that finally roused from his heavy
slumber a veteran employee serving as clerk. Shuffling to the instrument
in his slippers, the clerk desired to be informed what in sheol Silver
Hill wanted waking people that hour of the night? The reply was a
question. The Argenta's livery stableman wished to know if anything had
been seen of a horse and buggy of his at the fort. A gent had hired one
just about dark, said he, a gent who said he'd be back about ten, and
who hadn't come. The gent had had supper in his room at the Argenta and
had ordered his traps sent to the railway station to meet the Flyer.
They said at the hotel office that he was a Captain Foster, whereat the
clerk became interested, notified the stableman that he would make
immediate inquiry at the guard-house, and did, and the guard said that
neither Foster nor his buggy had been seen about the post. The clerk was
beginning to dribble this through the 'phone, when he was suddenly cut
off by the counter announcement: "Oh, it's all right! The rig's just
back. Cap took the Flyer west and sent a boy home with it. Never even
got change for the ten dollars he deposited."

But when mine host of the Argenta came back from seeing the Flyer off
for the west he, too, had questions to ask as to Foster. Did the office
clerk see anything of him? Nothing. "Queer," said Boniface, "we gave his
hand baggage to the Pullman porter, as directed, but his trunk is there
yet. Reckon I'll have to wire after him and tell the conductor to send
them things back by No. 5."

And this, before he went to bed, the landlord proceeded to do, but no
Captain Foster appeared during the night to claim the trunk or
remonstrate about the luggage; nor came there any answer to the dispatch
to the Flyer until the following morning, when there was handed the
proprietor a slip somewhat as follows:

Man calling himself Captain Foster put aboard last night at Fort
Siding, slugged and robbed. Taking him on to Wister. Physician in
charge. Better notify police.

This was about eight o'clock, at which time the old guard was cleaning
up about the guard-house and the companies detailed for the new were
assembling in front of their quarters, and the officer of the guard, a
young lieutenant recently joined from civil life, new to his trade and
strange to the traditions of the army, was cross-questioning a reluctant
corporal about an unauthorized item of equipment found tucked into his
cartridge belt