The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1893-12-01

p
Russian shoulder knots, riding
breaches. boots and spurs, there were
not lacking those among the sturdy
foot who looked upon the whole pro-
ceeding with great disfavor. Cram had
two ''rankers" with him when he came,
but one had been transferred out in
favor of Warning, and now his battery
was supplied with the full complement
of ubalterns-Doyle, very much out of
place, commanding the right section
las platoon was called in those days.,
Warning commanding the left, Ferry
serving as chief of caissOns, and Pierce
as battery adjutant and general utility
man. Two of the officers were gradu-
ates of West Point and not yet three
years out of the cadet uniform. Under
these circumstances it was injudicious
in Cram to sport in person the aiguil-
lettes and thereby set an example to
his subalterns which they were not
slow to follow. With their gold hat
braids, cords, tassels and epaulettes,
with scarlet plumes and faeings, he and
his officers were already much more
gorgeously bedecked than were their
AtC DOcl
old Rounds, had said nothing, because
he had had his start in the light artil-
lery and might have lived and died a
captain had he not pushed for volun-
teer regiment and fought his way up
to division command and lieuten-
ant colonelcy of regulars at the close
of the war, while his seniors who stuck
to their own corps never rose beyond
the possibilities of their arm OF
the service, and probably never will.
But BraxtOn, who succeeded as post
commander, knew that in European
armies and in the old Mexican war
days the aiguillette was ordinarily the
distinctive badge of general officers or
those empowered to give orders in
their name. 1t wasn't the proper thing
for linesman- battery, cavalry or foot
to wear, said Brax, and he thought
Cram was wrong in wearing it, even
though some other battery officers did
so. But Cram was just back from
Britain.
why, sir, look at the life guardsi
Look at the horse guards in London!
Every officer and man wears the
aiguillette." And Braxton was Briton
by birth and breeding, and that ended
it-at least SO nearly ended it that
Grams diplomatic invitation to come
up and try some Veuve Clicquot, extra
dry, upon the merits of which he de-
sired the colonel's opinion, had settled
it for good and all. Braxton's officers
who ventured to suggest that he trim
the plumage of these popinjays only
got snubbed, therefore, for the time be-
ing, and ordered to get the infantry
full dress forthwith, and Cram and his
guartette continued to blaze forth in
gilded panoply until long after Sam
Warning led his last german within
those echoing walls and his name lived
only as dim and mist-wreathed MEM
DRY in the annals of old jackson bar
racks.
But on this exquisite April morning
no fellow in all the garrison was more
prominent, if not more popular De-
spite the slight jealousy existing be-
tween the rival arms of the service,
there were good fellows and gallant
men among the infantry officers at the
post, who were as cordially disposed
towards the gay lieutenant as were the
comrades of his own (colored) cloth.
This is the more remarkable because
he was never known to make the faint
est effort to conciliate anybody and
was utterly Indifferent to public
opinion. 1t would have been fortune
far better than his deserts, but for the
fact that by nature he was most gen.
b
soldiers of the battery were devoted to
him. The servants, black or white,
would run at any time to do his capri
cious will. The garrison children
adored him. There was simply no
subject under discussion at the bar
racks in those days on which
such utter variety of opinion ex-
listed as the real character of Lieut..
Sam Waring. AS to his habits there
was none whatever. He was a bon
vivant, a ''swell," a lover of all that
gracious in life. Self-indulgent, said
everybody; selfish, said some; lazy,
said many, who watched him day
dreaming through the haze of cigar
smoke until a drive, a hop, a ride or
an opera party would call him into
action. Slow, said the men, until they
saw him catch Mrs. Winslow's runa-
way horse just at that ugly turn in
the levee below the south tower
Cold-hearted, said many of the women,
until Baby Brainard's fatal illness,
when he watched by the little suffer
er's side and brought her flowers and.
luscious fruit from town, and would
sit at her mothers piano and play soft,
sweet melodies and sing in low, tremu-
lous tone until the wearied eyelids
closed and the sleep no potion could
bring to that fever-racked brain would
come at last for him to whom child
love was incense and music at once a
passion and prayer. Men who little
knew and less liked him thought his
enmity would be but light, and few
men knew him so well as to realize
that his friendship could be firm and
true as steel.
And so the garrison was mixed in it's
mind as to Mr.. Warning, and among
those who heard it said at the mess
that he meant at all hazards to keep
his engagement to breakfast in town
there were some who really wished he
might cut the sudde nly-ordered review
and thereby bring down upon hin
nonchalant head the wrath of
Col. Braxton.
TTo BE Continued