The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1898-09-11
CHAPTER 1.

munication just received from depart
ment headquarters, especially army
life, and more especially army life in
Texas
'Now, what are you phi!osophizing
about?'' asked his second in command, a
burly major, gIancing over the top of
the latest home paper, three weeks old
that day.
"D'ye remember Pigott, that little
cad that was court martialed at San
Antonio i'll 1868 for manipulating 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 be on the
military committee next year, while
here s Lawrence, who was judge ad7o-
cate of the court that tried him, gone
all to smash. E" And the veteran officer
commanding the -th infantry. and the
big post at Fort Worth glanced warily
along into the adjoining Office, where a
clerk was asserting the papers on the
adjutant's desk.
Its the saddest case l ever heard
Of" said Major Brooks tossing aside
the Toledo Blade and tripping up over
his own, which he had thoughtfully
propped between his legs as he took his
seat and thoughtlessly ignored as he left
it. Damn that saber-and the service
generality he growled as he recovered
his balance and tramped to the window
I'D almost be willing to quit it as
Pigott did if l could see my way to a
moderate competence anywhere out of
1t. Lawrence was as good a soldier as
we had in the Twelfth. and yet what
can you do or say? The mischief
done. y And, beating the DEVILS tattoo
on the window, the major stood gloom
lily gazing out over the parade.
1T isn't Lawrence hil2self I'm So
Orderly, shut that door," cried the
chief, whirling around in his chair,
land tell those clerks l want it kept
shut until the adjutant comes, and you
stay out on the porch. 1t isn't Law
renee I'm go sorely troubled about,
Brooks. He has ability and could pick
up and do well eventually, but he'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.
i've got five of my own to look after,
and you've got four. No use talking Of
adopting them, even if Lawrence would |
listen, and he never would listen to |
anything or anybody-they tell me-
be added after minute 5 reflection. 81 |
don't know it myself It's what Bux-
ton and Canker and some of those fell |
lows told me on the Republican last
summer. hadn't seen him since Get
-ysburg until we met here"
Buxton and Canker be-exterminat-
ed," said the colonel hotly. Il never
met Buxton, and never want to. AS for
Ganker, by CAD, there's another absurd
ty. They put him in the cavalry be-
cause consolidation left no room for
him with US. Whist do you suppose
they Il do with hlm in the -th?''
THE Lord knows, asI said before.
he never rode anything but hobby in
his life. l cont wonder Lawrence
couldn't tolerate preaching from him. i
But what l don't understand is who
made the allegation. What's his Of
Tense? Every one knows that he's in |
debt and trouble and that he's had hard |
lines and nothing else ever since the |
war, but the court acquitted him of all
blnme i'll that money business
And now to make room for fellows |
with friends at court" burst in the |
colonel wrathfully. "He and other poor
devils with nothing but fighting rec.
ord and a family to provide for are !
turned loose on years pay, which
they're to have after things straighten |
put as to their accounts with the gov
ernment. Now just look at Lawrence.
Ordnance and quartermaster' stores
nopelessly boggled"-
Hush !" interrupted Brooks, starting
back from the window Here he is
1ow."
Assembly of the guard details had
sounded few moments before, and all
over the sunshiny parade on it's west
ward side, in front Of the various bar
racks, little squads of soldiers armed |
and in full uniform were standing
awaiting the next signal, while the
oorches Of the low wooden buildings
beyond were dotted with groups of COM
rades, lazily looking on. Out on the
greensward, broad and level, crisscross-
I'd with gravel walks, the band had |
taken its station, marShaled by the tall
drum major i'll his huge bearskin shake. |
From the lofty Flagstaff in the center of
tho parade the national colors were fut- !
'ering in the mountain breeze that stole |
Down from the snowy peaks hemming
tho view to the northwest and stirred /
the leaves of the cottonwoods and the
dropping branches of the willows in the
bed of the rushing stream sweeping by
The southern limits of the garrison. /
Within the Enclosure, sacred to military
use, 1t was all the same old familiar
picture, the stereotyped fashion of the
frontier fort of the earliest seventies
tull hued barracks on one side or on
two, dull hued, broad porched cottages
the officers qCartsrs-on" another,