Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1881-02-03
CAPTAIN CAMLTON.
BY JULIA HAWTHORNE.
London World.

BY JULIA HAWTHORNE.
London World.
In the month of May. 1864, we were
encamped under Grant, on the bank of
the Rapidan. The opposite side of the
river was held by Lees forces. Our
regiment, the 200th Massachusetts,
had fought in many of the bloodiest
battles Of the war, and comparatively
few of the original volunteers now sur
viyed. Camlion, Fred. Bolton and my
self, however, still held together, and
neither one of us, in all the dangers to
which we had been exposed, had ever
received a wound.
Our acquaintance antedated the war.
We had been classmates in Harvard
university. | remember we used to
nickname CamliOn ''captain'' long be-
fore the war of the rebellion was
thought of. He was tall, strong and
serene, with dignit, about him half
boyish and half manly, which made
| him respected as well as loved. He
was president of every college society
to which he belonged; he pulled the
heaviest oar in the university crew.
No eXeTtion tired him, and no provo
cation put him out of temper, though
| do not forget his encounter with Fred
Bolton. 1t was, indeed, the beginning
of their friendship. Fred was Nir-
ginian by birth, though he afterwards
| fought on the northern side; he was
| full of fun and humorous mischief, but
subject to upgovernable Outbursts of
passion. One day he undertook to
play of practical joke on Mrs. Clap
per, our laundress, who was more than
suspected of using chemicals in her
washing. to the detriment of the fab
RIGS committed to her charge. Fred,
who was something of chemist, hit
upon the ingenious device of saturat-
ing one of his shirts with q mixture
which, when brought into contact with
| the ingredients Mrs. Clapper was ac-
cused OF, produced an explosion which
utterly upset her and her Washtub, and,
besides rendering the old lady almost
idiotic with fright, injured her rathe
severely on the hands and face. Fred
related the incident with great glee at
the supper table that evening. We all
thought it funny and laughed-all ex-
cept Camlion.
'You ought to beg the woman'S par
don, Belton," he said. There was an
immediate silence when his low but
powerful voice struck in, and every
body turned toward him as he sat with
both hands resting on the edge of the
table, and his face, which was the type
of the young Grecian Hercules, slowly
reddening. Fred laughed, fancying at
first that Camlion was chatting. But
in moment the latter added, ut was
blackguardly thing to do"
Thereupon Fred jumped up, white
with rage.
"WilI you take that back ?" he called
out
Il said it was a shameful and cow
ardly trick" was Camlion's answer.
Bolton snatched up heavy bread
knife that lay on the table, and hurled
it with all his force at Camlion's face
1t struck him on the cheek, little be-
low the right eye. It was q murder
Gus act. We all rose confusedly to our
feet, anticipating a violent sequel;
for Camlion could have shaken Bel
toms heart out of him with one hand.
He alone remained seated, however,
pressing his handkerchief to the deep
cash, while he kept lis glance fixed on
sassailant.
"Of course that makes no difference,
Bolton" he said, after pause.
Bolton, who was by no means a bad
fellow, had no sooner done the deed
than he was sorry for it, and manfully
said as much on the spot.
II don't care a fig about this" an
swered Camlion quietly; "but, "he add
ed, with the grim tenacity which was a
feature of his character, "you ought to
make it up to Mrs. Clapper."
The upshot was that Bolton yielded,
and presented Mrs. Clapper with $25
and handsome apology. But the in
cident aroused good deal of discus
sion, and opinion was for awhile some
what divided as to Camlion's behavior.
Some declared that he ought to have
sent the southernor Il challenge; but
most of Us felt that duel would have
been a gratuitous absurdity for a man
like CamEon, and it was a sign of the
general confidence felt in him that no
one yentured to intimate that the fact
of Bolton being a VIGOROUSLY dead shot
had anything to do with the pacific
termination of the affair. Camlion
himself never alluded to it in any way,
but as | have said, the two men after
ward became firm friends, and Bolton,
who had before belonged to the fast set,
gradually mended his ways under
Camlion's influence, and Joined the
athletic party.
Another follower of Camlion's-and
he had many, though his intimates
were few-was Frank Capel, also a
southerner, and a well-mannered pleas
ant fellow enough. He was chiefly
noted, however, for his fanatical devo-
ton to certain famous sister of bis, to
whose praise his friends were obliged to
listen in season and out. She was, &C
cording to Frank, the cleverest, most
beautiful, most fascinating creature
above ground, Her dancing, her rid
ing, her music were all perfection, and
Frank used to declare that she could
beat Fred Bolton hollow at shooting.
"Why, I've seen her." Frank ex-
claimed, take her revolver and put
bullet through each of the fingers of
my glove while was throwing it up in
the air ten PAGES away from her"
In short, she was the ideal of all that
woman can or might be, and We look
ed forward with interest to her promis-
| ed appearance on our class day.
| well introduce Camlion to her,