The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1899-08-17
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1893, 81 J,e.L'ep'nco1y. COMPANY,


curves until lost in the distances; few
scattered ranches in the stream valley;
collection of sheds, shanties and novels
surrounding hustling establishment
known as the store, down by the ford
the center of civilization, apparently,
for thither trendArl every roadway,
path, track or trail visible to the naked
eye.
Here in front of the office solitary
cavalry horse was tethered. Yonder at
the suffers, early as it was in the day,
a dozen quadrupeds, mules, mustangs
or Indian ponies, were blinking in the
sunshine. Dogs innumerable sprawled
in the sand. Bipeds lolled lazily about
or sQuatted on the steps on the edge of
the wooden porch, some in broad SOM
breros, some in scalp lock and blanket
hone in the garb Of civil life as seen
in the nearest cities, and the nearest
parade were bits Of lively color, the
dresses of frolicsome children to the
east, the stripes and facings Of the cav
airy and artillery at the west, for, by
some odd freak of the fortunes Of war,
here, away out at Fort Worth, had
come crack light battery Of the old
army, which, with Brooks battalion Of
the cavalry and headquarters, staff,
band and six companies Of the til in
fantry, made up the garrison-the big
gest then maintained in the department.
immortalized by Sheridan as only Sec
ond choice to sheol. 1t was the winter
of 1901, as black and dreary time as
ever the army knew, for congress had
telescoped As regiments into half the
number and blasted all hopes Of promo
tion-about the only thing the soldier
has to live for.
And that wasn't the blacklist thing
about the business by any means. The
war had developed the fact that we had
thousands Of battalion commanders for
whom the nation had no place in peace
times, and scores of them, in the hope
and promise of a life employment in an
honorable profession, accepted the ten
der Of lieutenancies in the regular army
in 1866, the war having broken up all
their vocations at home, and now, hav-
ing given four years more to the mill
| tary service-taken all those years out
| of their lives that might have been
given to establishing themselves in bust
ness-they were hidden to choose be-
tween voluntarily quitting the army
with bonus Of a years pay and re-
naming with no hope of advancement
Most of them, despairing Of finding en-
ployment in civil life, concluded to
stay; so other methods of getting rid of
them were devised, and, to the amaze
of the army and the dismay of the vic
Tins, big list was published Of officers
rendered supernumerary' and sum-
marily discharged.
And this was how it happened that a
gallant, brilliant and glad hearted fell
low, the favorite staff officer Of glori-
Gus corps commander who fell at the
head Of his men after three years Of
equally glorious service, found himself
in faraway Texas this blacklist Of black
Fridays, suddenly turned loose on the
world and without hope or home.
Cruel was no word for it. Entering
the army before the war, one of the
few gifted civilians commissioned be.
cause they loved the service and then
had friends to back them, Edgar Law.
renee had joined the cavalry in Texas,
where the first thing he did was to fall
heels over head in love with his cap.
tain's daughter, and runaway match
resulted. Poor Kitty Tyrrell! Poor Ned
Lawrence! Two more impractical peo
pie never lived. She was an army girl
with aspirations, much sweetness and
little sense. He was a whole souled,
generous, lavish fellow. Both were ex
travagant, she particularly so. They
we're sorely in debt when the war broke
out, and he instead Of going in for the
volunteers was induced to become aid.
de-camp to his old colonel, who passed
him on to another when he retired, anG
when the war was half over Lawrence
was only captain of staff, and captain
he came out at the close Brevets oil
course he had, but what are brevets but
empty title? What profteth it mar
to be called colonel if he have only the
pay Of a sub? Hundreds of men who ca
gerly sought his aid or influence durins
the war "held over him" at the end O.
it, Another general took him on hi.
staff as aid-de-camp, where Lawrence
was invaluable Kitty dearly loved city
life, parties, balls, operas and theaters
but Lawrence grew lined and gray will
care and worry. The general went tn
way OF all flesh, and Lawrence to Tex
as, unable to get another staff billet
They set him at court martial duty a
San Antonio for several months, TO
Texas furnished culprits by the score il
the days that followed the war, an
many an unpromising army career wa
| cut short by the tribunal of which CAP
, tain and Brevet Lieutenant Colone
, Lawrence was judge advocate but al
7 the time he had skeleton in his ow
closet that by and by ratified it's way out
Time was in the war days whe
J. many OF the men Of the headquarte1
0 escort banked their money with the be
: loved and popular aid. He had nearl
! $1,000 when the long columns probe
s the Wilderness in 1864. It was sti
, with him when he was suddenly ser
I back to WASHINGTON with tho hodv Z