Cranston's six days home-keeping sped all too swiftly away. It was now
definitely settled that his troop and Truman's were to remain
indefinitely on duty at the agency. The general hated the idea of
building cantonments there, and had urged that all the Indians be
concentrated at the White River reservation, but without avail,--the
Interior Department would have its way. Troops had to be drawn from all
the posts along the railroad to make up the new command at the
Ogallalla, and out of his own pocket Cranston was adding to the log
quarters assigned to him, for Margaret had promptly announced that she
would not remain at Scott, that where he dwelt was her dwelling, and
they had known far greater isolation and danger in the past. Indeed,
there was little danger of their going now, for in the presence of so
strong a force the Indians would be meek enough. Two log huts were
connected and thrown into one as rapidly as possible, and it was fully
decided that by the 25th of March Mrs. Cranston, Agatha Loomis, and the
boys were to join him at the cantonment. It was not a very difficult
trip for such heroines as lived in those days in the army. Cranston's
strong spring wagon, fairly lined with buffalo-robes and blankets, would
carry them in perfect comfort from camp to camp. They would have an
escort and a baggage-wagon, spend the first night at Dismal River, the
next at Niobrara. Hastings would escort them, for he longed to get away
from Scott for a while and visit his comrades in the field. There was
nothing in the least unusual in it, said Margaret, in her home
letters,--for this had she married a soldier. The boys, of course,
gloried in the opportunity and bragged about it, or would brag about it
when they next got away from their kind in the army to their kind in
civil life,--boys who could only vainly long for such opportunities and
vaguely loathe those who had enjoyed them. As for Agatha, she accepted
the change of station with serene and philosophic silence until
cross-questioned as to her own intentions. "Why, certainly I mean to go
with Mrs. Cranston," she replied, with clear, wide-open eyes. "She will
have more need of me there than here--and I of her." Mr. Langston, who
drove out again to spend Sunday at the post, heard of the decision with
grave concern in his soldierly face, but in silence equal to her own.
Some others of the ladies whose lords were thus detached to Ogallalla
preferred, however, to wait until the snow was gone. There was now
abundant room at Scott,--why leave it, with its warmth, its comfort, its
society and all, to go to a mud-chinked hovel at that ghastly spot where
the Indians danced and coyotes howled the live-long night? Of course if
there were quarters in which a woman could live with even reasonable
comfort, that would be very different. Then their remaining at Scott
would be inexcusable. Mrs. Flight and Mrs. Darling were women who were
at variance on very many points of late, but openly in accord on this.
Indeed, almost every woman at Scott had all of a sudden been seized by
some strange lingual epidemic that manifested itself in the persistent
repetition of such expressions as "Of course no woman who could see her
way to any kind of a civilized house would be justified in not joining
her husband there instead of staying here." It was sure to attack them,
too, whenever Almira happened to be within ear-shot, for the news came
down one March morning that one officer at least was to have a very
comfortable little frame cottage,--the commander of the agency guard. It
would be finished in a week or two, and even the stoves, fuel, and much
of the furniture would be provided by the Indian bureau. Again did Mrs.
Cranston go and call on Mrs. Davies and warmly congratulate her, and say
that Captain Cranston's men who were packing up the troop property would
gladly box and pack her furniture too and send it out by their wagons,
and then she said there were six inside seats in the big Concord wagon
and it would afford so much pleasure if Mrs. Davies would go with them.
But Almira faltered unresponsively. Mr. Davies had not fully decided. It
was such a shock to her,--his being detained there. She had never
dreamed of his being away more than a week or ten days, if she had she
would have returned home to Urbana, but now it was nearly two months,
and really Mr. Davies would have to come down and look after the
household affairs and matters that she didn't fully understand.
Davies understood them well enough when he got the commissary and grocer
and butcher and baker and other bills that Mira had managed to run up,
both at Scott and at Braska. He went with grave face to Cranston. "I'm
afraid Mrs. Maloney and Katty have been taking advantage of my wife's
inexperience," said he, "and ordering all manner of things in all
possible quantities, and possibly, or probably, stocking the Maloney
larder at my expense. I simply cannot pay these and my home assessments
too."
Cranston was a man of few words. "Davies," said he, after looking over
the accounts, "Mrs. Davies has been cheated right and left by those
people, but in any event you cannot keep up two establishments. Break up
the house at Scott at once, let her come out with my people and leave
the Maloneys and Barnickel--and Scott behind. Let my Braska banker be
yours for the present. A few mouths here will float you well above
water."
And though Davies declined the offer of pecuniary aid, the very night of
Mrs. Cranston's visit the agency telegraph flashed to Mira a despatch
directing her to get ready to come on with them, whereat Mira fled in
tears to Mrs. Darling,--Mira, who, it may be remembered, longed to come
and cook and bake and darn and sweep and sew and share the merest hovel
with her Percy so long as she thought it just possible that he might yet
change his mind and leave his simple village maid no fate but lonely
grief and an early grave. Mira's enthusiasm for the bliss of frontier
life fled at the contemplation of the utter isolation at the
agency,--with wild Indians and animals all around, and without Mrs.
Darling, without the lovely, cosey fireside confidences, without the
band, the hops, the sleigh-rides, not to mention the glowing devotions
of Mr. Willett.
But Mrs. Darling rose to the occasion. From having been first favorite
in Scott social circles up to the time of Mira's coming she, with Mrs.
Stone and Mrs. Flight, was struggling now for second place. She felt
constrained to remind Mira that she was now a soldier's wife, and should
share a soldier's lot, especially a lot that included furnished
quarters. Other women had gone or were going to live in the log huts,
and it would never do to have it said of her, of Almira Davies,
that she had shrunk from joining her husband at the agency when
everything--everything was provided. Everything wasn't provided, by any
means, but in the largeness of her convictions woman sometimes drifts to
breadth of statement. The interview with Mrs. Darling proved but cold
comfort to poor Mira. She went homewards through the chill gloaming with
restless heart. There was a little parcel lying on her table, securely
wrapped and sealed. The post ambulance driver brought it out from
Braska, said Katty, "an' there was no address, 'twas only to be left for
Mrs. Davies," and Katty fain would have followed her mistress into her
chamber to see it opened, but Mira closed the door before she cut the
string. It contained some exquisite double violets and a tiny note
sealed as carefully as was the box.
Before tattoo Mrs. Flight and other ladies hastened in to offer their
congratulations. They were desolated at the thought of losing Mrs.
Davies, but rejoiced with her that she was so soon to be comfortably
housed with her devoted husband at the agency, and Mira's cheeks were
flaming, her eyes, full of a feverish excitement, flitted from one to
another. She had but very, very little to say. She was glad, oh, yes, so
glad, though it was dreadful to leave Fort Scott, where so many people
had been so kind to her,--dreadful.
This was about the 20th and the general situation of affairs was
somewhat complicated. The bureau, resuming control over the Indians
reassembled at the agency, conferred no longer with the general who had
gathered them in, and for whose naked word they had more respect than
for all the formal treaties of agents or inspectors, but contented
itself with sending curt, crisp orders signed, however reluctantly, by
his superiors at Washington. The general, leaving matters at Ogallalla
where he had no influence, had gone after other malcontent braves in a
far corner of Wyoming. Colonel Peleg was beginning to evince a desire to
resume command, despite Rooke's knitted brows and reluctant answers. An
official from Sheridan's headquarters had just paid informal visit to
Scott, had had long talks with Stone, Leonard, and the chaplain, and a
very short one with the plausible Devers, and had gone back to Chicago.
He arrived at Scott within four days of Cranston's departure for the
agency, and within five of the re incarceration of Trooper Brannan on
charge of night prowling. He made very brief examination in Leonard's
office of Sergeants Haney and Finucane, Corporal Boyd and Trooper
Howard, who were witnesses, so Devers said, to the frequent absences of
Trooper Brannan from quarters during the dead hours of the night, and
their expert testimony seemed to be given with much reluctance and to be
received with equal incredulity. He asked of Devers what his reasons
were for refusing to forward Brannan's application for transfer to
Cranston's troop, and Devers, much disturbed to find that this was
known, hesitated in his reply. He said he had not refused, he had merely
taken time to consider. The man had given him much trouble. Some
officers considered it all right for a captain under such circumstances
to shunt a reprobate off on some other company commander, but he
differed with them. He wanted to know something of the man's
antecedents. "Well," said the aide-de-camp, "Cranston knows all about
them and is willing to take him. You might relieve yourself of any
feeling of punctilio on that score."
"Then Captain Cranston is your informant in this business, colonel,"
said Devers, with an attempt at a sneer.
"Not at all," said the aide-de-camp, placidly. "Brannan's mother told us
all about it. She is a very superior woman, and we dine there
occasionally."
Devers stared blankly at the speaker just a moment, half incredulous,
half resentful, then at last he realized that it was no pleasantry on
the part of his visitor and, for once in his life, collapsed entirely.
That night Brannan was released and bidden to go to his troop and be
patient. This time there was no doubt of his application being forwarded
to regimental head-quarters, and there's no doubt, said the chaplain,
who had a talk with him within an hour of his restoration to duty, that
a week would see him _en route_ to join Cranston's troop at Ogallalla.
Devers was still commanding officer of the post, however, and gave the
chaplain to understand that so long as the man remained at Scott the
interests of discipline required that there should be no exhibition of
exuberant triumph on his part or of further interference on the part of
his spiritual sympathizers. He hated the chaplain by this time as much
as he feared Cranston. Something had told him that the aide-de-camp's
visit meant that the toils were tightening, and that even though the
Gray Fox was away his great superior, the lieutenant-general, had an eye
on the situation and an ear for the stories of his defamers. Devers felt
that the inspector came because of sudden and direct appeal from
Brannan's friends. He could not longer attribute it to Davies. Well, it
would take a week or ten days anyhow before Brannan's orders could come,
and a week was a long time to a man with a treacherous thirst.
But what Devers only suspected and did not know was that in the long
consultation with Leonard that officer gave, by request, his version of
the altercation which had taken place between himself and Devers, and of
the events leading up to it. The staff officer brought with him the
original report of the investigation made of the Antelope Springs affair
and Devers's topographical sketch of the ground, trails and all, and
Leonard's black eyes burned as he studied it. The aide-de-camp had some
social calls to pay and left these papers in Leonard's hands while he
was gone. "I have made a tracing of that map, colonel," said the
adjutant, when after two hours the official returned. "I hope you don't
object. I know you can't leave the originals with me."
"That's all right," was the answer. "Say, Leonard, who's that young cit
with the swell team who came to take Mrs. Davies sleighing? I didn't
catch the name."
"His name's Willett," said Leonard, briefly.
"What's he doing here?"
"Cattle."
"Cattle in Braska, perhaps, but here, I mean."
"I don't know," said Leonard to the officer. "I wish I did," said
Leonard to himself. "If I did--I'd smash him."
Mr. Langston had driven out to the post with Willett that afternoon. He
had other calls to pay, and this was Saturday, a favorite day for
visiting at Braska. The Cranstons' house was topsy-turvy, everybody in
the midst of packing, but Langston had a box of _bon-bons_ which the
ladies, or the boys, might enjoy as reminders of Chicago, and he rang.
Miss Loomis herself, in cap and apron, opened the door. Her shapely,
soft white hands were covered with the dust of books and papers she had
been busily storing in the boxes, and her face flushed, just a bit, at
sight of her visitor.
"I cannot shake hands with you, Mr. Langston, and, as you see, we're all
at work, but welcome in. I'll call Mrs. Cranston."
"No. Don't," he said, hurriedly. "I only came to offer these trifles. I
heard you were all busy packing and had hoped to hear that, after all,
you were not going up to that forsaken spot. Is it true?"
"Certainly. Wherever Captain Cranston goes there goes his wife, and
where she goes to live is my home and duty."
He stood looking steadfastly into her brave, beautiful face. He was tall
and stalwart: she almost Juno-like in the grandeur of her form. He could
not conceal the admiration that glowed in his eyes. He could not, dare
not speak so soon the thoughts that had been surging in his brain,
springing up from his very heart. What would he not give could she but
accept the offer he longed to lay at her feet, that of a name, a love, a
home wherein she should reign as queen, not live as a dependent. Such
silences are eloquent. She turned quickly away. "Louis, tell mother Mr.
Langston has come out to say good-by," said she, and Mrs. Cranston, not
ten feet away, these being army quarters, had to appear.
"I didn't mean to say good-by here exactly," said Langston. "I rather
planned to see you. I thought perhaps you'd honor me by breakfasting or
lunching with me in Braska on your way," he said, hesitatingly. "They
tell me ladies often----"
"Well, we go direct. Ours is the through express, Mr. Langston," said
Mrs. Cranston, laughing, "and it's a hotel car we travel by. Braska is
some distance off the air line."
"Braska doesn't seem to have been in your line at any time," he said,
after a moment's pause. "I hear of frequent visits on the part of the
other ladies, many of them, but you never honor us."
"Oh, we sometimes go there for shopping."
"But to Cresswell's, I mean, for luncheon or supper. They say he gives
a very creditable spread, and as quite a number of the ladies go there
at times, and Willett and Burtis have a little party there to-night in
honor of some of your friends, I thought I might persuade you; but--of
course--if you do not go that way," he concluded, vaguely.
"No, thank you, Mr. Langston, we do not--go that way."
"But I shall see you, both, again before you start, I hope," he said,
addressing Mrs. Cranston, but palpably appealing to Miss Loomis in the
weakness of a strong man deeply in love.
"It will be a pleasure," said Margaret, cordially. She wished him to
come. She meant him to come. She saw and forgave the wandering eyes. He
might come any day he pleased before the 25th. There would still be a
box or a trunk for him to sit on; but now, she concluded, artfully, she
must get right back to the boys a minute. They were trying on some
clothes that had just come from home, and she'd return very soon. So
saying she vanished. It was half an hour before she reappeared, and
Langston was on his knees in the parlor--packing books. It was the
sweetest work he had known in years.
But when he was finally gone Margaret turned impulsively to Agatha. "Do
you think it possible that--that she _can_ be going there--with
him--to-night? No matter who else goes. She cannot realize what she's
doing. Would you go--should I go to see her?"
Miss Loomis stood at the window, leaning her forehead against the cold
pane and gazing silently out over the snowy expanse of the parade. "You
would be too late, Margaret," she answered, presently, and drew back
from the folds of the heavy curtain, and Mrs. Cranston seemed to read in
her companion's face what was coming along the road.
Two double sleighs drove briskly past the window. First came Stone's old
swan-head behind his sedate team of bays, but from a perfect nest of
robes and furs a gay party waved their hands in laughing salutation.
Mrs. Stone and Mrs. Flight on the back seat, Messrs. Darling and Tommy
Dot opposite them in the body of the sleigh. Captain Pollock in the
driver's perch with a fair companion whose husband was still detained at
the agency, but wanted her to have the best time possible instead of
moping at home. Then came Willett's stylish sleigh and team, Sanders on
the back seat with Mrs. Darling, Almira blooming in her accustomed place
by "Phaeton's" side. She neither bowed nor kissed her hand to Cranston's
window, but smiled sweetly up into her companion's eyes.
Mr. Langston, meantime, was dining at the officers' mess, and presently
when Mrs. Leonard came over to see if she could not help her neighbor a
trifle in her packing, she unfolded some of the details of the Braska
plan. Messrs. Burtis and Willett desired to entertain some of their fort
friends in town; Colonel "Pegleg" was the only man at the post who owned
a sleigh; Mrs. Stone was invited as a matter of course, and accepted,
provided the colonel felt well enough to let her go, and it was duly
settled that six of the party should go in her sleigh. The rest was
easily arranged. Langston was only too glad to go out with Willett and
spend the hours until the return of the party in calling and dining at
the post, hoping thereby to obtain more than one glance at and more than
a few words with Miss Loomis. It was nearly sundown when they started.
It would be eleven before they got back. Long before that hour the
lights in Cranston's quarters were out and all was silence and peace.
Langston, strolling by after making his evening calls, looked long, as
lovers will, at the window of the room he knew to be hers, then went
resignedly over to the store and took a hand with the officers at a game
for which at other times he had no use whatever,--pool. He had to do
something to while away the time until the sleigh-bells came tinkling
back, and that seemed to be the only thing going.
But midnight came before the foremost sleigh. Pollock safely tooled his
party into the post as the twelve o'clock call was going the rounds. Oh,
they had had a blissful time! a glorious time! Such a delightful
supper,--partridges and celery and all manner of dainties from Chicago,
and such oyster patties! to say nothing of Roederer _ad libitum_. Then
they had danced, and then they had more supper, and then started home.
Willett would be along in a minute.
But ten, twenty minutes sped and no Willett. Pegleg's horses, being
homeward bound, had possibly made phenomenal time, and Willett,
probably, was in no hurry. "It's about his last chance to have Mrs.
Davies beside him," laughed Mrs. Stone, "so he's making the most of it."
It was 12.30 when at last the bells of the New Yorker's sleigh were
heard tinkling faintly at the corner, and presently the party came
slowly into view. Only three now, and three silent, embarrassed if not
evidently agitated people, for they seemed to whip up and hurry by the
little knot of anxious faces gathered at the colonel's gate.
"Where's Mr. Sanders?" was the cry.
"Tell you in a minute!" shouted Willett, as he drove straight by to No.
12, where he sprang out, lifted Mira from the sleigh and almost bore her
to the gate, Mrs. Darling following. Already Mr. Darling was hastening
up the road to join his wife. At the door Willett simply had to turn
back to his spirited team, as they were standing unhitched, and Mrs.
Darling disappeared with Mira into the hall.
"Where's Sanders? What kept you?" panted Darling, hastening up.
"Hush! Don't make any fuss," muttered Willett. "He jumped out half a
mile back. Some drunken men, or soldiers perhaps, gave us a little
trouble. I'm going back after him now."
"Hold on one minute till I see my wife and I'll go with you," sang out
Darling, as he ran into the house, where Mira had sunk nerveless into a
big chair and was wildly imploring Mrs. Darling not to leave her.