CHAPTER XVI.
Three days more, and back came Mullane with the wretched prisonerMarsden. The Irish captain's eyes grew saucer-big when he heard theharrowing details of recent events at the post. Never in its liveliestdays, before or since, had Worth known an excitement to match this; for,with the best intentions in the world, there wasn't a woman in officers'row who could get at the bottom facts of the episode. Rumors of thewildest kind that were early in circulation were best left to theimagination of the reader. The only thing actually known was that Mrs.Winn and Captain Barclay were going out riding at reveille, that Winnsurprised them and knocked the captain down, that Winn was now in closearrest, Barclay on the mend and again sitting up, Mrs. Winn confined byillness to her bed, Mrs. Faulkner (a most important person she) indevoted attendance, all their differences forgiven if notforgotten,--and there were few Mrs. Faulkner would not have forgiven forthe bliss of being for the time the most sought-after woman at Worth,for every one wanted to know how Mrs. Winn was every hour of the day,and hoped to hear what dreadful imprudence of hers it was that causedthe equally dreadful fracas.
Gravely and quietly the doctors told their story to the colonel; thatthere was no arrangement or engagement to ride together; that CaptainBarclay had no idea Mrs. Winn ever rose--much less rode--that early; andmost men accepted the statement as true. But there was the fatalexhibition of Barclay's letter by Mrs. Winn to confront the women, whowould have held him guiltless and saddled all the blame upon her lovely,sloping shoulders. What had he to write to her about, unless it was toask her to ride or something of the kind? And the idea of their daringto select such an hour, instead of going out when--when people couldsee! And then there was the fact that Mr. Winn still refused to bereconciled to his wife. What did that mean, if not that he deemed herguilty? Blythe, who had a kindlier feeling for Winn than had most men atWorth (for Brayton now was utterly set against him and refused to gonear him), sent in his card and begged to be allowed to see him; andBlythe's face was sad and gray when, half an hour later, he came forthagain.
"Colonel," said he to Frazier, "something has got to be done for thatpoor fellow, or he'll go mad. Collabone has told him Barclay wastotally ignorant of Mrs. Winn's plan to ride that morning,--that hisassault was utterly unjustifiable; and between that and thecontemplation of his wife's brainless freak, and all his old trouble,I'm sorely afraid he'll break down,--go all to pieces. Can't somethingbe done?"
Both Frazier and Brooks thought something ought to be done; and so saidBlythe and De Lancy, and Follansbee and Fellows, when they came troopinghome, empty-handed, from their scout. Only Mullane's detachment hadaccomplished anything, and such success as he had was due almostentirely to Winn's persistent effort and energetic trailing. Somethingwas being done to hunt up stolen stores as revealed by Marsden, but poorWinn, who had ridden home so full of hope and pluck and energy, nowpaced his narrow room for hours, or lay upon his lounge, face buried inhis arms, either dull and apathetic or smarting with agony. On Mrs. Winnold Collabone had little sympathy to waste. Bluntly he told her that shewas responsible for the whole business and deserved to be down sick. So,too, he told the colonel, who was having a blissful time answering thequestions and squirming under the nagging of his household at home. Atfirst Laura had shown tremendous spirit. Mr. Winn's conduct was aninsult. The doctor's comments were an insult. The instant she was wellenough to move she would take her precious child and return to hermother's roof.
"Your mother hasn't any roof," said Collabone. "She's boarding inWashington, playing for another husband, and you'd spoil the whole game,turning up with a grandchild. What you've got to do is beg yourhusband's pardon for all the scrapes you've led him into,--this last oneespecially." Laura wailed and wept and cried out against the heartlesscruelty of her husband, who left her sick and dying, for all he knew(Collabone had assured him there was nothing on earth the matter butnerves), and she thought Mrs. Faulkner ought to _make_ him hear how illshe was. At last she managed to have herself appropriately arrayed, andwith face of meekest suffering waylaid him on the lower floor before hecould close the door against her, after a brief official visit from theadjutant.
But the first glance into his haggard, hopeless face, the sight ofdespair such as she had never dreamed of, struck to her soul somethinglike terror. One moment she gazed, all thought of her puny troublesvanished and forgotten, and then with one great cry--the first genuinefeeling she had shown--the unhappy woman threw herself at his feet andclasped her arms about his trembling knees.
That night when the doctor called he found her humbled, contrite,concerned in earnest, and all for her husband. "It's the first time,"said he, "I've ever felt any respect for you whatever, Mrs. Winn. Ibelieve there's something in you, after all,"--"though probably notmuch," he later added when he told his wife. That night, too, he andBrooks and Blythe sat half an hour with Winn. The colonel asked them todo it, for it was time to help him if help was to come at all. The sameday brought inquiry from Department Head-Quarters as to whetherLieutenant Winn had made good the amount of that great shortage; and thepromised money package had not come.
Gently they asked him if he had reasonable right to look for it, and allthe answer he could make was that it had been promised on certainconditions. He had recently accepted them, had expected to find themoney on his arrival at Worth, but instead had found---- and the handsthrown hopelessly forward, palms upraised, were as expressive as anywords could have been. There was silence a moment. Then he spoke again.
"And, after all, what matters it now? With this court-martial hangingover me, I've nothing but dismissal from the army to look forward to inany event."
"And what if there should be no trial, Winn?" said the major, after areflective pause. "It is true that you have made an awful--break; but asyet you are your only accuser, and Mrs. Winn is the only witness, forBarclay is dumb."
But Winn shook his head. "I know enough of army matters to know thatthis thing is all over the post and will soon be all over Texas. IfCaptain Barclay was of--the old army,--if he had been brought up as Iwas, we might settle it out of court. My father used to say that therecould be no other reparation for a blow. What would my apologies beworth? They would not re-establish him."
"Sometimes I think," said Brooks, after another reflective pause, "thatmen of Barclay's stamp need no appeal to the code to set them right.That is only a device by which physical courage is made a substitute forother virtues that may be lacking. Barclay occupies a plane above it. Inview of his record in the Platte country and in this recent chase afterthe outlaws, it would take a bold man to sneer at him, in this garrisonat least; and if he prefer no charge against you, who is to do it? Thistrouble can be straightened out, Winn," said the major, soothingly, "ifonly you could fix--that other."
But how, said they to each other, as they went gloomily away, was thatother to be "fixed"? How was a poor fellow with nothing but his pay,burdened by an extravagant and helpless wife, a little child, and anumber of debts, to hope to raise three thousand dollars to prevent thealmost total stoppage of his stipend? That evening when Mrs. Faulknerleft her invalid friend the latter asked her to say to Harry that shebegged him to come and speak with her. Harry went, but there was nospring, no gladness, in the slow and halting feet that climbed thenarrow stair; there was no hope in the care-worn face that came forthagain in half an hour. Laura wished him to take her watch, her diamondear-rings, a locket he had given her in bygone days, and other prettytrinkets, sell them, and pay their debts: she was amazed to hear, notthat they owed so much, but that her treasures would bring so little.
The fourth day of his arrest was well-nigh gone. Collabone had reportedBarclay quite himself again, and sitting up, though none too strong, andthen he saw that Winn at last had been writing. "Read that," said Harry,briefly, and handed him the sheet. It was addressed to Captain Barclay.
"In the last four days I have done nothing but think of the great wrongI did you. I have tried to find words in which to tell you my distressand s
elf-reproach, but they fail me. There was no shadow ofjustification for my suspicion, and therefore no excuse for my blow. Hadyou desired reparation you would have demanded it, and the rule used tobe for a man in my plight to wait until it was asked before he tenderedan apology that might be considered a stopper to a challenge. But I willnot wait. At the risk of anything any man may say or think, I write thisto tell you that I deplore my conduct and with all my heart to beg yourpardon."
Collabone went through it twice with blinking eyes. "That's the bravestthing you ever did, Winn," said he, as he laid it carefully down. "Thatought to stop court-martial proceedings."
"That," answered Winn, "is a different matter. I don't ask any mercy. Iwould have been better off this minute if he or Brayton had shot me onthe spot."
There was silence a moment as he turned away and presently seatedhimself at the little table, his head dropping forward on his arms. ThenCollabone stepped up and placed a hand upon his shoulder.
"Winn, my boy, I should lie if I said you ought not to feel this, butthere's such a thing as brooding too much. You'll harm yourself if yougo on like this. You---- Here! let me take that in to Barclay. Let himspeak for me; I'm damned if it isn't too much for me!"
But Winn's head was never lifted as the doctor went his way.
Later that night the post adjutant dropped in. He and Winn had neverbeen on cordial terms, but the staff officer was shocked and troubled atthe increasing ravages in the once proud and handsome face of thecavalryman. "Winn," he said, in courteous tone, "the colonel directsextension of your limits to include the parade, and--and to visitCaptain Barclay, who wants to see you this evening, if you feel able.It's only next door, you know," he added, vaguely. Then, "Isn't thereanything I can do?"
That night just after taps old Hannibal admitted the tall young officer,and ushered him into a brightly lighted room, where, rather pale andwan, but with a kindly smile on his face, Galahad Barclay lay back inhis reclining chair, and held out a thin, white hand.
"Welcome, Winn," was all he said, and then the old negro slid out andclosed the door.
"There are Oirish and Oirish," as, quoting Mulvaney, has been saidbefore. Once assured that no further proceedings were to be takenagainst him for his iniquitous lapse the day of the rush to CrockettSprings, Captain Mullane concluded that he must stand high in favor atcourt and that further self-denial and abstinence were uncalled for,especially in view of the successes achieved for him by the smalldetachment of his party led by Lieutenant Winn. Mullane was a gallantsoldier in the field, from sheer love of fighting, and the same traitwhen warmed by whiskey made him a nuisance in garrison. Not a week washe home from his successful scout when he broke out in a new place, andthis time he found instant accommodation.
Little of the stolen property was recovered by the searching squad sentout as the result of Marsden's revelations. That voluble scoundrel wasin the guard-house, awaiting trial by general court-martial. Cavalrydrills were resumed again, and after each morning's work the officersgathered in considerable force at the club-room. There had been, both inthe infantry and in the cavalry, vast speculation as to the outcome ofWinn's arrest and Barclay's mishap. But men, as a rule, spoke of thematter with bated breath. Mullane, Bralligan, and the one or two Irishex-sergeants in the command, known locally as the Faugh-a-Ballaghs,however, waxed hilariously insolent in their comments. Nothing short ofdismissal should be Winn's sentence, and nothing short of a challenge beBarclay's course. It was with something akin to amaze that Mullanereceived on the sixth day after Winn's arrest official notification ofhis release and restoration to duty. It was with something akin toincredulous wrath that an hour later he caught sight of the liberatedlieutenant issuing from Barclay's quarters, not his own, and withBarclay leaning trustfully on his arm.
Apology accepted! Explanations tendered! All settled, and without ameeting on the field of honor! "Whurroo! but hwat's the cavalry comin'to?" howled Mullane over the consequent cups at the sutler's store andclub-room, Fuller aiding and abetting with more liquor. Up the hill tothe post lurched the big captain that very afternoon, and into thecard-room where some of his cronies were gathered, Bralligan among them,and the untrustworthy Hodge. Any one with half an eye could see therewas mischief in the wind, for nothing caused these old-time Hibernianrankers keener suffering than to have their betters settle a questionwithout either court-martial or a fight. Talk and jeering laugh grewlouder as potations followed on the heel-taps of their predecessors. Themail from San Antonio got in at five P.M. that evening, and the orderlywas distributing letters as the officers returned from stables. Winn, byinvitation, had accompanied the major, and was walking home with him,Mullane and a crony or two following at safe distance. Several men sawthe light of relief in Winn's face as he received, opened, and glancedinto the missive handed him.
"Has it come?" asked Brooks, in genuine sympathy.
"Yes," answered Winn, almost solemnly. "A check which I am instructed tohave cashed by Fuller, as he has all the currency in the county justnow."
"I congratulate you with all my heart," said the major. "I suppose youwill see Trott to-morrow."
"I shall see him to-night, if you will excuse me, sir. I'll go at onceto the store.--Brayton, will you come with me?"
Fuller was out. It was some minutes before he could be found at thecorral. Meantime the two classmates, reconciled since the long talkbetween Barclay and Winn, conversed in low, grave tones in Fuller'sprivate card-room, where none but officers and his cronies wereadmitted. "The trader looked queer," said Brayton, "when he took thecheck," but after some fumbling at his safe came back with a thickpackage of treasury notes, carefully counted out and labelled. On thisdisplay of wealth gloated the fishy eyes of Mullane as a moment later hecame reeling in, Bralligan and Hodge at his heels.
To his hilarious salutation Brayton gave short answer, Winn none at all.Winn's face had clouded again, and all the sad lines of thought and careseemed cutting deep, despite the coming of this much-needed relief.
"Hwat's ahl the lucre, I say?" shouted the Irish captain, raging atWinn's tacit snub. "Thousands of dollars, bedad!" Then with leering winkhe turned to his half-muddled satellites. "D'ye mind, lads?--ahl thatfor a plasther to wounded honor,--regular John Bull business over again.That's the English way of settlin' a crim. con. case. How much didBarclay think it wurrth, Winn?"
And the next instant he lay floundering on the floor, felled by afurious blow from the subaltern's fist.