turn from the
agency, to be their guest until he could get settled in his own
quarters. The Plumes had rooms to spare--and no children. The major was
twelve years older than his wife, but women said it often looked the
other way. Mrs. Plume had aged very rapidly after his sojourn on
recruiting duty in St. Louis. Frontier commissariat and cooking played
hob with her digestion, said the major. Frontier winds and water dealt
havoc to her complexion, said the women. But both complexion and
digestion seemed to "take a brace," as irreverent youth expressed it,
when Neil Blakely came to Sandy and the major's roof. True, he stayed
but six and thirty hours and then moved into his own domicile--quarters
No. 7--after moving out a most reluctant junior. Major Plume and Mrs.
Plume had expected him, they were so kind as to say, to choose a vacant
half set, excellent for bachelor purposes, under the roof that sheltered
Captain Wren, Captain Wren's maiden sister and housekeeper, and Angela,
the captain's daughter. This set adjoined the major's big central house,
its south windows looking into the major's north gallery. "It would be
so neighborly and nice," said Mrs. Plume. Instead, however, Mr. Blakely
stood upon his prerogative as a senior subaltern and "ranked out" Mr.
and Mrs. Bridger and baby, and these otherwise gentle folk, evicted and
aggrieved, knowing naught of Blakely from previous association, and
seeing no reason why he should wish to be at the far end of the row
instead of the middle, with his captain, where he properly belonged,
deemed themselves the objects of wanton and capricious treatment at his
hands, and resented it according to their opportunities. Bridger, being
a soldier and subordinate, had to take it out in soliloquy and
swear-words, but his impetuous little helpmate--being a woman, a wife
and mother, set both wits and tongue to work, and heaven help the man
when woman has both to turn upon him! In refusing the room and windows
that looked full-face into those of Mrs. Plume, Blakely had nettled her.
In selecting the quarters occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Bridger he had
slightly inconvenienced and sorely vexed the latter. With no
incumbrances whatever, with fine professional record, with personal
traits and reputation to make him enviable, with comparative wealth and,
as a rule, superlative health, Blakely started on his career as a
subaltern at Sandy with three serious handicaps,--the disfavor of his
captain, who kne