The Delta independent., 1898-10-07
CHAPTER /.

"Life IL full of ups and downs,
n lsed the colonel rs he laid on the lit
tered desk before him an official cori-
munication just received fro;a dcpc-t-
ment headquarters, especially ;.G;iiy
life, and more especially Gri&y LIE IL
Texaa"
''Now. what n-o you philoscphi1:nS
about?" asked his second in command, a
burly major. glancing over the tcp Of
the latest hcme paper. three weeks old
that day.
"D'ye remember Pi;ctt, that li.llo
cad that was court martialed NJ San
Antonio in 1868 for quiu;uplicating his
pay accounts? He married the widow OF
old Alamo Hendrix that winter. He's
worth half million today. is running
for congress and will probably bc on tho
military committee next year, while
here's Lawrence, who WIS judge edvo-
cate of the court that tried him, gone
all to smash Ard the veteran officer
commanding the -th Infantry and the
big post at Fort Worth CLAN, ,cd wgrily
along into the adjoining Office, wl,ero
clerk was asserting ths p.pers on the
adjutant's desk.
''It's tie saGaest case ever heard
Of" said Mrjor Brooks. tossing aside
the Toledo Blade and tripping up over
his own, which he had thoughtfuily
propped between his legs rs lie took his
seat and thoughtlcssly ignored rs he left
It. Damn that saber-a,ld the service
generality" ho erowlod us he recovered
his balance and trampcti to the window
-,
Pigott did If could see my way to a
moderate competence anywhere ont of
It. Lawrence was as good n soldier as
we had in the Twelfth. and yet what
can you do or say? Tho mischief
DONE" And. beating the devils tattoo
on the window, the major stood gloom
lily gazing out over the parade.
'.It isn't Lawrence himself I'm Co
Orderly, shut that dcor," cried the
chief, whirling arouud in his chair,
''and tell these clerks l want it Kept
shut until the adjutaut comes and you
stay out OH tho porch. 1t isn't LAW
renee I'm 20 sorcly troubled about,
Brooks He has ability and could pick
mp and do we'll eventually, but hc's ut
terly discouraged and swamped. What's
to become, though, Of that poor child
Ada and his little boy?''
''God knows" said Brooks sadly
1--WE got five Of my own to look after.
aud you've got four. No Use talking of
adopting them, even if Lawrence would
listen, and Eo never would listen to
anything or nyboty-ticy tell me-"
he added after q minutes reflection. 81
don't know it myself. It's what Bux-
ton and Canker and some Of those fel-
lows told me OIL the Republican last
summer. hadn't seen him since Get
tysburg until we met here
Buxton and Cau!ier be-csterminat.
Cd" said the colonel hotly. II never
met Buxton, and never want to. AS for
Canker. by gad. there's another absurd
ity. They put him in the cavalry be-
cause consolidation left no rooin for
him with u.s. What do you suppose
they II do with HIM in tho --th:'
The Lord knows, as said before
He never rode anything but n bobby in
his life. don't wonder Lawrence
couldn't tolerate preaching from him.
But what I don't understand IL who
made the allegation. What's his Of
feisei Every one Knows that he's in
debt and trouble and that Eo's had hard
lines and nothing else ever since the
war. bu; the court acquitted him Of sll
blame In that money brsiness"-
And now to make room for fellows
with friends at court burst IL the
colonel wrathfully. "Hc and other poor
devils with nothing bat fighting rec.
ord and family to provide for aro
turned loose On a years ray. which
they're to Lave after things siraighten
out rs to their accounts with the gov
ernment. Now just loo., at Lawrence.
Ordnance and quart, -master's stores
hopelessly boyglcd'-
"Hushr' interrupted Brooks. starting
back from thu window Here lie Is
now"
Assembly Of tho guard details had
sounded few moments before, and all
over the suushiry parade on lis west
ward side. In frur: Of the various lar
racks, little squads Of soldiers armed
and in fall uniform were standing
awaiting the next signal, while the
pnrches Of the low wooden buildings
beyond were dotted with groups Of com
radcs. lazily looking on. Out on the
grecrswaId. broad and level. crisscross-
ed with gravel walks. the band had
taken its station. marshalci by the tall
drum major in his huge bearskin shake.
From the lofty flagstaff in the center Of
the parade the national colors were fiut-
tering in the mountain breeze that stole
down from the snowy peaks hemming
the view to the northwest and stirred
the leaves OF the cottcuwcosis and tho
druoping branches of the willows in tho
bod Of the rushing stream sweeping by
che soutIsern limits of the garrison
Within the Enclosure. sacred to military
uss, IL Wss all the same old familiar
pictnre. the sterrotyped fashion Of the
frontier fort cf the earliest seventies