Oh, the mysteries and miracles of the tender emotions! How soft and insidious their grasp, yet how tenacious. In a few short weeks the life of this child of nature had been taught the pangs and aspirations of the world.
With the coming of Lieutenant and Mrs. Avery, Mona had experienced her first desires for education—that something, acquired from books and teachers which controls the world. She never tired of the fascinating relation of college incidents by Dot, or of Lieutenant Avery’s laughable experiences in the great university.
But how could she attain them? In this strange place “the world,” which, it seemed to her, was just beyond the skyline, she understood that everything was attained by money—how could she first obtain the money?
Already Mona was spending sleepless nights, never known before, because of this, her first touch with civilization. As yet she had said nothing to Mrs. Sherley or her new-found friends, but she could not long hide her troubles.
CHAPTER XXXVII.
THE SCOUT ON A DIM TRAIL.
At Fort Phil Kearney Buffalo Bill found orders based on the reports and recommendations of General Sheridan and other officers that he be assigned to the duty of learning the fate, if possible, of Lieutenant Avery and his bride.
The scout’s orders were in detail, so far as the department understood the case, but he was given much latitude for his own judgment and experience. From the officer in command of the fort he learned every assignment of the young officer since he left the military academy; the report of his trip to Bozeman and his marriage; under whose command he had been, and of all officers who might in any way have become jealous of the preference of Avery over themselves. He also heard of the young officer’s difficulties at Bozeman and of the thrashing of the Indian agent, Price.
The scout was delighted with that part of Avery’s career which included the trouncing of Price.