commended, not apologized over. How did she get in?’
‘One key’ll open every lock in the fort, sir. But my wife—’
Dusty swung to face the man. ‘The explanation I gave will be all we need say. But, Sergeant, happen you hope to hold those bars, when I tell you to do anything, be it impossible, or as easy as opening a door, I expect you to start on it Without hesitation.’
Kallan headed for the door fast, jerking it open and Hogan entered, throwing a glance at him.
‘Howdy, Ted,’ he greeted, looking worried. ‘I sure didn’t know you’d come out to Tucker.’
‘Kraus took down with the fever and I filled in his place,’ Kallan replied, but he still looked puzzled.
At any moment he would ask, in a furtive whisper, who the new officer might be, thought Dusty, and took steps to avoid this until he’d time to discover more about the Kallan family.
‘Would you gentlemen mind discussing old home week in your quarters?’ he barked. ‘I’d prefer to have my office to myself.’
Stiffening into a brace and throwing salutes along with their apologies like two non-coms rebuked by their commanding officer, the two men gave their attention to watching the heavy payroll box moved into the office. The previous box, empty now except for company funds, stood to one side of the roof and would return to the Regiment’s headquarters with the supply wagons.
By the time the box had been placed against the inner wall of the building and the carrying detail marched out of the room Dusty received two of his three officers, both a trifle red in the face from the rush to make themselves smart and presentable, their strikers both being off the post.
Dusty sat at the commanding officer’s desk as the two officers entered. He looked at Hogan and Kallan, standing in the corner of the room. ‘Sergeant-major, take a detail and move my belongings into my quarters. Sergeant Kallan, go to the guardhouse and tell the corporal of the guard his duties, then take him around the sentry posts.’
‘Yo!’ replied Kallan, the only answer he could make under the circumstances. He wished he could go with Hogan and solve the mystery of this captain who clearly was not Dandy van Druten. This way he would be kept busy for some time and not have a chance to see Hogan until finished with the duty.
‘Now, gentlemen,’ Dusty said quietly, looking at the two officers. ‘May I ask what’s happening at this post?’
‘We are carrying out our orders, sir, maintaining patrols with the intention of keeping rushers—’ began Gilbey.
‘I understood there were three officers on the post, Mr. Gilbey,’ Dusty interrupted. ‘Or do your services render you worth two?’
‘Second-Lieutenant Cardon is escorting Joanna on a hunting trip, sir,’ put in Jarrow.
‘Mister,’ Dusty answered dryly. ‘I’ve no doubt you are a man of some talent and ability, although for the moment both escape me. But I’m only human, not a mind reader. Who might Joanna be?’
‘Major Lingley’s daughter, sir,’ Gilbey put in, throwing a warning glance at Jarrow. ‘She stayed at the post awaiting a proper escort to take her back to headquarters.’
‘Thank you, Mr. Gilbey. Now, the state of the Fort is far from good enough.’
Gilbey stiffened slightly. ‘I assume full responsibility as senior officer, sir.’
‘Very well, mister.’
With any other answer Gilbey would have found Dusty showing a very different attitude. He deserved some commendation for the way he assumed the full blame for the condition of the Fort, even though it might cause him to face court martial and ruin. He’d stood like a man and prepared to take his medicine.
A smile came to Dusty’s lips and his eyes lost the hard grim look with which he first studied them.
‘Youth and inexperience can be classed as extenuating circumstances for some things, mister—once. Our problem now is how to get our command back to its former standards!’
In those words Dusty made another
‘One key’ll open every lock in the fort, sir. But my wife—’
Dusty swung to face the man. ‘The explanation I gave will be all we need say. But, Sergeant, happen you hope to hold those bars, when I tell you to do anything, be it impossible, or as easy as opening a door, I expect you to start on it Without hesitation.’
Kallan headed for the door fast, jerking it open and Hogan entered, throwing a glance at him.
‘Howdy, Ted,’ he greeted, looking worried. ‘I sure didn’t know you’d come out to Tucker.’
‘Kraus took down with the fever and I filled in his place,’ Kallan replied, but he still looked puzzled.
At any moment he would ask, in a furtive whisper, who the new officer might be, thought Dusty, and took steps to avoid this until he’d time to discover more about the Kallan family.
‘Would you gentlemen mind discussing old home week in your quarters?’ he barked. ‘I’d prefer to have my office to myself.’
Stiffening into a brace and throwing salutes along with their apologies like two non-coms rebuked by their commanding officer, the two men gave their attention to watching the heavy payroll box moved into the office. The previous box, empty now except for company funds, stood to one side of the roof and would return to the Regiment’s headquarters with the supply wagons.
By the time the box had been placed against the inner wall of the building and the carrying detail marched out of the room Dusty received two of his three officers, both a trifle red in the face from the rush to make themselves smart and presentable, their strikers both being off the post.
Dusty sat at the commanding officer’s desk as the two officers entered. He looked at Hogan and Kallan, standing in the corner of the room. ‘Sergeant-major, take a detail and move my belongings into my quarters. Sergeant Kallan, go to the guardhouse and tell the corporal of the guard his duties, then take him around the sentry posts.’
‘Yo!’ replied Kallan, the only answer he could make under the circumstances. He wished he could go with Hogan and solve the mystery of this captain who clearly was not Dandy van Druten. This way he would be kept busy for some time and not have a chance to see Hogan until finished with the duty.
‘Now, gentlemen,’ Dusty said quietly, looking at the two officers. ‘May I ask what’s happening at this post?’
‘We are carrying out our orders, sir, maintaining patrols with the intention of keeping rushers—’ began Gilbey.
‘I understood there were three officers on the post, Mr. Gilbey,’ Dusty interrupted. ‘Or do your services render you worth two?’
‘Second-Lieutenant Cardon is escorting Joanna on a hunting trip, sir,’ put in Jarrow.
‘Mister,’ Dusty answered dryly. ‘I’ve no doubt you are a man of some talent and ability, although for the moment both escape me. But I’m only human, not a mind reader. Who might Joanna be?’
‘Major Lingley’s daughter, sir,’ Gilbey put in, throwing a warning glance at Jarrow. ‘She stayed at the post awaiting a proper escort to take her back to headquarters.’
‘Thank you, Mr. Gilbey. Now, the state of the Fort is far from good enough.’
Gilbey stiffened slightly. ‘I assume full responsibility as senior officer, sir.’
‘Very well, mister.’
With any other answer Gilbey would have found Dusty showing a very different attitude. He deserved some commendation for the way he assumed the full blame for the condition of the Fort, even though it might cause him to face court martial and ruin. He’d stood like a man and prepared to take his medicine.
A smile came to Dusty’s lips and his eyes lost the hard grim look with which he first studied them.
‘Youth and inexperience can be classed as extenuating circumstances for some things, mister—once. Our problem now is how to get our command back to its former standards!’
In those words Dusty made another
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