Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1897-03-09

Oft 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 a 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
no 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-
ment whose first official act was to ac-
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
army justice he reckoned ~railroading
would suit him better. Whereupon tho
new colonel swore that if Close wero
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
tonished men, he had gone to Washing
ton and pleaded his case before a 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 a 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. I told
him / hadn't come to talk about any
body's rights or wrongs but my own;
what l wanted was the captaincy I
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
living and supporting their families
was fools enough to do it, but I'd see
him damned first, and nigh onto told
him so.
II guess I've had bout enough of it
anyhow, 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
got plugged pretty full of lead fighting
for 1t, why, next war that comes around
] want to be u sutler and nothing else.
Lucky / amt as bad, off as the rest.
The boys are doing tirst-rate, and the
girls are well hitched to very decent
farmers, both of 'em, and bout all I've
got to look alters my property.
They're running two railroads through
there row, and it won't be long before
I can be u senator or secretary, il i
can't be a sutler. Now, I'm going back
to Spirit Lake, where I'm building the
prettiest home in the Hawkeye state,
and it'll be all ready to welcome you
and Mrs. Lambert and-well-just as
soon as she feels like travelling again
and you must come and spend a long
leave with me l amt got any chill
dren of my OWL, and my kindred are.
kind of wrapped up ia theirs, and l took
q shine to you the first day you set
foot in TINT old mudhole of a camp
at Tugaloo. So don'tyou fret about the
future, Lambert. You stood by me
when l hadn't a friend, and-my willis
all made, boy, and don't you forget it.
Yours truly, j. p. CLOSE"
up. S.-Dam the Cap"