Waterbury Democrat., 1901-06-11
Copyright, 1901, by Charles King.

: This was four days arrer Dangdon-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. To begin with Old Hurricane, Langdon's faith ful 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- neE A Virginia education had made kim 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 MT. Torrance one evening to speak brutally to the old servitor and then contemptuously of his former employer, and when May and Woodrow heard of the shabby af- fair they hunted up Torrance and de handed the reason for his outbreak. The particulars of that encounter never got out, but a small party of cronies first cut Torrance and then "cut" loose from the club. Taking Hurricane with thefn, 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 s4the mess" The married men had all club privileges. of course, but no seat at table. The 15 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 a buffers duty. They were annoyed that Torrance should have taken it upon himself to abuse a servitor 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 Le 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 it was too late, some of the main establishment thought they ought 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 lackadaisfcal wife, had made him arro- gant, but nothing could make him pop ular. The membership of the officers club included the entire commissioned list of the garrison-cavalry, artillery and stan. "Cat" of course was presi- dent, but Mrs. "Cat" had her objections to his giving much time to social enjoy ment within it's walls, and the doughty veteran who had led a 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 eat 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 consequence saw very little of. the club. Its vice presi- dent, an easy going old soul exercised no control, he protesting 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 fercation ceased, argument tempered, voices toned down and orders for drinks diminished to next to nothing. In it's 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- ters contiguous to or within hail of it's limits were loud and frequent in their complaints. Roaring Camp" was still the name by which the many garrison wits, mostly women, referred to it, and its members had so far succumbed to the force of circumstances as to fall in- to the way of saying they were going to "campp when they meant to the tluD ldA1uS IL Uy dAu 1dISe, uOWefSI, the Pawnee club had been fairly har- monious organization. If its cigars were not the best to be found in the army, it's stories were not the worst, and as for the mess feature, Pawnee's table was said to be quite the peer of that of Leavenworth or ''the Point"
 But the mess needed head, the sen- for officer not having been provided with more than the outward and visi- ble sign thereof. He was a veteran captain of cavalry, long left widower. He presided with ponderous dignity at the board, but had neither weight in deliberation nor force in discipline. 'sThe bogse overrode 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- ment among the cavaIrymen in which Eric Langdon's case had excited pro- found sympathy, and the more these fellows saw and heard of Nathan and Torrance the less they liked them and the more they felt for Langdon. But <f,a onff-T a01daUffoq if nof aofuoIIv in