Under Fire

  CHAPTER XIV.

  Mr. Davies was very late in returning to the hospital that night. Fornearly half an hour Almira sobbed and shivered and refused to becomforted, and yet failed to explain. To his urgent plea to be told thecause of her fright and distress she could give no intelligible reply."Oh, I don't know. I heard noises, or voices, or something. I wasall--all unstrung, I suppose. You--you talked to me so strangely, socruelly the other night, and I've--I've been thinking of it all day--allday, and when you went away--and didn't come back, I--I thought allsorts of things. I supposed you'd gone there, you know where,--to thosewomen,--those women who despise me and show it." It brought on freshmoans and tragic wringing of hands, and new outpouring of salty tearswhen he presently told her where he had been, but she would not listento the cause of his detention at the hospital. It was more than enoughthat he had been out walking with her,--with _her_, in the dead ofnight. That seemed the only fact she cared to grasp, and that shecrooned over with bitter wailing until his patience was exhausted.

  "This is childish and absurd!" he said. "It is unworthy of you, my wife,and unjust to Miss Loomis as well as unjust to me. It is not possiblethat this has caused all your terror and distress. What noises--whatsounds did you hear?"

  But these now she had forgotten. In the light of his confession, as shetermed it, all other calamities had faded into naught. He graduallycalmed her sufficiently to induce her to return to bed, but when heannounced that he must go again to the hospital to see how Brannan wasgetting on, her lamentations were piteous. In vain he reminded her thatBrannan was her own cousin, the only son of her aunt and benefactress.She would listen to none of it. Brannan was only an excuse to enable himagain to go and meet Miss Loomis, and finally, with white face and set,rigid lips, Davies turned and left the house, walking rapidly to thehospital.

  Miss Loom is still bent over the patient, who seemed now dozing. Dr.Burroughs sat beside her at the moment, but had been away, he explained,to see old Fritz again. A new attendant, a shy, awkward young fellowfrom Devers's troop, was hovering about the bedside, and Davies glancedat him inquiringly. "What became of Paine?" he asked, and the stewardshook his head and shrugged his shoulders.

  "Captain Devers took him away," was the answer. The doctor arose andstood by Davies a minute.

  "I don't know what to make of that captain of yours," he said. "Eitherhe or I will keep out of this hospital in future. He came here and'raised Cain' with my steward to-night, all on account of Brannan; thenwent over to the troop barracks foaming like a mad bull. I fancy hemeans to make it rather lively for you."

  "Never mind me, doctor, so long as this poor boy's coming out all right.How is he?"

  "Doing nicely now, but--I wish I'd understood the case before. I'm boundto say Captain Devers misled me entirely. _She's_ the doctor he needed,"said he, with a jerk of his head towards the grave, beautiful girlbending over the soldier's pillow, one hand still slowly, tenderlystroking back the dark hair about his temples.

  "Will you say good-night to her for me and escort her home? Mrs. Daviesis not well and I must return to her," said Davies, "that is,--unless Iam needed here."

  "No, go by all means. Only I may need you at the colonel's office in themorning when this thing has to be fought out. Dodge your captain,meantime, if you can."

  "I know of no reason why I should dodge him or anybody," said Davies,with rising color. "I have done no wrong."

  But on the steps without, as he hurried away, the lieutenant met a manwho differed with him as to that--who differed with most people as toeverything, and that he had been working up the case in his own mindagainst his subaltern there was no room for doubt.

  "By what right, sir, do you assume to over-ride my authority and undo myorders? Time and again last summer I had occasion to caution you againstinterference in the handling of the men and the management of the troop,and now no sooner do you rejoin than here you are taking advantage of mybeing probably abed and asleep to countermand my positive instructionsand overthrow my efforts at discipline."

  Without one word of reply Mr. Davies assumed the position of attentionand stood like a soldier before his furious commander. "I say again,sir," began Devers, "that you have deliberately sought to deride myauthority and have connived at the disobedience of my orders. You knewperfectly well what orders I had given in the case of Brannan, and youdared to set them aside."

  Still not a word in reply.

  "This silence is contemptuous. Why don't you speak, sir?"

  "I simply deny each and every allegation, Captain Devers."

  "Denial is ridiculous, Mr. Davies! Haven't I the evidence of my ownsenses,--of the steward and the attendant? Don't I know? By God,sir----"

  "One moment. Oblige me, captain. I wish to behave with all deference andrespect, but when you use blasphemy----"

  "Oh, blasphemy be damned! Don't attempt to teach me! I've had too muchof your puritanical, psalm-singing business. I condoned your wretchedmisconduct of last September in the hope that you might do better, butnow the time has come for you to be given the lesson you deserve. Thingshave reached a pretty pass when an officer who leads his men into ambushand then deserts them in their extremity----"

  "Captain Devers!"

  "No dramatics now. You're not in the pulpit----" The steward came forthat the moment, and with instant modulation of tone Devers went on. "Youmay not realize what you have done, but you have done it all the same,despite every effort of mine to teach you the proper course----What isit, steward?" he broke off, as though suddenly aware of that official'spresence.

  "The doctor's compliments, sir, and the new man the captain has sentover to relieve Paine seems to lack intelligence; he won't do at all asan attendant."

  "Tell the doctor I sent the best I had, and that he begged to berelieved because he couldn't serve so many masters. When the postsurgeon hears of this night's work he will doubtless have his say as tothe manner in which his subordinates have trifled with their duties. Iwill make no change.--You appear to be waiting, Mr. Davies. That's all,sir, for to-night. You may go."

  With a face almost as white as the snowy expanse of the parade, thelieutenant still stood there, quivering with wrath and wrong. He lookedas though a torrent of reply were trembling on his lips, yet by supremeeffort he curbed the impulse. His chest heaved once or twice. His lipswere twitching. His hands were clenched and convulsive, but at last,with one long look into his captain's eyes while the latter was going onto say something about the necessity of his junior's accepting hisadmonition in proper spirit, Davies turned abruptly and sprang down thesteps. Two soldiers stood there in the dusk, where they must have heardevery word that was said. One was the new company clerk, Howard, theother Paine. Neither lifted a hand in salute to the officer. Both turnedtheir backs and feigned to be deeply interested in conversation of theirown.

  It was Mr. Hastings's duty that week to supervise reveille roll-call andattend morning stables. He was surprised, therefore, as he went boundingover the parade, to see his junior sub on the porch wrapped in a heavyovercoat. Presently, after reporting to the post adjutant, as was thelocal custom, the various officers came scattering back to their ownfiresides, the infantry subs to turn in for another snooze, the cavalryto swallow a cup of coffee before going down to stables. Sanders hailedthe lonely figure with characteristic levity.

  "Hello, Parson! Up for all day and meditating a sermon?"

  Davies ignored the question and went straight to business. "I want tosee Captain Cranston as soon as possible. Does he go to stables thismorning?"

  "Never misses 'em. What's up? Hope Mrs. Davies isn't ill."

  "Mrs. Davies isn't very well, but it's on personal business I want tosee the captain. I'll go down with him."

  "Come over to my house and have some coffee, or a cocktail," saidSanders, with cheery hospitality. "Just what you need, old man. You lookas if you'd been dragged by the heels through a knot-hole."

  "Barnickel is making some coffee for me, thank you, Sanders. It willpull me
together all right, I fancy." And Sanders went whistling on. Theworld and its cares, the flesh and the devil all dropped lightly on theshoulders of this young sinner, and either rode there or fell to theground unnoticed. Garrison days were but a merry-go-round with him. "Ifthat's a specimen of the bridegroom cometh," said he to himself, "I'vegot no more use for matrimony than I have for the catechism." Anddoubtless to this gay and nonchalant spirit the deeply religioustemperament of the Parson seemed a sombre and repellent thing,--a thingto be lamented, yet indulged as something too solemn or sacred forremonstrance.

  The morning air was bitter and Davies felt his toes and fingerstingling. The boards cracked and snapped under his tread, so, ratherthan disturb Almira, he stepped out on the walk and began pacing up anddown, still burning with indignation over the events of the previousnight. There had been a fresh fall of snow Sunday morning, and thoughthe walks and paths were cleared, the soft white mantle lay like aglistening carpet over the parade and prairie and along the slantingroofs of the quarters. There was an open space of sixty feet from outerwall to wall along officers' row, and a paling or picket fence, runningat right angles to the roadway in front, divided this space equally, sothat each set of quarters had its own yard. Davies had remarked with asmile the previous evening, the contrast presented by the Leonards'syard at the west end and his at the east of the double set in which theylived. Leonard's yard was criss-crossed, cut up in every direction bytracks of sled-runners and sturdy little rubber boots. His own lay likea flawless sheet without even a kitten's footprint to mar its virginsurface. Now as he strode rapidly westward again and came in front ofthe Leonard playground, he noted once more the traces that spoke soeloquently of happy, healthy childhood, of rosy cheeks and sparklingeyes and merry laughter. Then he turned back to his own, still trampingbriskly in the endeavor to send the blood to his finger-tips, and thencoming in view of what at nightfall had been an unbroken coverlet ofsnow, Davies stopped short, amazed. Straight from the corner at thefront where the fences met, straight as a lance, went the footprints ofa man, in long, unhesitating stride, to a point immediately underneaththe closed blinds of the window behind which his wife now lay placidlysleeping. Davies stood and studied the tracks a moment, then went to thepoint of meeting of the front fence,--a flat-topped affair,--with itspicketed offshoot. Beyond doubt the maker of those tracks had swunghimself over the fence at that point, dropped lightly to the groundinside and gone straightway to that side window. There he must havestood a moment or two, for the snow was trampled. Thence the tracks ledaround to the back of the house. Returning to his gate and hall-way,Davies tiptoed noiselessly through the little dining-room to the kitchenin the shed at the back. There Barnickel was sleepily starting a fire,and the door leading into his little den farther back discovered thesoldier blankets of his bunk tumbled over as though he had just arisen.The door to the yard was still bolted. Davies slipped the bolt andstepped out on the plank walk leading from the kitchen to the gate inthe rear fence. These had been tramped by many feet in that direction,and by only one pair in the other. Coming around from the side of thehouse were the tracks of the same foot gear, the heavy soldier arcticsworn then by officers and men alike, that he had marked at the front.They led to a point underneath the rear or north window of Almira'sroom, and there, after evident shifting and tramping of a minute or two,had turned sharply away, led straight past the kitchen door and werelost in the general run of those towards the gate.

  "What time did you come in to bed last night, Barnickel?" asked thelieutenant, at the kitchen door.

  "About 10.30, sir. I'd been over to Sergeant Walsh's quarters. I went into see if the lieutenant wanted anything, sir, but he'd turned down thelights and gone out."

  "Yes. And now did you hear any noise,--any footsteps?"

  "No, sir. Only Mrs. Davies, sir; she was stirring round, excited like,and peeped out of her room to ask did I know where the lieutenant was."

  "Did you come in through the front hall or the back way?"

  "The back way, sir. There's standing orders against enlisted mencrossing the parade or bein' on the officers' sidewalk."

  Davies paused a minute. "Give me your broom," said he, and taking itthrough the partly opened door he carefully turned the knob behind him,swept away the traces leading to the rear window, swept and obliteratedthose at the back and side, as far as and including those under the eastwindow, then, tossing the broom to the door, strode round the house tothe front just as stable call was pealing, and Captain Cranston in hugebeaver skin overcoat and cap came forth into the frosty day. The instanthe caught sight of Davies the captain hastened to him and drew his armwithin his own.

  "The very man I want to see, and you are waiting for me!"

  "Yes. I presume you know why."

  "I've heard. Come with me to stables, by way of the hospital. I want tosee how Brannan passed the night."

  "I cannot go in, captain. I am virtually forbidden further connectionwith the case."

  "I understand, but I am not included in the order, and wouldn't heed itif I were." Plainly Captain Cranston was in aggressive mood. Otherofficers, issuing from their quarters, set forth across the parade, butcatching sight of the popular troop commander, pulled up as though towait for him, then looked surprised to see him earnestly talking withthe pale-faced subaltern, going straight on eastward. Directly in frontof Devers's house they met that officer himself, a bundle of papers inhis hand. In the "Tactics" of the day one of the foremost paragraphsread, "Courtesy among military men being indispensable, it is enjoinedon all officers to salute each other on meeting, the junior tenderingthe first salute," or words to that effect, but it was a rule far morehonored in the breach than the observance. The post commander was aboutthe only one to receive such recognition from his juniors, all others,as a rule, contenting themselves with a jovial "'Morning, Jack." "Howare you, major?" and, possibly, an off-hand and perfunctory touch of thecap. Only among sticklers for military propriety like Leonard was thesalute tendered to superiors. In nine cases out of ten it meant, whengiven, that personal relations were strained. Approaching the battalioncommander Mr. Davies looked him straight in the eye and raised hisgloved right hand to the cap visor. Cranston, with the most off-hand nodimaginable, gruffly and shortly said, "Good-morning," without so much asa tempering "sir" or "captain," and hurried sturdily by. Devers flushed,looked after the two an instant as though tempted to call, then turnedback across the parade and was presently swallowed up in the door-way ofthe troop office.

  Leaving Davies outside, Cranston ran into the hospital, and presentlyreappeared. "Sleeping quietly," said he, "and the poor devil would havebeen in the terrors of delirium tremens if Devers's orders had beencarried out and the doctor hadn't been sent for. Now tell me the wholestory. Agatha has told me her version."

  Lashed tight to the heavy picket rope, the horses were revelling in thekeen morning air and slanting sunshine, nipping at each other's noses,challenging, with sparkling eye and tip-tilted ear, each well-known faceand form of officer or man to caress or frolic, snapping and squealingat each other across the line, occasionally rearing and plunging inuncontrollable jollity. Bending to their work in their white stablefrocks and overalls, the men were making brush and currycomb fly overthe shining coats of their pets, carefully guarding, however, the long,thick winter crop of hair, for no man could say how soon they might haveto take the field and face unsheltered the keen Dakota blasts. Thefrosty quadrangle was merry with musical tap, tap of the metal comb, andthe snort and "_purr_" and paw of hoof of the spirited bays. LittleSanders, an enthusiastic horseman, was darting in and out among hischarges, praising this man's work, condemning that, and occasionallyseizing brush and comb himself and giving a practical lesson to somecomparative novice. And, leaving matters for the nonce to his subaltern,Cranston paced gravely up and down, Davies by his side, absorbed inclose converse. Captain Devers left his line to Mr. Hastings and did notappear at stables at all. "That means he's concocting an epistle," saidHastings, with a grin. "He's
hobnobbing with his new pet, Howard, andsomebody'll get the benefit of an official letter this morning."

  "We expect you to breakfast," said Cranston, as he bade the lieutenantgood-by at the gate, "and I hope Mrs. Davies is feeling all right now."

  But Mrs. Davies was not. She was so far from well that she had decidedto remain in bed. No, she wanted no breakfast, no doctor, no anybody.All the same, Mrs. Cranston sent her a dainty tray on which wasdisplayed a most appetizing little feast, and Almira's resolution gaveway at sight of it. Wisely Mrs. Cranston refrained from calling, butother women were presently on hand to cheer and sympathize when at teno'clock the commanding officer's orderly appeared with the commandingofficer's compliments and he desired to see Mr. Davies at the office.

  "Precisely as I told you," said Cranston, who was waiting for him on thewalk without. "It was best to let Devers make the attack. Now for thedefence."

  Colonel Stone was at his desk. "Come in, Cranston," he called, as hecaught sight of the soldier he so much liked. "I want to see you, too.Er,--come in, Mr. Davies," he added in a tone less cordial and moreofficial. "Orderly, ask Mr. Leonard to step in here. Then shut the doorand remain outside. Er--sit down, gentlemen, er--sit down."

  And then in came Leonard, silent, even saturnine; a massive fellow witha mind as broad as his shoulders, a head full of reading and researchand knowledge of his profession, but the quietest man in the garrisonwithal, and Leonard simply bowed to the new-comers, dropped into thechair indicated by his commander, then dropped his eyes upon the floorand waited.

  Pegleg dandled a pencil, end for end, between his fingers a minute,reflectively studying a knot-hole in the floor that yawned through acorresponding breach in the matting. Then he flung the stump of a cigarinto a sawdust spittoon and began.

  "Mr. Davies, I sent for you and I also invited in Captain Cranstonbecause I want to hear your side of a singular case. In an officialletter to the post adjutant, Captain Devers charges that you went to thepost hospital last night, ordered the attendant out of the room, andproceeded to usurp control of a patient under the doctor's care,--thatyou deliberately overthrew his authority and actually told the attendanthis orders were of no account. This, if true, is a most serious matter,but I have learned that there are many sides to a story. What is yours?"

  "As briefly as possible, colonel,--and just as I answered CaptainDevers,--I deny every such allegation."

  "Well, you certainly went to the hospital?"

  "I certainly did, sir; simply to get some medicine for CaptainCranston's little son and without an idea that Brannan was there."

  "Then you didn't go with the purpose of seeing Brannan?"

  "Certainly not, sir. I believed him to be at the agency until I heardhis voice. I knew the young man well from an experience last summer andduring the campaign."

  "But what about ordering the attendant out?"

  "That is absurd. I found--or rather"--and now the hot color ofembarrassment flew up to his pale forehead--"Miss Loomis, who isexperienced in such matters, found Brannan in very dangerousplight,--his pulse nearly gone. He was verging, perhaps, on an attack ofdelirium. She considered, as did I, that the doctor ought to see him atonce, and, as his quarters were at the nearest corner, barely twohundred yards away, she told the attendant to hurry for him. I shouldhave done the same thing, but it was unnecessary. The attendant shouldhave returned at once, but----"

  "Well, didn't you undertake to administer brandy?"

  "Not at all, sir. The doctor himself ordered that on his arrival."

  "At your urging or suggestion?"

  "I certainly approved it, sir, but I did not urge."

  "Well, then, what does it mean--your having told the attendant hisorders were of no account?"

  "I did nothing of the kind, sir. The attendant once or twice begantalking about his orders, but I had no time to listen. I did say, nevermind your orders, or something like that, but he knew perfectly wellwhat I meant. I inferred what the orders were,--I simply had no time tohear them."

  "Well, the attendant declares, or at least Captain Devers says hedeclares, you twice choked him off when he tried to tell you what hisorders were by saying he shouldn't mind such orders. Here, Leonard, theshortest way will be to read the whole letter. You do it." And slowlyLeonard took the official sheet and began.

  "POST ADJUTANT, FORT SCOTT, NEBRASKA.

  "SIR,--It is with extreme regret that I feel it necessary to report to the commanding officer certain occurrences tending to the overthrow of good order and military discipline in the command. Yesterday morning there arrived from the Ogallalla Agency, Trooper Brannan of Troop 'A,' Eleventh Calvary, who had been ordered hither by Lieutenant Boynton as attendant or escort to the mail-rider. First Sergeant Haney reported to me at ten o'clock that the man had evidently been drinking on the way and was in an advanced stage of intoxication. On examination of the man I was convinced that he needed medical attendance rather than incarceration, and, instead of sending him to the guard-house, as is customary in such cases, caused him to be taken to the hospital, where under Dr. Burroughs's orders he was put to bed and an attendant from my troop was detailed with instructions to see that no stimulants of any kind were given him. All seemed to progress favorably until shortly after taps, when Trooper Paine, the attendant in question, reported to me that Lieutenant Davies, Eleventh Calvary, entered the ward, accompanied by a member of the household of Captain Cranston, declared the treatment of the patient unjustifiable and ordered him, the attendant, out of the room. On Paine's attempting to define his orders he was abruptly silenced and again ordered to leave. Being on duty under the instructions of superior authority, Trooper Paine again strove to explain his orders, and this time was curtly told that he should pay no heed to such instructions, and was then sent out of the hospital. The trooper called the doctor on his way and then, very properly, reported his embarrassing dilemma to me. I closely questioned him, and there can be no doubt as to the language imputed to Lieutenant Davies, whose propensity to interfere in the discipline of the troop I had frequent occasion to notice and rebuke during the campaign of the past summer. As courteous and kindly admonition had no effect, and as the officer in question has seen fit to treat my words with apparent disdain, I am compelled to invoke the support of the post commander in suppressing the spirit of insubordination of which this is so flagrant an instance.

  "Very respectfully, "Your obedient servant, "JARED B. DEVERS, "_Captain Eleventh Cavalry_."

  When Leonard had finished reading he folded the paper and lookeddreamily at the cobweb in the corner. He wished to be understood ashaving no opinion whatever to express. Cranston sat in silence with lipscompressed under his heavy moustache. Davies never moved. His blue eyeswere fixed unflinchingly on the swarthy face of the veteran adjutantuntil the latter had finished reading, then sought the eye of hiscommander as though for permission to speak.

  "Well, Captain Cranston, what do you think of the letter?" asked Pegleg,after a moment's silence.

  "I think it very ingenious, sir."

  "Now, gentleman, the captain says that when he attempted to remonstratewith Mr. Davies last night he was treated with absolute contempt, and,Mr. Davies, he says that you refused to answer."

  "I strove to control my tongue and temper both, colonel, and _not_ tobehave with disrespect. I did not answer him at once, but it was from nolack of impulse to do so."

  Pegleg reflected a moment, then addressed himself to Cranston. "Iconfess that this matter is one that causes me much embarrassment," saidhe. "The post surgeon says that he was not aware of the man being sentto the hospital at all, and that it was Dr. Burroughs's case. Dr.Burroughs says he did not consider the man drunk, but took CaptainDevers's statement, as he knew the man well. Captain Devers asked thathe be put in hospital to keep him from drinking, because he knew theprisoners got liqu
or whenever they had money, and it wouldn't be safe tohave him in the guard-house. Is there anything peculiar about thisBrannan?--any reason why he should be treated by his captain on adifferent system?"

  "Colonel Stone," said Cranston, "I knew Brannan's mother, a wealthy andprominent woman in society. Mr. Davies can perhaps tell you even more,but I do not think Captain Devers knows anything of Brannan's past."

  Leonard's dark eyes came down from the cobweb and studied Cranston'sface as though he wished to ask a question, and Pegleg saw it. He leanedon Leonard, and had grown to respect his judgment.

  "What were you about to ask?" said he.

  "Do you know anything about the antecedents of that new company clerk ofCaptain Devers?" asked the adjutant, thus authorized.

  "Nothing whatever," said Cranston, wheeling round in his chair andlooking curiously at the big infantryman.

  "Well,--pardon me, Mr. Davies. Had you never met or known him?"

  "Never, except that he was one of the party of recruits I came out withlast summer."

  "But you knew Brannan, did you not?"

  "Yes, he was the man who handled a nozzle with me in showering a pack ofrioters among the recruits last June."

  "But I mean you knew him before that, did you not?"

  "Never," answered Davies, in surprise. "I never saw him in my life."

  And then Leonard in turn reddened and looked confused, and shut his jawslike a clam.

  "Orderly," sang out the colonel, "go and give my compliments to CaptainDevers, and say I wish to see him." Then, turning to Cranston, "We mayas well get to the bottom of this business right here and now. I hatetrickery."