The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1897-10-29
own little REBEL he murmured. with

work to win you for a soldiers wife, did
tell me you had had no care or expert
ence in the past. did say she thought
northern officer would have fallen in
love elsewhere; but she never said you
were not fit to be a soldiers wife, and
/ never said l was going to quit being
soldier. l love it better than any
thing in the world-but you"
you did! You said yo'd done with
the sboulder-straps fo'evuh." And up
flashed the indignant gray eyes again,
and this brought the quivering little
mouth. so red and soft and warm, too
close for safety to his yearning lips.
Down they swooped upon their prey.
II didn't" he whispered as he held her
close. Its the old strap-the second
lieutenant's-Tll never wear agin.
I've won my bar now, and my WIFE"
We were sitting one winters evening
nearly two years later in the Lamberts'
quarters at old Fort Scott. Kinsey was
there too, and Floyd Walton with his
bride on their wedding tour. A blazing
fire of hickory logs was swapping on
the hearth, and under the soft light of
the shaded lamp was Katesie, charm
ing picture of young wifehood. her
needle-work dropped in her lap. her
gray eyes following every movement
of her husband, who was declaiming to
his guests and pacing up and down in
uncomfortable excitement.
1t was the January of the "consoii-
dalton year." when by act of congress
IS regiments of infantry were sum-
marily ''telescoped" into half their
number, and some hundreds of officers
and gentlemen who had joined the reg
uIar service at the end of the great war
in the reasonable hope of attaining
suitable rank before they died, found
themselves suddenly bereft of all hope
of promotion and doomed to remain
subalterns and file-closers until they
were so. 1t was the year when to pro-
vide for the superfluous officers of the
consolidated regiments of foot they
were crammed into every obtainable
vacancy in the horse and artillery
when incompetents were ordered be-
fore a board of examiners and given
chance to defend their commissions,
while-oh. the black shame of It'll
ali through the war, but had been at
some sine or other in the past at
odds, personal or official, with certain
of their superiorS, now, without word
of warning, without opportunity of de-
Tense, without knowing who were their
accusers or what the accusations, found
themselves summary dropped from tire
rolls and their places promptly filled.
Among those thusgiven their congo was
Brevet Capt. J. p. Close. first Lieutenant
--teenth infantry, at the moment eX-
pecting his promotion to the captaincy
of company c. THE old man." as
his soldiers called him, had returned to
duty after his six months leave, with
eyesight permanently impaired, and
had 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
off 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 4 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
DO need Of asking whence the unseen
allegations came.
An i'll wind it is indeed that blows
nobody good. In the general ''shake-
up" there came a colonel to the regi-
of io1 of To
cept the designations of the two staff
officers and to appoint Lambert adj
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
array 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
tnnished men. he had gone TO Washing
ton and pleaded his case before n 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. l told
him | hadn't come to talk about any
body's rights or wrongs but my own;
what | wanted was the captaincy /
was clean bilked out of. He 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 families-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. l 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
t-Ot ,luupe6 nreffy full nf lead fiphfinO