Trooper Tales — page 151: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

Back to San Anton’. 139 sounded. And after that, when all troopers slept, Mul- gowan stole away. Yellow Hair never told that his mas- ter had gone back to the dark eyes of the San Anton’ valley. | After reveille roll-call the next morning the first ser- geant approached the troop commander, saluted and said: “Sergeant Mulgowan missing, sir.” The troop commander strolled over to headquarters, saluted several times, and reported to the officer of the day: “Sergeant Mulgowan missing, sir.” Among other things which telegraph operators pounded out that same morning was, “Sergeant Mulgowan miss- ing.” And the old greaser, Geldez, away back in San Anton’ heard the same words repeated, and his face be- came a dirty yellow hue, and people never saw him in the San Anton’ valley after that day. A recruit in the troop, who was old,enough to know better, spoke out loud and at length about time-of-war de- serters, and incidentally remarked that such did not de- serve a military funeral. We, who stood near, listened until the youth had finished his observations, then we applied our muscular selves toward making him regret his words. The troop was broken up, for it loved Mul- gowan and was proud of him. Meanwhile the fancy, little gelding Yellow Hair whinnied softly and often and pawed the turf with his front hoofs. The rest of the story, all except the ending, was told me. They said that a man in civilian garb rushed into a Eomichooks co