Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1885-07-30
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LOCKWOOD'S FATE.

LOCKWOOD'S FATE.
A Youth Who Knew How to Keep
the Secret Intrusted to Him.
In the gloomy winter of 1873 General
Putnam, with his army, was stationed in
the quaint old town Of Reading. Wash
ington, wishing to support West Point in
case of attack, and at the same time cover
the country that skirted Long Island
Sound, commanded the irascible old war
rior to choose some place from which both
purposes could be easily accomplished and
then go into winter quarters. The town Of
Reading was thus favorably situated, and
''Old Put" made his headquarters at the
farm house OF patriot, Marvin by name,
who was a cousin of the General. The
venerable and messy brown house has
been for many years an object of historical
interest by reason Of this fact. It has
stood almost unchanged, save that the
rains and SHOWS Of q century have obliter-
ated the vivid red which was its color once,
excepting under the caves of the long
sloping roof, where dull patches of the
tint remain.
One stormy afternoon in March, when
the snow and sleet beat fast and furious
against the little window panes, weaving
thick curtains rapidly thereon, General
Putnam sat at his rude table in the front
he was greatly displeased, probably with
the information that he gathered from the
reports that he was busily examining. A
Young man of handsome features, and
whose tall and sinewy figure wns CARRIED in
uniform that was faded and sadly worn.
stood listlessly at the window. He seemed
TO be idly waiting the pleasure of lis COM
mander, and he found nothing bettei to do
than to look out upon the white-she. he'd
trees and dreary fields, and upon the
rough huts of the soldiers, that stretched
away to the edge of the forest. A few
sentinels, battling with the storm with
Bonded heads, and the heavily hanging
cabins were the only signs of life. The
young man knew that within these huts
were discomfort and anger that we're fast
clothing, poor and in efficient food, and
long arrearages of pay.
The furious scratching of a quill pen at
the Generals table was interrupted by a
sudden sharp, cracking sound. that iudi
Gated that the points had caught in a de-
feet in the paper, and had thereby frescoed
the sheet with blotches of ink. An impatient
ejaculation. rounced of with a vigorous
oath, confirmed the suspicion.
The Young man turned to the General:
"Can not help you now, sir:" he asked,
scarcely able to restrain the smile that
showed in his eyes, as he saw the great
unconquered General overcome by so
trivial a thing as the perversity of quill
pen.
"Yes, YOU can mend NV pen and get a
lipht.n
at grows dark early TODAY. sir said
aNot SO dark here as it grows over in
that camp. This discomfort is getting very
dark. It threatens mctiny, but I'll have
none. I'll crush it, II have to blow 'em to
eternityn
"Do YOU think the discomfort so threat
ening?v the officer asked
s.Threateningy Yes. It's getting terri
blv hot. and the worst of it is, the men
have reason for it. I don't care so much
about their paw: they,I get that some
time: but their rations are bad and scarce
very scarce, whitney, and some of these
fellows are doing duty barefooted. It's a
deuced disgrace. But they're my soldiers
and by Heaven this mutiny has got to stop
Why, the Connecticut brigade are pro.
posing to march in q body to Hartford and
get redress from the Assembly at the
point of the bayonet. They ought to have
Major Whitney lighted two tallow can an;