FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   204   205   206   207   208   209   210   211   212   213   214   215   216   217   218   219   220   221   222   223   224   225   226   227   228  
229   230   231   232   233   234   235   236   237   238   239   240   241   242   243   244   245   246   >>  
ry all too soon. I rapped on the door and in tones that made me shiver was bidden by the old man to come in. The colonel was standing in the middle of his parlor, wrapped in a gaudy dressing gown, and in his hand he held my mangled bulletin. Right at that minute I wished I had never heard a telegraph instrument click. "Corporal," said the colonel, "what time did you receive this bulletin?" "About six-fifteen, sir, immediately after reveille," I replied with a face as expressionless as a mummy's. "Why did you not bring it to me direct as you have heretofore done?" "Well, sir, I didn't think you were awake yet, and I did not want to disturb you." "Have you any later news, corporal?" "No sir, none, but I haven't been back to the office since, sir." Gee! but that room was becoming warm! "Are you certain as to the truth of this awful report?" "It is probably as authentic as a great many stories that are started during times like these--that is all I know of it, sir." (Lord forgive me.) "It seems almost too horrible to be true, and yet, one cannot tell about those Sioux. They're a bad lot--a devilish bad lot"--this to my captain--and then to me: "You go back to your office, corporal, and remain very close until you have a denial or a confirmation of this story and bring any news you may receive to me instanter. That's all corporal." The "corporal" needed no second dismissal, and saluting I quickly got out of an atmosphere that was far from chilly to me. Now, by my cussed propensity for joking, I had involved myself in this mess, and there was but one way out of it, and that was to brazen it out for a while longer and then post a denial of the supposed awful rumor. _But the denial must come over the wire_, so when I reached my office I called up Spofford and told old man Livingston what I had done and what I wanted him to do for me, and in about half an hour he sent me a "bulletin" saying that the previous report had happily proved unfounded and the 6th and 9th Cavalry were all right. This message I took at once to the colonel and as he read it he heaved a big sigh of relief, but he dismissed me with a very peculiar look in his eye. The next evening as I was passing the colonel's quarters on my way to deliver a message to the hospital, I heard him remark to another officer, "Major, don't you think it is strange that the papers received to-day make no mention of that frightful report received-here yes
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   204   205   206   207   208   209   210   211   212   213   214   215   216   217   218   219   220   221   222   223   224   225   226   227   228  
229   230   231   232   233   234   235   236   237   238   239   240   241   242   243   244   245   246   >>  



Top keywords:

colonel

 

corporal

 
office
 

bulletin

 

denial

 

report

 

message

 
received
 

receive

 

joking


propensity

 

cussed

 

involved

 
strange
 
supposed
 

brazen

 

longer

 
needed
 

frightful

 

instanter


dismissal
 

mention

 
atmosphere
 

papers

 

saluting

 

quickly

 

chilly

 

peculiar

 

proved

 
dismissed

unfounded

 

confirmation

 

happily

 
previous
 

relief

 
heaved
 
Cavalry
 

Spofford

 

officer

 
reached

called

 
Livingston
 
remark
 

passing

 

evening

 

quarters

 

hospital

 
wanted
 
deliver
 

fifteen