropped from his saddle. To rein about and 
 shout to his men to dismount and get under cover 
 among the rocks was the work of an instant, and turn 
 ing loose their horses, which would only have hampered 
 them there, they scrambled half-way up the hill-side 
 among a lot of loose boulders, and rapidly opened fire 
 on the ambuscading Apaches. In three minutes they 
 were joined by others of the command, and in five, 
 Carroll felt justified in ordering an immediate rush 
 upon the position of the enemy, some of the mounted 
 troopers endeavoring to get around on their flank and 
 rear. No especial order was observed. Every man 
 took a hitch in his belt and a firmer grip on his car 
 bine, and somebody said, "JSTow then, fellers!" the 
 generic title by which the regular cavalryman invariably 
 addresses or speaks of his comrades, and with that the 
 fifteen or twenty blue-jackets had " bulged ahead," as 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 91 
 
 Carroll reported, and Canker, galloping in on his 
 staggering charger found his command skipping up the 
 rocks like young rams, and the Apaches rapidly disap 
 pearing among the thickets of pine, scrub-oak, and 
 juniper with which the mountain-side was covered. 
 Horses were there of no avail, and the agility of the 
 ginewy Indians far more of a power than our men could 
 contend with. Pursuit was useless, and before dusk 
 Canker had his mounted men hunting for the loose 
 horses, while his courier galloped in to the post to 
 summon the surgeon and the ambulance. Four of our 
 men were struck and two seriously wounded, and, to 
 his rage and mortification, Canker could not show a 
 dead warrior to offset his losses. 
 
 It was in a very unpleasant frame of mind that he 
 rode back to the garrison that evening. Fivet>f his 
 prisoners had escaped, four of his men were crippled, 
 several horses gone. A general outbreak of the Apaches 
 had evidently taken place. He had practically been 
 confronted by them most of the afternoon. Their 
 movements and the attempted escapade of the prisoners 
 were doubtless concerted. So far they had very much 
 the best of it, and what could he report to department 
 headquarters ? 
 
 At the north gate the quartermaster, with a grave 
 and anxious face, was waiting for him. 
 
 " Captain Canker, Truscott has not reached Prescott, 
 and Finnegan isn t in." 
 
 Canker turned white as a sheet, and with a stifled 
 groan covered his face with his hand. " Come to the 
 telegraph-office," was all lie said, but that was an 
 anxious night at Sandy. 
 
92 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 WHEN Lady Pelham descended upon the household 
 the day after the ball, the sight which met her eyes in 
 the general s parlor was not one to add either to her 
 placidity or her ordinarily reliable appetite. Mr. Trus- 
 cott, with his uniform blouse thrown loosely over the 
 injured shoulder, was ensconced in an easy-chair near 
 the west window, and at the instant of her ladyship s 
 entrance was looking earnestly up into the fair face of 
 her daughter, who, for her part, was looking as earn 
 estly down into the bronzed features of the adjutant, 
 while her slender white hand was clasped about a goodly- 
 sized envelope and letter. Considering the fact that the 
 pair had been acquainted less than twelve hours, it must 
 be conceded that her ladyship had cause to look sur 
 prised. Not another person was in the room when she 
 opened the door and entered, breaking in upon this 
 interesting tte-&-tte. 
 
 She paused abruptly upon the threshold, and for an 
 instant simply stared at them. Truscott courteously 
 rose, though with evident effort, and bade her a calm 
 good-afternoon. Grace turning and seeing the expres 
 sion on her mother s face flushed crimson, and yet 
 moved quickly to her, and dutifully raised her lips to 
 the maternal cheek with a gentle, " I hope you rested 
 well, mother." 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 93 
 
 " Very well, thanks," was madame s stately reply. 
 "You have all had lunch, I presume. Is nobody at 
 home, pray?" 
 
 She was still smarting under the sting of last night s 
 interview. She had been detected, she felt sure, in a 
 piece of out and out equivocation, to call it by its most 
 innocuous title, and detected by her only daughter. 
 True to human nature, she was incensed at her daughter 
 for having discovered her falsehood, and longed for a 
 pretext to excuse or warrant an exhibition of parental 
 displeasure, and here it was. Unwelcome as the sight 
 would have been at any other time, there was something 
 absolutely greedy in her reception of the circumstance 
 now. Her daughter s kiss was unreturned, a frigid 
 and unbending acceptance was all she vouchsafed her. 
 Civility demanded that she should inquire as to the 
 state of Mr. Truscott s wound, but her ladyship was 
 not disposed to be civil, and in her wrath at what she 
 chose to consider her daughter s undutiful conduct she 
 decided to include under the ban of her censure the 
 adjutant himself, who was in no way responsible. A 
 very distant salutation, therefore, was her response to 
 his courteous greeting. Seeing which, he as calmly 
 resumed his seat, and became absorbed in the contem 
 plation of some objects on the road in the valley 
 below. 
 
 As for Grace, who never in her life had concealed a 
 thought or had a secret from her mother, this assump 
 tion of displeasure on her ladyship s part startled at 
 first, then wounded her with its utter injustice. Ten 
 words would have explained the situation, but now she 
 felt that anything like explanation was a self-humilia- 
 
94 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 tion totally uncalled for; besides, there was really 
 nothing in the situation that demanded anything of 
 the kind. That is to say, not to the portly and peevish 
 matron, who, without further word to either, swept 
 through the parlor into the adjoining dining-room, 
 whence her voice was presently heard requesting that 
 solace to femininity a cup of tea. 
 
 But the reader will want an explanation beyond 
 doubt, and very humbly at your feet is it laid. 
 
 Truscott had slept but little. The excitement of 
 the previous day, the irritation of his wound, poor 
 "Apache s" death, and his anxiety about the next 
 move of his comrades, all tended to restlessness. At 
 nine in the morning the surgeon had come in and 
 dressed his shoulder, finding Jack out of bed and 
 already half attired. After a few questions he spoke 
 gravely and decidedly. 
 
 " I m not going to condemn you to staying in bed 
 all day, Truscott, you will be better sitting in the 
 parlor ; but, no matter what turns up, you are not to 
 quit this house; you are on sick report and under 
 my charge. Of course I know you are fidgeting to 
 get down to Sandy after the command, but Colonel 
 Pelham is not going, and you shall not go." Truscott 
 frowned but made nc reply. The doctor went on with 
 his sponging and his calm talk : " I saw the general fif 
 teen minutes ago ; he is waiting for news from Sandy 
 and asked after you. Canker and his people started 
 up the valley at daybreak, and the cavalry from Mc 
 Dowell and here are to work right over to the Mogollon 
 range. The chief says that in four days most of the 
 renegades will have slipped back to the reservation, 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 95 
 
 and only a few scattered bands will be out ; but, by 
 Jove ! it was a miracle that you got through." 
 
 Then the doctor and Truscott had breakfasted to 
 gether. The general and Colonel Pelham had dropped 
 in to see him and charged him to keep quiet, and then 
 gone over to headquarters. No one else appeared ; the 
 ladies were all asleep aloft. Some of the Sandy party 
 had called at the door eager, probably, to hear any news 
 the ladies of the general s household might have, or to 
 retail that which they had heard, but, informed by the 
 servant that no one was down, had reluctantly retraced 
 their steps. All headquarters and Fort Whipple seemed 
 to be sleeping off the effects of an all-night dance and 
 jollification so far as Truscott could judge, but he could 
 not see the busy life over at the offices and in the 
 corrals, and so moped and read and fidgeted about the 
 parlor until noon, without a soul to speak to and re 
 lieve his anxiety. As a consequence he fretted infi 
 nitely more and had less actual repose than if he had 
 been in the saddle and on his way back to join his 
 comrades on the war-path ; but that is always the way. 
 A man may be worrying his heart out with eagerness 
 and anxiety to be in his proper place among his 
 troopers, and some old woman of a doctor says, " Now 
 stay in-doors and keep perfectly quiet if you want to 
 pull out of this." How in the mischief, thought Jack, 
 can a fellow be expected to keep perfectly quiet, or 
 approximately quiet, at such a time? And then he 
 almost swore to think that since nine not a man at the 
 office had thought enough of him to send him word of 
 the latest news from Sandy. There was not an orderly 
 or a male servant about the premises, and Jack, pacing 
 
96 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 feverishly up and down the floor, was just determining 
 on mutiny and a sortie when the rustle of dainty skirts 
 was heard upon the stairs : light footsteps came dancing 
 down. Jack stopped short, and the door opened. For 
 the second time Grace Pelham confronted Mr. Truscott. 
 
 " Which is it, good-morning or good-afternoon ?" she 
 blithely inquired, coming forward with frankly extended 
 hand. " How is your shoulder? tell me that first," she 
 hastily added, looking up into his face ; for the hand 
 which had taken hers for one brief second was hot and 
 dry, and the bronzed face was flushed. 
 
 "Afternoon, I should say, if not evening or day 
 after to-morrow. The morning has seemed intermin 
 able," he answered. 
 
 " Yes ; and you have been growing feverish with 
 every minute, I fear. Has the doctor been here ?" 
 
 " He has ; but the doctor I most need is your respected 
 father, my colonel. In fact, Miss Pelham, for the first 
 time in my acquaintance with that officer I have been 
 tempted to upbraid him savagely. He promised to 
 send me news from Sandy three hours ago, and here 
 it is after one o clock and not a word." 
 
 " Then there is no news," replied Grace, very calmly 
 and with a half superior smile. 
 
 " I accept the implied rebuke in all humility," said 
 Truscott, smiling, despite his worries, at the queenly 
 decision of her words. " I am unworthy to hold my 
 position another day, and shall resign the adjutancy in 
 your favor." 
 
 " All the same you are anxious for news, and so am 
 I. Possibly there is a way of relieving us both. Will 
 you promise to sit down in that big chair and look at 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 97 
 
 pictures or read the papers for fifteen minutes? Will 
 you promise ?" she repeated. 
 
 "Solemnly," said Jack, and subsided into the seat 
 nearest the window. The next instant he bent eagerly 
 forward and half rose. " Confound it, she s going her 
 self!" For, throwing a light circular over her shoul 
 ders, the girl had quickly left the house, and was even 
 now briskly stepping down the broad walk towards 
 headquarters. Truscott watched the graceful, slender 
 form until it disappeared from sight, and then watched 
 the spot where it disappeared for full five minutes. 
 He was not given to soliloquy. I never knew a man 
 that was, novels by the thousand to the contrary not 
 withstanding, but what he would have said, had he 
 said anything, was, " Glenham, you are a lucky man." 
 
 Near headquarters Grace encountered two or three 
 officers of infantry, one of whom eagerly went in search 
 of Colonel Pelbam, who promptly appeared and led 
 his daughter into the general s office. " She says Trus 
 cott is fretting himself into a high fever," he explained 
 to the chief, who had risen to greet her cordially, "and 
 that she, too, wants to know how matters are going 
 down at Sandy." 
 
 " You can tell him that he must have scared the tribe 
 out of their wits in yesterday s fight," said the general. 
 " They seern to be scattering in every direction." 
 
 "Give him this, daughter," said the colonel. "A 
 courier just brought it half an hour ago. It is Can 
 ker s letter to me with full particulars, and tell him he 
 is to keep quiet or I ll put a sentinel over him. You 
 go and be the sentinel," he added fondly, and with her 
 infantry friends as escorts Grace returned to the house. 
 
98 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR 
 
 Truscott, watching at the window, saw the quartette as 
 they hove in sight, and instinctively pushed back his 
 chair. " Confound those fellows !" he thought. " Of 
 course she will ask them in, and I m in no mood for 
 talk with any of them." With that he slipped off to 
 his own room. Two minutes after he heard voices on 
 the piazza, the hall-door opened, and Grace Pelham s 
 breezy tones fell upon his ear. " I know I ought to 
 ask you in, but I won t. Mr. Truscott will defy the 
 doctors and insist on having a talk with you all, whereas 
 he is ordered to be perfectly quiet. Forgive me, won t 
 you?" Then pleasant good-afternoons, a swish of 
 skirts and pit-pat of feet along the hall, the noise of 
 opening the parlor-door. Then a " Why !" then 
 silence. 
 
 For the first time that day Truscott s step was 
 springy as he hastened back to the parlor. " Bless her 
 heart," he thought, "she is as wise as she is pretty. 
 Glenham, you are a mighty lucky man." And some 
 how his step faltered and his face clouded a trifle as he 
 reappeared before her. 
 
 " Mr. Truscott, you have broken your arrest." 
 
 " I confess it," he said. " The sight of your escort 
 was too appalling. Forgive me for ever having doubted 
 your tact, but I ll never do it again. I did not see how 
 you could discharge them at the door." 
 
 " Utterly specious and unsatisfactory. Go back at 
 once to your limits." Jack returned to the chair. 
 " Sit down." Jack obeyed. " Now listen to your in 
 structions." And with that she stood threateningly 
 over him, and with mock gravity delivered the general s 
 message. Then that of the colonel with reference to 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 99 
 
 the sentinel being posted over him, until she came to 
 recollect the injunction, a You go and be the sentinel/ 
 whereat the conclusion of her message lost suddenly its 
 truculent character and she faltered. Was it a blush 
 that suddenly mounted to her temples ? Watching her 
 intently he was sure he saw it, but she recovered her 
 self-poise instantly. "And now, sir, here are de 
 spatches from the commanding officer at Camp Sandy 
 which you are to read, mark, and pigeon-hole, I sup 
 pose." And still holding them in her right hand, she 
 approached the arm of his chair with impressively up 
 lifted finger. " But now that I am going to leave you 
 in peace, remember that you are a prisoner. If you 
 
 want anything " And here her ladyship entered. 
 
 Jack had received his admonition with becoming 
 gravity, as indeed it had been delivered. Very becom 
 ing he thought as, after the brief scene with madame, 
 Grace hesitated for an instant at the parlor-door. She 
 had announced her intention of leaving him alone, 
 she did mean to go. She had not been in the room 
 with him more than sixty seconds when her ladyship 
 appeared and saw fit to assume an air of tragic dis 
 pleasure at so finding her. Now, knowing that she 
 had been misjudged, the spirit of the woman was 
 aroused. Truscott sat there with the despatch folded 
 in his listless hand, looking not at it, but at her. Five 
 minutes before this he was all impatience to get the 
 particulars of the fight near Sandy. Here was the 
 letter, and he did not open it; his eyes and his thoughts 
 followed orace, who had paused and was steadfastly 
 gazing after her mother into the dining-room. Her 
 hands were clasped before her, the fingers tightly inter- 
 
100 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 lacing, and her bosom rose and fell rapidly once ol 
 twice. Something hot and dry seemed to catch in her 
 throat. She turned abruptly towards him once more 
 and met his earnest gaze, then without another word 
 quickly withdrew her eyes, the long lashes sweeping 
 down over her cheeks, bent her head, and hurried 
 from the room. Truscott heard her ascending the 
 stairs ; he listened to her light footfall overhead, heard 
 her close the door of her room, and all was still except 
 madame s clinking knife and fork in the adjoining 
 room. The letter still lay in his hand, but he did not 
 open it. Once more he turned his eyes to the window 
 and gazed thoughtfully out over the shallow valley 
 towards the pine-crested heights on the western side ; 
 full five minutes he sat thus, then madame s chair made 
 a discordant noise upon the floor, her voluminous skirt? 
 rustled in premonition of her coming; he started, 
 opened Canker s letter, shook himself into attention, 
 and began to read in earnest as she re-entered the 
 room. 
 
 Even that potent mollifier, tea, seemed to have failed 
 in its office on this occasion. What woman is so hard 
 to placate as she who knows herself to be in the wrong ! 
 Mrs. Pelham was in a most unenviable mood as she 
 returned to the parlor. Her sleep had been uurefresh- 
 ing, her morning toilet unaided by Grace s deft fingers. 
 She had repelled her daughter s affectionate advances 
 on her first appearance, and been discourteous, if 
 not downright rude, to Mr. Truscott. Now she chose 
 to consider herself aggrieved because her hostess, the 
 general s wife, was still sleeping the sleep of the just 
 and the clear of conscience in her own room, while she, 
 
WINNING HIS 
 
 Lady Pelham, was left without a soul with whom to 
 sympathize or squabble. It would have been balm to 
 her troubled spirit just now to have had one or two of 
 her cronies at hand, and with them to have dissected 
 the toilets and characters of the ladies attending the 
 ball. Even comparative strangers would not have 
 been unwelcome, for that feminine freemasonry which 
 puts most of the sex on terms of interesting ease with 
 one another when discussing the absent would soon 
 have created a distraction for her gloomy reflections. 
 But she was practically alone. Truscott merely looked 
 up and bowed gravely, then returned to his reading. 
 She did not fancy going up-stairs and possibly meeting 
 Grace. She did not care to disturb her hostess. She 
 had nothing to occupy her in the parlor. She would 
 have been glad to talk with Truscott and satisfy her 
 self as to this reputed intractable; her curiosity was 
 piqued by all she had heard of him ; but it was evident 
 that he had noted her discourteous greeting, and that 
 now any advances towards conversation must come 
 from her : he was not the man to be cajoled one min 
 ute and dropped the next ; but she was still too ran 
 corous to stoop to conciliation, so she stood a moment 
 tossing the cards and notes on the centre-table, and 
 carelessly examining the inscriptions thereon, then she 
 marched out on the piazza and majestically paced up 
 and down, sniffing the bracing air and keeping keen 
 watch for any ladies who might appear along " Head 
 quarters Row." Late as many, if not most of them, 
 had slept, she knew full well that the interest and ex 
 citement attendant upon the sudden departure of the 
 cavalry officers for the field would soon bring them to- 
 
 9* 
 
THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 getlier to discuss the probabilities, and presently there 
 appeared, leading her little daughter by the hand, poor 
 Mrs. Tanner, " like Niobe, all tears." 
 
 Among some of her companions this gentle lady was 
 held pretty much as Mrs. Major O Dowd, of blessed 
 memory, regarded that poor, weak-spurted Amelia, and 
 like Amelia there wasn t a man in the th who would 
 not have leaped to her defence. She had married early, 
 had lost the darling of her heart a winning blue-eyed 
 baby girl in the stirring days when the regiment was 
 clearing the way for the transcontinental railways, and 
 her dearly-loved husband was constantly with his troop 
 scouting over the prairies, while she, lonely and heart 
 sick, watched over the cradle of their little one in the 
 humble log hut which had been assigned them as quar 
 ters. Her agony when that baby was taken from her, 
 her dumb, patient suffering when the regiment was 
 ordered to Arizona and she had to bid farewell to the 
 little grave under the cottonwoods (poor Tanner had 
 lifted her in his arms, finding her white hands firmly 
 clutching the bunch-grass on the tiny mound), the wist 
 ful, far-away gaze in her soft eyes all through that tedi 
 ous and dreary journey, none of the officers had ever 
 forgotten ; nor had they forgotten her constant efforts 
 to appear bright and cheerful, especially to her hus 
 band, whose heart was sorely wrung with their loss, 
 yet, stubborn and manlike, strove to hide its wound 
 under the guise of unwonted brusqueness of manner, 
 sometimes even to her. 
 
 And then the night of that dreadful storm on the 
 Pacific, when they were off the coast of Lower Cali 
 fornia, and not a soul on board the laboring steamer 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 1Q3 
 
 believed that day would ever dawn upon them, how 
 calm and brave and serene she was ! while, if regimental 
 traditions were reliable, Mesdames Turner and others 
 whom we won t mention had behaved like lunatics, 
 and made consummate nuisances of themselves. Some 
 how that storm-night on the old " Montana" was never 
 a popular reminiscence with the ladies of the th. It 
 could not be, since no man of their acquaintance could 
 ever be induced to omit some such remark as, "By 
 Jove, what a little heroine Mrs. Tanner was !" when 
 alluding to it. They had always spoken of her rather 
 pityingly up to that time. " So daft about her husband 
 and that baby, you know ; she can t think of anything 
 else." But that night she had serenely taken care of 
 other women s olive branches while their husbands were 
 on deck helping the ship s officers, and they themselves 
 were indulging in hysterics or lamentations. Not all, 
 be it understood. There were three brave women there 
 that night, but two of them are so fortunate as to have 
 no place in our story, and to have had the good luck 
 not to be stationed with regimental headquarters at 
 Sandy when all those most unpleasant episodes 
 but this is anticipating. The ladies of the th re 
 spected Mrs. Tanner, they could not help respecting 
 her, but all the same they levelled their little slings of 
 malice and all uncharitableness whenever they were in 
 conclave among themselves, and whenever they dared 
 at other times, for they could not forgive it in her that 
 the officers to a man should refer to her as the bravest 
 and pluckiest and sweetest-natured little woman in the 
 regiment. They could not be expected to forgive it in 
 her that she absolutely held herself aloof from all gar- 
 
104 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 rison gossip or small talk, that she was always courteous 
 and kindly, always bright and cordial to those who 
 sought her society ; but she had no intimates, as women 
 define them, except her husband, and feminine confi 
 dences were with her unknown. A devoted wife, a 
 rapturously loving mother to the little ones who had 
 come to partially replace the idolized first-born, she madf 
 her home her sanctuary, and his, and there peace and 
 happiness, if ever they are permitted to abide with us, 
 reigned perennially. 
 
 Mrs. Tanner was not the utterly weak-spirited woman 
 her sisters would have made her out to be. Though 
 she preferred to shine in the pure light of her own fire 
 side rather than in the glare of garrison society, and in 
 her retiring way was far more apt to hide her light 
 under a bushel than to permit its radiance to be seen 
 abroad, those who knew her well soon discovered that 
 she was far better informed, far deeper than the average 
 army woman, that she had cultivated and refined tastes, 
 that she was not plain by any means, for, when inter 
 ested, her face would light up vividly, and her eyes 
 were lovely whether in animation or repose. Her 
 features, despite their habitual pallor, were delicate and 
 regular, her hair soft and brown and wavy, and her 
 voice ever that matchless gift in the woman who wins 
 and would hold the queendom of her home low and 
 sweet. The ladies of the th had long since abandoned 
 their sly allusions at her expense when speaking to their 
 husbands or the men who knew her. Green subalterns, 
 just joining, were disposed at first to keep at a distance 
 from her, and were wont to dance attendance for their 
 vear of " plebe-hood" at the skirts of other ladies her 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 105 
 
 seniors in years but juniors in manners. She never 
 sought to attract anybody. 
 
 Now, one would suppose that such a woman was 
 above suspicion, and that so pure, so chaste, so retiring 
 in thought and act, she at least would escape calumny. 
 But once, just once, a strange thing had happened, and 
 over and over again had the ladies of the th rolled 
 it with their tongues, pulled it out of shape, twisted 
 and tortured and, some of them, swearing that they did 
 not believe, believing had gone so far as to transplant 
 the story to alien soil and let it grow like a weed in the 
 luxuriant gardens of other regiments. During the first 
 year after they came into Arizona the heroine of the 
 u Montana" had noted an odd, half-hesitating manner 
 on the part of the ladies of the infantry and the staff 
 on receiving her; some had failed to call. Finally 
 Tanner had noticed it, and not until he questioned her 
 did she admit that she was struck by the circumstance. 
 Tanner tried to fathom it, but found that his brother 
 officers fought shy of the question. Truscott Was his 
 stand-by ordinarily, but Truscott and he were not at 
 the same post for some time after entering the Terri 
 tory ; indeed, the entire regiment was in the field scout 
 ing and fighting through the Apache-infested mountains, 
 and in all the anxiety and distress experienced by the 
 ladies in garrison while the regiment was in daily con 
 flict with the savages, and in the excitement and inci 
 dents of the campaign, the affair faded from the mind 
 of the people generally, and nothing more was said or 
 done on the subject for quite a little while. 
 
 But the story was a serious one, and in a very few min 
 utes Mrs. Pelham was to be made acquainted with it in 
 
106 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 all its details. How much better, therefore, not to tell 
 it here, but to wait and let those innate romancers, the 
 ladies of her coterie, tell it themselves ! As yet there 
 was but slight acquaintance between Mrs. Pelham and 
 Mrs. Tanner, the former, however, had been greatly 
 impressed, shrewd society woman that she was, by the 
 perfect manners and gentle ways of the little lady ; had 
 admired her at the ball the night before, and was dis 
 posed to " cultivate" her, as the expression goes. A t 
 this moment, however, Mrs. Tanner would have been 
 glad to avoid an interview. The captain had left her at 
 sunrise hurrying back with his comrades to join their 
 commands at Sandy, and she, late in the day, had 
 started out to give her little girl a needed airing when 
 she met a soldier of her husband s troop, who had 
 come back with despatches and brought her a few pen 
 cilled lines from him. Their loving tenderness and the 
 allusion he made to a little locket which he always 
 carried in his breast, a locket containing a golden curl 
 from the bright head sleeping under the sod in far 
 away Kansas, these combined had overcome her self- 
 control, and as she retraced her steps and strove to 
 reply to the light-hearted prattle of her little one, the 
 tears were streaming from her eyes, and it was thus she 
 encountered the glances of the colonel s wife. 
 
 " What is it, Mrs. Tanner ?" said that lady, by no 
 means unsympathetically, as she hastened down the 
 steps to greet her. " No ill tidings, I hope ; you look 
 so distressed. Do come with me and rest awhile ; there 
 is no one here." And, taking her hand, she led the 
 young mother to the piazza. 
 
 Hurriedly thanking her and striving hard to control 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 1Q7 
 
 her emotion, Mrs. Tanner assured Lady Pelhara that 
 there was no real cause for her apparent distress, 
 apologized in fact for her weakness, and presently 
 succeeded in leading the conversation to the ball of 
 the night before and to Grace herself. On these topics 
 the ladies were getting along admirably when little 
 Rosalie, playing about the balcony, suddenly exclaimed, 
 " Oh, mamma, mamma, here s Uncle Jack !" and turn 
 ing, Mrs. Tanner caught sight of Mr. Truscott seated 
 close to the parlor- window and smiling greeting to the 
 child. She rose instantly, walked to the window, and 
 finding it impossible to hear his reply to her inquiries, 
 and in response to his beckoned " Come in !" she re 
 turned to Mrs. Pelham, saying, " I had not hoped to 
 find Mr. Truscott able to sit up ; may I go in and see 
 him ?" 
 
 " Why certainly I suppose so," replied madame, 
 not very cordially, however, for she did not relish the 
 evident pleasure with which the younger lady accepted 
 the prospect of quitting her society for his ; but Mrs. 
 Tanner never noticed the change in tone, and, taking 
 Rosalie with her, entered the house. She had hardly 
 closed the hall-door when three ladies appeared, issuing 
 from the adjoining quarters of the adjutant-general, and 
 came briskly down the path, all smiles and salutations, 
 to greet her ladyship. In another minute Mrs. Ray 
 mond, Mrs. Turner, and the wife of one of the staff- 
 officers were seated in cosey conversation with Mrs. 
 Pelham, chatting as gleefully as though separation from 
 their lords were an every-day affair, and not at all to 
 be deplored beyond the conventional, " So horrid, you 
 know; and now I suppose the infantry ball will be 
 
J08 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER, OR 
 
 abandoned entirely." Then came inquiries for Grace, 
 and lavish praises of Grace s beauty and bearing. Both 
 ladies of the th were evidently bent on making as 
 favorable an impression as possible on the colonel s 
 wife, and their Fort Whipple friend as a consequence 
 was allowed small share in the chatter. In the midst 
 of the talk the hall-door opened, and as they rose ex 
 pectant of receiving Miss Pelham there reappeared 
 Mrs. Tanner and Rosalie. 
 
 " Why, good-afternoon, Mrs. Tanner ; I d no idea 
 you were here," was the greeting of the three. Mrs. 
 Tanner pleasantly responded to their salutations, in 
 quired if they had heard any news from the detachment, 
 briefly told them of the note she had received from her 
 husband, and then turning to Mrs. Pelham bade her 
 good-morning, left some message for Grace, and ex 
 cusing herself to all for hurrying home she and Rosalie 
 went smilingly away. 
 
 " What a charming little woman !" said her ladyship 
 after a pause, during which all four pairs of eyes had 
 followed the two out of earshot. 
 
 " Sweet," said Mrs. Turner, reflectively. 
 
 " So gentle and ladylike," said Mrs. Raymond. 
 
 " I ve always admired her so much," said their com 
 panion. Then came a pause. 
 
 " It is a perfect mystery to me how any one can help 
 liking her," said Mrs. Raymond, softly and slowly. 
 Another pause. 
 
 " Well, I always did," said Mrs. Turner, dreamily 
 gazing across the valley. 
 
 "And I supposed everybody did," said Mrs. Pel- 
 ham, looking very intently at her two "subordinates/ 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 109 
 
 who thereupon became more intently interested in some 
 distant objects, waiting with well-assured shrewdness 
 to be drawn out by further questioning. 
 
 " Has she been in to see Grace ?" aske*d the staff lady. 
 
 " No/ 7 replied her ladyship, promptly. " She went 
 in to see Mr. Truscott." 
 
 Instantly Mrs. Raymond and Mrs. Turner exchanged 
 glances of much significance, which Mrs. Pelham was 
 as quick to observe, and which, as soon as satisfied that 
 she had observed, the two ladies discontinued and again 
 became absorbed and preoccupied in manner. 
 
 The other lady said " Oh !" 
 
 Now, there are dozens of ways of saying " oh," each 
 eminently expressive of some different idea or emotion. 
 This one was eminently expressive of, "Well, of course 
 it s her own business, but if /were in her place," etc., 
 and then there was a general lull of at least three 
 seconds in the conversation. Just enough had been 
 said, indicated, and acted to pique her ladyship s curi 
 osity to the utmost. She readily divined that any one 
 of the three ladies could impart interesting information, 
 and as all sat silent, as no attempt had been made by 
 any one of them to change the subject of conversation, 
 it was evident enough that all she had to do was to 
 start them and the story, whatever it was, would speedily 
 be at her service. There are women in the army, thank 
 God ! who at such a crisis would have calmly and de 
 cidedly led the talk into another channel and virtually 
 have declined to be made the recipients of a garrison 
 scandal, but their number is not legion, and Lady Pel- 
 ham is not of their number. 
 
 The silence was broken by her. 
 16 
 
HO THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 " Why, I hope there is no reason why I should not 
 like Mrs. Tanner. Is there, Mrs. Raymond?" 
 
 "No indeed. Far from it only " said that 
 
 politic lady, beginning vehemently and concluding 
 with vague and hesitating manner, indicative of any 
 thing but triumphant confidence. 
 
 "If anything is not as it should be, surely /ought 
 to know it/ persisted madame, slowly and impressively ; 
 " and surely, Mrs. Raymond, my friends ought not to 
 keep me in ignorance." 
 
 This being precisely what both Mrs. Raymond and 
 Mrs. Turner thought, and exactly what both expected 
 Mrs. Pelham to say at this juncture, a little further 
 coquetting with the subject became appropriate. 
 
 "Indeed, Mrs. Pelham, there isn t anything, that 
 is, I never believed it ; and it s something I never can 
 bear to think of, and have never alluded to," said Mrs. 
 Raymond, and actually at the moment she believed her 
 own assertion. 
 
 " Mrs. Turner, it is evidently a matter you all know. 
 Is there any reason (majestically) why J should dot be 
 informed ?" 
 
 " Oh, dear, no ! Mrs. Pelham," replied Mrs. Turner, 
 " only it s a thing I never would have mentioned for 
 the world. Even now I can t believe it ; and when I 
 heard it at the time, you know, Nellie (appealingly to 
 Mrs. Raymond), I said it couldn t be true. She was 
 too thorough a lady, and then he had never " 
 
 "Yes, I know, dear," broke in Mrs. Raymond, "and 
 so did I, and how it ever got out I never could imagine. 
 I know Captain Raymond was furious when he heard 
 that Mrs. McGinty, of the infantry, speak of it, and 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. Ill 
 
 he said it would be a bad day for the gossips if it ever 
 reached Truscott s ears." 
 
 "Truscott! Mr. Truscott!" exclaimed Lady Pel- 
 ham, now all agog with curiosity. " Pray what had 
 he to do with it?" 
 
 And then, little by little, in fragments, and with 
 mutual assistance, promptings, and suggestions, but 
 never without such comments as, " You know I can t 
 
 believe it, although " and, " He has never shown 
 
 her any more attention than he has anybody else, ex 
 cept " etc., etc., the direful story came out. 
 
 Divested of its feminine embroidery, it amounted, 
 substantially, to this : Truscott had been first lieutenant 
 of Tanner s troop in the old Kansas days, and when in 
 garrison, which was seldom, had shown a decided fond 
 ness for spending his evenings at the Tanners quarters ; 
 he " messed with them," as the army expression goes, 
 in the days when only two companies of the th were 
 stationed at Fort Harker, and he did not find the society 
 of the infantry officers altogether as desirable as it sub 
 sequently became. 
 
 He used to write frequently to them after he was 
 made adjutant and joined headquarters, especially after 
 the baby died, and all this seemed natural enough. 
 When the regiment was ordered to Arizona, Captain 
 Tanner s troop went with the first detachment, leaving 
 Kansas early in December. Truscott did not arrive 
 in Arizona until some months after they did. Tanner 
 with his company was out on a scout, and she, with 
 her new mite of a baby, was at Camp Phoenix when 
 Truscott unexpectedly appeared at the post and went, 
 within an hour of his arrival, to call upon her, and 
 
U2 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 Mrs. Treadwell, rushing in unceremoniously as next- 
 door neighbors will, was stupefied to find Mrs. Tanner 
 sobbing in Jack Truscott s arms. She could have sworn 
 she was looking up in his face and kissing him as she 
 entered the hall and saw them through the half-opened 
 door. Now, in justice to Mrs. Treadwell, who was 
 the wife of one of the prominent field-officers of the 
 regiment and a most worthy woman, let it be recorded 
 that for an entire fortnight she kept the thing to her 
 self. 
 
 Truscott was at the post four days, and during that 
 time had otherwise shown no more attention to Mrs. 
 Tanner than to the other ladies, and possibly not a soul 
 would ever have heard of this affair but for the fact 
 that a nurse-maid employed by Mrs. Tanner was sud^ 
 denly discharged about this time for good and sufficient 
 reason, and was furnished transportation to the nearest 
 town. Servants were scarce and high in Arizona, and 
 the Abigail had no difficulty in finding immediate em 
 ployment, and in informing her new mistress, the wife 
 of a large contractor, that the reason of her leaving 
 Mrs. Tanner was that she couldn t stay in a house where 
 there was such goings on as she had seen between her 
 and the adjutant. Thus started, the story attained in 
 less than no time colossal proportions and soon reached 
 Camp Phoenix. Mrs. Treadwell was told confidentially 
 by another lady of the servant s story, and was asked 
 point-blank whether she had ever noticed anything, 
 which, being a next-door neighbor, she might have 
 done, and, the lady being her most intimate friend, 
 Mrs. Treadwell imparted her secret. 
 
 Thus it was that the story gained the solid foundation 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 113 
 
 that first was lacking, but once surely grounded there 
 is no telling to what heights an army story may not 
 soar. It fairly flew about from post to post, and women 
 who had never seen anything out of the way in the 
 friendship of the Tanners and Truscott before now re 
 called a dozen suspicious circumstances they never could 
 account for. This explained her agitation at Yuma on 
 receiving a letter in his handwriting. This was why 
 she never could listen to any of the stories in circulation 
 about other people s frivolities. This was why he was 
 so set against gossip and small talk, and finally a dozen 
 ladies of the th had settled in their own minds that 
 that artful little Mrs. Tanner was actually the cause of 
 his broken engagement. How they wished they knew 
 the girl s name ! 
 
 Nor was it a story confined to the fair sex. Such 
 worthies as Mrs. Wilkins and others had speedily im 
 parted it to their husbands and to the men who were 
 jealous of Truscott; and Canker, Crane, Wilkins, and 
 others of that ilk had stealthily discussed it among 
 themselves, but had been cautious enough to say noth 
 ing about it to Truscott s friends or to Tanner s. One 
 night, however, Mrs. Turner, in the exasperation of 
 some trivial matrimonial squabble, stung by a most in 
 judicious though very just comparison drawn by her 
 liege lord between her conduct and Mrs. Tanner s, had 
 burst forth with, " Mrs. Tanner, indeed ; if you knew 
 what I know about that woman you would not dare 
 insult me by comparing me with her !" whereat honest 
 Captain Turner was thunderstruck, and then very flatly 
 told his wife that he had heard too many garrison sto 
 ries laid at her door, and warned her that there was 
 h 10* 
 
114 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR 
 
 one woman she had better not asperse, and that was 
 Mrs. Tanner. 
 
 Oh, foolish and short-sighted mortal ! What greater 
 provocation could he give the wife of his bosom ? In 
 a minute she had accused Mrs. Tanner, and that " par 
 agon of yours, Mr. Truscott," of half the sins in the 
 decalogue, and was. ready to prove it. "Ask Mrs. 
 Raymond, ask Mrs, Wilkins, ask Mrs. Anybody," 
 flashed the indignant lady in response to the pishes 
 and pshaws and trashes with which he greeted her ve 
 hement recital, till finally both had lost utter control 
 of their tempers, and Captain Turner had clinched the 
 nail of his domestic enormities by slamming out of the 
 room with the parting remark, " Well, my dear, if you 
 have known all this of Mr. Truscott for the last six 
 months, your eagerness for his society and attentions is 
 utterly unbecoming, to say the least," and very properly 
 she would not speak to him for a week afterwards. 
 
 All the same, Turner was seriously discomfited ; he 
 thoroughly liked Truscott and he loved his regiment, 
 was proud of its name and its record, proud of the 
 honor of its officers and of their ladies. In her fury 
 Mrs. Turner had told him that those two names, Trus- 
 eott s and Mrs. Tanner s, were bandied about all 
 through the Territory. He didn t believe it, but some 
 thing had to be done if such were the case. He didn t 
 want to go to the colonel with the story, for then there 
 would be an awful row. He did not want to go to Trus 
 cott, for then he would have to give his authority, and 
 the chances were that in tracing the thing to its foun 
 dation there would be no end of snarls and entangle 
 ments, and if any man was found to have had a word 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. H5 
 
 in the thing, why, the Lord be merciful to us, thought 
 Turner Truscott or that man would have a military 
 funeral, and we re having too much of that now. Ray 
 mond was away and he couldn t consult him ; as for 
 the others, the only man at headquarters whom he felt 
 willing to talk to was old Bucketts, and Bucketts had 
 blocked the whole game by sharply declining to hear a 
 word on the subject. " I don t know ; I don t want to 
 know. Whatever it is, it s a d d infamous lie, and I 
 won t listen to it I" said the quartermaster hotly. It 
 seems he had overheard Canker and Wilkins one even 
 ing, had just caught enough of their conversation to 
 get the drift of it, and had thereupon burst upon their 
 startled ears with such a " tongue-lashing" as even their 
 wives did not often devote to them. Just what to do 
 Turner could not imagine, but, as has been said, the 
 all-engrossing excitements of the campaign soon drove 
 the matter out of his thoughts, and when that was 
 over the ladies had apparently dropped it. Then Ma 
 jor and Mrs. Treadwell had been promoted to another 
 sphere of duty and left Arizona, and up to this day 
 neither Tanner, Truscott, nor Colonel Pelham had ever 
 heard a word of the story. As for Mrs. Tanner, it 
 soon became evident even to her detractors that her 
 general character and conduct would absolutely render 
 them liable to the imputation of deliberate slander. 
 The men would listen to no repetition of their state 
 ments. The contractor s wife, who with the nurse had 
 started the story, had both fallen into the further dis 
 repute to be expected of them, and Mrs. Treadwell, the 
 one reliable though only partial witness, was now two 
 thousand miles away. And so the story only smoul- 
 
11(5 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 dered for two or three years, and even when, a few 
 months before the coming of her ladyship, the Tanners 
 had been transferred with their troop to regimental 
 headquarters, and several ladies watchfully waited to 
 note the bearing of Truscott and Mrs. Tanner towards 
 each other, the sharpest eye could detect no differ 
 ence between the grave courtesy with which he always 
 treated her in public and that which marked his inter 
 course with all the rest. 
 
 As for other indications, he perhaps was more fre 
 quently at Tanner s at dinner or tea than elsewhere, 
 but always with Tanner, and it must be confessed that 
 the situation was rather disappointing. 
 
 All this or most of it, and much more than some 
 parts of it, Mrs. Pelhani listened to with politely 
 veiled avidity, and when finally she had extracted all 
 the information possible from her three not unwilling 
 witnesses (once started they outrivalled one another in 
 volubility), she carefully expressed her conviction that 
 though there might have been something very impru 
 dent some years past, it was all over and done with 
 now. " And so we won t tell any one of this conver 
 sation, will we?" was the parting injunction to the 
 ladies of her "suite" as the appearance of Colonel 
 Pelham, sturdily tramping up the walk, warned them 
 that it was time to change the subject. Then as that 
 gentleman manifested no desire to remain with them, 
 but immediately inquired for Truscott and went in to 
 -see him, the ladies, finding other subjects of trivial in 
 terest compared with the one they had so wellnigh 
 exhausted, concluded to leave. 
 
 But tell it Mrs. Pelham did, and mercilessly, and soon 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 NOTWITHSTANDING his prophecy that Canker ami 
 the boys would whip the renegades back into the reser 
 vation in two or three days, the general determined to 
 go down to Sandy and take a hand himself, All that 
 day he had fidgeted about the office dissatisfied with 
 the meagre reports that came, and the more that came 
 the more it looked as though Canker s brief adminis 
 tration of command had not been felicitous. At five 
 o clock in the afternoon he quietly appeared at the 
 house, and without telling Colonel Pelham of his in 
 tention, was making his characteristically brief prep 
 arations for the start when the colonel caught him in 
 the act, and very positively announced that he would 
 go too. Mrs. Pelham had protested, of course, but 
 there were some things in which she could not move 
 her lord, and this was one of them. "There, now, 
 Dolly," he said, " that will do. I ve only ten minutes 
 in which to get ready and no time for argument. 
 Where s Grace-?" So Grace came with ready hand to 
 her father s assistance, asking no questions and evi 
 dently regarding his decision as eminently proper and 
 incontrovertible. 
 
 Her ladyship would fain have button-holed the 
 general himself and importuned him not to let the 
 colonel go, but, once before in her life, such a perform- 
 
118 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 ance on her part had come to the ears of her ordinarily 
 placid and even-tempered husband, and his remarks 
 anent that piece of petticoat interference had been a 
 revelation. Indeed, nothing but tears, contrition, and 
 a solemn promise on her part never, nevei to do such 
 a thing again had saved her from consequences more 
 serious than a marital lecture ; but this was a long time 
 ago, so long that her resolution never to do so again 
 had been modified by the mental reservation of " when 
 there is a possibility of being found out." 
 
 The general, indeed, had not intended to take Pel- 
 ham with him, yet was secretly glad to have him return 
 at once to Sandy. " Things worked better when he was 
 there." And so it resulted that by six o clock that 
 afternoon Jack Truscott found himself left alone in a 
 household of ladies. 
 
 To say that he was downright unhappy over the 
 circumstance would be more than so gallant and cour 
 teous a man as Truscott would say himself, but to say 
 that he, on the contrary, was not, would be a wide 
 departure from the truth. He knew nothing of his 
 superior s plans until the ambulance drove up to the 
 door, and the sight of the general s favorite aide in his 
 well-worn and well-known scouting costume sent Trus- 
 cott s pulse up to one hundred and twenty at a bound. 
 
 Stepping into the hall, he met Grace with her father s 
 cloak and Navajo blanket in her arms. " We are steal 
 ing a march on you, Mr. Truscott," she smilingly re 
 marked, glancing over her shoulder at the colonel 
 himself, who came waddling after her down the stairs. 
 Shall it be recorded? Truscott s eyes, full of surprise 
 and pain, even of reproach, had not so much as a glance 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 119 
 
 for her; lie answered not a word, but mutely stood 
 questioning his chief. 
 
 "I couldn t help it, my dear boy; don t look as 
 though I had deserted you/ that warm-hearted gentle 
 man had hastened to explain. " I only knew fifteen 
 minutes ago that the general was going, and I decided 
 to slip off and run down with him. I knew just how 
 you d feel, Truscott, and hadn t the heart to tell you. 
 Confound it, man, I m only going to Sandy, not into 
 the field, and if you ll only keep quiet you wiil be able 
 to come down yourself in less than a week." 
 
 " Has anything gone wrong ?" asked Tru, i*>tt. 
 
 " Nothing at all. Only the general wa^ts to look 
 after things himself, and can do so more readily at 
 Sandy than here. I ll leave Mrs. Pelh& a. in your 
 charge, and you in Grace s. Think you can keep him 
 in subjection, daughter? He is tractable enough ordi 
 narily, but just now he wants a steady hand." 
 
 Then the general came forth, followed by his philo 
 sophical wife, who was amiably assuring Lady Pelham 
 that this was a thing she wouldn t mind after six 
 months in Arizona. "I ve grown so used to it as 
 never to be surprised at his waking up and starting off 
 somewhere in the dead of night." 
 
 Five minutes more and the ambulance had rattled 
 off down the hill, leaving the three ladies and Truscott 
 a silent group on the piazza, Grace looking sad and 
 anxious, madame melodramatic, Truscott very pale and 
 quiet, and their hostess alone cheery. 
 
 " Come, now, I won t have any moping," she said. 
 u We ll get everybody up here this evening and have 
 lots of fun. Jack Truscott, you shall have twenty 
 
120 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 nurses. Grace, all the infantry boys will be here on 
 your account. Come, let s go in and order tea. I m 
 hungry as a dozen bears." 
 
 Early in the evening Truscott managed to slip away 
 from the noisy party assembled in the parlor and sought 
 his own room. He excused himself to his hostess on 
 the plea of fatigue, and she, big-hearted woman that 
 she was, and knowing full well that his heart was any 
 where but in the glee and merriment and music and 
 twaddle going on, covered his retreat very successfully. 
 
 Later she went to his door with some comforting 
 drink of her own manufacture, found him sitting up 
 and pretending to read, and later still, noting the in 
 terest with Avhich Grace had inquired for him, she placed 
 some delicate custard in her hands, saying, " Take it to 
 him; he ll like it." 
 
 Truscott heard the light footsteps he had already 
 learned to recognize coming along the hall, then a pause 
 at his door, and presently a timid, fluttering little knock. 
 " Come in," he said. 
 
 The door slowly opened, and there stood Grace upon 
 the threshold smiling and with a suspicion of heightened 
 color in her face. He rose to greet her, but she pro 
 tested. " Don t get up ; I was asked to bring this to 
 you," with the slightest emphasis on the "asked." 
 Nevertheless he stepped to the doorway, took the cus 
 tard from her hands, and then, leaning against the 
 door-post, stood looking down at her. 
 
 " Miss Pelham, are you in a merciful mood ?" he 
 asked. 
 
 " I ! Unquestionably. Why not ?" And the earnest 
 eyes looked frankly up in his face. 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 121 
 
 "Then you will grant me absolution for a sin of 
 omission," he said, smiling. t( The sight of my chief 
 starting for the war-path startled me into a rudeness 
 towards you." 
 
 " In that you did not answer an utterly unimportant 
 remark of mine, I suppose. As you ought to have dis 
 covered, Mr. Truscott, I claim to be a soldier s daughter, 
 and do not expect to be considered at such a time." 
 
 " Then you are a marvellous exception to the rest of 
 your sisterhood," said Jack, with an emphatic impul 
 siveness very unusual in him. 
 
 " Indeed, Mr. Truscott ? Is that your opinion of 
 our sex ? How did you ever succeed in winning the 
 name of being so very gallant and courteous, I wonder ? 
 I thought you the champion of all the ladies of the 
 regiment. I m sure they do ; and what would they say 
 if your treachery were known ?" she added, laughing. 
 
 " I am at your mercy," he replied. " Betray me and 
 I am ruined. Thank you for bringing this to me, and 
 good-night. Don t let me keep you from the fun." 
 
 A ring at the door-bell, and the servant admitted a 
 tall sergeant of cavalry. " A despatch for Lieutenant 
 Truscott," they heard him say. Truscott called to him 
 to come thither, and as he opened the envelope Grace, 
 not knowing why, but anxious for any news, remained. 
 
 Leaning against the casement he slowly read the 
 message, and Grace patiently stood looking up into the 
 pale, clear-cut face. 
 
 " This will be welcome news to Mrs. Tanner," he 
 said, presently, " and I would like her to know it to 
 night. Is she here ?" he asked Grace. 
 
 " Mrs. Tanner ? No. She has not been here at all." 
 F 11 
 
122 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 " She never had heart for fun of any kind when he 
 was in the field, Miss Pelham, and this will greatly 
 relieve her anxiety. His company is ordered to re 
 main at the agency on guard for a few days ; the others 
 have gone across into the Red Rock country. Take 
 this over to Captain Lee s quarters and ask that it be 
 shown to Mrs. Tanner at once, sergeant, then come back 
 to me," he said ; then turning again to Grace, " Late as 
 it is I think she will still be awake, and this news may 
 put her to sleep." 
 
 "I am so glad for her sake. She seems so very 
 lovable a woman. They have all been extremely pleas 
 ant to me, but there was something especially winning 
 in her manner, and I like her greatly. You know her 
 very well, do you not?" asked she, still looking frankly 
 up in his eyes. 
 
 " Better than any of the ladies, I think," he replied. 
 " May I ask how you so readily divine my friend 
 ships ?" 
 
 " I had heard that you were very warm friends. It 
 was Mr. Glenham who told me I think." (You 
 knew, Grace, and it wasn t like you to hesitate there.) 
 
 "Ah, yes, Glenham," he repeated, while for the 
 life of him he could not repress a mischievous merri 
 ment on noting how at the mention of the name she 
 had faltered, and, under the steady glance of h?3 eyes, 
 colored red an instant after. " Glenhara has doubtless 
 been a most efficient means of strengthening your ac 
 quaintance with the regiment, but I warn you against 
 his enthusiasm ; you will come expecting to find us 
 models of genius and geniality, and will be all the 
 more bitterly disappointed." 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 123 
 
 " He certainly glories in his regiment, Mr. Truscott, 
 and, as one of his heroes, you ought not to disparage 
 his opinions." 
 
 " Grace dear, I want you," at this juncture was heard 
 in solemn and remorseless tones from the other end of 
 the hall. Grace started like the guilty thing she cer 
 tainly was not, and beheld the matronly form of her 
 ladyship rigidly posed at the parlor-door. There was 
 something indefinably, gratingly disagreeable about her 
 voice and manner, that intangible something thai a 
 woman can throw into her tones as expressive of the 
 extreme of displeasure, and yet be able to subsequently 
 and triumphantly establish that you have no grounds 
 whatever for saying so. 
 
 " Good-night, Mr. Truscott," said Grace. " Please 
 let me know when you send any despatch to the valley." 
 Then seeing her mother still stonily, severely awaiting 
 her, she did just what she would not have done had 
 she felt herself un watched, turned, held out her slender 
 hand, and said, warmly, " I do hope you will have a 
 good night s rest and feel ever so much better to-mor 
 row. Good-night," and then walked briskly off down 
 the hall, looking calmly into her mother s face. That 
 lady contented herself for the time being with ushering 
 her erring daughter into the parlor. It must be ad 
 mitted that the latter had delayed much longer at Trus- 
 cott s door than the delivery of a plate of custard could 
 possibly warrant, and that her present attitude towards 
 her mother was not as dutiful and loving as it might be. 
 
 Half an hour afterwards, when the guests of the 
 evening had gone home and the ladies were preparing 
 to abandon the parlor, Truscott himself appeared at 
 
12-1 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 the doorway. Her ladyship was at the moment in 
 dulging in some slight refreshment in the dining-room. 
 He held a large despatch envelope in his hand. " Miss 
 Pel ham, you desired me to let you know when I had 
 opportunity of sending word to the valley. It seems 
 that the sergeant is to start at daybreak to ride in search 
 of Captain Canker s command, and I am sending a 
 few lines by him. He will be glad to take anything 
 you have." 
 
 "To Captain Canker s command? Thank you, Mr. 
 Truscott. I do not know of any one with him. It 
 was to father I wanted to write." 
 
 " Oh, pardon me," said Jack. " I m sorry, but the ser 
 geant will cross the valley way to the north of the post, 
 and won t be apt to see any one from there. I thought 
 it possible you might wish to send a message after some 
 friends in the field column." 
 
 " I believe not," she answered. " Who is there with 
 him to whom I owe a message ?" she asked, laugh 
 ingly. 
 
 " I can simply answer for it that there are six or 
 eight who would be most happy to receive one," said 
 he, with an odd relapse into his regimental manner 
 of somewhat stately courtesy. " May I be the trans 
 mitter ?" 
 
 "Evidently he is thinking of Mr. Glenham," said 
 Grace to herself, and a strange shade of annoyance 
 swept over her. His change of manner too struck her 
 at once. 
 
 " Is it the customary thing in Arizona for us non- 
 combatants to send sustaining and encouraging mes 
 sages to the front?" she coolly inquired. "If so, put 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 125 
 
 me down for anything that may occur to you as at 
 once brilliant and to the point. Mr. Truscott, that 
 smile is satirical, and you plainly mean to indicate that 
 then it would be recognized at once as not my mcs- 
 
 " Miss Pelham, I am no match for such acuteness. 
 Are you repenting having shown mercy half an hour 
 ago?" 
 
 " Not quite, but that very superior smile is an ag 
 gravation, I confess. Now, who is there to whom you 
 supposed I wanted to send a message ? Answer that." 
 
 " Let me answer by saying that Messrs. Glen ham, 
 Hunter, and Dana are by this time with Captain Can 
 ker, and that Mr. Ray with his company will have 
 joined him to-morrow. I name them as young gentle 
 men any one of whom would be charmed by a message 
 from you, and two of them I have heard absolutely 
 raving about you." 
 
 a Now you expect me to ask which two, do you not V 
 But I decline. Mr. Ray I never met until three days 
 ago, though I have heard of .him, and have wanted to 
 know him ever since father joined the th. The 
 others I knew when they were cadets. Mr. Hunter 
 has already distinguished himself. Has Mr. Glenham 
 been engaged ?" 
 
 " Is not that a matter on which your own sex would 
 be better informed than I?" he asked, wilfully and 
 mischievously. 
 
 She replied almost coldly. 
 
 "The question is utterly unworthy of you, Mr. 
 Truscott. I mean, and you know I mean, to ask has 
 Mr. Glenham been in action ?" 
 
 11* 
 
126 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 " She must know perfectly well whether he has or 
 not/ 7 thought Jack, but gravely replied, " No. Glen- 
 ham says that it is his ill luck. He has had a few 
 scouts, but the Indians have kept out of his way as 
 yet. My note is to him. You might inspire him." 
 
 " And Mr. Ray ?" she queried. 
 
 "Mr. Ray is a hero of many engagements, martial 
 and matrimonial, and I am bound to say that it isn t 
 his fault that he has escaped with so little danger. H^ 
 has received more recommendations for brevets for the 
 one and more mittens for the other than any man in 
 the regiment. I testify to the first as custodian of the 
 records, to the second on his own frank statements. 
 Ray says that he has been refused at least once a year 
 ever since he graduated." 
 
 " Mr. Ray is unusually candid. Is it to him you 
 suggest my sending a message ?" 
 
 " I do not presume to suggest anybody. You de 
 sired to be informed when I had a chance of sending a 
 messenger to the valley/ and I was so much in error 
 as to fancy that you might want to send a message to 
 some one in the command. Then my sympathies being 
 with the possible recipient made me obtrusive. I 
 really beg pardon, Miss Pelharn." 
 
 Stepping to the door he quickly summoned the ser 
 geant, handed him the package, u Give it to Lieuten 
 ant Glenharn," he said, and then returning to her with 
 a quiet smile on his face, " So it goes without a pleasant 
 word for him after all, Miss Pelham." 
 
 " Certainly," said Grace. " Mr. Glenham would be 
 surprised, to say the least, at receiving any message 
 from me." 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 127 
 
 For an instant, only an instant, an expression of 
 pain, even incredulity, shot across his face. Brief 
 as it was, looking steadfastly into his eyes, she saw it 
 and it stung her. But he recovered himself and 
 promptly, pleasantly spoke. 
 
 "Then it seems that I have twice to ask pardon. 
 I m glad my first offence did not offend, and shall 
 strive to make amends for my second." 
 
 What Grace would have said cannot be told. Once 
 again there suddenly appeared before them her lady 
 ship, re-entering from the dining-room with her host 
 ess. Once again the measured tones of her voice 
 broke in upon their interview. " Well, Mr. Truscott, 
 I thought you left us two hours ago to seek repose ?" 
 
 "I did, Mrs. Pel ham/ 7 replied the adjutant, with 
 calm civility, " and found it." And then, apparently 
 inviting further remark, he stood looking seriously down 
 into her flushed features. She began to hate him from 
 that minute, but then it was the most natural thing in 
 the world that she should do so. 
 
 At that instant there came a knock at the front door, 
 and a servant handed in a note. "For Lieutenant 
 Truscott," he said, " and there is no answer." 
 
 " Why, Jack," said the general s wife in her straight^ 
 forward innocence of all possible harm, " that s Mrs. 
 Tanner s writing. What is she sending for at this time 
 of night ? I hope Rosalie isn t sick. She can t have 
 bad news either. What is it ?" 
 
 " With your permission, then, I ll open it," said he ; 
 and with Mrs. Pel ham s eyes glaring upon him he 
 calmly glanced over the lines. " Nothing wrong," he 
 continued. " She merely writes to thank me for send- 
 
128 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 ing word of Tanner s detention at the agency." And 
 yet madame could have sworn that where the strong 
 light from the hall-lamp fell upon the page in his hand 
 she distinctly saw the words, "God bless you, dear 
 Jack." And so she did. 
 
 For three days after this event the confinement and 
 monotony of his life would have told on a man stronger 
 than Truscott. No news came from Canker s command, 
 no especial tidings from Sandy. He had much fever, 
 and was confined to his room many hours each day. 
 When he did appear Grace was not visible. His hostess 
 brought kind inquiries from her each day, arid he fre 
 quently heard her blithe voice in the hall or mingling 
 in the hum of conversation in the parlor. On the 
 third day, while the doctor was dressing his shouldei 
 and congratulating him upon a release from confine 
 ment that morning, his hostess, who had been unre 
 mitting in her care of and attentions to her favorite 
 subaltern, came to the door to ask the doctor if she 
 could not take Mr. Truscott in town for a drive. Re 
 ceiving his permission, she was off in a moment, and 
 presently came back delighted. " Jack," she whispered, 
 " I am going to take Grace, too. Her ladyship is out 
 of the way, and Grace has just got back from band 
 practice. Ain t we in luck ?" 
 
 Truscott expressed due enthusiasm, and in a few 
 minutes the trio were bowling along the smooth road 
 to Prescott. The bracing air, the bright sunshine, the 
 rapid motion, perhaps too the very sweet face and dainty 
 form of Grace Pelham seated so near him, all tended 
 to bring brightness to his eye and color to his wan 
 cheek. Looking critically at him as he sat opposite 
 
WINNING IIIS SPURS. 129 
 
 her, conversing with her chaperon, Grace decided that 
 he was an undeniably handsome man. But he spoke 
 very little to or with her, and this seemed odd to the 
 general s lady. Match-makers as her sex are by every 
 instinct of their being, she had already determined 
 that here was the very girl she wanted to see married 
 to her friend. Rumors of Glenham s devotion had of 
 course reached her, but she had virtually scouted all 
 ideas of the kind. Her ladyship, Mrs. Pelham, had 
 twice or thrice waxed confidential and shown an incli 
 nation to speak of him and of Grace in conjunction, 
 so had other women, but the lady would not listen. 
 "Don t mention him in the same breath," she ex 
 claimed to Mrs. Wickham and to Mrs. Wilkins, to 
 the latter s huge delight. "She has more brains in 
 her little finger than he in his whole good-natured 
 head." 
 
 Somebody went so far as to say that she had pitched 
 into her husband, the general himself, for inviting 
 Glenham to dine with them enfamille before the ball. 
 " It s as good as giving her dead away, and I don t be 
 lieve she likes it at all," was what she did say, and the 
 chief had absolved himself by explaining that Mrs, 
 Pelham herself had requested it. This had mollified 
 madame to a certain extent, but increased the dislike 
 she had already begun to feel for that lady. 
 
 She was determined to bring them together, and 
 so, on arriving in town, had bounced out of the Con 
 cord wagon (which answered all her purposes as well as 
 a landau) and saying she merely wanted to look in at 
 two or three shops, had precipitated upon her unpre 
 pared companions a t&te-cl-t&te which neither had ex- 
 
COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 pected and yet to which each was by no means disin 
 clined. 
 
 From all that he had heard, Truscott had been led 
 to suppose that, if not actually engaged, it was more 
 than probable that Miss Pelham and his friend very 
 soon would be. Consequently, when he confronted 
 her the morning after the ball, her face bathed in tears, 
 just having parted from her lover as he set forth on 
 his hurried, probably dangerous duty, Truscott had 
 many reasons for supposing that the rumors were true, 
 and that it was not altogether a loveless match, as the 
 ladies would have made it, on her part. Else why 
 should she have been so distressed at parting? He 
 had been unfeignedly glad to believe she did care so 
 much for him. He knew well how Glenham loved 
 her, though the subject had never been mentioned be 
 tween them. Glenham, indeed, had more than once 
 given shy indication that he would not mind confiding 
 the whole story of his hopes and fears to his friend, 
 but Truscott never invited confidences and preferred 
 not to be made a recipient in this case. Everything 
 Grace said or did attracted him from the first moment 
 of their meeting up to the time of his sending that 
 letter to Glenham. He liked, admired, and was begin 
 ning to feel a warm interest in her, when she calmly 
 looked him in the face and said, " Mr. Glenham would 
 be surprised at receiving any message from me." " It 
 was all very well in her to decline sending a message," 
 thought Jack, " but why should she attempt to why 
 should she desire to deceive me? It s none of my 
 business, of course ; but it isn t what I had hoped for 
 Glenham." 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 131 
 
 As for Grace. We have seen that she did not care 
 for Glenhani, and was distressed by his avowal. No 
 woman wants to be considered attached to a man for 
 whom she feels nothing more than a friendly interest. 
 She saw in Jack Truscott a knightly soldier. She had 
 heard of him for two years as the model officer of the 
 regiment, her father s stand-by and stanchest friend, 
 and when she met him he was bleeding from a recent 
 fray in which all knew he had borne himself most gal 
 lantly. She saw him, even in his fatigue and suffering, 
 gentle, patient, courteous. She heard of his bitter 
 grief in the loss of his favorite horse, and, thorough 
 horsewoman herself, she had warmly sympathized with 
 him in that sorrow. She had been able to serve him 
 in his anxiety and loneliness the very day of their first 
 meeting then then she had been made to suffer on 
 his account, to bear her mother s injustice because of 
 her interest in him, and then and now he believed 
 her engaged to or in love with Arthur Glenham. 
 
 Given these conditions and a heart absolutely free 
 before, a somewhat romantic streak somewhere in her 
 composition, and an enthusiastic love for all that was 
 soldierly and knightly in man, it must be admitted that 
 it only needed the strenuous opposition of parents or 
 circumstances to render any woman liable to fall in 
 love. And now Grace Pelham was being opposed in 
 what she deemed a perfectly proper and justifiable 
 interest in Mr. Truscott. She was being reminded in 
 every look from the maternal eye that she was expected 
 to concentrate her thoughts on Mr. Arthur Glenham. 
 
 She Oh, well, why dissect the situation further? 
 
 She probably would have indignantly repudiated the 
 
132 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 idea that already she was falling in love. Far be it 
 from the writer to assert anything of the kind, but one 
 thing is certain : she did not want him to think her 
 engaged to or in love with his friend, Mr. Glen ham, 
 and was worried and perturbed in spirit that he evi 
 dently did think so. More than that, she had begun 
 to read him well enough to realize that he considered 
 her virtual denial of Glenham as disingenuous, and this 
 stung her to the quick. Now she had an opportunity 
 of talking uninterruptedly with him, but how was she 
 to introduce such a subject ? Time was short. It was 
 he who broke the silence. 
 
 " You have not been riding since I came, Miss Pel- 
 ham. When am I to have the pleasure of seeing you 
 in the saddle ?" 
 
 " Indeed I don t know. Everything was broken up 
 by the regiment s rush to the field. We have been so 
 anxious I have hardly cared to ride, and shall I be 
 humble and confess it ? nobody has asked me since 
 the ball. Don t the staff or infantry officers ride ?" . 
 
 " Some of the youngsters do, very well," said Trus- 
 cott. " Possibly mounts are not to be had." 
 
 " But Mr. Glenham rode a very nice horse, and we 
 were to have gone again day before yesterday," she said, 
 " and he told me that both the horses we used were regi 
 mental horses." 
 
 " They are off in the Mogollon range somewhere by 
 this time, but when you get down to Sandy you shall 
 ride all you can desire. We have just the very nicest 
 kind of a mount for you there, a quick, nimble little 
 bay full of style and action, plenty of fire, tqo, and I 
 do not believe a horse at Sandy can catch him. Glen- 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 133 
 
 ham wants to buy him provided the company com 
 mander will part with him." 
 
 "To whose company does he belong?" 
 
 " Captain Tanner s," answered Truscott. " You will 
 easily win him over to your cause, for he worships a 
 woman who rides well." 
 
 " Then Mrs. Tanner must want to keep the horse ; 
 she rides, of course ?" 
 
 "No, Mrs. Tanner never rides. It is one of the 
 sorrows of her life, I think ; she gave up all attempts 
 some years ago." 
 
 "What a pity! An army woman who cannot ride 
 loses half the joy of being in the cavalry ; but, does no 
 one besides Mr. Glenham ride the horse you speak of?" 
 
 " A trumpeter boy of Tanner s troop ordinarily, and 
 Tanner won t let the ladies at Sandy ride him at all ; 
 their hands are too uncertain, he says. As for Glen- 
 ham or any of our heavy weights, he would not per 
 mit it." 
 
 " Then how did you and Mr. Glenham decide he 
 would be just the mount for me?" 
 
 "Ray did that, I believe; he doesn t ride over a 
 hundred and forty, and has a very light hand, light as 
 any girl s on the bit, and Tanner would let him have 
 his whole stable. When your coming was first an 
 nounced, and the young officers commenced telling of 
 your riding at the Point, they decided on having a 
 suitable horse for you. Kay came up from Cameron 
 on a scout, and he picked out Ranger, and last week 
 Glenham was in despair because there was no suitable 
 side-saddle, and the colonel said it would be some time 
 before yours could arrive." 
 12 
 
134 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 (" Always < Glenham or they, the young officers/ n 
 thought Grace. " Am I so far beneath him that he 
 could not afford to take any part in these prepara 
 tions?") 
 
 " You have never ridden Ranger yourself, then, 
 Mr. Truscott?" 
 
 " Three or four times, possibly, just to try him and 
 teach him a little better manners than he would be apt 
 to learn from his ordinary rider, the trumpeter." 
 
 "Will he stand the skirt, do you think? That 
 seems to be the great objection at first to a spirited 
 horse." 
 
 " Very well ; he has been practised with a trailing 
 blanket and then with Mrs. Tanner s old skirt." 
 
 " And Captain Tanner or was it the young officers, 
 as you say, who took all these precautions in my be 
 half? Pray whom am I to thank?" 
 
 " Nobody, Miss Pelham. They all look upon a young 
 lady who would resign the sweets of civilization to come 
 out to us as a being for whom no degree of devotion 
 can be too great." 
 
 " Now, Mr. Truscott, that is all very gratifying, too 
 good to be true, perhaps, and I mean to cross-examine 
 you a moment. You say they all/ referring, I sup 
 pose, to the young officers aforementioned. Now tell 
 me to whom you refer ; I had been led to suppose that 
 of the four companies at Sandy, Mr. Glenham, Mr. 
 Crane, and Mr. Carroll were the only young officers, 
 the other lieutenants being on leave or staff duty, or 
 detached in some way, or like Mr. Wilkins, married 
 and settled down ; and Mr. Crane being neither young 
 in years nor exhibiting anything like the faintest de- 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 135 
 
 sire to make my acquaintance, the number seems lim 
 ited. Who were they f 
 
 Truscott laughed merrily, and looked frankly down 
 into the bright face before him. " You are too analyt 
 ical/ he said. "I shall have to stop and consider 
 the weight of every word when talking with you. 
 You see I included Kay, Hunter, and Dana in the list 
 with Glenham, because they all took a hand when at 
 the post." 
 
 " Which must have been very seldom, if at all, for 
 Mr. Hunter and Mr. Dana both told me they never 
 got a chance to come to headquarters, and were so eager 
 to do so." 
 
 "Undoubtedly they are now," said Truscott; "but 
 they looked upon it as purgatorial before." 
 
 " Still you don t answer my question, and you com 
 pel me to riddle your statements. It finally must be 
 reduced to the melancholy fact that Mr. Glenham was 
 the only one at Sandy who took an interest in my 
 coming. I am not exacting. I had looked for nothing 
 of the kind, but when you say all the young officers/ 
 and allude to such numbers being engrossed in prepa 
 ration, you must admit my right to disappointment- 
 cither in them or my informant when I find there 
 is only one. Furthermore, you have not once had the 
 grace to confess yourself one of the interested." 
 
 "That would simply have been presumption. 1 
 alluded to the young officers." 
 
 " And Mr. Ray, who graduated but one year behind 
 you, and is said to be one year older, why include him 
 and exclude yourself, unless truth compelled you to 
 the admission that you had no earthly interest in the 
 
136 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 matter ? Mr. Truscott, you have taught me a lesson, 
 but you leave me in no further doubt. It is evident 
 that I am to thank Mr. Glenham for all the training 
 of my horse (O Grace, what a subterfuge !), and that 
 the others were merely accidentally interested." 
 
 "Miss Pelham, you overwhelm me with the con 
 sciousness of my neglect. Gienham has so devoted 
 himself to the matter that no eiforts of mine could 
 have competed with his, and yet, I assure you, he will 
 require no thanks other than your pleasure in the gen 
 eral result." 
 
 Grace Pelham was ready to stamp her pretty foot at 
 this juncture. Anything or anybody so utterly imper 
 turbable as her new acquaintance she had never met. 
 She shrewdly suspected that poor Glenham had never 
 so much as attempted to mount the new horse, and that 
 it being Mrs. Tanner s skirt that was employed, Jack 
 Truscott himself had taken charge of that part of the 
 lessons. Womanlike, she longed to extract the admis 
 sion from his lips, but he would admit nothing. Then 
 came their jolly hostess, bundle-laden, and then, to her 
 dismay, Mrs. Wilkins with a party of friends from the 
 post, in a vehicle similar to their own. 
 
 Truscott removed his forage-cap in salutation, and 
 Mrs. Wilkins s unmodulated tones straightway filled 
 the plaza. " Is it you, Mr. Truscott, and you, Miss 
 Gracie ?" (" Confound the woman !" thought Jack, 
 savagely biting his moustache, " how dare she call her 
 that?") "Faith, I thought it was time you were get 
 ting him out in the air. You look like a ghost ; have 
 you any news from the boys, pray? It s time we 
 were hearing from them, I m sure. How is your 
 
WIN NINO JUS SPURS. 137 
 
 mother, Miss Pelham ? I d call to see her, but I never 
 feel like talking when the regiment is out scouting" 
 (here Grace s eyes sought Truscott s, and found them 
 brimming over with merriment. They had some 
 thoughts in common, then), " but I ll be over to-night 
 or to-morrow ; you and he won t miss me, I ll be 
 bound. Go on, driver. Good-by all !" And off she 
 rattled, triumphant. 
 
 "Jack Truscott," said their matron, impressively, 
 " do you know what I would do with that woman if 
 she were in my regiment, if I had one ? I d appoint 
 
 a day for prayer and humiliation, and What are 
 
 you laughing at ? You know you detest the ground 
 she walks on." 
 
 " Being Arizona soil, there is no harm in that, ma- 
 dame; but were harm to come to Mrs. Wilkins the 
 spice of life at Sandy would be snatched away. To 
 me she is invaluable." 
 
 Bowling briskly along the smooth, hard road, they 
 were soon again within the limits of the military set 
 tlement and in sight of headquarters. Grace Pelham, 
 baffled in her effort to extract from Mr. Truscott some 
 admission that he had been instrumental in the train 
 ing of her horse, and feeling vaguely that she had not 
 succeeded in penetrating the armor of reserve with 
 which he was surrounded, determined on a final sally. 
 
 Turning to the general s wife, she broke forth, 
 
 " Mr. Truscott has mystified me completely. He 
 tells me of a capital horse awaiting me at Sandy, and 
 endeavors to make me believe that a number of young 
 officers, as he calls them, have had him in training for 
 some time." 
 
 12* 
 
138 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 "Young, officers, indeed!" burst in her friend. 
 " When I was there with the general, three weeks ago, 
 the young officers were watching Mr. Jack Truscott 
 himself. He was cavorting round on that very bay, 
 with somebody s old skirt, or a blanket, almost every 
 day." 
 
 Grace had won her point, but had no time for re 
 marks on the subject. The ambulance whirled up to 
 the general s quarters, and there on the piazza stood 
 Mrs. Pelham with her hands full of letters. 
 
 " Mail for everybody but me," she remarked, as the 
 ladies, scoffing at the idea of accepting assistance from 
 a one-armed man, sprang out, and then jocularly offered 
 to assist Mr. Truscott. " Grace, you will want to run 
 and read yours at once, I know." And she ostenta 
 tiously handed a little note to her. " These, madame, 
 are yours." And their hostess turned away to peer 
 into the envelopes of her letters and wonder who could 
 have written them. Then Mrs. Pelham turned to 
 Truscott with a small packet of letters, " And these 
 for you. I know that handwriting to be Ralph s; 
 would you mind opening it at once and letting me 
 know how he is?" 
 
 The topmost letter in Truscott s package was post 
 marked San Francisco, and addressed in a dashing, 
 bold hand. He recognized it at once as coming from 
 Ralph Pelham, his colonel s second son ; and, with 
 Mrs. Pelham s eyes eagerly searching his face, he 
 slowly opened and commenced to read. He had never 
 received a line from young Pelham before in his life, 
 and, though knowing him well, was surprised at the 
 mere sight of a letter from him. Even as he opened 
 
WIN NINO HIS SPURS. 139 
 
 the envelope he noted the keen anxiety in Mrs. Pel- 
 ham s face, and it put him on his guard. The first 
 line was enough to test his nerve, but he glanced down 
 the page, coolly turned the leaf and read the next, then 
 very gently and courteously addressed her ladyship : 
 11 He seems in capital health, madaine. You were not 
 anxious about it, I hope ?" 
 
 " Who, mother ?" asked Grace, rejoining them at 
 this moment and fearing that her father was spoken of. 
 
 " Merely a not your father, Grace, so you need not 
 worry. He is perfectly well, as this letter will show 
 you," replied madame, hurriedly. 
 
 Grace took the letter her mother handed her, and 
 with one glance in Truscott s face, a look in which 
 inquiry was blended with surprise, turned and left 
 them. 
 
 " Mr. Truscott," said Mrs. Pelham the instant they 
 were again alone, " I did not know Ralph wrote to 
 you. He he has been somewhat wild at times, and I 
 fully expected a letter from him to-day, but the letter 
 is to you. His father is very anxious about him, and 
 only yesterday wrote me that he wished Ralph were 
 here again instead of in San Francisco. The colonel 
 says you had so good an influence over him. Mr. 
 Truscott, tell me if anything has gone wrong with my 
 boy." 
 
 And Jack Truscott, looking steadily down in the 
 anxious face before him, replied, 
 
 "Nothing that I know of, and nothing shall that I 
 can avert. This letter is about a matter of business 
 in which I am interested. You should see the letter, 
 but it concerns others besides myself." And Lady 
 
140 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 Pelham, relieved in mind yet vaguely feeling that 
 something might be extracted by dexterous cross- 
 questioning, was compelled to drop the subject. She 
 thanked him somewhat hesitatingly, looked as though 
 she longed to ask still more, but drew aside and watched 
 him as, with a grave bow, he entered the hall and 
 went to his own room. 
 
 There Truscott seated himself by the window, and 
 this time slowly read the following letter : 
 
 "SAN FRANCISCO, November 15. 
 
 " TEUSCOTT, Just what you warned me against has 
 come to pass. You made me promise that if I got 
 into the scrape I would write at once and let you know. 
 God knows I don t know another soul to whom to turn. 
 It is for five hundred dollars this time, and I ve given 
 my note at thirty days. You see, they know my peo 
 ple, feel sure of their money, and would rather have 
 the interest on it than the cash. But they don t know 
 what I know, that father is drained dry ; that Grace s 
 outfit the mother insisted on her having and this tre 
 mendous pull of a journey have strapped him com 
 pletely. Four months ago he wrote me sadly enough 
 not to draw for a cent, and things were booming then. 
 I had been doing first-rate. Consolidated Virginia 
 brought me in eight hundred dollars in a week. To 
 be sure, Best and Belcher knocked most of it out of 
 me, but the other fellows in the office were wild over 
 the New Nevada, and, Jack, I raised the money for 
 the margins, and it s gone utterly gone. 
 
 " What am I to do ? Why do you wish me to write 
 you ? I cannot meet this. I see nothing for it but a 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 14] 
 
 Dullef or a bolt to the mines, where I can change my 
 name with my shirt and hire out as a day laborer. The 
 brokers will show me up to the firm and the situation 
 be swept from under me instanter. 
 
 " If you mean that you can get Glenhatn to let me 
 have five hundred dollars at once to meet my note I 
 will give you my word to stick to my desk, to live en, 
 retraite, and not to speculate or gamble a cent until it is 
 paid. Glenham has two or three thousand idle in the 
 bank here I know ; but, my God, I can t ask him for 
 money, and hardly know him at all. But father must 
 not know, and above all Grace. She would scorn me 
 if she knew I had accepted a cent from him, and she 
 is right. Yet it is that or ruin, Truscott, and you 
 helped me when I was in Arizona last year for God s 
 sake, for father s sake, who trusts you so, keep my 
 secret, and if you see a way to help me, believe in my 
 resolution. Wire or write at once. 
 
 " Yours, RALPH PELHAM." 
 
 Truscott sat with pale, stern features, his eyes fixed 
 on vacancy, the letter resting on his knee. He heard 
 the voices of the ladies in the hall, the rustle of fem 
 inine skirts past his door, the tinkle of the luncheon- 
 bell, but he did not stir. A year previous Ralph Pel- 
 ham had spent a month in Arizona with his father, 
 had been thrown frequently into Truscott s society, and 
 had soon learned to look up to him in every way. 
 Pelham was only twenty-two, full of spirit and buoyant 
 with hope, a handsome, cheery, reckless fellow, who 
 had all the attributes of a mother s darling and a father s 
 torment. The colonel loved his boy, but shrank from 
 
142 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 exercising much control over his movements. He knew 
 the youngster had his full share of youthful frivolity, 
 had cheerfully paid his boyish debts, and had shaken 
 his head at some college extravagances; but Ralph was 
 the " brightest" of his sons, every one said, and beyond 
 doubt the most indulged. A very good position had 
 been secured for him in a business house in San Fran 
 cisco, his salary was fair, his prospects fairer, and all 
 had promised well. Truscott, however, had heard 
 from the boy s own lips in the confidence resulting 
 from an escapade of the previous year that he had, in 
 common with other young men in his station in life, a 
 mania for getting rich in a hurry and without the 
 equivalent of labor. The fever of speculation was 
 raging all over the Pacific coast. Fortunes were being 
 made every week and lost every day. During a brief 
 stay there Ralph Pelham had fallen in with some ac 
 quaintances whose haunt was Montgomery Street, had 
 tried his luck on " margins," and with ease and aston 
 ishment had realized a few hundred dollars, just 
 enough to inspire him with wild visions of wealth and 
 grandeur, and to send him on his way to visit his father 
 with an unaccustomed plethora of funds, and a con 
 comitant inflation of conceit and business airs that 
 vastly entertained the officers of the th. The money 
 was soon spent and lost ; more was needed, for Truscott 
 found his young friend deep in the toils of " draw-poker" 
 on returning to Sandy from court-martial duty. The 
 colonel had just advanced the boy a quarter s allowance, 
 and he dared ask for no more, and Truscott insisted on 
 becoming his banker. " I make no conditions whatever, 
 Pelham," he said, " but, don t play with those fellows, 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. M3 
 
 unless you really want to throw money away." And 
 Pelham had played no more at Sandy, where the scouts, 
 the quartermaster s employe s, the traders, and occasion 
 ally one or two of the officers were to be found in the 
 nightly game down at the store. But this strengthened 
 his trust in Jack, and steadied him a great deal, and 
 before he left he manfully told his father of the circum 
 stance, begging him not to show Truscott that he knew 
 it, and the old soldier had forgiven his young prodigal, 
 provided him with money for his return to San Fran 
 cisco, and Truscott suspected that the truth was known, 
 because of the fatherly way his colonel had of speaking 
 to him for some time after, but they never alluded to 
 the matter. 
 
 And now young Pelham was in a far more serious 
 difficulty. Truscott read those lines again. 
 
 "And above all Grace. She would scorn me if 
 she knew I had accepted a cent from him, and she is 
 right." 
 
 " Then Ralph, too, was certain there was an under 
 standing or something like it between his sister and 
 Glenham," mused Truscott, and again the worn, tired 
 look settled on his brow, and as he mused there came 
 along the hall the quick, light step he was growing to 
 know so well, the rustle of skirts that sent already a 
 thrill to his heart, a light tap on his door; he sprang 
 up, dashed his hand across his forehead, thrust the letter 
 in the breast-pocket of his blouse, and strode to the 
 doorway. There stood Grace with a tiny tray in her 
 hands, a light luncheon and a cup of fragrant tea 
 thereon. 
 
 " We thought you too tired perhaps, or too busy, to 
 
144 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 come to the dining-room, so I was sent with this/ 7 she 
 said, smiling brightly. He bent and took the tray from 
 her hands and placed it on the table in the room, thank 
 ing her as he did so, and stepping quickly back to her 
 side. 
 
 " I brought it myself/ 7 she continued, smiling archly 
 and mischievously, " in partial payment of a kindness 
 and attention you would not confess. It was you who 
 trained my horse, sir, and you strove to conceal the 
 fact. Mr. Truscott, I don t know how to thank you." 
 
 The frank, glorious eyes were gazing up into his ; 
 the sweet, mobile features, all smiles and sunshine, 
 were turned towards him, her soft white hand toying 
 with the fringe of the Indian tobacco-pouch that hung 
 on the door-post. It was long since Truscott had 
 looked upon a vision half so fair, and, despite himself, 
 look he did earnestly, seeing which her eyes fell, a 
 quick flush rose to her white forehead, she turned to 
 go, but he recovered himself. 
 
 " Don t attempt to thank me/ 7 he said. " Ride with 
 me once or twice when we get to Sandy, and I will be 
 more than repaid. 77 
 
 " Ride with you ! Indeed I will gladly. 77 And 
 with that she was gone. 
 
 Truscott stood gazing after her as she disappeared 
 through the parlor doorway. There she had glanced 
 quickly back : their eyes had met, she smiled brightly, 
 but never stopped. For a full minute he stood there, 
 then with a half-stifled sigh rising to his lips he turned 
 to re-enter the room, when a white object on the floor 
 at his feet caught his eye. He bent, picked it up, and 
 bore it to the light. It was a dainty handkerchief, 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 14ft 
 
 and in one corner was embroidered the simple name 
 "Grace." 
 
 With bowed head he stood a few moments holding 
 it in his hand, thinking intently, his eyes fixed upon 
 the name. Then he took Ralph s letter from his 
 pocket, read it once again, and softly repeated to him 
 self the closing words, " For God s sake, for father s 
 sake, whd trusts you so, keep my secret, and if you see 
 a way to help me, believe in my resolution." 
 
 " For God s sake, for father s sake. Yes," he whis 
 pered, "for Grace s sake I ll help you, and then and 
 then may God help me." 
 
 And when Ralph Pelham s letter was replaced in the 
 breast-pocket of Truscott s uniform his sister s handker 
 chief lay between it and the wearer s heart. 
 
M6 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 * SHE is no more engaged to him than I am, Jack 
 Truscott, and you may take my word for it. More 
 than that, it is my belief she has no interest in him 
 whatever, never has had, and that all the talk of this 
 match is due to Lady Pelhain s manoeuvring. The 
 wish is mother to the thought." 
 
 So spoke the general s wife the evening of the drive, 
 and Truscott listened with outward calm, but with 
 emotions far from placid. He had not seen Grace since 
 their brief conversation, and, the ladies being out at 
 tea, had spent several lonely hours. During the after 
 noon, however, he had visited the telegraph -office, and 
 a despatch worded as follows was already in the hands 
 of his anxious correspondent in San Francisco : 
 
 " RALPH PELHAM, Occidental Hotel, San Francisco 
 " Eely on Glenham. All fixed. Letter by mail. 
 
 " TRUSCOTT." 
 
 Now considering the fact that Glenham was mileh 
 away in the mountains, with no possibility of commu 
 nication, it may be considered a piece of assumption 
 on Truscott s part to make such positive use of his 
 name. Truscott, however, though well knowing that 
 his friend would be prompt to respond to any call he 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 147 
 
 might make upon him, had no intention of putting 
 him to the test. 
 
 Some two years previous, after an extended consul 
 tation with some business friends in San Francisco, 
 Truscott had placed his savings in the hands of a firm, 
 one of whom he knew well and trusted. His wants 
 were few in Arizona, his habits methodical, and from 
 time to time he had added from his pay to the original 
 amount. These were matters of which he never spoke 
 to anybody, but the investment had proved moderately 
 remunerative. The growing business of the firm led 
 to further enterprises, and Jack s money, with his en 
 tire consent, had been devoted with other funds in 
 their hands to the purchase of a mining claim in Ne 
 vada, which gave promise of a profitable yield when 
 properly developed. Already the firm had sent three 
 successive offers to Truscott to purchase his stock at a 
 tempting " rise," but he had no need for money at the 
 moment and decided that he preferred to hold on. The 
 promise of the investment was quite as good as any 
 other in which he could embark. Glenham for a while 
 had placed ten times as much money in the hands of 
 the same firm, but had declined to invest in the very 
 purchase in which Truscott was interested. " I don t 
 know enough about mining ventures to risk it," he 
 said to Truscott, showing him the prospectus and the 
 familiar letter-head of the firm. " What do you think 
 of it, Jack?" 
 
 " If you have money you don t know what to do 
 with, it might be put there as well as anywhere, but 
 you know I never advise any one in a matter of this 
 kind." 
 
148 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 " Well, what would you do yourself?" persisted 
 Glenham. 
 
 " I never had so much money at my disposal, but it 
 seems to me that it is poor policy to take it from a safe 
 though slow investment to put it where you may lose 
 the whole lump in no time. 7 
 
 Glenham inferred that Truscott had no confidence in 
 the new scheme, never dreamed that he had invested 
 his all therein (" Why tell him ?" thought Jack, " he 
 will then be sure to go in full tilt, and if we are 
 swamped hold me accountable"), and had concluded to 
 try elsewhere ; but the firm held, as Pelham had stated, 
 a few thousand dollars of his money, and within a 
 week from the receipt of Truscott s despatch young 
 Ralph was relieved in mind by the arrival of a letter 
 which, with one other, Truscott had written that very 
 afternoon. It ran somewhat as follows : 
 
 " DEAR PELHAM, On presentation of yourself and 
 this note at Rundell, Stearns & Co. you will find five 
 hundred dollars at your disposal. You know Stearns, 
 I think : simply give him a receipt for the cash as 
 voucher. 
 
 " Glenham is off on a hurried dash after Apaches, 
 but the matter was easily arranged. I think it would 
 be just as well not to write him any thanks, but to stick 
 close to your work and resolution, and don t worry 
 over the matter. Preaching is abhorrent to me, and 
 experience, though expensive, a far better teacher. 
 
 " Your letter reached me by the hand of Mrs. Pel- 
 ham herself, and excited her anxiety. I assured her 
 you were well and in no trouble, as she imagined. 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 149 
 
 (Mental trouble was not allowed to count.) May I 
 suggest that frequent letters to her or to Miss Pelham 
 would be the easiest way of dispelling their anxiety 
 and averting the possibility of cross-questioning me ? 
 No one should know of this transaction, and I can 
 assure you that Glenham, who is a noble fellow, will 
 not breathe it to a soul. My reasons for suggesting 
 that you say nothing further to him are cogent, but too 
 many for explanation here. Be guided by me, how 
 ever, I will make all due acknowledgments. 
 
 " Were I to attempt to tell you of the sensation cre 
 ated by the arrival of Miss Pelham this letter would 
 require extra postage, and I regard letters of that 
 length as an imposition on friendship. The colonel is 
 at Sandy. I am on escort duty with the ladies, and 
 expect to join him next week. Yours sincerely, 
 
 " JOHN G. TRUSCOTT." 
 
 This letter, as was stated, was posted with another 
 addressed to his business friend in the city : 
 
 "FORT WHIPPLE, A. T., November 23, 18 . 
 
 " DEAR STEARNS, Mr. Ealph Pelham will call upon 
 you in person for five hundred dollars, which please 
 pay him and charge to my account. If necessary, dis 
 pose of sufficient stock to cover it. Your voucher will 
 be his receipt. 
 
 " I have reasons for preferring that he should regard 
 this as coming from Mr. Glenham (who would not have 
 to sell), and desire you to consider the affair as strictly 
 confidential. Very truly ycurs, 
 
 "JoHNG. TRUSCOTT." 
 13* 
 
150 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 Late that night the ladies had returned from a quiet 
 tea-party at Captain Lee s, Grace and her hostess en 
 thusiastic over the lovely, winning ways of Mrs. Tanner, 
 Lady Pelham, to their perplexity, maintaining on that 
 subject an attitude of austere, even mysterious non- 
 committalism (for which word the writer desires to 
 apologize). Grace had been speedily summoned aloft 
 by her mother, so that when Jack entered the parlor 
 only his hostess was there. 
 
 " You ought to have been with us," she said. " Grace 
 Pelham sang, and sang sweetly. See here, Jack Trus- 
 cott, you need not be so sublimely indifferent to that 
 young lady. I don t like it. I warrant you never saw 
 many sweeter or brighter girls." 
 
 " I never saw any," replied he, briefly. 
 
 " Then why do you stand aloof, Fd like to know ? 
 One would suppose you had no appreciation of what 
 was attractive in woman." 
 
 " My dear lady, is there not such a thing as having 
 too much ? What sense is there in losing one s head 
 over a girl already bespoken ?" 
 
 And then it was that his friend gave utterance to the 
 words at the head of this chapter. 
 
 Overhead he could hear voices in colloquy ; one, un 
 mistakably that of her ladyship, was so loud and em 
 phatic that an occasional word could be distinguished ; 
 the other, subdued and gentle, was indistinguishable. 
 Evidently, too, the conversation was not placid. Mrs. 
 Pelham s somewhat ponderous tread made the lightly- 
 ouilt army-ceiling quiver and crackle as she paced 
 rapidly to and fro. 
 
 " What in the world is she storming about to-night ?" 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 151 
 
 said the lady. "I shall confide to you, Jack, that your 
 colonel s wife strikes me as being a tartar." 
 
 A door overhead opened, closed, tones again became 
 muffled, and Jack Truscott and his hostess sat staring 
 in blank amazement in each other s face, for in the 
 brief instant in which the chamber-door had been ajar 
 her ladyship s voice, angry and unguarded, was dis 
 tinctly audible to both, to all in the house in fact. 
 
 " and Mrs. Tanner is not a fit person for a daugh 
 ter of mine to " And here, in the language of the 
 
 Congressional reporter, the hammer fell; to be literal, 
 her ladyship banged the door. 
 
 For a minute the occupants of the parlor were 
 aghast. Then Truscott calmly stepped to the hall-door 
 and closed it. 
 
 " She may open the ports and fire another volley," he 
 said, " and I don t care to hear her, even by accident." 
 
 "Well!" said his companion. "Listeners never 
 hear any good of themselves ; but I never expected to 
 live to hear evil of Mrs. Tanner. She is my ideal of 
 a perfect wife and mother. What do you think ?" 
 
 " My acquaintance is not extensive," he replied, de 
 liberately ; " but in the army or out of it I know of 
 no one truer, purer, or nobler. Now, if you will ex 
 cuse me, I am going to bed. Good-night." 
 
 The next morning Grace did not appear at break 
 fast. u Had a headache," said her mother in response 
 to inquiries. Soon afterwards, as Truscott started forth 
 for a stroll with the doctor, she inquired if he intended 
 going to the office, and requested him to post a letter. 
 
 " Do you happen to know where Mrs. Tread well is 
 stationed now, Mr. Truscott ?" she asked. 
 
152 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 " At Fort Hays, I think. Colonel Treadwell was 
 in command there last month." 
 
 " Then this address is right/ she remarked, handing 
 him the letter and narrowly watching his features. 
 
 He glanced at the superscription, bowed in acquies 
 cence, and turned away. 
 
 As a specimen of feminine ingenuity that letter de 
 serves to take rank. This is a chapter of letters thus 
 far. Here is her ladyship s : 
 
 " MY DEAR MRS. TREADWELL, Though we have 
 not met for years, I hold in warm remembrance the 
 days when we were stationed together at Sedgwick, and 
 the kindly relations which then existed" (which was 
 more than the recipient of the letter could do, for she 
 could not bear Mrs. Pelham). " I write in haste, and 
 know well that you will be surprised at my writing at 
 all ; but duty as a mother compels me to appeal to you 
 for information on a very delicate subject, and I trust 
 you can relieve my mind. You may not have heard 
 that Grace and I have recently joined 7 the th here 
 in Arizona, and naturally I am most anxious that she 
 should be well guided in the selection of her friends 
 and associates. 
 
 " Among the ladies who at first made a most favor 
 able impression was Mrs. Tanner, whom, I am told, 
 you knew well at Camp Phoenix. She seemed every 
 thing that was desirable, but I regret to have to say 
 that circumstances have occurred which seriously affect 
 my opinion of her, and among other stories which late 
 events have revived is one that you at Camp Phoenix 
 found her and Mr. Truscott alone in her parlor during 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 153 
 
 Captain Tanner s absence in the field, and saw them in 
 a most indelicate and questionable a well, I cannot 
 write what was told me (in the strictest confidence) ; 
 but knowing you as I do, a woman who never was 
 known to say an unkind or a slanderous thing, it im 
 pressed me most painfully and powerfully to be told 
 by ladies whom I believe in that you had positively 
 made this statement. If it be true, I beg you to tell 
 me exactly the truth ; for Grace s sake I must know. 
 
 " The colonel, Captain Tanner, and all the officers 
 are in the field except Mr. Truscott, who is here, and she 
 also. You know he is still adjutant of the regiment, 
 and Colonel Pelham must be in utter ignorance of this 
 affair or he would not regard him as he does. Pray do 
 not ask me for any particulars. Simply tell me what 
 you know, and please consider this letter as inviolably 
 confidential. I have no heart to write any news, for 
 this wretched affair fills me with anxiety. 
 " Your attached friend, 
 
 " D. DE KUYTEK PELHAM." 
 
 And this was the letter Jack Truscott carried over 
 to the office and dropped in the mail-box this bright 
 November morning. A fortnight more and it was in 
 Mrs. Tread well s hands, and a constrained and reluctant 
 answer was despatched to Arizona ; but long before that 
 reply could reach Mrs. Pelham at Sandy it was possible 
 for the very complications to occur which she most 
 ardently desired to frustrate. That very night there 
 came a despatch from Colonel Pelham pronouncing the 
 road safe and practicable, and the next morning Trus 
 cott was convoying the ladies of Camp Sandy, now 
 
154 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 reinforced by Mrs. and Miss Pelham, down to the 
 valley wherein lay their frontier home. Three large 
 ambulances carried the party, a small guard of soldiers 
 went along for appearance s sake, and without event of 
 material importance the journey was safely effected, 
 and Grace Pelham made her debut at Camp Sandy, 
 little dreaming of the months of mingled happiness 
 and serene content, of doubt and utter misery, that lay 
 before her. 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 155 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 WITHOUT event of material importance, it has been 
 said, the journey from Prescott to Sandy was effected. 
 Yet the journey was not devoid of interest. 
 
 For two or three days previous Mr. Truscott had 
 seen little or nothing of Grace Pel ham. He had been 
 stunned by the angry words that both he and the 
 general s wife had overheard when Lady Pel ham s 
 door was opened for that one brief instant, he had 
 pondered over them that night after going to bed, and 
 the more he thought the more his blood boiled within 
 him at the idea of this coarse, imperious woman daring 
 to speak so shamefully of his gentle little friend. 
 Next morning Grace did not appear at all, as we have 
 seen, and it was all Truscott could to do to behave with 
 common civility to her ladyship. As for their hostess, 
 it must be confessed that she absolutely snubbed Mrs. 
 Pelham on two or three occasions, kept out of her way 
 as much as possible, and when the time for starting 
 came she kissed Miss Pelham warmly and affection 
 ately, begged her to come up and spend the Christmas 
 holidays with her, but not a word of invitation did 
 Bhe extend to her mother. " Good-by, Mrs. Pelham, 
 I trust you have enjoyed your visit," was all she 
 vouchsafed her ladyship, and that lady readily com- 
 
156 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR. 
 
 prehended that she had offended her hostess, and, true 
 to nature, hated her accordingly. 
 
 Only in company had Truscott met Miss Pelham 
 since that night until the morning of their start. Then 
 he suddenly encountered her alone, he returning from 
 a visit to the corral to inspect the condition of the 
 ambulances that were to convey the party to Sandy, 
 she from the infantry quarters on the other side of the 
 garrison, whither she had been to say good-by to a 
 baby pet of hers, the daughter of one of the officers 
 here stationed. 
 
 Truscott greeted her cordially and complimented her 
 upon such very early rising. Her reply was a nervous 
 and embarrassed platitude, and she hurried along with 
 bent head and downcast eyes up the very path which 
 she and Glenham had taken the night of the " Pelham 
 Ball." All her old frank, bright manner had disap 
 peared : she would not even look at him. Stung to 
 the quick by her evident wish to avoid him, he 
 presently raised his forage-cap, and turning at a side- 
 path, said, 
 
 " Pardon my not escorting you home, Miss Pelham ; 
 there are some matters I must arrange before we can 
 start." 
 
 Then for an instant her eyes met his, she faltered 
 when she marked the pain and surprise in his face. 
 Sh almost held out her hand to him, but as though 
 suddenly recollecting herself, simply bowel, said in a 
 low tone something that sounded like Good-b 
 
 morning, Mr. " and scurried away up the path 
 
 like a frightened fawn. With a sadder brow than we 
 have yet seen in Truscott he turned aside, and by 9 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 157 
 
 circuitous route regained the house, where he found 
 them all at an early breakfast. 
 
 Half an hour afterwards and they were off. Mrs. 
 and Miss Pelham and her ladyship s homesick maid 
 occupying one ambulance, Mesdames Turner, Ray 
 mond, and Wilkins another, while Mrs. Tanner with 
 Rosalie and one of the young ladies from Sandy were 
 bestowed in a third, Captain Tanner s own ; for Tan 
 ner was a man of substance, and had money enough to 
 buy out the rest of the regiment, Glenham perhaps ex- 
 cepted. A fourth ambulance contained a small guard 
 of infantry-men, while two or three troopers, left be 
 hind in the rush for the Apaches, the mail messenger, 
 and two scouts, who had come in with despatches, ac 
 companied the party as escort. 
 
 Amid the fluttering of handkerchiefs and cheery au 
 revoirs the party rattled off, cracking whips and whis 
 tling drivers sending the lively little mule-teams along 
 at a spanking gait. Truscott paused one moment to 
 hold out both hands to his kind hostess and with some 
 thing of a tremor in his voice to say farewell. She 
 looked up in his face and seized the outstretched hands, 
 " Jack, don t you worry. It ll come out all right yet, 
 and I know it" He turned quickly, mounted his 
 horse, and, with a wave of the hand, cantered off down 
 the slope after his convoy. 
 
 The journey to the Agua Fria was accomplished 
 without incident. It was a dismal party that rode in 
 her ladyship s vehicle. She was in execrable humor 
 herself, ready to snap at anybody. As a consequence 
 Grace sat silently and wistfully gazing out on the pine- 
 covered heights the maid was in tears most of the way, 
 
 14 
 
158 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 and Lady Pelham, echoing the sniffling from the front 
 seat, sniffed at her smelling-salts, and finally inquired 
 for the sherry-flask. Twice or thrice at difficult parts 
 of the road Grace saw Truscott, seated on his horse, 
 cautioning the driver of each ambulance as in turn 
 they came to the spot, but ordinarily he was well to 
 the front, and only at sharp curves of the road could 
 she catch sight of him, the guard ambulance being just 
 in front of them. Then she looked with all her eyes, 
 for well as he looked at all times it was in the saddle 
 Jack Truscott was at his best. She worshipped fine 
 horsemanship, and never had she seen anything to 
 equal the grace and ease of Truscott s. Half angry at 
 herself, she yet could not withstand the fascination that 
 kept her gaze fixed upon him at every opportunity. 
 
 Before the sun reached the meridian Truscott con 
 ducted his train into the court of Olson s ranch, and 
 politely notified her ladyship that here they would rest 
 an hour and then push on. The ladies were assisted 
 from the ambulances, and were welcomed with much 
 red-faced embarrassment by Mrs. Olson, who showed 
 them into her best rooms. The ladies of the th she 
 knew well. They had often stopped with her, but the 
 stony grandeur with which her ladyship glared around 
 the bare walls and rude furniture, sniffing at every 
 thing, overawed and upset her completely. None the 
 less did she hasten to sacrifice her pet chickens and 
 produce the freshest eggs, in order that the ladies who 
 were so grand in her eyes might be regaled with the 
 best her larder could command. 
 
 Something like twenty minutes had the ladies been 
 resting and chatting among themselves when Truscott 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 159 
 
 came striding up from the corrals, whither he had been 
 to superintend the refreshment of his horses and mules. 
 Seeing him approach, Mrs. Tanner quietly laid her 
 sleeping Rosalie upon the bed, rose and went out to 
 meet him. Two or three of the ladies exchanged 
 glances, then looked at Mrs. Pelham. Taking Trus- 
 cott s arm, Mrs. Tanner walked with him slowly 
 through the ranch-yard, past the corrals, and, with the 
 eyes of every woman in the party except Grace s upon 
 them, they strolled up the bank of the stream, and 
 were soon out of sight from the windows. 
 
 " Come with me a moment," said Mrs. Pelham, ab 
 ruptly, to her daughter, who rose without a word and 
 followed her mother out into the court and around the 
 corner. The elder lady silently pointed up the stream, 
 and Grace, looking, beheld Mrs. Tanner leaning on 
 Truscott s arm, and both of them, some three hun 
 dred yards away, were walking farther. Another mo 
 ment and they disappeared from sight around a little 
 knoll. 
 
 Then Lady Pelham slowly turned, and impressively 
 the words fell from her lips, " Grace, what did I tell 
 you?" 
 
 When, half an hour later, Jack Truscott extended 
 his hand to assist Miss Pelham to her seat in the am 
 bulance, as he had been assisting the others, she passed it, 
 without notice, seized the door frames with both hands, 
 and with the agile spring of the mountain deer popped 
 up into her place. Truscott calmly closed and fastened 
 the door, nodded to the driver, and away went the 
 Pelham equipage. 
 
 The sun was setting behind the great range to the 
 
160 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 west, and the ambulances had halted for a moment at 
 a point where the road wound around a precipitous 
 ledge, when Truscott rode up to the door of the Pel- 
 ham equipage, and, pointing far down in the valley 
 below and some miles to the south, quietly remarked, 
 " Mrs. Pelham, there is Camp Sandy," then rode on 
 to the head of column. Eagerly gazing, Grace could 
 eee rows of what looked like toy-houses painted a dis 
 mal brown, but Mrs. Pelham was cross and tired, and 
 the sherry had been a little too strong or too frequent, 
 or both, she did not care to look. An hour more and 
 Grace was in her father s arms, while her gracious 
 mother was turning up her nose at the parlor furni 
 ture. Soon afterwards, Grace, delightedly examining 
 her own dainty little room, heard her father s voice 
 hailing from the piazza below, 
 
 " Truscott ! oh, Truscott ! that you ?" 
 
 A voice from the darkness out on the parade re 
 plied, 
 
 " Yes, colonel." 
 
 And Grace stood still yes to listen. 
 
 " Been to dinner or supper yet ?" 
 
 " Not yet, sir ; I ve had several things to attend to." 
 
 " Then come and take high tea with us." 
 
 " I would with pleasure, sir, but I ve promised Mrs. 
 Tanner." 
 
 A tap at Grace s door, and her ladyship swept in. 
 
 " You heard that, I suppose. How much confirma 
 tion do you require, may I ask ?" 
 
 And all that evening Grace Pelham was feverishly 
 gay. 
 
 The general, it seems, had gone out into the Mogollon 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 161 
 
 after the troops ; he had spent a day at the agency with 
 Tanner, and then, on his renowned saddle-mule, had 
 struck eastward for the trail leading to the Colorado 
 Chiquito. Every hour the renegades were sneaking 
 back into their limits, and the next day were begging 
 around camp as persistently as ever and with that child 
 like expression of innocence and utter lack of guile in 
 which the Apache excels. In the brief conversation 
 Colonel Pel ham had enjoyed with Truscott after tea, 
 when the latter had betaken himself to the office and 
 was working away by candle-light, the adjutant learned 
 that the entire command was on its way back, having 
 had only one or two unimportant brushes with the 
 Indians, who had scattered all over the Territory on 
 finding themselves pursued by so large a force. Then 
 the colonel went back to his quarters to enjoy the un 
 accustomed luxury of the society of his wife and daugh 
 ter ; but Truscott remained at his desk " straightening 
 out" the regimental papers until long after midnight. 
 Grace Pelham, going to her room after a long, loving 
 talk with her father, had thrown open her window and 
 stood there gazing out into the starlit night. Way 
 across the dark parade she saw towards her right the 
 dim lights of the guard-house. She knew it to be 
 such, because, even as she gazed, there came from that 
 point the prolonged call of the sentry, " Nu-mber One. 
 Ha-lf pa-st twelve o clock." Then way beyond, over 
 towards the corrals, a shrill Hibernian tenor responded 
 for Number Two, and added, " A-a-ll s w-ell !" and so 
 the watch-call went the rounds, echoing back from the 
 foot-hills until it again reached the guard-house. Grace 
 thought it lovely. But what was that brilliant light 
 I 14* 
 
162 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 off to her left ? She could make out the outlines of a 
 low one-story building that seemed to stand by itself, 
 and from two windows broad beams of light streamed 
 forth and illuminated the parade. Hearing her father s 
 step on the stairway, she called him in. "I m so in 
 terested in it all, father; the sentries have just been 
 calling off. Now that s the guard-house over there ; 
 but what is this bright light here to the left ?" 
 
 The colonel peered over her shoulder. " That ! It s 
 the adjutant s office, and that confounded Jack Trus- 
 cott is sitting up there at work when, with his shoulder, 
 he ought to have been in bed long ago. By Jove, I l . 
 go and send him !" 
 
 Then he turned, took her in his arms, and looked 
 proudly, fondly, down into the sweet upraised face. 
 
 " I wonder if you dream, my little girl, what a joy 
 it is to your old father to have you here ? God bless 
 and guard you, my child !" With that he kissed ten 
 derly her white forehead, and the next minute she 
 heard him tramping across the parade to the office. 
 She was about to close her blind, when the sound of 
 hoof-beats and voices coming into the garrison from 
 the north attracted her attention. At rapid lope the 
 riders came, and in a moment flashed into view in the 
 lights from the adjutant s office. Then came her 
 father s cheery voice, 
 
 "Why, Ray, is that you? You, too, Glenham? 
 Welcome back, boys !" 
 
 Then she heard Truscott s deep baritone and Ray s 
 and Glenham s mingled greetings, and the " old fel 
 lows" and hearty slaps on back and shoulder with which 
 the comrades of the frontier are wont to welcome one 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 163 
 
 another ; and then she did close her blind, and for a 
 while sat there in the darkness thinking, thinking. 
 
 Two days more and the entire command was once 
 more in garrison. Hough, stubbly beards were shaven 
 off, ragged hair trimmed to soldier style, scouting-rigs 
 were stowed away, and on the following Sunday morn 
 ing six fine troops of the th formed line, mounted 
 and in full dress, for inspection. The band, too, had 
 returned from a visit to the southern posts of the Ter 
 ritory, and for three days the rank and file had been 
 cleaning, polishing, and scrubbing generally, for " Old 
 Catnip" was a stickler for drill, discipline, and neatness 
 in every particular. 
 
 Much of the time the officers had been occupied su 
 perintending the overhauling of the barracks and stables, 
 but such hours as Captain Canker would allow him 
 Arthur Glenham had spent at Grace s side. Was it 
 hope that fathered the thought, he wondered, or was she 
 really more gracious, more encouraging in her manner 
 towards him ? Mrs. Pelham was everything that was 
 delightful to him, inviting him there to tea, affording 
 him frequent opportunity for uninterrupted interviews 
 with Grace, and eagerly inquiring how soon Ranger 
 would be ready for the promised rides. Tanner, too, 
 had come in with his troop, and Ranger had been duly 
 inspected and delightedly praised by Grace, but the 
 captain preferred that she should not ride until after 
 the general inspection. Of Truscott the ladies at Col 
 onel Pelham s saw nothing except at a distance. He 
 spent all his time at the office, and in going thither or 
 returning to his quarters kept way out in the middle of 
 the parade, for he lived at the extreme northern end of 
 
164 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 officers row, and the colonel s house was at the other 
 end. Officers old and young and all the ladies had 
 called to welcome the Pel hams to Sandy, but just as 
 at Prescott, when Ray, Hunter and other ineligibles 
 attempted to converse to any length with Grace, the 
 " confounded old tabby" would swoop down upon them 
 and monopolize the talk herself. 
 
 Oh, how superb the sight was to Grace when, early 
 Sunday morning, the whole command appeared in full 
 uniform, the martial-looking helmets with their long 
 horse-hair plumes, the bright colors of the stripes and 
 facings, the blue and gold and glittering sabres of the 
 officers, and the handsome equipments of their steeds ! 
 She stood on the piazza, watching it all, officer after 
 officer mounting in front of his quarters and trotting 
 off to join his troop. (Of course, Glenham came down 
 the line to exhibit himself and his beautiful horse to 
 her before joining his captain.) Then the four stately 
 non-commissioned officers, the guard of the standard, 
 each with his war chevrons and his bronze medal for 
 bravery, rode up in line and received their charge from 
 her father s hands. Then came the stirring adjutant s 
 call, and the thrilling burst of martial music from the 
 band, and troop after troop rode steadily into line ; and 
 then from the right there came at full gallop a stalwart 
 form she had grown to recognize instantly in any dress. 
 The horsemanship was unmistakable, and still at full 
 gallop on his powerful black charger he darted out to 
 \he front until midway to where the colonel sat on old 
 " Rappahannock," when with sudden halt and wheel 
 he reined about, and at the deep, ringing baritone, that 
 resounded along the line, the sabres flashed in air, and, 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 1G5 
 
 again wheeling, his own sabre rose and was lowered in 
 graceful salute. Grace Pelhara gazed with all her eyes, 
 eagerly interested in everything, but then the ladies 
 who had seen that sort of thing a hundred times 
 gathered around her, and she saw no more of the cere 
 mony that so delighted her. 
 
 Disappointed as she was at the interruption of her 
 view of the inspection, Grace found it hard work to 
 be cordial and courteous to her visitors. Ordinarily 
 on such occasions the ladies swarmed about Captain 
 Turner s quarters, which, being opposite the centre of 
 the line when formed, aiforded the best point of obser 
 vation. Mrs. Turner with great self-complacency used 
 to attribute this gathering to her powers of entertain 
 ment and conversation, and talked and chattered like a 
 magpie ; but on this particular Sunday, seeing Grace 
 alone on the piazza of the commanding officer s house, 
 the meeting adjourned and proceeded en masse to en 
 tertain her with garrison platitudes, Mrs. Wilkins being 
 by no means the least voluble. As a consequence, when 
 the jovial colonel rode up to the piazza after the dis 
 missal of the command, his face all aglow with the un 
 accustomed exercise, and called out in his cheery way, 
 " Well, daughter, what do you think of the th ?" 
 she replied, with an air of serio-comic disappointment, 
 " I could see nothing of them, father, except (sotto voce) 
 the ladies." 
 
 " Confound those women !" growled the colonel. "I 
 might have known they would spoil the whole thing, 
 and I particularly wanted you to see the regiment. 
 Your mother isn t visible yet, I suppose. She never 
 did care for anything connected with my profession 
 
166 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 except the pay accounts/ he added to himself, with a 
 weary sigh. Then he and Grace went in to breakfast. 
 
 Late that afternoon two grimy- looking, shaggy- 
 bearded men, accompanied by Mr. Truscott, appeared 
 at the colonel s door, and were promptly ushered into 
 the parlor, where Lady Pelham was yawning over a 
 novel (for which the writer of this gives her full abso 
 lution) and her husband was snoozing on the lounge 
 with a handkerchief over his face. In response to 
 Truscott s courteous bow, her ladyship rose from her 
 chair, stared for an instant at the uncouth-looking 
 bipeds who stood uneasily at the door, then, with an 
 indignant " Well, I declare !" and without noticing 
 Truscott in the least, she swept majestically into the 
 adjoining room, slamming the door behind her. 
 
 The colonel woke with a start, and for an instant 
 gazed stupidly at his visitors. 
 
 "What s up, Truscott?" he asked. 
 
 " Fanshawe and Craig have come in to report, sir ; 
 they bring important news," replied the adjutant. 
 
 " Fanshawe, hey ! Craig, too ! Good ! Sit down, 
 boys. What news do you bring ?" 
 
 The taller of the two cleared his throat, while the 
 other, " his pardner," slowly twisted his old slouch hat 
 in his hands and looked to his senior to do the talking. 
 Wiping his face with a faded red bandanna, then stow 
 ing it away in the breast of his buckskin hunting-shirt, 
 Fanshawe, with a voice like a cracked bassoon, began. 
 
 " We ve treed em, colonel. There s three big ranch - 
 erias out yet. We follered em down from nigh Chev- 
 lon s butte into the Tonto basin. There s two on em 
 there somewhere, close in under the Black Mesa, nigh 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 167 
 
 the head o j the creek. The other band cut loose and 
 seemed to go over to the Chiquito. Craig and I wanted 
 to go in farther and find just where they were, but old 
 Kwonahelka and Charley, Washington Charley, you 
 know, colonel; Arahawa s his Patchie name, they 
 dasn t resk it; so we come back. If the gin ral will 
 send out a couple of troops now, with fifteen days 7 
 rations and Patchie-Mohave scouts, I reckon he can 
 gobble the Tonto basin crowd, and it ll only take a 
 small detachment to corral the outfit that slid out over 
 towards the Chiquito ; there can t be inore n forty bucks 
 among em." 
 
 " Where are Kwonahelka and Charley ?" asked the 
 colonel, after a moment s thought. 
 
 " Right outside, sir/ said Fanshawe. " We didn t 
 like to bring em in." 
 
 The colonel nodded to Truscott, who quickly stepped 
 into the hall and signed to the two Apache Indians 
 squatting on the piazza. They silently rose and en 
 tered the house. 
 
 An exclamation of "Goodness!" caused Truscott to 
 glance to the head of the stairs. There stood Grace, 
 her eyes opened in wonderment. " What strange crea 
 tures are those, Mr. Truscott ?" she asked. 
 
 " Apache scouts, Miss Pelham." 
 
 " Oh, may I come down and see them ?" 
 
 " Most assuredly," he answered. 
 
 So down she came, pausing irresolutely at the door 
 until her father, catching sight of her, called out, 
 "Come in, come in, Grace. You ve never seen our 
 Apaches. Gentlemen," he continued, turning to Fan- 
 ehawe and partner, " this is my daughter, just arrived 
 
168 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 in Arizona." Whereat Fanshawe and partner arose in 
 bewilderment and awkwardness and bobbed their heads, 
 and grew redder under the bronze which desert suns 
 and winds had painted on their faces. 
 
 Grace bowed and smiled a pleasant welcome, not 
 knowing what to call them, and being quite uncertain 
 as to whether she ought to shake hands or not. 
 
 "This will all interest Grace," said her father, at 
 once. " Truscott, you explain the situation to her. 
 Now I want to question these aborigines." 
 
 And so, despite herself, Grace was thrown into con 
 fidential relations with the man she had been trying to 
 avoid, and yet and yet whom she had caught her 
 self watching from her window, or gazing over at the 
 midnight lights in his office, a dozen times in the last 
 four days. 
 
 She colored, then turned and became absorbed in con 
 templation of the Indians, strange objects indeed to her. 
 Their swarthy features, glittering, bead-like eyes ; their 
 coarse, matted black hair, for all the world like a Shet 
 land pony s mane and forelock, falling in masses like 
 an immense " bang" over their foreheads and down to 
 the eyes in front, hanging in tangled clumps to the neck 
 behind ; their slender but sinewy legs and arms ; their 
 rude dress, not an ornament or a patch of paint, things 
 she supposed inseparable from the red warriors, no 
 gracefully-draped blanket, no eagle s-feather war-bon 
 net, none of the accessories she had supposed were 
 always to be seen with the Indians. But here were two 
 noted men of their tribes, Kwonahelka, a chief of the 
 Apache-Mohaves ; Arahdwa, sub-chief and interpreter 
 of the Apache- Yumas, and dirty white cotton turbans, 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 169 
 
 shirts, and breech-clouts, with substantial moccasins, 
 constituted their costume. 
 
 Arah&wa had once been taken to Washington, 
 hence his nickname, and having been kept some time 
 at San Francisco, had picked up a little English, not 
 unlike the " pidgin-English" of the Chinese. It was 
 " Charley" whom the colonel was now questioning. 
 
 " But what I want to know is, whose bands are these 
 down in the basin ?" said he, impatiently. 
 
 " Mebbe so Deltchay ; mebbe so Skiminzin ; no can 
 tell," replied Charley, volubly. 
 
 " Ask Kwonahelka ; he knows," said Fanshawe. So 
 Charley and his associate held a brief confab, in which 
 much gesticulation was used on both sides. Finally 
 Charley turned. 
 
 "Kwonahelka he say Skeltetsee by Mogeyone. 
 Skeltetsee got plenty Tonto." 
 
 And so the strange colloquy went on, and Grace, her 
 curiosity getting the better of her reserve, finally turned 
 to the silent soldier by her side and inquired, " What 
 does it all mean, Mr. Truscott ?" 
 
 " Briefly this," he replied, still keeping his eyes fixed 
 on Charley. "There are still some hostile Apaches 
 scattered over the country to the east of us, and these 
 scouts were sent to discover their lair if possible. They 
 have succeeded in tracing three of the bands, and have 
 come in to report." 
 
 " And what will be done now ?" she anxiously in 
 quired. 
 
 " Their report will be telegraphed to the general at 
 Prescott,and then, probably, scouting-par ties will be sent 
 from here to hunt them to their holes and fight it out" 
 n 15 
 
170 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 Grace s face paled visibly. She was about to speak, 
 when Glenham entered the room, and, barely glancing 
 at the others, addressed himself to her, 
 
 " Everything is ready now, Miss Gracie. Tanner has 
 given me Ranger. Will you ride with me to-morrow? 7 
 
 And as she answered, "Gladly, Mr. Glenham," a 
 close observer could have seen a contraction of the 
 brows and a twitch of the muscles about Jack Trus- 
 cott s stern, set mouth, but his eyes were fixed upon his 
 colonel s face. 
 
 A moment more and that gentleman rose. "Well, 
 that settles it," he said. " Come to the office, Truscott, 
 and bring them along." And so Grace and Glenham 
 were left alone. 
 
 That evening the colonel sent his orderly with his 
 compliments to Captain Canker, and the information 
 that he, Canker, should command at dress-parade. And 
 taking Grace s arm in his as the adjutant s call sounded, 
 and the companies came marching out to the line dis 
 mounted, he strode up beyond Turner s quarters, grimly 
 declining the dozen invitations to " come and sit down 
 on our piazza," and led his daughter out beyond the 
 chattering groups to a point in the parade whence she 
 could witness the ceremony undisturbed. She gazed 
 with pride and delight at the long solid line, the 
 six companies standing at parade-rest as the band a 
 glorious band the old th had in those days " trooped" 
 down the front and back to its place on the right. 
 Then came the stirring " retreat" upon the trumpets, 
 the roar of the evening gun, the fluttering folds of the 
 great garrison flag to the ground as though its halliards 
 were shot away ; and then from the distant flank the 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 171 
 
 same deep, glorious voice rang along the line, and the 
 tall, soldierly form came stalking out to the front. 
 She could not take her eyes off him, but watched his 
 every movement, quick, agile, yet erect and stately. 
 She marked the vehement contrast between his rich 
 voice and Canker s reedy twang as the latter put the 
 battalion through the manual ; but when the officers 
 closed on the centre, and some sixteen of them came 
 marching to the front to the stirring music of "jEn 
 Avant" and as one man saluted the commanding officer, 
 she could not but see that in stature, carriage, grace, 
 and dignity there was not his peer among them. 
 
 "Grace," said her father suddenly, "I ve got the 
 finest adjutant in the United States array, and he is as 
 noble a man as he is a soldier." She looked up in sur 
 prise, for his voice trembled, and tears had started to 
 his eyes. He had received a letter that day from Ralph 
 and had not shown it to them, but he struck his cane 
 sharply upon the stony ground, tossed his head, and 
 was all joviality when, as though with one accord, the 
 officers came crowding around Grace to welcome her to 
 her first parade. All but one ; Truscott went straight 
 to his quarters. 
 
172 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 SOON after guard-mounting on the following morn 
 ing, Arthur Glenham, faultlessly attired, cantered down 
 officers 7 row to Colonel Pelham s quarters, dismounted 
 and gave his horse to the orderly. Almost at the same 
 moment Captain Tanner s pigmy trumpeter appeared 
 with Ranger, and it needed but half a glance to detect 
 the fact that in that precious pair, boy and horse, the 
 devil of mischief was abnormally developed. " Kid," 
 as the boy was called by the entire command, had a 
 rollicking Irish eye that twinkled with fun. Ranger 
 was similarly provided with organs of sight that rolled 
 restlessly about in their sockets, while his nervous Jegs 
 and pawing hoofs, his incessantly tossing head, gave 
 conclusive evidence that he was ripe for any devilment 
 that chance might afford him. The Kid rolled off the 
 bare back of his pet and saluted Glenham, with a half- 
 suppressed grin on his freckled " mug." I crave par 
 don for the slang, but " face" could never apply to the 
 broad, flattened mouth, the turned-up, utterly Hibernian 
 nose, and the shock-headed appearance generally of the 
 worst young scamp in the th. His colonel, his cap 
 tain, and the adjutant were the only men in the garrison 
 to whom the Kid looked up with anything like awe, or 
 even with great respect, and as he rolled his quid of 
 tobacco over with his tongue and " stood to horse" as 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 173 
 
 he grinningly saluted Mr. Glenham, he presented small 
 show of that deference expected from the rank and file 
 towards a superior; perhaps he was thinking of the 
 many five- and ten-dollar bills with which the lieu 
 tenant had accommodated him, and what an ass the 
 lieutenant must be if he ever expected to get them back. 
 
 Grace had accepted the invitation to ride about five 
 o clock on the previous afternoon. Before tattoo, con 
 sequently, every lady along the row was duly informed 
 of the fact, and as a matter of course all household 
 duties were suspended as the horses came up, in order 
 that the ladies aforesaid might see the mount and start. 
 Even Mrs. Tanner was taking the air on her piazza, 
 which was only two doors away from the colonel s, and 
 Mesdames Raymond, Turner, and Wilkins had gathered 
 around Mrs. Canker, who lived next door, and who 
 was not ordinarily one of the society circle at the post, 
 a retiring disposition, an absolute indifference to any 
 thing or anybody except her husband and children, and 
 rather plain, homely ways, rendering her "Well, 
 rather uninteresting, you know," as Mrs. Turner put 
 it. A knot of officers had gathered some distance 
 farther away. 
 
 Presently Grace appeared upon the colonel s piazza, 
 and all eyes far and near were fixed upon her. " Heav 
 ens and earth !" exclaimed Mrs. Wilkins, " a chimney 
 pot hat in Arizona !" 
 
 In Arizona or out of it, twould be hard to find a 
 lovelier picture than was Grace Pelharn that morning. 
 The short, jaunty silk hat with its mite of a veil, the 
 stylish, perfectly-fitting New York habit, the dainty 
 gauntlets, all combining to make a costume that set off 
 
174 THE COLONELS DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 her exquisite face and slender form to admirable ad 
 vantage. After her came a servant carrying her Eng 
 lish saddle and bridle, which had arrived but a day or 
 two before. And now came the onerous task of equip 
 ping Kanger. Grace could not bear the looks of the 
 heavy, clumsy cavalry bit and bridle, and had decided 
 to use her own from the start. 
 
 " Please have this put on him first, Mr. Glenham," 
 she said. And obedient to her wish he took the dainty 
 tan-colored bridle with its burnished steel bit and 
 chains and signalled to the Kid to slip off Ranger s un 
 couth-looking head-gear, and then proceeded himself 
 to replace it with the other. It is one thing to slip off 
 a bridle, another to put one on. Kanger, accustomed 
 only to the dingy regulation deformity, snorted suspi 
 ciously at the brilliant and novel-looking affair that 
 Mr. Glenham was cautiously raising towards him ; he 
 eyed it askance, and then, notwithstanding the firm 
 hold of the young officer s broad hand upon his fore 
 lock, Ranger threw up his head. This brought Glen 
 ham on tiptoe, increasing his difficulties and vexation. 
 
 " Come here, trumpeter," he called, " and hold his 
 head down while I get the bridle on." 
 
 The Kid darted forward with unusual alacrity, and 
 simultaneously Ranger started and commenced to back, 
 dragging Glenham with him. The more rapidly the 
 Kid approached the more did Ranger recede. The 
 Kid made a spring as though to catch him, Ranger 
 made a corresponding jump, shook free his head, then, 
 with a most hilarious leap into mid-air, he let drive his 
 heels at some imaginary foe, and, with a snort of ma 
 licious delight, dashed off around the parade, leaving 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 175 
 
 Glenham puffing, blowing, and discomfited, and the Kid 
 grinning in malignant enjoyment of the catastrophe. 
 
 Poor Glenham ! He ran back to the piazza, dropped 
 the bridle at Grace s feet, and saying, " Please don t be 
 impatient; I ll have him back in a minute/ clam 
 bered into his saddle, and, striking both spurs into his 
 horse, went sputtering off in pursuit. 
 
 The neighboring ladies instantly came to condole 
 with Grace; the group of officers remained as they 
 were, and, after the manner of their kind, indulging 
 in hearty and pitiless laughter at poor Glenham s dis 
 comfiture, except Ray. Ray came running down to 
 the party, now gathered on the colonel s piazza, and 
 laughingly raising his cap to Grace, exclaimed, " Never 
 mind, Miss Pelham, we ll soon have him back," then 
 he turned on the Kid, who, with his hands in his pock 
 ets, was bending nearly double in the contortions he 
 resorted to to keep him from roaring with laughter. 
 But the look in the lieutenant s eye straightened him 
 up in an instant. Out went the quid ; out came the 
 hands ; together came the heels with a snap, and with 
 a half-scared and demure countenance the Kid " stood 
 attention." 
 
 Ray stepped close to the youngster, and in a low, 
 savage tone spoke quickly, "You young whelp, you 
 know perfectly well you drove that horse loose. Go at 
 once to my sergeant, tell him to send two men out after 
 Ranger, and you bring me my horse bareback quick as 
 a flash. Off with you now !" 
 
 And the Kid, well knowing Mr. Ray s energetic way 
 of dealing with his own black sheep, darted off full 
 speed. 
 
176 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 Meantime, Mr. Truscott was in his quarters at the 
 other end of the row, changing from the full-dress uni 
 form he wore at guard-mounting to the " undress" of 
 the day. He was never known to whistle in his life, 
 but he had a way of singing softly to himself as he 
 dressed, sometimes as he wrote or worked, but of late 
 no song had escaped his lips. To Glenham his manner 
 had been more gentle and brotherly than ever, but 
 there was none of the old familiar talk between them. 
 Glenham spent his evenings at the colonel s, came home 
 late, and found Jack in bed and, to all appearances, 
 asleep, while during the day the latter was always at 
 the office. 
 
 Very sad and pale looked Mr. Truscott as he slipped 
 into his sack-coat ; then the rush of hoofs burst upon 
 his ear, and with a face suddenly blanched he sprang to 
 the door. A sigh of relief, a fervent " Thank God !" 
 escaped him as he caught sight of Ranger, unencum 
 bered with either saddle or bridle, tearing out of tho 
 north gate, while Glenham came lumbering after. 
 
 "That d d young Paddy scared him off!" he 
 almost sobbed to Jack as he thundered by. Quickly 
 mounting his own great charger, who was pulling ex 
 citedly away from the orderly, Truscott soon overtook 
 Glenham down on the flats below. Ranger still far 
 ahead and making for the foot-hills, where the herds 
 were grazed during the day. 
 
 "He ll go right up that broad cooley, Glenham. 
 You take this one to the left. I ll chase and drive him 
 over towards you, then head him in towards the post, 
 and we ll nab him at the stables." 
 
 With that he was off: his fresh, magnificent horse 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 177 
 
 sweeping way out to the right beyond Ranger s trail, 
 and Glenham, implicitly obeying Jack s directions, 
 plunged into the mouth of the narrow valley or ravine 
 before him, and still urging his steed to his best eiforts, 
 was soon separated by the ridge to his right from all 
 sight of the chase. 
 
 By this time Ranger, finding himself no longer 
 closely pursued as he was in the garrison, condescended 
 to hold up for a minute and look back on his trail. 
 The horse and rider with whom he had been delight 
 edly playing fast and loose for some five minutes had 
 disappeared entirely, and that big black horse he had 
 been so accustomed to following on battalion drill and 
 the tall rider at whose voice he daily wheeled into col 
 umn without waiting for pressure of leg or rein from 
 his own little rascal of a rider, why, they were riding 
 away from him ! And in genuine equine surprise and 
 disappointment he gazed after them. It was more than 
 he could stand, and in another moment, with a piteous 
 neigh, he galloped off in pursuit. This being pre 
 cisely what Truscott expected, he slackened his pace 
 and reigned slightly to the left ; next he dove into a 
 little ravine, and here dismounting and drawing the 
 reins over his horse s head, he calmly lay down on the 
 turf, and his steed went to cropping the scant herbage. 
 A minute more and Ranger, with another eager neigh, 
 reached the bank, and catching sight of his comrades, 
 stopped short, then gingerly trotted down close to them, 
 as though to inquire what the mischief they meant by 
 trying to avoid him in that unfriendly way. Then, as 
 neither Truscott nor his horse took the faintest notice 
 of him, he lounged up alongside his brother quadruped 
 
X78 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 tnd, sniffing for a moment at his nostrils, set his ears 
 jack and aimed a vicious little snap at his nose. With 
 his back to the pair, Truscott slowly and indifferently 
 arose, and, drawing in his rein, raised the black s head 
 and brought him close to his right side, quietly patting 
 his head and neck. Ranger followed as before, bent 
 his head to sniff again at the nostrils of the black, and 
 found his forelock held in the iron grasp of the half- 
 concealed biped, who had reached quietly over the 
 black s neck and nabbed him. 
 
 Then Truscott mounted, and, firmly holding his prize 
 on the off side, rode slowly back towards the garrison. 
 One of Ray s men with a lariat met him half-way in. 
 Truscott knotted the rope carefully about Ranger s neck, 
 sent the man up the ravine to recall Glenham, and con 
 tinued on his way until close in under the plateau. 
 There he stopped and waited for his friend. He could 
 have saved time, and a good deal of it, had he galloped 
 in, leading Ranger by the lariat, but he waited. Glen- 
 ham came bumping along presently, all gratitude and 
 perspiration. Truscott handed him the rope, saying, 
 " Hold him firmly, old boy." Glenham rode up the 
 hill and, amid the applause of the ladies, into the gar 
 rison with his prize. Truscott rode under cover of the 
 hill to the rear of his quarters, and there dismounted. 
 
 Nearly half an hour had been lost. Glenham was 
 nervous and full of vexation. Grace too was a trifle 
 annoyed by the half-patronizing, half-sympathetic re 
 marks of the swarm of ladies, but their occasional 
 criticisms of Glenham s awkwardness aroused her sym 
 pathy for him, and made her unusually gentle, almost 
 tender, in her manner to him. The deft hands of Mr. 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 179 
 
 Ray speedily adjusted saddle and bridle, and he oblig 
 ingly stood at Ranger s head while Glenham bunglingly 
 assisted Grace to mount. With any skilful hand she 
 could fly up like a bird. Then, without further delay, 
 they turned and started up the row, Grace patting 
 Ranger s neck and endeavoring to make friends. 
 
 But that ingenuous quadruped had not half had his 
 spree out, and was ripe for more. The first thing he 
 discovered was that instead of a huge bar of crooked 
 iron in his mouth he was champing a slender rod of pol 
 ished steel. No clumsy curb-strap chafed his jaw, and 
 the light hand on the rein had not yet made him ac 
 quainted with the glittering chain that hung there, 
 ready to do as good, even better, service than the strap. 
 Then there was no pressure of muscular legs on both 
 sides; that struck him as something utterly out of the 
 usual line. Revolving these things in his mind, he 
 concluded it worth while to experiment with this un 
 known rider. They were close to the end of the row, 
 and here, right in front of the doctor s quarters, next 
 to Truscott s, stood a group of six -or seven officers. Six 
 or seven caps were simultaneously raised, and that was 
 all the excuse Ranger wanted. Stopping short, he 
 strove to whirl about, but Grace s practised hand kept 
 him faced to the front. Failing in that effort, he com 
 menced to back, and a sharp cut of the whip was his 
 reward. Stung by the blow, he sprang into air arid 
 came down " stiff-legged," but with no effect upon the 
 seat or temper of his fair rider. Then he backed again, 
 and received another lash. Enraged at a punishment 
 he neither understood nor had ever known, he shook 
 his head, backed again, and would almost have gone 
 
180 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTTR; OR, 
 
 upon his haunches, when suddenly a firm hand 
 laid on the rein, and Grace, flushed, vexed, and well- 
 nigh defeated, looked down into the calm features of 
 Mr. Truscott. 
 
 " Pardon me, Miss Pelham," he said. " I think I 
 have just what you need here. Ranger doesn t know 
 a whip, but he does understand the meaning of the 
 spur." 
 
 With that he produced from the inner pocket of his 
 blouse a pair of little silver spurs. "These look like 
 toys," he continued, " and I bought them as such, but 
 they are really very effective, as you will find. Stand at 
 his head, orderly. Permit me, Miss Pelham." And 
 stepping to her side he raised the skirt of her riding- 
 habit, quickly and deftly adjusted one spur to her 
 slender boot, then hung the other on the off-side of 
 her pommel. " The straps are old and weak, and may 
 break, so you had better have both," he explained, then 
 was about to step back, when speech returned to her. 
 
 " Oh, thank you, Mr. Truscott, ever so much ! Now 
 I know I can manage him. This is very thoughtful of 
 you, and Fll return them to-night." 
 
 " Don t think of it," he answered ; " you will need 
 them on many a ride, and besides, I know you will win 
 them." 
 
 " Then take my whip," she impulsively cried, and 
 tossing the slender toy with its wrist-loop of dark blue 
 ribbon to him, she gathered her horse, the orderly 
 stepped aside, her barbed heel drove firmly into Ran 
 ger s flank, and, obedient to the sting he knew, he 
 sprang forward, and in an instant bore his fearless 
 rider, guided by her firm hands, through the nortt 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 181 
 
 gate, around the long curve of the road and down the 
 slope until even hat and veil disappeared from view 
 below the edge of the plateau. An instant after, Glen- 
 ham likewise shot out of sight, his forage-cap popping 
 up twice before its final occultation. 
 
 Truscott s face wore a very anxious look as he slowly 
 returned to his quarters, closed his bedroom door be 
 hind him, and, stepping to the window, lingeringly 
 examined the pretty toy she had thrown to him. It 
 was of English make, slender and delicate, but of the 
 very best material and workmanship, fit accompani 
 ment to the perfect saddle and bridle his appreciative 
 eye had marked as he adjusted her spur. The silver- 
 mounted handle bore a simple inscription, " Grace, from 
 Father." He gazed longingly at the name, thinking, 
 he could not help it, of the many times her soft, slender 
 hand had closed upon it; then suddenly turning, he 
 stepped to the wardrobe, paused one instant to press 
 the handle to his lips, hung it by its loop way back 
 in the dark recess, and abruptly hurried from the 
 room. 
 
 On the piazza stood Ray, with clouded brow, gazing 
 through a binocular up the distant road. Hearing 
 Truscott s step, he turned. 
 
 " See anything of them ?" asked Truscott, shortly. 
 
 " Not at this moment. They re behind that belt of 
 cotton wood, going like blazes. There they are now !" 
 he added, suddenly. " I hope to God that Glenham 
 will have sense enough to make her stick to the road. 
 The horses can t stand the pace much longer in that 
 heavy sand." 
 
 Truscott took the glass and looked. " All right so 
 
 16 
 
182 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 far," he said, after a pause, still keeping the glass at 
 his eye. 
 
 "Truscott, what do you think of that bit?" asked 
 Ray, abruptly. " She rides better than any woman I 
 ever knew ; but if that blackguard of a horse should 
 bolt you see I never thought of her riding him with 
 anything but the cavalry curb." 
 
 "Nor I," said Truscott. "The bit is all right; 
 unless you remember the trick he used to have of 
 catching the branch in his teeth ?" 
 
 " By heaven ! yes. And with these straight English 
 curbs he could do it as easy as lying." 
 
 Truscott took out his watch, and with a start ex 
 claimed, " I ought to have been at the office half an 
 hour ago, and here comes the colonel s orderly after 
 me now. Ray, what are you going to do this morn- 
 ing?" 
 
 " I was going to write up the record of that last court, 
 but d d if I can now. Going out Ranger will do 
 well enough, probably. It s when he gets his head 
 turned homewards that stampedes me. If he should 
 bolt above the bend, where the road runs along the 
 creek, why, it s as crooked as Oakes Ames, and he d 
 dash over some of those banks " 
 
 " Take your horse," broke in Truscott, " take your 
 horse and go out beyond the four-mile bend anyhow. 
 Yes, orderly, say to the colonel I m coming at once." 
 
 Five minutes after Ray was speeding up the valley, 
 and Truscott was at his desk in the office. To his 
 colonel s surprised and almost hurt "You are very late, 
 Truscott," he replied very gently, in a voice that shook 
 a little, "It was almost unavoidable, colonel ; I will 
 
WIN KINO HIS SPURS. 183 
 
 explain it all when we get through." And good old 
 Pelham asked nothing more. 
 
 Now to follow Ray. As he bounded along over the 
 flats, taking short-cuts wherever he could, he had time 
 to think over the situation, and did not half like it. 
 Ever since the night of the ball at Prescott he had 
 carried with him the tassel of Grace Pel ham s fan, 
 and Glenham knew it; more than that, Glenham 
 had become cool and constrained in his manner towards 
 him. It will be remembered that Ray had carried off 
 the tassel just as he was hurrying to join his troop, and 
 from that time to this he had not been back to his own 
 station, Camp Cameron. During the brief campaign 
 his troop had been attached to Canker s command, and 
 around the bivouac-fires at night the young officers, 
 frequently talking over the ball, could not refrain from 
 speaking in terms of enthusiastic admiration of Miss 
 Pel ham s many attractive and lovely qualities, Ray 
 being by long odds the most outspoken, while poor 
 Glenham, with his heart burning with love for her, 
 sat silently apart, puffing nervously at his pipe. He 
 could not speak of her himself, it was torture to him 
 to hear them talk of her. It seemed like profanation 
 to hear her name mentioned under such circumstances, 
 though every word spoken was in genuine admiration 
 and respect. Ray had been quick to notice this, and 
 boing a warm-hearted fellow, full of consideration for 
 other people despite his recklessness as regarded him 
 self, he it was who had privately suggested to his 
 comrades the propriety of discontinuing the subject. 
 " You can all see how wretched it makes Glenham, 
 poor devil I know how it is myself, so let s quit it, 
 
184 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 fellows," and quit it some of them did. But Crane 
 and Carroll were possessed with malice and all un- 
 charitableness, and Wilkins was not a gentleman, and 
 this trio saw fit to disregard Ray s request. They 
 were glad of a chance to worry Glenham, and for two 
 evenings after the others had agreed to avoid the 
 subject in Glenham s hearing these worthies had de 
 lightedly encouraged one another in keeping up sly 
 allusions to the fact that as Miss Pelham and Truscott 
 were all this time at Prescott together it would doubt 
 less be an engagement by the time they got back. It 
 was a significant fact that they selected such times as 
 Ray was absent from the circle, looking after his herd 
 guard, as he always did before turning in at night, to 
 indulge in this luxury. Turner and Raymond were 
 always early to bed, and, rolled in their blankets under 
 the trees, heard nothing of it. Canker did not inter 
 pose. Hunter and Dana were boys just out of " the 
 Point," and stood a little in awe of these older cam 
 paigners ; but Ray ranked all the subalterns present, 
 they knew and trusted him, for he had been one of 
 their instructors in tactics and horsemanship at the 
 Academy, and so the second night when he returned 
 to the camp-fire Dana called him to one side and told 
 him that Glenham had taken his blankets and gone 
 off out of earshot and of the remarks of the trio on 
 both nights while he was away. Ray blazed with 
 wrath a moment, then he strolled unconcernedly bacK 
 to the fire telling Dana to remain where he was, and 
 in the most dulcet tones imaginable said, "Oh, Crane, 
 Carroll, just come with me a moment, will you ?" And 
 ignoring Wilkins entirely, he led them, wondering, to 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 185 
 
 where Dana stood among the pines, out beyond the 
 sleeping group of soldiers into a little open space in 
 the clear moonlight, and there he turned and faced 
 them. 
 
 " Mr. Crane, I address my remarks particularly to 
 you. Mr. Carroll has but recently joined, and has not 
 learned our ways yet. You have been with us for 
 years. You never have been, probably never will be, 
 of us. It seems that despite the discovery that our 
 thoughtless talk about Miss Pelham greatly distressed 
 Mr. Glenham, you have not only persisted in, but have 
 added to this means of annoying him. One moment. 
 Mr. Crane; let me finish, and then you may have the 
 floor as long as you like (there was something silvery 
 sweet in Ray s voice and manner just here). Gentle 
 men who detect what we detected abstain from the pos 
 sibility of giving pain or offence that cannot be resented, 
 as Mr. Glenham cannot resent this. Cads and black 
 guards*, Mr. Crane, cads and blackguards continue to 
 aifront and annoy so long as they think they can do so 
 unmolested." 
 
 " Do you mean to insult me, sir ?" fiercely demanded 
 Lieutenant Crane. 
 
 " Just as you please about that, Mr. Crane," said 
 Ray, with all the placidity of a parson. " Mr. Dana 
 is witness to my remarks. They certainly can be re 
 sented, and you are at liberty to take any steps in the 
 matter your fancy may suggest. We march at seven 
 to-morrow ; there will be abundant light and time be 
 forehand. Mr. Dana will receive any message you may 
 choose to send. And now, Mr. Carroll, let me as a 
 man who would like to be your friend suggest that, aa 
 
 16* 
 
186 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 you are just commencing your career in the th, that 
 you cut loose from the society of men who are apt to 
 lead you into trouble ; your participation in this matter 
 doubtless arose from inexperience and bad example. 
 Come, Dana. Good-night, gentlemen." And with that 
 he turned to go. 
 
 Crane sulkily muttered some foul language as he 
 stood glaring after Ray, and once more the latter faced 
 him. 
 
 " Puppies, Mr. Crane, snarl and snap at the heels of 
 men before whom they grovel and cringe. If you have 
 anything to say, say it now while we are face to face, 
 otherwise be silent, or add whelp to what I have already 
 called you." And Ray stood squarely confronting his 
 bulky antagonist. But Crane knew his man too well. 
 He muttered something about only having been in fun, 
 not meaning to hurt Glenham s feelings, etc., to which 
 Ray replied with some asperity and much contempt, 
 
 " Then let there be no more of it, unless you want 
 this night s conversation and the fact that you did not 
 seek an officer s reparation published through the regi 
 ment." 
 
 This put an abrupt stop to Glenham s nightly annoy 
 ances; he knew not to what influence to attribute the 
 change, he vaguely felt that Ray had something to do 
 with it, and yet that hurt him, for he knew that in the 
 breast of his scouting-jacket Ray carried the tassel of 
 her fan, and all that he had ever won from her was 
 the glove he wore next his heart. Poor boy ! He was 
 very miserable throughout that brief raid, and when 
 the order came to make for home and, when one day s 
 march away, he received reluctant permission to gallop 
 
WINNING ms SPURS. 187 
 
 ahead, it was with absolute dismay that he heard that 
 the general had directed Ray s troop to be retained at 
 Camp Sandy, where Colonel Pelham wanted to gather 
 as many companies as possible for battalion instruc 
 tion. So Ray s and " G" troop were ordered to go into 
 camp on the plateau behind the men s quarters, and 
 Ray was sent ahead with him to make the necessary 
 preparations. Then Colonel Pelham liked Ray im 
 mensely, so Glenham had always heard, and just as 
 soon as Ray could resume his uniform, which he had 
 left at Prescott, he appeared at the colonel s, and had 
 been a very frequent caller during the few days pre 
 ceding this of the ride. It worried Glenham, and, boy 
 that he was, made his manner to Ray very distant and 
 cold. 
 
 All this occurred to Ray as he sped up the valley. 
 " I must not join them," he thought, " and even if 
 they should meet me twould be awkward. He would 
 be ass enough to think I was watching or spying." 
 And so, perplexed and dissatisfied, Ray passed among 
 the sharp turns and along the stony road-bed at Four- 
 Mile Point, and after much twisting and turning, rode 
 out from under the cottonwoods and willows, and there 
 lay before him, winding up a gentle slope to the north 
 west, some five hundred yards of smooth and unob 
 structed road, the old road to Prescott as it lay in 7 
 making its first rise from the valley to climb the moun 
 tain chain to the west. 
 
 " All well so far, thank God !" he muttered to him 
 self, and then bringing his steed down to a walk, he 
 rode slowly up the slope, pondering over the next step 
 to be taken. " They won t be apt to go much higher 
 
188 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 up the valley," he said to himself. "She would like 
 to make the most of her ride, no doubt, and gallop a 
 good deal. They did gallop up along here," he con 
 tinued, as his practised eye marked the hoof-tracks in 
 the sand ; " but once over that ridge, Gleuham will 
 want to go slow and spoon. There is no decent ford 
 to take a lady over for five miles along the Sandy 
 above here. No ; they ll come back this way. Now, 
 how the devil can I excuse my presence ?" And think 
 ing thus, some distance below the ridge Ray checked 
 his horse and stopped still. Once on the crest, he 
 knew that he and his horse could be seen from far up 
 the valley. " I never felt so like a sneak in my life," 
 he thought. " I ve more than half a mind to go back ; 
 but then Truscott No, by Jove, I ll stick." 
 
 Oh, well for many a loving heart, well for sweet 
 Grace Pelham, well for them all was it that the quickest, 
 surest light-horseman in Arizona stood to his post that 
 day ! Looking back down the slope, he marked the 
 point around which the road suddenly turned out of 
 sight ; marked the jagged rocks over which the Sandy 
 went tumbling and frothing to the willow-fringed 
 shallows below ; marked how the road seemed to end 
 right there, to lead right there into the jaws of de 
 struction. " D n the man who engineered this road !" 
 he says, aloud, and then, no longer irresolute as to his 
 course, he turns to go on up the slope, when God ! 
 what is that sound that blanches his cheek? The 
 sputter of gravel, the fierce, terrible rattle and clatter 
 of runaway hoofs. All in a second it flashed upon 
 him just what to expect. All in a second there rushed 
 into view upon the ridge a sight that froze the blood 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 189 
 
 in his veins. Ranger, his head high in air, the bit 
 in his teeth, dashing blindly, madly towards him, and 
 Grace Grace, hat and veil gone, her beautiful hair 
 streaming behind her, still firmly maintaining seat and 
 rein, but powerless to control the wild rush of her 
 steed, horse and rider came flying down the slope, 
 down towards the pitiless rocks and surges that lay but 
 that short five hundred yards away. Now, Ray, 
 Where are you ? Oh, never fear for him ! Pluck and 
 skill and grit, coolness and nerve were never lacking 
 when Ray stood by. Quick as a flash he reins his 
 horse to left about. Quick as a flash the spurred heels 
 strike home, and with the shout of " Go, you scoundrel !" 
 ringing in his startled ears, Ray s horse springs into a 
 charge down the slope, leading Ranger by half a dozen 
 lengths. Well over to the left of the road his rider 
 guides him, looking warily ahead and noting with satis 
 faction that no boulders or heavy stones mar the track. 
 Then, cool and steady, he turns in the saddle and waves 
 his hand to her with cheery shout, "All right, Miss 
 Gracie ! Let him come ! Give him his head !" She 
 cannot distinguish the words, but her glorious eyes 
 brighten, and she smiles bravely back. Ranger is 
 gaining with every stride. The racer of the regiment, 
 he is furious at being led. Again Ray urges on his 
 fresher steed. No use to close in on Ranger now ; he 
 would simply swerve off to the right and, once on the 
 turf, leave all behind him until he plunged into some 
 of the pits or sloughs along the flats. A hundred yards 
 more and the road dives under the steep bank which 
 shuts it close to the boiling water; but then, O God! 
 how short a span beyond is that terrible turn, those 
 
190 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 frightful rocks ! "With every stride is Ranger gaining. 
 Nearer they come to the sheltering bank. Warily 
 Ray lowers his right hand behind his thigh, and with 
 head half turned watches the crazy brute tearing up 
 closer to his flank. Now the bank is rising on their 
 right. Now Ranger s head is close on his quarter, op 
 posite his shoulder, almost opposite his horse s head. 
 Now, Ray! And like flash of feathered arrow the 
 gauntleted hand comes down on the curb, and a grasp 
 of iron is laid on Ranger s mouth. Well he knows 
 the hand. There follow a few ineffectual plunges, and 
 then, with much crashing of gravel and hoof, panting, 
 heaving, foaming, he is brought to a halt, ten yards 
 from the turn ! Then Ray looks at Grace. She is 
 trying to say something, trying to smile, but the reins 
 drop from her nerveless hands, the words falter on her 
 lips, the smile dies away, and, white as a sheet, she is 
 reeling in her saddle. Quick, quick as ever, his right 
 arm is thrown around her waist, and he lifts her from 
 her seat, swings to the ground on the off side of his 
 horse, then, as he would carry a child, he bears her to 
 the bank of the stream, lays her gently at the foot of 
 a tree, fills his cap with water, which he sprinkles on 
 her face, then, as she starts and gives a little shuddering 
 sigh, he kneels close beside her, lifts her tenderly on 
 his arm till her head rests upon his shoulder, and then 
 with the same old foraging head-gear he fans and at 
 the same time liberally besprinkles the sweet, pale face. 
 Ah! what is he calling her? What is he saying to 
 her as the glorious eyes slowly open? Why do the 
 heavily-fringed lids close so quickly ? And that faint 
 color that surges up to cheek and brow, what brings it 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 
 
 there ? What means this picture that bursts upon the 
 eyes of Glenham, who reins up beside them in an agony 
 of fear ? Ray looks blithely up. 
 
 " It s all right, Glenham. No harm done ; just a 
 little faint. Gallop in and bring out the ambulance, 
 there s a good fellow." 
 
 And, sick at heart, Glenham goes. 
 
192 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 MEANTIME, the colonel and Truscott remained at 
 their desks in the office, the former occasionally ad 
 dressing some question to his silent subordinate, and 
 then going on in his methodical way with his letters. 
 From time to time the sergeant-major or a clerk would 
 enter with a fresh batch of papers, which would be 
 noiselessly deposited on the adjutant s desk, and those 
 already signed were as quietly removed, and in the ad 
 joining room, where the clerks were busily at work, 
 made ready for the mail. 
 
 At last, as eleven o clock drew nigh, the colonel 
 appeared to have completed his writing, and, with a 
 stretch and yawn, rose and strolled over to Truscott s 
 desk. 
 
 " Don t you think it strange we have no answer from 
 the general about those scouts ?" he asked. 
 
 " Yes, sir," replied Truscott, rising. " But you know 
 that Sieber is still out. He may be waiting for his 
 report." 
 
 " All he says is this," said the colonel, hunting first 
 in his coat-pockets, then among the papers on his desk, 
 and picking up finally a telegraphic despatch : " Hold 
 Fanshawe, Craig, and the Indian scouts at Sandy until 
 further orders ; " and in order to read he had stepped 
 to the window looking out on the parade. " Have you 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 193 
 
 any idea when Sieber will be in?" he asked. "By 
 Jove! I believe the chief will come down again himself 
 Even the telegraph is too slow for him. Truscott," he 
 continued, while waiting for reply to his own question, 
 " you cannot be well. I never saw you so white and 
 haggard, and the circles tinder your eyes haunt me. 
 > Pon my word, I think you need medical advice, or rest, 
 or change, or something. I thought you looked ill 
 enough yesterday, but this morning it s worse." 
 
 " It is nothing serious, colonel. Fve been sitting up 
 late and smoking too much, I fancy. There was a vast 
 deal to be done when we got back, and I could not let 
 the work go." 
 
 " That is why we see so little of you at the house, I 
 suppose," said Pelham. " You must try and come in 
 often. Jack I well I never knew how to speak to 
 you about it, but that wild boy of mine has recently 
 written me something of what you have been to him, 
 He hasn t told me all, he says, but he has told me 
 enough to make me very grateful, as his mother would 
 be too if she knew the influence for good you have over 
 him ; but he shrinks from letting her know anything 
 of his scrapes, or Grace either. I don t know how to 
 thank you, old fellow, but let us see more of you. I 
 want you to know Grace." 
 
 He had put his hand affectionately on Truscott s 
 shoulder, and now, though his eyes were filled with 
 tears, the old soldier looked straight into Truscott s, 
 and for a second the two clasped hands, but the adju 
 tant said not a word. Then they strolled out on the 
 piazza together. 
 
 " Did you see Grace and Glenhara start this morn- 
 i n 17 
 
194 THE COLO\&L, S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 ing ?" asked the colonel. " I had to hurry over here 
 to answer those telegrams, and missed it. Hollo! 
 here come Mrs. Tanner and Rosalie," he went on. 
 "Morning, Mrs. Tanner," he called out, cheerily, as 
 the stanch Concord wagon spun along past them, and 
 the smiling faces of its occupants nodded cordial 
 response to the salutations of the officers. "Been 
 taking Rosalie a drive down the valley, I suppose," 
 he said. " Truscott, I never knew that little woman 
 until Tanner s troop came here last summer, and, do 
 you know? I think she s one of the most perfect 
 ladies I ever met. And yet my wife, and Grace, too, 
 by Jupiter, are perfectly dumb when I speak of her 
 to them. What s the reason, hey?" 
 
 But Truscott did not hear ; was not listening. With 
 cheek growing whiter every instant, his eyes were fixed 
 upon the figure of a soldier running towards them, 
 the stable sergeant of Tanner s troop. An awful 
 dread had seized upon him. He sprang forward to 
 meet the man. 
 
 " What is it, sergeant ? Quick !" 
 
 " Ranger, sir. He s just come in all foam, and " 
 
 "What, Jack! What is it?" gasped the colonel, 
 with ashen face and staring eyes. 
 
 " Get into Mrs. Tanner s ambulance and go right up 
 the valley, sir. Take her with you. Ranger is in 
 without Grace !" 
 
 "Oh, my God!" cried poor old Pelham, as, be 
 wildered and horror-stricken, he ran with Truscott 
 towards Tanner s quarters. There Jack almost lifted 
 him into the wagon, and quickly told Mrs. Tanner 
 what was wanted. Crack went the whip, and at a 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 195 
 
 dead run they darted through the north gate, leaving 
 poor little Rosalie crying with fright and astonishment 
 upon the piazza. As they tore down the hill, Truscott, 
 seated beside the driver, rose and almost hurrahed, 
 
 " Cheer up, colonel. We ll find her all right. Here s 
 Ray s horse too > and he s got her." 
 
 On they went, the driver lashing his mules into a 
 gallop as they whirled along the sandy flats. Once or 
 twice a groan escaped the colonel s lips, and Mrs. 
 Tanner gently spoke, 
 
 " I m sure you will find her safe. Mr. Ray was 
 there in time, or his horse would not be here now." 
 
 Two miles out, and " Here comes Glenham !" 
 
 exclaimed Truscott. 
 
 "Where is Grace? Is she hurt?" almost screamed 
 the colonel, thrusting head and half his body through 
 the doorway. 
 
 " No, sir. All safe at Four-Mile " 
 
 " Go on, driver!" shouted the colonel, never caring 
 to hear the rest of Glenham s report. Away went the 
 ambulance, and poor Arthur, breathless, unnerved by 
 excitement, terror, and misery, turned his panting horse 
 about to follow in their tracks, and then, drooping his 
 head upon the brawny neck before him, covering his 
 face with his hands, he burst into tears. 
 
 A short drive took the party in the ambulance to the 
 Point, much to the astonishment and very much to the 
 disgust of Mr. Ray, whose determination to make hay 
 while the sun shone was thus summarily broken in upon. 
 He had calculated that at least an hour would elapse 
 before any vehicle could reach them from the post, and 
 here it was barely thirty minutes. Pelham sprang out 
 
196 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 and seized his daughter in his arms, kissing her re 
 peatedly before he spoke at all. Then he turned to 
 Ray, and grasped his hand. 
 
 "I have heard no particulars. Glenham said she 
 was unhurt, but somehow I feel that we owe it to you." 
 
 "You ought to have seen it, father," said Grace; 
 " it was the most skilful catch of a runaway horse that 
 ever I heard of. Ranger had the bit in his teeth and 
 was simply uncontrollable ; and when we came tearing 
 down this hill, and I saw those rocks ahead well, you 
 can hardly imagine how glad I was to hear Mr. Ray s 
 voice." 
 
 Meantime, Truscott had assisted Mrs. Tanner to 
 alight, and the gentle little lady came forward with 
 him to congratulate Miss Pelham on her escape. Grace 
 looked embarrassed the instant she caught sight of the 
 pair, but thanked them with great civility for their 
 prompt appearance. Then the colonel insisted upon 
 her driving home with them at once. The wagon was 
 reversed, and the entire party took seats therein except 
 Glenham, who had meantime arrived, and remained in 
 the saddle a silent and miserable spectator of the scene. 
 His woe-begone aspect caught Grace s eye, and she 
 leaned forward holding out her hand. " Please don t 
 worry about it, Mr. Glenham," she said, in her gentle 
 voice. " Please don t worry. It was all my own fault ; 
 you know I insisted on trying that gallop against your 
 advice." And the young fellow s face brightened as 
 he eagerly clasped the extended hand. Then they 
 parted ; the " Concord" driving back to the post, and 
 Glenham riding up the road in search of the vanished 
 chimney-pot. 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 197 
 
 That evening Mr. Ray dined at the colonel s. On 
 every account it ought to have been to him a most en 
 joyable occasion ; but long before coffee was served the 
 young gentleman wished that he were dining, as indeed 
 he often had dined, on hard-tack, cheese, and herring, 
 with bottled beer ad libitum, down at the sutler s store. 
 To begin with, Grace was very pale and silent. She 
 strove to entertain him at first, and to appear bright 
 and cheerful, but despite her efforts he plainly saw that 
 something had gone very much amiss. Her beautiful 
 eyes gave unmistakable tokens of recent and excessive 
 weeping, and her sweet, low voice was tremulous in the 
 last degree. In pity and sympathy he turned to the 
 colonel, and addressed his conversation exclusively to 
 him. It was the colonel who, with great effusiveness, 
 had burst into his tent about one o clock in the after 
 noon and seized him by both hands. " Ray, my dear 
 boy, in my anxiety to get Grace into the house and 
 with her mother I did not half thank you for the in 
 estimable service you rendered me. By heaven ! I be 
 lieve that we owe her life to you," he had exclaimed, 
 and then after a chat of half an hour had made Ray 
 promise to come to dinner and gone off homeward. But 
 dinner at the colonel s did not take place until after 
 evening parade, and meantime all sorts of things had 
 happened ; and when dinner-time came Grace was well- 
 nigh prostrated, the colonel was wretched, and madame, 
 the lady of the house, appeared only as dinner was 
 announced, took her seat with an air of melodramatic 
 grandeur, and not only failed to say one word of thanks 
 to Ray for the rescue of the morning, but absolutely 
 treated him with haughty displeasure. Not one civil 
 
 17* 
 
198 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 word did she speak during the hour he spent in the 
 house; and to be brief, she had started in about two 
 o clock, when the colonel came home saying he had in 
 vited Ray to dinner, and spent the afternoon in making 
 her husband and daughter utterly miserable. How she 
 accomplished this will be detailed presently. Ray, as 
 has been said, addressed his conversation to the colonel, 
 and with all the tact at his command strove to hide his 
 own discomfiture. The colonel, for his part, made fitful 
 efforts to appear jolly and hospitable. To this end he 
 kept the wine in constant play, and to Grace s conster 
 nation it soon became evident that the unusual indul 
 gence was telling upon him with startling effect. He 
 talked incessantly, he made frequent repetitions, his 
 face flushed, and his tongue grew thick ; and finally, 
 with a glare of wrath and defiance at his wife, he 
 brought his clinched fist down on the table with a 
 thump that made the glasses ring, and exclaimed, 
 " Ray, you saved my daughter s life, my dear boy, and 
 you shall be welcome to my house and my table when 
 ever you choose to come, no matter who dares to inter 
 fere." Whereupon her ladyship rose and left the table, 
 Grace following, but stopping to bend and press her 
 pure lips upon her father s heated brow ; then giving 
 her hand to Ray, she begged him to excuse her going 
 to her room, saying that after all she found she was a 
 trifle shaken by the morning s adventure; but her eyes 
 plainly said " Please go," and go he did ten minutes 
 after, declaring he heard first call for tattoo, with tattoo 
 still an hour away. Then the colonel took a nap on 
 the sofa, and Mrs. Pel ham sent a messenger to say that 
 she would like to see Mr. Glenham. 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 199 
 
 No wonder Grace was looking pale and exhausted 
 that evening. With her buoyant health and her years 
 of experience in the saddle, there was nothing in the 
 runaway of the morning to cause any especial distress 
 as an after-effect ; and so to reassure her mother she had 
 laughed off the affair, changed her dress, and appeared 
 at luncheon as though nothing had happened. She had 
 recounted the entire adventure to her ladyship in all its 
 essential particulars, but notwithstanding a rigorous 
 cross-examination she had found it possible to make no 
 mention of Mr. Ray s emotional method of restoring 
 her to consciousness. Madame had sharply watched 
 her as she told how the last thing she remembered was 
 his lifting her from the saddle, and the vivid blush that 
 rose to her temples had excited the maternal curiosity, 
 if not suspicion, and had filled her with vague alarm. 
 Still, all might have gone well had not Mr. Glenham 
 appeared about noon bringing the riding-hat and veil. 
 Mrs. Pelham welcomed him eagerly, led him into the 
 parlor, and, noting his pallor and distress, had made 
 him swallow a glass of wine. Then she relentlessly 
 assailed him with questions, found him hopeless and 
 dejected, and strove to encourage him, but he broke 
 forth impulsively, 
 
 " It is no use, Mrs. Pelham. I have no luck. Every 
 thing is against me. I might have some chance were 
 it not for Ray, but every moment only adds to his ad 
 vantage. She has liked him from the very first ; and 
 to-day to-day she must care for him, for when T 
 reached them she was in his arms and and he kissing 
 her." And poor Glenham covered his face with his 
 hands and groaned. 
 
200 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 Lady Pelham was horrified. What! Grace her 
 Grace falling in love with that penniless, dissolute 
 young reprobate Ray ! It was monstrous ; it was un 
 bearable. It should not be. She made Glen ham prom 
 ise to obey her instructions implicitly, and finally dis 
 missed him with the assurance that Hay should be 
 sent to the right-about, and that Grace should be 
 \ brought to her senses forthwith. Then she started 
 for Grace s room ; but the ladies began to flock in to 
 inquire after the young lady, and not until after 
 luncheon did she get her innings. 
 
 Of that interview the less said the better. Grace 
 was accused of everything that was indelicate, im 
 modest, unladylike. A disgraceful flirtation with a 
 man who was utterly beneath her accepting his 
 caresses and for aught she knew returning them 
 lying in his arms. Shameful ! shameful ! And all the 
 time leading Glenham on and encouraging him, and 
 Truscott, too. It was bad enough with him at Pres- 
 cott ; but this oh, what would her poor father say if 
 he knew it? 
 
 Great heaven ! why attempt to describe it ? Is there 
 on earth, can there be in Gehenna, anything to equal 
 in bitterness, in rank injustice, in stinging, scourging, 
 scalding venom, the ruthless tongue of an infuriated 
 and disappointed woman? In vain Grace implored 
 and protested ; in vain she declared that it was only in 
 her swoon that he had held her ; in vain she denied all 
 knowledge of his kiss. Her mother stormed on until 
 in her agony Grace rushed from the room just as her 
 father entered the house, and threw herself, in a passion 
 of tears, into his arms. Sobbing and breathless, she 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 201 
 
 strove to tell her story, but could not, though he led 
 her into the parlor, and taking her on his knee, hold 
 ing her close to his breast, as he had done so many a 
 time in her childhood, he strove to soothe and calm 
 her. Her ladyship followed and took the floor, reit 
 erating her accusations, for, thoroughly enraged, she 
 cared not what she said. For a moment he listened in 
 dumb amaze. Then, with his arm still holding his 
 daughter close to his heart, he sprang to his feet and 
 stood confronting her. 
 
 " Stop it, I say ! Stop it at once ! I will not listen 
 to such outrageous talk," he sternly spoke, while his 
 face grew white and his firm mouth set like a rigid line 
 under the crisp gray moustache. 
 
 " Oh, better hear it from me, Colonel Pelham, than 
 as the scandal of the garrison, as you will hear it," 
 she answered. 
 
 " Who dared tell you such a thing ? I don t believe 
 a word of it. You are crazy, Dolly. Think what 
 you are saying, and restrain yourself. Gracie, darling, 
 I know it is all a lie. Don t sob so, girlie ; don t sob 
 so," he pleaded, as his lips were pressed upon her 
 forehead and his trembling hand caressed her shining 
 hair. 
 
 She raised her face to his, striving to smile through 
 her tears, striving to control herself. 
 
 "I had fainted, papa. I I know that he lifted 
 me in his arms, but oh ! nothing else, except ex 
 cept some foolish words he spoke." 
 
 " How did you know this ? Who is your authority 
 for your statement ?" he said, angrily, turning towards 
 his wife, who was pacing the floor like a tragedy queen, 
 
202 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR 
 
 She stopped and glared at them as she almost hissed 
 her reply. 
 
 " Mr. Glenham, the gentleman she has been trifling 
 with, saw it all. He is my authority. Perhaps you 
 will doubt me now, Colonel Pelham." 
 
 " Glenham be d d !" shouted the colonel, now 
 
 fairly beside himself with wrath. " The idea of his 
 coming whining here to you with such a miserable 
 complaint ! If that s the sort of man you want your 
 daughter to marry, you can understand right here that 
 I won t stand it. As for Mr. Ray, by Gad ! Mrs. Pel- 
 ham, he has my respect and sympathy. Yes, ma am, 
 my respect and sympathy. I don t see how he could 
 help kissing her ; I I d have done it myself in his 
 place ; and she s no more to blame than you are, nor 
 half as much, by Gad !" Evidently the colonel was 
 getting madder and madder, and waxing illogical and 
 incoherent. Madame saw it and recognized her advan 
 tage. Oh, woman, woman ! you might have spared 
 him, you might have spared her, the bitter blow you 
 had in reserve, but in your relentless wrath nothing 
 short of torture could suffice. 
 
 " Mr. Ray comes here to dinner to-day, Mrs. Pel- 
 ham, and you will see that he is properly received and 
 entertained. He saved our Gracie s life, God bless 
 him ! And you you ve no more gratitude than a cat," 
 continued our irate and injudicious colonel. " And as 
 for this infernal story of your friend, Mr. Glenham, I 
 mean to sift it for myself. I had some regard for him 
 before. Now it s my belief he s a mere milksop." 
 
 Seeing her father s increasing rage, poor Grace had 
 checked her tears and was striving in vain to restrain 
 
WINNING, HIS SPURS. 203 
 
 him. He still stood with his left arm closely enfolding 
 her, his right arm free and gesticulating violently. It 
 was upraised as he closed with his denunciation of 
 Glenham, and he stood there with flushed and angry 
 features frowning at his wife. 
 
 For an instant there was silence. Then came her 
 answer. Every word sharp as the crack of a whip, 
 remorseless, relentless. 
 
 " Invite your gamblers and libertines if you will, 
 Colonel Pelham, but spare your abuse of an honest 
 and generous gentleman. Possibly you may feel some 
 regret for your intemperate language when I tell you 
 that but for Mr. Glenham your own flesh and blood 
 would now have been involved in ruin and disgrace, 
 that but for his magnanimity your son would have 
 been driven to suicide." 
 
 Slowly the color faded from Pelham s face, slowly 
 he unwound his arm from his daughter s waist and 
 leaned uneasily forward, slowly the angry light faded 
 from his eyes, and little by little a wistful, bewil 
 dered gaze took its place. He attempted to speak, 
 but choked in the effort. At last the words came. 
 " What do you mean ?" he whispered. " I don t under 
 stand." 
 
 " Simply this," she answered, coldly : " Ralph has 
 been speculating : he obtained in some way five hun 
 dred dollars which he felt sure of being able to replace 
 in three days ; lost it all and was ruined. He had only 
 one hope Mr. Glenham, and Mr. Glenham instantly 
 telegraphed him the money from Prescott." 
 
 "How do you know this?" gasped the colonel. 
 " Has Mr. Glenham told you this, too ?" he asked, un- 
 
204 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 just in his misery, as many and many a man has been, 
 warm-hearted as he was. 
 
 " Mr. Glenham is too much of a gentleman to 
 mention such a thing. There, sir, is your son s letter 
 to me." And she tossed him a rumpled sheet. He 
 took it from the table mechanically, seated himself 
 on the lounge, and began to read. Without a word 
 Mrs. Pelham strode from the room and ascended the 
 stairs. Grace stood a moment like one in a trance, then 
 wearily turning, slowly, dreamily sought her own 
 room. Colonel Pelham remained motionless on the 
 lounge, and Maggie, the housemaid, putting things to 
 rights in the dining-room, knocked off work and went 
 in next door to tell Bridget, the cook, of the high jinka 
 at the commanding officer s that afternoon. 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 PENDING the arrival of Mr. Glenham, for wnora 
 her ladyship had sent her messenger, she took a seat 
 upon the piazza. The evening air was chilly, and she 
 wrapped her mantle closely around her and fell to 
 thinking over the events of the day. It cannot be said 
 that she felt either elation or happiness over the result 
 of her efforts. Now that her paroxysm of rage had 
 vanished she began to realize that she had been horribly 
 unjust to Grace, and yet had anybody suggested that 
 she had been brutally unjust it would have fired her 
 with sufficient self-righteous fervor to have nerved her 
 to repeat with emphasis every word she had uttered. 
 Then there was her husband. She had humbled him 
 in the way of all others she well knew would hurt him 
 the most. She had goaded him into saying harsh and 
 unjust things about one of his officers, and then cracked 
 over his head the terrific whip of his great and hitherto 
 unknown obligation to that gentleman. She had in 
 flicted upon him in Grace s presence the deep humilia 
 tion of hearing that his favorite son had again been 
 resorting to questionable means of raising money for 
 stock-gambling, and having lost, had appealed to offi 
 cers of his regiment for assistance and got it. She had 
 absolutely insinuated, as though to throw brine upon 
 the quivering flesh she had galled, that Ralph had con- 
 
 18 
 
206 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER, OR, 
 
 fessed to her that he had tampered with funds that he 
 had no authority to use, which was untrue and unpar 
 donable in a mother, but rage was in her heart when 
 she did it, and she thought of nothing but how surest 
 to wound. She had humbled him in the dust, and 
 what had she gained ? Now that it was all over she 
 sat there brooding over the affair. The colonel was 
 sleeping heavily upon the lounge in the parlor ; Grace, 
 who had gone to her room immediately after dinner, 
 had stolen down-stairs and arranged the pillow more 
 comfortably under his head, and then, after fanning 
 him a while, had seated herself in a low chair, and with 
 her face buried in her hands was trying to think calmly 
 over all that had happened. The lamp burned low on 
 the parlor table, and Mrs. Pelham looking through the 
 slats of the blind could see her as she sat in this atti 
 tude of utter dejection. The mother s heart for a 
 moment struggled within her and urged her to go and 
 take her to her bosom and beg her pardon for the 
 hideous language she had used that day, but no. It 
 was no time for weakness, she argued. By all means, 
 by any means, she must be made to marry Glenham, 
 and then, said her ladyship, once rich, independent, 
 with a husband who adores her, she will be happy, and 
 will thank me for my unswerving course. Yes, the 
 end will justify the means. She must fret and worry 
 now a while. Truscott is no longer to be dreaded 
 Thanks to his devotion, or the story of his devotion to 
 Mrs. Tanner, he is disposed of, and Ray will be as easily 
 settled. She cannot have learned to care for him so 
 suddenly. And so ran her ladyship s reflections, and 
 BO she found excuses for her unnatural conduct. 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 207 
 
 Ralph s letter had by no means justified the tragic 
 manner arid language of her announcement. It was a 
 simple, warm-hearted, boyish confession to his mother 
 that he had lost five hundred dollars in speculation, 
 that the money for the margins had been raised un 
 known to his father, and that he would have been 
 swamped but for Glenham. " I wrote to Truscott of 
 my trouble, in accordance with a promise I had made 
 him, and instantly Glenham sent me the money. Now 
 I have quit it for good and all, and I want you to know 
 it," was pretty much what he had written. All the 
 rest of her sensational account was purely an invention 
 of her own. She hated to think that Truscott was in 
 any way mixed up in the matter ; but there is no need 
 of Grace s knowing that, she argued. She must under 
 stand that it is all Mr. Glenham s doing. But where 
 was Glenham all this time ? She had sent for him long 
 since, and he had not come, nor had the orderly re 
 turned. What did it mean ? The night was dark and 
 chill, occasional gusts of wind whirled through the lino 
 of deserted piazzas. Officers row outside was desolate. 
 Every one was in-doors. Nobody seemed to be calling 
 on anybody. She had dreaded that some of the ladies 
 would be over to make further inquiries, but none had 
 come. In fact, her ladyship s unpopularity had begun 
 to be recognized as established by this time, for she had 
 snubbed pretty much every woman in the garrison, and 
 none of them cared to call upon her unless some new 
 story about somebody or other was floated upon the 
 tide of garrison talk, and thereby rendered a chat with 
 her ladyship endurable. Very lonely she felt as she 
 sat there looking out on the dark parade and listening 
 
208 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 for the clank of the orderly s sabre as he returned from 
 his quest. Over at the adjutant s office the lights were 
 burning brilliantly as ever, and there she knew Trus- 
 cott to be at work. Half an hour passed, and at last a 
 form came stalking up before her through the dark 
 ness, the orderly, but no Glenham. 
 
 " Could you not find Mr. Glenham ?" she asked. 
 
 "No, ma am. The loot nint isn t in his quarters, 
 nor down at the store, nor over at the company. I ve 
 looked everywhere, ma am, except among the officers 
 quarters." 
 
 She pondered a moment. It was hardly possible 
 that he would be calliqg anywhere this evening of all 
 others. A sudden thought struck her. 
 
 " Have you been to Mr. Ray s camp ?" 
 
 " Yes m, an he ain t there. Mr. Ray, he s down at 
 the store playin " and the orderly finished his sen 
 tence with a conscience-stricken gulp, it suddenly occur 
 ring to him that possibly poker was not to be mentioned 
 to so exalted a lady as the colonel s wife, but madame 
 had no scruples in the matter. Here was a possibility 
 of confirmatory evidence at Mr. Ray s expense. 
 
 "What was he playing, orderly?" 
 
 "Cards, ma am." 
 
 " Yes. Cards, of course ; but what game ? 
 
 " They plays it with chips, ma am," said the orderly, 
 vainly struggling to repair the damage of his unlucky 
 admission. 
 
 "You mean poker, of course," persisted madame. 
 " Who else was in the game ?" 
 
 " Faith, ma am, I didn t notice. I was lookin for 
 Mr. Glenham," stammered the soldier, wishing to 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 209 
 
 heaven he were out of her clutches; and she, finding 
 it useless to question further, dismissed him and re 
 turned to her reflections. 
 
 Then soft and clear there rose from near the flag 
 staff the trumpet signal for " first call ;" and, as the 
 mellow notes were repeated, the doors of the men s 
 quarters across the parade were opened, and, with jest 
 and laughter and merry talk, the troopers came 
 sauntering out. Here and there lights flitted to and 
 fro, the lanterns of the first sergeants. Then the 
 trumpeters of the entire command, having united, 
 began their march around the garrison, sounding their 
 stirring quicksteps. Door after door along officers 
 row opened and gave exit to some muffled figure, and 
 the lanterns of the company officers danced away 
 across the dark parade. Then her own door opened 
 and closed with a slam, and her husband stood beside 
 her. He glanced curiously at her one instant, and, 
 without a word, strolled off to the other end of the 
 piazza; he who rarely met her without some kindly 
 greeting, and she knew well how deeply she had 
 wounded him; then the assembly rang out upon the 
 still air, and the " here," " here," of the men could be 
 distinctly heard, and the gruff voices of the sergeants 
 calling their rolls ; then the lanterns all seemed to be 
 converging towards a solitary light that stood under 
 the flag-staff, each halting short some few paces from 
 it, and such communications as " Company B/ pres 
 ent, or accounted for," " Company F/ Private Mul 
 ligan absent," came floating along the chill night air ; 
 then all the lanterns scattered, and soon were out of 
 sight; all save one, >the stationary light in the centre 
 o 8* 
 
210 THE COLON EL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 of the parade; and presently Truscott s deep voice 
 was heard calling for the first sergeant of some com 
 pany, and then the colonel sharply turned, 
 
 "Orderly, my compliments to the adjutant, and say 
 I wish to see him." 
 
 Another moment and the tall form of Mr. Truscott 
 appeared, lantern bearing, and the colonel spoke, 
 
 " What troop was that failed to report ?" 
 
 "<K, sir." 
 
 " < K ! Captain Canker s ! Whose duty was it to 
 receive the report of the roll-call ?" 
 
 " Mr. Glenham s, sir." 
 
 " Why, where on earth is Glenham ? I never knew 
 him to miss roll-call before." 
 
 " Nor I, colonel. It is possible he has slept through 
 over home. He was looking very worn and tired at 
 dinner." 
 
 " Beg pardon, sir," broke in the orderly ; " I ve been 
 everywhere for the loot nint this evening, and I don t 
 believe he s in garrison." 
 
 " Where else could he be ? There s no earthly place 
 to go to," said Pelham, impatiently. " See if you can 
 find him, Truscott, not that I want to see him to-night, 
 and then come back, will you ? I want to see you." 
 
 " And should you find Mr. Glenham, be so kind as 
 to say that Mrs. Pelham would like to speak with him 
 a few minutes," said madame, placidly, and Truscott 
 walked rapidly away towards the northern end of the 
 row. 
 
 Sitting in the parlor, Grace had heard most of the 
 conversation. Her heart was full of pity for Glenhara 
 before the events of this day, and the suffering in his 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 211 
 
 young face had touched her deeply when she saw him 
 at noon. Now, now it seemed that he had rescued 
 Ralph, the brother whom she dearly loved, from a fate 
 that was bitter as death. How could she thank him? 
 Where was he ? What did this strange absence mean ? 
 
 Distressed and anxious, she stepped out on the piazza 
 and joined her father, who was standing in moody 
 silence where Truscott had left him. She slipped her 
 hand within his arm, saying not a word, and rested her 
 soft cheek upon his shoulder. The colonel sighed 
 deeply as he patted the little hand, and then touched 
 her brow with his lips. Neither spoke, but in deep, 
 sweet sympathy father and daughter understood and 
 comforted one another. 
 
 Meantime, Truscott had reached his quarters. The 
 lamps were burning dimly, and a brief inspection 
 showed him that Glenham was not in the house, but 
 his cavalry overcoat and his favorite pipe were gone 
 too, and, taking his lantern, the adjutant quickly stepped 
 out on the back gallery, and in a moment more had 
 gained the edge of the bluif north of the post. Here, 
 a short pistol range from the gate, there had been built 
 in the bank a stout timber framework, on which was 
 hung a huge wooden water-wheel, turned by the flow 
 from the acequia on the plateau. The wheel worked 
 a force-pump, by means of which a small supply of 
 water was driven through wooden pipes along the back 
 of officers row. The plash of the water fell with a 
 musical sound upon Truscott s ear as he approached the 
 little waste weir above the wheel. He walked quickly 
 and unhesitatingly towards it. 
 
 " Poor fellow/ he said to himself, " he has dreaded 
 
212 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 meeting any of the crowd to-night, and has stolen 
 out here somewhere to dodge them." 
 
 Searching along the bank, he came to a pathway 
 leading down to the well below the wheel, and, cau 
 tiously descending it, he suddenly heard his name 
 called ; a sleepy voice inquiring, 
 
 " That you, Jack ? What s up ?" 
 
 " Time you were up, youngster," was the half-laugh 
 ing answer. "What do you mean by gipsying out 
 here all night?" 
 
 " I suppose I must have been asleep," replied Glen- 
 ham ; " though God knows I didn t expect to sleep this 
 night," he added, in a tone of such deep dejection that, 
 as he rose, Truscott stretched forth a kindly hand and 
 aided him up the slope. 
 
 " Never mind, old fellow, none of the gang will be 
 around to bother you. Come into the house and spruce 
 up a bit. Mrs. Pelham wants to see you, and the chief 
 wants to see me. We ll go down together." 
 
 And so the watchers on the colonel s piazza were 
 soon rewarded by the sight of the adjutant and his 
 comrade rapidly approaching, the faithful lantern still 
 swinging in Truscott s hand. Pelham greeted the 
 younger officer with an attempt at jocularity that well 
 nigh choked him. Then saying, 
 
 " I believe Mrs. Pelham wants to have a word with 
 you," he turned to Truscott. " Come in, Jack," he 
 said, and led the way into the parlor, whither Grace 
 had already fled. She rose as they entered, intending 
 to leave the room, but her father called to her not to 
 go, and Truscott, stepping forward, held out his hand, 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 213 
 
 " It is the first opportunity I have had, Miss Pel- 
 ham. I heartily congratulate you on your escape 
 this morning. I think I ought to say on your own 
 pluck and good riding." 
 
 " Pluck and good riding would not have saved me, 
 Mr. Truscott, if Mr. Ray had not been there." 
 
 " Possibly not. Ray s skill is proverbial, but pluck 
 and good riding kept you in your seat when many a 
 woman would have been hurled out and dragged." 
 
 " See here, Truscott," broke in the colonel, " suppose 
 you ride with Grace to-morrow. You can spare the 
 time now, can you not? and I ll feel safe when she is 
 with you." 
 
 Despite his efforts at self-control the blood rushed to 
 the very roots of his hair. Truscott had marked all 
 too keenly Grace s constraint and coldness towards him 
 since their arrival at Sandy, and Mrs. Pelham s rude 
 ness was the talk of the garrison. Grace, too, had col 
 ored at her father s abrupt request, but said no word 
 of remonstrance. So Truscott quickly spoke, 
 
 " I shall be most happy, Miss Pelham, if you will 
 honor me as the colonel suggests ;" and Grace could not 
 but accept. "To-morrow morning, then," he added, 
 and with that he turned to his colonel as she passed on 
 into the adjoining room. 
 
 Then the old soldier grasped his hand, and in a voice 
 that trembled in spite of his efforts at self-control, the 
 colonel impetuously broke forth, 
 
 " Jack, what is this about Ralph ? I want to know 
 everything. He writes to his mother that he has lost 
 money in speculating, and that through you he has bor 
 rowed five hundred dollars from Glenham ; and he in- 
 
211 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 timates that but for this timely aid he would have been 
 ruined. Where how did he raise the money in the 
 first place?" 
 
 Again the flush of embarrassment rose to Truscott s 
 temples. He hesitated before speaking, but presently 
 the words came, calmly, resolutely. 
 
 " Just where he got it I do not know, but this I do 
 know, that in no way has he employed the funds of his 
 firm ; in no way has he violated his trust. He bor 
 rowed the money from some broker, giving his note at 
 thirty days, some broker who knew him and felt sure 
 of his money. He has been led into this speculation 
 by overconfident friends in San Francisco, and he and 
 they have been swallowed by larger and shrewder 
 operators. It is an expensive experience, colonel, but 
 a valuable one. He wrote me fully and frankly, and 
 I feel confident that the case stands as I tell it to 
 you." 
 
 " God bless you, Jack ! God bless you for the lifting 
 of this load from my heart. I I feared it was far 
 worse. His mother said well, she misunderstood him, 
 or his letter, or somehow she got it wrong. She thought 
 he might have been tempted and you know, Jack 
 embezzled the money. It upset her and made her 
 nervous, I suppose, for she broke it to us in rather 
 a rough way. God bless you again, Jack ! you ve 
 been a good friend to my boy." And now the tears 
 were streaming down old Pelham s rugged face, and he 
 stepped hurriedly to the door leading to the dining- 
 room. 
 
 "Grace, daughter, come here. I want you to hear 
 what Truscott says ; it isn t as your mother put it, thank 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 215 
 
 God ! it isn t that at all." And leading her in, he sank 
 upon the sofa and buried his face in his great bandanna, 
 almost sobbing in his relief and joy. 
 
 Looking down into the sweet, pale features, Truscott 
 repeated to Grace, in his grave, gentle way, just what 
 he had told her father, and as he finished, and the eager, 
 anxious, wistful gaze fled from her face, giving place to 
 radiant joy, she stood one second looking up into his 
 eyes; then, with an uncontrollable impulse, she threw 
 forward both her little hands, seizing his with a clasp 
 that sent the blood thrilling through his veins, her 
 glorious eyes welled with tears, and she exclaimed, " Oh, 
 no wonder father says ( God bless you ! Mr. Truscott. 
 I say it. I pray it again and again. God bless you ! 
 God bless you !" And upon this most touching and 
 delightful of domestic pictures who should there be 
 gazing in dismay and astonishment but Lady Pel ham 
 herself? Yes, there she stood at the parlor-door, well- 
 nigh petrified with amazement. Not one of the three 
 observed her. All were too much occupied in their 
 own aifairs to think of her an instant. Listening, she 
 heard Truscott reply. Oh, could any woman mistake 
 the meaning of that intonation, the infinite tenderness, 
 the tremulous, almost caressing sweetness of his deep 
 voice ? 
 
 " I have done nothing to deserve such thanks, Miss 
 Grace; though there is nothing I would not do. 
 Don t fear for Ralph. You shall have his own 
 letters yes, this very night if you like, and see for 
 yourself how undeserving he is of such suspicion." 
 
 And then, of course, her ladyship swept forward. 
 " If you have any letters of my son s bearing upon 
 
216 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 this matter, Mr. Truscott, I desire to see them, and 
 to-morrow morning will be time enough. Grace has 
 had quite enough agitation for one day and needs re 
 pose. Colonel Pel ham, with your permission I will 
 say good-night. Come, Grace." 
 
 But Grace did not come with the alacrity expected 
 of her. Hardly noticing her mother, she stepped to 
 the colonel s side as he sat mopping his face in his 
 handkerchief, bent over him, twining her arms around 
 his neck and kissing him tenderly. Then she rose, 
 and standing before Truscott, again held out her hand, 
 and smiling brightly up in his face, exclaimed, 
 
 " I wish I knew how to thank you, Mr. Truscott, 
 but now I can only say good-night." 
 
 Only say good-night! But what went with it? 
 Oh, Grace, Grace ! were you after all immodest, un 
 ladylike ? If not, how can you account for, how can 
 you defend, the fact that you did, honestly and actually, 
 not exactly squeeze, but press, Jack Truscott s hand ? 
 To this day he has never forgotten it. 
 
 That Mrs. Pelham was all ready by this time to 
 inflict another tirade of abuse upon her daughter is not 
 to be doubted by any reasonable being who had once 
 become well acquainted with that energetic matron. 
 Having marshalled Grace out of the room, she like 
 wise made her exit, closing the door behind her, and 
 the stairs were presently heard creaking under her 
 weight. Grace had fluttered up like a bird, and rush 
 ing to her room had closed her door with some 
 emphasis, quite as much as to say that she was in no 
 mood for further lectures. But her indomitable parent 
 followed relentlessly in her footsteps, and entered the 
 
WINNING IIIS SPURS. 217 
 
 sanctuary with no ceremony whatever. Another mo 
 ment, and her voice became audible in the parlor 
 below. Truscott bade his colonel good-night, and that 
 veteran went up the stairs two at a time and precipi 
 tated himself upon his better-half in the midst of an 
 imposing sentence. 
 
 " Dolly ! We ve had too much of this sort of thing 
 to-day. Not one word now. I mean it. Come at 
 once to your own room and leave Grace in peace." 
 
 Rare indeed were the occasions when he ventured 
 thus to assert himself before her. But when he did 
 she had the deep sagacity to obey. One experience at 
 revolt years before had resulted so disastrously that 
 never again did she attempt it, and so now with a 
 glance full of meaning at her daughter, and a heart 
 full of passion and bitterness, she rose in silence and 
 left the room. 
 
 Jack Truscott walked home with a wild elation in his 
 heart, with pulses still bounding from the pressure of 
 that slender white hand. He heard Glenham moving 
 about in his own room, but somehow he could not bear 
 to see Glenham just then. Lighting his pipe, and 
 throwing his cavalry circular around him, he took a 
 seat out in the darkness of the piazza, and strove 
 calmly to think it all over. Until this night she 
 had plainly shown a desire to keep him at a distance, 
 and he, too proud to question, had accordingly avoided 
 her. He could understand the maternal antipathy, 
 but not that of Grace. To-night, all of a sudden, all 
 was changed, and sweeter, more attractive than ever, 
 she had shown herself to him in her true light. 
 Striving to fathom it all, he became absorbed in 
 K 19 
 
218 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER} OR, 
 
 thought, and failed to hear Glenham s footsteps as the 
 latter approached him ; he started as a hand was laid 
 on his shoulder. 
 
 " Jack, I want to talk to you ; I want your advice." 
 It was Glenham, pipe in mouth and camp-chair in 
 hand, who had accosted him. He shook himself to 
 gether, and with an effort bade his young comrade pull 
 up his chair and fire away. 
 
 " It isn t such a long story, Jack ; I sha n t bore you 
 a great while. You know Mrs. Pelham sent for me 
 to-night, and we had a talk about Miss Pelham." 
 And already poor Arthur began to stumble and hesi 
 tate. " You must know all about it, Jack ; how how 
 I ve loved her ever since we met at the Point during 
 my first class camp two years ago. It has got to be 
 something mighty mighty serious with me, and Fm 
 afraid you ve thought me unfriendly and forgetful of 
 you of late ; but it isn t that, Jack ; I m too miserable 
 and unhappy to want to see anybody but but her, and 
 that only makes me worse. Everything is going wrong ; 
 I thought I had reason to hope ; I was led to hope, 
 Jack, but it was all a mistake I reckon, and luck is 
 dead against me here." 
 
 He stopped and looked appealingly towards the 
 dimly-outlined figure in the neighboring chair. There 
 was a moment s pause, and then Truscott s pipe was 
 removed from his lips and he slowly spoke : 
 
 "Glenham, I have known it, of course, that is, 
 something of it. Do you mean now that you want me 
 to know the whole story ?" 
 
 " Yes, I do, Truscott, for I need your advice." 
 
 There was another pause, and then came the question : 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 219 
 
 " You say you were led to hope. Had you spoken of 
 the matter to her before?" 
 
 " Yes, two years ago, at "West Point." 
 
 " And she led you to hope then ?" 
 
 " No, not at all ; she was gentle and kind, but but 
 she was nothing more." 
 
 " Then how were you led to hope ?" 
 
 " Mrs. Pelham, Jack, she talked to me two or three 
 times, and told me that it was only because Grace was 
 too young then, that it would all come right. That s 
 why I applied for the th, and was content to come in 
 ut the foot of the list. I m no horseman ; I m only fit 
 for the infantry, and ought to have gone in it." 
 
 "And since you have been here and at Prescott to 
 gether, has there been nothing more favorable ?" 
 
 " I thought so, and Mrs. Pelham declares it is so, 
 but after this wretched morning well, ever since Ray 
 got here I ve thought otherwise." 
 
 " Do you mean that you look upon Ray as a rival ?" 
 
 " How can I help it, Jack ? He carries the tassel 
 of her fan in his vest-pocket. He was devoted to her 
 every chance he got at Prescott, so he has been here, 
 and this morning this morning he saved her life, and 
 you know it, and when I reached them my God ! he 
 had her in his arms, and oh, I can t tell you about it ! 
 She never moved even when I came." 
 
 Truscott winced as though a sharp knife had sud 
 denly pierced him, and his voice was lower, deeper, 
 than ever as he asked, 
 
 " Do you think she cares for Ray ?" 
 
 " I don t know. I can only judge by what I saw. 
 Why, Truscott, I I saw him kiss her, and she well, 
 
220 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 if she fancied him before, this morning s work has 
 finished it. She owes her life to him." 
 
 Truscott sat a while in silence, then rose and slowly 
 paced up and down the piazza. Presently Glenham 
 joined him, and the two walked side by side. 
 
 " I don t know what to make of Mrs. Pel ham, Trus 
 cott," said he. " She sent to reassure me, she said, and 
 told me that while Grace might be grateful to Ray for 
 rescuing her as he did, she would be far more touched 
 by the infinite service I had done her brother. I asked 
 her what she meant, and she replied that Ralph had 
 confided to her that I had supplied him with a large 
 sum of money to relieve him from great and pressing 
 embarrassment. I swore I d never done anything of 
 the kind ; and when she found I was in earnest, she 
 asked me to forget that she had mentioned it, and to 
 say nothing about it to any one ; but she is so mys 
 terious that I don t like it. What is she up to, do you 
 think? My brain is addled to-night." 
 
 " Hard to say," replied Truscott, briefly. " Tell me 
 this, Glenham, has she, Miss Pelham, ever alluded to 
 her brother to you ?" 
 
 " Never. She never does talk to me except on utterly 
 matter-of-fact affairs. That s what grits me so. I know 
 I m far from being her equal mentally, but I m not 
 utterly a blockhead." 
 
 "Then as I understand you, Glenham, you think 
 that but for Ray s interference you could hope for 
 success?" 
 
 " Her mother says so, Jack, and I I try to think 
 BO, but I can t get over the feeling that she that she 
 well -almost pities me. She has so much character, 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 221 
 
 intellect, I suppose they call it, and I " And her 
 
 poor Glenham stopped short with almost a sob, and 
 leaned drearily against one of the wooden pillars of 
 the piazza. Tmscott, too, ceased his promenade and 
 stood beside him, puffing somewhat nervously at his 
 meerschaum. 
 
 Then Glenham spoke again. " Jack, you have always 
 been my best friend here, and I have learned to lean 
 upon you. I want your advice. Do you think I have 
 any chance with her ?" 
 
 For a moment there was no reply; then it came, 
 slowly, almost sadly. 
 
 "You have wealth and position, Glenham. You 
 have the best wishes of her parents. She herself can 
 not but respect you and your honest love for her. I 
 should say that the chances were in your favor ; but, 
 you said ad vice/ Do you mean it? Do you want to 
 know just what I think of this affair?" 
 
 " Yes," said Glenham, huskily. 
 
 " Then, in all candor, Arthur, I say to you, it is my 
 belief that the man who marries a woman who either 
 is, or who fancies she is, his mental superior, makes the 
 fatal blunder of his life." 
 
222 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 THAT Mrs. Pelham should fail to put in an appear 
 ance at the breakfast-table on the morning succeeding 
 her tirade at the expense of Mr. Kay was a circum 
 stance neither to be unexpected nor greatly deplored. 
 It had frequently happened of late that the colonel 
 and his daughter had been the only partakers of 
 that meal, as we Americans are perforce condemned 
 to designate those household gatherings whereat, be it- 
 breakfast or dinner, tea, supper, or luncheon, we 
 thankfully consume our daily bread. I hate the word, 
 yet what have we as a suitable equivalent? Repast 
 is stilted, refection monastic, and refreshment applies 
 equally to a bath or a " cocktail." Meal it must be 
 in all its Anglo-Saxon ugliness until some gifted 
 word-builder come to our rescue and evolve a term less 
 objectionable. 
 
 The morning had dawned bright and beautiful, and 
 Grace, whose sleep had been broken and troubled, rose 
 with the sun, and busied herself noiselessly with a 
 neglected diary and an equally neglected correspondence 
 until the trumpets sounding first call for guard-mount 
 ing warned her that it was time to make her father s 
 coffee. First, however, she tapped at her mother s door, 
 and receiving no answer, softly opened it and peered 
 in. Whether asleep or awake her ladyship gave no 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 223 
 
 indication, so Grace stole on tiptoe to the bedside. 
 Her mother s eyes were closed, arid to Grace s gentle 
 inquiry as to how she had passed the night, and 
 whether she would breakfast there, no reply was vouch 
 safed, so the girl quietly turned and left her. Break 
 fast over, she and her father had betaken themselves to 
 the piazza and watched the guard as it passed in re 
 view. Then as the colonel walked over to his office to 
 receive the report of the officer of the day, Mr. Trus- 
 cott, in utter disregard of his established custom, came 
 striding towards her. Ladies on the other galleries 
 were as quick to notice it as Grace herself, and several 
 pairs of inquisitive eyes followed his movements as he 
 stopped before her and, raising his helmet in saluta 
 tion, stood, with one foot resting upon the lower step, 
 looking up into her face. 
 
 Oddly enough, her first impulse on seeing him ap 
 proach was to retire within-doors and await his coming 
 in the parlor. Glancing along the line, she could see 
 that the unusual circumstance of the adjutant s going 
 to greet her instead of direct to his own quarters had 
 attracted wide attention. Her cheek flushed, and her 
 eyes looked all the brighter in consequence ; perhaps, 
 too, she bit her scarlet lip in the effort to quiet the 
 strange and tremulous emotion with which she marked 
 this, the first overt act on his part since her arrival at 
 Camp Sandy that savored of " attention" to her. Little 
 as it might have been among the other officers, it meant 
 something where Truscott was concerned. The instant 
 he had returned sabre after passing the officer of the 
 day, and before the guard had wheeled to left into line, 
 he faced about and went to the spot where she stood, 
 
224 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; Oh, 
 
 and now here he was looking steadfastly up into her 
 eyes. 
 
 " Are you sure you feel entirely equal to another ride 
 this morning, Miss Pelhain ?" he asked. 
 
 " I am ; and I shall not rest until I have subdued 
 that scamp of a horse." 
 
 " Then, if the hour suit you, we will start at ten 
 o clock," he said, smiling at the determination of her 
 manner. " I see you are eager to try conclusions with 
 Ranger again, and there is nothing to prevent my 
 starting early, provided I go at once to the office." 
 And with that, suddenly as he came, he left her. She 
 could hardly realize that he had been there at all. 
 Turning to enter the house, she saw that Mrs. Tanner 
 had stepped out upon her piazza, and Mrs. Tanner s 
 eyes were fixed upon the retiring form of Mr. Trus- 
 cott, who, without backward glance, was walking 
 rapidly towards headquarters. 
 
 Only the day before, despite the vague distrust in 
 spired by her mother s innuendoes, Grace had been won 
 to the gentle-mannered little lady by the interest and 
 attention she had shown her after the runaway. She 
 wanted to greet her with a cordial " good-morning," 
 but for a moment Mrs. Tanner absolutely did not seem 
 to be aware of her presence, and once more the feeling 
 of aversion struggled for the mastery. Grace seized 
 the knob of the door and turned it sharply, even then 
 looking back at her neighbor, and just as she did so 
 Mrs. Tanner caught sight of her; a bright smile of 
 recognition flashed over her face, and with a gesture of 
 invitation she stepped blithely forward as though to 
 speak. Grace Pelhain simply bowed calmly, yes, coldly, 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 225 
 
 and entered the house ; and Mrs. Raymond, two doors 
 farther north, saw the whole thing, and went over at 
 once to ask Mrs. Turner what she thought of it. 
 
 It was a " troop drill" morning, and at nine o clock 
 all the officers except the staff and the officer of the day 
 were summoned to their commands. For two years 
 previous drills of any kind had been the exception 
 rather than the rule in the th, for the entire regiment 
 had been occupied incessantly in mountain and desert 
 scouting. Now, however, Colonel Pelham had suc 
 ceeded in assembling six of his companies at head 
 quarters, and had inaugurated a system of instruction 
 which promised well for the discipline and morale of 
 the command. By half-past nine the flats to the north 
 of the garrison were alive with blue-bloused troopers 
 and gay with fluttering guidons, while the trumpets, 
 softened by distance, floated their stirring skirmish- 
 calls back to the spectators on the upper end of the 
 parade ; and here it was that most of the ladies had 
 gathered to watch the lively evolutions up the valley. 
 
 Followed by his orderly the colonel himself had 
 ridden past the group on his way to superintend the 
 drills, and to note with practised and critical eye the 
 work of his officers and men. And so it happened 
 that when ten o clock came and Mr. Truscott with the 
 horses arrived at the Pelhams door, not a lady in the 
 garrison took note of the fact. Grace promptly ap 
 peared, was swung up into saddle before she realized 
 that her foot was in his hand, and in another instant 
 found herself riding at a quiet walk down the slope 
 to the south, out of sight of the denizens of officers 
 row. 
 
226 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 Beyond a quiet commendation of her punctuality 
 and a request that she should " ride him on the snaffle," 
 for a few moments Mr. Truscott had not spoken. He 
 was narrowly watching Ranger s eye and the taper 
 ing, sensitive ears, which kept tilting back and forth 
 in response to the varying emotions of that unrepent 
 ant quadruped. As for Grace, she sat as gracefully 
 erect, as jauntily unconcerned to all appearance, as 
 though the runaway of the day before were a matter 
 of no earthly consequence; but her hand, light and 
 low, felt warily the champing mouth, and the curb- 
 rein lay within the pressure of her fingers, where a 
 mere inch of a turn of the wrist would bring it into 
 play. She noted that Truscott rode well forward, close 
 to Ranger s head, noted the steady gaze of his dark 
 eye, and a feeling of security stole over her. Ranger 
 might curvet as he pleased, no movement could be too 
 sudden for that vigilant watch or for that ready hand. 
 Another moment and side by side the horses plunged 
 breast-deep into the rapid waters of the Sandy, forded 
 the stream, and disappeared among the willows on the 
 eastern bank. 
 
 It must have been somewhere about eleven o clock 
 when Lady Pelham descended to the dining-room in 
 quest of toast and tea. These not being entirely to 
 her liking, she fussily wandered through her parlor 
 for a few moments, tossing over the books and maga 
 zines as was her wont when mentally disturbed, and 
 finally betaking herself to the piazza. Recall had 
 sounded, and the troops were returning from drill. 
 Some little distance up the row she saw her husband, 
 seated on his horse, conversing with one or two officers, 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 227 
 
 She had not met him since the previous evening, and 
 she was not eager to meet him now. That he was 
 greatly incensed at her violent conduct of yesterday 
 she felt morally certain ; and whether she had bettered 
 her cause, as she regarded Glenham s suit, she felt by 
 no means assured. Presently the colonel came riding 
 towards her, and she prepared herself to greet him as 
 she thought might be most soothing to his ruffled feel 
 ings ; but to her amaze and wrath he actually pulled 
 up his horse the instant he caught sight of her, and 
 then, with a most flagrant counterfeit of interest and 
 cordiality, so she deemed it, he dismounted at Mrp 
 Tanner s door-step, and, bidding the orderly take his 
 horse to the stable, entered into a lively conversation 
 with that lady, who, with Rosalie, was awaiting the 
 return of the captain from drill. Angry again, and 
 in good earnest, her ladyship marched within-doors 
 and spent half an hour in the preparation of a lecture 
 to be delivered on her lord s return. Then it occurred 
 to her that she had not seen Grace since breakfast- 
 time, when that dutiful daughter was tiptoeing out 
 of the maternal bedroom. Inquiry of the housemaid 
 resulted in the information that Miss Grace had gone 
 riding. 
 
 "With whom?" asked Mrs. Pelham, shortly. 
 
 " Mr. Truscott, mum," was the reply. 
 
 For an instant her ladyship stood transfixed. Then 
 titie abruptly left the room, mounted the stairs, took 
 from her desk a letter she had received only a few days 
 before, read it carefully over, thrust it in her pocket, 
 and returned to the piazza. Colonel Pelham was still 
 talking blithely to Mrs. Tanner, and the captain, hold- 
 
228 TEE COLONEL S DAUGHTER,- OR, 
 
 ing Rosalie on his knee, was toying with the child s 
 pretty hair. It made a cheery picture, that group at the 
 neighboring quarters, and Mrs. Tanner, catching sight 
 of her lonely ladyship, forgiving the slights and cold 
 nesses she had received at her hands, rose, and, coming 
 to the end of the gallery, invited the elder lady to come 
 and pin them, but retired in unmistakable mortification 
 at the very discourteous manner in which her invitation 
 was received. Pelham himself colored with indigna 
 tion and speedily rose, bade them good-morning, and 
 with a fixed determination to bring his wife to a realiz 
 ing sense of the outrageous nature of her conduct, 
 accosted her briefly with, " I have something to sa y to 
 you, Dolly ; come into the house," and led the way into 
 the parlor. There he turned and faced her, and was 
 surprised to note how preternaturally calm and com 
 placent she looked. 
 
 " Sit down," he said, and without a word she obeyed. 
 "I had grave reason to want to see you earlier this 
 morning. Now I have still graver reason to claim 
 your attention to what I have to say. Are you at 
 leisure? Have you time now to listen to me?" he 
 continued, striving to speak gently and quietly. 
 
 "I am entirely at your service, Colonel Pelham," 
 was the stately reply. 
 
 " Very well, then," and as he spoke he paced slowly 
 up and down the floor. " Yesterday you saw fit to be 
 have with infinite discourtesy and rudeness to Mr. Kay, 
 my guest, at dinner, a gentleman whom I have every 
 reason to regard highly personally, and an officer of 
 whom the regiment is proud. Yesterday morning" 
 and here his voice began to tremble " he saved your 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 229 
 
 daughter s life. Last evening you actually insulted 
 him at our table. The reasons you gave were frivo 
 lous, if not absolute falsifications. I trust that a night 
 of reflection has taught you the propriety of your making 
 amends to him as well as to Grace in the near future." 
 He paused and looked at her. She was seated placidly 
 iii the easy-chair, her hard eyes fixed on a tiny statuette 
 on the mantel. She never looked more imperturbable 
 in her life, and he could not understand it. The mere 
 fact that he should have been allowed to address a few 
 score of words of reproof to her uninterrupted was in 
 itself so unusual as to be absolutely disconcerting. She 
 answered not a word. So he went on again : " Ten 
 minutes ago, in my presence, you rudely, very rudely 
 rejected a courteous invitation from Mrs. Tanner. I 
 have seen other instances of your discourtesy to her, 
 but nothing so glaring as this, and now I have called 
 you here to listen to my opinion of your conduct " 
 
 " One moment, Colonel Pelham," she calmly spoke. 
 
 " Hey ?" he stammered, amazed at the placidity of 
 her tone and manner. 
 
 " One moment, I say. Let me suggest that before 
 you proceed to wither me by your remarks upon my 
 so-called rudeness to Mrs. to the person you have 
 mentioned, it might be as well to be sure of your 
 ground. You propose calling me to account because I 
 repel, have repelled, and shall repel" (now she began to 
 warm up to her work) " every attempt of that woman 
 to seek my society. Be sure of your ground, colonel. 
 Do you know Mrs. Tanner, do you think ?" And 
 with uplifted eyebrows and insinuating accents her 
 ladyship looked into his flushed and astonished face. 
 
 20 
 
230 TIIE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 " Know her? Of course I do ! There isn t a more 
 thorough lady in the regiment. What devil s nonsense 
 is this you are driving at ? What do you mean to to 
 hint or say? Speak out. I hate these feminine 
 slurs. Who has dared malign her to you? or what do 
 you dare say against her ?" 
 
 "Dare! Colonel Pelham. Dare! I warn you to 
 guaid your temper. I pass over what you said regard 
 ing my manner to Mr. Ray. That need not be touched 
 upon now, but it is high time you were made aware of 
 the character of the woman you desire to force upon 
 my acquaintance and your innocent daughter s. More 
 than that, if you cannot see the desperate recklessness 
 of allowing such men as Kay and Truscott to monopo 
 lize your child s society and to go riding alone with her 
 through the seclusion of this out-of-the-way neighbor 
 hood, I can and do, and as her mother I protest against 
 it. You hate feminine slurs, you say; then beware 
 lest the slurs of the whole garrison follow Grace, in 
 nocent as she is, as they have followed Mrs. Tanner, 
 innocent as she is not !" 
 
 " Stop right there," said Pelham. " Before you go 
 one point further give me your authority for your 
 insinuations against Mrs. Tanner, that I may judge 
 whether it be even worth my while to hear a specific 
 statement." And his voice was harsh and strained, his 
 eye troubled. 
 
 " Your past experience ought to have told you that 
 I never made an allegation I could not substantiate," 
 said madarne, majestically ("It hasn t, by a gulp 
 good deal," said the colonel, sotto voce), " but you pay 
 no attention to my warnings. I tell you no idle gossip. 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 231 
 
 Ask any lady in the garrison, any lady in the regiment, 
 ay, any lady in Arizona, how Mrs. Tanner stands, and 
 you will then begin to believe me. My authority 7 is 
 legion, Colonel Pelham." 
 
 " Then of what do you accuse her ?" he demanded, 
 wheeling sharply about and again confronting her. 
 
 " Of shameful or shameless (as you please) conduct 
 with an officer in this regiment during her husband s 
 absence in the field." 
 
 "Trash and nonsense! I don t believe a word of 
 it" 
 
 " Ask any lady in the garrison." 
 
 " I wouldn t believe one of them against her. The 
 whole thing is some vile concoction of jealous and ma 
 lignant women, who envy her the respect in which she 
 is held. By the eternal ! Mrs. Pelham, you will do 
 well to keep out of such infernal garrison scandal as 
 this ! You would do well to " 
 
 " Copy after her, I suppose you mean to say ! Copy 
 after /ier, colonel ! Now listen " 
 
 But listen he would not. The crunching of hoofs 
 was heard on the gravelly road in front, and through 
 the blinds he had caught sight of Grace and Truscott 
 on their return. He stepped eagerly to the door, but 
 even before he could reach the piazza the adjutant had 
 thrown his reins to the orderly and lightly swung her 
 from the saddle. A soft flush was mantling her fair 
 cheek, and the brilliant eyes seemed bathed in a dewy 
 light as she glanced up from under the fringing lashes 
 to thank her escort. Even as he came forth to greet 
 them the colonel could not but note how radiant was 
 her beauty, and how earnest, how grave and reverent 
 
232 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 was Truscott s manner as he bent low over the shyly 
 tendered hand. 
 
 " It has been such a lovely ride, Mr. Truscott," she 
 said, " and Fm sure Ranger could not have gone better." 
 
 " It has been a lovely ride to me, Miss Pelham," he 
 replied ; " and I hope for others yet to come, may I 
 not ?" he asked, and as he asked he he could not have 
 been thinking as he stood gazing down into her face 
 retained in his the slender hand he had taken, and for 
 an instant it did not seem to her at all an unusual 
 thing; then she suddenly but gently withdrew it, and 
 her color deepened as she answered, 
 
 " Yes, indeed ; I will ride with you gladly." 
 
 And Mrs. Pelham, noting every look and word, set 
 her teeth and muttered, " Not one more if / know it." 
 
 " Come to lunch, Truscott," called the colonel ; " we 
 nevep see you nowadays. Come, man." 
 
 And Truscott looked first towards her, a quick, 
 flitting glance, but though she spoke no word, he 
 thought he could read a second invitation in the sweet 
 eyes that for one instant met his own. 
 
 " I will come, colonel, with pleasure," he answered. 
 " Let me sign those papers on my desk, and I will be 
 here in fifteen minutes." 
 
 Then Colonel Pelham re-entered the parlor. Grace 
 darted up-stairs to change her dress, and Lady Pelham 
 turned sharply from the window to meet her lord. 
 
 " You have asked Mr. Truscott here to lunch ?" she 
 inquired. 
 
 " Certainly I have," said he, stung by the indescrib 
 able tone of her query. 
 
 "You consider Mr. Truscott a suitable escort for 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 233 
 
 your daughter, and a fit person to invite to your table, 
 I suppose ?" 
 
 "Suppose!" he broke forth, flushing with indigna 
 tion and annoyance. " Suppose ! Look here, Dolly, 
 this is becoming insupportable. Last night it was 
 Kay. To-day, Truscott, my adjutant, the best officer 
 and most thorough gentleman in the regiment. What 
 has got into you ? You of all others ought to welcome 
 him. You know he has been the means of saving 
 Ralph. You " 
 
 " I know nothing of the kind. "We owe everything 
 to Mr. Glenham where Ealph is concerned, though Mr. 
 Truscott would, doubtless, like to arrogate all that to 
 himself. What I do know is this, that your paragon 
 of an adjutant is the man to whom Mrs. Tanner owes 
 her fall " 
 
 She stopped suddenly, trembling at her own audacity, 
 at the force and outrage of the blow she had struck, and 
 at the horror and amaze in his face. For an instant 
 she longed to unsay, at least to qualify her words, 
 to avert from herself the coasequences she felt sure 
 would result from the vile exaggeration of which she 
 had been guilty. The expression in his face frightened 
 her. At first he glared with anger ; then, little by 
 little, the color died away. Incredulity, pity, contempt, 
 one after another, shone in the steady eyes which never 
 left her face. At last, with a shrug of his shoulders, 
 a " pa-a-h !" of utter disgust, he turned coldly and 
 deliberately away. At the door he paused. 
 
 " I thought the whole thing was a lie before. Noui 
 I know it." 
 
 She fairly rushed towards him. " You shall not go 
 20* 
 
234 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 until you have heard all. You must hear it now. 
 You say" seizing his arm "you would believe no 
 lady in this garrison. The time was when you used to 
 hold Mrs. Treadwell up to me as the model of all an 
 army wife should be. Perhaps you would ignore her 
 opinion ?" 
 
 " Mrs. Treadwell would never be mixed up in any 
 such disgraceful business as the circulation of such a 
 story," he answered, coldly. 
 
 "But it was Mrs. Treadwell," she panted. "She 
 herself who saw who discovered the whole thing. 
 She who warned the others that what they suspected 
 was was true." 
 
 " You have been told this, perhaps," he said, weary 
 of the matter and of her, striving to pull away from 
 her grasp ; " but these women s yarns are too malicious, 
 too utterly base and baseless to be listened to. I don t 
 believe Mrs. Treadwell ever said such a thing." 
 
 " You wouldn t believe it, I suppose, if she herself 
 were to write and tell you." 
 
 " She never would write such a thing." 
 
 " Wouldn t she, Colonel Pelham? Kead that." And 
 her ladyship forced into his hand the letter she had 
 secreted in her pocket. Barely glancing at the super 
 scription, he thrust it aside. 
 
 " I will not read it. It is well, it may be hers, of 
 course, but I do not desire to see it." 
 
 " See or hear it you must. You accuse and believe 
 me guilty of slander and malice. I tell you that the 
 proof of my words is here. Be just, Colonel Pelham. 
 I have some rights in this matter." 
 
 Wearily his head bent forward on his breast, and his 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 235 
 
 hands clinched in the paroxysm of disgust that had 
 seized him. 
 
 " Read, if you must," he said, finally ; " I will hear 
 what she has to say." And read she did, slowly, em 
 phatically, what follows. 
 
 "FORT HAYS, KANSAS, December 7, 18 . 
 
 " Your letter of the 23d ult. reached me yesterday, 
 my dear Mrs. Pelham, and I am greatly distressed at 
 its contents. You give me to understand that recent 
 events have revived a story that I had hoped was long 
 since forgotten, and you indicate that for your daugh 
 ter s sake it is necessary that you should know just 
 what I know or saw. It is inexpressibly painful to 
 me to have to write upon such a subject, and that I do 
 so at all is due, first, to your urgent appeal on Grace s 
 account ; second, to the fact that I believe you have 
 heard a most exaggerated statement of what took place 
 at Fort Phoenix. Under these circumstances I yield 
 to your request. 
 
 " Mr. Truscott arrived suddenly at Phoenix. Cap 
 tain Tanner s quarters adjoined ours, and for a month 
 or more Mrs. Tanner and I had been on terms of inti 
 macy. I felt for her a warm and constantly-growing 
 friendship, even admiration, and had been in the daily 
 habit of running in to see her at any hour, never think 
 ing of knocking at the door. Hearing of Mr. Trus- 
 cott s arrival and knowing how warm a regard she and 
 her husband entertained for him, I dropped my work 
 and hurried in to tell her, as I supposed, of his pres 
 ence. The front door was open, the parlor-door par 
 tially so, and, as I entered hastily, I could not but see 
 
236 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OK, 
 
 what I did. Mrs. Tanner was sobbing in his arms as 
 he stood facing the door, her back was towards me, and 
 she was looking up into his face, he down into hers. 
 Neither of them observed me, and I withdrew at once. 
 
 " Two weeks afterwards, to my infinite regret, I, in 
 strict confidence, told what I had seen to a lady now 
 no longer with the regiment. She had heard some very 
 cruel rumors, and well, I cannot justify my action at 
 all. I told her, and, beyond all doubt, the story has 
 reached you in hideously expanded form. Beyond this 
 I know nothing, and I beg that you will do all in your 
 power to suppress any mention of even this that I have 
 told you. 
 
 " It is hard to believe, but you compel me to believe 
 that what took place at Phoenix was but the preface to 
 the recent events you allude to. With all my heart I 
 hope that all may be satisfactorily explained. She 
 was my ideal of a true woman, and Colonel Tread well 
 thought him a perfect gentleman and soldier. 
 
 " I have no heart to write of ordinary news or gossip. 
 You will, of course, welcome the order relieving you 
 from duty in Arizona and bringing you all East. Give 
 much love to Grace, and tell her how I wish I could 
 see her now. We have heard so much about her from 
 Mr. Sprague and Mr. Walker of last year s class. You 
 do not mention Mr. Glenham, and they did. 
 11 Very sincerely yours, 
 
 "E. G. TKEADWELL," 
 
 During the reading of this letter Colonel Pelham 
 had stood motionless. Little by little the lines upon 
 his brow grew deeper, and his mouth set firm and 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 237 
 
 rigid. An ashy gray replaced the flush on face and 
 forehead. He passed his hand wonderingly once or 
 twice across his eyes, and at last stretched it forth. 
 
 " Let me see that one moment," he said ; and, taking 
 it, lie glanced over the pages, scrutinized the signature, 
 and then, with an irrepressible shudder, handed it 
 back. 
 
 She stood in silence before him. Well she knew that 
 now it was no time to speak. The blow had struck 
 home. She watched him as again he passed his hand 
 along his forehead in that dazed, almost helpless man 
 ner, and at last in a voice hoarse and strange he spoke : 
 
 " Say no word of this to any one. I I shall think 
 it all over. There is there must be some mistake, 
 some explanation. Do you mean," he asked, with sud 
 den vehemence, t( that they assert worse than this of 
 herof him ?" 
 
 " They do," was her answer. And without a word 
 he turned and left the house. Going to the side-win 
 dows, she followed him with her eyes. "With bent head 
 and slow, uncertain steps he walked a few yards towards 
 his office, whither the adjutant had gone, but, as though 
 suddenly recollecting himself, he turned abruptly and 
 went to the bluff-side east of the post. There she lost 
 sight of him, and with vague uneasiness she left the 
 parlor and sought her room. Presently Grace s voice, 
 blithe, low, and happy, was heard. The sweet words 
 of a favorite song came floating back through the hall 
 way, and her light footsteps went dancing down the 
 stairs and into the empty parlor. " More like herself 
 than she has been for days," thought the mother, as she 
 listened to the thrill and gladness that rose in every 
 
238 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER ; OR, 
 
 mellow note. Were her efforts, then, all in vain ? Had 
 she been too unwary in her guard ? Had she allowed 
 her, after all, to become interested in this man, and that, 
 too, when fortune, position, independence, luxury, lay 
 at her feet ? Bathing her hot face in lavender-water, 
 her ladyship stood in deep anxiety, even distress, before 
 her mirror. She had seen nothing of Glenham that 
 morning ; he had not even come to inquire after Grace. 
 What could that mean ? Then how had it happened, 
 too, that, despite all her warnings, Grace had gone 
 riding with Truscott ? She could not control her an 
 noyance. Down she went into the parlor to investigate. 
 It was the first meeting of mother and daughter that 
 day, for Grace still believed that her mother had been 
 asleep when she entered her room before breakfast. 
 The girl had by no means forgotten her ladyship s con 
 duct of the previous day, and her kiss of greeting, 
 though dutiful, was not warm and loving as of yore. 
 Her song, too, ceased the instant she heard the stairs 
 creaking under the maternal weight. 
 
 " You look unusually well, Grace," madame deigned 
 to say. "I was not aware that you proposed riding 
 again to-day, much less that you would ride with Mr. 
 Truscott." 
 
 " I went to your room to tell you, mother, but you 
 were asleep. As for riding with Mr. Truscott, that 
 was father s doing, and I have to thank him for a very 
 pleasant morning." 
 
 Something in the calm glance of her daughter s fear 
 less eyes awed yet provoked her ladyship. Had it come 
 to this, that Grace, always so docile, dutiful, and yield 
 ing before, was now asserting independence of the 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 239 
 
 mother s counsel or control? It stung her all the 
 more, doubled her resentment to realize that her own 
 conduct had been such as to warrant, even to dictate, 
 the withdrawal of much of the trust and deference 
 that was a mother s due. She struggled a moment with 
 the feeling of pride and love evoked by her daughter s 
 radiant beauty as she stood before her. But the thought 
 of all that was at stake nerved her to other efforts. 
 
 " Have you forgotten, then, the warnings you have 
 received as to Mr. Truscott?" 
 
 " I have forgotten nothing, mother. I simply can 
 not and do not believe what you have heard ; and I 
 cannot help liking a man who has been so true a friend 
 to Ralph. 7 
 
 " What do you know, pray, of his relations to 
 Ralph ?" 
 
 " Nothing but what Ralph s letters have told me, of 
 course, and what he himself admitted to-day " 
 
 " What did he admit? How did you come to speak 
 of such a thing?"" asked Mrs. Pelham, alarmed and 
 angry. 
 
 " I do not remember what he said, mother. I do 
 not know that he admitted anything. I was talking 
 of Ralph and of Ralph s last letter to me, and and 
 you know how gratefully he wrote of Mr. Truscott. 
 How could I help telling him how glad I was that 
 Ralph had found so good a friend? Ralph said he 
 owed everything to Mr. Truscott. And well, he 
 really did not say anything except to protest that he 
 was only too glad to be of any service to father s boy, 
 but that really he had done nothing deserving of any 
 thanks." 
 
240 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 " Then he had the conscience to admit that ! Why 
 could he not have gone further and told you what 
 he perfectly well knew, who it was to whom all 
 our thanks were due, our unspeakable gratitude, in 
 fact?" 
 
 Grace opened her eyes in wonderment, but before 
 she could reply the tramping of feet was heard on the 
 piazza, and the hall-door burst open. 
 
 " Come right in, Truscott," she heard her father say ; 
 and the colonel, holding an open telegraphic despatch 
 in his hand, hastily entered, followed by the adjutant. 
 The latter bowed silently to the ladies, the former 
 threw himself into a chair, and,, with perplexity and 
 some little trace of excitement on his face, read through 
 the closely-written page. Then he looked up. 
 
 " Two troops to start at once, Truscott. Can we get 
 scouts down from the reservation by sunset ?" 
 
 " An orderly can go at once, sir. Shall I send the 
 order?" 
 
 "Yes; we want twenty of their best." And Mr. 
 Truscott disappeared. 
 
 "What is it, colonel?" demanded Mrs. Pelham. 
 " What is wrong ? Another outbreak ?" 
 
 " The general directs me to send out a command to 
 hunt up the Apaches in the Tonto basin," he replied 
 shortly, " and he may be down here himself." 
 
 " Who will have to go ?" she asked, anxiously. 
 
 "Who? Oh, I don t know. It goes according to 
 roster. Truscott keeps that," he answered, rising and 
 pacing up and down the floor. " I m sorry, too," he 
 said, more to himself than to her. "I m sorry, for 
 now or never is the time to nab this band of Eski- 
 
WINNING .US SPURS. 241 
 
 minzin s, and I d like to select the officer to command. 
 Some men have no idea of handling Indians." 
 
 " Who are the best for such duty ?" persisted madame. 
 
 "They re all good, Dolly; they re all good so far 
 as zeal and that sort of thing goes," he answered, 
 impatiently, " only Tanner or Raymond or some of 
 the youngsters like Ray and Stryker, seem to have 
 better luck or something. I wish this were Tanner s 
 detail." 
 
 " So does Mr. Truscott, no doubt," was the dry re 
 joinder. And looking sharply, angrily at her, the 
 colonel stopped short in his walk, and was about to 
 speak, when the sight of Grace s troubled face re 
 strained him. Another moment, and Truscott knocked 
 and re-entered. 
 
 " Whose companies are first for detail ?" asked Pel- 
 ham, the instant he appeared. 
 
 " Tanner s and Ray s, sir," was the quiet, prompt 
 reply. 
 
 Despite his effort the colonel started, and the color 
 leaped to his forehead. Madame gave an audible gasp. 
 
 " I thought Tanner at least I understood that Ray 
 mond s company had been longer in garrison than Cap 
 tain Tanner s," he said. 
 
 u Tanner s only went to the reservation on this last 
 scout, colonel," answered the adjutant, very respectfully, 
 " and Raymond s has been out twice since August." 
 
 " True. I had forgotten it. I m heartily glad that 
 it is Tanner s turn ; he is the very man to settle this 
 business. Well, notify them at once, Truscott, then 
 come to lunch. I declare I had f Drgotten it. I would 
 like to see Tanner myself ; as soon as possible, though, 
 
 L 21 
 
242 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 if you will tell him." And bowing again, the adjutant 
 withdrew. 
 
 Mrs. Pelham had insinuated that Mr. Truscott would 
 be glad that it was Captain Tanner s detail for scouting 
 duty. Very far from glad did Mr. Truscott look as 
 he knocked at Captain Tanner s door. It was opened 
 by little Rosalie herself, her face all beaming with smiles 
 when she caught sight of her friend. Jack bent and 
 raised her in his arms, tenderly kissing the bonny cheek. 
 " Kun and tell papa Uncle Jack wants to see him," 
 he said, as he set her down ; and as she trotted away 
 he seated himself at the window and covered his face 
 with his hands, his elbows resting on his knees. The 
 dejection of his attitude struck Tanner the instant he 
 entered, but before he could speak the adjutant rose. 
 
 "What news, Jack?" 
 
 " Another scout ; you to command ; start to-night." 
 And the two men looked into one another s eyes with 
 out a word for a moment. Then Truscott held forth 
 his hand and took that of his friend. 
 
 " The thing has been worrying me ever since Craig 
 and Fanshawe got in. I knew the chief would be apt 
 to send out detachments from here, and the detail 
 would come on you just at this time." 
 
 " It is what I expected," said Tanner ; " but it is 
 pretty rough to have it come just now." 
 
 " Does Mrs. Tanner know ?" asked Truscott. 
 
 "No, she hasn t heard, though the other ladies in 
 the garrison seemed to know all about it ; but she never 
 goes anywhere, and I could not bear to tell her until it 
 became a certainty. To-night, do you say ?" he asked, 
 suddenly. 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 243 
 
 " Yes, to-night," said Truscott, sadly. " I suppose 
 you will have to start soon after sunset/ 7 
 
 " And it was just at tattoo that that baby died, five 
 years ago. It will come hard to her ; that s all that 
 troubles me." 
 
 And for all answer Truscott could only press his 
 hand. 
 
 " The colonel wants to see you as soon as possible ; 
 he is home now. Tanner, I wish to heaven I could 
 take this detail for you. Won t you let me tell him ? 
 Raymond would be only too glad to go ; and there s 
 Bay, who goes anyhow. He knows every inch of that 
 country, and it would be a splendid thing for him if he 
 could have the command." 
 
 " Tell nobody, Jack. I never shirked a duty, big 
 or little, yet, and I won t now. If it were not for poor 
 Nellie I wouldn t ask anything better than this chance 
 at old Skiminzin. It is the breaking it to her I dread. 
 She s up-stairs now with with the little one s shoes 
 and stockings. She thought I did not see her get them 
 from the baby trunk, but I did. My God, Jack ! it s 
 breaking it to her that upsets me. I ll go and see the 
 colonel first." And taking his forage-cap, Tanner and 
 Truscott went forth together, the latter crossing the pa 
 rade and proceeding to the camp in rear of the garrison. 
 It was after one o clock, after lunch- time. The mess- 
 room of the bachelor officers was deserted, as he could 
 see. Several of the juniors Crane, Dana, and Hun 
 ter were grouped around the doorway of the court- 
 martial room awaiting the arrival of the other members 
 of the court, then trying some cases among the enlisted 
 men, but none of them had seen Kay ; he had not been 
 
244 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 to lunch, had not been seen since morning drill. Trus- 
 cott said nothing, but continued on his way towards 
 camp until he had passed beyond the company quarters, 
 then turning sharp to his left, he rapidly descended the 
 hill and took the shortest cut for " the store." 
 
 " Good-day, Mr. Truscott," exclaimed the barkeeper, 
 as he entered. " Don t often see you down here, sir," he 
 went on, eager to be civil to the officer who represented 
 so much influence and power at headquarters. " Look 
 ing for anybody ?" he asked, as Truscott s keen glance 
 took in the other occupants of the main room, then wan 
 dered to the green-baize door of the card-room beyond. 
 
 " Who are in there ?" he briefly asked, in a low tone, 
 as he noted the silence that had fallen upon the group 
 of packers and quartermaster s men who were loafing 
 about. 
 
 The barkeeper winked confidentially, and whispered, 
 " Little game going on. Some of the boys down from 
 Prescott. The doctor s there, and Ray and Wilkins." 
 
 " Tell Mr. Ray I want to see him, around at the 
 side-door," said Truscott, and left the room. 
 
 In another moment Ray had joined him, and Ray s 
 face was flushed and his eyes glassy. 
 
 " What s up, Jack ?" he queried. 
 
 "Scout, and you re wanted instanter," said Jack, 
 gravely. 
 
 " Hurray for hurrah ! Who is it this time ?" 
 
 " Eskiminzin, I believe. It s over your old stamp 
 ing-ground. Tonto basin, anyway. " 
 
 " Bully ! When do we light out ?" 
 
 u This evening. No time to be lost. Better come 
 up and get your men ready right off." 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 245 
 
 Ray hesitated and looked grave. " By Jove, Jack, 
 that s bad! I dropped a month s pay last night, and 
 now the luck s just beginning to turn. I want to quit 
 even if I can, but this scout business knocks it. D n 
 the odds, though ! I m better out roughing it than 
 fooling around here, where I m only in the way. Who 
 else goes?" he asked, suddenly. 
 
 " Tanner and you with your troops and some twenty 
 Apache-Mohaves." 
 
 " What subs ? Don t Glenham go ?" 
 
 " Probably not, as he is Canker s only assistant now. 
 Why should he?" 
 
 " Oh, I don t know, only if I were in his place I d 
 want to. I ll be up in ten minutes, Jack." And with 
 that Mr. Kay returned to the card-room to wind up 
 his connection with the game, and Truscott went direct 
 to his colonel s. 
 
 " What the mischief does Kay mean ?" thought he, 
 as he walked rapidly along. " He has been drinking, 
 to be sure, but knows well enough what he is about. 
 If I were in Glenham s place I d want to go. What 
 does he mean ?" 
 
246 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 CHAPTER XY. 
 
 THE duty performed of notifying the troop com 
 manders of their detail, Mr. Truscott proceeded at 
 once to rejoin the colonel, and found Captain Tanner 
 just leaving. 
 
 " I am very sorry you will not stay and lunch with 
 us," Pelham was saying, " but I understand well enough 
 that you will want every moment of your time. I 
 shall be out to see you off, though, and shall hope to 
 meet you again meantime." Then, as the captain 
 walked away and Grace smilingly welcomed Truscott 
 and slipped her hand within her father s arm as though 
 to call his attention to the fact that luncheon was wait 
 ing, the latter stood gazing after Tanner s receding form. 
 
 " The more I see of that man the more I like him," 
 he said, musingly. " He is one of the most soldierly 
 fellows I ever met ; and yet, do you know, Truscott, 
 it seemed to me that he was anything but glad of this 
 detail?" And the colonel turned and faced his adju 
 tant, Grace still resting her hand upon his arm. 
 
 Before he could collect his thoughts for the reply 
 evidently expected of him, Mr. Truscott became aware 
 of the fact that Mrs. Pelham had suddenly appeared 
 at the hall-door and was intently regarding him. His 
 hesitation instantly attracted the colonel s attention. 
 
 " Has he any reason for not wishing to go ?" he 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 247 
 
 asked, and there was an unusual tone as of annoyance 
 in his voice, something sharp and unnatural. 
 
 Truscott colored slightly, but spoke slowly and 
 calmly in reply. Involuntarily he glanced at Grace, 
 and was surprised at the intent expression with which 
 her eyes, too, were fixed upon him. Instantly, however, 
 she looked away. 
 
 " Nothing, colonel, that he would allow to stand in 
 the way of his going. Indeed, he will not thank me 
 for admitting that the detail was in the least unwel 
 come." 
 
 "Then you know he would rather not leave the 
 post just at this time, do you, Mr. Truscott?" asked 
 Mrs. Pelham, with a calm deliberation that perplexed 
 him for days after, as again and again her manner re 
 curred to him. 
 
 "Captain Tanner would welcome this duty very 
 much at any other time, madame," was the answer; 
 " but while it is hard for him to go at this time, he 
 would consider it most unfriendly in me to allude to it 
 with any view to having another take his place." 
 
 " Ah, I see that you are very jealous of the rights 
 of your friends. Some people, I fancy, would not 
 thank you for such efforts in their behalf." And the 
 caustic emphasis on the words was so marked that the 
 colonel turned sharply upon her. 
 
 " What earthly business is it of yours, Mrs. Pel- 
 ham ? Truscott is perfectly right. Now do hold your 
 tongue, and don t interfere with what is solely my af 
 fair. Let s go to lunch." 
 
 " You will excuse me, please," said her ladyship, 
 with majestic dignity, looking at nobody at all. " 1 
 
248 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 am going to Mrs. Raymond s." And with that she 
 swept across the piazza and up the row. 
 
 " Mother breakfasted very late," said Grace, apolo 
 getically, as she led the way to the dining-room, " and 
 she rarely takes luncheon." But whether she took 
 luncheon or not, her absence on this particular occasion 
 was readily forgiven. 
 
 All the same, something akin to constraint had fallen 
 upon the trio. The colonel had hoped to hear from 
 Truscott a prompt disclaimer of any knowledge of a 
 reason for Tanner s not desiring to go on the scout just 
 ordered, so, too, had Grace ; but, to the vague distress 
 of both, he had virtually admitted that he knew of a 
 reason, and would not disclose the nature thereof. 
 Despite his efforts at cheery conversation, the colonel 
 could not drive from his thoughts the effect of that 
 strange letter of Mrs. Treadwell s, and despite his long 
 acquaintance with his wife s reckless language at the 
 expense of any man or woman to whom she took a dis 
 like, her words of the morning had powerfully, pain 
 fully impressed him. All unconscious of the thoughts 
 in his colonel s perplexed head, Mr. Truscott felt certain 
 that something had gone very wrong with the chief 
 within the past twenty-four hours, and, for his own 
 part, he found himself constantly oppressed with the 
 contemplation of the effect the orders would have upon 
 Mrs. Tanner. He strove to shut out the sorrowful 
 picture and to fittingly respond to Grace s efforts at 
 being entertaining, but here, too, the effort was evident. 
 What could it all mean? Bay s mysterious words 
 about Glenham, Mrs. Pel ham s extraordinary language 
 and manner, the colonel s spasmodic struggles to be 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 249 
 
 cheery, and, above all, Grace s odd, constrained replies to 
 any allusion to Captain or Mrs. Tanner. Truscott was 
 indeed puzzled. Verily, a cloud seemed to have fallen 
 upon the house, and it was with absolute relief that the 
 trio heard a quick, light footstep on the piazza, and the 
 chirrupy voice of Mr. Ray inquiring for the colonel 
 and the ladies. They rose and met him in the parlor. 
 
 Bright as a button looked that young gentleman as 
 he blithely greeted them. Even Jack, accustomed as 
 he was to the mercurial changes of his comrade, was 
 unprepared to see him so radiant; but a cold plunge- 
 bath, a change of raiment, and the enlivening prospect 
 of the work before him had chased away all vestige of 
 his morning s dissipation, and Mr. Ray was to all ap 
 pearances the jolliest man in the garrison. 
 
 "I have just left Captain Tanner, colonel, and I 
 wanted to come in to see you and Miss Grace before 
 shedding my regimentals and getting into war-paint, 
 which must be in an hour from now. Jack, Fve been 
 to your quarters, and Glenham, who s in the dumps 
 about something, said you were here. Everybody 
 knows we re going by this time, and Glenham is ready 
 to cry because it isn t his turn. Colonel," he exclaimed, 
 suddenly, "may I see you a few moments? Please 
 excuse me, Miss Grace. It is my only opportunity / 
 And with that Truscott and Grace were left alone. 
 
 On the centre-table were two photograph albums, one 
 bound in Russia leather and stamped with the letters 
 G. P. in monogram. 
 
 " May I look at this ?" he asked. 
 
 " Certainly," she replied ; yet, as he opened it, she 
 made an involuntary move as though to check him. 
 
250 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 The first portrait was a cabinet-sized photograph of 
 Mr. Glenham in his cadet uniform. For a moment 
 Truscott gazed quietly at it without saying a word, but 
 the tired look she had marked before when at Prescott 
 had stolen over his forehead and eyes. Why should she 
 excuse the prominence of that picture to him ? Why 
 make any explanation at all ? He had said nothing ; 
 but Grace, coloring vividly, looked up in his face. 
 
 "The album was a Christmas present from Mr. 
 Glenham, two years ago," she said, hurriedly, con 
 fusedly. " That is where he placed his own picture." 
 
 " I did quite as boyish a thing, two years ago, Misb 
 Grade," said he, very quietly, while an amused but by 
 no means satirical smile appeared under the curling 
 moustache. " It is a most natural thing that he should, 
 seek to be first with you," he added, gravely, and the 
 dark hazel eyes looked steadily into her face as the 
 words fell from his lips. No wonder that the deep- 
 fringed eyelids drooped at once beneath the searching 
 glance. Her color deepened, and she knew not what 
 to say. He knew that his words were tantamount to 
 an impertinence, and yet, they had escaped him before 
 he had weighed their meaning ; he who usually weighed 
 every word. He felt at once that, unexplained, his 
 last remark was unjustifiable. He knew well that 
 there was only one explanation which would condone 
 such a solecism in a woman s eyes ; and he knew well 
 that now, despite the estrangement of the past few 
 weeks, broken only by the sweet memory of the yester 
 day s ride, despite the open hostility of Mrs. Pelham, 
 despite all rumors of her engagement to young Glen 
 ham, he loved, and loved her dearly. 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 251 
 
 Instantly he realized that in this ill-judged speech he 
 had done injustice to himself; possibly, nay, probably, 
 had offended her. The strong hand upon the album 
 trembled visibly ; he stood for an instant, silent, gazing 
 with beating heart upon the drooping head and slender 
 figure before him. In the adjoining room the deep 
 voice of the colonel and the eager, energetic tones of 
 Mr. Ray could be heard in earnest conversation, but in 
 the parlor all was still. Oh, that dangerous silence! 
 How many an avowal has it precipitated ! Grace ! 
 Grace! where is your tact, your presence of mind? 
 Why do you not break the spell ? Is it can it be that 
 you have penetrated the veil of his reserve ; that you 
 divine his thoughts ; and that your woman s heart 
 craves the confession of his love ? 
 
 Impulsively he steps to her side, his dark eyes glow 
 ing, his lips firmly set ; but as he speaks his voice is 
 low and tremulous, and a thrill of delight flashes 
 through every nerve as she hears it. 
 
 " Forgive me, forgive me, Miss Gracie. I had no 
 right; I did not mean to let such a speech escape 
 me " 
 
 " I do not blame you. It was why everybody re 
 marks it, I suppose," she broke forth desperately, in 
 coherently; "but the fault is not mine." And once 
 again the shapely head drooped upon her breast. 
 
 " Then it does not mean that he is foremost in 
 
 ISTo. Do not answer me until you hear more. I have 
 no right to question." He spoke hurriedly and low. 
 Then with a sudden gesture he threw back his proud 
 head and stood gallantly before her. " It is your right 
 to know my reasons, to know why I so far forgot my- 
 
252 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 self as to speak of such a thing as Mr. Glenham s re 
 lations with yourself. I had not thought to startle you 
 so rudely, but, come what may, I can brook this uncer 
 tainty no longer, for, with all my heart and soul, I lova 
 you, I love you." 
 
 Both her slender hands are resting on the table now, 
 as once again he bends eagerly over her. The room 
 seems whirling round. She has heard, and a glorious, 
 thrilling joy has seized upon her. She cannot speak. 
 She dare not raise her eyes to his, yet she can almost 
 hear the throbbing of his strong heart, and it finds its 
 echo in her own. The next instant she knows that his 
 firm hand is clasped upon hers; that he is waiting, 
 waiting for her words. Slowly she lifts her queenly 
 head, not yet daring to look up into the fervent love in 
 the dark eyes gazing so yearningly upon her. She 
 tries to speak, but all too late. Back from the dining- 
 room, jubilant, beaming, absolutely detestable in his 
 exuberant good spirits and undesirable presence, comes 
 Mr. Kay. 
 
 " It s all right, Jack ; the colonel says that Glen ham 
 may go with us provided Captain Canker will permit. 
 Use your influence with him like a good fellow. Let s 
 go and see him now." Then Mr. Ray falters. He 
 has had time to note the surging color in Miss Pelham s 
 temples, the deep glow in Truscott s eyes, the unmis 
 takable embarrassment of the former, the preternatural 
 gravity of the latter. " Oh !" he continues, irrele 
 vantly, as the gladness suddenly dies from his face 
 and a wistful expression takes its place. " You have 
 a raft of other things to attend to, I suppose. I ll 
 go; and I won t say good-by now, Miss Pelham. 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 253 
 
 With that he vanishes, and the colonel himself ap 
 pears. 
 
 " It seems that Glenham is eager to go with Tanner s 
 command, Truscott, so if Captain Canker has no ob 
 jections I shall detail him." He faltered a bit, look 
 ing somewhat nervously at Grace s brilliant color as he 
 spoke, but her cheek never paled, as he half expected 
 to see it. " You might see Glenham and Canker also," 
 he continued, and the adjutant promptly took his 
 forage-cap. Grace glanced hurriedly, timidly up into 
 his face as he half turned towards the door, then im 
 pulsively extended her hand. One instant they met, 
 the strong, sinewy brown hand and hers, so white and 
 fragile. One instant she looked up into his eyes, and 
 then with wild, exultant, joyous heart, he hastened on 
 his mission. In that thrilling instant he had read his 
 answer, and was satisfied. 
 
 Meantime, where was Arthur Glenham, and how was 
 it that during this entire day he had not once appeared 
 at the colonel s quarters ? 
 
 During the troop drill of the morning Mr. Ray, dis 
 mounting his men for a five minutes rest after a half- 
 hour of sharp exercise, was occupying himself in a 
 comparison of the different company commanders. 
 Well over to the west of the plain Captain Turner s 
 chestnut sorrels and Tanner s bright bays were having 
 an enlivening though impromptu competitive drill. 
 It was pretty generally conceded that these two troops 
 were very evenly matched, and, except among the par 
 tisans of other companies, it was as generally agreed 
 that they were much ahead of the rest of the regiment 
 in point of snap and style in drill. Both captains were 
 
 22 
 
254 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 fine instructors and individually liked and respected by 
 their men ; whereas Canker, who really had enjoyed 
 finer opportunities for keeping his men up to a moder 
 ate degree of proficiency, never could succeed in making 
 anything out of them. He studied hard, he worked 
 faithfully, he even furtively watched the methods of 
 such officers as Tanner and Truscott, and strove to 
 profit by what he learned in this way ; but the cavalry 
 officer is born, not made ; and, handicapped as he was 
 with the disadvantages of a bad seat, a bad hand, and 
 a very bad temper, Canker found it all up-hill work. 
 He had fine material in his company, but was desper 
 ately unpopular among them, so much so that none 
 would re-enlist with him on the expiration of their 
 terms of service, but would "take on," as they ex 
 pressed it, with other troops, notably Tanner s and 
 Turner s. Ray s, too, was a favorite command since 
 he had been placed in charge ; but its captain, now on 
 recruiting service, had been very inefficient, and since 
 his departure much of its time had been spent in 
 mountain-scouting, where drills were unknown and 
 discipline lax. It was Canker s habit, when betrayed 
 into speaking of the matter at all, to say that "the 
 secret of the superiority of Tanner s company was that 
 he got his best men from me ;" but in the depths of 
 his heart he knew that statement to be absurd. It did 
 not help him much to hear, as he did hear, in the inex 
 plicable way in which such things are brought to our 
 ears (who was it that said no man ever yet was so poor 
 but that he had friends to tell him unpleasant truths 
 about himself, or words to that effect?) that his men 
 said that all thev needed to make them the best-drilled 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 255 
 
 troop in the th was to have a captain who was ca 
 pable of teaching them something. Altogether, drill- 
 time was a sort of purgatory to both officers and men 
 in Canker s troop, and this morning was no exception. 
 Ray quickly marked the sullen look of the faces along 
 the line as they came trotting past him, the horses 
 seeming as worried and jaded as the men ; and as they 
 halted and dismounted near him, it was asy enough 
 for him to divine that Canker had been more than 
 usually eruptive from the fact that Mr. Glenham kept 
 at a distance from his captain, and stood moodily kick 
 ing at the turf. Mr. Ray himself, as has been hinted, 
 had spent the greater part of the night in the card-room 
 at the store, to the detriment of his pocket, but in no 
 wise to that of his sunny temperament. He knew well 
 that he had been vastly in Glenham s way of late, and 
 the consciousness of the fact made him all the more 
 ready to condone the young fellow s distant and con 
 strained manner. Just now the dejection of Glenham s 
 whole attitude struck him forcibly. " I hate to see him 
 look so glum," he muttered. " Great Scott ! if I had 
 half his money, and a six-months leave, and the wings 
 
 of a dove, I d be off for the States so quick that 
 
 Hold on ; would I, though, so long as she is here ? 
 That s where he s anchored; where I d be, too, if I 
 had the ghost of a show. ? Pon my soul, I believe I ll 
 go and give him a lift after drill." And with another 
 lingering look at his unconscious comrade, who had by 
 this time thrown himself prone upon the ground, Mr. 
 Ray remounted, and presently his animated voice was 
 heard glibly expounding on the text of "centre for 
 ward." 
 
256 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 Drill over, he sought Glenham s quarters, and found 
 the junior officer kicking off boots and spurs in the 
 rear room. There was no especial cordiality or welcome 
 in the latter s voice as he said, " That you, Ray? Sit 
 down. I ll be there in a moment." 
 
 " No hurry, Glenham," replied the other, with breezy 
 good nature. " I want to glance over Truscott s Nation.. 
 Got anything to drink?" 
 
 " There s bottled beer in the sideboard, but I m afraid 
 it s too warm. Jack has some undeniable whiskey, if 
 you prefer that." 
 
 "Where s it at?" said Mr. Ray, briefly, and falling 
 unconsciously into the vernacular of the Blue-Grass 
 region. 
 
 " Lower shelf. There s bitters and sugar somewhere 
 there, unless Bucketts cleaned us out last night. He 
 and Jack were owling. Excuse me, please, Ray; I 
 can t." 
 
 " Sensible boy ! May you never know what it is to 
 feel a hankering for a cocktail !" And the tinkle of 
 glass and stirring of spoon indicated that the gentleman 
 from Kentucky was preparing some such beverage on 
 his own account. 
 
 Presently Glenham emerged from his bedroom and 
 found Ray placidly smoking, stretched at full length 
 in Truscott s great canvas chair. 
 
 " Glenham," said he, " I ve come in to talk with you 
 a while. I m no hand at beating round the bush, and 
 want to go straight at it. Are you busy ? " 
 
 " No," said Glenham, hesitatingly. 
 
 " Then sit down ; I won t keep you long." And 
 Glenham wonderingly obeyed 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 257 
 
 For a moment there was silence, Kay puffing nerv 
 ously at his pipe. Then he laid it upon the table an<l 
 leaned forward. 
 
 " Glenham," he spoke, and his voice was singularly 
 soft and gentle, almost as though he were speaking to a 
 woman. " I think a misunderstanding worse than an 
 open rupture ; and for some time past, you who used to 
 like me better, I believe, than you did any man in the 
 regiment but Truscott, have been cold and constrained 
 in your manner towards me. I am not going to ask 
 you why. I know well enough, and I don t blame 
 you. Whatever may be the result of what I have to 
 say to you, there shall be no excuse for further misun 
 derstanding. It may not result in the restoration of 
 your friendship for me, but it will relieve you from 
 any indecision or embarrassment. Pardon me, now, if 
 I speak of a very delicate matter. We all know that 
 you are very much attached to Miss Pel ham. Indeed, 
 there are not lacking those who say that you are actu 
 ally engaged to her. If this be true, I cannot excuse 
 my conduct in the least. (" It is not true/ 7 said Glen- 
 ham, shading his face with his hand.) But up to last 
 evening I thought it a matter in which in which we 
 well, I thought it was a free-for-all race, owners up, 
 and it might be a fair field and no favor." He finished 
 abruptly and in evident great embarrassment. Then 
 he rose and commenced pacing the floor. 
 
 " Hang it, Glenham ! if I am clumsy in my language 
 it s because because the thing has struck nearer home 
 than you imagine. I admired her from the very first, 
 but I did not know what it meant until until she 
 nearly slipped from her horse yesterday and fainted. 
 r 22* 
 
258 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 (Glenham winced as though stung, but still sat in si 
 lence.) I did not know what it meant to me, I did not 
 know what it meant to you until she lay there so white 
 and still, and you rode up with a face as white as her 
 own. Last night my eyes were further opened. I 
 won t tell you how ; it isn t necessary. Only this, Glen- 
 ham : if you think my conduct has been unfair or un 
 friendly, you can afford to forget it and forgive it now, 
 when I tell you that I have no earthly hope in the 
 matter, and that even if it were possible for me to win 
 a thought from her beyond beyond frank, friendly 
 liking or gratitude possibly for the simple piece of 
 luck yesterday, I wv>uld be a whelp to try and do it. 
 Why, Glenham, I haven t a cent in the world ; I m 
 swamped in debt. What, in God s name, have I to 
 offer her ? Last night I left her house perfectly satis 
 fied of two things, that she was the dearest thing on 
 earth to me, and that I wasn t worth two straws to her 
 or anybody else, probably. I haven t had a happy 
 night of it, man. I saw clear enough what was before 
 me, and I went down and played poker all night nearly 
 to keep from thinking of the thing, as though that 
 would do any good. It has just come to this, Glen 
 ham : I ve got to get away from here, and I m going. 
 I can t win I m not worth the love of that sweet girl, 
 and I won t stand in the way of a man who is worthy 
 and can. When I watched you at drill this morning 
 it all came over me, how you must have been cut up 
 by my goings on." And now Ray s voice was trem 
 bling, and a suspicious moisture was gathering in his 
 eyes. "Arthur, because I m not worth a woman s 
 love you need not think me unworthy a man s friend- 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 259 
 
 ship. Forgive me for the trouble I ve caused you, 
 old fellow, and let us be friends again." 
 
 " Ray, I I beg your pardon !" exclaimed Glenham, 
 springing from his seat, dashing his hand across his 
 eyes and seizing the outstretched gauntlet. " I was a 
 fool, I suppose. Everything seemed going against me. 
 I thought hang it ! I think now that there was no 
 chance for me. It turned me against everybody, T 
 suppose." 
 
 " Well, this ends the turn against me, does it not ?" 
 said Ray, with a wintry, cheerless smile, but still grasp 
 ing cordially the hand of his friend. " Fll soon be 
 out of your way, and she ll forget my my ebullition 
 of yesterday, if indeed she heard it at all." 
 
 " Why do you go at all, Ray ? What is that for ?" 
 
 " Because then I ll get away from seeing her every 
 day or hour. Lord, hoAV I wish there were a scout or 
 a shindy ! There s going to be a horse-board mighty 
 soon, and Wickham or Bright will help me on to that. 
 It s the only thing I know anything about. So now, 
 I m off." And he turned to the door despite Glen- 
 ham s efforts to detain him. There he turned again, 
 and, with a resumption of his old light, reckless man 
 ner, exclaimed, 
 
 " Pon my word, I feel more like a Christian since 
 we ve had this short talk than I have in months. Ar 
 thur, you have my blessing. Go in and win. That s 
 what I ll do, too, down at the store. Lucky at cards, 
 unlucky in love, you know. The Prescott crowd 
 rather scooped me last night, and I ll go down and 
 give them a riffle now." 
 
 " Then hold on one moment, Ray. I mean to drink 
 
260 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 your health, if it is against my rules. It s nothing but 
 sherry, but it s sherry you ll like." And from a locker 
 he produced a brown, portly bottle and some fragile 
 glasses. "These only come out on swell occasions, 
 Ray, but this is one I ll never forget." 
 
 " Never mind that, Glenham. Here s happiness and 
 success to you. Your devotion deserves it." 
 
 " Do you know, Ray, that s just what gets me," said 
 the junior, slaugily, but with sad earnestness, as he 
 set down his half-emptied glass. "Devotion don t 
 seem to do any good. I almost I almost believe I ve 
 been an abject slave since she since Miss Pelham 
 came out. It hurts me somehow." 
 
 For a moment Ray hesitated. Then he too set down 
 his wine-glass and pondered a few seconds, looking the 
 while at the trouble in Glenham s face. At last he 
 broke forth, 
 
 " I don t know what you ll think of what I say, but 
 pon my word, Glenham, I believe you ve hit on the 
 truth. There is such a thing as being too devoted, in 
 my opinion. Look here ! Did you see Truscott catch 
 that rascal of a Ranger yesterday ? You, you remem 
 ber, went galloping after him wherever he went; you 
 were all eagerness and excitement, just bent on catching 
 the scamp ; he saw it, knew it, and it was just fun to 
 him to lead you a race. Then Truscott hauled you off 
 and took the chase instead, and see how he managed it. 
 He just let on to Ranger that he didn t care a cuss 
 whether he was loose or not, might run to Halifax 
 for all he d do to stop him; he just rides off to one 
 side, and sure as a gun the horse turns right round 
 and goes running up to inquire what such indifference 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 26 1 
 
 means. I tell you, Glenham, lots of women are just 
 like horses; that is, the nice ones are, and I m paying 
 some of them a high compliment in saying so. Just so 
 long as you go tagging round after one she ll lead you 
 a dance all over creation ; it s all fun to -her : she s sure 
 of you, you know ; but haul off for a while and leave 
 her to herself, and let on that you ve tired of that sort 
 of thing and mean to swear off, you ll find that it will 
 bring her round if she cares anything whatever for 
 you. If she doesn t, why, the sooner you know it the 
 better. Now I ve been preaching, I suppose, but you 
 try it. Get every scouting detail you can ; don t mope 
 around the post. Now forgive my bhmtness, Glen- 
 ham, and and good luck, old fellow." 
 
 With that he was gone. 
 
 Some hours later Glenham s servant entered and 
 stood hesitatingly at the doorway. Glenham looked 
 up from his writing. " What is it?" he asked. 
 
 " Big scout going out, sir, two companies ; but it 
 ain t our fellows." 
 
 Down went pen and desk upon the floor, and, seizing 
 his forage-cap, Glenham rushed forth in search of Ray 
 and Truscott. Failing to find the adjutant at the office 
 he hurried to Ray s camp, where that young gentleman 
 was rubbing head, chest, and arms into a glow after a 
 cold bath. 
 
 " Come right in, Glenham. Didn t I say the luck 
 was bound to turn ? or did I prudently refrain for fear 
 it wouldn t ? This is going to be the boss scout of the 
 season, and now s your chance. I wouldn t miss it for 
 six months pay, and the Lord only knows what I 
 wouldn t do for that in spot cash." 
 
262 THE COLONEL 1 S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 " Just what I came to see you about, Ray. Do you 
 think you can get the colonel to let me go with you ?" 
 
 " I ll try it, anyhow. He will like you all the better 
 for wanting to go. I was struck all of a heap for a 
 minute when Truscott came down to warn me ; but even 
 poker pales before a chance like this." 
 
 " How d you come out ?" asked Glenham. 
 
 " Nearly even, after all ; and I d have knocked some 
 of those fellows endwise if there had been a little more 
 time. I was just hauling in the pots when Jack called 
 me out." 
 
 Ten minutes afterwards Hay departed on his mission 
 to the colonel s, with what success has already been 
 seen. Then a visit to Captain Canker had been in 
 order, and there too the diplomatic Ray, after a long 
 conversation, had carried his point, for Canker was one 
 of those peculiar company commanders (and there are 
 many who in this respect strongly resemble him) by 
 whom the subalterns attached to his troop are regarded 
 as a species of personal property, and it was not to be 
 supposed that such a concession as was asked for Mr. 
 Glenham could be granted without much demur and 
 without a long dissertation, in which his shortcomings 
 as a subaltern, and his captain s long suffering, patience, 
 and consideration as a commander, formed the subject 
 of the monologue. Ray listened with exemplary do 
 cility, and Truscott, who had come in to assist accord 
 ing to the colonel s directions, found that matters were 
 progressing favorably under Ray s management, and 
 went off to see Glenham himself. Meantime stable- 
 call had sounded, and all the officers were flocking 
 thither, when Mrs. Raymond s negro servant came 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 263 
 
 the parade. He handed Glenham a 
 note, which the young officer opened, glanced at the 
 single line which formed its contents, changed color, 
 paused irresolutely, and then turned and walked hur 
 riedly back to Captain Raymond s quarters. At the 
 door he was met by Mrs. Pelham, who eagerly beck 
 oned him in. Ten minutes after he appeared at stables, 
 and with painfully embarrassed manner accosted Trus- 
 cott, who was at the instant conversing with Canker, 
 while the colonel with several officers were entering 
 the " corral" of Tanner s troop. 
 
 " Jack, can I see you a moment ?" 
 
 " Excuse me, captain," said Truscott ; then stepping 
 to one side with Glenham, and noting with surprise the 
 changing color and downcast eye of his friend, "What 
 is it, Arthur ? Anything wrong ?" he asked, kindly. 
 
 "Is the order issued yet for me to go with this 
 scout ?" 
 
 " Not yet. It will be right after stables. Dana goes 
 too." 
 
 " Jack, I can t go/ 
 
 For a moment there was dead silence. Then Trus- 
 cott spoke, 
 
 " You know your own business best, Glenham ; but 
 did you not ask Kay to see the colonel and get you 
 detailed?" 
 
 "I did; yes. I I cannot explain it, but I ve 
 changed my mind. Something I had not foreseen 
 " He broke off abruptly, utterly unable to con 
 tinue, and without another word turned and walked 
 hurriedly into the stable enclosure. 
 
 " What s the matter with Glenham ?" asked Canker. 
 
264 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 " He has felt compelled to change his mind, and says 
 that he cannot go," replied Truscott, loyally striving to 
 smooth matters as much as possible for his friend. 
 " Fve no doubt he has very weighty reasons." And 
 with that he went to join the colonel. 
 
 Soon after retreat that evening, while yet the lin 
 gering hues of crimson and royal purple mantled the 
 jagged rocks that hemmed in the valley from the east, 
 a busy throng had gathered in the open space between 
 the quarters and the stables. Drawn up in single rank 
 were the horses of the two companies, Tanner s and 
 Ray s, while the men in their rough and serviceable 
 scouting-dress were nimbly darting about their steeds, 
 tightening "cinches," or more snugly strapping the 
 blankets or canteens that swung on the saddles. A 
 little distance away, huddled together in silence, were 
 the Apache scouts who were to accompany the com 
 mand, and behind them all, scattered here and there 
 over the sandy level, or clustering about the bell-horse 
 of the half-breed leader, were the hardy, devil-may- 
 care-looking little pack-mules. 
 
 Thronging about in their undress uniforms and over 
 coats (for die December air was chill) were the men of 
 the four troops who were not so lucky as to be of the 
 detail, all envious of their departing comrades, and, 
 soldier-like, nearly all indulging in much good-humored 
 chaff at the expense of the envied ones. 
 
 "It s old Skinnin Jim ye re after this time, Micky. 
 Luk out fur that beautiful crop o yours." An allu 
 sion to the vivid hirsute adornment of Private Michael 
 Mulligan that called forth a roar of applause. " Will 
 ye lave me your boots, Hoolihan ? It s the other end 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 265 
 
 of ye that ll need a bomb-proof." " Don t you get 
 kilt, Kelly; it ll ruin the sutler entirely/ etc. All 
 of which seemed to give infinite delight to the sur 
 rounding crowd, and not at all to discompose the mar 
 tial objects of the sallies. 
 
 Presently Lieutenants Ray and Dana rode up and 
 commenced a leisurely inspection of their commands, 
 putting an end to the fun and laughter. Darkness 
 was beginning to settle down upon the garrison, and 
 lanterns were called into requisition. Presently again 
 there appeared a large party, at sight of whom the 
 men respectfully drew back right and left, and, escorted 
 by a number of officers, Mrs. Raymond, Mrs. Turner, 
 the inevitable Mrs. Wilkins, and several others un 
 named in our chronicle made their appearance upon 
 the scene, all intent upon giving the command a 
 cheery God-speed upon its mission. Then came the 
 colonel with Grace leaning upon his arm, and instantly 
 she was swallowed up in the group of ladies, and for the 
 time being deprived of all opportunity of seeing what 
 was going on. She was aware of the fact that Mr. 
 Kay was standing near her laughingly chatting with 
 some of the ladies, and that Mr. Dana was waiting for 
 a chance to put in a word, but Mrs. Turner really 
 hadn t seen anything of her for an age, and Mrs. Ray 
 mond had certainly thought she meant to cut her ac 
 quaintance, and Mrs. Wilkins was dying to know why 
 Mrs. Pelham didn t come out to give the boys a send- 
 off, and between the three matrons and the two or three 
 damsels hovering about, all talking at once as was their 
 wont, or treading on the heels of one another s sen 
 tences, Grace was in such dire confusion that she would 
 M 23 
 
266 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 have turned gladly to Ray or Dana for relief, when 
 dead silence fell upon all as Mrs. Wilkins s voice pro 
 pounded the query, 
 
 " But where s little Glenham ? I thought he was to 
 go along." And then all feminine eyes were fixed upon 
 Grace. 
 
 Kay noted it, quick as a flash, and came to the res 
 cue. "Hadn t you heard, Mrs. Wilkins?" he said, 
 with a tone of weary indifference, indicative of a de 
 sire to drop the subject. " The order was not issued at 
 all." And then, laughingly, " Miss Pelham, am I not 
 to be allowed the customary luxury of last words be 
 fore going forth to deeds of derring do ? I want you 
 to see my troop, anyhow." And with quiet determi 
 nation he took her hand, placed it within his arm, and 
 led her out of the inquisitive group. 
 
 " Is Mr. Glenham not going ?" she gasped, the in 
 stant they were beyond ear-shot. 
 
 " Mr. Glenham is not going," he answered, in a low, 
 measured tone. 
 
 "Why?" 
 
 " He merely writes that an utterly unforeseen cir 
 cumstance has induced him to change his mind. I 
 have not seen him ; he did not come to dinner." And 
 wonderingly he looked into her face. It was evident 
 that she had heard the news for the first time, and was 
 more than perplexed. 
 
 " I hope you will keep up your riding, Miss Pel- 
 ham, while we are away. Tanner tells me that he 
 leaves Ranger here," said Ray, considerately, desirous 
 of changing the subject. 
 
 "Yes; so Mr. Hunter told me. Where is Cap- 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 267 
 
 tain Tanner ? I want to thank him and to say good- 
 by." 
 
 " Not here yet, and time s up, too. But I fancy it was 
 hard lines saying good-by to Mrs. Tanner and little 
 Rosalie. Here they come, though, Tanner and Truscott 
 both." And as he spoke two tall, manly forms passed 
 them in the gathering darkness and approached the 
 colonel. " We ll be off in a minute, Miss Gracie," said 
 Ray, and his voice lowered. " Wish me good luck." 
 
 She felt that his hand, now clasping hers, was trem 
 bling. She knew with all her woman s intuition that 
 with all his forced gayety of manner this parting was 
 no easy one to him. She liked him well, and felt 
 grateful for the tact that he had shown, more than 
 grateful for the skill and gallantry with which he had 
 so recently rescued her from a probable fate; but 
 though her heart beat throbbingly at the moment, if 
 was not for him; and the deep, dark, glorious eyes 
 looked beyond, though only in one furtive glance, and 
 sought the taller of the two forms now standing by her 
 father s side. For an instant she forgot the young sol 
 dier standing patiently before her. " Good-by, Miss 
 Gracie," he gently said; then with quick, impulsive 
 movement raised her hand to his lips, turned, and 
 sprang to his horse. The next moment he was in 
 saddle in front of his troop, and she had not even an 
 swered him. Irresolute she stood a moment, then she 
 saw her father shake Tanner warmly by the hand, and 
 the latter, putting his arm through Truscott s, drew him 
 to one side. She joined the colonel. 
 
 " Papa, I want to speak to Mr. Ray ; I haven t 
 hade him good-by. Come with me." 
 
268 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 " Why, certainly, daughter," he answered, as he led 
 her rapidly towards the spot where the lieutenant, 
 seated on his horse, was addressing some words to one 
 of his sergeants. " Here, Ray, my boy, Grace wants 
 to say good-by." And Ray was off his horse and on 
 his feet beside her in less than a second. 
 
 " You know I wish you all success and a speedy and 
 safe return, Mr. Ray," she said, as she held forth her 
 hand. " You will not like it, of course, if I say that 
 I almost hope you won t see an Indian the whole time 
 you are away." 
 
 " That would be the worst kind of luck, Miss Gracie. 
 Ah, Jack, is that you ? What ! good-by already ? I 
 thought you would see us off." 
 
 "So I had intended," said the deep voice she had 
 learned to know so well, as Truscott suddenly appeared 
 at her side. " Good-evening, Miss Grace. I had prom 
 ised myself the pleasure of escorting you out to see the 
 start, but found that you had already gone. Ray, I 
 have to attend to something for Tanner. Good-by and 
 good luck, old fellow." And with a warm clasp of the 
 hand for him, and uplifted cap and courteous bow for 
 her, he hurried away. Then came the ringing trumpet- 
 call, and Tanner s soldierly voice ordering "mount." 
 The colonel drew his daughter swiftly back, the men 
 swung into saddle, reformed ranks, and the next instant 
 were marching off in column of fours down the slope 
 to the south. There was no cheering, no noise, or con 
 fusion. In silent array they disappeared in the dark 
 ness, and the throng of spectators broke up and wan 
 dered homewards. For a few moments Grace was 
 detained by her father, who was talking with Major 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 269 
 
 Buckette, and several of the ladies compelled their 
 escorts to wait until she should be ready to start. Then, 
 as they walked across the parade in a group, there were 
 many invitations to come and sit a while on this and 
 that piazza, but Grace desired to see what had become 
 of her mother, and so declined. Mr. Hunter was walk 
 ing beside her, and escorted her to the door. "Do 
 come out again, Miss Pelham, and walk out on the 
 bluff with me. We can hear them as they ford the 
 stream," he urged. She ran tip-stairs, knocked at her 
 mother s door. A peevish voice bade her enter, and 
 she found her ladyship stretched upon the bed with her 
 night-lamp on the table. " You are not well, mother?" 
 she asked, gently. 
 
 " I am worried half to death, and have a splitting 
 headache," was the reply. 
 
 " Can I do nothing for you ? Can I not help you at 
 all?" 
 
 "You could help me vastly by coming to your senses. 
 Otherwise not," was the ungracious reply, and her lady 
 ship tossed impatiently over on her side. 
 
 Grace hesitated one moment; then saying, quietly, 
 " I will soon return to you, mother," left the room. 
 
 Mr. Hunter was waiting for her. Together they 
 strolled out in the starlight towards the edge of the 
 bluff in rear of the officers quarters. As they neared 
 the slope Grace became aware of two figures dimly 
 visible standing just before them ; one tall, stalwart, 
 soldierly, the other a slender, graceful, womanly form. 
 She knew both at a glance, and stopped short. As she 
 did so, loud, ringing, and clear, the trumpet signal 
 first call for tattoo rose on the air. Her companion 
 
 23* 
 
270 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 looked down in surprise at her abrupt stop, but she 
 never heeded him. Her eyes were fastened upon the 
 pair in front. Even as she gazed, even as the first 
 notes of the call swelled upon the breeze, she saw the 
 woman droop and sway ; saw him bending towards 
 her ; saw him fold her in his arms, and could bear no 
 more. " Oh, come away ! come away !" she hoarsely 
 whispered to Hunter, and plucking nervously at his 
 coat-sleeve, turned and fled. 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS 271 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 WHEN Mr. Truscott appeared at breakfast on the 
 following morning he was surprised at the extremely 
 cold manner in which Mr. Hunter returned his saluta 
 tion. Glenham he had not seen at all ; the boy had 
 risen early and gone off upon a lonely ride. But Trus 
 cott had too many things to think of to worry over a 
 fact that at another time would have attracted his 
 attention. Glenham had actually avoided him all the 
 previous evening as well. Bucketts, Carroll, Crane, 
 and the doctor greeted him as usual, and went on with 
 their speculations as to the probable result of the scout 
 just started, and Truscott, busied in his own reflections, 
 thought no more of Hunter s averted eye. "The 
 youngster possibly thinks he ought to have been sent 
 out instead of Dana, and that I m to blame/ was the 
 explanation that occurred to him. "He will think 
 better of it after a while." 
 
 Office-work over, he rose from his desk and went 
 with his usual straightforwardness to the colonel s and 
 rang at the bell. " Can I see Miss Pelham ?" he asked 
 of the servant. 
 
 " Miss Pelham is not able to leave her room, say to 
 Mr. Truscott," said the voice of her ladyship, at the 
 head of the stairs. 
 
 The adjutant stepped quickly into the hall and gazed 
 
272 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 aloft. " Miss Pelham is not seriously ill, I trust/ said 
 he, with evident anxiety in face and voice. 
 
 " She is far from well, and cannot see anybody," was 
 the reply, in a very stately and unsympathetic tone. 
 
 "I am extremely sorry to hear it, Mrs. Pelham. 
 Please express to her my sincere sympathy and regret/ 
 said he, and, hearing no response, reluctantly withdrew. 
 Leaving the house, looking anything but comforted, 
 Mr. Truscott turned in at an adjoining piazza, and 
 knocked at Captain Tanner s door. While waiting for 
 admission, something prompted him to look at the side 
 window of the colonel s quarters. As he did so, Mrs. 
 Pelham suddenly withdrew her peeping head, but he 
 had distinctly seen her. Inquiry of the answering 
 Abigail resulted in the information that Mrs. Tanner, 
 too, was indisposed, and had not left her room. " But 
 would Mr. Truscott stop in by and by ?" Mr. Truscott 
 said he would, and mean time proceeded to his own 
 quarters. 
 
 Passing Captain Turner s, he raised his cap in ac 
 knowledgment of the smiling greeting of the lady of 
 the house. She was eagerly conversing with young 
 Mr. Hunter, who looked away. At home he found 
 the house deserted. Glenham had returned evidently, 
 and was now probably engaged in some of his company 
 duties. Truscott unlocked his wardrobe and took there 
 from the pretty whip Grace had tossed him two days 
 before, seated himself in his easy-chair, and holding it 
 in his hands, gave himself up to thought. Two or 
 three of the greyhounds, finding the entrance open, 
 stole to his doorway and looked wistfully in, begging 
 for an invitation to come, but he did not see them. An 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 273 
 
 ambulance rattled past the house, and he heard laughter 
 and familiar voices, but paid no attention. For nearly 
 an hour he sat there thinking earnestly, or perhaps at 
 times only idly dreaming. At last he rose, replaced 
 the dainty whip in the wardrobe, seated himself at the 
 desk, and wrote a brief note, closed, sealed, and ad 
 dressed it to " Miss Pelham, Camp Sandy," and as the 
 noonday call was sounding from the guard-house, sent 
 the note by the hands of the office orderly. It had 
 been a dreary morning to him, but it had been worse 
 for Glenham. 
 
 To begin with, the latter felt utterly certain that the 
 whole garrison was talking about him. He knew well 
 that Ray had told several officers that he, Glenham, 
 had applied to be ordered out on the scout. It was 
 known all over the post before stable-call, for, had not 
 Mrs. Pelham heard it while at the Raymonds ? and had 
 not his own servant come in to know what things the 
 lieutenant would take in his pack, and couldn t he, too, 
 go along ? And then at the eleventh hour he had most 
 inexplicably backed out. Full well he knew the flood 
 of conjecture, gossip, and talk to which his sudden 
 change of mind would give rise. Full well he realized 
 that among the officers he would be regarded with grave 
 disappointment, among the men as a milksop, and 
 among the ladies of the garrison as legitimate prey for 
 all their questionings and insinuations. The fact thai 
 Mrs. Raymond was the only one who, up to late in the 
 previous evening, had any idea of the real cause of his 
 conduct was not fraught with especial comfort ; for the 
 absolute inability of that fascinating but volatile young 
 matron to keep anything to herself was only too well 
 
274 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 appreciated throughout the th. Within twenty-four 
 hours, therefore, he counted on the story being told with 
 a score of exasperating embellishments all over the post, 
 and was furthermore certain that the next day s mail 
 for Prescott would go up laden with a dozen letters 
 from as many feminine pens ; the story of his " break 
 down" so he regarded it being the one topic. He 
 hated himself, hated, or began to hate, the woman 
 whose influence had brought the thing about. He felt 
 ashamed to look his colonel in the face, and he alone 
 of all the officers of the post failed to put in an ap 
 pearance when Tanner s com mand marched away. Nev 
 ertheless, he was utterly, miserably in love, poor boy ; 
 and, like many another poor boy under similar cir 
 cumstances, he rated ambition, professional pride, the 
 " qu en dira-t-on f of Mrs. Grundy, everything any 
 thing as naught in comparison with what had been set 
 before him as the inevitable consequence of his going 
 away at this critical juncture, the loss of the lady of 
 his love. 
 
 And this was the terrific whip held over him by that 
 prospective mother-in-law. 
 
 Mrs. Pelham heard the news of Glenham s applica 
 tion as she sat with Mrs. Raymond during her after 
 noon visit ; the captain himself had come in with the 
 information. Startled as she was, madame had kept 
 her wits about her, and even while conversing with 
 her host and hostess had managed to review the situa 
 tion and to decide on her plan of action. Well she 
 knew that, despite all her efforts to connect Mr. Trus- 
 cott s name in a dishonorable affair with Mrs. Tan 
 ner, she had not been able to more than temporarily 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 275 
 
 shake the confidence in and respect for him which she 
 saw to be daily growing in Grace s heart. She had 
 marked all too plainly the girl s glad welcome of her 
 soldierly friend, and the glow of happiness in her face 
 on her return from her ride. Then there was this mis 
 erable affair of Ralph s. If the truth concerning that, 
 were to leak out at all, her hopes, her plans, were 
 dashed to earth, for now she felt assured that Truscott, 
 not Glenham, had been her son s benefactor. Oh, what 
 an idiotic blunder she had made in her wrath ! Why 
 had she ever mentioned that matter, or shown Ralph s 
 letter to the colonel ? He would only probe it to the 
 bottom, find out that he was even more indebted to 
 Truscott than he supposed ; then Grace would be told 
 the story, and that would be the end of everything. 
 Poor perturbed lady ! She could stand the contem 
 plation of such disaster no longer. Not only her plans 
 would fail, but she herself must infallibly be exposed 
 to the contempt of her husband and, perhaps, that of 
 her own daughter, for whom she had been plotting, 
 manoeuvring, and lying all this time. 
 
 Prompt measures alone would avail her. She must 
 see Glenham, and see him at once. Not at home, for 
 there she knew the colonel, Grace, and probably others 
 to be at that moment. Mrs. Raymond would befriend 
 her she felt sure. What wouldn t that politic lady do 
 to curry favor with so ruthless an old agitator? 
 
 " I want to see Mr. Glenham at once. May I send 
 for him to come here?" she hurriedly asked. 
 
 "Why, of course. Sam will run and tell him. 
 There goes stable-call now," said Mrs. Raymond. 
 
 Her ladyship seized a scrap of paper. " Come to 
 
276 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 me instantly at Captain Raymond s," she wrote, and 
 away went Sam with the brief, mandatory missive. 
 What need of explanation ? thought she ; had he not 
 promised to obey her implicitly ? Quickly as he came, 
 he could hardly come quickly enough. She met him 
 at the door, and ushered him into the vacant parlor. 
 Mrs. Raymond had withdrawn, of course, but, oh, 
 how she hoped that madame s voice would reach the 
 adjoining room in tones so loud that she could not help 
 hearing ! 
 
 But Mrs. Pelham did not speak loud. In low, hur 
 ried, impressive tones she told Arthur Glenham in 
 plain words that his one chance of winning Grace lay 
 in his remaining at the garrison. " It is madness tc 
 think of going now, at the very moment when her 
 heart is beginning to feel its dependence upon you," 
 she said. He glanced up quickly, a wild hope in his 
 young eyes. " I know it," she continued. " She has 
 almost confessed as much to me. But if you go, you 
 subject her at once to the attentions of a man who is 
 no true friend of yours, and whom she is too innocent 
 to fathom." 
 
 " What who do you mean ?" he gasped. 
 
 " Y oar friend, Mr. Truscott." 
 
 He started as though struck. " I can believe no 
 wrong of Truscott," he said. " He is my most trusted 
 friend, but I never mentioned this this to him until 
 last night." 
 
 " Mark my words, though. You go at your own 
 risk. Even the colonel is reluctant to have you go now 
 /shall say not another word to warn you. It is only 
 because of my promise to you that I have brought my- 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 277 
 
 self to do this. If you love Grace and would win her, 
 stay ! If not, go !" 
 
 And of course he stayed. 
 
 Despite Mrs. Pel ham s "worry and headache," a 
 number of officers and ladies gathered in the colonel s 
 parlor soon after tattoo the night that Tanner s command 
 marched away. Fleeing from the spot where she and 
 her escort had plainly seen Mr. Truscott and Mrs. Tan 
 ner, Grace had called all her pride and pluck into requi 
 sition, and finding her father with one or two of his 
 cronies standing on the piazza, she had begged them to 
 come into the parlor. 
 
 " Yes, do come/ urged the colonel, and " Grace will 
 give us some music." And so it had happened that quite 
 a number of the young people had gathered there, and 
 for over an hour mirth, music, and laughter had reigned 
 supreme. Never had Grace seemed so winsome, so full 
 of life and gayety. She sang for them again and again, 
 and sang gloriously; her voice rich, clear, and true, 
 seemed more thrilling than ever, and they would not 
 let her stop. Twice the colonel bent to kiss her and 
 praise her singing. And she, looking up in his face, 
 answered so that only he could hear, " If it please 
 you, father ; I care for no one else." In the midst of 
 it all who should enter but Truscott. She was singing 
 at the moment, but the colonel welcomed him cordially, 
 and Mrs. Turner motioned him to a seat by her side. 
 The instant the song was finished he rose and went for 
 ward ; but before he could speak Miss Pelham, too, had 
 risen, and with perfect ease and the most radiant smile, 
 exclaimed, "This is indeed an honor, Mr. Truscott. 
 You have been so confirmed a recluse that an evening 
 
 24 
 
278 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 visit from you is more than a rarity." Then she turned 
 instantly to reply to several requests for another song, 
 laughingly protesting that they must leave at least one 
 or two for some other occasion ; and Truscott noted 
 with vague uneasiness and disappointment that the little 
 hand so carelessly extended had barely touched his, and 
 was cold as ice. 
 
 During the rest of the brief half-hour he listened 
 with delight to her singing when she sang, and watched 
 the grace and cordiality of her manner among the 
 guests with growing admiration, but not one word more 
 was vouchsafed him. It was soon time to go, for others 
 were going, and not even a good-night pressure of the 
 hand could he gain. Mrs. Turner had absolutely taken 
 his arm after saying farewell, and Grace, quickly noting 
 the circumstance, had seized her opportunity. 
 
 "Ah! you going, too, Mr. Truscott? Good-night." 
 And with the words she turned her attention to other 
 departing guests. But when all were gone, and her 
 father would have detained her a few moments, she 
 hurriedly kissed his ruddy forehead and wished him 
 pleasant dreams, darted up the stairs and into her own 
 room, locked the door, threw herself upon the bed, and 
 burst into a passion of tears. 
 
 Late the following afternoon, and not until late, she 
 appeared in the parlor. A violent headache had been 
 her excuse for remaining in her room all day, but she 
 was wide awake when Truscott called, and as her 
 mother stepped to the head of the stairs, she had list 
 ened to that brief conversation with strained attention. 
 She could not help noting the earnest anxiety in his 
 voice, and a thrill of gladness for an instant possessed 
 
WINNING HIS SPUKS. 279 
 
 her. Then she recalled the scene of the previous night, 
 and then again her mother s voice was heard in the 
 adjoining room, " And now he is going into Mrs. Tan 
 ner s." And Grace hardened her heart against him in 
 bitter, jealous pain. Gladly would she have shunned 
 all eyes that day, but the Raymonds and Mr. Glenham 
 had been invited by Mrs. Pelham to dinner, so rise and 
 dress she had to. Once during the morning the colonel 
 had come in to kiss and cheer her, but she shrank from 
 all conversation with her mother, and lay perfectly still, 
 as though striving to sleep, whenever that lady entered ; 
 but at noon she heard the servant coming up the stairs 
 after answering the door-bell, and with a " sh-sh-sh" 
 of caution, Mrs. Pelham had swooped out from her 
 own room and taken possession of the tiny note that 
 Grace could not see. No wonder that Truscott received 
 no answer that day, that the tiny note never was an 
 swered. At stables he learned from the colonel that 
 she was better, and " had been resting quietly," but that 
 was all. It had been his intention to have a talk with 
 Glenham after dinnei, and on returning from stables he 
 found the latter getting into his full uniform. They 
 had not met before during the day. 
 
 "What s that for, Glenham?" he asked. "There 
 is no parade to-night." 
 
 " Dinner at the colonel s," was the brief reply. 
 
 " Indeed ! I hope Miss Pelham is well enough to 
 be down, then." 
 
 " She was looking well as ever when I saw her ten 
 minutes ago," was the dry response; and Truscott, 
 pained and stung, he hardly knew why, decided 
 that he would postpone what he had to say to Glenham. 
 
280 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 He spent the evening alone, and it was after eleven, 
 and he had gone to bed, when he heard Glenham re 
 turn. It used to be the practice of the latter when he 
 came in late and found no one in their sitting-room to 
 go to Jack s door and see if he had turned in ; but this 
 night he never stopped an instant ; and Truscott, lying 
 sleepless for hours afterwards, and thinking over the 
 events of the past few days, felt sadly assured that in 
 many ways the course of his true love was to run no 
 smoother than was proverbially the case. 
 
 The next was a busy day in the office. Truscott 
 stopped at the colonel s on the way thither to in 
 quire after Miss Pelham, and was told by the servant 
 that she was much better, and at the moment at break 
 fast. The colonel himself remained but a few moments 
 at headquarters, and yet Truscott s practised eye saw at 
 once that something had gone very wrong with him. 
 He was looking anxious and harassed, and replied to 
 the few questions addressed him by the adjutant with 
 evident constraint. All the morning and much of the 
 afternoon Truscott was chained to the desk, engaged 
 with the sergeant-major and the clerks on some im 
 portant papers ; but shortly before stables he called at 
 the colonel s, and inquired if he could see Miss Pel- 
 ham. He heard the rustle of feminine garments in 
 the parlor as the servant ushered him through the hall, 
 but it was vacant when he entered, and the door lead 
 ing to the dining-room was closed ; the piano was open, 
 and on the rack was a favorite song of Miss Pelham s, 
 Millard s " Waiting." On the piano was a cavalry 
 forage-cap, Glenham s. In a moment the servant re 
 turned. " Miss Pelham is lying down, and begs to be 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 281 
 
 excused," was the message ; and with a deep, dull pain, 
 and a sense of injury he could not define rankling in 
 his heart, Jack Truscott turned and left the parlor. 
 He never entered it again. 
 
 Late that evening two soldiers of Captain Tanner s 
 troop rode into garrison, went at once to the adjutant s 
 quarters, and delivered a package addressed in the cap 
 tain s handwriting to Truscott. Opening it he fcund a 
 letter for himself, a second addressed to Tanner s busi 
 ness agent in San Francisco, a third to Mrs. Tanner. 
 Sending the men to their quarters he rapidly read the 
 first note, and for a few moments remained buried in 
 thought. Then he started, looked at his watch, once 
 more glanced at his note, and, taking all three in his 
 hand, left the house. 
 
 Meantime, what has become of Mrs. Tanner ? Just 
 how she bore the tidings that her husband was to be 
 torn from her at the very day and hour when she most 
 needed his loving caresses, just what that parting cost 
 her, just how long, dreary, and tear-laden was the 
 night that followed the departure of his command, and 
 how desolate and sad the succeeding day, no words 
 could tell ; and, fortunately enough, the poor powers 
 of this narrator would fall too far short of adequate 
 description to render the faintest attempt pardonable. 
 There are some sorrows too sacred for prying eyes to 
 look upon ; too deep, too holy, for any record save that 
 of the All-Merciful on high. Is it compensation ? is 
 it, can it be sufficient to the eye of faith upturned in 
 dumb, yet patient, prayerful agony, that He who giveth 
 only to take away, notes with loving pity every sob and 
 tear, and only chasteneth because He loveth ? Ah ! I 
 
 24* 
 
282 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 fear me there be mothers who cannot fathom the depths 
 of a love so infinite, mothers to whom the prattle and 
 petting of some sweet, sunny-haired baby were worth 
 far more than a love infinite indeed, yet infinitely be 
 yond them. Bow and bend and bear it as they may, 
 is there a mother-heart so utterly sanctified by grief, I 
 wonder, as to be able to feel the utter resignation of the 
 words the quivering, kiss-robbed lips so meekly strive 
 to frame," Thy will be done" ? Perhaps so. Pos 
 sibly it was so with her whose lot it was to be bereft of 
 the idols of her gentle life ; to be left lone, desolate, 
 wellnigh deserted in her bereavement ; to be shunned 
 by those whose hands were not worthy to unlatch the 
 very shoes upon her feet, whose lips were too sullied to 
 breathe the least holy, womanly, wifely thought that 
 ever found birth in her pure and humble soul. Let us 
 leave her with her grief and her God. It was practi 
 cally what Camp Sandy did. 
 
 The Raymonds and Mr. Glenham had dined at 
 Colonel Pelham s, as has been seen, and it will be re 
 membered that Mr. Hunter was in earnest conversa 
 tion with Mrs. Turner that morning. Very soon after 
 Hunter s departure Mrs. Turner had run over to Mrs. 
 Raymond s. Later in the day Mrs. Wilkins in a high 
 state of excitement was observed to be imparting some 
 intelligence to no less than three ladies over on Captain 
 Canker s piazza. That night after dinner Mrs. Ray 
 mond had a long whispered conversation with Lady 
 Pelham on the sofa, while Grace was trying to sing for 
 the benefit of the adoring Glenham, who hung raptur 
 ously about the piano. Later still Mrs. Pelhara had 
 inflicted a curtain-lecture upon the colonel which robbed 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 283 
 
 him of sleep, and in course of which she gave him a 
 piece of information that made him utterly wretched. 
 The next morning on his return from the office he had 
 sought Grace, and after a few moments conversation, 
 in which he had shown grievous embarrassment, he had 
 taken her in his arms, saying, "Grace, my darling, 
 sometimes I think I can believe nobody but you. For 
 God s sake, tell me that this story I have heard of what 
 you and Mr. Hunter saw is not true !" And she, look 
 ing wildly up in his face one moment, exclaimed, in 
 horror-stricken tones, " Oh, father, he cannot have told 
 it !" and burst into a passion of hysterical tears. 
 
 Then poor Pelham knew it was true. He did not 
 go to stables that afternoon : he did not want to see 
 Truscott. He shut himself in his "den," as a sort 
 of study and smoking-room of his was called, and 
 strove to think. When the adjutant reported the com 
 mand present at tattoo, he merely replied, " Very well, 
 sir," and abruptly re-entered the house. And when 
 ten o clock came and the trumpet-call for extinguish 
 ing lights wailed through the garrison, its notes sounded 
 like a knell to his honest heart. Ah, how many there 
 were to whom the notes were even sadder ! All be 
 cause a weak-minded boy had not sense enough to hold 
 his tongue. 
 
 " You don t seem to like Mr. Truscott," Mrs. Turner 
 had remarked to Mr. Hunter that morning. " Why, I 
 thought he was the Admirable Crichton himself." 
 
 Now Mr. Hunter was Mrs. Turner s latest victim. 
 The young fellow was dancing around the limited 
 circle of which her apron-string was the radius much 
 of his time, and he was jealous of her admiration for 
 
284 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 Truscott, and was not a youth of profound good taste 
 or discretion in any event. 
 
 " I don t like any man who is two-faced/ was his 
 surly reply. 
 
 " But I always thought Mr. Truscott the personifica 
 tion of honor and straightforwardness," she persisted. 
 
 " He may be, only his way doesn t strike me as emi 
 nently high-toned," was the answer. And in ten min 
 utes she had deftly extracted his story from his not 
 unwilling lips and sent him about his business. This 
 was the delicious plum she carried to Mrs. Raymond, 
 and it needs no dilation now to tell how the plum 
 expanded by the time it reached the colonel. 
 
 No wonder no lady had called to see how poor little 
 Mrs. Tanner was on either of the two days succeeding 
 her husband s departure. 
 
 All that evening the colonel sat alone in his den. It 
 was late, eleven o clock, when the wife of his bosom 
 suggested his going to bed. She herself had been 
 having a long chat with Mr. Glenham, despite the fact 
 that she had monopolized him during much of the 
 afternoon. Grace was indeed up-stairs when Truscott 
 called, but it was Mrs. Pelham, not she, who sent the 
 message that she was lying down. But the colonel 
 would not go to bed. 
 
 " I cannot sleep now, Dolly. I want to think. The 
 mail goes up to Prescott first thing to-morrow morning, 
 and I must write two letters." 
 
 It must have been long after midnight when at last; 
 he rose, and, with a drawn, wearied look upon his face, 
 extinguished the lights and went to his room. Even 
 then he stood for some little time at his window, look- 
 
WINNTNO nis SPURS. 285 
 
 ing out upon the starry sky to the southward. Sud 
 denly he heard quick footsteps crossing the parade from 
 the direction of the office. Somebody bounded up on 
 the piazza, and instantly the clang of the bell, thrice 
 repeated, resounded through the house. Pelham quickly 
 waddled down and opened the door. 
 
 " Who is it?" he sharply asked. 
 
 " Corcoran, sir. It s an important despatch, and I 
 brought it right over. It s lucky I sleep next to the 
 instrument, or we might not have got it until morning, 
 sir." 
 
 " Come in," said Pelham. And leading the way to 
 the parlor, he struck a light, tore open the envelope, 
 and hastily read the contents. 
 
 " Go and wake the adjutant at once, and tell him I 
 want him," he said. And Corcoran was off without a 
 word. 
 
 The next moment Grace s light footstep was heard 
 upon the stair, and in a loose, warm wrapper, she stol* 1 
 hastily in upon him. 
 
 " What is it, papa? I could not call for fear of 
 waking mother, and I was anxious." 
 
 " A very important message from the general with 
 instructions for Tanner s command. Instructions he 
 must get at once, too," said the colonel, "and there 
 isn t a scout in the garrison." 
 
 " What can you do ?" she asked, anxiously. 
 
 " I don t know yet ; I ve sent for the adjutant," he 
 stammered. He could not explain it, but he could not 
 then pronounce his name in her presence. Again he 
 read the despatch. 
 
 " Advices just received from Stryker prove Eski- 
 
286 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 minzin to be near Diamond Butte. Send couriers after 
 Tanner at once and turn him that way. Indians are 
 strongly reinforced and making for Green Valley. 
 Hold entire command in readiness to move at moment s 
 notice. What force has Tanner? Acknowledge re 
 ceipt." 
 
 He handed it to her. " You may read it, Grace. I 
 had thought all this was at an end, but you never can tell. 
 There be agents and agents. It looks like another 
 general outbreak." 
 
 The sweet face paled a little as the curt, business 
 like wording of the despatch met her eyes. Then she 
 looked up. 
 
 " Do not speak of it to any one," he said. " Your 
 mother sometimes forgets that these are not matters for 
 talk. But what keeps Corcoran?" he asked, impa 
 tiently, and stepped forth upon the piazza. Despite 
 the chill night air, Grace threw his heavy cloak around 
 her and followed him, linking her arm through his and 
 nestling close to his side. 
 
 " It is all so exciting, and yet, I can t help it, I like 
 it," she said. 
 
 " You re quite a soldier, Gracie," he answered, fondly. 
 " I believe you were cut out for the army, despite your 
 mother s predilections for civil life. Here comes Cor 
 coran on the run, as usual. Did you find him ?" he 
 asked. 
 
 " No, sir. He isn t there at all." 
 
 "What?" said Pelham, with sudden vehemence. 
 " Not there ? Are you sure ?" 
 
 "Sure, sir. Mr. Glenhara got up and we went 
 through the house. He isn t there, and all is dark 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 287 
 
 down at the store " And Corcoran paused irres 
 olutely. 
 
 " Go and call the officer of the day, Captain Canker, 
 quick," said the colonel, shortly. 
 
 Then there was silence. He put his arm around his 
 daughter s waist, and she, shivering, though not from 
 cold, nestled closer to him. From the guard-house 
 arose the prolonged cry of the sentry, " Number one, 
 one o clock." And one after another the sentries took 
 up the call before Corcoran returned. Behind him, 
 with clanking sabre, came Captain Canker. 
 
 " Have you any idea where Truscott can be ?" was 
 the immediate question from the colonel s lips. 
 
 Before the astonished officer could reply, the door of 
 Captain Tanner s quarters, close beside them, opened. 
 A broad light shone forth upon the parade, and, calm 
 and erect, the adjutant stepped quickly from the hall. 
 The door closed behind him. With one bound Grace 
 Pelham tore herself from her father s arm and fled up 
 stairs. 
 
 "You are calling me, colonel. What is it?" the 
 deep, grave voice was heard to ask, and Mr. Truscott 
 stood before his commanding officer. 
 
 For an instant no one spoke. Pelham fairly stag 
 gered. Canker s face bore an expression of virtnoug 
 amaze and indignation. Truscott alone looked self- 
 possessed. 
 
 " Mr. Truscott," at last said the colonel, with evident 
 effort, and very gravely, " I have been sending every 
 where for you." (A conventional statement which 
 many a post commander considers it justifiable to make 
 when the desired officer doesn t happen to be in the 
 
288 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 first place he is looked for.) " It is necessary to send a 
 courier to Tanner at once, some one who will be sure 
 to find him. A most important despatch is received, 
 and it must get to him quick as possible. Who can 
 take it?" 
 
 "lean, sir." 
 
 "But I don t want to send you. Stop, though," 
 said the colonel, and a sudden thought seemed to flash 
 across his mind. The look of deep trouble, of stern, 
 startled resolution, was still upon his face. " I wish 
 you would go. It is best you should. I I mean it 
 is of such moment that I like to intrust it to no one 
 but an officer." 
 
 " I can start inside an hour, colonel, and can catch 
 him before the next sunset." 
 
 " Then take any escort you like, and get ready at 
 once. Bucketts will act for you in your absence. I 
 will be at the office." And Truscott turned and left, 
 turned suddenly again at Tanner s quarters, and knocked 
 lightly at the door. It was opened at once, and he 
 entered. The colonel and Captain Canker gazed after 
 him in silence. Then their eyes met. " Come into the 
 parlor, Canker," said the colonel, hoarsely, and led the 
 way. " Corcoran, go and wake the sergeant-major, and 
 send the orderly trumpeter to report to the adjutant. 
 Wake Major Bucketts and say no, never mind waking 
 anybody else. Come in, captain." And the colonel 
 closed his door. 
 
 In five minutes Mr. Truscott reappeared on the 
 piazza, and Mrs. Tanner followed him. "You will 
 stop for the letter ?" she anxiously asked. 
 
 " Certainly," he answered, and was gone. 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 
 
 At two o clock in the morning three horsemen rode 
 rapidly away from the adjutant s office down the slope 
 to the southward. With them were two led horses. 
 Jack Truscott had started on his dangerous mission. 
 
*><)0 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR. 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 DOWN in a deep valley close under the frowning 
 cliffs of the Mogollon range a cavalry detachment has 
 gone into bivouac. The setting sun flashes upon tree- 
 top and rocky spur above, and throws into bold prom 
 inence the long expanse of rugged precipice that spans 
 the view far as eye can reach. To right and left it 
 stretches, a barrier grim and impassable, shutting off 
 all view towards the east. Northward and southward 
 are the foot-hills, lofty in themselves, but dwarfed by 
 the great height of the palisaded crest in front. All 
 are densely wooded, covered with short, stunted but 
 hardy pine, juniper, and scrub-oak, while down in the 
 deep interlying valleys and narrow carious tall cotton- 
 woods rear their heads. It is in a grove of these that 
 the men have unsaddled, and now, as twilight settles 
 upon the scene, and the herd -guards are doubled around 
 the grazing steeds and pack-mules, the glow of the 
 camp-fire is visible down under the stream-bank, whence 
 its light cannot be detected beyond the narrow limits of 
 the bivouac. The ruddy glare falls upon the faces of 
 three or four busy soldiers, the cooks pro tempore of the 
 command, but almost to a man the other troopers are 
 gathered about two dusty, weary-looking non-commis 
 sioned officers who have just dismounted and are now 
 unsaddling their jaded horses. The merry, reckless 
 
WINNING 1IIS SPURS. 291 
 
 chaff is stilled ; a marked silence has fallen upon all ; 
 the men converse in quiet tones. Even the horses have 
 an air of mysterious caution about them, and the In 
 dian allies, crouching or squatting under the trees, are 
 gazing fixedly, but without a word to one another, upon 
 the group of soldiery. Even while questioning the 
 new-comers and listening eagerly to their replies, some 
 of the troopers keep constantly in view a party of five 
 men standing aloof engaged in earnest conversation. 
 One of them, the tallest, is unbuckling belt and spur 
 as he stands leaning against a broad cotton wood. He 
 lifts his broad-brimmed scouting-hat and passes his 
 hand across his white forehead with an air of evident 
 fatigue, but continues his quiet talk to the others. It 
 is Jack Truscott, and around him are Tanner, Ray, 
 Dana, arid the doctor. Since two o clock in the morn 
 ing he has been in pursuit, through mountain-pass, 
 through dark and gloomy canon, through wilds only 
 well known to the infesting Apaches, through lairs 
 where every moment he might expect to hear their 
 vengeful yell and the crack of rifle or whiz of arrow ; 
 but even as he promised and predicted, before the set 
 ting of another sun he has accomplished his mission, 
 and the despatches are now in Tanner s hands. He has 
 read them, and, pondering over their contents, is still 
 eagerly listening to Truscott s talk. 
 
 " Could you tell how many there were ?" he asked. 
 
 " No," said Truscott. " But it was evident that they 
 had been there to fill their ottas, and it must be that 
 their main body is somewhere among the high peaks, 
 within a mile or two of the water." 
 
 " What a blessed piece of luck ! We passed up the 
 
292 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 valley on the other side, and might never have seen it. 
 Who knows what time the moon will be up ?" 
 
 " Eight thirty," answered Ray. 
 
 "Then we want supper for all hands first thing. 
 Jack, you must be hungry as a wolf. Ray, Dana, let 
 your men fill their canteens and take along a couple 
 of days bacon and hard-tack. See that every man 
 has fifty rounds carbine cartridges and enough for his 
 revolver. We start afoot at moonrise. There will be 
 time for some of them to get a nap. Doctor, two of 
 the men will carry what you want." And with that 
 Captain Tanner proceeded to stow his despatches in his 
 scouting note-book, and briefly to note in pencil the 
 events of the day. In ten minutes the entire bivouac, 
 officers and men, were eagerly disposing of a substan 
 tial supper with the zest only mountain appetites and 
 the vivid uncertainty as to when or where the next 
 might be obtainable can impart. 
 
 Then as pipes were filled and lighted, Tanner, Trus- 
 cott, and Ray, stretched at ease upon their blankets, 
 fell into further discussion. 
 
 " What time did Mills and Lewis get in ?" asked 
 Tanner, referring to the two soldiers who had been 
 sent back with despatches the day before. 
 
 " It must have been soon after ten," said Truscott. 
 " I found Mrs. Tanner still up and dressed, and she 
 got the papers at once." 
 
 "I m sorry to have put you to so much trouble, 
 Jack. It must have been some hours work. Why, 
 man alive, you cannot have had a wink of sleep for 
 thirty-six hours or more. I never thought of it." 
 
 " Never mind that," said Truscott, laughingly. " It 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 293 
 
 was good luck. If your note had not come I would 
 have been asleep when this despatch reached Sandy, 
 and the colonel would have sent somebody else. Then 
 too if it had not come I would have followed on your 
 trail, or whoever came would have done so, instead of 
 taking the short cut by Hardscrabble and Jaycox Pass, 
 and so would have missed these signs entirely. 77 
 
 " All the same you need rest. Of course, now that 
 you are here, you ll want to go with us on the night- 
 hunt ; but you can sleep till nine or ten and follow. 
 Sergeant Kane can go with the Apache-Mohaves and 
 show the signs. We ll follow the old tactics, of course, 
 attack at daybreak." 
 
 " All right," said Truscott, as he knocked the ashes 
 out of his pipe ; and rolling over, burying his face in 
 his arms, he was soon sound asleep. 
 
 Tanner and Ray smoked in silence a while, busied in 
 their reflections. Dana, a few yards away, was writing 
 what appeared to be a letter. The doctor was busy 
 about his pannier, getting ready lint, bandages, and the 
 ominous-looking supplies of his department. Some 
 distance farther the men were chatting in low tones 
 under the trees, kicking off their cavalry boots and 
 spurs and pulling on Indian moccasins as more suit 
 able for the work before them, and overhauling their 
 arms and ammunition-belts. Out in the glade the 
 herds were restfully grazing, while here and there on 
 the outskirts could be heard the subdued voices of the 
 guards as they rebuked some straggling quadruped, 
 while the muffled tinkle of the bells on the necks of 
 the lead-horses of each company s pack-train, and the 
 occasional snap of burning twig or stamp of hoof, were 
 25* 
 
294 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 the only sounds that a hundred yards away would have 
 betrayed the presence of the command. 
 
 " Truscott ought to be fairly used up, Ray," said 
 Tanner, finally. " Fve a great mind to steal off and 
 leave him sleeping here with the camp-guard to take 
 charge of him." 
 
 " You would not get far away before he would be 
 striding after you," said Ray, with a grin. " But what 
 kept him up all last night ? I did not understand." 
 
 " Why, that was my doing, confound it !" answered 
 Tanner. " I had promised to send copies of certain 
 important papers to San Francisco, and was ordered off 
 in a hurry, and well, it escaped my attention, for it 
 was particularly hard to leave my wife just at this 
 time. So when the doctor sent- Lewis back sick, I 
 wrote to Jack and asked him to get them off by first 
 mail for me. I supposed that he would have them 
 copied by a clerk ; but the mail went this morning, 
 and in order to get them off he and Mrs. Tanner had 
 to sit up till after midnight and make the copies. It 
 isn t the first time he has had to look after my affairs 
 for me. I fancy Jack knows more about my business 
 matters than any agent I ever had ; and, glad as I am 
 to see him, I wish he hadn t come away from Sandy 
 just now." 
 
 Ray looked up inquiringly. 
 
 " You didn t know it, I suppose, Ray, but the night 
 we marched away, almost the very hour, was the night 
 five years ago we lost our little Bertie. It is a wretched 
 anniversary to my poor wife, and always upsets her. 
 She never has any intimates or particularly warm 
 friends among the ladies somehow, and Truscott has 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 295 
 
 been about the only real comrade we ve ever had. She 
 thinks all the world of him, for he nursed Bertie 
 through one severe attack while I was away, and he 
 was the only soul to sympathize with her the night we 
 marched. It hurts me to think how lonely these days 
 must be to her and poor little Rosalie." And the 
 bronzed, bearded face turned away from the firelight. 
 
 Ray rose impulsively. " Why in thunder hadn t I 
 thought of this, Tanner? I wish all the more now 
 
 that Why ! why didn t Jack tell Pelham ? Oh, 
 
 of course you forbade him, but all the same I would 
 have let him know. Never mind, old man, we ll give 
 these reds a trouncing to-morrow and then hurry back 
 for Christmas, and give Rosalie an out-and-out merry 
 one." 
 
 " God grant it !" said Tanner, gravely. And Ray 
 wondering at the earnestness, the solemnity of his tone, 
 fell to thinking of their conversation. It had made a 
 deep impression upon his light, careless nature, and he 
 long remembered every word. Well was it that he did 
 so! 
 
 At last, looking eagerly aloft among the tree-tops, 
 Tanner notes the faint, shimmering, silvery touch of 
 moonlight. All at the base of the Mogollon is still 
 deep shadow. He rises from the blankets in which he 
 has rolled himself and looks around. At his feet, 
 sleeping like children, are Truscott and Ray. Under 
 a neighboring cottonwood lies Dana, but not asleep. It 
 is too new an experience to him, and the proximity of 
 the doctor s kit of murderous-looking implements is 
 not conducive to placid reflections. All along under 
 the trees, close to the rushing brook, the men are noise- 
 
296 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 lessly grouped, most of them soundly sleeping, though 
 a few move restlessly about. To the left front, se 
 curely hobbled and under vigilant guard, the eight- 
 score animals horses and mules are scattered over 
 the glade. Here and there is the faint glow of smoul 
 dering cook- or watch-fire, and over all peace and 
 silence. 
 
 Little by little the silver shield rises higher and peers 
 down over the rocky wall into the depths of the valley. 
 Then Tanner signals to his watchful sergeant, and in 
 low, brief tones the word is given, 
 
 " Tumble up, men." 
 
 No stirring trumpet, no martial reveille, no formal 
 roll-call or assembly, nothing, in fine, that speaks of 
 the pomp and circumstance of war. Rolling out of 
 their blankets and hastily strapping them into bundles, 
 the troopers, with the ease of long practice, stow their 
 ejmall belongings in shape for immediate transportation 
 on mule-back, turn them over to the packers for safe 
 keeping, and in ten minutes the little command is ready. 
 A strong guard under experienced non-commissioned, 
 officers remains most reluctantly in charge of the herds 
 and packs; but some eighty men, nearly all veteran 
 Indian-fighters, are grouped about the watch-fire wait 
 ing orders. Looking among them, no wonder Mr. 
 Kay mutters to Captain Tanner, " Well, we re banditti 
 all over again to-night," for hardly a vestige of regu 
 lation uniform appears in the entire array. Old slouch 
 white hats, shirts of buckskin, canvas, or woollen, 
 trousers of similar material, an occasional pair of boots, 
 but a predominance of serviceable Tonto moccasins, in 
 which the men glide about noiselessly as spirits ; not a 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 297 
 
 uniform coat or cap in the whole command. Even the 
 officers, in their blue flannel shirts and broad-brimmed 
 hats, are as picturesquely unencumbered by any para 
 phernalia of rank as their men. 
 
 " Send Sergeant Winser here with the scouts," is the 
 low-toned order that falls from the captain s lips, as ho 
 and Mr. Truscott stand, watch in hand, under the tall 
 cotton wood at the edge of the glade ; and, obedient to 
 the summons, a tall, splendidly-built soldier with 
 bronzed face, clear-cut features, and dark, thoughtful 
 eyes, steps forward, and, quietly saluting, stands in 
 silence before his commander. Following him come a 
 dozen Apache scouts, their coarse, matted hair, bead- 
 like, glittering eyes, and snaky movements giving them, 
 despite their temporary and enforced allegiance, an in 
 definable something that makes the beholder wary and 
 distrustful. These fellows, though, have been proved 
 in many a trying scout and skirmish through the 
 mountains, and their strange Apache names have long 
 since been dropped for the shorter, less romantic, but 
 far more pronounceable titles given by their soldier 
 comrades. Toyah has become Pop-corn, Kithaymi, 
 Hopkin (after a discharged soldier to whom he had be 
 come strongly attached) ; Tomawarecha is " Whiskey," 
 though he knows not the taste of the article, and a 
 villainous-looking young scamp of a savage, with the 
 appalling name of Ulnyakahorah, is dubbed Jocko 
 for short. And here, too, is Arahawa, Washington 
 Charley, and he takes his place by the sergeant s side 
 as interpreter, should interpreting be necessary 
 
 Briefly Tanner gives his instructions. 
 
 " Lieutenant Truscott will lead you and the scouts, 
 
298 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 sergeant. He found signs six miles down the valley, 
 and we will follow the trail wherever it goes. Ready, 
 Jack?" he asks. Truscott nods, throws his carbine 
 over his shoulder, and without a word strides off 
 down the brook-side. Sergeant Winser beckons to his 
 Apaches, and away they go at his heels. Then Tanner 
 turns to his troopers. "All ready, sergeant?" 
 
 "All ready, sir." 
 
 "See to it, men, that your canteens don t rattle. 
 Keep in the shade as much as possible. Come on." 
 And with Ray, Dana, and the doctor close behind him, 
 the captain follows on the trail of the scouts, and after 
 them, in no tactical order whatever, but in perfect 
 silence and readiness, the men of the two troops trudge 
 briskly along. For a while the trail is so narrow and 
 winding that they move in single file, but little by little 
 the valley opens out, broader glades appear, the trees 
 grow sparse, except close along in the bed of the stream, 
 and soon they are able to spread out to the right and 
 left and to see about them. To the right the foot-hills 
 roll off northward in wave-like undulations. To the 
 left, only a short distance from the valley down which 
 they are rapidly marching, high, jagged precipitous 
 cliffs and " buttes" rise against the southern sky, all 
 dark and forbidding. 
 
 For over an hour they plunge along, and the pace 
 is beginning to tell upon some of the heavy-weights 
 towards the rear; but Truscott and his Apaches at 
 the front know well that there is no time to be lost 
 in getting on the trail of the Tontos. They must be 
 followed to their lair before daybreak. If it be far 
 from the valley whither they had come for their supply 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 299 
 
 of water, then every hour will be needed. If near, 
 then there will be plenty of time to rest after they get 
 there. At last, towards eleven o clock, some time after 
 leaving the banks of the stream, and while pushing 
 ahead among the foot-hills of the tall cliffs to the south, 
 the rearmost men find themselves closing upon the 
 leaders, and now the command is feeling its way. 
 
 Among a lot of stunted trees, on a " bench" some 
 few hundred feet above the level of the valley, Tanner 
 has halted his men to take breath. Out in front, glid 
 ing from rock to rock, or flitting about among the trees, 
 are the tireless Apaches. The tall forms of Truscott 
 and Winser can be seen among them, apparently direct 
 ing their movements. Every now and then a muffled 
 clap of hand or a muttered call brings half a dozen of 
 the wild-looking creatures to the side of some one of 
 their number, who points in silence to broken twig, 
 freshly-turned stone, or the print of moccasin on tuft 
 of grass or ant-heap, then all move on again. 
 
 Before them lies a dark ravine. To the left front 
 towers a rugged slope that seems to reach to the skies. 
 Across the ravine to the right there rises another, and 
 right between these, into the gorge itself, the scouts are 
 noiselessly, stealthily creeping. Tanner motions his 
 men to keep back under the trees, and taking Kay with 
 him, crouches forward to where Truscott is kneeling 
 among the rocks. 
 
 " In there, do you think ?" he whispers. 
 
 Truscott shakes his head and points upward. 
 
 "They are much higher than this, I take it, and 
 farther in ; but the trail seems to lead this way." 
 
 Under the rocks the darkness is intense, and only 
 
300 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 slow progress is made ; but every now and then patches 
 of moonlight are found, and these are eagerly scruti 
 nized. Two of the Indians, Kithaymi and Wawarnecha, 
 seem to hunt in couples. Side by side they crawl 
 along, pointing eagerly with their long, bony fingers at 
 objects that are fraught with deep meaning to them, 
 but that would never attract the attention of a white 
 man. At last an opening appears in the rocks to the 
 left of the deep ravine in which they are working. A 
 broad sheet of moonlight streams across the front, and 
 Washington Charley, his eyes gleaming with excite 
 ment, his white teeth flashing through his lips, points 
 aloft. 
 
 " Got em, plenty Tonto," he whispers to Tanner. 
 
 "How far up?" 
 
 " No sabe, mebbe so top," is the answer. 
 
 " Go ahead anyhow. Ray, bring up the men/ 
 
 And now the climb begins in earnest. Noiselessly 
 the scouts swarm up over rock and boulder, peering 
 cautiously ahead all the time, creeping on all-fours to 
 every ridge or projecting point, and warily studying 
 the objects beyond before venturing farther. Close 
 behind the foremost Indians Truscott and the sergeant 
 slowly follow. Back some distance down the jagged 
 slope comes Tanner with the command, noiselessly as 
 white men can. In the darkness some one s foot slips, 
 a stone goes rolling downward, and the metallic clink 
 of a canteen is heard, whereat one or two profane re 
 marks are growled about among the men, and Tanner 
 orders halt in a whisper. " Take off your canteens, 
 men," is the next word, and they are noiselessly depos 
 ited under the trees, only the doctor and his attendant 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 3Q1 
 
 being allowed to retain theirs. Then on they go again. 
 Twice Ray has to turn and caution his men to take it 
 easy. All are eager to get to the front. All know 
 that somewhere, probably at the very top of the rugged 
 mountain they are climbing, a band of Apaches are 
 hidden, for only on the summits of these isolated 
 buttes have they of late dared to build their rancherias, 
 so untiring has been the search for them, so sudden the 
 attack. Presently they come to ledges of rock so steep 
 that only by using both hands and helping one another 
 can they clamber up. Carbines and rifles are passed 
 from man to man, and slowly, warily the ascent is con 
 tinued, and still, far aloft, the summit stands before 
 them. They have been climbing fully an hour in this 
 way when the word halt is passed, or those in advance 
 hold up a warning hand. Tanner and Ray again 
 creep forward. 
 
 "What is it, Jack?" 
 
 " Can t tell. There s a deep hollow round that 
 point. Charley said wait." 
 
 Tanner looks at his watch. " Nearly one/ 7 he mut 
 ters, " and we re not at the top yet. Did you ever see 
 such a country ?" 
 
 Well might he ask ! Clinging along the side of 
 this huge spur from the main range, his men could 
 look for miles and miles over a sea of tumbled rock 
 and ravine, of jagged precipices and stony heights, of 
 barren wastes or pine-crested slopes. Softened as it 
 was by the silvery touch of the moon, there yet was in 
 the entire scene the very abomination of desolation. 
 Below them yawned a black gorge whose depths no 
 eye could penetrate; before them an almost impracti- 
 
 2G 
 
302 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 cable ascent of rock and tangled underbrush ; around 
 them nothing that was not savage and inhospitable. 
 Already the keen night air began to cut in to the very 
 marrow, and the men huddled together for warmth. 
 " What stops us ?" is the muttered query. 
 
 Back come Charley and Toyah. They are wild with 
 excitement now, and breathlessly the former makes his 
 report. Broken as is his English, his hearers readily 
 understand him. They have found the hostiles, and it 
 is a big rancheria. " Mebbe so two hundred Ton to. 
 No can tell," says Charley. " Come, captain ; come 
 see." And noiselessly as before the three officers creep 
 forward beyond the scouts, following the lead of the 
 agile young chief, who, nearly as naked as on the day 
 he was born, knows neither hunger, thirst, nor cold 
 in the face of such a glorious prospect as lies before 
 him. His savage soul thirsts for war, and here is his 
 opportunity. 
 
 Some two hundred yards they half climb, half creep, 
 and at last arrive at a ridge or point, over and around 
 which they are bidden to look, but not to expose head 
 or hand, and to preserve intense silence. Peering, they 
 see a shallow depression in the mountain. It lies be 
 tween the rocky ridge on which they are crouching and 
 a corresponding ridge some six hundred yards beyond. 
 It is well filled with pines and stunted oaks, is walled 
 in on the east by an almost precipitous cliff, \thile 
 to the west the mountain-side slopes abruptly down 
 into the depths of that unfathomable gorge. Save 
 the glistening tree-tops and occasional outcropping of 
 boulder, all is darkness. Yet Charley has said that 
 there lay the rancheria ; that in that hollow were prob- 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 303 
 
 ably over a hundred hostile Apaches. How does he 
 know? 
 
 Truscott points beneath them. " Look !" he says. 
 
 The mountain breeze is beginning to sigh through 
 the pines and to stir the dead leaves among the crevices 
 of the rocks. As a little gust flutters the branches 
 below them, from a dozen different points, deep down 
 in this mountain fastness, little showers of sparks fly 
 forth, and are as quickly lost to sight. They spring 
 from the smouldering embers of tiny fires, invisible 
 except from above, and this it is that now betrays the 
 position of the hostiles, who, sleeping in fancied security, 
 have not a sentinel to oppose to the coming foe. 
 
 For five minutes Tanner and his two comrades study 
 the situation in silence. Some of the fires are away off 
 to the left under the cliff, others to the right nearer 
 the ravine, more directly in front, and around them all 
 they know the Apaches to be huddling. It is a large 
 rancheria, very probably Eskiminzin s, the very one 
 they are after. 
 
 Now come the dispositions for attack. It is too dark 
 for effective work down in that hollow, even with the 
 moonlight to aid. Then too a bank of clouds has risen 
 from the west and rolled up towards the zenith. The 
 moon that has been of such assistance on the trail will 
 soon be totally hidden, and in the darkness that must 
 ensue all the advantage will be on the side of the natives. 
 Tanner decides to wait until dawn. Meantime, his 
 men must be cared for. None have overcoats or 
 blankets : to light fires would be too hazardous. Orders 
 are sent back to remain where they are in such shelter 
 as they can find among the rocks, while he, with the 
 
304 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 Indian scouts and his officers, explores the ground around 
 the rancheria. An hour s patient, noiseless search re 
 sults in the discovery that only from their side, the 
 north, and for a short space on the west can the rancheria 
 be approached. The main entrance or a trail" to it is 
 evidently from the south, and they have come to it by 
 the back way. And now the moon has disappeared 
 and all is total darkness. It is impossible to send a 
 detachment farther up the mountain to get around in 
 rear of the position of the Tontos. The darkness pro 
 hibits that, and even in daylight, three hours at least, 
 would be consumed before they could expect to reach 
 the desired point. Eagerly, tirelessly therefore, they 
 watch their prey. The hours drag along, but there is 
 no relaxation in their vigilance. At last, towards half- 
 past four o clock, Tanner directs Sergeant Winser to 
 take his scouts down to the right, to feel their way 
 along the edge of the ravine and get as far forward 
 towards the rancheria as possible. Ray calls up and 
 stations his men a few feet apart all along among the 
 rocks from the ravine to the centre, while Tanner s 
 own company under Lieutenant Dana are disposed 
 along the ridge almost as far as the base of the cliff to 
 the left. Very slowly and cautiously has this been 
 accomplished. Hardly a sound has been made that 
 could be heard more than a few yards away, and now, 
 as a grayish pallor spreads over the heavens above, and 
 the tree-tops rustle in a wind that grows chiller every 
 minute, Tanner s little command, copying the tactics 
 taught by long experience among the Indians them 
 selves, lies crouching in readiness for its spring. Near 
 the centre of the line and in front of all is the captain 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 305 
 
 himself, kneeling beside a huge boulder; with him, 
 prone upon the ground, lies Truscott; behind them 
 crouch one of Tanner s sergeants and " the Kid." 
 Every man has his orders, silence, not a move, not a 
 shot until the captain gives the word, then one volley 
 and a rush in. The nearest fire opposite Tanner s posi 
 tion seems about three hundred yards away, perhaps 
 not quite so far. Little by little a wan light is stealing 
 over the scene, and the men can begin to distinguish 
 one another s features ; but in the hollow no forms are 
 visible. Tanner looks impatiently at his watch again. 
 
 " Quarter-past five," he mutters, " and dark as Ere 
 bus down there yet." 
 
 Truscott makes no reply. His eyes are fixed on the 
 glow of one particular fire near the middle of the 
 hollow. He puts out his hand and lays it on Tanner s 
 arm, pointing with the other. 
 
 Something shadowy and dim is moving down there 
 about that fire. Twice it has passed between them and 
 the blaze. Five minutes more and the blaze leaps up 
 ward, as though freshly fed, and the snap and crackle 
 of burning twigs is heard. Distinctly now two human 
 forms can be seen, and along all the watching line there 
 runs a thrill. Some men cautiously bring their car 
 bines to full-cock and ready ; others, shivering twixt 
 cold and excitement, look eagerly towards their silent 
 captain but stir not. 
 
 And now it is growing so light that objects beyond 
 the rancheria are distinctly visible, and along the out 
 skirts of the Indian bivouac before them the men can 
 detect the outlines of rude shelters. Once again Trus 
 cott touches Tanner s arm and points to the right front 
 u 2 ;* 
 
306 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 Between the trees in the hollow and the edge of the 
 deep ravine a level shelf or bench, covered with broken 
 rocks, is now to be seen, and close to the edge of the 
 trees stands the figure of an Indian. For a moment 
 he is motionless, then, gun in hand, he comes lightly 
 stepping along the bench straight to the point of the 
 ridge, straight to where Ray is crouching with his men. 
 
 " Quick, sergeant ! slip down there and caution them 
 not to fire," whispers Tanner. "Get him alive, if 
 possible." 
 
 Then follows a moment of intense strain and excite 
 ment. Almost every man in the command can see that 
 Indian coming. Every one knows that a few steps 
 more will bring him right in among Ray s people. 
 Then what will be the result? On he comes, uncon 
 scious of danger, nearer, nearer to his foes. Now he is 
 clambering up the rocks, now he is among the stunted 
 trees. Bang ! 
 
 "Fire!" rings the command. A crashing volley 
 answers, a wild cheer echoes along the hill-side, and 
 from their cover, scouts and troopers, officers and men, 
 come rushing into the hollow, firing as they run. Of 
 just what follows no one man can give accurate account. 
 A few minutes of hot, blasting, raging work, of shrieks, 
 shots, and uproar, of wild dismay among the startled 
 Indians, of screaming squaws and children, of rallying- 
 cries among the warriors, who spring to arms and open 
 rapid but ill-aimed fire. In rush the soldiers among 
 the " wickyups" ; carbine and rifle, revolver and arrow, 
 for two desperate minutes are dealing death in every 
 direction. Even in their surprise the Indians fight 
 savagely, like rats in a corner; but though their 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 307 
 
 numbers are superior, they have no leadership, no organi 
 zation, no time to think, poor devils ! In two minutes 
 they are swept from their camp and are scattered in 
 flight and terror along the mountain-side, abandoning 
 everything. 
 
 For ten or fifteen minutes the noise of the pursuit 
 continues, shouts and cries and scattering shots, but 
 there is no such thing as catching these fleet-footed 
 Apaches, and the soldiers, fatigued with their long 
 climb, and stiff with cold, soon give it up and straggle 
 back to the rancheria they have won. The scouts hang 
 longer at the heels of the fleeing Indians, but by seven 
 o clock the entire command has reassembled amid the 
 ruins of the Apache camp, and the fight is over. 
 
 Such being the general features, it is not easy to 
 relate individual experiences. All was so sudden. 
 The young Indian who had prematurely brought on 
 the conflict by walking straight in among the men was 
 the first prisoner, Ray and the men near him having 
 scientifically pounced upon and wellnigh choked him to 
 death before he knew where he was ; but in the strug 
 gle somebody s carbine was discharged, and as that 
 meant an alarm to the whole Apache band, Tanner at 
 once gave the order to fire, and with the supplementary 
 shout of " Come on, men I" had rushed down the slope 
 towards the rancheria, Truscott close beside him. On 
 the right the scouts and some of Ray s men had worked 
 so far to the front as to be able to pour in a rapid cross 
 fire, so that the resistance to the main attack was neither 
 vigorous nor sustained ; nevertheless, some few Indians 
 had made good use of their arms, one old scoundrel 
 never leaving his " wickyup," but quietly squatting 
 
308 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 there, drove arrow after arrow at the leaders of the 
 charging soldiers until a bullet laid him low, and one of 
 these arrows has struck Jack Truscott full in the breast. 
 
 Returning from the pursuit somewhat " blown," Mr. 
 Ray encountered his first sergeant and one or two men 
 kneeling by the prostrate form of a comrade. 
 
 " Who is it ?" he asked, anxiously. 
 
 " Kerrigan, sir. Stone dead. Shot through the 
 heart, I think." 
 
 " I m very sorry," said Ray, gravely. " Have we 
 lost many, do you know ?" 
 
 " They say two of Captain Tanner s fellers are killed, 
 sir, and there s three or four wounded. Loot n nt Trus- 
 cott s hit, sir," said one of the men. 
 
 "Truscott!" exclaimed Ray, springing to his feet. 
 "Where is he?" 
 
 " Over there among the wickyups, sir." And, pick 
 ing his way through smoke and smouldering ember, 
 occasionally stumbling over the stiffening corpse of some 
 half -naked savage, Ray presently came upon Truscott 
 himself, quietly seated at the foot of a tree, looking a 
 trifle pale, perhaps, but placid as ever, while one of the 
 men was cautiously unlacing his hunting-shirt. 
 
 <f> What hit you, Jack ?" said Ray, grasping his hand. 
 
 "Nothing but a blunt arrow, luckily. There lies 
 the archer," said Truscott, pointing to the body of a 
 hideous old Indian lying under the rude shelter of 
 branches and twigs that had been his temporary home. 
 
 " You ve bled a good deal, anyhow. Here, Hogan, 
 let me do that." And, kneeling before his friend, Ray 
 with nimble fingers unfastened the heavy shirt and 
 threw it open at the throat. " Why, Jack, you re worse 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 309 
 
 than a stuck pig, and bleeding yet. Hogan, get me 
 some water, and tell the doctor to come here." 
 
 " The doctor s busy, Ray ; you can patch it up easy 
 enough. The thing only glanced on a rib, and hasn t 
 done any harm to speak of." But even as he uttered 
 the words Truscott s head drooped wearily and his eyes 
 half closed, a deeper pallor spread over face and brow. 
 Ray threw his arm about his neck and drew the droop 
 ing head upon his shoulder. " You must be mighty 
 faint, old man ; lie still. We ll have some water in a 
 minute." 
 
 With that he threw back Truscott s shirt with his 
 right hand and opened the torn undershirt. All was 
 soaked with blood. Something lying wet and warm 
 upon the broad chest stopped his hand, and Ray drew 
 it forth, a dainty, filmy, embroidered handkerchief, 
 dripping with the warm current from Truscott s .veins, 
 and in one corner, half crimsoned, half spotless white, 
 was embroidered the simple name "Grace." 
 
 There was dead silence an instant. Then Tanner 
 and Mr. Dana came running to them. Ray hurriedly 
 thrust the handkerchief back into Truscott s bosom and 
 held out his bloody hand. 
 
 " Don t worry. He is only weak from loss of blood." 
 And Jack, hearing their anxious voices, opened his eyes 
 and looked up with a grin. Then the doctor came, and 
 speedily the flow was stanched, the necessary bandages 
 applied, and, revived by a nip of brandy from the doc 
 tor s flask, the adjutant sat up, while, as Ray expressed 
 it, " Tanner took account of stock." 
 
 Fifteen Indians lay dead among the ruins of the 
 rancheria, a few more lay among the rocks in the direc- 
 
310 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 tion of their flight.. Three squaws and some children 
 were prisoners, and from them it was learned that the 
 band was indeed that of Eskiminzin, that about one 
 hundred and fifty, mostly warriors, were there encamped, 
 and that Eskiminzin himself had escaped. On the 
 other hand, though a severe punishment had been in 
 flicted on the Indians, and they had lost their fastness 
 and all their supplies and plunder, Tanner was distressed 
 to find that two of his men were killed outright and 
 several quite severely wounded. He had hoped by 
 total surprise to have "jumped upon" the village be 
 fore the Indians could really get to their arms, but that 
 unlucky single shot had roused the rancheria, and in 
 charging across the open slope into the Indian position 
 he and the men with him had been much exposed. It 
 was not altogether satisfactory, and Tanner s plans were 
 quickly decided. Truscott with a sufficient guard would 
 convey the five wounded by easy marches back to Camp 
 Sandy, while he, with the rest of the command, would 
 push on in pursuit of Eskimiuzin. Meantime, an In 
 dian runner would go back with his report of the 
 engagement. 
 
WINNING HIS SPUES. 3JJ 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 FOUR clays afterward, at even an earlier hour, just 
 as the first trembling of the willows along the stream 
 announced the stir of the morning breeze, two troopers 
 forded the Sandy below the garrison and rode slowly 
 up the slope to the parade. A light was burning at the 
 guard-house, and others were gleaming in the company 
 kitchens where the cooks were already at work getting 
 coffee and breakfast for the men, for old Catnip was a 
 firm believer in the theory that a soldier was far more 
 apt to take an interest in the grooming of his horse 
 when his own stomach was comfortably filled than when 
 he was suffering for his breakfast. As a consequence, 
 stable-duty was not the bugbear in the th that it was 
 in other regiments, where the men had to spend an hour 
 or more, shivering and hungry and cross, spattering 
 away with curry-comb and brush, and swearing sotto 
 voce at their steeds in the same listless and perfunctory 
 manner with which they would have cleaned several 
 muddy pairs of boots. In Pelham s regiment the prin 
 cipal difficulty seemed to be that of restraining the men 
 from whistling or singing at their work, a thing which 
 could not be permitted, because it was unprofessional 
 from a military point of view. 
 
 Inclining to the right, the leading horseman rode at 
 rapid walk along under officers row, under the colonel s 
 
312 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 quarters, at an upper window of which he gazed lin- 
 geriugly as he passed ; under in succession all the others 
 until he came to the northernmost building. Here he 
 dismounted, slowly and stiffly, and the other horseman, 
 dismounting also, sprang forward and took the reins. 
 
 Stepping to the door, the former turned the knob and 
 pushed, but the door was locked. Going around to a t 
 side-window, he knocked upon the pane, and called, 
 
 " Glenham I" 
 
 No answer. Thrice he knocked and called, and still 
 there came no reply. Jack Truscott had returned to find 
 himself locked out of his own house. 
 
 "Go and ask the corporal of the guard to come 
 here," he said, wearily, seating himself upon the steps 
 and taking the reins of the patient horses. His com 
 rade walked rapidly away, and Truscott, leaning his 
 head upon his hand, fell to thinking of the strange re 
 ception. His heart was sore, and vague distress and 
 perplexity had possessed him. Immediately after the 
 fight Tanner had penned a despatch to Colonel Pelham 
 announcing the result of the affair, detailing his plans, 
 and requesting him to send the hospital steward with 
 assistance to meet the wounded whom Truscott was 
 escorting, two of whom were so badly hit as to be re 
 garded as in a dangerous condition; yet with the 
 prospect of another battle before him, he could not 
 permit his only medical officer to leave the command. 
 The post-surgeon would undoubtedly come forward to 
 meet the party, so argued the doctor on duty with 
 him, and meantime, carried on the springy mule-litters, 
 improvised out of saplings, the wounded would do as 
 well as they could anywhere. For three days Truscott 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 313 
 
 had plodded along in great pain and weariness himself, 
 and in deeper anxiety on account of one of his men, 
 who seemed sinking rapidly. At last, on the evening 
 of the third day, he had reached Fossil Creek, where, 
 at the latest, aid should have reached him, but aid there 
 was none, and there the soldier died. Taking only an 
 hour s rest, weak and weary though he was, the adju 
 tant decided to push right on to Sandy by a night ride, 
 and secure the assistance so greatly needed by the other 
 men. 
 
 Presently the corporal of the guard came hurrying 
 forward. 
 
 " Who is officer of the day, corporal ?" 
 
 " Lieutenant Glenham, sir." 
 
 " Lieutenant Glenham ! Why ! there is no light 
 in his room, and I cannot wake him." 
 
 " Beg pardon, sir. The lieutenant has moved. He 
 lives in Lieutenant Dana s quarters." 
 
 Truscott sat for an instant in stunned silence. When 
 he spoke his voice was stern and strange. 
 
 " Go and tell him I am here, and ask for the key of 
 my quarters." 
 
 In two minutes the corporal returned with the key. 
 
 "Is Mr. Glenham coming?" asked Truscott. 
 
 " He didn t say, sir. I told him you was here, and 
 he didn t answer." 
 
 "Then go and wake the post-surgeon. Give him 
 my compliments, and ask if I can see him at once. 
 Take the horses to the stable," he added to the orderly, 
 then unlocked his door, entered the dark sitting-room, 
 and, after some fumbling on the mantel, found a match 
 and struck a light. 
 
 o 27 
 
\ 
 314 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 All was cold, cheerless, desolate. The hearth was 
 piled with dead embers and ashes. Even the dogs had 
 deserted the house. On the centre-table lay a paste 
 board box tied with ribbon, and the box was addressed 
 to him in her handwriting. 
 
 Quickly he tore it open. Wrapped in tissue-paper 
 lay his silver spurs ; but with them, not a line, not a 
 word. 
 
 When the surgeon arrived, some ten or fifteen min 
 utes later, the trumpets were just sounding the first 
 call for reveille, and Jack Truscott was sitting motion 
 less in his great easy-chair, his chin upon his hands, his 
 elbows on his knees, his eyes staring vacantly into the 
 empty fireplace. Not until the doctor had called him 
 twice by name, and shaken him by the shoulder, did 
 he rouse himself. One glance in his wan face was 
 sufficient for the keen professional eye. He cut Trus- 
 cott short in his attempt to detail the events of the past 
 week. 
 
 " Never mind that now, swallow this," he said, as 
 he poured out some brandy from the decanter. " I ll 
 send the steward with the ambulance and supplies at 
 once, and gallop down the valley myself after I get 
 you settled. Of course no messenger has got in, or we 
 would have met you forty-eight hours ago. Now, off 
 with these clothes. Hurry up with that fire, Hogan. 
 I want warm water quick as it can be had/ 
 
 In vain Truscott protested that he must see the col 
 onel and make his report. 
 
 " Til do all your reporting for you, and to begin with 
 report you sick from wound ; and as I want no brain- 
 fever patient on my hands, you ll get to bed just as 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 315 
 
 quick as I can dress that scratch, as you call it." So 
 talked the doctor, as he rapidly and skilfully divested 
 Truscott of his blood-stiffened garments. " Mighty 
 lucky for you that was a blunted arrow, man ; you 
 would have been spitted otherwise ; that s a jagged tear 
 as it is. What had you on besides these things? 
 Nothing? That s queer! Oh, a handkerchief in 
 there, was there? Of course that checked it a little, 
 but not much." 
 
 At last the process of sponging and rebandaging 
 was complete, and Mr. Truscott was snugly stowed 
 away in bed. It had been a desperately hard ordeal, 
 this interview with the doctor ; for if ever man wanted 
 to be all alone and to calmly think over his troubles, 
 that man was Jack Truscott. But while he thoroughly 
 intended that his patient should be left alone, it was 
 not part of the doctor s programme that he should be 
 allowed to brood over his perplexities and distress, and 
 " Pills" saw clearly enough that the mental condition 
 of the adjutant was infinitely worse than the bodily. 
 An attendant from the hospital had brought over some 
 medicines, and then been sent in search of Major Buck- 
 etts. The latter came with anxiety and promptitude, 
 and the doctor met him at the outer door. 
 
 " Come in, Bucketts. I ve got Truscott to bed now, 
 and first he must be allowed to make his report to you 
 for the colonel, then I want him to go to sleep and stay 
 asleep, and to remain utterly undisturbed during the 
 day I m going at once to Fossil Creek to meet the 
 wounded, and I want you to see to it that Truscott is 
 kept quiet, and not one word of this business that has 
 been going on must be allowed to reach him." Bucketts 
 
316 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 nodded grimly, and then, with the doctor, softly entered 
 Jack s room, and the two friends gripped hands. 
 
 Truscott told his story uninterrupted, and the quar 
 termaster listened to every detail until it was finished. 
 Then he spoke. 
 
 " Now, Jack, I understand it fully, and can give it to 
 the colonel just as you gave it to rne. Everything is 
 going smoothly in the office. There isn t a thing to de 
 mand your attention, and all you ve got to do is to get 
 thoroughly rested. Now I m off, but every few hours 
 I ll be over to see if you want anything, and there will 
 be a hospital attendant in the next room all day. I tell 
 you the colonel and the chief will be tickled to death 
 to hear what a larruping you gave Eskiminzin." 
 
 Then the doctor gave him a sleeping potion, dark 
 ened the room, and once more bent over him. 
 
 " Jack, it is necessary that you should rest to-day. 
 I ll be back to-night, and will let you up then, but 
 meantime sleep all you can. Now I m going to see 
 Mrs. Tanner, who is very anxious about the captain, 
 and will rejoice in knowing of his safety. Then I ll 
 be ready to start down the valley." 
 
 Then fatigue and suffering were soon forgotten. 
 Hour after hour throughout that chill December day 
 Jack Truscott slept peacefully. Waking towards even 
 ing, he found that the attendant had set a little table by 
 his bedside, and that besides the conventional tea and 
 toast from the mess some dainty, tempting dishes were 
 there in readiness for him. 
 
 " Who sent these ?" he asked. 
 
 " Mrs. Tanner, sir, and Mrs. Wilkins. The quar 
 termaster has been here several times, and the colonel 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 317 
 
 called, and lots of the officers have been here to ask 
 how you were, but my orders was not to let you be 
 disturbed." 
 
 And so, feeling hungry, Jack took his tea, and when 
 lie next woke it was late in the night, and then he had 
 nothing to do for it but lie awake and think, and he 
 could think of nothing but why those spurs had come 
 back to him in that ungracious way, and why had 
 Glenham abandoned his roof. 
 
 It was late on the following day when the doctor 
 reached him, and found him much better. Truscott 
 insisted upon getting up and dressing, and was sur 
 prised to find that the doctor seemed most unwilling to 
 allow him to go out. Being determined, however, he 
 carried his point, for, except a certain degree of weak 
 ness consequent upon loss of blood, and the painful and 
 fatiguing journey, no reason against it could be assigned ; 
 but, while he was dressing, the doctor went forth and 
 held a rapid and earnest conversation with two or three 
 officers whom he met. There were others to whom he 
 did not stop to speak at all, but proceeded on his way 
 to the colonel s. Mrs. Pelham and Lieutenant Glenham 
 were seated on the piazza. 
 
 "And how is Mr. Truscott now?" inquired her 
 ladyship. 
 
 " Rested and doing very well, madame, and yet he 
 must be very prudent. Can I see the colonel ?" 
 
 "You will find him in the parlor, doctor." And as 
 he entered the house she turned to Mr. Glenham : 
 " Now, Arthur, be firm and lose no time. You are 
 to ride in half an hour, so it had better be settled at 
 
 27* 
 
THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 Glenham rose, and merely saying, " I suppose you 
 are right/ 7 with a countenance in which perturbation 
 and distress of mind were vividly portrayed, walked 
 uneasily along the row. Nearing the adjutant s quar 
 ters he looked back. There on the southernmost piazza 
 stood Mrs. Pelham watching him. His face turned a 
 shade paler, his teeth set, and he sprang up the steps 
 and knocked at the door which for over a year he had 
 banged open or shut without formality of any kind. 
 It was opened by the hospital attendant. 
 
 "Can I see Lieutenant Truscott?" he asked. 
 
 " Hullo, Glenham ! Come right in. Glad to see 
 you," rang Truscott s voice from the sitting-room, and 
 with extended hand and welcoming face he stepped to 
 the doorway. 
 
 In a constrained, embarrassed, half-dazed manner 
 Glenham took the hand and dropped it. 
 
 " I came to see you yesterday, Truscott, but they said 
 you were not to be disturbed ;" and as he spoke he stood 
 uneasily at the door. 
 
 "Come in, Glenham," said Truscott. "Close the 
 door and wait outside," he continued, turning to the 
 soldier. " Come in Jiere." And slowly Truscott turned 
 again and looked him searchingly in the face. The 
 younger man could not meet his eye. He went and 
 leaned his elbow upon the sideboard, his head upon 
 his hand. 
 
 " You have something to tell me, youngster, and you 
 don t know how to begin," said Truscott, gravely and 
 kindly. "What is it?" 
 
 For a moment Glenham answered not. His eyes 
 were fixed on a picture of the Yosemite that hung 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 319 
 
 upon the wall, but he tapped his top-boot impatiently 
 with a little stick he carried. At last he broke forth, 
 straightening himself and speaking rapidly ; speaking 
 as though by rote, as though it were a lesson he had 
 learned and was now repeating ; speaking in desperate 
 haste, as though afraid either to stop or to be stopped, 
 us though he feared his resolution might fail him. 
 
 " I have something to say. It is hard to do it, too, 
 but it must be done. Your coming back suffering and 
 wounded makes it all the harder. Truscott, I thought 
 you were the best friend I had in the regiment. I 
 thought you were the truest gentleman in it, but the 
 events that have come to light recently have proven to 
 me that you have not been fair and square with me, 
 that you have not acted as a friend ; and, as for the 
 other matters, I have nothing to say, except that you 
 cannot expect me to believe in your friendship or in 
 you as I did. The less said the better, I suppose, and 
 so I moved into other quarters. Even now I don t 
 like to have you think that I am ungrateful for all the 
 kindness you certainly showed me up to this fall, but, 
 in future, our ways lie apart." And having said his 
 piece, he raised his eyes, and for the first time looked 
 Truscott in the face. " And now," he said, " I have 
 come to ask for Miss Pel ham s whip." 
 
 While he was speaking, the face of his listener was a 
 study. Pain, incredulity, indignation, and deep sorrow, 
 all were depicted in the set, stern expression that fas 
 tened on his features. Truscott listened without one 
 word, but very, very pale he grew, until her name was 
 mentioned. Then the blood leaped to his forehead, 
 fire flashed in his eyes, his hands clinched, and Glen- 
 
320 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 ham, who for an instant had met his gaze, looked 
 nervously away. 
 
 For a few seconds there was dead silence. Glenham 
 could hear the throb of his own heart. Then Truscott 
 spoke. Measured, calm, and slow, his words, neverthe 
 less, were sharp and clear. There was not a trace of 
 irritation in voice or manner, neither was there aught 
 that was repellent. The self-control was simply perfect. 
 
 "Let me clearly understand you, Glenham. Do 
 you mean to say that you have fully satisfied your 
 self that I am no longer worthy your confidence and 
 trust?" 
 
 "Well, not that; not "Well, what I mean is 
 
 that you have behaved neither as a friend to me, and, 
 worse than that, to to others who trusted you even 
 more," said Glenham, desperately. 
 
 And still Truscott leaned there on the mantel, look 
 ing calmly at him. 
 
 " And your information, Glenham. Is it the re 
 sult of your own observation, or what you have been 
 told?" 
 
 "It comes to me in such a way that I cannot dis 
 credit it," said Glenham, with changing color and 
 manifest hesitation. 
 
 " That is "dodging the question. Have you seen 01 
 do you know of any act of mine to warrant your lan 
 guage, or is it all hearsay evidence?" 
 
 " I have seen nothing, but what I have heard is is 
 undeniable." 
 
 " Then on purely one-sided statements you have de 
 cided upon your course in the matter. By every right 
 1 am entitled to hear, and to hear explicitly, what your 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 321 
 
 allegations are. There are at least two sides to every 
 story, as you ought to know ; and what I had a right 
 to expect of you was that you would never have con 
 demned me unheard. You have done so, however, and 
 now let it stand. No," he continued, holding up his 
 hand, as Glenham attempted to speak ; " I have now no 
 desire whatever to hear or to answer your accusations. 
 The time has passed. What is this about Miss Pel- 
 ham s whip ?" he broke off, abruptly. 
 
 " I have come for it," said Glenham, sullenly. 
 
 " Did Miss Pelham send you for it ?" 
 
 "N o; but it is her wish to have it. She has 
 returned your spurs, and I consider it my duty to 
 reclaim it of you." 
 
 "Your duty! How so?" 
 
 " Miss Pelham and myself are engaged." 
 
 There was again a moment of intense silence. Then 
 Truscott stepped to the wardrobe, took therefrom the 
 dainty whip with its loop of dark-blue ribbon, and 
 calmly handed it to Glenham without a word. 
 
 Glenham took it and moved uneasily, wretchedly, 
 towards the door. There he paused and looked back. 
 Truscott had resumed his position at the mantel-shelf; 
 very pale, very stern he looked, but there was not the 
 tremor of a nerve or muscle. And Glenham was 
 trembling from head to foot, and knew it. 
 
 " Is there anything further ?" asked Truscott, calmly. 
 
 Again Glenham hesitated. At last he muttered, 
 
 " No, I believe not. Good -morning." 
 
 And with that he turned and left. Truscott waited 
 until the sound of his footsteps died away. Then he 
 closed and locked his door, stretched himself at full 
 
322. FHE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 length in his easy reclining-chair, and, with his head 
 thrown back, flung his arms over his eyes and lay there 
 in silence. 
 
 Meantime, Mr. Glenham returned to the colonel s 
 quarters with his prize, and Camp Sandy turned out to 
 see him and \\isfiancee go forth on their ride. 
 
 It was a lovely December day, so bright and warm 
 down in that deep, sheltered valley that in many of the 
 quarters the windows were thrown open, and the flies 
 were buzzing about as though jubilant over a renewed 
 lease of a life that, after all, was not so much worth 
 living. The ladies were out in force, three only being 
 conspicuous by their absence from the front of the row. 
 Mesdames Canker, Tanner, and Wilkins were not 
 visible, and when the latter was not to be seen among 
 the gatherings along the piazzas something extraordi 
 nary must be going on. Something extraordinary was 
 going on in this particular instance, Mrs. Wilkins was 
 devoting herself to Mrs. Tanner, who was ill. 
 
 She had been failing for several days it seems, and 
 had not been at all well since the night her husband 
 marched away with his command. The doctor went 
 frequently to see her, and was plainly anxious on her 
 account, but the ladies had held aloof. That it was the 
 proper and conventional thing for them to accost the 
 perturbed physician who was blessed with no wife of 
 his own with a perfunctory inquiry as to how Mrs. 
 Tanner was getting along seemed to be conceded, but 
 that it would be improper and unconventional in the 
 last degree to go and visit the sick in this particular 
 instance was apparently a unanimous opinion. He 
 noted with much perplexity that the fair lips that 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 323 
 
 framed the name of the gentle sufferer were pursed up, 
 as though shrinking from the probable besmirching 
 that would follow its mere mention. What could it 
 mean ? 
 
 Briefly, it meant this, and the sooner the details of 
 this dismal episode are related and done with forever, 
 the sooner will our story be finished and the better will 
 it be for all parties concerned. 
 
 Colonel Pelham, it will be remembered, had sum 
 moned Captain Canker in-doors after giving his adju 
 tant instructions to prepare for his ride in search of 
 Tanner s column, and a very sad and trying conversa 
 tion, to the colonel at least, had taken place. 
 
 " Of course you noticed where Truscott came from ; 
 I saw you did," said the colonel. 
 
 The captain bowed assent with much solemnity of 
 mien, but said nothing, and the commanding officer, 
 motioning him to a seat, paced up and down the floor. 
 Grace had fled to her room, and Mrs. Pelham, wide 
 awake by this time, divining that something unusual 
 was going on, concluded that she wanted a glass of 
 water, or anything in the dining-room, slipped into her 
 wrapper and down the back -stairs through the kitchen. 
 The front-stairs always creaked under her weight, poor 
 lady, and of course she did not wish to be seen in guch 
 toilet. Once in the dining-room it was no difficult 
 matter to hear the conversation going on in the parlor. 
 It was very brief. Captain Canker went away with 
 the injunction of secrecy on his lips, but, with wild ex 
 citement and unmistakable delight, Mrs. Pelham heard 
 enough to convince her that Mr. Truscott had been at 
 Captain Tanner s quarters long after midnight, and was 
 
324 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 virtually detected there by her husband. More than 
 that, she had heard him say to Captain Canker, 
 
 " Then you will call upon him for an explanation 
 immediately upon his return, and of course, if it prove 
 unsatisfactory, his resignation must follow." 
 
 Poor Pelham ! Attached as he was to his adjutant, 
 the insidious statements of his wife, the letter of Mrs. 
 Tread well, the admission of Captain Canker that the 
 matter had been a source of regimental gossip for a 
 long time past, and finally, the very suspicious appear 
 ance of Mr. Truscott at Tanner s quarters during Tan 
 ner s absence, and long after other people had gone to 
 bed, had together formed a combination too powerful 
 for him. " I cannot bear to think it of him/ said he, 
 " but the evidence is such that makes it at least neces 
 sary that he should leave this post." 
 
 An hour after, when he came up-stairs to his room, 
 Mrs. Pelham had waylaid him and added fresh infor 
 mation of her own against Truscott, who was then 
 speeding on his mission down the valley. 
 
 " Nothing must be said of this, Dolly," said the 
 colonel, very miserably. " Of course, Mr. Truscott 
 will be called to account on his return, and Captain 
 Tanner will be properly notified." 
 
 Nothing said of it, indeed! Before Jack Truscott 
 was twelve hours on his way mysterious whisperings 
 were to be heard among the denizens of officers row. 
 Ladies were flitting to and fro ; significant glances shot 
 from eye to eye; such words as "How shocking!" 
 might have been heard murmured by rosy lips. Even 
 those dear girls, the Crandalls, down for a few days 
 visit from Prescott, were observed to take a lively in- 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 325 
 
 terest in the murmured confab between the matrons on 
 Mrs. Turner s piazza. Then the colonel had been 
 moody and forlorn at the office, had hardly spoken to 
 Bucketts, had had a long, confidential talk with Cap 
 tain Canker, with whom he rarely consorted, and Lieu 
 tenant Hunter had been sent for, and the three were 
 closeted together for an hour, and at afternoon stables 
 were again seen in close conversation ; and Mrs. Pel- 
 ham had spent that hour at Mrs. Turner s, with her 
 and with Mrs. Raymond, and later had had a long talk 
 with Glenham ; but Grace, Grace did not leave her 
 room all day. 
 
 Nothing said of it, indeed ! Inside of forty-eight 
 hours : even while Truscott lay weak and pale from 
 loss of blood down under the cold rocks of the Black 
 Mesa; even while Mrs. Tanner, lonely and heart-sick, 
 was lying on a bed of pain, gasping for breath, and 
 longing for the presence of her devoted husband. 
 Even while he, spurring from one savage conflict, was 
 about leading his men in a gallant dash upon a con 
 cealed and powerful foe, this was how it was told to 
 more than one household at department headquarters. 
 Even the virgin modesty of one, perhaps both, of 
 those dear Crandall girls had not been proof against 
 the delirious rapture of imparting such tidings. " Only 
 think of it !" one (perhaps both) had written, " at two 
 o clock this morning Mr. Truscott was found at Mrs 
 Tanner s (you know the captain is away), and he was 
 ordered out of the post by Colonel Pelham at once. 
 She, of course, is prostrate, unable to see any one, even 
 if any one went," etc., etc., etc. " Mrs. Turner has 
 just told us. Everybody is so shocked." 
 
 28 
 
326 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 Pah ! Not to be spoken of, indeed ! Even among 
 bis brother officers, who was there to stand up for Jack 
 Truscott and stamp the thing as a lie? Who was there 
 to act for Tanner and crush the vile slander in the 
 throat of the first man who dared to breathe it ? Who 
 was there to demand that no steps should be taken, no 
 more be said, until he who stood accused could return 
 and face his accusers ? Not Canker. He believed him 
 guilty. Not Glenham. Mrs. Pelham had taken care 
 that he should be fully informed of everything sho 
 knew and much that she did not; and he now be 
 lieved Truscott guilty of treachery to himself and dis 
 honor towards Tanner. Not Raymond. He was one 
 of the many who, knowing nothing against a man, be 
 lieving him true and worthy, yet dare not stand up for 
 him against such odds, for fear that it might be true 
 after all, and then he would have made a fool of him 
 self. Not Crane, Carroll, or Hunter. We know what 
 manner of men they were. But where was sturdy old 
 Bucketts ? Where was Turner ? 
 
 Bucketts was one of those men who seeing others 
 conversing in whispers would walk away. . He drdn t 
 want to know what men felt obliged to talk of in that 
 way. Turner was another, and so was the doctor. 
 Thus it happened that as no one man in the garrison 
 wanted to broach the subject to either of the three, as 
 two of them were destitute of the natural sources of such 
 information, and the wife of the third had good reasons 
 of her own for saying nothing to her lord and master on 
 the subject, thus it had happened that not until the 
 third day after Truscott s departure did the story come to 
 the ears of Bucketts, and then there was a row. It came 
 
WINNING IIIS SPURS 327 
 
 in this way. Glenham notified him of his in 
 tention of moving at once from Truseott s quarters into 
 Dana s, and in his confused explanation he let drop 
 some allusions to a total rupture of his relations with 
 the adjutant, for which Bucketts soundly rated him, so 
 that Glenham, goaded and stung, had rushed into a de 
 tailed account of the whole scandal as he understood it, 
 poor boy ! and Bucketts, foaming with indignation, 
 had called upon Turner. Turner had fired up instan 
 taneously and demanded of his wife what she knew, 
 and then returning to the quartermaster s, they had held 
 a brief consultation, had gone to the colonel, and placed 
 their views before him. 
 
 " As a matter of simple justice, Colonel Pelham, I 
 ask that you take no steps in this matter until Mr. 
 Truscott is given an ample opportunity to explain," 
 said Captain Turner. u I am confident of his inno 
 cence, and more than confident of hers. What is more, 
 I think that every effort should be made to stop all 
 talk at once. Mrs. Tanner, too, is ill." And Colonel 
 Pelham had risen and warmly shaken hands with the 
 captain, and thanked him for the first words of cheer 
 and confidence he had heard. Then Turner went home 
 and asked Mrs. Turner whether she had been to see 
 Mrs. Tanner in her illness ; finding that she had not, 
 he marched her forthwith to Tanner s quarters. Mrs- 
 Tanner was not well enough to see them, and begged 
 to be excused. 
 
 " Please say to Mrs. Tanner that Captain and Mrs. 
 Turner called, and that they beg to know if they can 
 do anything to assist her. May we not take Rosalie 
 a while ?" asked Turner in a loud, hearty voice, that 
 
328 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 reached the invalid as she lay upon the lounge in he* 
 room ; and then meeting Mr. Hunter, he had scowled 
 at him so blackly that that young gentleman concluded 
 it best not to call there that evening, as had been his 
 intention. 
 
 As for Bucketts, he and the colonel had some further 
 talk, at the expiration of which the quartermaster had 
 stumped across parade, and meeting Captain Canker, 
 had stared him in the face and cut him dead. 
 
 And then Mrs. Wilkins had come to the fore. The 
 story reached her as quick as it did the majority of the 
 ladies, and after staring a minute in blank amaze at 
 her informant, she demanded to know how it had 
 reached him, for, in this case at least, Mr. Wilkins was 
 the transmitter. Then, as it came from her husband, 
 the lady promptly averred that she didn t believe a 
 word of it, and next she had gone off to extract all 
 that could be told by the not unwilling lips of Mrs. 
 Turner, " who had everything direct from Mrs. Pelham 
 herself." 
 
 Now such was the element of antagonism in this un- 
 terrified lady that she needed only this announcement 
 to convince her that the whole story was an outrage. 
 Of course Mrs. Turner properly hoped it might prove 
 so, and trusted that Mrs. Tanner might be vindicated. 
 " But it all looked very queer. 7 
 
 "Trash!" said Mrs. Wilkins. "I suppose Fvo 
 found fault with Mrs. Tanner like the rest of you (it 
 sounded almost like the rest o ye s), and as for Jack 
 Truscott, I suppose he laughs at me; but mind you, 
 Mrs. Turner, there s plenty of ways to explain this, 
 and I don t believe there s a thought of wrong in that 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 329 
 
 little woman, and I ll go to her the first thing to 
 morrow." 
 
 And go she did, and never hinting at anything out 
 of the way in the garrison, and parrying everything 
 like a question as to whether any of the other ladies 
 had come to see her, very useful had she made herself 
 about the house, and very much had she cheered her 
 patient and grateful little friend, so that towards after 
 noon on the day succeeding Mr. Truscott s return sho 
 was down on the piazza and eager to see him. The 
 doctor joined her as she sat there with Mrs. Wilkins, 
 warmly congratulating her upon her improvement, and 
 then Truscott came. Oh, how pale, how strange he 
 looked ! No wonder her soft brown eyes filled with 
 tears as she gazed up into his face and pressed his cold 
 hand. He who had been her faithful friend through 
 everything, he who had so recently shared her hus 
 band s dangers and successes. 
 
 " Why, Jack ! How ill you look ! You ought to be 
 stretched out here in this chair, not I. You must 
 have suffered terribly." 
 
 But he smiled gently, seated himself by her side, 
 and with Rosalie upon his knee and the eyes of Mrs. 
 Wilkins and the doctor closely watching him, he told 
 the story of the stirring fight. Catching sight of him, 
 Turner and Bucketts joined the little party, and when 
 the story was done all sat there chatting, and Mrs. 
 Pel ham coming suddenly upon her own piazza, stared 
 as she saw the gathering at Mrs. Tanner s. Then there 
 rose the sudden clatter of hoofs, and Grace Pelham 
 and Mr. Glenham came at rapid lope along the road. 
 With the color rushing to her cheeks, the former bowed 
 
 28* 
 
330 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 gravely in acknowledgment of the upraised caps of 
 the officers, who stood as she passed, and then resumed 
 their seats. 
 
 " Mrs. Wilkins tells me the engagement is announced," 
 said Mrs. Tanner, and nobody seemed to feel called 
 upon to say anything further. An orderly came run 
 ning over from the office. 
 
 " A letter from the captain, mum," he said, with a 
 grin of delight, as he handed a soiled missive to Mrs. 
 Tanner. " Sergeant Stein is just in with despatches." 
 
 Eagerly she seized and tore it open. Then with 
 sparkling eyes and reddening cheeks, with lips parted 
 and her breath coming quick and fast, she hurriedly 
 read the lines. 
 
 " Oh, thank God ! thank God !" she cried, as she 
 threw her arms around Rosalie and drew her to her 
 bosom. " Thank God, darling, papa will be here for 
 Christmas, and all is well. Oh, Jack, it s such glad 
 news! Yes, read it. Bead it aloud if you like," 
 though the heightened color in her cheek warned him 
 not to do that. " They have had another fight, and 
 now the Indians have scattered in every direction, and 
 they are coming home, will be here in two days. 
 Oh, Rosalie, aren t you glad ?" And mother and child 
 clung rapturously to one another. 
 
 "Ah, Mrs. Tanner," said the doctor, "my occupation 
 is gone. I ll leave you now. Come, Bucketts ; come, 
 Turner. I want to chat with you a while, and leave 
 Truscott to plan for Christmas with Rosalie." Yet, as 
 he passed, he said in a low tone to Mrs. Wilkins, 
 
 " Don t let her excite herself too much." 
 
 And that worthy dame nodded appreciatively. 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 331 
 
 But Bucketts, of course, had to go at once to the 
 office to see Sergeant Stein, and get the despatches 
 for Colonel Pelham. The colonel had been there for 
 a few moments only immediately after guard-mount 
 ing, and then, saying he did not feel very well, had 
 gone to his quarters. In five minutes, Major Bucketts, 
 as acting adjutant, appeared at the colonel s door with 
 the despatches in his hand, and was met by Mrs. 
 Pelham. 
 
 " The colonel is sleeping now, major, and he has 
 been far from well for two days. Is it anything 
 important?" 
 
 "Despatches from Captain Tanner, madame, with 
 details of another fight. I think the colonel ought to 
 see them, as he may want to report the result at once 
 to department headquarters." 
 
 And so Bucketts was admitted to the colonel s bed 
 side, and found him indeed feverish and forlorn. He 
 roused himself at the mention of despatches, and lis 
 tened eagerly as the quartermaster read them aloud. 
 Grace stole in on tiptoe, and took her father s hot 
 hand ; but there was breathless attention to every word, 
 the colonel interjecting an occasional "good!" "tip 
 top !" and an enthusiastic " bully for Ray !" when, in 
 brief, soldierly words, Captain Tanner gave high praise 
 to that young officer for heading the dash in the second 
 fight, and then came the "finale" 
 
 " I cannot close this report without expressing my 
 great obligations to Lieutenant Truscott, to whose tire 
 less energy the whole success of the expedition is due. 
 Without him we would have missed the trail entirely, 
 and it was he who guided us to the rancheria and led 
 
332 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 the attack in person, receiving a painful wound as hie 
 share of the casualties." 
 
 Here Bucketts stopped and waited a moment. No 
 body said anything. 
 
 "Bully for Truscott say I," remarked Major Buck 
 etts, very calmly, on satisfying himself that no one 
 else proposed to express commendation where his friend 
 was concerned. Then he finished the despatches, and 
 waited for instructions. 
 
 " Have copies made of these to be sent by to-mor 
 row s mail with my report, major, and I want a brief 
 synopsis to be sent at once by telegraph. I suppose I ll 
 have to do it myself," he added, drearily. Already he 
 missed beyond expression the arm on which he was ac 
 customed to lean. He hated to write. Everything of 
 that kind fell on Truscott s shoulders. The colonel had 
 only to indicate what he needed and it was ready for his 
 signature on his desk ; but now he could not ask Truscott. 
 
 "How is Mr. Truscott?" he asked, moodily. 
 
 "Much better, sir. I left him talking with Mrs. 
 Tanner, who has just been receiving our congratula 
 tions," said Bucketts, with a tone largely suggestive of 
 "Whether you like it or not," as he looked squarely at 
 Lady Pelham. It is to be feared that in his zeal for 
 his friend the quartermaster was not strengthening his 
 own position, a thing that is of so rare occurrence as to 
 warrant its being made a note of. Then Major Buck 
 etts bowed himself out, and went back to the adju 
 tant s office, where for some time he was busied over 
 the recent despatches. After making out the "synop 
 sis," he carried his work to Truscott, who was still 
 seated on Mrs. Tanner s piazza ; and as he approved, the 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 333 
 
 necessary copy was made and carried to the colonel for his 
 signature. Stable-call had sounded when Major Bucketts 
 turned to leave the colonel. The latter called him back. 
 "Bucketts, just close that door and come here, will 
 you?" 
 
 The quartermaster obeyed. 
 
 " Has anything been said ? Has Canker spoken to 
 Mr. Truscottyet?" 
 
 li I do not know, sir. I had no idea that it was 
 your intention to delegate this matter to Captain Can 
 ker," said Bucketts, a tremor of surprise and indigna 
 tion betraying itself in his voice. 
 
 The colonel colored hotly under the unmistakable 
 reproach in the staff-officer s tone. Oh, Bucketts, had 
 you not learned in your years of army service that dis 
 cretion was the better part of valor, when defending a 
 friend against a commander s ire ? 
 
 " There were reasons why Captain Canker was se 
 lected to speak for me," said the colonel, with much 
 dignity and reserve ; " but now it may be well to post 
 pone action until Captain Tanner s return, since he is 
 so soon to be here. You will see Canker at stables, and 
 may say so for me." And then Bucketts withdrew. 
 
 That evening as the officers came strolling back from 
 the mess-room they noted with surprise an unusual 
 gathering in front of the colonel s quarters. A broad 
 light streamed from the open doorway, and in it, only 
 partially dressed, with ashen face and holding an open 
 despatch in his hand, stood Colonel Pelham apparently 
 questioning two soldiers in rough scouting-rig, who had 
 dismounted and were holding their panting horses by 
 the rein. One of them was weeping like a woman. 
 
334 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 Grace, covering her face in her hands, ran back into the 
 house. Glenham, white as a sheet, stood beside the 
 colonel, dazed and stupefied. 
 
 " What s happened ?" asked some of the party ; and 
 Truscott and the doctor, walking together behind the rest, 
 hurried eagerly forward just in time to see Mrs. Pelham 
 throw a shawl over her shoulders and scurry up the row. 
 
 " Gentlemen," said Colonel Pelham, in a voice choking 
 with emotion, " we have lost our best. Captain Tanner 
 was killed last night at sunset." 
 
 For an instant there was an awful stillness, broken 
 only by the sobs of one of the soldiers, who had buried 
 his face in his horse s mane and thrown his arms around 
 the sturdy neck. Then the doctor spoke. 
 
 " God of heaven ! Who can break it to her ?" 
 
 " Mrs. Pelham has gone," said Glenham, briefly. 
 
 " What ! Mrs. Pelham ! For God s sake stop her !" 
 
 Two men sprang from the group and rushed in pur 
 suit, Truscott and the doctor. Her hand was on the 
 bell as the latter seized it. 
 
 l( Mrs. Pelham, stop !" said he. " I adjure you not 
 to speak to her." 
 
 " Why not, pray ? Who but the commanding offi 
 cer s wife should be the first to tender sym " The 
 
 door opened and she attempted to enter. Instantly she 
 was seized. The doctor s arms were round her waist, 
 Truscott had her hand. 
 
 " Madame, you must not " said the former ; but 
 
 she furiously interrupted him. 
 
 " Unhand me, I say ! Who dares restrain me ! This 
 outrage " 
 
 And here with alarm upon her face Mrs. Tanner 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 335 
 
 came running into the hall. Truscott sprang within 
 the door. 
 
 "Get her away quick, doctor," he muttered, and 
 then, taking Mrs. Tanner s hand, strove to lead her back 
 into the parlor, but in his death-like pallor she saw the 
 awful premonition. 
 
 " My husband ?" she gasped. " What is it ? Quick !" 
 and then the doctor saw it was too late. He too sprang 
 to her side, releasing Mrs. Pelham, who between rage, 
 agitation, and possibly genuine emotion burst into tears 
 and threw herself forward with outstretched arms. 
 
 " Oh, my poor stricken friend ! Oh, poor little " 
 
 And then Rosalie s agonized cry rang out upon the 
 parade. 
 
 "Oh, mamma, mamma! Have they killed my 
 papa ?" 
 
 Now with wild, dilated eyes she looks from one to 
 another. What need to ask ? In one frightful second 
 the whole truth flashes over her. The soft little white 
 hands are thrown tightly clinched in air ; she totters : 
 one gasping cry issues from her ashen lips and down 
 she would have gone to earth but for the strong arms 
 that seize and raise her. 
 
 White as her own is Truscott s face as he bears her 
 up the stairs. He looks back for one instant as others 
 come rushing in, and sterner, lower than ever before, 
 they hear the words, 
 
 " Get that woman away ! Doctor, come quick !" 
 
 " It is heart-disease, madame, and you would have 
 killed her," says the doctor, as he hands her ladyship 
 over to the colonel, who all too late has come tearing 
 after her. 
 
336 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 CHAPTER XIX, 
 
 THAT was a wretched night at Sandy. Accustomed 
 as the regiment had been to battle, and murder, and 
 sudden death, there was something indescribably mourn 
 ful in the circumstances attending Tanner s tragic fate. 
 He had been sent away on the very anniversary of the 
 death of his first-born, refusing in his soldierly way to 
 allow the commanding officer to be informed of a fact 
 that might lead to a change in the detail, since there 
 were so many ready and eager to go in his stead. He 
 had had two sharp and successful encounters with the 
 very band which he had been sent out to punish, and, 
 having seattered them to the four winds, was joyfully 
 on his way homeward to join his dearly-loved wife and 
 little ones in time for Christmas ; had written the glad 
 news of his coming (Ah, was she not re-reading that 
 blessed letter to Rosalie when the blow came?), and, 
 when only two days march away from the post, as 
 they bivouacked at evening beside a rapid-running 
 stream, he and some two or three men had stolen forth 
 to " stalk" a deer they saw on a hill-side not five hun 
 dred yards away. Half an hour afterwards four shots 
 were heard in quick succession, then shouts and scatter 
 ing shots, and Ray, springing to his feet, seized his 
 carbine, and, with a yell of " Come on, lively, men !" 
 Lad darted off through the thickets. In three minutes 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 337 
 
 they were standing over Tanner s lifeless body. Too 
 late to succor, but not too late to avenge. It seems 
 that three or four Indians, relatives probably of the 
 prisoners whom they were bringing in, had followed 
 the command on its homeward march, and from their 
 ambush among the rocks it had been an easy thing to 
 pick off the captain as he crept up the hill-side, intent 
 only on getting a shot at the deer. Two rifle-bullets 
 had pierced him through and through, and death must 
 have been instantaneous. The skulking foe of course 
 had fled, but Ray had his scouts in pursuit in less than 
 no time, and long before dark two were overtaken and 
 died fighting. Two of Tanner s own men were sent 
 forward with a brief report of the sad affair, hurriedly 
 written by Lieutenant Hay, and on the following morn 
 ing the detachment, bringing the lifeless remains of 
 their late commander, resumed their march in bitter 
 sorrow. 
 
 And now, what was the effect in the garrison? The 
 tidings flew from mouth to mouth, and in shocked, sol 
 emn silence the news was heard by officers and men. 
 In the entire regiment no man had been more univer 
 sally respected than Tanner, few, if any, were as pop 
 ular ; but, deeply as they mourned him, the one ques 
 tion that seemed to rise first to all lips was, " How will 
 sho bear it ?" All hearts seemed to turn at once to her, 
 and women who but yesterday would resent the faintest 
 word of praise lavished upon Mrs. Tanner were now 
 flocking to her quarters, where she lay hovering twixt 
 life and death. 
 
 Mrs. Wilkins had been the first to hurry in, sum 
 moned by the doctor, and very soon Truscott had come 
 i> w 29 
 
338 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER, OR, 
 
 down-stairs and taken sobbing, terrified, lonely little 
 Rosalie in his arms. Presently Mrs. Raymond and 
 Mrs. Turner appeared, and with awe and sympathy in 
 their faces begged the doctor to let them be of some 
 assistance. He was flitting nervously to and fro : now 
 up in the sick-room, where she lay moaning and sense 
 less ; now coming to the parlor to exchange a few words 
 with Truscott. Then he had telegraphed to Prescott, 
 begging that his comrade, the post-surgeon at Whipple, 
 might be sent at once. Lady after lady had striven to 
 induce Rosalie to leave Truscott s arms and come to 
 her for the night, but she seemed to shrink from all 
 and to turn shudderingly, clingingly, with fresh out 
 bursts of tears, to him ; and, despite the pain it caused 
 him, Jack held her to his breast and strove to soothe 
 her to sleep. At last, just as the first call for tattoo 
 was sounding, worn out with her wild grief, the sunny, 
 curly head drooped upon his shoulder and the heavy 
 eyelids closed in slumber. Still he carried her to and 
 fro, as he had when she was a mite of a baby, and as 
 he looked down into the innocent, helpless, trusting 
 little face, never more to know a father s kiss and bless 
 ing, great tears stole from his own hot eyes, and burying 
 his worn, haggard face among her bonny curls, Jack 
 Truscott sobbed silently in his grief. And on this pic 
 ture Grace Pelham entered, looked one moment with 
 a world of wistfulness, of entreaty, of love, tenderness, 
 sympathy and utter misery in her swimming eyes, then 
 turned and fled unseen. 
 
 All that weary night Truscott haunted the parlor, 
 while the doctor and Mrs. Wilkins kept watch and 
 ward overhead. Sometimes he snatched a few minutes 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 339 
 
 of broken sleep upon the sofa, but morning found him 
 pale and haggard and looking worse than when lie re 
 turned from the scout. 
 
 " This will never do, Jack," said the doctor. "You 
 must go home and get to bed." But Truscott avowed 
 his intention of going with the ambulance to meet the 
 remains. There seemed to be nothing he could do 
 there. She had recovered consciousness once towards 
 morning, but only to fall away again. " Still," said 
 the doctor, " if we can only keep her quiet we may pull 
 her through. It is the waking I dread as much as 
 anything else." 
 
 At stables in the morning Colonel Pelham did not 
 appear. A group of officers Canker, Crane, Carroll, 
 and Glenham were in conversation, when Truscott 
 walked rapidly past them, merely nodding, and entered 
 the quartermaster s corral. Coming out again, he was 
 heard to say, as though speaking to the driver of the 
 ambulance, 
 
 " Come round to my quarters, then. Fll be ready in 
 fifteen minutes." 
 
 With that he was again passing them, when the se 
 nior officer, near whom was standing an orderly, called 
 to him, 
 
 "Mr. Truscott!" 
 
 " What is it ?" said the adjutant, surprised at the 
 formality of the salutation, but not checking his rapid 
 walk. 
 
 " I wish to see you, sir," called Captain Canker after 
 him, reddening with chagrin as he did so. 
 
 "I m in a hurry now, captain," replied Truscott, 
 absently. " Come to my quarters." And on he went, 
 
340 T HE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 plunged in his gloomy thoughts, and in an instant had 
 entered the band-stables, out of sight. 
 
 Canker fairly snapped with rage. Treated with dis 
 respect and indignity by the very officer of all others 
 whom he most desired to get upon the hip the very 
 officer whom it was now in his power doubly to hu 
 miliate. Ignored in his high position as commander of 
 the post, now that Colonel Pelham was sick in quarters, 
 what better opportunity needed he ? 
 
 " You heard that language, gentlemen !" he ex 
 claimed. " Mr. Carroll, Mr. Glenham, come with me." 
 And hurrying after the adjutant, Captain Canker en 
 tered the band-stables in high dudgeon. 
 
 " Captain," suggested Carroll, " I m certain that 
 Truscott had no idea you were in command of the 
 post." 
 
 "That s d d nonsense, sir! It s his business to 
 know." 
 
 And though Mr. Carroll was confident that, being 
 on sick report, and furthermore, utterly taken up with 
 his cares at Tanner s quarters, Mr. Truscott did not 
 know that the colonel had again taken to his bed and 
 turned over the command at reveille to the senior cap 
 tain, he was diplomatic enough to hold his peace. It 
 is always safer to let a comrade get rapped over the 
 knuckles undeservingly than to attempt to restrain the 
 impetuosity of such commanders as Canker, and of 
 many another not exactly like him ; and, besides, Car 
 roll possibly wanted to see how " His Infallibility," as 
 Truscott had once been nicknamed, would stand a 
 reprimand. 
 
 They found him in earnest conversation with the 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 341 
 
 sergeant-major and with the corporal of Tanner s troop 
 who had brought in the news. He did not notice their 
 approach. 
 
 Canker rapidly stepped to his side, his eyes flashing, 
 his. face flushed with passion. 
 
 " Mr. Truscott, did you hear me say that I wished 
 to see you ?" 
 
 "Certainly, captain," said Jack, very calmly, but 
 looking vastly surprised at the sudden appearance of 
 this irate captain and his satellites. 
 
 " Then how dare you pass me by, sir ?" and at the 
 furious, undignified tone the men looked up in amaze. 
 Every brush and curry-comb seemed to need cleaning 
 at that minute, and the non-commissioned staff and 
 band, almost to a man, ceased grooming. 
 
 Worn, wearied, harassed both mentally and physi 
 cally, Truscott was in no condition to calmly submit to 
 an unjust overhauling from a man of Canker s calibre. 
 The blood rushed to his face at the arrogance, the utter 
 lack of consideration, of decency in the captain s man 
 ner. But with perfect self-poise, despite it all, he cour 
 teously spoke. 
 
 " I had no idea that you were in command of the 
 post, as I presume you must be." 
 
 " You ought to have known it, sir, if you had sense 
 enough to know anything." 
 
 And now Mr. Carroll was turning away in disgust, 
 and Glenham stood a picture of indignant helplessness. 
 Truscott turned from red to white, and looked squarely 
 into Canker s eyes as the latter stormed furiously on. 
 
 " I ve had abundant opportunity to remark your dis 
 courtesy and slights on previous occasions, sir, and now 
 
 29* 
 
342 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 you have the insolence to ignore my authority as com 
 manding officer in the presence of the command. 
 I " 
 
 " One moment, captain," said Truscott, raising his 
 hand deprecatingly, and speaking with the utmost 
 self-control and respect. " Let me repeat, that I had 
 no idea you were in command. I was deeply en 
 grossed in thought of far different matters. I thought 
 you merely wished to speak to me about some personal 
 affairs, as I m not on duty as adjutant this " 
 
 " No, by God !" burst in Canker, to whom Truscott s 
 power over himself was only an additional goad. With 
 all the malignity of a low, tyrannical nature, what he 
 wanted was an excuse to rasp and humiliate the adju 
 tant, not to listen to explanations that were establishing 
 the latter s entire innocence of wrong so far as intent 
 was concerned. " No, by God ! you are not on duty as 
 adjutant; and a most fortunate thing it is for the regi 
 ment that in that capacity your days are numbered." 
 
 Truscott simply stared at him in surprise and abso 
 lute pity, and Canker saw it. 
 
 " I m not blowing, sir, as you seem to think. Four 
 days ago the colonel directed me to see you and request 
 your resignation." And still Truscott stood calm and 
 stately. It was simply exasperating to poor Canker. 
 Determined to break through that impenetrable armor 
 of reserve and dignity, he flew on another tack. "You 
 were giving some instructions to the driver of the am 
 bulance just now. By what right, sir?" 
 
 " I merely asked him to stop for me at my quarters. 
 I desired to go down the valley to meet Captain Tan 
 ner s remains." 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 343 
 
 " I have detailed Captain Turner for that purpose, 
 sir. You cannot go." 
 
 " I did not expect to go in an official capacity, but it 
 never occurred to me for an instant that any one would 
 prohibit my going to meet the body of my oldest and 
 most intimate friend." 
 
 " It is prohibited, sir, emphatically, and for excellent 
 reason. From the colonel down, sir, it is prohibited, 
 and it is a brazen-faced outrage on your part to expect 
 to be allowed to go." 
 
 Even Carroll and Glenhain here stepped forward as 
 though to check him, and Carroll seized his arm. 
 
 " Captain/ captain, for God s sake, not here ! Think 
 where you are." 
 
 And suddenly, as though realizing that every man 
 was listening, Canker turned. 
 
 " I will see you again about this, Mr. Truscott, but 
 understand, you cannot go." 
 
 For an instant Truscott stood dazed, then hurried 
 after them, overtaking the party at the gate. From 
 the adjoining stables Captain Raymond and Mr. Wil- 
 kins were approaching. 
 
 " Captain Canker," said Truscott, and now fire was 
 flashing from his eyes, " you have used words which 
 require immediate explanation." 
 
 " I say, sir," almost shouted Canker, " that you are 
 the last man in the regiment to be allowed to go to 
 meet the remains of a man we honored, sir ! Your con 
 duct has been too monstrous. You have been long 
 suspected, but now the thing is known throughout the 
 whole garrison." 
 
 " What thing, sir?" 
 
344 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 t( Your grossly im proper, criminal, probably, relations 
 with Mrs. Tanner " 
 
 Crash ! 
 
 Something like a flash of lightning had seemed to 
 shoot from Truscott s shoulder, and with a thud, plunge, 
 and sputter Captain Canker lay sprawling on his back, 
 after ploughing up several square feet of gravel, and 
 Raymond and Carroll had thrown themselves on Trus- 
 cott, who, a living embodiment of fury, stood glaring 
 at the stunned foeman at his feet. 
 
 "ISTo more of this, Truscott! I don t blame you. 
 I heard it," said Raymond. " Go at once to your 
 quarters. I ll see that he is looked after," And es 
 corted by Carroll, the adjutant slowly, silently, walked 
 away. 
 
 " Send Bucketts here at once," he said to Carroll, as 
 he entered his hall and closed the door after him. 
 
 Meantime the other officers had raised Canker to his 
 feet. He had been knocked half senseless by the force 
 of the blow, and blood was streaming from his nostrils, 
 and his eye was rapidly closing, but his first impulse on 
 rising was to get at Truscott. He was blind with rage, 
 and it required great eifort to control him. Little by 
 little the gravity of the situation overcame his fury, and 
 he suffered himself to be led to his quarters; but half 
 the command, probably, had seen the affair, and with 
 huge delight the men were commenting on the scien 
 tific manner in which "the adjutant knocked ould 
 Canker out of time in one crack." 
 
 Raymond was urging Canker to take no steps in the 
 matter until he had cooled down. 
 
 " Of course the whole thing will get to the colonel s 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 345 
 
 ears at once, and you had better let him deal with the 
 matter," said Raymond. 
 
 But Canker thought he knew his own business best, 
 and sent at once for Major Bucketts, who stumped in 
 with his customary expression of profound gravity, 
 while the commanding officer was being plastered with 
 brown paper and vinegar by the hands of his flurried 
 and tearful wife. 
 
 "Major Bucketts, you will place Mr. Truscott in 
 close arrest at once. 7 
 
 "By whose order, captain?" said Bucketts, imper- 
 turbably. 
 
 " By mine, of course, sir. I command the post." 
 
 " Very well, sir," said Bucketts, and vanished. 
 
 Ten minutes afterwards he banged the hilt of his 
 sabre against Truscott s door and entered, finding Jack 
 stripped to the waist, bathing, and attempting to re- 
 bandage the gash on his breast, which recent muscular 
 action seemed to have reopened. 
 
 " Just hold on a moment, Jack, till I commit you in 
 due form, and then I ll help you at that. You are 
 hereby placed in close arrest, by order of Captain Can 
 ker ; and may God have mercy on your soul, and you 
 on his n ! What did you hit him with ? he s knocked 
 all one-sided." Thus irreverently and flippantly dis 
 coursed the quartermaster, as he threw off his sabre, 
 belt, and gauntlets and went to the assistance of his 
 friend. 
 
 "I haven t my spurs on, Jack, but you ll observe 
 the arrest all the same, and won t go back on me. 
 Never mind what it s about now. Let s get you com 
 fortable first." And by dint of some minutes work Major 
 
346 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 Bucketts succeeded in getting the bandage back where 
 it belonged and Jack into his clothes and easy-chair. 
 
 Truscott lay there very pale and quiet, saying nothing, 
 but there was a look in his face Bucketts did not like 
 to see; something terrible in its intensity. Stepping 
 in next door to the doctor s quarters, he found him 
 plunging his head in cold water and listening to Car 
 roll s excited description of the affray. The quarter 
 master boiled with rage when he heard the language 
 which had called forth Truscott s blow, and then 
 requested the doctor to come with him a moment. 
 
 " I want you to be with me when I have my talk 
 with Jack. Of course, now he has got to be told the 
 whole thing; and the question is, can he stand it now? 
 Go and see him." 
 
 So the doctor had gone, and in the course of half an 
 hour returned to Bucketts, saying that Truscott was 
 calm and composed, but insisted upon knowing the 
 uttermost detail of the story in which his good name 
 was involved. " He will have no rest until we do tell 
 him, and I think it best we should go at once," was 
 the doctor s decision ; so they went. 
 
 " Jack," said Bucketts, " I ll make it short as I can, 
 yet tell you all I know, and I believe all anybody 
 knows, and if I go wrong, doctor, you correct me. 
 Not until the day before you got back did I know any 
 thing about it, but the doctor and myself have gone to 
 the bottom of the whole story. For some reason Mrs, 
 Pelharn has been determined to get you away from this 
 post. The ladies all say that, and it is mainly through 
 them that we reached the facts. She has been steadily 
 at work ever since you met them at Prescott in striving 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 347 
 
 to prejudice people against you, and finally she got hold 
 of some infernal story circulated by that girl the Tan 
 ners discharged at Phoenix, to the effect that you had 
 been unduly intimate with Mrs. Tanner when in Kansas, 
 and she has been putting the colonel up to it ever since. 
 Now of the facts I can only tell you this. She has a 
 letter from Mrs. Treadwell saying that when Tanner 
 was in the field you came to Phcenix, and she saw Mrs, 
 Tanner crying in your arms in her parlor. The night 
 Tanner left here Miss Pelham and Hunter saw Mrs. 
 Tanner leaning in your arms out there on the bluff, 
 and the night you were wanted when those despatches 
 came after midnight, and you could not be found, the 
 colonel and Canker saw you coming out of her house. 
 I know, and the doctor knows, that it is all susceptible 
 of explanation. But those facts were industriously 
 circulated everywhere about the post, and we would 
 have told you yesterday but for the doctor, who said 
 you were not well enough." 
 
 To all this, told rapidly and quietly, Truscott listened 
 without a word. He knit his brow at times, a look of 
 surprise came into his face at mention of Mrs. Tread- 
 well s name, but even after Bucketts had ceased he sat 
 for a few moments in silence. 
 
 Then looking coolly, wearily around him, Jack rose, 
 went to his wardrobe, took a letter from the pocket of 
 his blouse, and returned to the fireplace. 
 
 " Bucketts," said he, " it is a fact that Mrs. Tanner 
 did on one occasion cry in my arms at Phoenix. She 
 probably would have done so the night Tanner inarched 
 if she had not fainted dead away, and it is also a fact 
 that long after midnight I came from her house when 
 
348 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 those despatches arrived. In fact, had I not heard the 
 noise outside I would have been there an hour longer. 
 For myself, I absolutely refuse to make any explana 
 tion now, but for her sake that which may seem neces 
 sary shall be done. This letter will account for my 
 presence at Tanner s at the hour which has scandalized 
 Camp Sandy, and, doctor, you can doubtless account 
 for the other enumerated indiscretions. Now, Bucketts, 
 I have a question to ask. Was it on this account that 
 the colonel requested my resignation, as that as Cap 
 tain Canker stated this morning ?" 
 
 " So Canker says, and so it has been told all over the 
 post. Turner and I went to the colonel two days ago, 
 and he promised us that nothing further should be said 
 or done until you returned, and last evening he did tell 
 me to see Canker and say to him that he desired him to 
 say nothing to you now until Tanner s return, as he 
 would be here in two days. I did so, but Canker seems 
 to have gone crazy this morning." 
 
 " Then it is doubtless true that Canker s statement is 
 correct as to the resignation," said Jack, while his teeth 
 set almost savagely. " That, at least, I never could 
 have believed of Pelham ; he should never have dele 
 gated that message to any one. Now, gentlemen," he 
 continued, " I have a great deal to think of this morn 
 ing, and I will thank you both to come to me occasion 
 ally. You, doctor, will have to devote all possible 
 time to Mrs. Tanner, I know, but let me hear how she 
 is getting on. As for Captain Canker, it is not prob 
 able any message will come from him before evening; 
 if it should then, and by that time Eay will be here." 
 
 And now we have to turn from Truscott and his 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 349 
 
 bitter reflections and look for Grace, who, of late, has 
 appeared but seldom on the scene. 
 
 At any other time so important an announcement as 
 that of the engagement of the beauty and belle of the 
 regiment, the daughter of its colonel, to one of its offi 
 cers, and that one its wealthiest, would have created 
 wide commotion ; but just now everything was forgotten 
 in the fate that had overtaken Tanner, shrouded the 
 garrison in mourning, and involved his stricken widow 
 and his most trusted friend in so strange, so uncanny a 
 complication. The circumstances of Grace s engage 
 ment have not been explained, indeed, she never could 
 satisfactorily explain them herself, but to make a long 
 and most unpleasant story short, her mother had 
 speedily added the story of Truscott s midnight ap 
 pearance at Tanner s to his other enormities, and this, 
 coupled with what she had seen, so preyed upon the 
 poor girl s jealousy and wretchedness that, yielding to 
 her mother s representations of all Glenham s excel 
 lences, the debt they owed him for Ralph s sake, the 
 deep wrong she was doing him in keeping him in sus 
 pense, " dangling at her apron-strings," as rnadame 
 expressed it, though knowing well that she, not Grace, 
 was there at fault, Grace Pelham had at last surren- 
 deied. "I do not love you," she told him, frankly. 
 " I respect and honor and like you, no doubt, but it is 
 not what you deserve," and he had rapturously declared 
 that he could wait to win her love if she would but 
 promise to let him try. And then mamma had clinched 
 the nail by announcing the engagement, confidentially, 
 to three or four ladies, and writing it confidentially to 
 two or three more at department headquarters. And 
 
 30 
 
350 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 Grace, receiving congratulations she would eagerly have 
 shunned, and devotions and raptures that she absolutely 
 shrank from, was profoundly miserable. 
 
 Coming suddenly into the Tanners 7 parlor at tattoo 
 the night of the news of his death, she stopped short 
 on seeing Truscott, and then had turned and fled. Dis 
 trusting him as she had, yet unwilling to believe in his 
 baseness, she now saw him fondling and soothing the 
 child of the man he was accused of having bitterly 
 wronged, and mingling his tears with those of the in 
 nocent little one because of that man s death. No 
 wonder hers had been an almost sleepless night, but 
 early in the morning she was at her father s bedside, 
 He was still far from well, though the ailment seemed 
 to be mental rather than bodily. Lady Pelham was 
 sleeping the sleep of the just in her own room. She 
 had been up very late the night before, making love to 
 her prospective son-in-law, as Mrs. Wilkins put it. 
 Grace had plead distress and illness and gone to her 
 room. 
 
 Soon after guard-mounting a letter was brought to 
 the door. The servant handed it to Grace, and she, 
 noting with faintly heightened color and trembling 
 hand that it was addressed in Truscott s writing to the 
 colonel, took it up-stairs, and silently placed it before 
 him on the coverlet. 
 
 " Where are my glasses, dear ?" he asked. But the 
 glasses were not under his pillow nor on the bureau. 
 " Read it to me, Grace." 
 
 For a moment she hung back, unwilling, then 
 opened the note, and in a low, tremulous voice, read 
 as follows : 
 
WINNING HIS SPUES. 351 
 
 11 CAMP SANDY, A. T., December 20, 187 . 
 "COLONEL R. R. PELHAM, Commanding th Regi 
 ment of Cavalry U.S.A. 
 
 " COLONEL, I have the honor to tender my resig 
 nation of the adjutancy of the regiment. 
 " Very respectfully, 
 
 " Your obedient servant, 
 
 " JOHN G. TRUSCOTT, 
 
 " 1st Lieut, th Cavalry." 
 
 " He gives no reason ?" asked the colonel, after a 
 long and painful pause. 
 
 " Nothing, father." 
 
 Then there was another pause. 
 
 " Grace, I want to see Major Bucketts," said he, at 
 last. 
 
 And presently Major Bucketts came, and, after usher 
 ing him in, she left the room. 
 
 " Bucketts," said the colonel, peevishly, " I thought 
 I told you to tell Canker not to mention this matter to 
 Mr. Truscott until until Tanner got back." 
 
 " You did, sir." 
 
 "Didn t you do it?" 
 
 " Certainly, I did, sir. At stables yesterday." 
 
 " But here s Truscott s resignation, and, d n it ! I 
 wanted the thing stopped until well, for the present 
 anyhow. Where is Captain Canker? Has he had 
 anything to do with this, do you know ?" 
 
 " He is in his quarters, sir, and, to the best of my 
 knowledge and belief, he had all to do with it." 
 
 " That s horribly awkward," said the colonel, sitting 
 up in bed. " Has Truscott gone to meet the body ?" 
 
352 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 " No, sir." 
 
 " He hasn t ? Why, I supposed, of course, he would 
 go." 
 
 " He wanted to go, sir, but Captain Canker refused 
 permission." And it was evident that the quartermas 
 ter was grimly enjoying the conversation. 
 
 " Canker refused him ! Why, what s the man think 
 ing of? Truscott ought to have gone. Where is he ?" 
 
 " In close arrest, sir, in his quarters." 
 
 "What! What s happened?" exclaimed Pelham, 
 already half out of bed. 
 
 " Captain Canker took it upon himself to use very 
 dangerous language to Mr. Truscott at stables. I did 
 not hear it, and prefer not to repeat what I was told, 
 but there is no doubt of the fact that Truscott knocked 
 him flat, and that Canker is spending the morning 
 drawing up charges and specifications by the quire." 
 
 " Go and say to the captain that I resume command 
 at once," said the colonel, slipping out of bed with 
 astonishing activity. " Then come to the office, both 
 of you." 
 
 Doleful indeed was Captain Canker s appearance 
 when telling his tale to the colonel half an hour after 
 wards. His left eye was covered with a broad bandage, 
 and his nose and cheek were discolored and contused. 
 Trembling still with indignation and excitement was 
 the captain, and, after listening patiently to his recital, 
 which, of course, made no allusion to his insulting, 
 overbearing manner, and somewhat inaccurately repre 
 sented his language, and very inaccurately represented 
 Truscott s conduct, Pelham spoke very moderately and 
 kindly. 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 353 
 
 " It is, of course, a most flagrant breach of disci 
 pline, and Mr. Truscott must be held accountable. I 
 shall confirm the arrest; and yet, Captain Canker, did 
 you not receive a message from me directing you to 
 postpone further action ; not to say anything, in fact, 
 until well, for the present?" 
 
 " I did, sir," said Canker, coloring painfully ; " but 
 I was justly indignant at his ignoring my position as 
 commanding officer, and Captain Tanner could never 
 return to us now, and I was outraged, I suppose, at the 
 idea of Mr. Truscott s being allowed to appear as his 
 friend. Well, there were a dozen reasons why I 
 thought he ought to be informed at once that his 
 crime was known." 
 
 Pelham winced at the word. Already he was be 
 ginning to believe an awful mistake had been made. 
 He fidgeted uneasily in his chair. 
 
 "But how came you to speak of his resignation? 
 That wasn t necessary that I can see." 
 
 And Canker had no satisfactory explanation to offer, 
 and left the colonel s office in a very unpleasant frame 
 of mind. Then Pelham sent for Raymond, Carroll, 
 and Glenham, and questioned them as eye-witnesses. 
 Crane and Wilkins also were summoned, and despite 
 every effort on their part to say as little as possible any 
 way, the fact became pretty clearly established that 
 Canker had behaved in an outrageously unbecoming 
 if not insulting manner. And awfully ill at ease and 
 unhappy the colonel found himself at the end of his 
 two hours confabulation with those gentlemen. 
 
 Meantime, Bucketts sat fuming in the adjutant s 
 chair. In his pocket he had Tanner s last letter to 
 
354 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 Truscott, one that would have forcibly shaken the 
 colonel and his confr&res, but Truscott had forbidden 
 Bucketts and the doctor to make its contents known 
 until after the colonel had acted upon his resignation. 
 
 For a long time after the officers had gone, Colonel 
 Pelham sat there at his desk in deep perplexity. All 
 over the garrison people were talking of the exciting 
 events of the day. Everybody knew that Truscott 
 was in close arrest. Everybody had heard that Canker 
 had virtually demanded the resignation of the adju 
 tancy in the colonel s name. Everybody heard in some 
 mysterious way that the resignation had been tendered, 
 and all were eagerly speculating on the upshot. This, 
 too, when only a few miles away now the lifeless body 
 of their gallant comrade was being borne back to the 
 post, and, all unconscious of that or any other fact, 
 poor little Mrs. Tanner lay in her darkened room more 
 dead than alive. 
 
 At last the colonel rose and came to Bucketts desk. 
 
 " Have you had any conversation with Mr. Truscott 
 about this affair ?" said he. 
 
 " Yes, sir," said Bucketts, promptly. 
 
 " Did he does he explain this I mean his very 
 suspicious relations with Mrs. Tanner ?" asked Pelham. 
 And very hesitatingly he asked, and painfully embar 
 rassed he looked. 
 
 Bucketts paused. 
 
 11 1 do not know that I have any right to answer 
 that question, colonel. In the absence of Turner and 
 Ray, the doctor and myself seemed to be the only 
 friends left to him. He feels most keenly the manner 
 in which the matter was brought to his notice, and as 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 355 
 
 no defence was necessary where the doctor or myself 
 were concerned he made none." And blushing very 
 much but still looking steadfastly at his commander, 
 Bucketts went on : He liked his colonel, was greatly 
 attached to him in fact, but was stung to the quick by 
 the deep trouble brought upon his friend by the weak 
 ness and mismanagement of that officer. 
 
 "Do you mean to say that he has a satisfactory 
 explanation ?" 
 
 " Most assuredly, colonel." 
 
 " Then why does he not come forward with it, or 
 express a desire to do so ? It is my right to know it." 
 
 "He certainly would have done so, sir, and you 
 .mist pardon me if I seem wanting in respect, had you 
 yourself sent for him and represented the allegations 
 against him and given him an opportunity. Instead 
 of that, at this most trying time, when he has just re 
 turned from very distinguished service, is wounded and 
 sick, his best friend killed, he finds you holding aloof 
 from him, and a man whom he whom we all dislike, 
 whom you yourself never selected as an intimate be 
 fore, now chosen to represent you in a most delicate 
 office, and you see how how he did it." And here 
 Bucketts voice rose and trembled and grew husky. 
 " Again, colonel, I beg your pardon if I speak too 
 strongly, but I feel very strongly." 
 
 Redder and redder Pelham had grown. 
 
 "Do you mean that he will refuse to explain tne 
 matter now ?" he asked. 
 
 " For Mrs. Tanner s sake he may explain," answered 
 Bucketts ; " for his own I am not prepared to say." 
 
 " Well, send for him, anyhow. I want to see him at 
 
356 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 once," said the colonel, with a nervous twitching about 
 his face. It was plain that he was nettled, miserable, 
 and dissatisfied with himself and everybody else. 
 
 And so it happened that Jack Truscott, to his great 
 surprise, as he sat talking with Raymond and Carroll, 
 received a summons to come at once to the commanding 
 officer s presence. A dozen pairs of eyes watched him 
 as he walked slowly down the line, for he was still far 
 from well, and many were the speculations as to the 
 meaning of this move. 
 
 Presently, cap in hand, he appeared at the office- 
 door and knocked. Pelham had watched him as he 
 came, and with a shock of distress noted how very pale 
 and haggard he looked : but as he entered and stood 
 erect before his colonel, his head seem carried even 
 higher, his bearing was calm as ever, but haughty. He 
 said not a word. 
 
 " Mr. Truscott," said Pelham, " I have sent for you 
 because it is most necessary that a very unpleasant mat 
 ter should be cleared up at once. I am given to un 
 derstand by your friends that you are perfectly able to 
 explain away all suspicion that may have attached to 
 your conduct of late, and, if so, and you are entirely 
 innocent in the matter, your violence to Captain Canker 
 this morning may in a measure be condoned, and 
 other other disagreeable features be suppressed. Are 
 you prepared to offer such explanation ?" 
 
 " No, sir." And the answer was prompt, but so stern 
 and low that Pelham fairly started. 
 
 " Do you mean that you have no explanation ?" 
 
 " I mean that after the language of the officer se 
 lected as your spokesman this morning I will not con- 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 357 
 
 descend to defend myself, sir. The time for that has 
 passed." 
 
 " Are you aware do you realize that your refusal 
 makes it my duty to proceed to take action in your 
 case ?" And the colonel s voice trembled so that he could 
 hardly speak, and he could not look at Truscott. 
 
 Perfectly, sir." 
 
 " Then that is all, Mr. Truscott," said the colonel. 
 And that night at retreat everybody knew that the ad 
 jutant was " broken," and was wondering who would 
 be the next victim. 
 
 It was late in the evening when the detachment, now 
 commanded by Lieutenant Ray, escorting Tanner s 
 honored remains, reached Sandy and scattered to quar 
 ters. Kay did not wait for any change of raiment. 
 After having placed the body in charge of the doctors 
 at the hospital, he went at once to Truscott s quarters, 
 and that evening Turner, Raymond, Ray, and Bucketts 
 spent in earnest consultation with the ex-adjutant. 
 Down at the store various congenial spirits were sol 
 emnly discussing the situation over their toddies. 
 
 " What do you think will happen now ?" asked Mr. 
 Wilkins of the group gathered about the store. 
 
 "Well, Ray has been with Truscott for the last 
 hour," said Mr. Hunter, " and I ll bet that there will 
 be a circus if he is called in." 
 
 " What do you want to bet Ray isn t made adju 
 tant?" 
 
 "Anything you like, Wilkins, for the simple reason 
 that madame wants that place for son-in-law Arty," 
 replied an irreverent youth, but it would be unkind to 
 mention his name. 
 
353 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 ON the following morning the preparations for Cap 
 tain Tanner s funeral were complete. There had been 
 a decided halt for a few moments when it came to the 
 selection of the pall-bearers, as they had to be chosen 
 by Colonel Pelham, poor Mrs. Tanner being still too 
 desperately ill to more than faintly realize where she 
 was or to recognize those who stood at her bedside. 
 The colonel s heart was sore against Truscott; for, while 
 he could not say that his manner had been in the least 
 disrespectful on the previous afternoon, he could com 
 plain and did complain that there was a spice of in 
 subordination in the subaltern s total refusal to offer 
 any explanation. He resented the fact that Truscott 
 evidently resented his conduct. He was stung to think 
 that Truscott had friends to whom he readily furnished 
 the proofs of his innocence, yet forbade their using them 
 " officially" ; and although he felt and knew that had 
 he himself asked Truscott for these proofs in the first 
 place, they would have been promptly set before him, 
 he refused to see that, in having made Captain Canker 
 his minister plenipotentiary for the time being, he had 
 given Truscott good cause for his action in declining to 
 defend himself at the eleventh hour. The more he 
 heard of Canker s language and manner in the now 
 famous interview the less he liked it, the more he real- 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 359 
 
 ized that he had made an awful blunder in intrusting 
 such a matter to him, and the more peevish and irrita 
 ble the poor old gentleman grew. Just at retreat the 
 evening of his brief conversation with Truscott, Dr. 
 Clayton, the post-surgeon, had met him and announced 
 the arrival of the physician from Fort "Whipple, and 
 that the latter said it was more than probable that 
 the general and some of his staff would come down 
 to be present at Tanner s funeral. Telegrams very 
 congratulatory in their tone had been flying over the 
 wires from Prescott ever since Truscott s return with 
 the news of the first fight. Then there came frequent 
 inquiries by wire after Truscott s health ; then a deeply 
 sympathetic message announcing the receipt of the tid 
 ings of Tanner s death ; then inquiries after Mrs. Tan 
 ner, and then they stopped coming to him entirely, 
 though the doctor received frequent despatches. This 
 added to Colonel Pel ham s fretfulness. It was mere 
 accident and no slight whatever was intended, but he 
 believed that in some way news of the Truscott-Canker 
 affray had reached headquarters and that his conduct 
 as post-commander was disapproved, or something, 
 and, being a loyal adherent of the commanding general 
 and a faithful friend, it worried him inexpressibly. 
 
 The telegraph operator denied having sent any de 
 spatch relating to the affair, but it had been suspected 
 on more than one occasion that Corcoran had sent " con 
 fidential" messages on his own account to the operator 
 there, and this was so spicy a piece of news that it was 
 more than believed that he had communicated the 
 whole story, with probable theories and comments of 
 his own. Certain it is that before sunset that day a 
 
300 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 rumor was in circulation at Fort Whipple that Captain 
 Canker had received a terrific thrashing at the hands of 
 the adjutant, that a duel was imminent, and then that 
 Truscott was in arrest and to be tried by court-martial. 
 
 "Has Dr. Harper seen Mrs. Tanner yet?" asked 
 Pelham, anxiously. 
 
 " Not yet, sir. "We are going in together as soon as 
 he has changed his dress ; he is at my quarters now, 
 at least he will be in a minute ;" and the doctor looked 
 uneasily up the row, and that led Pelham also to look 
 the same way. And as they did so, Dr. Harper came 
 forth from the adjutant s, the ex-adjutant s quarters 
 by this time, and the colonel reddened as he saw it. 
 Everybody whom he most liked and respected was evi 
 dently in sympathy with Truscott. No one went to 
 inquire after Canker and his black eye, yet here, the 
 moment the post-surgeon from Fort Whipple arrived, 
 he must needs run in to see Truscott before going any 
 where else. Pelham fairly winced. 
 
 " Look here, doctor," he said, impatiently. " You 
 know I suppose everybody knows by this time how 
 your patient has been compromised by Mr. Truscott s 
 conduct, and I suppose you know that he positively de 
 clined to offer any explanation when I called upon him 
 for it." 
 
 " I do, sir," said the doctor, gravely. 
 
 "Well, I m told that he has explained matters to 
 one or two officers, yourself included, though he refused 
 to explain to me, who had the best right to know. 
 Also I m told that you are convinced of his entire in 
 nocence." 
 
 " I never doubted it, sir, much less hers." 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 361 
 
 " Then, doctor, I think it your business to give me 
 your reasons. If I ve done him or or anybody else 
 injustice, I want to know it; but Fm confounded if I 
 can see how he can explain what what has been seen 
 by everybody," said poor Pelham, irritably. 
 
 Dr. Clayton merely bowed. 
 
 " You will not give your reasons ?" 
 
 "Not now, sir," and the doctor was scrupulously 
 respectful in tone and manner. 
 
 The colonel turned short on his heel and entered the 
 house. Glenham was seated with Grace in the parlor, 
 and Grace, looking far from well, glanced up eagerly 
 and wistfully in her father s face. He went up-stairs 
 without a word. 
 
 Late that evening a despatch arrived saying that the 
 general with Colonel Wickham and Mr. Bright of 
 his staff were on their way to Sandy, and would arrive 
 by noon on the following day. In the morning, there 
 fore, he had to select the pall-bearers, and before 
 breakfast Lady Pelham began her questioning. She 
 had heard with eager satisfaction the announcement of 
 Truscott s relief from duty as adjutant of the regiment ; 
 she had already paved the way, she thought, for the 
 appointment of a successor suitable to herself, and yet, 
 so long as Truscott remained at the post she could not 
 rest content : he was dangerous, she argued, and must 
 be gotten rid of. An order assigning him to duty with 
 one of the troops serving in the southern part of the 
 Territory was what she wanted, if indeed he did not 
 have to quit the service entirely ; but the death of Cap 
 tain Tanner had put an unexpected bar on that plan, 
 as his troop was now left without an officer " present 
 
362 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 for duty," the senior lieutenant of the regiment who 
 would succeed to the captaincy being, as is not unusual 
 in such cases, on detached duty in an Eastern city, with 
 no intention whatsoever of throwing up his detail as 
 an aide-de-camp so long as his regiment was roughing 
 it in Arizona. This she saw would be likely to result 
 in Truscott s being ordered to assume command of Tan 
 ner s troop. Then came his affray with Canker, his 
 arrest and prospective court-martial, and now, to her 
 dismay, she realized that not only was that going to 
 detain him at the post, but that already everybody was 
 beginning to veer around, and public sympathy was 
 largely excited in favor of the very people whom she had 
 been instrumental in bringing into trouble. Madame 
 felt the ground giving way beneath her feet. Already 
 she had learned that, while Truscott had indignantly 
 refused to utter a word in his defence, his utter inno 
 cence of wrong in thought or deed had been so clearly 
 established that his friends were triumphant, his enemies 
 disconcerted, and the ladies who but two days before 
 were whispering all manner of scandal at the expense 
 of poor little Mrs. Tanner, now found it expedient to 
 hold their tongues and wait. It was getting unpopular 
 to say anything that might be construed as an insinu 
 ation against her, and at all hours of the day the gentle 
 and forgiving creatures had been swarming to her 
 quarters to see if there really wasn t something they 
 could do. And that evening as a party of them stood 
 talking in low tones upon the Turners gallery, Mrs. 
 Raymond found opportunity to say, 
 
 " Well, I m thankful I never said a word against 
 her." 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 3G3 
 
 " And so am I, devoutly," echoed Mrs. Turner. 
 
 Of course Lady Pelham could see no possible way 
 of escape for Truscott. His conduct and Mrs. Tan 
 ner s indiscretion were past all explanation in her 
 severely virtuous mind, but it was disconcerting to ob 
 serve that " the best people in the garrison" were ex 
 hibiting decided change of heart and correspondingly 
 avoiding her, " As if / were the one to blame," said 
 her ladyship. 
 
 In selecting the pall-bearers Colonel Pelham asked 
 nobody s advice. Madame had attempted some ques 
 tioning, but was warned by the knitting of his brow 
 and an impatient gesture that he desired none of her 
 interference. Handing the list to Major Bucketts, the 
 colonel briefly told him to notify the gentlemen there 
 named and to detail Captain Canker and his troop for 
 the escort. There was fitness in that selection, as Mr. 
 Ray observed, for the captain was already in half- 
 mourning, but Truscott s name was not on the list of 
 pall-bearers, and thereat Mr. Ray saw fit to wax in 
 dignant. He had no idea of policy, and, finding that 
 he had been named as one of them, proceeded straight 
 to the colonel s office, and for the first time since his 
 return from scout exhibited himself to his commander. 
 
 "Colonel, I was the last officer of the regiment to 
 see Captain Tanner alive, and during this late scout I 
 had more than one confidential talk with him. Will 
 you permit me to say that the omission of Mr. Truscott s 
 name from the list of pall-bearers would be the last 
 thing Captain Tanner would wish could he express a 
 wish ?" 
 
 The colonel liked Ray, liked him better than ever 
 
364 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 since his adventure with Grace, and, as some of the 
 captains growlingly remarked, " Old Catnip would 
 put up with anything in Ray s troop and wouldn t stand 
 a rusty buckle in anybody else s." It was not strictly 
 accurate, but as an expression of the prevailing opinion 
 was not greatly overdrawn. Very probably he would 
 have severely snubbed any other officer, and even to 
 Hay he spoke sternly. 
 
 " Mr. Truscott is in arrest, sir." 
 
 " I know it, colonel ; but you surely do not mean to 
 prohibit his attending the funeral of his old captain 
 and oldest friend." 
 
 It was just what Pelham had intended doing. That 
 is to say, he meant to grant no extension of limits or 
 suspension from arrest unless Truscott asked it; but 
 the hour was drawing nigh, Truscott had not asked, 
 and the old gentleman was getting vastly afraid that he 
 would not. 
 
 " Mr. Truscott has refused to vindicate his reputa 
 tion, sir, and I do not think that in this matter he can 
 expect much consideration," said the colonel, trying to 
 feel that what he said was just. 
 
 " It is more for the consideration due to Captain Tan 
 ner and to the regiment, colonel, that I am appealing," 
 said Ray, boldly. " Mr. Truscott would prohibit my 
 appealing for him." 
 
 " The regiment, sir, is inclined to the belief that if 
 Mr. Truscott had been as careful of the honor of Cap 
 tain Tanner during his life as he desires to be of the 
 honors due him after death, he would stand higher than 
 he does this day." 
 
 Instantly he realized that he had said too much, and 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 3(55 
 
 would have been glad to recall it. Ray flushed crim 
 son with indignation. 
 
 " I beg your pardon, Colonel Pelham. You will 
 find that the men of the regiment do not agree with 
 you," he said, hotly. 
 
 "You are forgetting yourself, Mr. Ray," said the 
 colonel. " Leave the office, sir !" And, gritting his teeth 
 and looking very red in the face, Mr. Ray did as he 
 was bid. 
 
 Nevertheless, in half an hour the colonel sent Major 
 Bucketts to say to Mr. Truscott that his arrest would 
 be suspended until retreat, in order that he might have 
 an opportunity of attending the obsequies of his late 
 captain. 
 
 And so it happened later that bright wintry day 
 that the guards at the large empty ward of the post- 
 hospital respectfully stood aside and opened the door 
 to the tall young officer who silently entered. The 
 two hospital attendants sitting near a low table in the 
 middle of the room rose and drew back, one of them 
 reverently raising the fold of the flag draped over the 
 head of the cloth-covered coffin, and Jack Truscott 
 stood gazing down into the calm, pallid features of his 
 friend. 
 
 Oh, what memories came surging up before him as he 
 hung over the casket ! More than eight years before, 
 when fresh from West Point, he had reported for duty 
 with Tanner s company, and, joining him in Kansas, 
 had served with him through more than one eventful 
 campaign against the Sioux, Cheyennes, and Arra- 
 pahoes; had found his captain always thoughtful, 
 courteous, and considerate ; had learned to trust him 
 
 81* 
 
366 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 implicitly, and little by little to look up to and love 
 him. Together they had "roughed it 7 over the 
 prairies and " messed" in garrison ; together they had 
 gone East the second year of Jack s service with the 
 company, and he had appeared as best man at the quiet 
 little ceremony which made his captain the happiest 
 fellow on earth. And there he had met in the person 
 of his bridesmaid the sister of the sweet woman of 
 whom Tanner had so often talked to him on their long 
 rides, and, in a beauty more radiant, a wit more spark 
 ling, a vivacity more attractive, Jack Truscott had 
 been able to believe he saw all the nobler attributes 
 which existed in the gentle bride his comrade had won. 
 In another year a courtship, conducted mainly by cor 
 respondence, had resulted in his engagement to be mar 
 ried to the younger sister of his captain s wife, and yet 
 he marvelled that she should desire that it be not yet 
 announced, and had marvelled more that as day after 
 day his relations with Tanner and his wife grew more 
 cordial and intimate, Mrs. Tanner could never seem 
 perfectly unembarrassed or confidently happy about 
 that engagement. 
 
 Then her baby had been born, and he had been de 
 voted to little Bertie. Could he ever forget Tanner s 
 choking voice and tear-dimmed eyes when he got back 
 and tried to thank him for nursing the little one through 
 tint terrible illness? And then when, after all, they lost 
 the child, how well he recalled her agony and his 
 deep, manfully-subdued grief! How he recalled the 
 long winter evenings in that bleak frontier fort when 
 she with her sewing, he and Tanner with their books 
 or papers, sat by the hour together, sometimes hardly 
 
WINNING PIIS SPURS. 3(J7 
 
 speaking at all ! And how they had gone, Mrs. Tanner 
 and he, to plant the flowers around the little grave 
 down by the stream ; and then how, despite her grief, 
 she seemed to watch him all that winter and the spring 
 that followed, until he went away to assume the duties 
 of the adjutancy. And how oddly, unusually earnest 
 and affectionate and solicitous Tanner s behavior to him 
 had become, and his letters after he went away. He 
 used to wonder at it then ; but his letters from the East, 
 from his fiancee, had been growing less frequent, more 
 hurried, more unsatisfactory for a year, and when he 
 took his leave of absence and went on to satisfy him 
 self as to whether all was really as it should be, the 
 truth came out. The wealth and position of a promi 
 nent merchant, a widower with three or four children, 
 had been too much for her brief infatuation for a dis 
 tant subaltern in the cavalry, and, like a sensible girl, 
 she embraced her opportunity and the widower ; and 
 Jack came back to the th by no means the heart 
 broken man he ought to have been. It was Mrs. Tan 
 ner who felt it most. She never forgave her sister, 
 and, in her gentle, womanly way, she redoubled her 
 thoughtfulness for Jack, and more than ever had they 
 welcomed him to their cosy quarters. But then came the 
 move to Arizona, a temporary separation. And when 
 he again met his old comrades, he marked with dismay 
 her pallid cheek, and learned in a few broken words 
 from Tanner that what they feared in Kansas was now 
 an undisputed fact. Heart disease in a dangerous 
 form had fastened upon her, and great care, said the 
 physicians who were consulted, had to be exercised. 
 She knew it all as well as they, but was ever bright, 
 
368 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 brave, and cheery, and no one but Tanner, Truscott, 
 and the doctors ever suspected or at least knew the 
 truth. Stronger and firmer had grown the ties which 
 bound Tanner and himself together, but neither was 
 demonstrative. No one but Mrs. Tanner ever dreamed 
 how much they were to each other. 
 
 And now and now the loving, devoted husband, the 
 indulgent father, the dutiful soldier, the faithful friend 
 lay here cold, dead to his grief and desolation ; and she, 
 the sweet, pure, gentle wife, mother, and friend, lay at 
 death s door, robbed of her husband who was all in all 
 to her; robbed of her friend who would have given 
 his right hand to aid her ; robbed of her good name 
 by the infamous twaddle of garrison gossips ; and he 
 he who had so reverenced and honored and loved them 
 both, stood accused, even by the commander whom he 
 had served so faithfully and well, of having dishonored 
 the holiest friendship he had ever known. More than 
 that. His colonel s daughter, to whom he had given 
 the strength and fervor of a man s deep love, was cited 
 as a witness against him. Oh, bitter, bitter were his 
 thoughts, but presently he had to thrust them away. 
 It was almost time for the formation of the escort, and 
 he must take leave of the first and firmest friend he had 
 found in all his army life. Jack bent and tenderly 
 brushed aside the dark hair from the cold white fore 
 head, and then kneeling, pressed his lips upon the 
 placid face, and hot tears rolled down his cheeks. 
 Even as he knelt there, with one arm thrown over the 
 coffin, alone in his bereavement, the door again softly 
 opened and two persons entered. He heard them not, 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 369 
 
 and never moved. But they saw him, and stopped : a 
 fragile, graceful girl clinging to the arm of a stout, 
 rugged old soldier. She bore in her hand a little 
 wreath of wild-flowers, simple and homely enough, but 
 the best that hours of search could discover in that re 
 mote region. She had come to place them upon the 
 bier of the gallant troop-commander her father so hon 
 ored; but at sight of Truscott she held back, and 
 father and daughter stood motionless an instant re 
 garding him. The attendant stepped forward to offer 
 a chair, and at the sound of his footfall Truscott raised 
 his head and saw them. One second of indecision fol 
 lowed. Then, with one lingering look in the face of 
 the dead, without another glance at Grace or the col 
 onel, he slowly walked away. 
 
 An hour after, to the wailing notes of the band, the 
 solemn cortege formed around the new-made grave 
 among the foot-hills west of the post. There stood 
 Canker s company, dismounted, and in full-dress uni 
 form, the escort of the soldier-dead; there stood the 
 gray-haired chaplain, whose tremulous voice rose and 
 fell in mournful cadence on the still evening air; there, 
 leaning on their sabres, were grouped the officers of the 
 garrison, the general commanding and his aides, all 
 with reverently uncovered head, many with tear- 
 dimmed eyes ; there stood a mourning, weeping group 
 of ladies, the wives of brother officers, and among 
 them many a heart faltered in the dread that any day 
 it might be their lot to stand there and see that same 
 flag lifted from the form of him who was all in all, as 
 this had been all in all to her who lay sore-stricken in 
 the desolation of her home. All around were grouped 
 y 
 
370 THE COLONEUS DAUGHTER-, OR, 
 
 the soldiers of the post, for loved and honored he had 
 been among them. And there, near the foot of the 
 grave, stood Truscott, holding weeping little Rosalie in 
 his arms. She would go to no one, walk with no one 
 but Uncle Jack, and until he came and took her to his 
 strong, heaving breast and buried her bright curls on 
 his broad shoulder, the lonely little girl had cried pite- 
 ously for him. And now they stood there clasped in 
 each other s embrace, while all that was mortal of the 
 gallant officer and gentleman was lowered to the grave, 
 and the solemn tones of the old chaplain gave thanks 
 " for the good example of all those Thy servants who, 
 having finished their course in faith, do now rest from 
 their labors." The heavy clods had fallen, the last 
 prayer and blessing had been spoken, the grace of Him 
 who suffered and died once more invoked, and then 
 the sombre throng fell back from the grave, the bright- 
 plumed helmets of the escort ranged up in line, the 
 muffled word of command was given, the carbines 
 flashed their parting volleys over the clay their ringing 
 clamor could no longer thrill, the notes cf the trumpets 
 floated away with the smoke of the discharge, " Taps," 
 the soldiers signal for " extinguish lights" the world 
 over, died away in distant echoes across the valley, 
 and all was over. Ay, put out your light, old fellow, 
 gallant comrade, trusted friend. Rest in peace, and 
 may God grant you a joyous waking at the great re 
 veille ! But now, allons ! Le roi est mortj vive the next 
 man ! Lieutenant Stafford becomes captain vice the de 
 ceased. It s an ill wind that blows nobody good. Our 
 turn may come next. Who knows? It s all in the 
 business. Soldiers cannot stop to mourn. Life is too 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 37] 
 
 short, anyway. So strike up your liveliest music, 
 trumpeters. "Fours right/ 7 gentlemen of the escort. 
 "Left front into line, double-time," go the platoons 
 as they clear the enclosure, and the band bursts 
 into the ringing, lively, rollicking quickstep from 
 La Fille de Madame Angot, and with elastic steps 
 we march away from the grave where our hero lies 
 buried. 
 
 And now, gentlemen, to business ! First and fore 
 most this matter of Truscott s has to be settled. The 
 general has heard all about it, of course, and has not 
 a word to say. It is a regimental matter entirely, and 
 if the colonel should consider it necessary to forward 
 charges against Mr. Truscott for his assault on t\ie pro 
 tempore commanding officer, why, Mr. Truscott must be 
 tried by court-martial. All the same, the chief has re 
 ceived Tanner s last official report, in which the conduct 
 of Truscott and Ray has been highly praised, and he 
 sends for both those gentlemen and shakes them warmly 
 by the hand and congratulates them heartily. He says 
 very little, talking is not his forte, but white and In 
 dian well know that what he says he means, and the 
 wariest redskin will take his faintest promise in prefer 
 ence to any agreement stamped with the great seal of 
 the Indian bureau. To Truscott and Ray he says not 
 a word concerning the former s arrest; he is totally 
 oblivious to Canker s black eye, and is scrupulously 
 courteous to that officer when he meets him ; he listens 
 patiently to Colonel Pelham s recital of the aifair, be 
 cause Pelham thinks he must allude to it, but he ex 
 presses no opinion whatever and has no suggestions to 
 make. He calls laboriously on every lady in the gar- 
 
372 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 rison accompanied by Mr. Bright, and condoles with 
 each in appropriate terms upon the great loss the regi 
 ment has sustained, but he generally manages to let 
 them do all the talking, a matter that requires but little 
 ingenuity to be sure, and to limit his call to four or 
 five minutes ; but at Mrs. Tanner s he leaves his card 
 and many a warm inquiry, and directs Dr. Harper to 
 remain there " until he has pulled her through/ and 
 he holds little Rosalie in his arms and presses his 
 bearded, kindly face against hers, and something sus 
 piciously like moisture stands thick in his eyes as he 
 comes away. Then, refusing all escort, he starts back 
 for Prescott ; but meantime Colonel Wickham has had 
 a plain talk with Pelham, likewise with Canker, and 
 the latter, who has used up some quires of legal cap 
 in his concoction of charges against Truscott, thinks 
 it advisable at least to revise and condense ; and im 
 mediately after dinner that evening Mr. Ray accom 
 panies Truscott and Bucketts to the ex-adjutant s 
 quarters. 
 
 The mess has not been a particularly convivial place 
 of late, and since Mr. Ray s return the conversation 
 has been more highly spiced with pepper than the 
 viands. Truscott, the two doctors, and Bucketts have 
 been very grave and silent, but Ray has kept the ball 
 of conversation rolling in a way that at another time 
 would have afforded immense entertainment to the 
 elders. It is observed that unless spoken to by them 
 he never addresses or notices Hunter or Glenham. 
 Crane he cut long ago, and his demeanor to every officer 
 whom he fancies in the most remote manner to have 
 had anything to do with the stories at Truscott s ex 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 373 
 
 pense is in the last degree suggestive of " Won t you 
 have the goodness to knock this chip off my shoulder, 
 or even ever so lightly tread on the tail of my coat?" 
 Captain Canker he encountered in front of his quarters 
 the very evening of his return, and something in his 
 expression caused the captain to reflect and to restrain 
 his impulse to hold forth his hand. It was a fortunate 
 inspiration, for, looking him straight in the face, Mr. 
 Kay passed him by without any recognition whatever, 
 and Canker, who really liked the young fellow greatly, 
 was stung to the quick. 
 
 And now the day before Christmas had come, and 
 after the routine business of the office had been trans 
 acted, Major Bucketts, who still occupied the adjutant s 
 chair, inquired of the colonel at what time it would be 
 convenient to him to see the doctor and himself on 
 matters connected with the allegations against Mr. Trus- 
 cott, and the colonel eagerly answered the sooner the 
 better. In a short time, therefore, Dr. Clayton ar 
 rived, accompanied by Captain Turner, who had a small 
 packet of papers in his hand. All being seated and 
 the doors closed, the colonel inquired, 
 
 " Well, gentlemen, what have you to say ?" And 
 the doctor became the spokesman. 
 
 " Colonel Pelham, as Mrs. Tanner is recovering and 
 will soon be in a condition to enable her to attend to 
 her husband s affairs, it becomes necessary that Mr. 
 Truscott should be able to assist her. Captain Turner 
 has here written directions of Captain Tanner s that, in 
 the event of his sudden death, Mr. Truscott should 
 take charge of his papers, etc., as he was acquainted 
 with all the details of his business affairs. His will is 
 
 32 
 
374 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 very brief, he indicates, and leaves everything unre 
 servedly to his widow and children, but there is much 
 business to be attended to that both he and she have 
 been in the habit of intrusting to Mr. Truscott when 
 the captain had to be absent. Were Mr. Truscott not 
 able to attend to these matters for her she would cer 
 tainly expect to know why, and on her account at least, 
 and to put an end to a scandalous story, we are here 
 to-day. 
 
 " You and Captain Canker saw Mr. Truscott issuing 
 from Mrs. Tanner s house towards one o clock in the 
 morning the night of the 14th-15th, and believed it to 
 have been or rather attached an improper motive to his 
 being there. Whether you are aware of the fact or not, 
 Mr. Truscott has for eight years past been the most 
 trusted and intimate friend the Tanners had, and these 
 relations existed long before you joined the regiment as 
 its colonel. Captain Tanner was ordered off on this 
 last scout at a most inopportune time. He left the post 
 just at the day and hour when five years before he had 
 lost his first-born child in Kansas. It was very hard 
 for him, it was desperately hard for her, and in the 
 thought of her suffering it seems he forgot some im 
 portant items of business. Two days out he wrote au 
 urgent message to Truscott to have copies made of cer 
 tain papers and get them off to his attorney s in San 
 .Francisco as quick as possible. The letter reached 
 Truscott after taps on the night of the 14th, the mail 
 was to leave for Prescott the morning of the 15th. No 
 time was to be lost. He went right to Tanner s quar 
 ters, as he had done dozens of times before, got the 
 papers, and by dint of two hours hard work had more 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 375 
 
 than half finished the copies when your voice and Can 
 ker s and the mention of his name attracted him. He 
 went out at once, was sent on this message after the 
 command, and Mrs. Tanner finished the copying and 
 got the papers off, If Truscott was guilty for being 
 there at one o clock, I m guiltier, for I was there at 
 two. I saw her light in there as I was coming back 
 from the hospital, where I had been called to see a sick 
 man, and, fearing she was ill again, I went in at once, 
 and she was just putting into envelopes the result of 
 her work and his. There are the receipts for the regis 
 tered package in which they went. Here is Captain 
 Tanner s letter requesting Truscott to attend to this 
 work for him," and he held forth the sheet. 
 
 Pel ham took it. Drops of sweat were standing on 
 his brow. He drew his hand across his eyes, but the 
 hand that held the paper trembled so that he could not 
 read. He flattened the paper out upon his desk and 
 tried again, and the words danced before his eyes. Yet 
 he saw enough to convince he had heard more than 
 enough to convince him, and the lump that rose in his 
 throat wellnigh choked him. 
 
 " Should you need further proof I will send for Mr. 
 Ray, for Tanner told him infinitely more than I have 
 told you, sir. If not, we will go to the next point, of 
 the actual allegations against Mr. Truscott. An officer 
 reports having seen him take Mrs. Tanner in his arms 
 out on the bluff just at first call for tattoo the night 
 the command marched away. The officer says he only 
 had a hasty glance, as his companion at once led him 
 away. The story is true. Mr. Truscott did take her 
 in his arms. If he hadn t, she d have fallen down the 
 
376 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 hill -side. He carried her home in his arms, and but 
 for him she wouldn t have got there. She was in a 
 dead faint when I reached her just as tattoo was sound 
 ing. She had begged him to come for her and take 
 her out there to see the last of them as they forded the 
 stream below the post, and just as they were heard en 
 tering the ford the first call for tattoo sounded, and 
 just five years before at the same call her baby had 
 been taken from her as now her husband is taken 
 and " 
 
 " Doctor, if you knew all this before, why, in God s 
 name, did you let me wrong this little woman by im 
 plication even? You could have stopped it all. Half 
 what you have told me here would have held my hand." 
 And poor Pelhani had sprung to his feet, and abso 
 lutely wringing his hands, was tramping up and down 
 the floor. 
 
 " I did not even know that any one entertained such 
 unjust suspicions until you had placed the matter in 
 Captain Canker s hands ; but there is another matter, 
 Mrs. Treadwell s letter." 
 
 " Not a word more. I want no explanation. I want 
 nothing further. Why has Truscott suppressed this? 
 Why has he allowed me to suspect her, if he carec! 
 nothing for himself? Turner, you know Truscott, 
 how do you account for it?" And absolute misery was 
 stamped on the flushed and honest face of the old 
 soldier as he asked. 
 
 " Colonel, I hate to answer that, but you ask me and 
 shall have an answer. Truscott had every right to 
 expect you to use no middle-man in such a matter, but 
 to bring the whole thing yourself to his notice. In 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 377 
 
 refusing to say a word after you had permitted Canker 
 to demand his resignation, he did just what I would 
 have done, or any man of spirit. Indeed, it is only on 
 her account that he permits the explanation to be made 
 now." 
 
 Then followed a long and earnest consultation, and 
 at lunch-time, the officers gathering in the mess-room 
 looked significantly at one another as Turner, Bucketts, 
 and the doctor walked away, and Captain Canker was 
 seen approaching the colonel s office. That evening be 
 fore retreat it had leaked out among the ladies, and was 
 told around the garrison, that Mr. Truscott had been 
 informed that if he would apologize to Captain Canker 
 in the presence of his commanding officer and certain 
 others the charges now pending against him would be 
 withdrawn, and that Mr. Truscott had flatly refused to 
 do anything of the kind. 
 
 Certain it is that there was some unexplained cheer 
 ing and commotion among the men as they broke ranks 
 after stables, and that the men in Mr. Ray s troop were 
 seen vehemently shaking hands with those in Tanner s 
 old command. 
 
 Truscott did not come to dinner, and in his absence 
 there was no restraint on the tongues. Mr. Ray had 
 the floor, and Mr. Ray had evidently been drinking 
 more than was prudent, but he was lively as a cricket 
 and all ablaze with enthusiasm. 
 
 " Apology be d d ! Of course he wouldn t apolo 
 gize. What s Jack got to apologize for, I d like to 
 know ? Because he put a head on a sneaking cur who 
 insulted him outrageously and the sweetest woman in 
 the regiment at the same time, God bless her ! as Ho 
 
 32* 
 
378 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 hasn t particularly, but ought to all the same. Of course 
 he wouldn t apologize, and that man Canker s a bigger 
 ignoramus than I supposed to expect such a thing. 
 Why, d n it, there s no such thing as an apology for 
 a blow. Any babe in arms knows that in Kentucky, 
 or any place where people live like Christians. You 
 oan t apologize unless you retract. You can retract an 
 affront, you can take back abuse, you can swallow your 
 own words, if you re in the wrong, but all the saints in 
 heaven can t take back a blow. There s nothing for 
 that but fight, if the other man has any fight left in 
 him, and may the Lord forgive me if I ever thought 
 to hear any other doctrine preached in a cavalry regi 
 ment !" 
 
 And thus expounded this verbose and excitable young 
 disciple of the code to his hearers, and carried conviction 
 with him. 
 
 " No, gentlemen," he continued, " if Captain Canker 
 wants satisfaction he can get it, and lots of it, and it s 
 his business or his friends to attend to that speedily if 
 they propose attending to it at all ; but if they don t want 
 any more fight, if they re perfectly satisfied with getting 
 squarely knocked out of time, why, we are : but don t 
 talk apology to Truscott unless somebody else wants to 
 get floored. Mark my words, if Captain Canker has 
 any decency left in him he ll apologize on his own ac 
 count, and I know two or three other gentlemen that 
 would vastly improve their own status by apologizing 
 themselves." 
 
 Whereat Messrs. Hunter and Glenham looked very 
 red and uneasy, but spoke not. 
 
 A wretched Christmas it was to everybody when it 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 379 
 
 came around, bright, clear, and sparkling. The men 
 had their elaborate dinner, except in Tanner s troop, 
 where, by vote of their own, the soldiers decided to 
 have no festivity whatever, but they went in a body to 
 the grave and decorated it with fresh pine-boughs and 
 such rude ornaments as they could prepare. Colonel 
 and Mrs. Pelham had intended giving a dinner to the 
 bachelor officers of the garrison, some of them at least, 
 but her ladyship gave out some days beforehand, and, 
 if she had not, the battle royal which took place twixt 
 her and her liege lord Christmas-eve would have in 
 capacitated one or both for any enjoyment of the festi 
 val. There is no use in picturing that affair. It oc 
 curred after his interview with his officers and the 
 complete establishment in his mind of Truscott s inno 
 cence, and, of course, of Mrs. Tanner s. Grace, fortu 
 nately, heard nothing of it. She had gone in to inquire 
 after Mrs. Tanner, whom she found was sleeping quite 
 naturally, and Mrs. Wilkins stole down-stairs and 
 begged her to stay a while. And they, a strangely- 
 assorted pair, had a long talk which was the stepping- 
 stone to a better understanding between them, for Mrs. 
 Wilkins was "coming out" in a light totally unex 
 pected. But when Grace returned home she found 
 that her mother had retired to her own room and was 
 suffering from one of her wretched headaches, and 
 during the entire day which followed madame saw lit 
 not to emerge. 
 
 Glenham of course came in to spend Christmas -eve, 
 and was manifestly ill at ease. So also came one or two 
 of the younger ladies, and as a consequence it was not 
 very long before the subject of Mr. Truscott s arrest 
 
380 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 was alluded to. The colonel had shut himself up in 
 his den, and the coast was clear, thought these searchers 
 after information. It was the current belief that Grace 
 was so completely in her father s confidence that he had 
 no hesitation in telling her all about the affairs of the 
 garrison. " It must be delicious," said Miss Blanche, 
 u to know just exactly all about these fellows." And 
 finding in the few conversations she had enjoyed 
 with Grace that that young lady was by no means con 
 fidential, she hit on the bold stroke of broaching the 
 subject publicly, for Miss Pelham would hardly 
 " snub" her under such circumstances. 
 
 " Isn t it dreadful to think of Mr. Truscott s being 
 arrested just at this time?" she said, looking pointedly 
 at Grace, yet addressing the remark to nobody in par 
 ticular. 
 
 Finding that she was expected to reply, Miss Pel- 
 ham calmly answered that it certainly was, and instantly 
 changed the subject ; but the other damsel was not to 
 be rebuffed : she returned to the charge. 
 
 " Do you know, I think it s just splendid in him not 
 to apologize. Of course I don t know what Captain 
 Canker could have said to make him so angry." (Which 
 was remarkable, considering the amount of information 
 imparted in her letter to her friend at Fresco tt.) " Now 
 they ll have to court-martial him, won t they? You 
 know (appeal ingly) I haven t the faintest idea how 
 such things are governed in the army." 
 
 Grace colored vividly. 
 
 " It is a matter that I really know nothing about," 
 she replied, with grave courtesy. And Glenham, who 
 had been nervously tossing over some music on the 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 381 
 
 piano, came forward and begged her to sing. Whereat 
 everybody else said, " Oh, do !" And as a means of 
 putting an end to all such questioning she acceded, 
 singing soft, low, sad music, and pleading inability to 
 attempt the livelier and more difficult selections they 
 would have been glad to extort from her. But when 
 all were gone, she stole to her father s lonely den, find 
 ing him drearily pretending to read. Worn and har 
 assed he certainly looked; and she twined her arm 
 around his neck and kissed him tenderly. 
 
 " What is it, papa ?" she asked, relapsing into the 
 pet name of her girlhood. " You look so worried. Is 
 it anything you can tell me ?" 
 
 He looked lovingly into her sweet, serious face. Then 
 bowed his head. 
 
 " My darling, I fear that I have made a fearful mis 
 take, and I know that I ve done a grave injustice to 
 one of my best officers." 
 
 She knew well who was meant, but wanted to be 
 told. 
 
 "Who, father?" 
 
 Mr. Truscott." 
 
 There was a moment s silence, and her heart was 
 beating wildly. 
 
 "This affair with with Captain Canker, do you 
 mean ?" she asked. 
 
 "Something far more serious. I cannot tell you, 
 dear. But he is utterly and entirely innocent ; more 
 than that, he is even a truer and nobler friend and 
 gentleman than even I supposed, and I had been led to 
 deeply wrong him." 
 
 Poor Grace! In bitter distress she crept to her 
 
382 THE COLONELS DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 room that night. Only on two occasions had she seen 
 Truscott since his return from the scout. Onoe mingling 
 his tears with little Rosalie, once kneeling by the life 
 less form of his old friend and comrade. On the first 
 occasion he did not see, on the second he would not see 
 her. And she, despite the jealous doubts that had 
 possessed her, despite her now detested engagement to 
 Arthur Glenham, would have given worlds to recall 
 her action and implore his forgiveness. But what 
 could she do ? 
 
 And now her father had virtually told her that all 
 the accusations brought by Mrs. Pelham against Trus- 
 cott were utterly unfounded. Even what she saw must 
 have had some explanation, and she had not a friend to 
 whom she could turn and seek the truth. She knew 
 only too well now that it was useless to look to her 
 mother for that. There was no merry Christmas this 
 year for poor Grace. It is not worth while to picture 
 her perplexity and distress, but that night she looked 
 with far from friendly eyes at the class-ring Mr. Glen- 
 ham had begged her to wear in acknowledgment of 
 their engagement until the beautiful pledge he had 
 ordered from San Francisco should arrive. Glenham 
 was inordinately proud of that ring. With all its mar 
 tial devices and heavy setting, he had selected an un 
 usually beautiful and expensive stone on which to have 
 engraved the motto of his class, and West Point had 
 seen nothing handsomer in that line for years, and 
 young women who were fond of appearing in public 
 with the class-rings of their graduating admirers dis 
 ported upon their fingers had made no little effort 
 towards inducing Mr. Glenham to proffer his, but all 
 
WINNING HIS SPUJKS. 383 
 
 to no purpose. Feminine fingers had never been en 
 circled by it one instant until he proudly, humbly, joy 
 ously placed it upon hers, where it needed a guard-ring 
 to keep it from slipping off; and this night she gazed 
 upon its splendor with absolute aversion, then tore it 
 from her finger and hid it from her sight. 
 
THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 CHAPTER XXL 
 
 THREE days more, and an odd change had come 
 over the spirit of Camp Sandy s dreams. In the first 
 place, all the ladies in the garrison had been to call at 
 Mrs. Tanner s, if only to leave their cards with " kind 
 inquiries." Even Mrs. Pelham had to go : the col 
 onel made her. In the second place, despite the fact 
 that " he would not apologize," Mr. Truscott was re 
 leased from arrest, for Captain Canker had preferred 
 no charges. One after another the officers whom he 
 consulted told him that he really deserved to be knocked 
 down for his language and manner to Truscott, and a& 
 he realized what a passion he had been in, and began 
 to realize what he had said, and found out that after 
 all he had been hideously unjust in his suspicions, and 
 that he had lost the friendship of every man in the 
 regiment whose friendship was worth having (even the 
 colonel having intimated that no one but he could have 
 been so preternaturally awkward and outrageous in his 
 language), poor Canker found himself deserted and 
 forlorn. At first he raged at his colonel. It was all 
 Pelham s fault, he said. Pelham had made him pull 
 his chestnuts out of the fire, and now his hands were 
 not only scarred for life, but the colonel had " gone 
 back on him." Unfortunately for Canker s peace of 
 mind, nobody would agree with him. Everybody knew 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 335 
 
 that he had been directed through the acting adjutant 
 to say not a word further to Truscott " until Tanner s 
 return," and everybody knew that it did not mean 
 " dead or alive" in Tanner s case. A great revulsion 
 of feeling had set in as the news of the doctor s reve 
 lation to the colonel, which was not so much of a reve 
 lation anyhow, was circulated. Even the men who 
 would have, possibly had, urged Canker to his most 
 unfortunate step, now found it expedient to forget that 
 they ever thought Truscott anything but the most per 
 fect gentleman in the regiment, and Canker, being left 
 without friends, true to human nature they who had 
 started him down-hill lent occasional kicks to keep him 
 going. With public sentiment dead against him, with 
 the certainty that he would be awfully scorched should 
 the case ever come to trial, Captain Canker notified the 
 colonel that under all the circumstances he had decided 
 to prefer no charges, and immediately applied for leave 
 of absence, went up to Prescott, whence he speedily 
 telegraphed to Mrs. Canker to have everything packed 
 up at once and turned over to the quartermaster, the 
 general having assured him that he should have six- 
 months leave. To the infinite disgust of Mr. Ray, 
 Captain Canker left the Territory without either an 
 apology or a fight. 
 
 Three days after Christmas, Major Bucketts notified 
 Mr. Truscott that he was released from arrest, and that 
 the colonel desired to see him. In the interview that 
 ensued, Pelham, in deep embarrassment and with many 
 a painful stumble, strove to explain to his silent junior 
 how he had been torn and twisted and warped in his 
 judgment, and had allowed himself to be utterly mis- 
 
 R 2 33 
 
386 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 led. He strove to do this without in any way men 
 tioning his wife s connection with the matter, but it 
 was useless. Truscott sat a patient but utterly im 
 passive listener. He could forgive where the wrong 
 had involved only him, but he was thinking of her. 
 He could not aid the colonel by the suggestion of a 
 single word, and at last the old gentleman in despera 
 tion rose and clasped his head in his hands. 
 
 " Truscott, try and forget this for old times 7 sake, for 
 what you know I was before this- these women drove 
 me out of my wits." And the two had shaken hands, 
 but the colonel saw plainly that there was no such thing 
 as bridging the gulf that stood between them. Truscott 
 was perfectly gentle and courteous, full of respect, and 
 evidently strove after that outburst to be cordial to his 
 old friend and commander, but the colonel plainly saw 
 the effort, plainly saw that Truscott had aged greatly in 
 the brief month that had passed, and that the old faith 
 and confidence was gone. 
 
 But he had still what he conceived another duty 
 to perform. " Your resignation was tendered under a 
 grievous misapprehension, and was accepted under an 
 other. I want you to return to your position at once, 
 and would like to issue the order before to-morrow 
 morning." 
 
 And Truscott slowly and gravely replied, 
 
 " Colonel, it is impossible. I cannot do it." 
 
 " You will force me to believe that you cannot or 
 will not accept the only amend in my power to offer/ 
 said the colonel. 
 
 And Truscott strove to satisfy him. 
 
 " Do not think that, colonel. Believe me that I fully 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 387 
 
 appreciate the confidence you show in me and the thor 
 ough amends you have made, but before this interview 
 T had committed myself to another arrangement and 
 accepted another detail." 
 
 " Is it one that cannot be recalled, Truscott ?" the 
 colonel asked, gravely. 
 
 "It might be, sir," said Jack, coloring painfully; 
 " but I beg you not to press for further reasons. It is 
 best in every way that I should not serve upon your 
 staff." And Pelham saw that the matter was settled 
 once and for all, and at reveille on the following morn 
 ing Lieutenant Truscott took command of Company 
 " C," vacated by the death of Captain Tanner. 
 
 Of that interview with his colonel Truscott never 
 spoke until long afterwards. How, then, did it happen 
 that it was soon known throughout the Department of 
 Arizona that in releasing him from arrest the colonel 
 had again tendered the adjutancy to him? Their con 
 versation took place in the office. Major Bucketts had 
 withdrawn, the sergeant-major and the clerks were at 
 supper, not a soul was present other than the two officers, 
 and the colonel would hardly be apt, as colonels go, to 
 announce that a position on his staff had been declined. 
 
 But the adjutancy had to be filled. Major Bucketts 
 could not do it ; he was too stiff, old, and clumsy, as he 
 very frankly said, to fill such a position. Six of the 
 thirteen first lieutenants of the regiment were on staff 
 or detached duty in the East, and Pelham swore that 
 only men who served with the regiment in the field 
 should hold its positions of honor under him. Crane 
 and Wilkins were utterly unsuitable. There were very 
 valid objections to two other first lieutenants serving in 
 
388 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER-, OR, 
 
 the southern part of the Territory. Mr. Ray, there 
 fore, was the only one left, unless the colonel went 
 down among the second lieutenants, which, said he on 
 one occasion, is equivalent to saying that none of the 
 first lieutenants are fit for the position. Why would 
 not Ray do ? And for two days the captains and offi 
 cers generally decided that Ray was to be the coming 
 man. He was a splendid little soldier in the field all 
 admitted, and had a great deal of snap and energy in 
 handling his troop on drill, but he despised " paper 
 work/ 7 hated " red tape," could not bear office duty of 
 any kind, and withal was so hot-headed and impetuous 
 that he would be sure to get into snarls with the com 
 pany commanders in less than no time. Then he was 
 utterly devil-may-care and reckless as to what people 
 might think of his doings and sayings. He would 
 drink when he felt like it, and did gamble, not infre 
 quently to the neglect of his garrison duties. He could 
 not write a letter without the aid of a dictionary, and 
 shunned correspondence of any kind as scrupulously as 
 he did the catechism, but for all this, in spite of all 
 this, the colonel liked him well. He was as true as 
 steel, faithful in friendship, loyal in his likes and dis 
 likes, and an out-and-out cavalryman. " A man," as 
 the colonel had very truly said, " of whom the regiment 
 is proud." And just so soon as he had satisfied him 
 self that Truscott would not return to his old position 
 he turned " to Ray, and Ray very respectfully but posi 
 tively declined it. 
 
 This was a facer. " Has it come to this, by thunder !" 
 said the colonel to himself, " that my officers absolutely 
 refuse to serve on my staff?" 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 389 
 
 " You. doubtless have your reasons, Mr. Kay/ said 
 the colonel, " and you must be aware that an offer of 
 the adjutancy of a regiment like this is not a thing to 
 be treated lightly. I think that I am entitled to hear 
 your reasons, sir." 
 
 Ray hesitated and looked perturbed. He had a way 
 of throwing his head back and wagging it more or less 
 when he had anything to say that was disagreeable to 
 him, or was difficult to frame in diplomatic speech. 
 After a moment s demur the head went back and the 
 answer came, and he looked straight in the colonel s 
 eye. 
 
 "It s just this, Colonel Pelham, I m too careless to 
 fill the position ; I ve no head for that sort of work. I 
 can t tend to letters and such and well, sir, I drink 
 too much anyhow." 
 
 "Admitting all that, Hay," said the colonel, very 
 kindly, " and mind you I do not admit all of it, if I 
 choose to take the responsibility and, despite your frank 
 statement of what you consider your disqualifications, 
 see fit to renew the offer, I think it your place to accept 
 unless you have grave additional reasons." 
 
 " Well, then, colonel, I have." 
 
 "And they are what?" 
 
 Again Ray hesitated. 
 
 " It is my right to know, I think," said Pelham. 
 
 " Very well, sir." And now the head was wagging 
 in earnest. " In my opinion an adjutant should be an 
 officer whom his colonel could trust before all others in 
 his regiment. He has got to be thrown into constant 
 intercourse with the colonel s family and should be on 
 cordial terms with them ; and and if such a gentle- 
 
 33* 
 
390 TIIE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 man as Mr. Truscott could not be satisfactory to Mrs. 
 Pelham, why, the Lord knows I couldn t." 
 
 And Colonel Pel ham, reddening painfully, pressed 
 for no further reason. He was indignant at Mr. Kay 
 for assigning such a cause, yet he knew well down in 
 the depths of his heart that but for that very cause 
 Jack Truscott would not be as he was estranged. Ray 
 was permitted to withdraw, and the colonel, with 
 gloomy brow, went home to lunch. Grace was absent ; 
 had gone over to Mrs. Tanner s again, said her lady 
 ship ; and she wished that Grace would keep away from 
 there, she was getting altogether too intimate with that 
 horrid Mrs. Wilkins; then again, said madame, she 
 always manages to be there now, " playing with Eosa- 
 lie," she says, when Mr. Glenham comes here to see 
 her, and plainly he does not like it. 
 
 " If he doesn t like it, Mrs. Pelham, let him leave 
 it," said the colonel, very bluntly. "She cannot do 
 too much now to undo .the mischief you have played 
 where Mrs. Tanner and others are concerned. And 
 as for this engagement to Mr. Glenham, I m not half 
 satisfied that it isn t a source of distress instead of joy 
 to her. She s been looking worse and worse every day." 
 
 This was altogether too delicious a conversation for 
 Maggie the housemaid to leave unheard. Well she 
 knew that presently her ladyship would lose her temper 
 entirely, and then there would be revelations ; so on one 
 pretext or another she kept bustling in and out of the 
 lunch-room, and sure enough the explosion came. 
 
 " Know it !" the colonel was wrathfully saying. 
 "Know it! by the eternal, madame, how can I help 
 know it when the two best officers in my regiment 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 39] 
 
 decline the adjutancy, and one of them plainly tells mr 
 that your infernal behavior is the reason ?" 
 
 " Leave the room, Maggie !" her ladyship had 
 Hhrieked before bursting into the flood of weeping and 
 lamentation to be expected after such an accusation ; 
 and Maggie left, and took with her the story, " infernal" 
 and all, to Bridget next door, who duly transmitted it 
 along the row, so that by dinner-time it was coming 
 back along the piazzas and parlors. Oh, those were 
 joyous days at Sandy ! 
 
 Since their return, neither Truscott nor Ray had 
 called at the colonel s. One, because of his arrest, 
 itself an all-sufficient reason, though he had others quite 
 as cogent. The other, out of sheer disgust at the thought 
 of his dinner there. He had not even paid the conven 
 tional dinner-call, and on the few occasions when he 
 met Miss Pelham she was with Mr. Glenham or some 
 lady friends, and he had confined his remarks to a few 
 awkward platitudes. He had never once congratulated 
 her on her engagement, and to Truscott he made no 
 allusion to it whatever, yet time and again it was in his 
 thoughts, and so was that blood-stained handkerchief 
 he had taken from Truscott s breast. How came it 
 there ? thought Ray, and what did that portend ? It 
 was a new perplexity, and not a particularly pleasant 
 one. 
 
 And now Glenham and Hunter had been to see 
 Truscott, and presumably had " explained." Certainly 
 they had apologized for anything they might have said 
 or done to wound him in the least, for they openly an- 
 n -mnced the fact at the mess, as though for Ray s in 
 formation. Truscott was very civil to both, and there 
 
392 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR 
 
 was a faint resumption of his old kindly manner tc 
 Glenham, but very faint, and he did not invite him to 
 return to his roof. The holidays were gloomy in the 
 last degree. Mirth and music and theatricals and fun 
 went on at Prescott, and thither went the young lady 
 visitors when Captain Canker s ambulance drove up 
 with him, but the general s wife, who had invited 
 Grace to spend the holidays with her, or at least ex 
 pressed a wish that she should do so when they parted, 
 was dumb thereafter. She had absolutely made no 
 reply to the rather gushing note in which Lady Pel- 
 ham had announced her precious daughter s engage 
 ment to Mr. Glenham, but she had written to Jack 
 Truscott, for Glenham saw the letter when the mail 
 was opened, and very dutifully told her ladyship 
 thereof. 
 
 And now Mrs. Tanner was beginning to sit up a few 
 hours each day, and Dr. Harper had gone back to 
 his duties at Fort Whipple. Both he and his able 
 coadjutor at Sandy had been unremitting in their at 
 tention, and Mrs. Wilkins had been simply a wonder. 
 Leaving her own sturdy brood to the care of her 
 weaker half and the maid-of-all-work (who was like 
 wise the cook), this energetic lady spent her days and 
 nights in close attendance on the gentle sufferer, and 
 whether it was from such incessant association with 
 that pure, patient soui, or from remorse at having, if 
 only to a very slight extent, lent herself to the circula 
 tion of the story at Mrs. Tanner s expense, certain it 
 is that her rugged and intractable nature was vastly 
 softened and subdued. She would flare up and wax 
 furious or else stony when Mrs. Pelham made her occa- 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 393 
 
 sional calls to inquire after Mrs. Tanner, and to make 
 sanctimonious or patronizingly sympathetic remarks. 
 Mrs. Wilkins could see no good whatever in Mrs. 
 Pelham, and it is to be feared that those who shared 
 her opinions were in the majority, and very stiif and 
 formal and " it s-all-your-fault-anyhow" was her man 
 ner towards that self-satisfied lady when she came. As 
 for Mrs. Pelham, it may be briefly said that, having 
 accomplished her object in seeing Grace plighted to 
 Glenham, she was quite ready to be magnanimous to 
 those whom she had trodden under foot in her struggles 
 to effect that end. She was quite willing to admit, she 
 said, that Mrs. Treadwell was totally mistaken, and 
 that " we had all been too censorious" where Mrs. Tan 
 ner was concerned. Indeed, to the vast indignation of 
 Mesdames Raymond and Turner, these ladies were 
 virtually given to understand that she, Lady Pelham, 
 could never, never have believed such a thing of so 
 sweet and gentle a lady had it not been for their posi 
 tive statements, and now there wasn t a woman in all 
 the garrison except the two whom she had most in 
 jured (Mrs. Tanner and her own daughter are meant, 
 not you, Mrs. Raymond,) who did not hate her and 
 talk accordingly. 
 
 Madame, however, had long since convinced herself 
 that, having heard all she had heard, it was her duty 
 as a mother and a Christian woman to come down upon 
 the offenders forthwith, and that because others had 
 made a frightful blunder in their suspicions was no 
 reason why she had in her acts. In making frequent 
 visits at Mrs. Tanner s and sending up consoling mes 
 sages to that lady she conceived that every amend that 
 
394 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 could be expected was being made. Why her husband 
 should therefore continue to treat her with cold civility, 
 why Grace should avoid her, why the whole garrison 
 should hold aloof as though she were afflicted with 
 some moral leprosy, was more than she could fathom. 
 Glen ham was her only consolation, and he, poor devil, 
 was constantly at her beck and call. She " Arthured" 
 him from morning till night, but never could Grace be 
 induced to call him aught but Mr. Glenham, and it 
 soon became patent to all beholders that while he but 
 seldom appeared in public with, or was believed to be 
 blessed by the society of Miss Pel ham, he was at all 
 hours dancing attendance upon his prospective mother- 
 in-law. Lots of fun they had over it at the mess, 
 where those stiff old prigs, as they were laughingly 
 dubbed by Mr. Ray Truscott and the doctor were 
 the only ones who did not take part in the sly witti 
 cisms at Glenham s expense, in his absence, of course, 
 for his position was too seriously unenviable to permit 
 of their chaffing him to his face. 
 
 "That old catamaran will disgust him yet, if she 
 hasn t already," burst out Mr. Ray, one evening. " You 
 hear me !" he added, in the slang of the day, and Trus 
 cott shot his friend a warning glance. He hated to 
 hear any woman s name mentioned in that or any mess- 
 room. 
 
 It wanted but two days to New Year s. Truscott 
 had been busily occupied in arranging Tanner s papers, 
 working most of the time at his own quarters, but on 
 two occasions he was in Tanner s library when madame 
 called to make her inquiries ; and once, one bright sun 
 shiny afternoon, he had stepped quietly in there, for, as 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 395 
 
 lie entered the house, he heard Grace Pelham s sweet, 
 low laugh, and a ringing peal from Rosalie. They 
 were playing together in the hall above, while Mrs. 
 "Wilkins sat by Mrs. Tanner in the pretty room over 
 the piazza. He could not help wondering how the lit 
 tle one could so soon forget her misery of the week 
 before, and yet he was thankful to hear her joyous 
 laugh ; thankful that Grace Pelham was so constantly 
 with her, striving to entertain the lonely little body. 
 As yet he had not seen Mrs. Tanner, but every few 
 hours he could learn how she was progressing, and had 
 managed to get some few humble wild-flowers to send 
 to her bedside, and Mrs. Wilkins brought her love and 
 thanks and inquiries as to his wound. Just how deep, 
 intense, and uncomplaining was the suffering of that 
 silent little woman heaven only knew. As conscious 
 ness and the flutter of life came back to her there came 
 with it the blight of a desolation that no human pen 
 could ever picture. She lay for hours speechless, striv 
 ing patiently to obey the directions of her physicians 
 or the attendants beside her. There was no wailing, 
 no wild raving, no upbraiding, but her pillow was wet 
 with her ceaseless tears. O God ! how she would have 
 thanked Him could she only be laid there by the side 
 of the gallant, gentle husband who had made her life 
 one dream of joy and unutterable content ! But there 
 was Rosalie. There, too, was the baby, now a boister 
 ous little two-year-old, full of vim, and exacting in the 
 last degree. She strained them to her bosom, and 
 prayed for strength to bear her cross. With such sor 
 row as hers this crabbed and ill-natured chronicle has 
 naught to do. 
 
396 /rHE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 Twice had Grace been admitted to see her by this 
 time, and infinitely sweet and tender had her manner 
 been. " Come often," Mrs. Tanner had murmured to 
 her, as she returned the warm pressure of the slender- 
 hand that lay lingeringly in hers. " Rosalie is growing 
 so fond of you, and you are such a comfort." 
 
 And then, as Grace s eyes began to fill, and an odd 
 tremor to creep about the corner of her mouth, the 
 widow twined her fragile arm about her neck, and 
 drew the pale, wistful face down to hers. Some cynic 
 speaks of the Judas kisses women interchange, but in 
 that caress there was a wealth of earnestness that would 
 have disarmed the criticism of a Sterne. Mrs. Tanner 
 wondered at the warmth of that embrace and kiss; 
 wondered more at the agitation with which Grace sud 
 denly withdrew herself from the clasping arm and 
 hurriedly left the room. 
 
 And so it happened that, while Truscott was silently 
 at work on Tanner s old desk that afternoon, he heard 
 Mrs. Wilkins s voice aloft. 
 
 "I have to run over home a few minutes, Miss 
 Gracie. Would you mind sitting by Mrs. Tanner till 
 I come back ? She ll be glad to have you and Rosalie." 
 
 Ten minutes after light footsteps came dancing down 
 the stairs, and patting along the hall towards the library- 
 door. Jack Truscott s heart stood still. There was no 
 time to escape, hardly time to think. The next instant 
 the door flew open, and the woman he loved stood be 
 fore him. It was their first meeting alone since the 
 day of his avowal nearly three weeks agone, and from 
 that day not one word had passed between them. She 
 was in the room before she caught sight of him, still 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 397 
 
 seated at the desk. Crimson flashed to the roots of 
 her hair. Then she grew as pale as he. 
 
 " I I beg your pardon," she faltered. " I did not 
 know any one was here. Fve only come for a book of 
 Rosalie s." 
 
 He bowed calmly, gravely. 
 
 You will not disturb my work in the least," he 
 answered ; and the profound would-be dissembler ruined 
 the copy he was making by drawing thereon a series 
 of pot-hooks that bore no resemblance whatever to his 
 ordinary handwriting. " Disturb his work," indeed ! 
 His heart was bounding like a trip-hammer with all 
 the enforced calm on his features. 
 
 She stood looking hurriedly along the shelves. Then 
 her hand was extended aloft to reach the book she 
 needed, but fell short full six inches. 
 
 " Let me help you," he said, quickly rising and step 
 ping to her side. " Which book is it ?" 
 
 " The red one, there ;" and her left hand touched 
 with its finger-tips the shelf on which it lay, and in 
 slender, snowy grace stood outlined before his eyes. 
 Where was Glenham s ring ? 
 
 Silently he handed her the book and resumed his 
 seat, and with murmured thanks she left the room. 
 
 " Who was there ?" asked Mrs. Tanner. " I thought 
 I heard you speak." 
 
 " Mr. Truscott," she replied, and despite every effort 
 the color sprang again to her face, and Mrs. Tanner saw 
 it. Grace instantly bent over Rosalie, and plunged 
 into a highly moral and instructive article descriptive 
 of the time-honored illustration of a luridly-colored 
 lion in the meshes of an exaggerated fish-net, the 
 
 34 
 
398 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 mouse swallowed up in the general gorge of color being 
 somewhat indistinguishable. 
 
 Presently stable-call sounded, and Mr. Truscott was 
 heard to stow away his papers, close the library-door, 
 and leave the house, and when Dr. Clayton came in 
 soon afterwards, and Mrs. Tanner expressed a wish to 
 see her old friend, if it could be permitted, he readily 
 assented, but went off to caution Truscott that no busi 
 ness wavS to be talked that evening. 
 
 Shortly before sunset, therefore, while Grace and 
 Rosalie were still playing or chatting together in the 
 adjoining room, Mrs. Wilkins ushered Truscott up the 
 stairs, and, bidding him enter, discreetly withdrew to 
 where Grace was seated on the floor, a picture of amaze 
 and embarrassment. She had heard nothing of the 
 arrangement or she would have scurried home long ago, 
 and through the open doorway every word they said 
 was distinctly audible, and she could not but see the 
 sweet, tearful face gazing so gratefully, trustingly up 
 in his, but his back was towards her. She strove to 
 resume her chatter with her eager little friend, but her 
 thoughts wandered uncontrollably. 
 
 " It s a blessing you are to that little one, Grace Pel- 
 ham," said Mrs. Wilkins, " and it s a blessing he is to 
 that poor little woman, hard though it must be for her 
 to see him at first." 
 
 For a few moments only broken, sobbing words came 
 from Mrs. Tanner s lips, when any sound came at all, 
 but gradually the tearful accents ceased, and her voice, 
 gentle and patient, was mingled with the calm, deep 
 tones of his. Painful, sorrowing, tender as that first 
 interview must have been to both, there was a sweetness 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS 399 
 
 in the very sorrow. At last she called Rosalie to oome 
 and see Uncle Jack, and the child, clinging to Grace s 
 hand, strove to draw her with her. 
 
 "Yes, come with her, Grace dear, cfo," said Mrs. 
 Tanner, and Grace had to come and take the hand the 
 invalid held forth. " Jack, I don t know how we would 
 have got along without Miss Gracie. She has been 
 everything to Rosalie, and an infinite comfort to me," 
 she continued, as she drew her down into a chair, and 
 Jack, who had risen and courteously bowed on her en 
 trance, resumed his own seat near the foot of the sofa- 
 It was a strange meeting. 
 
 Lying there upon the lounge, the newly -widowed in 
 valid held in hers Grace Pelharn s slender hand, and 
 looking bravely up in the pale features of her husband s 
 chosen friend, listened eagerly to his recital of the in 
 cidents of the last scout and battles. She insisted on 
 hearing them, and he had no reason to give, he could 
 not but obey. At last she asked him, 
 
 " But are you not imprudent in resuming duty so 
 soon ? Are you sure you are strong enough ? I never 
 saw you look so pale and ill, Jack." 
 
 "I am doing very well," he answered, smiling 
 gravely. 
 
 " And yet I know that this is such a busy time in 
 the office, and with all your adjutant s work I ought 
 not to let you touch these affairs of mine. Surely they 
 can wait " 
 
 She stopped short. Grace Pelham s hand, lying in 
 hers, had given an unmistakable quiver, and, looking 
 at her in surprise, Mrs. Tanner saw a flush of deep em 
 barrassment on her face. Not divining its cause, she 
 
400 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 saw, too, that Truscott had reddened, and then the first 
 call sounded for retreat. He rose, and promising to 
 see her on the following day, hurriedly took his leave. 
 
 " It s undress parade and publication of orders," said 
 Mrs. Wilkins, gazing out of the window. And, sure 
 enough, the voices of the troop commanders could be 
 heard as they marched out to the general parade and 
 formed the line ; the trumpets rang out the sunset call ; 
 the window shook to the thunder of the evening gun. 
 
 " I ve so often lain here and listened to Mr. Truscott 
 reading the orders, every word was so distinct," said 
 Mrs. Tanner. " Let us hear what they are to-night. 7 
 Whereat Mrs. Wilkins suddenly left the room, and all 
 within was silence. In strained, wondering attention, 
 Mrs. Tanner listened ; the hand within hers was trem 
 bling violently. 
 
 " Why, Grace, that isn t Mr. Truscott s voice. You 
 can t understand a word of it, and yet he said he was 
 on duty. What does it mean ?" 
 
 And for all answer Grace Pelham burst into a pas 
 sion of tears, buried her face in the pillow beside that 
 of her friend, and sobbed as though her heart would 
 break. Another moment and both Mrs. Tanner s 
 arms were round her; had drawn her head upon 
 her own gentle bosom; her lips pressed kiss after 
 kiss in silent sympathy upon the sunshiny glory of 
 the beautiful hair, the womanly heart had read her 
 secret. 
 
 No wonder that when Miss Pelham was wanted for 
 dinner that evening Miss Pelham sent back word that 
 she had decided to stay and take tea at Mrs. Tanner s, 
 and Mrs. Pelham had again to explain matters as best 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 401 
 
 she could to Mr. Arthur Glenham, who went home 
 despondent. 
 
 Before Jack Truscott came to see her on the follow 
 ing morning Mrs. Tanner had heard from Mrs. Wil- 
 kins s lips every item of the stories and events that had 
 so upset the social serenity of Camp Sandy during the 
 past month. It was no difficult matter to learn the 
 whole story. It had been bottled up in Mrs. Wilkins s 
 brain for days, fermenting, seething, " coming to a head," 
 as it were ; and when at last Mrs. Tanner gravely de 
 manded of her a full statement of Truscott s loss of the 
 adjutancy, his arrest, and everything, for poor Grace 
 could only vaguely hint that there were troubles she 
 could not explain, yet longed to that she might ask her 
 forgiveness, Mrs. Wilkins s relief was something tragic 
 in its intensity. Once uncorked, the story flew forth 
 with a rush ; and the reader probably has seen enough 
 of Mrs. Wilkins to feel assured that Lady Pelham had 
 small mercy shown her. Naturally, however, one s 
 principal alarm may be as to how Mrs. Tanner bore 
 the recital. For her husband and for Truscott she 
 was indignant in no mild degree, but she said very 
 little. For herself, she hardly thought. 
 
 "It s my belief," said Mrs. Wilkins, among other 
 things, " that if it hadn t been for the venomous stories 
 of that mother of hers Grace Pelham would no more 
 be engaged to that little milksop of a Glen ham than I 
 would. It was Jack Truscott she fancied from the first." 
 
 And despite her own bitter desolation, many a waking 
 hour did the quiet little woman give to earnest thought 
 over the whole matter. It was more than a revelation, 
 it gave her something to plan and act upon. 
 
 aa 34* 
 
402 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 It was after drill when Mr. Truscott came in on the 
 following morning. Almost the first thing she did was 
 to give him the key of a tin despatch-box belonging to 
 the captain. " My letters to him are in that," she briefly 
 explained, " and I want the package marked From 
 Fort Phoenix/" To him she made no allusion to his 
 changed fortunes or to the story she had heard. She 
 was frank, gentle, unembarrassed ; but he noted a pink 
 flush in the centre of each cheek, which alarmed him, 
 and the doctor once more forbade business tal ks. " What 
 wouldn t he have said did he know of all I d told her ?" 
 thought Mrs. Wilkins, though she excused herself by 
 the reflection that had she not related the whole affair 
 Mrs. Tanner would have worried her life out trying to 
 fathom it. And perhaps she would. Who knows ? 
 Truscott soon returned to the desk, and announced at 
 luncheon-time that all the work was finished, her 
 signature to certain papers being all that was needed. 
 Then he left the house. 
 
 That afternoon Mrs. Raymond and Mrs. Turner 
 came together and begged to be allowed to come up 
 stairs and sit with Mrs. Tanner a while. Mrs. Tan 
 ner begged to be excused. "Do you suppose that 
 woman can have told her anything?" asked one of 
 the other. 
 
 " She would tell anything she knew," was the reply 
 of Mrs. Turner, who never was known to keep a secret 
 in her life, and yet in her own mind was set upon a 
 very pinnacle of discretion. 
 
 Later came Grace Pelham, whom Rosalie eagerly ran 
 to welcome, calling her " Aunt Gracie," as she had in 
 mysterious way learned to speak of her sweet 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS 403 
 
 friend, and when her voice was heard in the hall below, 
 Mrs. Tanner asked that she be invited up at once. 
 
 She had been riding with Mr. Glenham, and it 
 would seem as though, of late, her favorite exercise had 
 been bereft of all benefit or pleasure, and this day the 
 conversation she had undergone with her adorer had 
 been far from soothing. He had begun reproaching 
 her for coldness and indifference, and she could not and 
 did not specifically deny the charge. Very pale and 
 tired she looked as she seated herself by the side of her 
 friend, whom she was with every hour learning to love 
 more dearly. Mrs. Tanner quickly marked her pallor 
 and fatigue. 
 
 "Your ride has been far from enjoyable, I fear, 
 Gracie," she said, and the long interview of the previ 
 ous evening must have been of a most intimate nature 
 to warrant such a piece of impertinence on Mrs. Tan 
 ner s part. "Mrs. Wilkins has told me the whole 
 story/ (Here the bright, beautiful head hid itself in 
 the most convenient and natural resting-place it could 
 find.) " Now I have one to tell you. Are you too 
 tired to hear it ? (What woman would be ? The head 
 was promptly shaken, though the face was still hidden. 
 " Are you sure you are strong enough to tell it ?" was 
 indistinctly murmured.) " I do not propose to make 
 an explanation," continued Mrs. Tanner, while a very 
 sad, sweet smile played for a moment over her pallid 
 face, " but the story is one I want you to hear." 
 
 And so in the solemn stillness and peace of the 
 sick-room the truth came out. Slowly, gently, the 
 patient sufferer, forgetting for a time the bitterness 
 of her bereavement, her illness, her wrongs, told the 
 
404 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 tale of her life since she had come into the regiment 
 and Jack Truscott had come into her life ; of the let 
 ters in which Captain Tanner had described him before 
 they came East together ; of his appearance and bear 
 ing at their wedding; of her sister s admiration for 
 him and the correspondence that followed; of the en 
 gagement and her own misgiving because of that sis 
 ter s acceptance of the attentions of the well-to-do 
 widower at home. Of Jack s home-life with them on 
 the frontier, his love for little Bertie, his devotion to 
 the baby during her illness, his deep tenderness and 
 sympathy when baby died. Ah, no wonder the tears 
 rained down her worn face as she spoke of that. Of 
 her sister s deceit and the rupture of their engagement, 
 and of Jack s delicate and manly bearing towards her 
 and her husband after that affair. Of the order to 
 Arizona and her own misery at having to leave that 
 little grave in far-away Kansas. Of his letters to her 
 and to the captain during his separation from the troop, 
 all preserved and cherished yet. Of his care of the 
 little grave when they had gone, and his arrival at Fort 
 Phoenix six months after. 
 
 "He came suddenly," she said, a and the captain 
 was out on a scout. I heard his voice at the door and 
 rushed down to greet him, and there on the table in the 
 parlor was a box of earth in which were transplanted 
 some of the flowers from Bertie s grave, that he, the 
 loving, loyal fellow, had brought, cared for, watered, 
 and watched through all that long journey. No wonder 
 I could not speak. I could only sob my thanks, and 
 I did throw my arms round his neck and would have 
 kissed him, only he was too tall or astonished, or some- 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 40 Jj 
 
 thing. Here s my letter telling my husband all about 
 it, Gracie, and if he thought no wrong of me, wh) 
 should others ? Of course they could not know, could 
 not understand." And here Grace raised her own 
 tearful face from the bosom whereon it had lain and 
 twined her arms around the slender neck and kissed 
 her, the pure lips meeting again and again. 
 
 And then the story went on. Of their pleasure at 
 being ordered to join headquarters and to again be 
 with Jack in garrison ; of the trip to Prescott and 
 their alarm when he did not appear ; of his grief at 
 the loss of " Apache." " It was to go with him and see 
 his grave that I left you all at Olson s ranch that day." 
 Of his distress at having to communicate to Captain 
 Tanner the order sending him off on a dangerous mis 
 sion the very anniversary of Bertie s death. " You 
 know now what that was to me, Gracie. I had asked 
 him to come and take me out on the bluff to see the 
 last of them as they marched away, and when the call 
 sounded, just as it did as my baby drew her last breath 
 and lay dead in my arms, was it strange that one so ill 
 as I am should swoon ?" And then she told of the 
 captain s letters to her and to Truscott, asking that 
 those papers should be made out at once and sent by 
 first mail to San Francisco ; and how they had worked 
 together in the library at the copies, and of his hearing 
 the colonel s voice so late at night out on the road, and 
 his going at once to see what was the matter. Of his 
 departure to overtake her husband, and how strange 
 she thought it that the adjutant should be sent on such 
 a mission. Of his return ; then of the receipt of tho 
 dreadful news, and she could speak no more. For 
 
406 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 hours they clung to one another in silent sympathy, 
 that infinite and merciful sweetness of communion 
 which God has given to women who mourn, and then, 
 comforted unspeakably, yet infinitely humbled, Grace 
 Pelham went home. 
 
 The colonel was sitting moodily in his den, and even 
 at her kiss arid caress did not rouse himself from his 
 abstraction. 
 
 " There s a letter for you from Ralph, dear," he said, 
 dejectedly. " I d like to know what s in it." 
 
 She tore it open. A few fond, hurried words of con 
 gratulation on her engagement. Mother s letter was 
 just received. So proud and glad to think of her 
 being so happily settled. Glenham must be a splendid 
 fellow to win and deserve such a prize, etc., etc. Love 
 to all. Ealph. 
 
 " P.S. Need I tell you that it is with infinite re 
 lief that I found it was not Glenham at all who fur 
 nished the money that got me out of my scrape? I 
 would have been horribly embarrassed had the bene 
 factor turned out to be my future brother-in-law. It 
 was Jack Truscott again and all the time, as I found 
 when I went to make the first payment, and he made 
 me believe it was Glenham. What a trump that 
 fellow is!" 
 
 Without a word Grace stood there staring blankly at 
 the last page. 
 
 " What is it, daughter ?" asked the colonel, anxiously. 
 She threw the letter on the desk before him, rushed from 
 the room, and locked herself in her own. 
 
 Poor girl ! Her thoughts as she lay there sobbing 
 convulsively in her trouble were far from hopeful. 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 407 
 
 What had she done that in all the buoyancy of youth, 
 health, and her radiant beauty this wretched blight 
 should have fallen upon her? All that Mrs. Tanner 
 had told her, all that she herself had begun to realize 
 must be true of him, all that Ralph s letter revealed, 
 only showed him, the lover whom she had spurned, in 
 nobler, brighter colors ; and this knightly soldier, this 
 honest and courteous gentleman, this brilliant, gallant 
 officer, this loyal, trusted friend, this gentle-hearted 
 man whom she had seen sorrowing over the coffin of 
 his comrade, or mingling his tears with those of that 
 comrade s lonely little one, this Bayard without fear, 
 without reproach, had laid his heart and honor at her 
 feet, and she had turned from the priceless offering in 
 contempt. She had not even deigned him one word 
 of acknowledgment, and now, all too late ! all too late ! 
 she knew that love her loyally, faithfully, tenderly as 
 he might, no love could stand such a test as that. All 
 too late she knew that love her loyally, faithfully, 
 tenderly as he might, he could not love her better than 
 she loved him. What reparation could she make? 
 What could she say ? What would she not do to win 
 back one such look as she had seen in his dark, glow 
 ing eyes the day he told her of his love ? And yet 
 how could she utter one word that would not be a 
 betrayal of her love that now might well be spurned 
 in turn ? How dare she do aught to recall him when 
 when oh, merciful heaven ! how at the thought she 
 clutched her streaming hair in her quivering hands ! 
 when she stood before him the betrothed wife of 
 another, another who too had wronged him ? 
 
 With Ralph s letter the last stone in the fabric of 
 
408 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 her regard for Glenham bad been toppled to earth. In 
 desperation at what she believed the utter dishonor of 
 her lover she had yielded to the prayers of this other 
 suitor and the vehement arguments of her mother. 
 " You are even distressing your poor father" had been 
 one of madame s points, and her father had shown 
 plainly that he only tolerated Glenham on her account. 
 Even respect for him was gone, for she had heard of 
 his vacillation and final abandonment of the chance to 
 go on this last scout. She knew, of course, of his 
 abandonment of Truscott s roof. She had absolutely 
 had to beg him to desist when, trying to defend his 
 action to her, he ventured to disparage the best and 
 most loyal friend he had ever found in the regiment, 
 and now he was wearying her with his querulous com 
 plaints, his ceaseless moping. She had begged him to 
 accept his freedom and give her hers, but he held her 
 to her promise, and went and told her mother. Poor 
 devil ! Love had made an ass of him as it has of 
 
 stronger men than he, and as for her mother Ah, 
 
 no ! Let that be unsaid. " Honor thy father and thy 
 mother" she had lisped in her babyhood, and only 
 within this last month had ambition for her robbed 
 that wretched mother of the ready tribute of love and 
 faith and honor that hitherto had been unfailing. Poor 
 lady ! Sorrowful indeed had been her life of late, but 
 what would not be her terror could she see her hus 
 band s face as he sat staring at that letter of Ralph s, 
 while Grace lay weeping in her room ? 
 
 A hand turned the knob of the door and rattled 
 impatiently. 
 
 " Grace, if you propose going to Mrs. Turner s this 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 409 
 
 evening it is time you were dressed," a dismal, monot 
 onous voice was heard to say, and Grace started to her 
 feet. 
 
 " Come what may, he shall know that I implore his 
 forgiveness," said Grace to herself, as she stood before 
 the mirror; "and come what may, Arthur Glenham 
 shall know the truth." 
 
 Despite the general gloom in the garrison, Mrs. 
 Turner had invited a few friends (which meant the 
 entire commissioned force at the post, with the families 
 of the married officers) to spend the evening at her 
 house and mildly celebrate the birthday of her hus 
 band, whose birthday-cake, an elaborate affair, much 
 studded with waxen tapers, had been sent all the way 
 from San Francisco. 
 
 " It was a pity to lose it," she argued, " so, though we 
 are all so blue, you know, over dear Captain Tanner s 
 death, we might just as well have a quiet gathering." 
 
 Mrs. Wilkins had refused outright, she had other 
 things to attend to, and Mrs. Tanner, of course, was 
 not to be expected ; but everybody else had accepted, 
 as is customary, unless there be some valid reason to 
 urge. Yet, when Turner himself invited Mr. Truscott, 
 he felt it necessary to say a few apologetic words. " I 
 know you will not care to come anyway, Jack, and I 
 fear that you have heard that which cannot be wholly 
 denied, that my wife had some share in the circulation 
 of those stories that caused such horrible trouble. Of 
 course, you must know how cut up I feel to think that 
 such has been the case, but the tongue is an unruly 
 member we are taught ; and well, when you get mar 
 ried, old man, may the Lord spare you from finding 
 s 35 
 
410 THE COLON EL 1 S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 out what ninety-nine out of a hundred husbands dis 
 cover ! that a woman s tongue is simply uncontrol 
 lable. Of course, she s found out. F ve told her that you 
 have heard of her part in the affair, and she s awfully 
 nervous about the way you ll meet her. I wouldn t 
 tell any one else this about my wife, Jack, but I rated 
 her roundly for her share of the mischief, and and 
 I ll take it as a kindness if you will come and see us. 
 You know well what you are to me." 
 
 And so it happened that late that evening Mr. Trus- 
 cott s tall form appeared among the guests at Captain 
 Turner s. Mrs. Turner welcomed him with vividly 
 coloring cheeks and somewhat over-eager cordiality. 
 As for him, his manner was simply as composed and 
 placid as ever, and he accepted a seat by the side of his 
 hostess quite as a matter of course. Grace was sur 
 rounded by the youngsters of the regiment, as was tc 
 be expected, and Mr. Glenham was pulling discontent 
 edly at the scanty hairs which ornamented his upper 
 lip. To this group speedily appeared Mr. Ray, lively 
 as ever, and apparently imbued with a spirit of mis 
 chief. It had occurred to him that here was a good 
 chance to worry Mrs. Pelham, whom he had learned to 
 detest most cordially. The colonel had been most sol 
 emn and gloomy in his manner towards him ever since 
 his refusal of the adjutancy, and he had enjoyed no op 
 portunity of speaking to Grace herself, and, as bad luck 
 would have it, she did not at all care to be monopolized 
 by him, this night of all others. Her whole heart was 
 bound up in Truscott. She noted his every movement, 
 though her eyes bravely did their duty, and strove to 
 look interested in the chatter of Messrs. Dana and 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 411 
 
 Hunter, and she managed to keep up her share in the 
 conversation in a lively manner. How is it they can 
 do it? If her heart were breaking, such a girl as 
 Grace Pelham would manage to appear all life and 
 vivacity under similar circumstances. Then Mr. Ray 
 shouldered his way through the circle of admirers, and 
 held forth his hand. 
 
 " I don t propose to be kept on the outskirts of this 
 crowd all night, Miss Pelham, if I am the oldest and 
 worst-singed moth around the candle. I ve come in to 
 bask a few minutes anyhow, scorch or no scorch." 
 
 She welcomed him cordially, of course. She liked 
 him far better than any of the others. She had heard 
 from Mrs. Wilkins all about his championship of Trus- 
 cott s cause, and of his refusal of her father s offer. She 
 could have blessed him for that. There was not a man 
 fit to take her hero s place, and evidently her father 
 had come to the same opinion. She knew that Glen- 
 ham now disliked Kay, and there was just enough of 
 feminine coquetry about her to make that reflection a 
 cause of additional cordiality to Ray. But, above all, 
 he was nearer to Truscott, more intimate with him now 
 than any of the others, and though it was Truscott, and 
 Truscott alone, she longed to speak to, Ray would 
 answer when there was nothing better. He rattled on 
 in his reckless, superficial style, totally ignoring Glen- 
 ham or her new relations with him ; and when supper- 
 time came it was he who hovered about her, bringing 
 every dainty he could lay hands on, and playing the 
 devoted in a way he could plainly see was making 
 Glenham rabid and Mrs. Pelham hideously uncomfort 
 able, " 1 don t care/ he said to himself, as Arthur 
 
412 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 went scowling] y off to his would-be mother-in-law. " So 
 long as they behaved decently I would, but now I don t 
 care a chip what they think." But before very long he 
 noticed a something in her manner he had never seen 
 before. Bright as she was, and as she strove to be, he 
 noted the wandering glance, the occasionally absent- 
 minded replies, and it set him to thinking. Next he 
 saw that Truscott and Colonel Pelham, punch-glasses 
 in hand, were holding an earnest conversation, and 
 that her eyes fled to that particular corner every other 
 minute. " I mean to see what this means/ said Mr. 
 Eay to himself. Then, "Was it possible, so early? 
 Surely not going yet?" Mrs. Turner was saying all 
 this in response to Truscott s quiet adieu, and Ray 
 saw that Grace Pelham had lost all interest in any 
 thing he could say or do, and was gazing with wist 
 ful eyes after Truscott, who seemed bent on leaving 
 the room at the time of all others when people would 
 be too busy to note his departure, for supper was not 
 over. 
 
 And Colonel Pelham went with him, quietly saying 
 that he would return in time to escort madame home. 
 Ray flew to the door. 
 
 " What s your hurry, Jack?" 
 
 " Come to my quarters when you get through," was 
 his answer. " I must see Mrs. Tanner for a while, as I 
 leave for Prescott at reveille. Say nothing about it," 
 and he was off. 
 
 Ray returned to Miss Pelham, whose eyes looked in 
 earnest questioning up into his. 
 
 " Isn t Mr. Truscott coming back ? I had hoped to 
 see him." 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 413 
 
 " No. Something s up. I don t know what." 
 
 "He can t be he is not ordered off, is he?" she 
 exclaimed in startled tones, and with features rapidly 
 paling despite her efforts at control. 
 
 Ray looked in amaze. Then he thought of the hand 
 kerchief, of Truscott s changed, worn look, of a hundred 
 little things that flashed upon him all at once, and of the 
 intensity of emotion in the sweet, pallid face before him. 
 Quick as a flash, he bent over her as he had bent to raise 
 her the day of the runaway ; hurried and low he spoke. 
 
 " If you have anything to say, to send to him, trust 
 me. He goes to Prescott at reveille, but told me not 
 to speak of it." 
 
 Gone, and without a glance at her ; without one word. 
 Was she so utterly beneath him as that? Had she, 
 then, sinned past all forgiveness ? Was his love so light 
 that it would vanish under the misunderstandings of the 
 past week and never again seek for its answer ? Was 
 
 she Pride and resolution came to the rescue. 
 
 Grace Pelham looked proudly up into the sympathetic 
 features of the misguided young man. 
 
 " Thanks, Mr. Ray. Nothing that I can think of 
 now. A little more coffee, if you please." 
 
 But she thanked heaven when it came time to go ; 
 and her father appeared. The colonel was sore dis 
 turbed about something, and while Mr. Glenham hung 
 about the parlor on their return home, that gentleman 
 had accompanied Lady Pelham aloft. There his voice 
 was heard in vehement accents, hers in protestations, 
 and presently in tears. 
 
 " Fll go," said Glenham, seeing her distress. " Bui 
 I must see you to-morrow." 
 
 35* 
 
414 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR 
 
 " Yes, go," she pleaded. " You surely want to say 
 good-by to Mr. Truscott" 
 
 " Oh, he s only going up as witness on a court. He ll 
 be back in three days." 
 
 She closed the door on him relentlessly, and that of 
 the parlor as she returned. But her father caine down 
 at once. 
 
 " Grace dear," he asked, in a tone of deep agitation, 
 w have you ever received a note written you by Mr. 
 Truscott just before he went out after Captain Tanner s 
 command ?" 
 
 "Never, father." 
 
 Instantly he returned to the room above. And just 
 what transpired in that interview heaven forbid that 
 we should care to hear. The colonel had discovered 
 that his wife had intercepted Truscott s letter to Grace, 
 and that she had lied to him and to her. She well 
 knew that Truscott, not Glenhara, had been Ralph s 
 benefactor. 
 
 Two evenings after a number of our friends at Sandy 
 were gathered at the colonel s quarters. "Gloomy 
 Glenham," as he was now called, Mrs. Turner, Mrs. 
 Raymond, Grace, and Mrs. Pelham, the colonel, and 
 several junior officers were seated around the parlor. 
 Grace had just been singing, and now there came a 
 demand for more. 
 
 " Oh, do sing * Douglas, Tender and True/ " begged 
 Mrs. Turner. 
 
 " Yes, please do," chimed in Mrs. Raymond. 
 
 "It s your very best song, I think," said Captain 
 Turner. " Please sing it." 
 
 " Very well," said Grace, reluctantly. She had not 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 415 
 
 sung for days, and there were words to this that even 
 in the mere temporary absence of Jack Truscott struck 
 home to her heart as she thought of them. " I m not 
 in voice to-night, I fear," she added; "but I ll try." 
 
 Had not Mrs. Tanner told her he would be back on 
 the morrow? Had not there been something in her 
 sweet, caressing manner that revived hope, courage, 
 love in her heart ? She turned to the piano again, and 
 Mr. Glenham placed the music on the rack. It was 
 no favorite of his. The servant entered with a tele 
 graphic despatch, which the colonel opened and read. 
 
 "I thought so," said he. "We ve lost Truscott. 
 He is ordered to West Point, and left this morning for 
 San Francisco. Go on, Gracie." 
 
 Go on ? go on ? The room was whirling round her ; 
 a deadly choking sensation had seized her throat ; there 
 was a confused buzzing of voices in her ears, excla 
 mations of surprise, regret, dismay; but she heard 
 nothing distinctly. White as a sheet, she grasped at 
 the key-board, and Glenham stood stupidly staring at 
 her. But in an instant, through filmy eyes, she saw a 
 glass of water before her, and she eagerly seized and 
 drank it, and a cheery voice was murmuring something 
 quick and stirring in her ear. It was Ray. 
 
 " Rally all your pluck. Sing as you rode, Miss 
 Gracie ; I ll back you to win." And with all the non- 
 eJialance in the world he replaced the goblet on a dis 
 tant table, saying so that all could hear, 
 
 " I really beg your pardon, Miss Pelham. When 
 you asked for water I thought it was Glenham you ad 
 dressed ; and then that beggarly telegram came, and I 
 forgot your request entirely." 
 
416 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER-, OR 
 
 Bravely, gallantly, she raised her head and strove to 
 crush out the whirl of wretchedness in which her 
 father s announcement had engulfed her. Hardly 
 realizing what it was she was called upon to sing, she 
 rapidly played the soft, sweet prelude, and, with voice 
 that trembled as though in harmony with the spirit of 
 the song, began, 
 
 " Could ye come back to me, Douglas, Douglas, 
 
 In the old likeness that I knew, 
 I d be so faithful, so loving, Douglas, 
 Douglas, Douglas, tender and true." 
 
 ._ 
 
 All conversation had ceased ; all ears were drinking 
 in the exquisite, plaintive melody; all eyes were upon 
 her, and she knew it. Oh, what would she not give to 
 be singing anything anything else? But it was too 
 late now. 
 
 " I was not half worthy of you, Douglas, 
 
 Not half worthy the like of you ; 
 Now all men beside you to me are shadows, 
 Douglas, Douglas, tender and true." 
 
 " My God 1 can she do it ?" muttered Ray, between 
 his set teeth. " It s the next hurdle that will try her 
 nerve." And he leaned against the light table, looking 
 quickly around upon its load of books and albums. 
 Then his eyes returned to their eager watch. She was 
 trembling ; she threw back her head and forced her 
 self to commence again, 
 
 " O to bring back the days that are not ! 
 
 Mine eyes were blinded, your words were few; 
 Do " 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 417 
 
 Crash ! came table, books, Hay, and all in clattering 
 uproar and confusion over the parlor floor. He sprang 
 to his feet, all dust, embarrassment, and profuse apolo 
 gies. Shouts of laughter, long, ringing peals of merri 
 ment filled the room. Mrs. Turner and Mrs. Raymond 
 went almost into hysterics; Raymond, Hunter, and 
 Glenham guffawed outright ; the colonel almost choked 
 into an apoplectic seizure, and Grace, Grace covered 
 her face in her handkerchief and wept hysterically 
 until she could regain control of herself, and thanked 
 and blessed him from the bottom of her heart. 
 
 " Well, Mr. Ray," gasped Mrs. Raymond, at length, 
 " that s the first clumsy thing I ever knew you to do in 
 my life." 
 
 Only one pair of eyes besides his had seen that she 
 could not sing another word ; that an utter break-down 
 must come, and a flood of tears with it, and Mr. Ray 
 anticipated the break-down, and provided a cover for 
 the flood of tears. It might have been clumsy, but 
 she knew better. 
 
THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 CHAPTEE XXII. 
 
 now the winter is gone, the glad spring-time 
 has come, the voice of the turtle would doubtless be 
 heard in the land if that sort of melody were in vogue 
 in these days of scepticism, and the promotion, which 
 we are biblically assured cometh neither from the east 
 nor from the west, nor from any source whatever, as is 
 beginning to be the creed in our veteran army, has 
 nevertheless come to Jack Truscott. 
 
 A vacancy has occurred in a popular staff depart 
 ment. Applicants for that majority are numbered by 
 the dozen. Senators and Representatives in Congress 
 assembled swarm about the White House to advocate 
 the claims of captains by the score, of lieutenants by 
 divisions, and there are majors in the line who wouldn t 
 mind losing a year or two of rank to get out of frontier 
 duty and into an easy office chair, with clerks and check 
 books and cigars ad libitum. There are old captains 
 who have commanded divisions or brigades during the 
 great war, fellows with unimpeachable records and un 
 doubted ability and not a few battle-scars and gray 
 hairs and grandchildren; old soldiers, who would 
 gladly turn over their small squad of a company to 
 some young and vigorous and unencumbered enthusiast, 
 in whose breast hope springs eternal ; old soldiers, who 
 would lend dignity and honor to the department in 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 
 
 which the vacancy lias occurred, and would thrice wel 
 come the opportunity to see a prospect of a home before 
 them and school for the youngsters. Congress is in 
 session, important measures are up for discussion, yet 
 the newspapers give daily a quarter of a column to tele 
 graphic speculations as to whom the President will ap 
 point to the vacancy in that department. Captain A. 
 is warmly backed by Senator B. Other captains, with 
 undeniable war records, are backed by the delegations 
 of their States; but Captain C., who is a first cousin of 
 a prominent inmate of the White House, has a capital 
 chance, unless the President, in despair at having to 
 choose from so many admirable war histories, should 
 decide on Lieutenant D., only a few years out of the 
 Point, and whose numerous friends at Washington are 
 confident of his success. 
 
 At last the announcement is made. " The President 
 has determined that the appointee shall represent the 
 fighting branch of the service, and it is now known 
 that his excellency will nominate a gallant officer of a 
 distinguished cavalry regiment that has for years past 
 been doing arduous and bloody work among the savages 
 of Arizona." And eminently proper this seems to the 
 army at large and to the general public, who have no 
 personal interest in the candidates. And so it results 
 that our gallant friends of the th are recognized, and 
 the promotion falls upon a distinguished officer of that 
 distinguished regiment; and Captain Wormley, of the 
 District of Columbia for years past, and known to the 
 th only upon its monthly returns, but having a wide 
 circle of admiring friends in the Capital City, where he 
 has been for years on some mysterious staffduty, becomes 
 
420 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 Major Wormley of the s department. He is son of 
 a statesman, nephew of a cabinet officer s lady, brother 
 of a Congressman s wife, cousin of a War Department 
 official, and cousin-german, so to speak, to half the 
 pretty girls in Washington. Welcome, major, to your 
 leaves and laurels, and long may you live to lord it 
 over subsequent appointments by telling them that you 
 " oame in from the cavalry" ! 
 
 " But it gives Jack Truscott the double-hurdles on 
 his straps," shouted Mr. Ray, in huge delight. " Let s 
 send him a royal old telegram of congratulation." And 
 that evening, as he sits at dinner and receives the hearty 
 greetings of the officers mess on the far-away banks of 
 the Hudson, Jack s heart turns to the old crowd in the 
 tli, now marching in from Arizona. Their message 
 had reached him. 
 
 So has another, a letter from his loyal friend, the 
 general s wife, who long since assured him that she 
 knew " it would all come out right." So, too, has an 
 other still ; for only this very day has he heard from 
 Mrs. Tanner, and it must be admitted that Jack s 
 thoughts wandered more upon what they had written 
 than upon the elevation he had so unexpectedly at 
 tained. Extracts may be of interest to those who have 
 found anything of interest in our story. 
 
 "Didn t I tell you so?" wrote the first. "Grace 
 Pelham s engagement is broken at last. She never 
 cared she never could care for such a humdrum crea 
 ture as Mr. Glenham. Why, Jack, when she came up 
 here after you went East, he followed too, and it just 
 used to make me sick the way he moped and whined 
 around after her. She has tried a dozen times to get him 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 421 
 
 to release her, so everybody says, but he wouldn t. That 
 mother of hers made her stick to her word (although 
 I hear she had mighty small regard for her own), and 
 the colonel of course would not interfere. Once they 
 thought Mr. Ray was going to cut in and win her 
 away ; but I know that was just a real frank liking she 
 had for him. Anyhow, the engagement s broken, and 
 I have heard he s going to resign when they get East. 
 She left here for San Francisco, with her mother, Mrs. 
 Turner, and Mrs. Raymond, all under Ralph s cKarge, 
 three days ago. Mrs. "Wilkins swears she s going to 
 march across the continent with the boys. 
 
 " Well, we re mighty sorry to lose the th, though 
 it did seem to run down-hill after you left. I m not 
 the only one that says so, Jack ; so you needn t laugh. 
 They will have better stations and all that sort of thing 
 in the East, but all the ladies will join now, I suppose, 
 and then won t there be fun ? 
 
 " And now, Jack, you may say it s none of my busi 
 ness, but if you don t very soon write to me that you 
 have succeeded in consoling a certain young lady for 
 the loss of much valuable time and one lover, I shall 
 be a disappointed woman." 
 
 Upon the same subject Mrs. Tanner wrote from her 
 home in Massachusetts : 
 
 " Letters from the old regiment bring me most inter 
 esting news. There is no doubt that Mr. Glenham has 
 at last released Grace Pelham from her engagement. 
 Both Mrs. Wilkins and Mrs. Turner write to the same 
 effect. She has been very unhappy in this tie to a man 
 who was greatly her inferior, and the rupture of the 
 engagement must be a relief inexpressible. 
 
 36 
 
422 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 " Of course, both letters are filled with gossipy details 
 as to how it was brought about; but, knowing your 
 horror of all that sort of talk, I refrain. One thing, 
 however, seems certain. It was his doing and is final. 
 
 " Jack, dear friend, I grew to know her so well and 
 to love her dearly in those sad days at Sandy, but there 
 were some matters of which we never spoke. You 
 know how I grieved over the wrong done you by my 
 own kith and kin years ago, and how I must want to 
 see you happy. There was something more than sus 
 picion in my mind that you and sweet Grace Pelham 
 had been ruthlessly separated by misunderstanding 
 perhaps by design at Sandy. There was some garri 
 son talk of a letter of yours that never reached her, and 
 yet was delivered for her to Mrs. Pelham, and in some 
 way I found it was generally known that she had sent 
 back your spurs without a word of explanation. Have 
 you those spurs yet, Jack ? I fancy that if they were 
 to find their way into her hands again, you might find 
 it difficult to reclaim them." 
 
 That April evening a warm south wind was sweeping 
 up the Hudson, and moist and sweet, bearing the faint 
 perfume of the early lilacs upon its bosom, it played 
 through the curtains of Truscott s open window. He 
 had early left the mess, and separated from the officers 
 who had strolled homeward with him. " Had letters 
 to write," he explained, and yet, half an hour after 
 wards, when three or four lively comrades stopped under 
 the window in the " Angle," and looked up, they aban 
 doned the project of rushing in " to give Truscott a 
 rattle over his promotion," for, said they, " he must be 
 out." There was no light in his room. 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS 423 
 
 No light burning from jet or lamp, perhaps, bufc 
 Jack was there, and a light of hope, love, and deep 
 thankfulness was burning in his heart of hearts, and 
 he was thinking thinking. Well he recalled thai last 
 night at Sandy. How old Pelham had walked home 
 with him from the Turners , and in deep embarrass 
 ment had told him of Ralph s letter. Tears of grati 
 tude and of deep emotion stood in the colonel s eyes 
 and his voice was broken, his hand tremulous. That 
 night all the old trust and affection was restored be 
 tween them, but not a word was said of Mrs. Pelham 
 or Grace until Jack reminded him that he had to go 
 and see Mrs. Tanner a little while, and then it came 
 out. 
 
 " I ve got one thing I must ask you, Truscott. I ve 
 overheard some talk about a letter you sent to our 
 house for Grace before you went out on that scout. 
 She never got it, I understand. Did you ever send 
 such a letter?" 
 
 " Yes, colonel, once, and no reply ever reached me." 
 
 " Then depend upon it, Jack, it never got to Grace ; 
 she was ill you know, and it it must have been mis 
 laid." 
 
 But now it was too late : the mischief was done. The 
 colonel did not dream how much depended upon that 
 little note, and not until long afterwards did he know 
 the truth, that Mrs. Pelham had shown it to Arthur 
 Glenham, and he had been weak mean* enough to 
 read it. Then it was that under the influence of that 
 indomitable woman he had removed from Truscott s 
 quarters and afterwards accused him of treachery. 
 
 Well Jack recalled her sweet face and animated 
 
424 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 manners as Grace sat conversing with Ray that night, 
 and his sense of utter desolation as he left the garrison 
 at sunrise. No one but he really knew that he expected 
 to be met at Prescott by telegraphic orders to proceed at 
 once to the Military Academy for duty in the depart 
 ment of tactics, and he dreaded the formal " good-byes" 
 that would have to be undergone were the order to 
 reach him while still at Sandy. And now he understood 
 why she had never replied to that urgent little note of 
 his, and bitterly he blamed himself for ever permitting 
 the thought that she had received and had trifled with 
 it as she had with his love. Over an hour he sat there 
 plunged in deep thought, for even in his new-found 
 hope and happiness he dared make no false step. Then 
 he rapidly wrote a short letter, and on the following 
 evening Mrs. Tanner received this query : " Where 
 will a letter reach Miss Pelham ?" On the third day 
 the answer came: "Care of Adjutant-General, Divis 
 ion of the Missouri, Chicago. They are visiting friends 
 there while waiting for the regiment to come in. Then 
 they go to Fort Hays. They may visit Mrs. Treadwell 
 there for a while." 
 
 One rainy, dripping, depressing morning a week 
 later, while a damp, smoke-laden, coal-blackened fog 
 had settled down on the wicked city of Chicago, and 
 the minds of its denizens were more than ever disposed 
 towards the inevitable ills that life in such an atmos 
 phere must generate, three ladies of or beyond medium 
 age sat yawning and disconsolate under the lighted 
 chandelier in a comfortable parlor; a fourth young, 
 sweet, and vastly attractive sat somewhat listlessly at 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS 425 
 
 the piano, her slender hands wandered over the keys, 
 and Schubert s beautiful, dreamy "Praise of Tears" 
 softly rose and fell in plaintive melody through the 
 silence of the room. 
 
 u For goodness sake, Grace," exclaimed one of the 
 elder ladies, pettishly, " do stop that dismal thing and 
 play something lively ! You will drive us all into our 
 shrouds with such funeral stuff as that." 
 
 In vain the others protested it was lovely, and begged 
 Grace Pelham to continue. Mamma had resumed her 
 sway, and Grace, away from the supporting voice of her 
 father, and no longer the prospective Mrs. Arthur Glen- 
 ham, with a fortune at her disposal and a fool at her 
 feet, had meekly, resignedly fallen back into her old 
 habit of uncomplaining obedience. 
 
 A servant entered with the mail, handing to Mrs. 
 Pelham two or three bulky letters, in which she im 
 mediately became engrossed, and to Grace a small par 
 cel, at which the young lady glanced curiously, then 
 eagerly, and then fled from the parlor. 
 
 Once safely in her own room, and with the door 
 locked between her and would-be pursuers, she carried 
 her prize to the window. It was small, compact, firmly 
 wrapped in strong white paper, strongly tied, sealed, 
 and registered. It was post-marked West Point, and 
 needed only a glance at the superscription to tell her 
 the sender s name. For an instant she held it, trem 
 bling from head to foot, then cut the strings, opened 
 the little box, unrolled with quivering fingers and beat 
 ing heart the dainty wrapping of tissue-paper, and came 
 upon something white and soft, tied with ribbon. On 
 it was a card. 
 
 36* 
 
426 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 " These are yours. The spurs you won at Sandy ; 
 the handkerchief you dropped at my door at Prescott, 
 and in faith and constancy I have worn it till now. 
 
 " If you value that which you have won, hold it, 
 and return to me the only semblance of the tie that has 
 bound me to you, and it shall bind forever. If your 
 prize be worthless to you, send it back, and in so doing 
 break the tie. Comme -fid&U. 
 
 "J. G. T." 
 
 And Grace Pelham read till the tears blinded her 
 eyes, dashed them away, then read again, tore open the 
 little packet in which lay two silver spurs rolled in a 
 snowy kerchief, which was rent and torn inexplicably, 
 and which bore in white embroidery in the corner the 
 simple name, " Grace." 
 
 And then she sank upon her knees, burying her 
 bright, beautiful head in the pillow, and wept unre 
 strainedly, but oh! so humbly, so gratefully, so joy 
 ously, holding her treasures to her heart. 
 
 And three days more the torn handkerchief was 
 back in Truscott s breast. 
 
 " Colonel," said he to the commandant of cadets the 
 following morning, " I want a week s leave. It is an 
 unusual time for one of the department to be away, 
 but, as you know, I cannot leave in the summer. My 
 regiment is just back in Kansas, and I want to run out 
 to Fort Hays and see them. Mr. X., with your con 
 sent, will take charge of my duties. I will be back for 
 muster on the 30th." 
 
 And the leave was granted. It would give him just 
 time, provided there was no detention, to speed westward 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 427 
 
 to St. Louis, thence to Kansas City, and so on to Fort 
 Hays, to spend twenty-four hours there, and then rush 
 back the way he came. Not much satisfaction, possibly, 
 for so long a journey, but he went. 
 
 Headquarters and four troops, with the band, had 
 arrived at the little frontier post of Fort Hays, officers 
 and men being still encamped upon the open prairie 
 alongside, while those ladies who had hurried thither 
 to meet their returning lords were hospitably enter 
 tained by the families in the garrison who had not yet 
 moved away, and here it was that Mrs. Treadwell had 
 thrown open the large and commodious quarters of the 
 commanding officer to Mrs. and Miss Pelham. Here, 
 too, were our old acquaintances, Mrs. Raymond and 
 Mrs. Turner. Here were other ladies of the regiment 
 whom it has not been the felicity of the reader to meet. 
 Here, too, were three or four young ladies, gathered 
 from neighboring posts, and ready and eager to put up 
 with scant accommodation, for would there not be two 
 bands at Hays for a while, and was there not to be 
 given a grand ball by the outgoers to the incomers, and 
 was not that big, empty barrack, with its polished wax 
 floor, " the loveliest place in the world for a German" ? 
 Oh, bright and bonny and sunshiny and jubilant was 
 everything and everybody at Hays in that glorious, 
 radiant spring weather, and who more bright, who so 
 bonny, who half so radiant and lovely as Grace ? The 
 colonel wondered at her brilliant color and sparkling 
 eyes, marvelled at the lightness of her step, at the 
 ringing music of her sweet voice. Sing ! Why, she 
 sang from morn till night. 
 
428 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR 
 
 " And yet," said one of the visitors, " you tell ine 
 she has been jilted by that young man with ten thou 
 sand a year who has just resigned. I would be down 
 in sackcloth and ashes." 
 
 Would he write ? Would he come ? One or other 
 she knew it would be, and that right soon. And so 
 when Major Bucketts came stumping into the Tread- 
 wells parlor one evening waving a despatch and beam 
 ing with delight, she felt sure what was coming before 
 her father burst out with, 
 
 "By Jove! that is good. Jack Truscott will be 
 here to-night." 
 
 There was an impromptu dance going on, and thither 
 Grace could not but wend her way, and her escort, a 
 deeply-smitten youth of the infantry persuasion, was 
 impatiently awaiting her. Dozens of young people 
 were blithely dancing to the strains of sweet music from 
 the tireless orchestra, and, though she danced unceas 
 ingly, joyously, the hours seemed to drag. It would 
 be near midnight before the train from the East reached 
 the station. Would it be late? Would the dance 
 break up before he could come ? Would Major Buck 
 etts be stupid and take him off to his own quarters in 
 stead of bringing him there ? Would he speak to her 
 then ? Could she see him ? Could she look in his 
 face and not betray to every soul in the room the glow 
 ing secret that seemed bursting from heart and brain ? 
 Eleven o clock came at last, and then the minutes 
 stretched into hours, and midnight lay a century away. 
 Yet she was striving to be calm, striving to be bright 
 and "entertaining" with her round of partners. Oh, 
 how she tired of their chatter! thsir utterly vapid 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS 429 
 
 efforts to amuse her! How she wished Ray were 
 there ! He would let her dance, or sit in silence and 
 wait and think and dream, keeping vigilant guard lest 
 others interfere, as he had learned to do for her in 
 Arizona, yet interfering not himself; but Ray was far 
 to the westward. Fate had assigned him elsewhere, 
 and midnight came at last. To her misery, the hop 
 was breaking up, the dancers going home. Some had 
 already left. 
 
 "Oh, can t we have just one more waltz?" she im 
 plored, and obediently the leader signalled to his sleepy 
 bandsmen. Then there was a rush and commotion at 
 the doorway. Young officers were dropping their 
 partners and precipitating themselves on a new arrival ; 
 a dozen glittering uniforms were crowding about a tall, 
 soldierly-looking fellow in civilian s dress who was be 
 ing half dragged, half pushed, then carried, nearly 
 smothered, into the hall. Mesdames Raymond and 
 Turner rushed rapturously upon him, other dames fol 
 lowed suit. The younger damsels gazed with decorous 
 curiosity, and Miss Pelham s infantry escort, with mis 
 guided jocularity, inquired, " Who may be this lengthy 
 party in cits? I suppose we may venture to dance, 
 may we not ?" And had he been a youth of brain he 
 might have learned a lesson from the manner of her 
 reply. 
 
 "Not just now. It s Captain Truscott, our old ad 
 jutant." 
 
 "Oh! That s Jack Truscott, is it?" was all the 
 crestfallen youth could say, and then they stood still 
 and watched, and the baud stopped playing. 
 
 Is the world made up of idiots ? Could no one see 
 
430 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 how his eyes were wandering over their heads about 
 the room? Had not those little whip-snappers of boys 
 more sense than to know that it was not on their account 
 he had come all that distance? Would they never let 
 him go? Would those absurd women never release 
 him? Must he stand there patiently striving to an 
 swer a dozen questions asked at once while she stood 
 waiting ? And when he did break through, and came 
 towards her with quick, eager step and a glorious light 
 in his dark eyes, could they not even then see through 
 it all ? must they still hang to his skirts with idiotic 
 inquiries of no earthly importance ? Only for an instant 
 could Grace glance up in those glowing hazel eyes, 
 while her cheeks burned with their shy delight. 
 
 " I m so glad to see you again," was all she had time 
 to faLter in response to his tremulous voice breathing 
 only her name. Then he was dragged off, and she 
 homewards. He to Bucketts s quarters, where his old 
 comrades crowded around him till late towards morn 
 ing ; she to wait, with trembling joy, for the coming day. 
 
 Yet what did that bring ? She was out at guard- 
 mounting, so was he, and, breaking loose from the 
 group surrounding him, came at once to meet her, and 
 the wooden-headed imbeciles flocked instantly about 
 them, and not a word alone had he in the hour they 
 were together. Then came madame, with Mrs. Tread- 
 well, and the carriage to take a drive. She had not 
 known when to expect him, had promised to go, and 
 could not now avert it. It was nearly one when they 
 returned, and then they had to dress for luncheon at 
 the doctor s. And he had been dragged off to stables 
 by the colonel to see the new horses by the time they 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 431 
 
 jarne back, and the colonel did not release him until 
 near retreat. Nor was he one instant alone with him. 
 Even his placidity was sorely tried. " But never mind/ 
 he thought, " I dine at the Treadwells , and there, at 
 least, there will be opportunity." Nevertheless, at 
 parade, finding it impossible to separate her from the 
 swarm of feminines who flocked about her, and the 
 officers who gathered in clusters the instant they were 
 dismissed from their duties, he turned to Bucketts. 
 
 " Old man, have the ambulance at Treadwell s at ten 
 o clock to take me to the station. Put my valise in, 
 and do all you can to keep the crowd away from there to 
 night." And Bucketts understood. 
 
 Even at dinner all went wrong. Oh, Mrs. Tread- 
 well, either your tact had deserted you, or Lady Pel- 
 ham s malign influence had been again at work. Grace 
 was seated beyond his reach. He could not even see 
 her, for she was on his side of the table, and there 
 were other guests between them. Dinner was long, 
 frightfully long. 
 
 " Jack, must you go to-night ?" called the colonel to 
 him. " Can t you wait until to-morrow s train ? You 
 will reach the Point by the 30th even then." And 
 Truscott could only shake his head. 
 
 Would that ghastly dinner never end ? It was nearly 
 nine o clock when they rose and strolled into the parlor. 
 Then he went at once to her side. Two young officers 
 were speaking to her then, but time was precious. She 
 half moved forward to meet him. 
 
 " Must you go to-night ?" she murmured, lookin ; 
 almost tearfully up in his eyes. 
 
 " Yes, at ten. Yet I cannot " 
 
432 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 "Captain Truscott, Captain Truscott, didn t you 
 hear? Colonel Treadwell says won t you smoke?" 
 And Mrs. Turner was pulling at his coat-sleeve. 
 (Smoke at such a time !) " How ungallant you ve 
 grown ! You used to be the soul of why, I don t 
 know devotion, and here I had to call you twice 
 three times." 
 
 "Did you see Mrs. Tanner? Isn t it lovely she s 
 so well off? Do you think she ll marry again?" Mrs 
 Raymond was firing at him from the other side. 
 
 "Do tell us about West Point. Is Mrs. Ruggles 
 there now ? Why do you have to go to-night ? How 
 stupid of you to come for so short a time !" Mrs. the 
 doctor was having her say. 
 
 The other men, except two or three youngsters, were 
 still in the dining-room smoking. What could be 
 done ? He was surrounded by these chattering mag 
 pies, and Grace was fairly driven from his side. Mrs. 
 Pelham had called her. Mrs. Treadwell was asking 
 her to sing. Then the women turned on her and im 
 plored her to sing. Everybody knows that right after 
 dinner is the very time of all others one feels like sing 
 ing. Grace had to sing, and it was half-past nine be 
 fore the oldsters came out, and then tattoo drew several 
 of the younger people away. 
 
 "Surely, you are going to the hop-room, Grace?" 
 Mrs. Pelham was heard to say. " I heard Mr. Roberts 
 isking you." 
 
 And Grace looked imploringly at her father. 
 
 " Indeed, she s not. Truscott s got to go in twenty 
 minutes, and I want to see him, so does Grace," that 
 veteran answered, stoutly. 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 433 
 
 Still there were a dozen people in the parlor, and time 
 was spinning away. Grace was implored to sing again, 
 and sing she had to. Mrs. Treadwell and Mrs. Pelham 
 were chatting with the doctor at a distant end of the 
 room. The colonel and Treadwell, lolling back in their 
 easy-chairs, were beating time and enjoying the music. 
 The doctor s wife and Mesdames Raymond and Turner 
 were pestering Truscott with questions even as she sang. 
 Grace was at the piano, and he had eagerly stepped to 
 her side to turn over the leaves for her, but they called 
 him away as the song ceased, and nervously looking at 
 his watch, pulling savagely at his moustache, Jack Trus 
 cott commenced pacing rapidly up and down the parlor. 
 How odd of him ! How excitable for one ordinarily 
 so calm ! 
 
 Listening eagerly to his every word, listening in tor 
 ture to their senseless chatter and questioning, Grace 
 Pelham sat running dreamily over the exquisite music, 
 the accompaniment of Kucken s " Good-night, Fare 
 well/ an accompaniment that is a lovely song in itself. 
 
 "Yes indeed, Mr. Truscott Captain Truscott, I 
 mean," Mrs. Turner was saying, " we ve been hearing 
 all manner of accounts of you at West Point. I quite 
 expected long ere this to hear of your being in love 
 somewhere, and (coquettishly) forgetting all your old 
 friends in the th. Of course, now, with your cap 
 taincy, you will be seeking a wife ?" 
 
 " Of course," he answered, with a sudden resumption 
 of preternatural calmness, but still striding up and down. 
 
 " You mean to be married, really f Vividly inter 
 ested were the ladies now, and the sweet accompani 
 ment went tremulously on. 
 T cc 37 
 
434 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 " Certainly, I do." 
 
 " You have fallen in love, then ?" 
 
 " Long ago." 
 
 "Oh, Mr. Truscott!" "Why, Captain Trusoott!" 
 "Oh, when?" "What a surprise!" "Who is she?" 
 "Do tell us !" came in general chorus, even Pelham and 
 Treadwell pricking up their ears. 
 
 "Are you really, really in love? very much?" 
 
 "lam deeply." 
 
 " Then when are you to be married ?" 
 
 [Breathless silence.] 
 
 " I don t know." 
 
 " Don t know ! Why not ?" 
 
 " Because I ve never asked her yet." 
 
 " How absurd ! Why haven t you ? Doesn t she 
 love you ?" 
 
 " I ve never asked her." 
 
 " Preposterous ! What do you mean ?" 
 
 " She knows you love her, does she not ?" 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 "Then why don t you ask her? Why haven t 
 you " 
 
 " I have never had a chance, and at this rate never 
 expect to get one." 
 
 (The accompaniment had wellnigh died away. Grace 
 was bending blindly over her piano.) 
 
 " What can you mean ? Who is it ?" persisted that 
 eminently brilliant cross-examiner, Mrs. Turner, though 
 others with gradually expanding ideas were beginning 
 to take in the situation. 
 
 He had stepped close by the piano, his watch again 
 in his hand. The wheels of an ambulance rattled up 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 435 
 
 to the door. Proudly, almost defiantly /he turned and 
 faced them all, then bent over the beautiful, bowed 
 head, the trembling form that drooped over the keys. 
 A wonderful depth of love, reverence, tenderness, pas 
 sion thrilled through every word, as he murmured 
 
 "Gracie. It is my only opportunity; but, before 
 the world, if need be, I would say it proudly, I love 
 you." 
 
 The accompaniment had ceased. The sweet, blush 
 ing face was hidden by his arm. Before them all he 
 had wooed and won her. 
 
 " All the world loves a lover " (unless it be the lady s 
 younger brother, when she has one). If not, how did it 
 happen that on this particular evening that express train 
 on the Kansas Pacific should be telegraphed as two hours 
 late, and thatBucketts should find it out just in the "nick 
 of time, 7 and bring word to Truscott as he was coming 
 forth to drive to the station, taking leave of his sweet 
 betrothed, even as he had had to plead his cause before 
 them all ? Will it be believed that when the quarter 
 master appeared with his glad tidings and called out, 
 " Jack, old boy, that train won t be along till after 
 midnight, so I ll send the trap back to the corral," 
 Mrs. Turner absolutely proposed staying and making 
 up a party to see him off, and was indignant because her 
 husband spirited her off homewards ? Then the others 
 followed, and, thanks to Pelham s resolution, Jack Tru&- 
 cott and his fiancee were left in peace. Mrs. Pelham, 
 a martyred wife and mother, was sent to bed, and the 
 colonel and Treadwell retired to the dining-room to 
 smoke another cigar. It was the happiest night the 
 colonel had known in ever s*> long. 
 
436 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 And now the minutes flew like seconds ; the blessed 
 two hours whirled away. Once more twas almost time 
 for the ambulance to rattle up to the house, and this 
 time there could be no postponement. They were 
 standing under the hanging-lamp in the centre of the 
 room, the bright light shimmering through her rippling 
 hair, and shining back from the beautiful eyes ever and 
 anon raised so happily, so trustingly to his. 
 
 " There is something I want to ask you," she said, 
 shyly, as another reference to his watch showed that 
 they had but a few moments more to call their own. 
 He was looking smilingly down into her bonny, blush 
 ing face. 
 
 "What is it, Gracie?" 
 
 "About the packet you sent me with the spurs. 
 Was my handkerchief really so torn when I dropped 
 it?" 
 
 " It was not torn at all." 
 
 " Then how did you come to abuse it so frightfully, 
 sir ? Is that the way you treat my property ?" 
 
 He was smiling mischievously now. 
 
 " I kept it -in as safe a spot as I could find," he 
 answered. 
 
 " Where ?" and her head drooped as she asked 
 it. 
 
 " Very near to my heart, Miss Pelham." 
 
 l< Then how came those jagged rents, I d like to 
 know?" 
 
 "An arrow did that, mademoiselle, the morning of 
 Tanner s fight down in Tonto basin, a day or two 
 after you jilted me, to be explicit." 
 
 And for all response she could only bury her faci 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 437 
 
 upon the breast where, at that moment, her torn treas 
 ured handkerchief was lying. 
 
 " What else have you to ask ?" he questioned, as sh 
 presently glanced up into his eyes again. 
 
 " What does comme -fiddle mean ?" 
 
 " Where is your French, Miss Pelham?" 
 
 " I never did know so very much, and this is utterly 
 beyond me," she answered, laughingly. " You wrote 
 it so queerly : comme, then a dash, then fiddle. There 
 is no sense to it that I can see." 
 
 He drew her closer to his heart, and bent until his 
 lips almost brushed the soft, perfumed ripples of her 
 hair. " It has its meaning, though, and a deep one. 
 It is my pledge to you, my darling, Fid&le a la fin, 
 comme au commencement." 
 
 Presently the ambulance once more was heard, and 
 old Pelham came blithely in. 
 
 " Grace dear, Fm going to drive over to the station 
 with Truscott, and I want somebody with me coming 
 back, to keep the wolves away, you know," he added, 
 with a Weller-like wink, very unbecoming such rank 
 and dignity. " Run and wrap up warm, daughter." 
 
 Then, as she obediently went, the two men clasped 
 hands and looked into each other s eyes. 
 
 " Does it occur to you that it was about time I asked 
 your consent, sir?" 
 
 " You have had it all along. God bless you, Jack !" 
 
 Will she ever forget that ride to the station, I won 
 der? How those scamps of bachelor officers poured 
 forth from Bucketts s tent over in camp and surrounded 
 the ambulance ostensibly to bid " him" good-by ; the 
 stage-whispers which passed between them. 
 
 37* 
 
438 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER; OR, 
 
 "Good-by, Jack. We all meant to come over to 
 the station to see you off, but the colonel gives us fits 
 if we re up after midnight now." 
 
 " Take care of yourself, old man. Say, don t let the 
 colonel see you go into Tommy Dunn s. What ! Miss 
 Pelham, you here too !" 
 
 She sat in the dark corner of the carriage, where she 
 could dimly see his form as he leaned forward talking 
 earnestly with her father as they drove rapidly over 
 the smooth prairie roads. Not a word did she speak, 
 but an inexpressible content and joy possessed her. 
 He was going. It might be many a long weary month 
 before she could see him again, but her heart went with 
 him, and his? ah, had it not been in her keeping for 
 months past ? 
 
 They reached the station ; dark and still it looked : 
 one faint light burning in the station-master s office ; 
 but thither the colonel found it necessary to go. The 
 ambulance and its driver went off, oddly enough, and 
 " hitched" directly in front of the very establishment 
 Jack had been warned to shun. And then on the dark 
 platform, lighted only by the glowing stars above, the 
 red and green signal- lamps up and down the track, 
 Grace Pelham and her lover were alone. 
 
 All too soon, far up the line the brilliant head-light 
 of the train came sweeping into view. They were 
 pacing slowly along the platform, her hands clasped 
 upon his arm. She stopped suddenly. 
 
 " You have never asked me why why Mr. Glen- 
 ham broke our engagement, and I thought it was some 
 thing you ought to know," she said, falteringly. 
 
 " J never intended to ask, Grade, nor do I care to 
 
WINNING HIS SPURS. 439 
 
 question you about any of that wretched experience at 
 Sandy," he said, tenderly. 
 
 " But it was something I want you to know, and I 
 cannot tell you unless you ask." 
 
 " Then, I do ask," he answered, smiling. 
 
 " He told me two months ago that he knew I cared 
 nothing for him, and asked me whom I did love ?" 
 
 " And you told him " 
 
 " That I loved you, Jack." 
 
 Both his arms were round her in an instant, his 
 head bent down over the sweet face now buried on his 
 breast. She had to raise it shyly and glance up into 
 his eyes in answer to his appeal, then his lips sought 
 hers, and their fervent pressure was answered. One 
 moment more and he was eastward bound. 
 
 Many a letter came flying back to Hays. The daily 
 mail was never without its missive for Grace, and even 
 in separation some delight is found. 
 
 " Two weeks now I have been back at the Point," 
 he wrote one May afternoon, " and never has the dear 
 old spot looked so beautiful. It is hard to realize that 
 these scenes, so familiar to you, so very familiar to me, 
 have never been viewed together ; that there ever has 
 been a time in my life when I looked out upon that 
 glorious reach up the river, and around upon the rocky 
 heights, and knew not this now incessant longing to 
 have you at my side. Time was when all my hope, 
 ambition, pride, and pleasure were centred in the coming 
 summer, with camp or furlough, when May with its 
 verdure and sweet balmy breath was a foretaste of 
 Paradise. Now, T wait with eager impatience for the 
 
140 THE COLONEL S DAUGHTER. 
 
 Doming again of autumn, for the keen frosts that will 
 shiver leaf and flower and rob the landscape of all this 
 vernal beauty. Welcome, November, with frost and 
 fog and gale, for none can chill the light and glory of 
 my life, for with them comes its crowning blessing, for 
 with them, and despite them, I shall welcome you, mv 
 wife, my darling, my queen." 
 
 And Truscott had many letters, congratulatory, ex 
 clamatory, and otherwise satisfactory. This was from 
 Eay: 
 
 " DEAR JACK, News just reached me. Bad news 
 travels fast, you know. I m cut up cut out and 
 never was cut out for anything better. With all my 
 heart I congratulate you, and wish it was me. As I 
 can t walk to singing-school with her myself, please 
 may I sit on the fence and watch out for you to go by ? 
 Anyhow, may the Fates deal you no end of blessings, 
 and me, two or three full hands for the wedding 
 present 1 There goes stable-call. Toot d toi. 
 
 "RAY. 
 
 " See here, Jack, I may not have had a clear idea ou 
 the subject before, but isn t this last capture of Miss 
 Pelham s a new thing in * Winning his Spurs f" 
 
 THE END. 
 
14 DAY USE 
 
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 (A9562slO)476B 
 
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 THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY