Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1892-03-11
AN ARMY STORY.

The orderly sergeant finished calling tn
roll, slipped the list of names under tn
button of his blouse, opened a second bit Q
paper and read
| Sergeant Higgins, with Private
Abrams, Evans, Larsen and Stone, will re
| port at 10 o'clock tomorrow morning
armed and mounted, to escort the com
handing officer and his family to For
| Warner"
Morning broke dark and gloomy. Their
| was promise of snow in the dense gra,
clouds of the west. There was promise o
rain, the unsteady wind from the south.
At 10 o'clock the colonel stepped in al
ambulance up there by the door of tn
commanding officers quarters and tolt
the driver to go ahead.
He was very proud old man, with ,
record that had grown brighter in battle
He was cold and imperious and command
ing-as an officer should be.
| Ahead of the ambulance rode the tw,
servants of the commanding officer. Be
| hind came the escort.
| The dance at Fort Warner that nigh
will be long remembered. Lieutenant Ga,
was the lion of the evening. He had jus
| come back from a brush with the Piutes
and all reports united in covering hin
| with glory.
He was quick, incisive pompous. II,
knew a great many things, and he told al
| about them.
| He was SO like her father, Dorothy Ian,
| did not like him. Why will we love in on,
man the traits that make us hate another
Lieutenant Gay was captivated by thu
colonels daughter. Maybe he thought thu
alliance would help him in an official way
He overstepped the bounds of prudenc,
| and boosted to a group of superior officer
as they stood in corner of the ballroom
while the walters fitted BY
"Don't anticipate too much, Gay" sale
a captain, bantering. "She looks higher
than YOU"
"She couldn't," said the lion calmly
Then he added, with vain mans rising
voice, Dorothy Lane will marry the lieu
tenant"
A couple just whirling past caught the
boasting, and the lady dropped from he1
companions arm. Turning suddenly upo1
the group of officers the subject of com
ment said swiftly:
'You overrate yourself, sir will moi
marry the lieutenant"
He simply ignored her, and returned tt
continue the gossip. But the other officers
annoyed at his ill taste, had quilted the
corner, and the lion of the evening had tt
hunt up worshipers.
Next day he asked permission to accom-
pany the escort back to Camp Bidwell He
was provided a mount. At 1 o'clock the
little cayalcade marched out of Warner.
II lo 1. I, i ~
skirmish line of snow. The wind in the
east was heavy with rain.
In an hour the front wheels chucked
down in a gully and the ambulance stopped
The commanding officer, laying there al
most on his back, opened his eyes and
swCre.
''We are lost, sir" said the sergeant, from
one side.
''The ambulance is broken" said the
lieutenant, from the other
1--WE must stay here all night" growled
the colonel; and then he cursed the team
ster, and the dance, and the snowstorm,
and the comfortless couch in the ambu-
lance
At midnight some one aroused him by
shouting:
SIT is the Piutesr'
He sprang from his blankets. The snow
had ceased The rain had ended. The
cold moon was shining. There was bit
ter fight at the door of the ambulance.
The horses had been stabbed. Their picket
rope was broken and they were galloping
aimlessly about He caught one, mounted
and hurried away.
Some one was swinging a saber down
there by the wrecked ambulance. He had
cut an open space and was pushing the
fight, slashing, running forward, retreat
ing, darting to the right, springing to the
left. It was carte point and right cut,
tierce, and left swing, en- quartz and down
sweep.
That was Private Larsen. In the hour
of need he took command.
"Fetch up three horsesr' he shouted;
and the sergeant came leading two OF
them.
Larsen pulled woman from the ambu-
lance and set her upon one of them.
mount the others and bring them
along" he commanded. Then he sent the
saber home with a clang, picked up car
bine and darted away, leading the horse
with its clinging rider
At daylight he saw horseman skulking
in the rocks. He did not like him, and he
fired one shot as challenge.
It was the recreant Lieutenant Gay-ion
of the ball yesterday, pitiful coward this
morning.
That evening as the men stood in line to
answer roll call the orderly sergeant an
nounced promotion. Private Larsen was
made corporal by order of the commanding
officer.
He was made sergeant two weeks later,
when one noncommissioned man was dis
charged and another insubordinate, made
proper opening.
AS spring approached the commanding
officer was taken sick of fever. Lieuten-
ant Gay undertook to attend him, but he
annoyed the colonel.
On Sunday inspection the officer Of the
day pushed his scrutiny into little cup
board at the head of Sergeant Larsen's
bunk and found it full of volumes.
"Who reads this?" asked the major.
holding up volume of Faust"
II read them" replied young Larsen.
ROW did you come in the army-ln the
ranks?"
event broke, got discouraged. enlisted
rather than beg or be dependent. Money
came from home next day. It was toe
late"
"Why didn't you desert?" The familiar
ity of the man had dropped to the banter
of comradeship. "No-no; know that
You couldn't do dishonorable thing like
chat. Will you come up to the colonel!
house this afternoon and read to him?"
1t was very pleasant hour for the man
| It was rest and recreation for the colonel
| Dorothy sat beside the window and listened
| to him He had selected a book of al
| ternating sketches and poems. They wer
easy to listen to, They were pleasant to re
member.
'That man is a good soldier" said tn
major. HE is brave and full of resources
eff he has education enough he NIGH
stand examination for promotion to lieu
tenantcy, if he has been in the army Ion,
! enough"
HE couldn't as. long as am an officer,