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 knew and loved him little,--the prejudice of Mrs. Bridger,
who knew and loved him not at all,--and the jealous pique of Mrs. Plume,
who had known and loved him, possibly, too well.
There was little duty doing at Sandy at the time whereof we write. Men
rose at dawn and sent the horses forth to graze all day in the
foothills under heavy guard. It was too hot for drills, with the
mercury sizzling at the hundred mark. Indian prisoners did the
"police" work about the post; and men and women dozed and wilted in
the shade until the late afternoon recall. Then Sandy woke up and
energetically stabled, drilled, paraded under arms at sunset, mounted
guard immediately thereafter, dined in spotless white; then rode,
drove, flirted, danced, gossiped, made mirth, melody, or monotonous
plaint till nearly midnight; then slept until the dawn of another day.
Indians there were in the wilds of the Mogollon to the southeast, and,
sometimes at rare intervals straying from the big reservation up the
valley, they scared the scattered settlers of the Agua Fria and the
Hassayampa; but Sandy rarely knew of them except as prisoners. Not a
hostile shot had been fired in the surrounding mountains for at least
six months, so nobody felt the least alarm, and many only languid
interest, when the white-coated officers reported the result of sunset
roll-call and inspection, and, saluting Major Plume, the captain of
"C" Troop announced in tones he meant should be heard along the row:
"Mr. Blakely, sir, is absent!"