The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1899-08-17

tain impetNOusly
gone. The brilliant eyes were often
clouded, for Harry VIM was "his
Aunt Kitty all over,' said many man
who knew them both. Their name was
impecuniosity. That Mrs. VIM could
tell much about the coming captain let
tiers from other regiments informed
more than one bright woman at Worth,
but that the young matron would tell
next to nothing, more than one woman,
bright or blundeNng, discovered on in
quiry. Only one officer now at the post
had ever served with Barclay, and that
was Brooks, who became tongue tied SO
soon as it was settled beyond peradven-
ture that Captain Galbraith Barclay
from the unassigned list had been gazet-
ted to the Twelfth cavalry, Troop 3d."
vice Lawrence, honorably discharged.
But Brooks had letters, so had Frazier,
from old officers who had served with
the transferred man. Some Of these let
tiers referred to him in terms of admira-
ton, while another spoke of him un-
hesitatingly as ''more kinds Of a id
fool' than the writer had ever met.
Verify, various men have various minds.
Presently, however, there came a
man who could tell lots about Barclay.
whether he knew anything or not, and
that was one of the new transfers,
Lieutenant Hodge by title and name.
Hodge said he had served with the
Thirtieth along the Union Pacific and
had met Barclay often. In his original
regiment Mr.. Hodge had been regarded
as very monotonous sort of man, a
fellow who bored his hearers to death.
and the contrast between his reception
in social circles in the regiment he had
left and that accorded him here at
Worth, SO soon as it was learned that he
knew Barclay, inspired Mr.. Hodge to
say that these people were worth know
ing, they had some life and intelligence
about them. The gang he had left in
comparison. For a week Hodge was in
vited to dinner by family after family,
and people dropped in to spend the
evening where he happened to be, for
Hodge held the floor and talked for
hours about Barclay, and what he had
to tell was interesting indeed, so much
so, said Brooks, that some of it was
probably preposterous lie. To begin
with, said Hodge. Captain Barclay was
rich, very rich, fabulously rich per-
haps, nobody knew how rich, and no.
body would have known he was rich at
all judging from the simplicity and
strict economy of his life. In fact. it
was this simplicity and strict economy
that had given rise to the belief that
existed for year or two after he join
ed the Thirtieth that he was hampered
either with debts or with dependent rel
atives. Relatives they knew he had, be-
cause sisters sent their boys to visit him
at Sanders, and he took them hunting,
fishing, etc. From these ingenious neph-
ews the ladies learned of others, neph-
ews, nieces, sisters, cousins, aunts,
who wrote long letters to Uncle Gal,
and the mail orderly said he left more
letters at Captain Barclays quarters
than at anybody else's.
So Fort Sanders dropped the theory
of debts and adopted that of depend
ents, and that held good for the first
year Of his service with them. He had
Joined from the volunteers, where he
had risen to the grade of major. He
was "pious," said Hodges-wouldn' t
drink, smoke, chew, play cards or
swear-thought they ought to have
services on Sunday. He left the roister-
ing bachelors mess soon after reach
ing the post and had ever since kept
house, his cook and housemaid being
one old darby whom he had ''accumu-
lated' in the south during the war-a
darby who had been we'll taught in the
household of his old master, and who
became extravagantly attached to the
new. Hannibal could cook, wait at ia
Bile and tend door to perfection, but he
had tn learn the duties of second girl
when his master joined the Thirtieth
in far Wyoming, and that was the only
time a breach was threatened. Hanni-
balls dignity was hurt. He had been
body servant in the antebellum days,
butler, cook, coachman and hostler, but
had never done such chores as Marse
Barclay told him would fall to his lot