The Forrest City times., 1894-10-19
A ROWLING SUCCESS.
An Account of Barton's Attempt
 to Enliven the Post.

Barton was young, and as enthusi- astic as only second lieutenant can be. Moreover he had theories. which, except in popular novels, are very bad things for young officers to have; if they are not absolutely useless, they are apt to be worse than useless, very much in the way. He came straight from West Point to a fort near q goodly sized town in the western states and brought with him. besides his own acceptable presence in com munity including five girls and two bachelors, the idea that there should be such thing as sociability in the small circle of an army post.
 Being young person of determine tion, he meant to put his theories into practice, and at first even went so far as to hope that he might bring the non- speaking families to terms again and act the beautiful role of peacemaker.
 1t is in fiction, and in fiction only. that everybody in garrison is as sweet as strawberry jam and lives in perfect harmony with his neighbor. Remember that the army is a fighting institution; if it has not Indians or fairer foes to battle with, it will set up system of civil strife wonderful in its complexity. What do they find to quarrel about, you wonder? How is it possible to ask. knowing that handful of people, all with more or less natural energy to be disposed of, are shut mp, year after year, within the narrow limits of a reservation. without ever a change of scene and rarely having new blood infused into their veins. Familiarity is said to breed contempt. In this one phrase lies the reason of it all. These dozen or two of congenial and uncongenial people are for time on a footing of the greatest intimacy and familiarity; no wonder. then, that contempt fol- lows and is in turn followed by dis like.
 After. very little experience. Bar ton gave up the role of peacemaker. He found that it was most likely to end in his inheriting, not the earth, but corner of Cove ntry. So he tried to work out his theories on the few re- Ahot tofS N'hC WI AAON VI strictly official terms.
 It was astounding to his young and untried spirit that so many people could be so entirely lost to sense of the pleasures to be gotten out of this world, such as moonlight rides and walks, picnics, private theatrieals md hops. He suggested rides. The two bachelors were cavalrymen. and said they rode for living and not for fun; two of the girls could ride, but one hadn't habit, the other two were afraid to try it. Barton got mp some riding parties of two-himself and the one girl: but she was the least charm ing of the quartette, so he found them dull. He ventured upon suggesting some walks, but the idea was secuted. Walk in that alkali dust. with coyote howls the only sounds in the air. They mocked at his youthful ardor. The board walk around the parade ground was good enough for them, if they wanted to stroll; but as that was per fectly within the range of vision of some two hundred and fifty enlisted men, it was not agreeable to saunter along with nice girl under their eyes. Barton gave that up and tried picnics. All the world knows that a picnic is trying to the sweetest tenn per, to the most complacent souls. The outcome of this particular one was that it put one more family on the official terms" list. No one could be worked up to the private theatrieais point, for in army, as in civil, life