The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1898-09-18
CHAPTER III.

An unhappy man was Major Brooks
that gloomy month of March. The news
from Washington via department. head
quarters was most discouraging to Law
renee, He was both looking and doing
ill. It seemed to ''break him all up, -
said letter from a friend in the adjL-
tant generals Office, that SO few could
be found to urge the secretary to do
something for him. What could they
do? was the answer. Admitting that
Lawrence had been grievously wronged,
"whose fault was it?'' said the secre-
tary; ''not mine" He had only acted
on the information and recommendation
of officers to whom this work had been
intrusted. If they had erred, he should
have been informed of it before. 'EHow
could you be informed said the sena-
tor who had champiened the poor fell
lows cause, "when you resorted to
system that would have shamed Span
lard in the days of the inquisition or
the Bourbons with their lettres de cachet
and the Bastille?" 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 ar
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,
gallant volunteer brigade commander,
then III prosperous circumstances at
Washington, had given him the shelter
of his hoDre, only too gladly keeping
him i'll ratiJDs and cigars, as he would
have done i'll clothes and pocket money,
but he shoe. 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 Lawreuce's 6
pride seemed crushed and his heart
broken. Legal advisers told his friends
at last that restoration was impossible.
His place was filled. He had only one
course left # he would listen to nothing
but restoration to the army, and that
was to accept a second lieutenancy and
begin over again at the bottom of the
list. They hroached it to him, and he
broke out into wild, derisive laughter.
"Good God do you mean that a man
who has served 15 years in the, army,
fought all throught the war and served
as have served, must step down from
the squadron captaincy to ride behind
the boys just out of the Point? Be ranked
out Of quarters by my own son-in-law
the next thing know! I'll see the army
III hi first, - was his furious reply.
"No, Ned, not hell, but Texas. Take
it. Go back to the line, and once you re
back in the army in any grade we'll
iegislate 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 the
prestige of his first appearance at
Worth ana 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 lioutenants
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 shroudet
in mystery. A rumor came that he haG
decided not to join at all; that he wa,
in Washington striving to arrange 1
transfer; that his assignment to tht
regiment and to the post where he mus
meet the woman who had Tilted hin
for a cavalry subaltern was something
unforeseen and not to be tolerated. Th'
muster roll couldn't account for hin
other than as permitted to delay thre,
months by special orders No. so-and-so
war department.. A. G. O., Jan. 25
1871. This gave Hodge unlocked fo
re-enforcements A fortnight passed il
March without a bid to dinner any
where without request for further mar