The Advocate and news., 1898-11-09
CHAPTER III.


quarters was most discouraging to Law
renee. He was both looking and doing
i'll. It seemed to "break him all up,
said letter from a friend in the adju-
tant generals Office, that so few could
be found to urge the secretary to do
something for him. What could they
dop was the answer Admitting that
Lawrence had been grievously wronged,
Whose fault was it?" said the score.
tary; mot mine" He had only acted
on the information and recommendation
Of officers to whom this work had been
intrusted. II they had erred, he should
have been informed Of it before. "How
could you be informed" said the sena-
tor who had ohampioned the poor fell
lows cause, "when you resorted to q
system that would have shamed a Span
lard in the days Of the inquisition or
the Bourbons with their lettres de cachet
and the Bastille9" No one dreamed that
Lawrence was in danger until he was
done to death, and so, out Of money, out
Of clothes, out Of hopes, health and
courage, poor Ned was fretting his
heart out, while tender women and
loyal friends were keeping guard over
his shabby army home and caring for
his two motherlesS lambs away out on
the far frontier, awaiting the day when
he should be restored to them.
1t did not come, nor did Lawrence
An old Comrade Of the Sixth corps, q
gallant volunteer brigade commander,
then in prosperous circumstances at
Washington, had given him the shelter
Of his home, only too gladly keeping
him in rations and cigars, as he would
have done in clothes and pocket money,
but he shook his head at whisky. For
Gods sake, Ned, and for your babies
sake, leave that alone. 1t can't help
you. You never were a drinking man
before Don't drink now, or your nerve
will give out utterly" This and more
he urged and pleaded, but Lawrence's
pride seemed crushed and his heart
broken. Legal advisers told his friends
at last that restoration was impossible
His place was filed. He had only one
course left if he would listen to nothing
but restoration to the army, and that
was to accept second lieutenancy and
begin over again at the bottom of the
list. They broached it to him, and he
broke out into wild, derisive laughter.
"Good God, do you mean that man
who has served 10 years in the army,
fought all throught the war and served
as have served, must step down from
the squadron captainoy to ride behind
the boys just out of the POintG Be ranked
out of quarters by my own son.in.law
the next thing knOwl TIL sec the army
in hi first, was his furious reply.
'No, Ned, not hell, but Texas. Take
It, Go back to the line, and once your
back in the army in any grade We'll
legislate You up to the majority you de-
serve. See if we don't"
But Lawrence had lost all faith in
promises, or in congressional action.
He turned in contempt from the propo.
sition, and in early April came the It'd
ings to San Antonio that he was desper-
atelY i'll.
Meanwhile Mr.. Hodge had lost tho
prestige of his first appearance at
Worth and fell into the customary rut
Of the subaltern. People found him as
monotonous as did the martyrs Of the
upper Platte, and from having been the
most sought after of second lieutenants
he dropped back to the plane of semi.
obscurity. This was CALLING. Hodges
stock in trade had been the facts or ia.
bles in his possession concerning the
absent Captain Barclay, whose present
whereabouts and plans were shrouded
in mystery. A rumor came that no had