Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-09-16
TEN YEARS
TRIAL @9 ~
The Story Of a
Soldiers Struggle
By Brigadier General
CHARLES KING
CHAPTER III.
Copyright. 1901, by Charles King.

olilcerS were gathered about the fire.
place in the CHEEKY messroom at Fort
Sheridan. The post was new and I'M
finished. The great city lay tempting
" near. The November gale swept
spray laden from the stormy pillows Of
the lake, and snow squalls had driven
the command to their overcoats long
weeks before the townsfolk ten leagues
inland began to think of turning out in
winter garments. A bleak and forbid
ding spot it looked when the wintry
waves beat high on the bluffs, but
there was one homeless, weather beat
en- traveller to whom at nightfall of
that dreary day it seemed a blessed
refuge Against the stiff blast it was a
long walk from the station to the mess
room; but. supported by the strong
arms of two sturdy boys in blue, the
new arrival was fairly rushed along
over the hard beaten path. He had no
orercoat, and the civilian garb he wore
was of the cut and style of three years
gone by and fitted him all too snugly.
He was numb from cold and fatigue,
and his brain was q bit muddled by the
heroic treatment administered by those
amateur physicians, the soldier boys.
He had fallen across their path, faint
from hunger and sleeplessness and dis
heartened by his experiences Of the
morning. Recognizing him instantly,
for they were of his own regiment, the
gunners had borne him to neighbor-
ing bar and brought him to with that
military cure all. kill all, whisky. They
had read trouble and suffering and
hunger in his thin, white face, and
their hearts were bigger than their
purses. The free lunch hour was near
~ spent, but they succeeded in getting
a bowl of hot soup and huge sand
wich, and while one of their number
stood sentry over his late superior, hud-
died in chair by the stove, and an
swered evasiyely the innumerable
questions Of the inquisitive hangers on
the other ran ten blocks to a recruiting
office, where he told his story to the
sergeant on duty and borrowed So I'M
til pay day, when, had the sergeant so
demanded, as many did in the so called
good old days of the army, he would
gladly have paid back So for the ac-
commodation. Thus REINFORCED Cor
poral Ryan returned to his friends.
Langdon was led to the railway sta
ton and given a more substantial
lunch. he the while accepting the boun-
ty Of these soldier Samaritans in min
gled helplessness, humility and graft
tude that would have broken Rodney
D. ,.% IL e.
and set Morrow and LIE Due to swear
ing. The man was dazed and benumb-
ed by the weight of his troubles and
the potency of soldier whisky He
was trying to pull himself together and
think. He knew by name several well
to do professional and business men Of
Chicago who at one time or other in
his past at the Point, at Newport or
Fort Monroe had begged him to let
them know when next he came to Chi
cago, and no Chicagoan conceiyes the
possibility of life without coming to
Chicago. He had the cards of some Of
these gentlemen somewhere in his
trunk, but that was at the station. He
had the check still in his pocket, but
not a cent wherewith to pay an ex-
pressman to take it somewhere if he
had anywhere to tell him to take it.
He reasoned that with nights rest, q
bath and clean linen he could muster
up strength and pluck to 60 in search
of these cordial associates and guests
of the old days. There must be en-
ployment for willing hands and brains,
he argued, and all industries could not
be dominated by Nathan & Co. But
that nights rest and bath, breakfast
and trunk, how were they to be had?
His conductors We're full of hopeful
suggestion, of loyal, confident assur-
ance. All the lieutenant had to do was
to go with them out to "Shurdn," and
the officers would welcome him with
open arms. Who was there? he asked.
All, yes; Merrivale. He was class
mate at the Point. Nelson? They
were together in the same battery at
Monroe. Hyatt, Hoyt and Stanton,
three boys like May and Woodrow.
Yes, they would welcome. him for auld
lang syne, and yet he shrank from it
with utter repulsion. He, who had
ever been leader and authority, how
could he appear before them now SO
broken, so BUNDLED, so stricken with
poverty and shame? There was Just
one thing left to him, his watch, but
that had been his fathers, and the
thought of pawning it gave him keen
distress. Still he asked Ryan as they
sat in the stuffy waiting room If he
knew where the watch could be ac-
cepted as security for suitable loan,
and Ryan said they were going out to
"Shurd'n" to attend to all that-with-
out security. Langdon began to feel
drowsy and numb all over and begged
them to take him into the air. They
did and tramped him up and down for
10 minutes, with the result that he was
soon again chilled to the marrow and
shivering. They compassionately
sought to give him more whisky, but
he shook his head. Something told him
1T was not helping him. Then they
took alarm. a man must be ill indeed
In the eyes of the Celtic soldier when
drink won't help, him. 1t still lacked
half an hour Of train time. They had
medical practitioners of small calibpr