Williston graphic. (Williston, Williams County, N.D.) 1895-1919, 1897-09-10
6APTAIN CLOSE
nv CAPTAIN CHARLES KING,
copyright, 1894, by J. B. Llppincott Col
Kill.

Madam NdILOu, duu OA1J 'dS uely awe
70 what might be going on in the house
hold-for there were days when she
Law dull and apathetic, yet theoretically
shared from suffering-it was Esther's
dnty and fondest care to minister to
her mothers needs even at a time when
her heart was torn with anxiety on &C.
count of her husband, now a prisoner
in the hands of the United States mar.
shall at the capital, and of her brother
who, under the orders of the general in
command of the department, had been
sent under guard to New Orleans. there
to await his trial by court-martial for
The crime of desertion. The visits OF
the old family physician were frequent,
for the invalid had had too much to suf-
( fer and seemed incapable of further
struggle. Floyd was twice permitted
70 visit his mother during the two days
that elapsed before telegraphic orders
came in his case. She knew him, cIurg
TO him, yet seemed unable to realize
that he was going from her. She once
or twice asked if Judge Summers had
been heard from, for Cousin Bart had
written fun details of Floyd's trouble,
and the family united in urging him to
make an appeal to certain influential
friends of the ante bellum days, who
had scandalized the Waltons by their
loyalty to the old flag. Then Lambert
wrote q letter which Close signed and
sent to the department headquarters,
and the boy, remembering some kind
words said to him by his fathers old
friend, ventured on a personal letter
to the general himself, pleading Wal
on's case and portraying the fami1y's
distress. 1t was this letter that over
came Esther's objection to the advice
Of Mr.. Potts to the effect that they take
Mr.. Lambert in as day boarder. And
within 4S hours of his initial appearance
lat their table Mrs. Scroggs, as he was
the first to address his blushing hostess,
was more than reconciled to the step.
But If she was, Miss Kate was not.
The wrath and indignation of that
young lady can hardly be described. 1t
was one thing, she declared, for her to
sell eggs and butter to a gentleman who
was friend of Floyd's, who told her he
despised his captain as much as she did,
who had enlisted only because he had
been promised immediate promotion to
captaincy, and who never would have
done so even then, had he known that
soldiers could be used to persecute the
people of the south. He was only wait
ing for his commission to come-or his
discharGe-to tell Capt. Close what he
thought of his conduct. It was all very
we'll to make friends with gentleman
like Mr. Riggs, who had been dear
brother Floyd's friend at Quitman be-
fore he fell in love with that horrid
designing Yankee girl who had led him
On to 'cohtin'" her when she was all
the time engaged to that rich ragpicker
Or whuteveh he might be. Mr.. Riggs
mad behaved like a puhfect gentleman.
lshe had forgotten the little bill he had
oeen running up and was so long vainly
'nportuned to pay. She also attached
Slight Importance to Barton's state
mcnt that Brother Floyd said Riggs
was fraud and liar, and responsible tor
mnch-though not all-of his trouble"
AS a. between Mr.. Riggs and this new
lankee lieutenant, who had dared to
'lsguise himself and seek to make her
acquaintance, she had but one opinion;
Msgs was driven to drink and desertion
W having had to serve under such
ofutes. She declared she would starve
rather than eat under the same roof
win Lieut.. Lambert, insisted on stay
us IN her mothers room and being
served there, and was conspicuous by
ner absence from the table for the first
70 hours since Lambert's admittance,
ussplte Esther's pleading and Barton's
''oicule. "You may think it fine to take
suoney from such people, Mrs. Scroggs,"
,oe declared, with high dis
us'n; but you never would if mob
was well enough to know whit was 60
"e on (Moh is the only alpha betical
sonolnation that can think of which
Ten approximately represents Miss
As.es pronunciation of the term by
'n'ch she was accustomed to refer to
aer mother). But if Miss Kate were in
ugnant before, she was simply furions
wen her married sister responded,
"un exaspcnting calm:
and yet you took Mr.. Lambert's
x Soney in payment for your butter,
An didn't. How day-ah you say so,
1'tn"h? 1t was Mr.. Riggs"
~ tloyd says it wasn't. Floyd says
t man had not had cent for three
r.eks You know yourself it was Mr..
~nnert there at the fence both nights,
~. u you know why that wretch couldn't
nave been there
~ AMI wuhk every finguh to the bone,
w tll it's paid back" cried Miss Wal
~, An it was mean an contempt
~" e an cowuhdly in him to fawce it on
a. he did-to listen to whut wasn't
s.nt TO- his yuhs at all" By his
'"ns" Aiss Walton meant those or.