Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1897-01-19

pend week before it became due, and
it would be spent before it was fully
earned. Close never spent cent, that
anyone could see or hear Of, but he
was on hand to draw it as early as
any of the rest. He would take his
check and vanish. The total footing
up of his pay, rations, servants allow
ance. "fogy," and all, was one hundred
and some dollars and siXty-eight cents.
They used no coin smaller than the
"nickcl" Give cents) in the south in
those days, and it was the practice of
the banks and money-changers gener-
ally to give the customer the benefit
if the check called for more than half
the value of the nickel, otherwise to
hold it themselves. If the amount were
SO cents the customer got only so; if
it were SO cents he was paid SIS. Those
officers who kept bank account, and
there We're three or four, perhaps, who
did so, simply deposited their check for
it's face value and had done with it. 1t
was supposed that such was Closes GUS
tom; but he was wiser in his generation,
as was learned later. Close took his
check to the paying teller and got 100
and some dollars and 70 cents. Then
he deposited this cash with the clerk
cents ahead by the transaction. When
it was finally discovered and he was
politely told that hereafter he would
be credited only with the sum called
| for on the face of his check, Close got
it cashed elsewhere and deposited his
10 cents regularly as before. but what
he does it for is a mystery" said the
| bank official who let this stable cat out
of the bag, "for he never has more than
a few dollars on deposit more than a
week. He checks it out through some
concerns up north"
No wonder the fellows wondered
what Close did with his money. A SOL
dier servant made up his room and
BACKED his boots; company laundress
washed the very few items sent to her
each week, and declared that>the cap
tain stopped the price of two pairs Of
gloves out of her wages because she
wore the thumb off one of them scrub
bing the dirt off the other. He never
went to theater, opera, or other diver
sion; never took part in any of the
gayeties of the garrison; never sub
scribed for newspaper or magazine,
but was always on hand to get first look
at those service journals which were
intended for the post library. He
smoked an old black brier-root pipe,
which he charged with commissary plug
tobacco, preferring it 10 all others. He
chewed tobacco-navy plug-and did
not care who knew it. lie shaved him
self, and when his hair needed trimming
it was done by the company barber,
He had no bills. He would be neither
borrower nor-well, therewas some talk
about his lending money on unimpeach,
able security and usurious interest. but
to those officers who applied, either il
jest or earnest, he said he never had q
cent to lend and wouldn't lend it if he
had.
Then what on earth did Close do with
his money?
Much of this was told to Lambert il
New Orleans. More of it he learned
later. On this particular day he was
destined to have another peep into tn.
peculiarities of this most unusual char
acter.
He had walked perhaps half mile
revolving these matters in his mint
and keeping occasional loolSoutfo Par
melee's (Which was evidently furthel
away than he had been led to suppose)
when he heard some one shouting ate
= Him. 1t was soldier. running hard
and in moment Lambert recognized il
: him the affable corporal who was th
first to receive him that morning. Thi
time the corporal saluted as he came
painting, to halt. Possibly Sergt
Burns had been giving the company
pointer"
"Did anybody pass you, lieutenant?-
anybody on horseback
NO." answered Lambert, wonderin,
what now might be coming.
"Well, cap says-er rather-the car
tain Mapta YOU to come back. pidn