The Caldwell tribune. [volume], November 01, 1890, Image 6

About The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928

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By Capt. Charles King, U. S. A.
Author of «Dunkaven Ranch," "The Colonel's
Daughter," ''Marion's Faith," Etc.
[Copyright, by J. ß. Lippincott Company, Philadelphia, and
published by special arrangement with them.]
■ erat nere miss rravers came to nei re
lief. Her beauty, lier winsome ways,
her unqualified delight in everything
that was soldierly, speedily rendered her
vastly attractive to all the young officers
in garrison. Graham and Foster, of the
Infantry, Merton, Webster and I Joyce, of
the cavalry, haunted the house atoll
manner of hours, and the captain bade
them welcome and urged them to oome
oftener and stay later, and told Mrs.
Kayner ho wanted some kind of a sup
per or collation every night. He set be
fore his guests a good deal of wine, and
drank a good deal more himself than he
had ever been known to do before, and
they were keeping very late hours at
Rayner's, for, said the captain, "I don't
care if Nellie is engaged; she shall have
a good time while she's here; and if the
boys know all about it—goodness knows
you've told them often enough, Kate—
and they don't mind it, why, it's nobody's
business—here, at least."
What Mr. Van Antwerp might think
or care was another matter. Ravner
never saw hiin, and did not know him.
He rather resented it that Van Antwerp
had never written to him and asked his
consent. As Mrs. Rayner's hua baud and
Nellie's brother-in-law, it seemed to him
he stood in loco parentis; but Mrs. Ray
ner managed the whole thing herself,
and lie was not even consulted. If any
thing, he rather enjoyed the contempla
tion of Van Antwerp's fidgety frame of
mind as described to him by Mrs. Ray
ner about the time it became apparent to
her that Nellie was enjoying the atten
tions of which she was so general an ob
ject, and that the captain was sitting up
later and drinking more wine than was
good for him. She was aware that the
very number of Nell's admirers would
probably prevent her becoming entangled
with any one of them, hut she needed
something to scold about, and eagerly
pitched upon this.
She knew well that she could not.com
fort her husband in the anxiety that was
gnawing at his heartstrings, but she was
jealous of comfort that might come to
him from any other source, and the
Lethe of wine and jolly companionship
she dreaded most of all. Long, long be
fore, Bhe had induced him to promise
that he would never offer the young offi
cers spirits in his house. She would not
prohibit wine at table, she said; but she
never thought of there coming a time
when he himself would seek consolation
in the glass and make up in quantity
what it lacked in alcoholic strength. He
was impatient of all reproof now, and
would listen to no talk; but Nellie was
years her junior—more years than she
would admit except at such tirao3 as
these, when she meant to admonish; and
Nellie had to take it.
Two weeks after their arrival at War
rener the burden of Mrs. Rayner's 6ong
—morn, noon and night—was: "What
would Mr. Van Antwerp say if he could
but see this or hear that?"
Can any reader recall an instance
where the cause of an absent lover was
lienefited by the ceaseless warning in a '
woman's ear, "Remember, you're en- j
gaged?" The hero of antiquity who j
caused himself to bo attended by a shad- i
owing slave whispering over and only, j
"Remember, thou are mortal," is a flue !
figure to contemplate—at thi3 remoto j
date. He, we are told, admitted tho j
need, submitted to tho infliction. But j
lives there a woman who will admit that
she needs any instruction a; to what her j
conduct should be when tho lord of her i
iK-art is away? Lives there a woman '
who, submitting, because she cannot es- \
cape, to tho constant reminder, "Thou 1
art engaged," will not resent it in her ;
heart of hearts and possibly revenge her- 1
nolf on the une alono whom sho holds at 1
her mercy? Left to herself—to her gen- j
erositv, her conscience, her innate ten- !
derness— the cause of tho absent one will j
plead for itself, and, if it have even faint j
foundation, hold its own. "With tho j
best intentions in tho world," many an
excellent cause has been ruined by tho j
injudicious urgiugs of a mother; but to j
talk an engaged girl into mutiny, j-ely j
on the infallibility of two woman—a ,
married sister or a maiden aunt.
Just what Mr. Van Antwerp would :
havo said oould ho have seen tlie situa- \
tion at Warrener is perhaps impossible i
to predict. Just what be did say with
out seeinj waa. perhaps, the most un
wiso thing ho could havo thought of: ho
urged Mrs. Rayner to keep reminding
Nellie of her promise. His had not been
a life of unmixed joy, He w ; h now j
nearly Ü5, raid desperately in l ive with « j
pretty girl who had simply bewitched
jiim d tri ig tho previous summer. It
was not easy to approach her, then, ho 1
found, for her nister kept vigilant
but, onco satisfied of his iii^h connec
tions, his wealth and his Booial standing, !
the door was opened, and he was some
thing more than welcomed, said the gos
sips at the Surf house. What Iiis past
history had been, where and how his
life had been spent, were matters of less
t , . , - . t
as other boys had been, she learned; ha
had tried the cattle business in tho west,
she was told; but there had been a quar
rel with his father, a reconciliation, a
devoted mother, a long sojourn abroad—
Heidelberg—a sudden summons to re
turn. the death of the father, and then
the management of a valuable estate fell
to the son.
There were other children, brother
and sisters, three in all, but Steven was
tho first born and the mother's glory.
She was with him at the seaside, and the
first thing that moved Nellie Travers to
like him was his devotion to that white
haired woman who seemed so happy in
his care. Between that mother and Mrs.
Rayner there had speedily sprung up an
acquaintance. She had vastly admired
Nellie, and during the first fortnight of
their visit to the Surf bouse had s I iowk
her many attentions. Tho illness of a
daughter called her away, and Mrs. Hay
ner announced that she, too, was going
elsewhere, when Mr. Van Antwerp
himself returned, and Mrs. Rayner
decided it was so late in the season
that they had better remain until it was
timo to go to town. In October they
■pent a fortnight in the city, staying at
the Westminster, and he was assiduous
in his attentions, taking tlv.;m every
where and lavishing flowers and bon
bonn upon Nell. Then Mrs. Van Ant
werp invited them to visit her at her own
comfortable, old fashioned house down
town, and Mrs. Rayner was eager to ac
cept, but Nellie snid no, she would not
do it; she could not accept Mr. Van Ant
werp; she liked, admired and was at
tracted by him, but she felt that love him
she did not. He was devoted, but had
tact and patience, and Mrs. Rayner at
last yielded to lier demand and took her
off in October to spend some time in the
interior of the state with relations of
their mother, and there frequently came
Mr. Van Antwerp to see her and to urge
his suit.
They were to have gone to Warrener
immediately after the holidays, but Jan
uary came and Nellie had not surren
dered. Another week in the city, a long
talk with the devoted old mother whose
heart was so wrapped up in her son's
happiness, and whose arms seemed yearn
ing to enfold the lovely girl, and Nellie
was conquered. If not fully convinced
of her love for Mr. Van Antwerp, she
was more than half in love with his !
mother. Her promise was given, and I
then she seemed eager to get back to the j
frontier which Bhe had known and loved I
as a child. "I want to see the moun- i
tains, the snow peaks, the great rolling j
prairies, once more," she Raid, and he 1
had to consent. Man never urged more 1
importunately than lie that the wedding !
should come off that very winter; but
Nellie once more said no. She could not
and would not listen to an earlier date
than the summer to come.
No one on earth knew with what sore
foreboding and misery he let lier go. It
was something that Mrs. Rayner could
not help remarking—his unconquerable
aversion to every mention of the army
and of his own slight experience on the I
frontier. He would not talk of it even i
with Nellie, who was an enthusiast and j
had spent two years of her girlhood al- j
most under the shadow of Laramie Peak j
«lid loved tho mere mention of the Wyo- j
ining streams and valleys. In her hus- j
band s name Mrs. Rayner had urged him :
to drop liia business early in the spring !
and come to them for a visit. He declared 1
it was utterly impossible. Every moment
of his time must bo given to the settling j
of estate affairs, so that he could be a free j
man in the summer. He meant to take
Iiis bride abroad immediately and spend
a year or nioro in Europe. These were i
details which were industriously circu- !
lated by Mrs. Rayner and speedily be
came garrison property. It seemed to
the men that in bringing her sister there
engaged she had violated all precedent to
begin with, and in this instance, at, least,
there was general complaint.
Mr. Blake said it reminded him of hid
early boyhood, when they used to take
l'-im to tho great toy stores at Christmas:
"Look all you like, long for it as much
as you please, but don't touch." Merton j
and Royce, of the cavalry, said it was i
simply a challenge to any better fellow i
to cut in and cut out tho Knickerbocker; j
and, to do them justice, they did their j
best to carry out their theory. Both !
they and their comrades of the Riilers !
were assiduous in their attentions to Miss !
Ti avers, and other ladies, less favored, j
made acrimonious comment in conse
quence. A maiden sister of one of the
veteran captains in tho—th, a damsel
whose stern asceticism of character was
reflected in her features and grimly illus- i
trated in her dress, was moved to cen
sure of her more attractive neighbor. !
"If I had given my heart to a gentle- j
man, said she, and her manner was in
dicative of the long struggle which such
a bestowal would cost both him and her, I
"nothing on earth would induce mo to '
accept attentions from any o«e else, not
even if he worn millions of awa V
••-»«*«» ... iW
tentions" with laughing grace and cn
joying the Eociety of these young fellows
immensely. The house would have been
gloomy without her and "tho boys,"
Rayner was prompt to admit, for he was
ill at ease and sorely worried, while his
infl.--immn.hlB Kate was fuming over the
situation of her husband'a affairs. Un
j der ordinary circumstances sho would
I have seen very little to object to bo long
I as Nellie ehowed no preferenco for any
one of her admirers at Warrener, and
unless peevish or perturbed in spirit
would have made little allusion to it.
As matters stood, however, she was hi a
most querulous and excitable mood; she
could not rail at the real cause of her
misery, and bo , womanlike, sho was
thankful for a pretext for uncorking the
vials of her wrath on somebody or some
thing else.
If the young matrons in garrison who,
with the two or three visiting maidens,
were disposed to rebel at Miss Nell's ap
parent absorption of all the available
cavaliers at tho post, and call her a too
lucky girl, could but have heard Mrs.
Rayner's nightly tirades and hourly re
bukes, they might have realized that
here, as elsewhere, the roso had its
stinging thorns. As for Miss Travers,
she confounded her ßister by taking it all
very submissively and attempting no de
fense. Possibly conscience was telling
her that she deserved moro than she was
getting, or than she would bo likely to
get until her sister heard of the adven
ture with Mr. Hay ne.
"By the way," said Mr. Royce one
evening as they were stamping off the
snow and removing their heavy wraps in
Rayner's hallway after a series of garri
son calls, "Mrs. Waldron says sho ex
pects j ou to play for her to-morrow
afternoon, Miss Travers. Of course it
will be my luck to be at stables."
"You hear better music -every after
noon than I can give you, Mr. Royce."
"Where, pray?" asked Mrs. liayner,
turning quickly upon them.
Mr. Royce hesitated, and—with shame
be it said—allowed Miss Travers to meet
the question:
"At Mr. Hayne's, Kate."*
There was the same awkward silence
that always followed the mention of
Hayne's name. Mrs. Ravner looked an
noyed. It was evident that she wanted
more information—wanted to ask, but
was restrained. Rovce determined to be
outspoken.
"Several of us have got quite in the
way of stopping there on our way from
afternoon stables," ho aaid, very quietly.
"Mr. Hayne has his piano now, and lias
nearly recovered tho full use of his eyes.
He plays well."
Mts. Rayner turned about once more,
and without saying bo much as good
night, went heavily upstairs, leaving
her escort to share with Mr. Rovce such
welcome as the captain was ready to
accord them. If forbidden to talk on the
subject nearest her heart, ehe would not
speuk at all. She would have banged her
door, but that would have waked baby.
It stung her to the quick to know that
the cavalry officers were daily visitors
at Mr. Hayne's quarters. It was little
comfort to know that tho infantry of
ficers did not go, for she and they both
knew that, except Mnj. Waldron, no
one of their number was. welcome under
that roof, unless he would voluntarily
come forward and say, "I believe you
innocent." She felt that but for the
stand made by Hay ne himself most of
their number would have received him
into comradeship again by this time,
and ehe could hardly Bleep that night
from thinking over what she had heard,
But could sho have seen the .figure
that was Blinking in the enow at the
rear door of llayne's quarters that very
evening, peering into tho lighted rooms,
and at last, after many mi irresolute
turn, knocking timidly for admission
and then hiding behind the corner of
the shed until Sam came and poked his
pig tailed head out into the wintry dark
ness in v.-ondering effort to find the vis
itor, she would not have slept at all.
It was poor Clancy, once more moon
ing about the garrison and up to his old
tricks. Clancy had been drinking; but
he wanted to know, "could ho spake
with tho lieutenant?"
j
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CHAPTEI
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"ifr*. Clancy. l'on -must watch h im ."
"I have I/ton reading over your letter
of Thursday last, dear Steven," wrote
Miss Travers, "and there is much tlist I
feel I ought to answer. You and Kate
are very much of a mind about the
'temptutiona' with whichl am surrend
t vou are f .
more im»sinnti»ç
than tsho is, and tar more courteous,
i There w so much about your letter t.in
j touches me deeply that ! want to be trans
{ and fair in lay reply. 1 havo been danc
j ing all this evening, was out at tanner
i before that, and have made many calls
j this afternoon; but. tired as I am. jny
j letter must be written, for to-morrow
j will be but the repetition of today. Is it
j that 1 am cold and utterly heartless that
j I can sit and write so calmly in reply to
your fervent and appealing letter?
"Ah, Steven, it is what may be said of
me; but, if cold ciul heartless to ycu, I
have certainly given no man at this gar
rison the faintest rrjison t» think that he
has inspired any greater interest in him.
They are all kind, all very attentive. 1
have told you hew well Mr. Royce dances
and Mr. Merton ridca and Mr. Feste»
reads and talks. They en teres in me
vastly, and I do liko it. Moro than this,
Steven, I am pleased with their evident
admiration—not alono pleased and proud
that they should admire mo who am
pledged to you—not that alone, I frankly
confess, but because it in itself is pleas
ant. It pleases me. Very possibly it is
because I am vain.
"And yet, though my hours are con
stantly occupied, though they are here
from morning till night, no one of them
is more attentive than another. There
are five or six who como daily. There
are some who do not come at all. Am I
a wretch, Steven? There are two or
three that do not call who I wish would
call. I would like to know them.
"Yet they know—they could not help
it, with Kate here, and I never forget
that I am your promised wife. Steven,
do you not sometimes forget the condi
tions of that promise? Even now, again
and again, do I not repeat to you that
you ought to release me and free your
self? Of course your impulse will be to
say my heart is changing—that I have
seen others whom I like better. No; 1
have seen no one I like as well. But is
'like' what you deserve, what you ask?
And is it not all I have ever been able to
promise you? Steven, bear me witness,
for Kate is bitterly unjust to me at
times, I told you again and again last
summer and fall that I did not love you
and ought not to think ot being your
wife. Yet, poor, homeless, dependent
&6 I am, how strong was tW temptation
to 6ay yes to your plea!
"You know that I did not and would
not until time and again your sweet mo
ther, whom I do love, and Kate, who
had been a mother to nae, both declared
that that should make no difference; the
love would come; the happiest marriages
the world over were those in which the
girl respected the man of her choice;
i ovo W ould come, and como Bpeedily,
when once she wa8 his wife _ You .
ge if declared you could wait in patience
—you would woo and win by and by.
Only promise to bo your wife beforo re
turning to the frontier and you would be
content. Steven, aro-you content? You
know you are not; you know you are
unhappy; and it is all, not because I am
growing to love some one else, but be
cause X am not growing to love you.
Heaven knows 1 want to love you; for
bo long as you hold me to it my promise
is sacred and shall be kept.
"More than that, if you say that it ia
your will that I seclude myself from
these attentions, give up dancing, give
j "P rides, drives, walks, and even receiv
j ing visits, here, so be it. I will obey;
;but write this to me, Steven—not, to
[Kate. ! am too proud to. ask lier to show
j me the letters I know she has received
from you—and there are some she lm
j not shown me—but I cannot understand
a man's complaining to other persons of
i the conduct of tho woman who is or is
: to be, his wife. Forgive me if I pain
| you; sometimes even to myself I seem
, old and strange. I have lived bo much
j alone, have had to think and do for. mv
self so many years while Kate has been
! away, that perhaps I'm not 'like other
' girls;' but the respect I feel for vou
would be injured if I thought you strove
to guido or govern me through others;
and of one tiling be sure, Steven, I-must
honor and respect and look up to the man
1 marry, love or no love.
"Once you said it would kill you if
you believed I could be false to you. If
by that you meant that, having given
T. y promise to you to be your wife at
832 e future time, I must school myself
► Jove you, and wilj be considered false
if love do not come at my bidding or
j yours, I say to you solemnly, release me
now. I may not love, but I cannot and
will not deceive you, even by simulating
'ovo that does not exist. Suppose ti^it
love were to be kindled iu my heart.
Suppose I were to learn to care for some
one here. You would be tho first one to
know it: for I would tell you as sacn as
I knew it myself. Then what could I
hope for—or you? Surely you would net
want to marry a girl who loved another
; man. But is it much better to.uiarry
one who feels that she does not love you?
"Think, of it, Steven; I am very
lonely, very far from happy, very
; wretched over Kate's evident "trouble,
j and all, the sorrow I am bringing you
! and veins; but havo I misled or deceived
j you in any one thing? Once only has a
j word been spoken or a scene occurred
I that you c.oukl perhaps have objected to.
I 1 told you. the whole thing in my letter
{ u l Sunday last, and why 1 had not told
, Kate. \> <i have not met since that
! night. My. Hayns and 1, and may not;
! but ho is a mau whose story excitca my
I profound pity and sorrow, in,I he ia one
; of the two or three 1 feel that I would
j like to sea more of. I * this bein ; false
to you or to my promise? If no, Steven
\ 1 ,ÜU
"'•«/ Krxt nw.
BOARD OF Til ABE.
B'RECTCRS AND OFFICERS.
Howard Neliree, t'n niih kI.
ilontle !S. (iwlnil, I I'rtnlptt.
Swain lUaty, Secretary.
S. M. Cofllu, .Treasurer.
W.O.Maxey, M. A. Roberts,
l*. A. Devers, A. K. StcuutubVi«»
II. K. Stevenson. .
ciTY~l>n<:i;c'JokY.'"
TO KM COUNCIL.
Mor.tie II. Uwlnn, Chairman.
Frank Str tmonberg. A. I', Kiuun.
S. M. Coffin, A. A. Hoover
FRANK MOORS.
X)HOTOGRAPHER. First-class guaranteed
X and price« low as the lowest. Ctiku y at mh -
iduuee. Call and examine work.
S. H. BAKER.
AND JEWKI.KR. fh*
Stmw
WATCIIMAKEI
ojiontjd up a shop In Uhain'x llruir »toi
and will repair watches, docks and jewelry I d
workinanllKe mauuor. AU work warranted.
W. O. STALKER,
RKSIDENT DENTIST. OIBse lu I. O.O. F.
Kulldlng with Dr. Maxey.
CHAS. A. HAND.
SVRVKYOK. locates and Surveys O iiyto
ment and TrlvHte Und. A complete set of
maps show ing all the open and occupied lands U».
Boise Valley. Ditch Surveying a Specialty.
CHAS. H. REED.
TTORNKY-AT-I.AW Will atleud In alt
L business intrusted to his care promptly.
JOHN T. MORRISON.
ATTORNKY-AT-LAW. Office !n Odd KrK
lows' lluildlug.
CHAS. E_ LEE, M. D.
LENDERS his Professional Services to th»
Citizens of Caldwell and IloV.e Valley.
I ENCAMPMENT.— T kmpi. K K xcani-mknc
Id No. a, I. o. O. > . Meets the tlrst and
third Monday in each month at Odd Kollows lfatl.
Visiting Patriarchs made welcome.
A. K. S tkunknteko , K.N. M of,
. Scribe. i". p.
1 0. o. F.— C aldwell L o I. ok No. io. Hall
new brick building. Regular meeting Wed
nesday evening each week. Visiting tscetlieni
cordially invited to attend.
S. N. MOE, JAS. H. C. winjj ,
Secretary. Noble Orand.
K NIGHTS OF p YTH ta8 .—Mo r .*, ta rs C km
I.OIKJE No. 3, K of P. Meet> the s^con/f
and fourth Friday of each month *tOdd Fellow«'
Hall. Visiting Knights are invited to attend.
M. b, owik.v, k. a. cowoex,
K. of It. of S. C. V..
AF. & a . M.-Rnunn i.oixtp. No. js. a.
F. ft A.M. Regular communications h<'id
at Odd Fellows' Hall, on the Saturdny onorafter
full moon, Members of sister lod ;"s and soiourn
Brcthem in good standing cordially !n\ Itcd to
attend. O ko. I .ittlk,
I sidor M aykr , Lecretary. w. M .
DIVINE SERVICES everv Sahhath In th*
Presbyterian Church. M iniln<* Servie»
11 :TO a. m . evening Service 7:3» p. ,n. Sabbath
school 10 -:80. Prayer Meeting Fritiav eveiilm:
7:30 p. in. Everybody wdcome.
R ev. W. ,l. B oomk , Pastor
Notice of IlissolnJiei:.
Notice is hereby given lhat tier the eo
pa tnership here o<or^ exi-.tin^ between
Wright & Martin is this day dissolved by
mutual consent. All accounts ih;u the f mn
will be collected bv J. R. Wright. al;o ail
obligations of the frm will he pair' 1 y him.
^ „ J. Ii. W kic. HT .
Oct. 3, 1890. j m . M artin.
CAîTTïfîW • * f'P'Bla* Blino» are
1 ,,11 warranted, nnd OTcry pair
hu» bin name aud pricp ntanii>cd on boltoin
«>»
te
i?.°o
?„H75
t? 8ovs
%
F ■
L. DOUGLAS
FOR
r„ „ „ CENTLEMEN.
Th». u * nd Ijaccd Waterproof Grain.
riSsffSSSÄ
Ss.00 «.emiine IlnniUnewoil, an olo«nn; »nrt
Sj« nn Ho.". i s W'oe which commends Itiwlf.
lA VV fit, A flrir calf -ihm»
s r l unemialleil for«tvlo and durability.
$ 3 ,EO Welt I» tu« Dtaudard drum
t. ho . e .' at a populur prlee.
$^5.6G I oil reman n Klioe I» rnpeclully a it an fir* 1
»n ,or r ?"r ,m , d ">«»• 'armer», et" '
All nmilo lu Congres», llutton nud Laoe
S3 & $2 SHOES LA^ga
litt i'roeUton, M um.,
IDA110 bADDLlittl CO, .Wets
CALDWELL, IjjAim. "
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$3 SHOE