CHAPTER VII.
TELEGRAPHIC DISPATCHES.
Bad news travels fast. Captain Charlton at Fort Laramie was stunned bythe tidings flashed to him by telegraph from Red Cloud. Despite thearray of damaging evidence, he could not bring himself to believe thatFred Waller was a thief: but he was sore at heart when he thought of themisery and sorrow the news must bring to the dear ones at his armyhome--above all to the proud old sergeant, whose life seemed almostbound up in the boy. Well knowing that it could only be a day or twobefore the story would make its way to the posts along the railroad, andwould reach Sanders, doubtless, in a more exaggerated form, the captaindecided to warn his wife at once, and by the stage leaving that verynight a letter went in to Cheyenne, and thence by train over the great"divide" of the Rockies to Fort Sanders, giving to Mrs. Charlton allparticulars thus far received, but charging her to say nothing untilfurther tidings.
"I cannot believe it [wrote he], and am going at once to join the troop and make full investigation. Meantime I have written by the same mail to Major Edwards, who commands at Sidney barracks, to make every effort to trace the boy, should he have come south of the Platte; and you must be sure to see, when the news reaches Sanders, that the sergeant is assured of my disbelief in the whole story, and of my determination that Fred shall have justice done him. It will be several days before you can hear from me again."
And the news reached Sanders, as he feared, all too soon. Telegraphoffices "leaked" on the frontier in those days. The operators at themilitary stations were all enlisted men, who were not bound by theregulations of the Western Union, and who could not keep to themselvesevery item of personal interest. The Sidney office wired mysteriousinquiries to Sanders; Sanders insisted on knowing what it meant, andpresently Laramie, Sanders, Sidney, Russell, Red Cloud, and even ChugWater were clicking away in confidential discussion over theextraordinary theft and flight. And Mrs. Charlton's letter came none tooearly to save old Waller from despair. It was a woman, a gabblinglaundress, who first told him of the rumor, and Mrs. Charlton saw himhastening to the telegraph office just as she had finished reading theletter.
"Mr. Nelson, quick!" she called to a young officer just passing thegate. "Stop Sergeant Waller at once. Don't let him go to the office.Make him come here to me. He will hear and obey you."
And Mr. Nelson touched his cap, leaped lightly across the acequia, andhis powerful young voice was heard thundering, "Sergeant Waller!" inperemptory tones across the parade. "Sergeant Waller!" echoed a halfdozen voices as the loungers on barrack porches took up the cry,"Lieutenant Nelson wants you!" and the soldier instinct prevailed, theold man turned and hastened toward the officers' quarters.
"What is it, Mrs. Charlton," asked Nelson. "Has there been anotherfight? Is Fred killed? It will break the old man's heart."
"Oh, Mr. Nelson! I can't tell you about it yet!" she almost wailed."There's bad news, and I'm afraid the old man has heard it. Stay here,near me a moment, can you? Oh, look at his face! Look at his face! Hehas heard."
White, livid, trembling from head to foot, the old soldier hurriedtoward the young officer and dumbly raised his hand in the mechanicalsalute.
"It is Mrs. Charlton who wants you, sergeant," said Mr. Nelson kindly."Go to her," and without a word the veteran passed in at the gate.
HE RAISED HIS HANDS AND PRESSED THEM TO HIS EYES.]
She held forth her hand, her eyes brimming with tears. Instinctively hehalted, the old respect and reverence for "captain's lady" checkingthe wild torrent of grief and anxiety, but she caught him by the arm andled him wondering and submissive, yet overwhelmed with cruel dread, intoher cool and darkened parlor. There, with wild, imploring eyes, the oldman half stretched forth two palsied hands, his forage cap fallingunheaded to the floor, his whole frame shaking.
"Don't give way, sergeant; don't believe it!" she cried, and at herfirst words a look as of horror came into the stricken old face, and thehands clasped together in piteous appeal. "Listen to what the captainsays. His letter has just come, and I was sure, when I saw you, thatsomeone had told you the rumor. Captain Charlton will not believe aword of it. He was at Laramie on court-martial or it would not havehappened. He has hurried back to Red Cloud to investigate, and hedeclares that Fred shall have justice done him. I'll never believeit--never! Why, we would trust him with anything we owned."
"I--I thank the captain. I thank Mrs. Charlton," he brokenly replied."It's stunned like I am." He raised his hands and pressed them againsthis eyes, and one of them was lowered suddenly, feebly groping forsupport. She seized his arm and strove to lead him to a sofa. "You mustsit down, sergeant," she said.
"No, ma'am, no!" he protested, straightening himself with a violenteffort. "Now, may I hear what it is they say against my boy, ma'am? Iwant every word. Don't be afraid, ma'am, I can bear it."
Then, with infinite sympathy and pity, she told him, softening everydetail, suggesting an explanation for every circumstance that pointed tohis guilt; and all the time the old man stood there, his eyes, filledwith dumb anguish, fixed upon her face, his hands clasped together asthough in entreaty, his fingers twitching nervously. At every new anddamaging detail, condone or explain it though she would, he shuddered asthough smitten with a sharp, painful spasm; but when it came to Fred'smidnight disappearance--horse, arms, and all--in the heart of the Indiancountry, stealing away from his comrades in the shadow of disgrace andcrime, the old man groaned aloud and buried his face in his hands. Sometime he stood there, reeling, yet resisting her efforts to draw him to aseat. She pleaded with him hurriedly, impulsively, yet he seemed not tohear. At last with one long shivering sigh, he suddenly straightened upand faced her. His hands fell by his side. He cleared his throat andstrove to speak:
"You've been good to me, ma'am--so good"--and here he choked, and for amoment could not go on--"and to my boy"--at last he finished, withimpulsive rush of words. "I know how they're sometimes tempted. I knowhow, more than once, the little fellow would be led away by the roughsin the troop, just to worry me; but he never hid a thing from me, ma'am,never; and if he's in trouble now he would tell me the whole truth, evenif it broke us both down. I'll not believe it till I see him, ma'am; butI must go--I must go until I find my boy."
Blinded with tears, Mrs. Charlton could hardly see the swaying,grief-bowed old soldier as he left the house; but Nelson was waitingclose at hand, and stepped forward and took his place by the sergeant'sside.
"I don't know what the trouble is," he said, "but I'm going as far asthe headquarters with you, and if there is anything on earth I can do tohelp you, do not fail to tell me."
That night, with a week's furlough and a letter from his post commanderto Major Edwards at Sidney, old Sergeant Waller was jolting eastward inthe caboose of a freight train.