Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1897-05-13

''But in case of disturbance, or de
mands for more detachments, or men
wanting to go away"
There won't be nuthin' now fur a
week. Dos you like about givin' the
men iittlv hber.s. They've had a
good deal. Everything Ground here viii
be quiet enough, and you'll hear what
Pm after-well. when I've got it
That night, though worn and weary
and dowuhearted, Lambert could hard
" sleep. At IL the little detachment
had trudged away into the blackness
of the night, and the tramp OF their
march was swallowed up in the rustic
OF the crisp brown foliageand the creak
Of overhanging branches. The men re-
naming in camp crawled back 10 their
blankets; the cook fire smoldered away,
only occasionally whirlins forth re-
luctant fight Of sparks in response to
some vigorous puff of the restless wind;
the sentry yawned and dawdled about
the wagon and the store tent: even the
mules seemed go sympathetic with their
recovered associate that no whisper OF
a bray came from their pen on the bank
OF the stream Lambert had received
the assurance OF his sergeant that the
missing men would surely turn up be-
fore breakfast on the morrow, and had
given permission to that harassed and
evidently disgusted official to go to bed.
Then, after a turn around his sleeping
camp, the young fellow went to his
lonely roost "to think things over"
In the first place, as he lighted his
candle, there was the tin pail which had
rolled out from the Walton hedge row,
and which. on inspection, he had found
to contain about two pounds of fresh
butter, very neatly packed in lettuce
leaves. That proved that the Waltons
still had something of their old garden
left. Lettuce could surely be raised
only under glass at this inclement sea
son. He had hitherto had no time for
close inspection of the contents. Now
"a he turned over the leaves he found a
little slip OF paper on which, in girlish
and somewhat "scratchy" hand were
yenned the words: please send small
currency. It's hard to get change. You
can have buttermillt tomorrow night IL
you'll bring pitcher. Due, $50. You
llihNb DtAl ~ WHO AiAAANH hlbob hhfC -
"Now, who on earth is this young
lady's customer?" thought Lambert,
Surely not Close. He never spends
cent on butter. Nobody else lives nearer
than ParInelee's to the north or town
10 the south. Can It b. that some of the
from this quarter and running mp but
ter bill ?" Burns had spoken of trouble
between the captain and the old lady
and OF all hands being forbidden 10
enter the Walton grounds on any pre-
text whntcver. That, of course, did not
prohibit the men from buying what the
Walton servants offered for sale outside
the fence, and II they were so strnitenei
In circumstances they might be glad TO
find q market for their surplus produce
even among the Yankee invaders, pro-
vided Nine Walton were kept in ignor-
nnce of the traffic She was uncom-
promising No intercourse with, no
recognition of, the barbarians, was her
rule to lsith and kin, and the few negroes
who stilthung about the crumblng old
place repeated her words with the fear
born OF lou1-continucd discipline under
her roof and rod in the days of thei. en-
forced and unqueshoning scrvitude.
These and other items OF information
as to his surroundings the young lieu
tenant had obtained from Sergt. Burns
IN the course of their evening watch to-
gether. lie had no other means of
studying the situation, and was but one
OF many new and comparatively mex
perienced officers thrown upon their
own resources at ieoIateu posts among
"the states lately in rebellion" Notyet
"a hours on duty with his company, he
had been ordered to proceed with an
armed force to the succor of officers or
law supposably besieged by rebellious
mob, and now, at midnight. in the heart
of q strange country and far from the
heart of it's people he was commanding
officer of his company and camp, with
out definite instructions of any kind
and only his native common sense TO
guide him.
Lambert has since told two women
his wife and his mother-how his
thoughts wandered back TO the peace
full old homestead In the far northland,
and to the teachings of his boyhood
ud1E. Ilt ~ oAhAhy ''k Nv
the feeling of loneliness that oppressed
him. He wished the wind did not blow
so sull1ily, in such spiteful, vicious
pufPs. 1t seemed as though nature had
combined with old Lady Walton to give
him l1ngracions welcome 10 this par
ticularly shady side OF the sunny south.
The wind itself was whispering sarcas-
tic and whitening remarks to him, Ike
those the sergeant repeated "a coming
from Madam Walton TO the defcnseless
captain; and even Burns sense OF sub
ordination could not down his impulse
TO chuclsle over some Of them. What
would Lambert do or say II the prim
and starchy dame were to call upon
him, a, she occasionally had on his su-
perior, driving him at last to the refuge
of the nethermost depths Of his tent,
whence. as Burns declared, "the cap
tain couldn't be induced to come out
| til the old lady was back inside her
own doorY'
The last time he "tied up Riggs
| a punishment much rcsortcd to In the
rough war days and those that closely
! followed Them, especially by those OIL
GERS who were themselves graduated
! from the ranks or the voluntccrs-it
was for trcspass on the Walton place
! The fellow had climbed the fence and
! was pilfcring among the old fruit trees
when caught by Madam Walton. That
was bad enough, but he had been Inn
pudcnt TO her, which was worse. The
men themselves would probably have
! ducllcd him I'm the stream-the old
self-respecting soldiers, that tis-had the
captain not ordered his summary pun
ishment. Lambert 1qg wondering
what steps no should take in the inter.
ests Of discipline, when he finally blew
out his candle, determined, II n possible
thing, TO get to sleep. 1t was just &
qunrter-past IL when he wound his
watch and slowed It under his rude
pillow. His revolver, the days pur
chase, lay, with some matches, close al
hand. He had even placed his sworc
and belt NJ the foot ~ his cot The
last thing he thought OF before closing
his eyes was that he would have to gel
lantern on the morrow, even il he