The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1898-03-17

Is ceuciously penstve ana languorous
as the light wanes. The last cadence Of
the trumpets Is followed by the sunset
gun; then. to the stately measures q
the "Star-Spangled Banner" the flag
slowly descends till It drops to the
ground with the closing strain. The
landscape, too. fades in music. The en-
battled cliffs change into billowy
masses Of reds and grays. The clumps
Of bristling pinon trees blend into
darkling slope of green. The clouds
foat in a sea Of moving color. All na-
ture in that brsathless afterglow echoes
the meaning Of retreat-peace and rest.
From reveille 10 retreat the day 10
occupied with saber practice, gymnas-
tics. and horse exercise In winter; with
drills. sham battles, and target practice
In summer. The leisure hours Of the
enlisted men arc also well provided for.
Outdoors he has football and baseball,
hunting and fishing. Indoors he has
reading-room and library as well as
concerts and balls.
In the Officers row the days are not
less busy than In the barracks opposite.
Though the average military man is not
deeply interested in general literature,
upon his own subjects he is well read.
He often studies, too. topics related to
the comparatively unknown regions Of
our country which he fnhabits, and be-
comes an expert in natural history,
archaeology and Indian folklore. The
officers wife also has tactics to master
In this land Of no shops, no markets,
no dressmakers. The daily meals re-
quire careful foresight when butter and
eggs must be bought In Kansas, vege-
tables and fruit in California. The
Thanksgiving turkey and celery and
cranberries are bespoken by letter be-
fore the president has issued his
proclamation, and baby's dolls and toys
are ordered from catalogues two
months before Christmas. The sewing
is done by the mothers skil!ful fingers,
aided by patterns and fashion plates.
With all these industries she finds time
10 play the piano. to read. to visit. and to
teach the children their earliest lessons.
In the club-room, tales of stirring In
dian campaigns are told and retold by
the veterans; and surely those who have
made the peace Of the plains should be
permitted to fight their battles DER
again In the quiet Of the garrison.
These heroes of our Indian wars form a
naive and unworldly type-ttnt Of an
A ~, or;o,p xrbo ;v n n ri Hl al ~. tho ~, ros
of the voter, the competitions of trade,
or the rivalries Of civil professions.
a different type Is the young lieu
tenant. Fresh from the problems and
dreams Of West Point. he gallantly ac-
cepts the drudgery and discipline OF the
western garrison as preparation for
his career. The zeal with which he
drills and rides enters into his dancing
and dining; he is tireless either on
scout or at a picnic. At length, how
ever. listlessness creeps over this eager
youth; for the monotony Of duties and
Of pleasure is the chief trial of frontier
life. When his horse pals upon him.
when hops and dinners bore him, he
tries in vain to believe that ''only to
stand and wait" is more heroic than to
fight and win.
Fort Wingate is on the border ofthc
Navajo reservation. where 10000 In
dians have their home; It is also in the
neighborhood of numerous Pueblo IN
dian settlements. Between Indians on
the one side and prospectors on the
other. the army is now called to pro-
'ett the white man from the rcd nan
and then the rel man from the white
man. One April day our garrison WAS
startled by an order directing two
troops Of cavalry to proceed at once to
northern New Mexico. Their mission
was to guard the Navajo Indians from
an invasion of Colorado miners, who
were said to have found gold on the
reservation. A march Of 100 miles lay
before our men across sand wastes and
mountain SUBMITS. through burning
heat by day and freezing cold by night,
with little grass or fuel, and water
scarce and alkaline. Both officers ard
men knew wei, these hardships Of field
service. but for weeks they had heard
no new story. had seen no new face. at
Fort Wingate. and they welcomed
marching orders, even for the desert.
Forewarned. forearmed! While the
kitchens of Officers row were steam.
ing forth dainties for the officers mess.
the soldiers were laying in their goodies
at the post exchange. These consisted
of cheese, jam and tobacco-all snugly
tied together in n red cotton handker-
chief. Away they rode on their six
days march, canteens iingling. sabers
flashing, while the band played cheer
fully: ''The Girl Left Behind Me-"
Two months the troops watched and
waited for intruding prospectors, but
none came. Meanwhile the army Of oc-
cupation had brought welcome mar
ket for grain and hay, cake and pies. to
the little struggling settlement Of
pioneers near their camp. When, there
fore, the squadron turned homeward, IL
was with regretful farewells from their
Ia frsa-.1, L. ~ Iosn-x