The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1899-08-24

+ RI-NCEICN U-Nl(DN: q
oepted no invitations, but the many
sympathetic women who called to ask
if there were not some way in which
they could be of aid reported her as
looking feverish and far from we'll
Some Of them had ventured to speak of
the new arrival, and, though her ears
were evidently open, her lips were
closed. That she was willing, if not
eager, to hear anything they had to say
or tell about Captain Barclay was all
very we'll as far as it went, but what
some Of her visitors most desired was to
hear what she had to say about him.
As she would say nothing, one or two
had resorted to little delicate cues
tionlEg in the hope Of drawing her out
Mrs. Faulkner, young matron of her
own age and previous social standing,
an army girl like herself, and for some
time her one intimate friend at Worth,
went SO far as to ask, "You used to
know him very we'll, did you not?" and
was checkmated by the answer, "Not
swer Mrs. Faulkner pondered over and
considered deliberately and inexcusably
rude With the kindest feeling for her
in the world, as all the women avowed,
and no animosity whatever toward Bar
clay over and beyond that feeling on
poor Colonel Lawrence's account, there
was the liveliest interest at Worth as
regarded Mrs. Winn and Captain Bar
clay in seeing what they would do, and,
to the disappointment of all Fort Worth,
they had done nothing.
Barclay promptly returned the calls
OF the officers who had called upon him
and had done all proper homage to the
wives Of those who were possessed of
such blessings, but there were still GER
tain quarters where his face or his card
had not been seen-at Captain Grams,
for instance, because that warrior was
on scout and couldn' t call, ditto his lieu
tenant; at one or two of the new and
unpublished pillars of the temple, be-
cause they had not known enough or
had been too shy to call, and at Winn's,
because that officer was i'll of fever
and could not call. There was another
set Of quarters in which he had not yet
set foot, Ned Lawrence's, and that was
the house most people expected him to
visit first.
Nor did he remain at Brooks. The
majors house was big, but so was his
household. "You have vacant room
here, Mr.. Brayton," he said the third
day after his arrival as he dropped in
at his subaltern's. 1T may be month
before get shaken down into place.
dislike to disturb women and children,
and SO have decided to ask you to let
me move my cot and trunk in here
awhile and to propose my name at the
mess.'' And Brayton, blushing at the
realization of the fact that the furniture
in the room referred to consisted solely
OF some chairs, a square pine table Gov
cred with cavalry blanket, with a
cigar box half full Of smoking tobacco,
another half full Of white beans and a
pack of cards, for it's sole ornaments,
nevertheless bravely ushered his new
captain into the bower, and Barclay
looked neither surprised nor satirical at
the sight. eve sometimes play mild
game Of draw here, sir,'' said down
right Brayton, (which accounts for the
appearance Of things, but my striker
can clean it up in ten minutes. and you
are most welcome"
lit won't put you out in any way?''
asked Barclay, without the comment Of
an uplifted eyebrow on the evidence ad-
duced.
"Not so much as poker, if it does at
all,' said Brayton promptly. He was
determined his captain should know the
extent of his frailties at the start.
Barclay smiled quietly and turned to
the boy with liking in his eye. "I'm
hardly ten years your senior, Brayton, -
said he, "and SO shall not preach, but
believe we can put that room to a little
better use. -
The next day he took his seat at the
bachelors mess, where a dozen officers
were congregated, all Of them but two
his Juniors in rank. The sideboard was
lavishly decked with the indispensables
of that benighted day. The old timers
and the new took their anteprandial
cocktail or toddy and Hospitality invited
Barclay to join. Barclay smiled CRATE
fully, but said he had "never yet got in
the way Of it somehow nor did he
more than sip at the bordeaux which
the presiding officer ordered served in
honor Of the occasion. The mess was
rather silent. Most men seemed DESTROYS
OF listening to Barclay when he spoke
at all. They knew every twist and turn
of each other's mode of speech by that
time and could repeat verbatim every
story in the combination Barclay might
have something new, but if he did he
had no chance. Captain Follansbee took
and kept the floor from first to last. He
was airing his views on the subject of
consolidation, reorganization and puri-
fication as practiced at the war depart
ment, topic which the others consid-
cred inexcusable not so much from the
fact that it must be most unpalatable to
Captain Barclay, beneficiary of the
business, as it turned out, as because
Follansbee had worn them all out with
it weeks before.
And, to everybody's surprise, SO far