Williston graphic. (Williston, Williams County, N.D.) 1895-1919, 1897-10-15
bad been received with cordial and
QYOyVp6 PSfoor,1 hxy In r, ~, or1 Kirsn~,

bad been received with cordial and
avowed esteem by Farnham and Kinsey
and with open arms by Lambert. The
manly fellows in the regiment followed
suit, and they had done much to rub
OFT the uncouth edges, to polish the
rough exterior, and SO reveal the value
Of the gem within, and Close was plod-
ding contentedly along as quartermas-
ter of four-company post, when the
blow fell. Minor, now lieutenant
colonel, was in command of the
-teenth, the old adjutant and quarter
master in command Of him. There was
no need of asking whence the unseen
allegations came.
An i'll wind it is indeed that blows
nobody good. In the general "shal<e-
up there came a colonel to the regi-
ment whose first official act was to &C.
cept the designations of the two staff
officers and to appoint Lambert ad-
jutant. II wish you had gone in for
a commission" said he to Floyd, whom
he had known in his sergeant days in
Texas, but Floyd replied that if this
treatment of Close was a specimen of
army justice he reckoned railroading
would suit him better. Whereupon the
new colonel swore that if Close were
| only back again he'd make him quarter
master and let his oppressors see the
other side of his story; but Close never
came.
With certain other wronged and as
tonished men, he had gone to Washing
ton AMI pleaded his case before most
harassed and unhappy cabinet official
who was no longer able to undo the
| mischief, the senate having confirmed
the nominations to the vacancies thus
| created.
''He allowed that he guessed few
mistakes might have been made long
of his putting too much faith in what
some officers told him." wrote Close
to Lambert, "but that in nine cases out
of ten the thing was all right. I told
him l hadn't come to talk about any
body's rights or wrongs but my own;
what l wanted was the captaincy I
was clean bilked out of. lie said that
he couldn't fix that anyhow. The only
thing was to take a second lieutenancy
| and start back at the bottom of the
ladder again. Some of them-poor fell
lows who'd been so long in the army
they didn't know any other way of liv-
ing and supporting their famiies-was
| fools enough to do it, but I'D see him
| damned first, and nigh onto told him
SO.
Il guess I've had bout enough of it
any how, Lambert. I did my best for
the government in the days when if we
fellows hadn't done our best there
mighty soon wouldn't of been any
government 'cept jeff Davis, and if
this here's a specimen of the best the
government can do for a man that
got plugged pretty full of lead fighting
for it, why. next war that comes around
] want to be a sutler and nothing else
Lucky amt as bad, off as the rest.
The boys are doing first-rate, and the
girls are we'll hitched to very decent
farmers, both of 'em, and bout all I've
got to look alters my property.
They're running two railroads through
there Cow, and it won't be long before
I can be a senator or secretary, if I
can't be a sutler. Now, I'm going back
to Spirit Lake, where I'm building the
prettiest home in the Hawkeye state,
and it'll be all ready to welcome you
and Mrs. Lambert and-well-just az
soon a. she feels like travelling again
J and you must come and spend a long
leave with me. I amt got any chill
dren of my own, and my kindred are
kind of wrapped up in theirs, and took
shine to you the first day you set
foot in that old mudhole of a camp
at Tugaloo. So DON'T you fret about the
future, Lambert. You stood by me
when 1 hadn't friend, and-my willis
adj made, boy, and don't you forget it.
Yours truly, ]. P. CLOSE
"P S,-Dam the Cap,"