Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1897-01-15
I 7 T


in the course of his years of service been
heard to say that of all the odd sensa-
tions he ever experienced that which
possessed him on the occasion of his re-
porting for duty with his first COM
pany was the oldest. Accustomed
during his four years of cadet life to be-
have with punctilious respect in the
presence of officers, young or old, and ac-
customed also through his two months
be treated with even the exaggerated
Difference which the old non-commis-
stoned officers seemed to delight in
showing to young graduates, Lambert
was unprepared for the hail-fellow-well-
met nature of his reception by the en-
listed men and the absolute impassive-
ness of his one brother officer. That it
was utterly different from the customs
obtaining elsewhere in the regular serv-
ice he knew very we'll. In visiting class
mates already on duty with their bat
teries among the New York and New
England forts, as we'll as during his
brief stay at the barracks, he had noted
the scrupulous Difference of the veteran
sergeants when addressing their Off
GERS. He could understand awkward
ness and clumsiness among the recruits,
but the idea of a corporal chatting him
on the cut of his clothes and-the idea
of two months recruit being a corr
poral, anyhow! Never in the tales told
Of the Fire zouaves of 81 had he heard
of anything much more frec-and-easy
than the manners of this camp of regu-
lars. Never in his widest dream had
he figured such specimen of the COM
missioned officer as ne found in Capt.
Close. In the contemplation of this
character the go-as-you-please style of
the enlisted men sank into insignifi-
cance. Long years afterwards Lambert
used to go over this meeting in his mind,
and for two years, often importuned,
he would convulse his brother officers
by vivid description of it. But there
came time when they no longer
laughed and he no longer told the story
save to those he loved and trusted ut
terly.
Aroused by some unusual chatter
among the men, the first sergeant of
company G, smoking pipe while work.
ing over n ration-return, stuck his head
out of his tent and saw n young gen
tleman in light-colorcd suit, courte-
ously raising q drab derby in his kid
gloved hand, while he stood erect with
soldierly ease before the company COM
mander. Sergt. Burns also noted that
some of the men We're tittering and
all of them looking on. One glance
was enough. The sergeant dropped pen
and pipe and came out of his den with
single bound, buttoning his blouse
and glaring about him as he did SO.
Hush your id CAB, you'll" he fierce
ly growled at the nearest group. Get
into your coats, there!" he swore at
another, while with menacing hand he
motioned to others still, whose costume
was even more primitive, to scramble
back to their tents. In ten seconds 81
lence reigned throughout the camp al
most as complete as that which was
maintained, for that time, at the tent
of the commanding officer. Lambert
actually did not know what to say in
response to his supcrior's announce
ment. 1t was full ten seconds, or more,
before he determined in what form to
couch his next remark. He had in
tended to say: II have the honor to
report for duty, sir;" but vague sus-
picion possessed him that this might
be some game at his eXpense-some
prank such as old cadets played upon
"plebes." He compromised, therefore,
between his preconcepticn of strict
ly soldierly report and his sense OF
what might be due his own dignity.
'My name is Lambert" said he. "And
I am here for duty as second lieuten-
ant"
Slowly the man in the camp-chair
laid down his work, sticking the needle
into the flap of the tent and hanging
the thread upon it. Then he hcaved up
cut of the chair, hung the damaged
trousers over its back and came pom
derously forward. Not vestige of g
smile lightened his face. He looked the
young gentleman earnestly in the eye
and slowly extended his big, brown
hairy hand. Seeing that it was meant
for him. Lambert shifted his hat into
the left, leaning his sword against the
tent-pole, and his dainty kidd wild
extravaganza SO soon after the war
was for an instant clasped. then slow
ly released. Capt. Close unquestionably
had a powerful grip"
How'd you Gomez" he asked. "Kind
of expected you Monday evenin'-out
from Quitman."
"The general kept me over a day
or two to let me see New Orleans. III
told me that you would be notified, sir
l hope you got the letter."
ooh, yes. That was all right. Their.
was no hurry. I didn't know as they
could get passes over the Northern.
s'pose the chief quartermaster fixed i
for you, thought" And the brown eye:
searched questioningly the young
officers face.
Passes? No, sir; bought my tick
ct through"
"No! Why, you needn't have done
that. The Quitman roads biddin' fo
all the government freight it can &c
now. They'd have given you a pass in
minute. l suppose you want to b.
quartermaster and comm;ssary Ant
again the brown eyes looked almos
wistfully into the blue.
81? No, indeed, sir. ] don't know
anything but little tactics. What
most want'-with glance arount
and an apclogetical laugh-"is chance
to wash Oh the cinders- and something
TO cnt. I'm hungry as wolf"
| The po,,tain locked troubled "Iy,