A Trooper Galahad Page 13

  CHAPTER XIII.

  Old Frazier's face was sad to see when, two days later, all theharrowing details of that night's work were received at Worth. Hoursbefore, in answer to courier from Crockett's, Dr. Collabone, withsteward, attendants, and such ambulances as there were, had been put _enroute_ for the Springs. Two other troops had been hurried to the field,and Mrs. Blythe, with streaming eyes, was straining to her heart twomotherless children, now orphaned by that "one more square fight inTexas." Gallant Ned Lawrence! Far on the way to Cramer's bewilderedforce they found his body, shot from ambush through and through in twoplaces. Yet, said his weeping orderly, he had clung to the saddle nearlya mile. Oh, the wrath at Department Head-Quarters and along the line ofposts and camps against that gang, made up, as so many knew it must bemade, mainly of the thugs and deserters offscoured from the army in dayswhen moral character as vouched for was no requisite before enlistment!Among the dead upon the field was found the body of a once trustedsergeant of Lawrence's troop; but the other outlaws were Mexicans orjailbirds, strange to the soldiers who turned them curiously over.Pennywise, scared half to death and dreadfully shaken by the capsizingof his wagon, was otherwise unscathed; his clerk was shot, his driversorely wounded; two of the San Saba escort were killed, and others hit.Brooks, with Captain Haines from the San Saba, pushed on until at noonhe reached Cramer's people, now reinforced by Fuller and his men and bythe shame-stricken Mullane. By nightfall his exhausted horses weredrinking their fill from the stream. The two wounded officers, Barclayand Cramer, with half a dozen troopers, were being made as comfortableas possible.

  By dawn of the next day Mullane's pleading had overpowered Brooks, whoseheart was wrung at the contemplation of such unrequited losses, and,taking Lieutenant Winn and forty troopers with him, the Irish captain,given a chance as he prayed to redeem himself, marched away westwardfrom the cantonment at Crockett's, bent on overtaking the outlaws in theApache mountains, whither they had gone, burdened by half a dozenwounded, so said the one prisoner, who, unable to bear the torment ofjolting along on horseback with an arm bullet-smashed at the elbow, hadbegged to be left behind. He was a mere boy, whose elder brother hadbeen for years a fugitive from justice and of late a prominent member ofthe gang, and it was by the side of that mortally wounded ruffian theyfound the youngster weeping, more from grief than from pain, only a mileaway from the scene of the second ambuscade.

  Verily the men who planned those death-traps were masters of theirvillanous trade! "Concentrate all your first shots on the officers,"were the instructions; "get them down, and the men will be helpless assheep." Cramer, his doctor, and his first sergeant had fallen at thefirst fire, and that little command was paralyzed. Vigilant bushwackers,schooled for years in Indian fighting, watching the Crockett trailagainst the coming of other leaders, had easily recognized Lawrence ashe rode galloping on at the head of his half-dozen, and the "one moresquare fight" proved but a one-sided affair after all. Poor Ned knew hehad his death-wounds at the instant, yet whipped out his revolver andordered, "Charge!" and charge they did upon the scattering, cowardlycrew that fled before them on their fresh horses until the trooperleader tumbled from his saddle, dead without a groan; and then, at safedistance, his assassins turned and jeered their helpless pursuers. Howthe veterans of "D" Troop clustered about their old-time captain'slifeless form that night, and, weary though they were after forty hoursof sleepless chase and scout and battle, implored the major to let themstart at once upon the outlaws' trail! The same tactics that had haltedCramer's men and murdered Lawrence had been played on the escort fromSan Saba. Riddling the ambulance at the first volley, yet in the dimmoonlight missing the lieutenant commanding, who happened to be ridingat the moment on the flank of his column instead of at the head, thesudden volley felled a sergeant, but left the subaltern full of fight,and he rallied his temporarily stampeded troopers not four hundred yardsaway, and charged back on the Fridays with a splendid dash that drovethem helter-skelter to the rocks. Then, dismounting, he had stood themoff superbly until rescue came.

  Not for another forty-eight hours could old Pennywise be induced to goon to Worth. Though there was reassurance in the fact that the Fridayswere scattered over far Western Texas by that time (some never stopping,as it turned out, until safe from pursuit beyond the Bravo), the veteranmoney-changer's nerve was sorely shaken. He had not half the pluck ofhis punctured clerk, who, though shot by a Henry rifle bullet throughthe left arm and across the breast outside the ribs, declared himselffit to take even a hot and feverish drive and go with the payment.Fuller and his ranchmen stuck manfully to that much desired safe, andannounced their intention of protecting the paymaster at all hazards.The wounds of Cramer and Barclay had been most skilfully treated by theyoung doctor before Collabone reached them; thanks to the perfect habitsand vigorous constitution of the latter, there was nothing to preventhis transportation by easy stages back to Worth at the end of the week,and thither he seemed strangely eager to go. Thither they had borne theremains of poor Lawrence, and there with all military honors had theyburied all that was mortal of the loved yet luckless comrade. There, herown heart sorely wrung, Mrs. Blythe was doing her utmost to comfortweeping Ada, whose burly little brother was fortunately too young tofeel the desolation of their position. But, flat on his back, Barclayhad pencilled to the loving-hearted woman a little note that bore her aworld of comfort, despite the suffering imposed by a mandate to revealits contents to no one but her husband; for when a woman has news--goodnews, great news--to tell, a husband falls far short of the demands ofthe situation.

  Barclay's wound had been dangerous at the time, mainly because thebullet had grazed an artery below the knee and brought on profusebleeding that, unnoticed in the excitement of the running fight, sappedhim of his strength and left him swooning; but Collabone and hisassistant declared it healing perfectly and that not even a limp wouldremain to betray it. One week from the day of the spirited skirmish inwhich he had played so prominent and gallant a part, Sir Galahad waslifted into the ambulance and started for Worth at the very moment thegeneral commanding the department was forwarding to Washington hisreport of the affair, urgently recommending the bestowal of a brevetupon the new captain of "D" Troop and a pension upon the children of hiswhole-souled, hapless predecessor; but, coupling his recommendationswith ill-considered yet natural reference to the injustice with whichCaptain and Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel Lawrence had been treated, hesucceeded only in entombing the paper in some private pigeon-hole,whence it was resurrected long months after, too late to be of use.

  After the manner of the army, the garrison at Worth had ceased alloutward sign of mourning by the time Barclay reached the post, andalmost everybody was ready to devote himself or herself to theamelioration of his condition. Mrs. Frazier, with a motherly eye tobusiness, had lost no time in urging upon her liege thepropriety--indeed, the imperative necessity--of his riding out to meetthe wounded officer and moving him at once under the shelter of theirroof. Amanda could and should give up her room (she was only too gladto), and the girls could sleep together; then the mother and daughterswould have sole charge of the nursing of this most eligible young man.What might not be accomplished by such a matron and such dear girlsunder such exceptional circumstances? Indeed, Frazier was given tounderstand that he must do it, for if Barclay was allowed to return tohis own quarters right next door to the Winns'--and Mr. Winn away--whocould say what couldn't be said?--what wouldn't be said? "Everybody knewthat Laura Winn had been doing her best," said Mrs. Frazier, "to resether nets and lure her whilom lover within the meshes," and this wouldgive her opportunities immeasurable. Frazier had a sleepless night ofit. He could not combat his wife's theories, though he would not admitthe truth of all she asserted. "But," said he, "everybody will seethrough the scheme at a glance."

  "I don't care if they do. I don't care what they say," said hisenergetic and strategic spouse. "The end justifies the means. Somethingmust be done for the girls you've buried out here in this wilderness.As for Laura Wi
nn, better a sneer at my precautions than a scandal forlack of them."

  But Frazier remonstrated: "Barclay isn't the man to get mixed up in ascandal," said he.

  "But Laura Winn wouldn't flinch at it," said she, "and it's the way thewoman acts--not the man--that sets people talking;" wherein was Mrs.Frazier schooled beyond the sphere in which she moved. At her bidding,Frazier sent for young Brayton, who had marched back with the detachmentnot sent in chase, told him of Mrs. Frazier's benevolent plans for hiscaptain's comfort, and suggested that such of Barclay's things as hemight need be sent over beforehand,--"so as to have everything ready,you know."

  The youngster looked embarrassed, said he would attend to it, butimmediately sought Major Brooks, who was doing a good deal of resting atthe time. "What am I to say to Colonel Frazier, sir?" he asked. "Thecolonel tells me Mrs. Frazier has a room all ready for Captain Barclayand wishes me to send over a lot of things, and I have a message fromthe captain saying he will probably arrive day after to-morrow and tohave his room ready; and, he adds, in case any one plans to put himelsewhere, to decline in his name."

  "Oh, wise young judge!" growled Brooks to himself. Every day was addingto his respect for Galahad.

  "I can't decline the commanding officer's invitation, can I, sir?" askedBrayton, in conclusion.

  "No, you can't with safety," said the major, "but I'll speak toCollabone---- No," he added, abruptly, as he reflected that Mrs. Fraziermight eventually hear of it, Collabone being a man who knew no guile andtold everybody anything he knew. "No. You tell Collabone what thecaptain wishes, and let him fix it." And so between the three it wasarranged, through the couriers at that time going back and forth everyday, that Barclay should be notified of the honor in store for him. Andnotified he was, and gravely passed the letter over to AEsculapiusJunior.

  "Help me out of this, doctor, in some way," he said. "I wish to benobody's guest." And so, when old Frazier did actually mount a horseand, with Amanda in a stylish habit beaming at his side, did actuallyride forth--the first time he'd been in saddle in a year--and meetBarclay's ambulance full a thousand yards out from the post, and badehim thrice welcome to the room they had prepared for him, Barclay beamedback his thanks and appreciations, and bade the colonel believe he wouldnever forget his kindness and Mrs. Frazier's, but that he had everypossible comfort awaiting him at his own quarters, and could neverconsent to incommoding Mrs. Frazier or the young ladies. Indeed, thedoctor had made other and very different plans for him,--as indeed thedoctor had. And Frazier rode back vaguely relieved, yet crestfallen. Heknew Barclay and the doctor were right. He knew he himself shrank fromsuch throwing of his daughters at a fellow's head; and then he quailedat the thought of Mrs. Frazier's upbraidings, for she, honest woman,felt it a mother's duty to provide for her precious lambs, the more sobecause their father was so culpably indifferent, if not shamefullynegligent.

  A balked and angered woman was Mrs. Frazier at the captain's politelyveiled refusal to come and be nursed and captured under her roof.Tartaric acid tinged the smiles of her innocent children the next fewdays, and if ever there was a time when it behooved Laura Winn to be onher guard and behave with the utmost reserve as regarded her next-doorneighbor, it was here and now. She could have read the danger signal inthe Fraziers' greeting at parade that very evening, as, most becominglyattired, she strolled languidly down the line at the side of AEsculapiusJunior, who, after seeing his patient comfortably stowed in bed, cameforth to find her on the piazza, full of sympathetic interest and eagerto know what she could do or make or have made in the way of appetizingdainties for the sufferer. Nor did she let him free until he foundrefuge in the midst of the deeply interested group in front of thecolonel's quarters.

  This was Tuesday evening, and only Brooks, Blythe, and Brayton werepermitted to intrude upon the invalid after the long hours' trundle overthe prairie roads. On the morrow the paymaster was to take hisambulance, escort, and emptied safe on the back track to Crockett's, andBarclay was to be allowed to see Mrs. Blythe; but, for the night, restand quiet were enjoined. In answer to his queries, he was told that thelatest news reported Mullane, Winn, and Bralligan scouring the Apacherange, while Captain Haight, with forty men, was patrolling towards theBravo. The post was flush with money. Fuller's bar was doing a rousingbusiness, and Lieutenant Trott, guarding the stores turned over by Winn,was wondering when and in what shape the money value of the stores notturned over was to be paid to him, for the time was past, Winn was far,far away, no package of money had come for him, and Mrs. Winn calmlysaid it was no affair of hers and she had no knowledge when or by whathand it would be forthcoming. It was conceded at Worth that, in view ofthe danger in which her husband stood, both afield and at home, moreanxiety and less adornment would better have become the lady, as sheoutshone all other women present when the line of infantry officersbroke ranks at dismissal of parade.