Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1901-07-03
talnly the colonel paused.
Copyright 1901, by Charles King

AN-sA 49, tAS tStAJ iAShS tiii0 lOMy NlUlO.
mel Sharpe, that If you mean to show
that telegram decline. AS for Mr..
Langdon, after all that has been pub
iished and said, he has got to meet me
the moment he is well enough"
The colonel's orderly, mufIled to his
cars In his heavy overcoat, stood with
in easy range, intently eying some OBJ
ject far out on the stormy lake, but as
intently listening.
Orderly" said the colonel impa-
Hently, take these letters to Mrs.
Sharpe and say won't be home to
luncheon and go and get your dinner"
Then. when the soldier was well be-
yond earshot, the colonel turned on the
fiery young Virglnian. "Dr. Armi-
stead" said he impressiyely, "you may
Judge for yourself as to the telegram,
but for the present 1 have simply to
warn you to keep your temper and
AWAY from Mr.. Langdon. There's to
be no meeting between you two in or
around this post. Understand that,
and- Good day to you, sir.''
( This was four days after Langdon's
arrival, and by another day the Chica-
go papers had reached Pawnee and
served as fuel to the flame Of excite
ment already in full blast. 10 begin
with Old Hurricane, Langdon's faith
full valet and servant had been be-
queathed to the care of Rodney May.
and Woodrow, had been given little
room back. of the main mess building
and in somebody's cast off dress suit
appeared as butler one evening at din
ner. A Virginia education had made
him familiar with every detail of such
duties, and his grizzled pate and lined,
pathetic face went far to equip him to
look the character. To Langdon's
friends among the boys it seemed most
fitting that the lonely old negro MOURN
ing for his beloved master should be
cared for by their number, but Lang
'don's friends were not too numerous
now that he was some weeks gone
from their midst, and Nathan, Tor
rance and satellites of theirs had the
floor. 1t pleased Mr. Torrance one
evening to speak brutally to the old
seryitor and then contemptuously Of
his former employer, and when May
and Woodrow heard Of the shabby af-
fair they hunted up Torrance and de-
manded the reason for his outbreak.
The particulars of that encounter never
got out, but small party of cronies
first cut Torrance and then "cut" loose
from the club. Taking Hurricane with
them, they set up housekeeping for
themselves, and this new establish
.ment was in smooth running order,
very harmonious and companionable,
when the Sheridan news was received,
whereas there were still dissensions at
sthe mess" The married men had all
club privileges, of course, but no seat
at table. The is or 20 bachelors who
thrice day had been accustomed to
commune together over the board had
taken much comfort in Hurricanes CO.
lonial dignity Of manner and consum-
mate knowledge of n !. buffers duty.
They were annoyed that : Torrance
should have taken 1t upon himself to
abuse seryitor who was In nowise In
his pay or under his authority; but,
having failed to pass the vote of CEN
sure proposed by May, Woodrow and
lie Due or to take any measure what
ever to insure their butler against fur
ther abuse, they had precipitated the
secession OF six of their choicest spirits
and with the six had lost Hurricane
When 1t was too late, some of the main
establishment thought they fought to
do something" for the six who seeded
were gentlemen, and, If one might
Judge from language and conduct, Tor
rance was not. Wealth, won with his
lackadaisical wife, had made him AFRO
CANT, but nothing could make him pop
ular. The membership of the officers
club included the entire commissioned
list of the garrison-cavalry, artillery
and star. Scat" of course was presi-
dent, but Mrs. "Cat' had her objections
to his giving much time tosocial enjoy
ment within its walls, and the doughty
veteran who had led dozen dashing
charges during the great war and who
bore the scars Of more than one sharp
scrimmage with the redskins on the
frontier was no match for his better
half In domestic encounter. Mrs. .Cat"
had convictions, one of them being that
a married man should cut and drink
only in the presence and company Of
the partner of his joys and woes. This
insured his getting only what was good
for him. "Cat" as n consequence saw
very little of the club. Its vice presi-
dent, an easy going old soul, exercised
no control, he processing to believe that
such powers were vested only In the
chief. Melville but rarely set foot with
in Its doors. When he did, however, it
was marvellous to note the effect. Al
tercatlon ceased, argument tempered,
voices toned down and orders for
drinks diminished to next to nothing.
In its earlier stages the club had been
likened by witty and observant wo-
man to the Roaring Camp immortalized
by Bret Harte, and occupants Of quar-
tiers contiguous to or within hail Of its
limits were loud and frequent in their
complaints. Roaring Camp" was still
the name by which the many garrison
wits, mostly women, referred to 1t, and
its members had SO far succumbed to
the force Of circumstances us to fall in
to the way Of saying they We're going
to camp" when they meant to the
club. Taking it by and large. however,
the Pawnee club had been fairly har-
monious organization. If its cigars
were not the best to be found in the
army, Its stories were not the worst,
and as for the mess feature, Pawnee's
table was said to be quite the peer of
that Of Leayenworth or the Point"
But the mess needed head, the SEN
Tor officer not having been provided
with more than the outward and yisi-
bic sign thereof, He was a veteran
captain of cavalry, long left a widower.
He presided with ponderous dignity at
the board, but had neither weight in
Sdeliberation nor force in discipline.
.The boys" oyerrode him completely,
and when discussion became fierce or
heated he lost all semblance of control
The secession of so many bright,
brainy juniors, all battery officers,
proved sore blow. There WAS an ele-