Part 1 (2/2)

For a few days, however, that thoughtless speech seehter's soul Never before had she known hesitancy or embarrassment in her daily, hourly chat with that fondly loved father

Now there was a topic that she could not approach Hitherto she used to tell hientle they went to the ees, but now she shrank fro either Miss Forrest or hih she avoided not only the subjects, but the two persons themselves At least both of them would have sworn to the latter part of the statement, and McLean was at his wit's end to account for it

Meantio, the Forrests had moved into ”Bedlam” in the saees from Robinson; but while the Posts occupied rooms on the lower floor, the Forrests took the four cha cavalry officers were the occupants up to the outbreak of the can, but all their furniture and ”traps” were summarily moved over to the quarter officer,--and one trip of one wagon did the entire job,--for the eency was one that called for action, and Major Miller was a man to meet it The Forrests and the Posts, therefore, were now sole occupants of the south end of ”Bedlaround-floor of the north end The hall-ways ran entirely through fro on the west side into court-yards separated froh board fence and completely enclosed by one of si the roadere broad verandas on both first and second floors, and these were common property of the occupants of both halls By the rear or west door they could not pass fro fence By the east door the veranda on either story forhfare McLean occupied the two rooms on the north side of this hall, and a brother infantryman, also a bachelor, occupied the two above hiarrison homes of married officers now in the fields with their commands, and their doors were kept locked by the quartermaster The Forrests and Posts, with the Bedouin-like ease of long experience on the frontier, had established a dining-rooround-floor of the south end, and the temporary kitchen was knocked up in the back yard The south division, therefore, contained a lively colony of women and children; the north halls, only empty rooms and two lone bachelors

This very May-day afternoon on which our story opens, as Lieutenant McLean and Miss Bayard started forth on their stroll, Miss Forrest, with a shawl hugged wo a constitutional up and down the upper gallery She ca her hand to them,--and a winso the walk by the old ordnance storehouse, she stood for a tiht, just after dusk, when Mr McLean ca an albu to Mrs Miller's, where he was spending the evening, he was surprised to find the lauished All was darkness as he opened the front door So, too, on the second floor there was no light in the hall, and yet he could have sworn that both laht o'clock, half an hour before In his own room, the front one, however, the very opposite was the case He had turned the la, and closed the front of his standing desk, turning the key in the lock He always did these things when leaving his quarters at night Now the hanging laht all over the simple, soldier room, and the desk ide open

The rear rooht was for his papers These were in their pigeon-holes, undisturbed Two drawers had been pulled open; one was now half closed, while the other re, tipped out, upon the shelving desk It was filled with Lynchburg tobacco, a bright-colored, fragrant brand much affected by pipe-smokers at that time, and an idea occurred to him He stepped out into the hall and shouted up the stairs,--

”Hat!--O-o-o, Hatton! You been here?”

No answer

Mr McLean shook his head in perplexity He and his comrade, Lieutenant Hatton, were intiether out of that same drawer He had many a time bidden the latter to come in and help himself whenever he wanted to Bachelor doors are always open in the arenerally in the lock Still it was not like Hatton to leave things in disorder behind him, even if he were to take McLean at his word No! It wasn't Hatton, unless so quickly back into the rooht of cool air, and saw that the portiere that hung between the two roohtly toward him Instantly he stepped into his bedroom, where all was dark, struck aobjects, that the one door he generally kept locked was now ajar It led into the hall, and thither strode McLean Up to this instant not a sound had he heard

Now, fairly flying up the old, creaky stairs, light as kittens', quick as terriers', yet stealthy, almost noiseless, he distinctly heard slippered footfalls They whirled at the head of the stairs, and flashed through the hall-way overhead and out on the front veranda, and he, instead of pursuing, stood stone still, rooted to the floor, his heart beating hard, his hands clinching in amaze What stunned him was the fact that with the footfalls went the swish of dainty silken skirts

II

It was full ten minutes before Mr McLean reissued from his quarters on his return to the major's house In the mean time he had searched his desk and sume-stamps and perhaps five dollars in currency--which happened to be lying in the drawer above his tobacco receptacle ”Lucky I hadn't got ht he There were some handsome sleeve-buttons and a scarf-pin or two in another drawer, but these had not been touched,--the pilferer had been interrupted too soon Soeon-holes had evidently been objects of scrutiny, but were still there--so far as he had ti at the Millers', and he was eager to return; he had left theent request that he should bring over his ”scrap-book,” in which he had a raphs of arerel rhy Tests” and ”Feats in pronunciation,” and a quantity of others containing varied and useful inforreat standby and resource of his, and had helped to while awayon the frontier Now, Mrs Miller had been telling Nellie Bayard about it, and was eager that she should see it The major, too, and several ladies present, all united in the request and enjoined upon him to hurry back As ”Bedlam” lay but a hundred yards away, there was no reason why he should not have returned in five minutes, but it was fifteen when he reappeared, and was, as beca man in the room, the immediate centre of combined question and invective

”What could have kept you so long?” ”Where on earth have you been?”

”Were it anybody but Mr McLean, I would say he had gone down to the club-room for a drink,” etc Nellie Bayard alone was silent The question that occurred to her was finally asked by Mrs Miller,--

”Why, Mr McLean, hohite you look! Have you seen a ghost?”

”No,” he answered, laughing nervously ”I've seen nothing It is dark as Erebus outside, and I ran into sohost”

”Who was it or as it?”

”That's what I' to knoas out in the veryover toward Gordon's quarters as I was co out, 'Halloo!

Beg pardon,' and began hunting for the book that was knocked out froht on,--never answered at all”

”Odd!” said thea visit to a sweetheart in some kitchen of the opposite quarters?”

”Well, no,” answered McLean, coloring and hesitating ”Itover to visit the east side and taking a short cut across the parade It wasn't a man”