The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-01-05

WVo1u0 " Q10& AN AOx WA0uS NO 08O
but ono clasEmate ct the post, Hrayton,
who had never been one Of bis intimatss
at the Point and being rather. as was
said. Of the thigh and mighty" 70.
served and distant sort with the subal.
terms be found at Worth on joining
three winters before, Winn had never
been popular. Lawrence was his one in
innate. despite the disparity in years
And 10 no man ventured to ask by what
means he expected to meet the demands
thus made upon him. The board Of sur
vey ordered to determine the amount Of
the loss and fix the responsibility had
no alternative. VIM and his few
friends made hard fight, setting forth
the facts that the count had been made
every month as required by orders and
regulations, and that except by burst
ing open every bale, box and barrel and
sitting over the contents 1t would have
been impossible to detect Marsden's
methods. On some things the board was
disposed to dare regulations and raps ON
the knuckles and to let VIM off ON
several others, but what was the use,
"the proceedings would only be sent
back for reconsideration, said their
president, and as it transpired that
VIM had not exercised due vigilance,
but had trusted almost entirely to his
sergeant, they decided to cut the Gordian
knot by saddling the young officer with
the entire responsibility, which meant
sooner or later a stoppage Of nearly
$4,000 Of his pay.
1t is sad yet time honored commen-
tary at tho expense Of human nature
that the contemplation Of the misfor.
tunes Of our fellow men is not always q
source Of unalloyed sorrow. There was
genuine aud general sympathy for Law
renee, because he had been poor and
pinched and humbled for years. had
worn shabby clothes and had sought all
possible field duty, where "deeds. not
buds, a. garrison wit expressed it,
seemed to make the man. He had frank
ly spoken Of his traits and worries to
such as spoke to him in friendship,
and this, with his deep and tender
love for his children and his capital
record as a scout leader, had won over
: to him all the men who at one time
were envious and jealous and had cher
(shed the line mans prejudice against
the fellow whose duties for years had
kept him on The staff. The women were
oil with him and that meant far more |
than may seem possible outside the |
army. There was many a gentle dame
in the old days of adobe barracks who
could be an Artemisia in the cause Of a
friend.
No one knew just what object Ned
Lawrence had in coming back to Dixie.
Every one knew he had Indignantly re-
fused the second lieutenancy, despite
the fact that one or two men with war
service and rank almost equal to his
own had meekly accepted the grudging.
ly rendered commission and others were
said to be about to follow suit-all, pre-.
sumably, with the hoIs that their
friends and representatives in congress
assembled would speedily legislate
them back where they thought they be-
longed. No one knew where Ned Law
renee had made raise of money, but
raise he certainly had made, for, to
Blythe's indignation, there came draft
of 500 to cover the expenses, he said,
of his children and Old Nanny and to
pay the latter some Of her wages. The
balance he would settle, be wrote, when
he arrived. Blythe would far rather he
had waited until his accounts were ad.
justed; then, If Lawrence were in
funds, Blythe could have found no fault
with this insistenoe on at least partially
defraying the expenses incurred in pro-
viding for the little household. Law
renee hoped to have his accounts adjust
ed, his letter said, and he had reason to
believe, from what friends in Washing
ton told him, that he would find his
successor willing to receipt to him for
missing items, trusting to luck and the
fotsam and jetsam of the frontier to re.
place them in course of time. Lawrence
indeed was curious now to meet and
know Captain Barclay, for he had been
told many things that had gone far to
remove the feeling Of unreasoning an
tagonism he had felt at first.
Only one thing did he say to Blythe
that threw light on his future plans.
II am dreadfully sorry" he wrote, "to {
hear such i'll tidings about Harry VIM. ,
| WAS always fearful there was some. G
thing wrong about that fellow Mars ,
den, and sometimes strove to caution 6
who could not see the beam in t
my own eye-I, with two scoundrels in z
ny orderly room, trying to warn him U
against the one in his. VIM is a
proud, sensitive, self conferred sort Of t
elbow, whom wealth perhaps might
nave made popular He is no better s
manager than |. He has wife who
'ould never help him to live within his Il
means, as poor Kitty certainly tried to a
10 with mo-" (Oh, the blessed touch Of "
incl Oh, tie sweet absolution of DEATH f,
Kitty was an angel now, and her ways h
nd means were buried with all that tt
vas mortal Of her.) "And, worse than n
II, poor Hal has no one, fear, to help 81
i'm now, as-I write it with blinded
yes dear Blythe-it has pleased God I II
hould find in many friends in the days b
+ my sore adversity-you and your p,
lessed wife, and the colonel. and h,
rough Olu r OllanSDe6 ana XII
ur dilettante De Lancy, and that in pr
nitable Collabone My heart overflows, b.
nd my eyes, too, at thought of all you &c
nd they have done and said and writ 70
m for me and mine. And here, too, su
here in my bitterness thought was nc
eserted Of all, here is gallant old Front he
, Beuf (you remember how we swore or
' him in the valley after Davy Russell ca
as killed). He has housed and fed and be
lrsed and cared for me like brother, OF
I'd Senator Howe and even old Catnip +,
God bless him-have worked hard NJ
r me, and though my soldier days th
EN- over for the time at least my stub. no
I'm spirit has had to surrender to such rel
unselors and friends as they have been III
me. They all say congress will Ey
rely put me back next winter and an
eantime Buffstick says I'm to have zie
laried position in big company with co,
hich he is associated and to begin KIN
)rk as soon as nv health ia re.astah. IN