Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1897-06-24
XVI.

,users, and stirred up trouble In the
gallant -teenth. This was q matter
close didn't much mind. He was grant
I'd six months leave on surgeons GER
tificate of disability, which meant on
full pay. and he took it very hard that
some means were rot devised TO
send him north under orders. so
that he could draw mileage. He and
Lambert went back TO Tugaloo together
and packed up, for GO" company was
ordered relieved by another, and Close
was there made the happy recipient
Of a pa ss to Chicago, while the old com
pany, after seeing their ex-command-
er safely aboard the sleeper. went on
down he road to New Orleans and
took station once more with regimental
Here Mr.. Lambert found means OF
getting occasional brief leaves of alb
sence and of employing his two or three
davs in visits TO his crstw bile neighbors
OF Walton hall, now corlioItat', domi-
cilcd in . picturesque but soi""'' hat
dilapid2ted old cott5ro cioE- - the
.
been the property or near relative
before the war, and was reclaimed and
put in partial order for their use, ap-
parently. through the efforts Of their
old physician and the energies OF Mr..
Barton Potts. Here the warm, soft,
salty breezes seemed to bring new lease
of life to the beloved invalid, though
1t was plain to one and all she could
never be herself again. Scroggs, her
kinsman son-in-law, was rapidly mend
ing and eagerly casting about for en-
ployment. Floyd, restored to duty with
out trial, was serving patiently and
faithfully with his regiment in Texas,
bent evidently on making good his
words. The two events which seemed
to bring general cheer and rejoicing
to the household were those which three
months before would have been prompt
ly derided as absurd and impossible;
one was the weekly letter from a troop
er in the union blue, the other much
rarer visit from Yankee subaltern
whose profession was not to be disguised
because he was in "cits'." On the oc
casion of his first appearance in that
garb Miss Walton did him the honor to
say: "Ah never did like you, but Al
do think those clothes wuhse than the
Others" This was rather hard, be
cause, as the spring came on, Lambert
lot at the barracks was not rs pleasant
as it might have been, and his com
fort consisted in running over to see
how Madam Walton was doing.
Cram and his battery, with Waring
Pierce, and all, had been ordered away
and then for the first time Lamber
realized, what his regimental comrade:
had marked for months, that he pre-
ferred the companionship of the bat
terry men to that of the men who wore
the bugle, the badge of the infantry il
those benighted days. Old Brax con
cluded he had had enough 81 garrison
life, and sought a long leave. Maj
Minor took command of the regimen
and post, and the adjutant and quarter
master took command of Mai. Minor
It had neither been forgi~en nor forgot
ten by these staff officials that Lam
bert had been equally outsroken in de
Tense of Close and denunciation of hi
accusers. and the further fact that b
preferred to spend his leisure hour
with his Undergraduates of the artil
lery rather than his uncongenial breth
ren of the -teenth gave the offended
ones abundant material to work on
Minor was a wealling-a bureau office
during the war days, man who coulr
muster and disburse, without flaw
but never set squadron in the fiel
without q ''huke." Lambert was a CAP
ital drill-master and tactician, and ''G
company, under his instruction, wa
rapidly overhauling every other IN tn
regiment, even those of Kinsey an
Lively, the two real soldiers among. tn
captains. Miner hated the sight of
page of tactics, and never even hel
dress parade. Lambert had cleal
ringing voice, and Minor couldn't max
himself heard. One morning the oI
derly came to Lambert at company dri
with the majors compliments, an
please to take company 'G' outside tn
garrison, or make less noise" 1t wa
the adiutant's doing, as things turne
out afterwards, but it angered LambeI
against his commander. Then, whe
May came round and he asked for thre
days leave, Minor hummed and have
and looked at his staff officer and fina
" requested that it be submitted
WHITING; and at" came back with cur
Endorsement to the effect that Lieu
Lambert would be expected hereafte
to show more interest in matters col
nected with his regimental duties; tn
application was disapproved.
All this time he had written every fe'
weeks to Close, and got a very nice lie
ter in reply, written by a young fe
low who announced himself as the cal
tain's brother, Wallace. The capital
was getting better-very much bette
but the eve doctors bill was big on
and he thought the government ougl
to pay it. He had bought some land u
there six years before, and, what wit
schools and roads and bridges, the taXt
+ were awful. What he wouldn't min
regiment as quartermaster; but
those days there was no four-year linn
to staff positions, and the incumbent
both adjutant and quartermaster, pr
! posed to hang on as long as possibl
and Lambert replied that he feare
there would be no chance.
And then one day there came tel
/ gram to the commanding officer of Cor
pany Sc" at the barracks with the bri
| announcement that soldier serving
the Twenty-siXth infantry under Il
name of Roberts had been identified
Corporal Floyd Walton, Fourth cavalr
as Private Riggs, a deserter from Il
-teenth. Please send charges ar
descriptive list. Two weeks later Lieu
Lambert was summoned to Austin as
witness before the general court-ma
tial appointed for his trial. The Mo
gan line steamer would not sail unit
Saturday night. There was time to II
over and see If the Waltons had NJ
something to send to their soldier bC
in Texas, and Lambert sent his trur
10 the Morgan wharf while the MObi
boat padded him away through Il
higolets and out into Mississippi souI
and landed him at the familiar pier