6 AN AIR-CASTLE. 1 built a house In my youthful dreams. In a sunny and pleasant nook, W here I might listen, the whole day long. To the voice of the gurgling brook, A cottage with wide and airy rooms. And broad and shining floors— A house with the hidden charms of home. And the freedom of out-of-doors. Fair morning-glories climb and bloom At will by the eastern eaves, And on the doorstep and window sill The roses shake their leaves; And fair, old-fashioned lilacs toss Their purple plumage high, While honeysuckles drop their sweets On every passer-by. Down at the end of a pleasant path Is a group of evergreen trees— Fine and hemlock, and spruce and fir, With their spicy fragrances; And, sweetest picture of calm content That mortal ever saw, Under a low-houghed apple tree I* a bee-hive made of straw. I have pictured it all a hundred times— I shall do it a hundred more— But I never shall own the pleasant home With the rose 3 over the door. Never a dream of mine came true; (It is Fate's unbending law), ? never shall see the apple tree jNor Ihe bee-hive made of straw. But yet, in the airy realm of dreams— Where all my riches be— I enter into the heritage Which is else denied to me; I ha ve but to close my eyes to find My Eden without a flaw— The home, the garden, the apple tree. And the bee-hive made of straw. r-Elizabeth Akers Allen, in Elliott's Mag azine. IK stirring siorv of* Lij-e in the {Whines. [Copyright, 1899, by F. Tennyson Neely.] CHAPTER VII. Billy Gray was indeed in close ar rest and the grim prophecy was ful filled—Col. Canker was proving "any thing but a guardian angel to him." The whole regiment, officers and men, bar ring only the commander, was practi cally in mourning with sorrow for him and chagrin oyer its own discomfiture. INot only one important prisoner was go i\v, but two; not only two, but four. No man in authority was able to say Just when or how it happened, for it Canker's own order that the pris oners should not be paraded when the .guard fell in at night. They were here at ta'rtoo and at taps all right. The of ficer of the guard, said several soldiers, had quite a long talk with one of the prisoners—young Morton —just after itattoo, at which time the entire guard Jhad been inspected by the commanding ■ officer. But at reveille four most im portant prisoners were gone, and such -was Canker's wrath that not only was Cray in arrest, but the sergeant of the guard also, while the three luckless men who were successively posted as sentries during the night at the back of ihe. wooden shell that served as a guard house —were now in close confinement in the place of the escaped quartette. Yet those three were men who had hitherto been above suspicion, and there were few soldiers in the regiment who would accept the theory that any •one" of the three had connived at the es <nape. As for the sergeant he had •served four enlistments in the—teenth, and without a flaw in his record beyond an occasional aberration in the now distant past, due to the potency of the poteen distilled by certain Hibernian experts not far from an old-time plains fort, where the regiment had rested on its march 'cross continent. As for the officers—but who would suppose an officer guilty of anything of the kind'— a flagrant military crime? Ar.d yet— men got to asking each other li it were so that Bugler Curran had carried a note from tlie prisoner, Morton, to Mr. Gray about 2:30 that afternoon? And what was this about Gray's having urged Brooke to swap tours with him an hour later, and what was that story the headquarters clerks were telling about Mr. Gray's coming to the adju tant and begging to be allowed to "march on" that evening instead of Brooke? It wasn't long before these rumors, somehow, got to Canker's ears, and Canker seemed to grow as big again; he fairly swelled with indigna tion at thought of such turpitude on part of an officer. Then he sent for Gray —it was the afternoon following the sailing of the ships with the big brigade -—and with pain and bewilderment and indignation in his brave blue eyes the youngster came and stood before his stem superior. Gordon, who sent tTie message, and who had heard Canker's denunciatory remarks, had found time to scribble a word or two: "Admit nothing; say nothing; do nothing but hold your tongue and temper. If C. insists on answers say you decline ex cept in presence of your legal adviser." So there was a scene in the command er's tent that afternoon. The morning had not been without its joys. Along about ten o'clock as Gray sat writing to his father in his little canvas home, he heard a voice that sent the blood leaping through his veins and tilled his eyes with light. Springing from his campstool and capsizing it as he did 60, he poked his curly head from the entrance of the tent and Jthere she was only a dozen feet away Maj. Lane in courteous at tendance, -Mr. Prime sadly following, end Miss Prime quite content with the devotions of Capt. Schuyler. Only a dozen feet a w»y and coming straight to liira, with frank smiles and sympathy in her kind and winsome face—with hand outstretched the moment she caught sight of him. "We wanted to come when we heard of it yesterday, Wr. Gray," said Amy Lawrence, "but it was dark w hen we got back fromsee ins? the fleet off, and uncle was too tired in the evening. Indeed, we are all very, very sorry!" And poor Billy never heard or eared what the others said, so absorbed w as he in drinking in her sen tie words and gazing into her soft, dark eyes. No wonder he found it difficult to release her hand. That brief visit, filled with sweetness and sunshine, ought to have been a blessing to him all day long, but Canker caught sight of the damsels as they walked away on the arms of the attendant cavaliers- Miss Lawrence more than once smiling back at the incarcerated liilly—and Canker demanded to be informed who they w ere and where they had been, and Gordon answered they were Miss Law rence, of Santa Anita, and Miss J'rime, of New York —and he "reckoned" they must have been into condole with Mr. Gray—whereat Canker snarled that people ought to know better than to visit officers in arrest —it was tanta mount to disrespect to the commander. It was marvelous how many things in Canker's eyes were disrespectful. So he heard these stories with eager ears and sent for Gray, and thought to bully him into an admission or confes sion, but Gordon's words had "stif fened" the little fellow to the extent of braving Canker's anger and telling him he had said all he proposed to say when th'S colonel called him up the previous day. The result of that was his belli? placed in close arrest and in formed that he should be tried by gen eral court-martial at once. So lie had taken counsel, as was his right, and "counsel" forbade his committing him self in any way. "Then you refuse to divulge the con tents of that note and to say why you were so eager togo on guard out of your turn?" said Canker, oracularly. "That in itself is sufficient to convince any fair-minded court of your guilt, sir." Whereat Gordon winked at Billy and put his tongue in his cheek—and Billy stood mute until ordered, with much asperity, togo back to his tent. But there were other 1 liings that might well go toward convincing a court of the guilt of Lieut. Gray, and poor Billy contemplated them with sinking heart. Taking prompt ad vantage of his position as officer of the guard, he had caused the young pris oner to be brought outside the guard house, and as a heavy, dripping fog had come on the wings of the night wind, sailing in from the sea, he had led the Way to the sheltered side, which hap pened to be the darkest one, of the rude little building, and had there bidden him tell his story. But Morton glanced uneasily at a sentry who followed close and was hovering suspiciously about, "i cannot talk about —the affair—with that fellow spying," he said, with an eager plea in his tone and a sign of the hand that Gray well knew and quickly recognized. "Keep around in front. I'll be responsible for this prisoner," were his orders, and, almost reluctant ly, the man left. He was a veteran sol dier, and his manner impressed the lieutenant with a vague sense of trouble. Twice the sentry glanced back and hesitated, as though some thing were 011 his mind that lie must tell, but finally he disappeared and kept out of the way during the brief inter view that immediately followed. The I prisoner eagerly, excitedly began his explanation—swiftly banishingany lin gering doubts Gray might have enter tained as to his innocence. But he had come from.l stove-heated guard room into the cold sea wind of the Pacific— into the floating wisps of vapor that sent chill to the marrow. He was far too lightly clad for that climate, and presently lie began to shiver. "You are cold," said Gray, pityingly. "Have you 110 overcoat?" "it's at my tent—l never expected to spend this night here. I've been be fore the summary court, fined for ab sence, and thought that would end it, but instead of that I'm a prisoner and the man who should be here is stalking about camp, planning more robberies. Yet I'd rather associate with the very worst of deserters or dead beats in side there," and the dark eyes glanced almost in horror—the slender figure shook with unmingled repulsion and chill—"than with that smooth-tongued sneak and liar. There's no crime too mean for him to commit, Mr. Gray, and the men are beginning to know it, though the colonel won't. For God's sake get me out of this before morn ing—" And again the violent tremor shok the lad from head to foot. "Here—get. inside!" said Gray, im pulsively. "I'd see the adjutant at once and return to j'ou in a few minutes. If 3'ou have to remain until the matter can be investigated by the general it might be—" "It would be—" vehemently inter rupted Morton, then breaking off short as though at loss for descriptiveness of sufficient strength. He seemed to swell with passion as he clinched liis fists and fairly stood upon his toes an instant, his strong white teeth grinding together. "It would be —simply hell!" lie burst in again, hoarse and quivering: "It would ruin everything! Can't the gen eral give the order to-night?" he asked with intense eagerness, while the young officer, taking him by the arm, had led him again to the light of the guardhouse lamps at the front. The sergeant and a group of soldiers straightened up and faced them, listen ingl curiously. "It may be even impossible to see the general," answered Gray, doubtfully. "Take Morton into the guardroom till I get back, sergeant, and let him warm himself thoroughly. Don't put him with the prisoners till I return," and so saying he hastened away. Gordon, his friend and adviser, had left camp and gone visiting over in the other divi sion. The lights at general headquar ters were turned low. Even now, after having heard proofs of the innocence of the accused soldier, Gray knew that it was useless to appeal to the colonel. He could not understand, however, the feverish—almost insane impatience of the lad for immediate release. Another CAMERON COUNTY PRESS, THURSDAY, APRIL 26, 1900. day ought not to make so great a dif ference. What could be the reason— if it were not that, though innocent of the robbery of the storehouse, or of complicity in the sale of stolen goods, some other crime lay at his door which the morrow might disclose? All the loyalty of a Delta Sig was stretched to the snapping point as Gray paused ir resolute iu front of the adjutant's tent, his quest there unsuccessful. The sergeant major and a sorely badgered clerk were working late over some regimental papers—things that Mor ton wrote out easily and accurately. "I suppose, sir, it's no use asking to have the prisoner sent up here under guard," said that jewel of a non-com -1 missioned officer. "Yet the colonel will be savage if these papers ain't ready. It will take us all night as things are going." Gray shook his curly head. "Go ask, if you like, but—Morton's in no shape to help you—" "Has he been drinking, sir?" said the sergeant major, in surprise. "I never knew him—" "Oh, it isn't that," said Gray, hastily, "only he's —he's got—other matters on his mind! Bring me his overcoat. He said it was in hi» tent," and the young officer jerked his head at the patch of little "A" tents lined up in the rear of those of the officers'. "Get Morton's overcoat and take it to him at the guardhouse," snapped the staff sergeant to the clerk. "Be spry now, and 110 stopping on the way back," lie added, well aware how much in need his assistant stood of creature comfort of some surreptitious ancl for bidden kind. The man was back in a moment, the coat rolled on his arm. "I'll take it," said Gray, simply. "You needn't come." "Go 011 with it!" ordered the ser geant as the soldier hesitated. "D'ye the service has gone to the devil and officers are runnin' errands for enlist ed men? An' get back inside two min utes, too," he added, with portent in his tone. The subaltern of hardly two months' service felt the implied rebuke of the soldier of over 20 years' and meekly accepted the amendment, but —a tliought occurred to him: He had promised Morton paper, envelopes and stamps and the day's newspapers—the lad seemed strangely eager to get all the latter, and vaguely Billy remem berd having heard that Canker consid ered giving papers to prisoners as equivalent to aid and comfort to the enemy. "Take it by way of my tent," said he as they started, and, once there it took "The morning will be too late." time to find things. "Go back to the sergeant major and tell him I sent j'ou," said Gray, after another search. "He needs you on those papers." And when the officer of the guard returned to the guardhouse and went into the prisoner, the sergeant saw— and others saw—that, rolled in the soldier's overcoat he carried on his arm, was a bundle done up in news paper. Moreover, a scrap of conver sation was overheard. "There's no one at the general's," said the officer."l see no way of—fix ing it before morning." "My God, lieutenant! There—must be some way out of it! The morning will be too late." "Then I'll do what I can for you to night," said Mr. Gray, as he turned and hurriedly left the guardroom—a dozen men standing stiffly about the walls and doorway and staring with impassive faces straight to the front. Again, tlie young officer had left the post of the guard and gone up into camp, while far and near through the dim, fog-swept aisles of a score of camps the bugles and trumpets were wailing the signal for "lights out," and shadowy forms, with coat collars turned up about the ears or capes muf fled around the neck, scurried about the company streets ordering laughter and talk to cease. A covered carriage was standing at the curb outside the officers' gate—and the sentry there posted remembered that the officer of the guard came hurrying out and asked the driver if he was engaged. "I'm waiting for the major," was the answer. "Well, where can one order a car riage to-night without going clear to town?" inquired Gray. "I want—one; that is—l wish to order one at once." And the driver, who knew very well there were several places where car riages could be had, preferred loyalty to his own particular stable away in town, and so declared there was none. "Y'ou can telephone there, if you wish, sir," he added. "And wait till morning for it to get here? No! I'll get it —somehow." And that he did get it somehow was current rumor on the following day, for the sentries on the guardhouse side of camp swore that u closed carriage drove down from McAllister street for all the world as though it had just come out of the park and rolled on past the back of the guardhouse, the driver loudly whistling "Killarney," so that it could be heard above the crunching of the wheels through the rough, loose rock that covered the road, and that carriage drew up not a bundled yards away, while the lieutenant was out vis iting- sentries and. presently they saw him coming back along 1 the waJk, stopping to question each sentry a.s to his orders. Then he returned and in quired if all was quiet among the pris oners, and then went and put out his light in the tent reserved for the of ficer of the guard, anil once more left his post, briefly informing the sergeant of the guard he was going to the officer of the day. Then it was ascertained that he had visited half a dozen places in search of that veteran captain and appeared much disturbed because he could not find him. In half an hour he was back, asking excitedly of the sentry in rear of the guardhouse if a carriage had come that way. It had, said the sentry, and was waiting down the street. Gray hurried in the direc tion indicated, was gone perhaps three minutes and returned, saying that the sentry must be mistaken, that no car riage was there. But the sentry reit erated h>s statement that it had been there and had been waiting for some time, and must have disappeared while he was temporarily around at the oppo site side of the building. This was about 11 p. in. Then when Gray appeared at reveille Morton had disappeared. "It's not the sergeant let them fellers out," said the regimental oracles. "This is 110 ten-dollar subscription business." And so until late in the afternoon the question that agitated the entire range of regimental camps was: "How did those fellows break away from the prison of the —teenth?" Then came a clew, and then —discovery. By order of Lieut. Col. Canker a board of officers had been convened to investigate the matter, and after ques tioning everybody whom "Squeers" had already badgered with his assertions, threats and queries, they went to the guardhouse and began a thorough in spection of the premises. The wooden building stood in the midst of a waste of sand blown in from the shore line by the strong sea wind. It.was perched on something like a dozen stout posts driven into the soft soil and then the space between the floor level and the sand was heavily and stou t!y boarded in—thick planks being used. Between the floor and the sand was a space of about 18 inches vertical, and a dozen men could have sprawled therein—ly ing at full length—but to escape would have required the connivance of one or more of the sentries surrounding the building and the ripping off of one or more of the planks. In his keen anxiety Canker accompanied the board on its tour of investigation—a thing the board did not at all like—and present ly, as was his wont, began running things his own way. It had been found useless to question the soldiers of the guard. Not a man could be found to admit he knew the faintest thing about the escape. As for the prisoners, most o? them reckless, devil-may-care ras cals, tliey grinned or leered suggestive ly, but had nothing to tell. "We'll have this boarding ripped off," said Canker, decisively, "and see what they've got secreted under there. 1 shouldn't be surprised to find a whisky still in full blast, or a complete gam bling outfit—dash, dash 'em to dash and dashnation! Send for a carpenter, sergeant." [To Be Continued.] All Alien from Arknnsn.s, "When I was on the bench," relates Judge J. J. Dußose, "we were once making up a special jury for a murder trial. The lawyers were examining the venire, and 1 wasn't paying much atten tion to what was going on, till one of lawyers attracted my attention by saying: " 'Your honor, this man is incom petent for jury service. He's a for eigner.' "I looked at the man under examina tion and didn't think he looked like a foreigner, lie looked, anyway, like he was acclimated. So 1 asked him: " 'Have you ever been naturalized?' " 'No, sir,' he answered. " 'And you say you're a foreigner and not naturalized. What country are 3'ou a native of?' " 'Arkansas.' "Well, everybody in the courtroom laughed. I told the man he could go. He wasn't much of a foreigner, but too much to sit on a. jury in my court."— Memphis Scimitar. Tliey Would Stay. A new military prison chaplain was recently appointed in a certain town in Scotland, and, entering one of the cells on his first round of inspection, he, with much pomposity, thus addressed the prisoner who occupied it: "Well, sir, do you know who I am?" "No, nor I dinna care," was the nonchalant reply. 'Well, I'm your new chaplain." "Oli, ye are; well. 1 hae heard o'ye before." "And what did 3 011 hear?" returned the chaplain, his curiosity getting the bet ter of his dignity. "Well, I heard that the last twa kirks ye were in ye preached them baith empty, but I'll be hanged if ye find it such an easy matter to do the same wi' tliisone."—San Fran cisco Examiner. Ilouiteliolil Frnttallty. Mrs. Youngliusband—Do you notice any difference in the milk, dear? Mr. Youngliusband—l should say so; this is a much better quality than we have been getting lately. Mrs. Youngliusband—lndeed it is. I got it of a ntw man, who said he would guarantee it to be perfectly pure, so 1 got enough to last for a couple of weeks. —Chicago Dally News. Not H Showman. Bobby—Are you in the show busi ness, Mr. Wedder? Mr. Wedder (with eight children) — Why, no, Bobby; what made you think so? Bobby—Oh, I heard papa tell Kate that if she married you she'd have a whole menagerie to look after. —Brook lyn Life. WfOman's Refuge when slok is Lydia Em Pinkham's Vegetable Compound. Nn other medicine in the world has done so much good. No oonfldenco has ever been violated. No woman's testimonial was ever published by Mrs. Pinkham without special permission« No woman ever wrote to Mrs. Pinkham for advice without getting help. No man sees these letters. Her advice is free, and her address is Lynn, Mass. She is a woman, you can tell her the truth. No living person is so competent to advise women. None has had such experience. She has restored a mil" lion sufferers to hzznttia. You can trust her. Others have. Lydia E. Pinkham Med. Co., Lynn, Mass. Use Certain Corn Cure. Price,lsc. HTIR..\ v»srn.\(} 10 AUVSKTISEKH please slate that you saw the Ad vertine* went In thin g»aiter. WALTHAM WATCHES J Sir Joshua Reynolds when asked by an ambitious young painter with what he mixed his colors, replied, "With brains, sir." So in § watch making; it is not alone I the value of the jewels that makes | a first class watch—it is the brains | that have planned its construction. Mechanical skill and knowledge have made Waltham Watches the | best in the world. I Waltham Watches are for sale by all retail jewelers. • A New Train West J tWSt. Louis Limited" VIA i Big Four (Effective April 29 th.) j T ° Texas, | Kansas £ and Missouri.' Lv. CLEVELAND 8 : 00 A. M. £ Ar. INDIANAPOLIS 3: 10 P. M. I Ar. ST. LOUIS 9 : 45 P. M. PARLOR CARS. MODERN COACHES. DINING CARS. Ask for Tickets via Big Four Route. WARREN J. LYNCH, Gen'l Pass. W. P. DEPPE, Ass't QIX.I PUBS Act Cincinnati. 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