Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-09-23

ltS members laQ so far SuccQmDeQ TO
the force of circumstances as to fall in
to the way of saying they were 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, pawEces
table was said to lie quite the peer of
that of Leavenworth or the Point
But the mess needed a head, the SEN
ior officer not having been provided
with more than the outward and visi-
bic sign thereof. He was veteran
captain of cavalry, long left widower
! He presided with ponderous dignity at
the board, but had neither weight in
elaboration nor force in discipline.
THE boys" OVERRIDE 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 cavalrymen 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
the anti-Langdonites, if not actually in
the majority, were most in evidence
for they at least had organization and
energy. Conscious of the growing
feeling for Langdon and against them,
they were seeking every opportunity to
heap further obloquy on his name
They turned up day after day with
some new story at his expense for the
truth of which they declared some rel-
able person was ready to vouch, and as
their hearers had no information on
the subject the most they could do was
TO look incredulous. 1t was one even
ing late when Nathan and Torrance
had been holding forth at some length
and most of the cavalry crowd had
Slipped away to the card or billiard
room that at last one Of the troopers
who had long feigned not to hear any
thing that was being said emerged
from the screen Of the morning aaper
and drawled:
Seems to me you fellows have to ex-
pend lots of ammunition killing a man
you declare to be dead. If he's the cad
you say he is. how does it happen that
Melville corresponds with him?"
"Melville's too soft hearted to refuse
to answer his letters" answered Tor
rance impatiently. They're probably
begging letters, anyhow"
They're not" said the trooper,
"'cause I've seen 'ein. AS to being soft
hearted, / was with Melville in that
Modoc business when Squirt fainter
had to resign and when he cut Jimmie
Cannon dead. I'll bet you what you
like Melville would fire you, Nathan,
quick as he did fainter, or cut you,
| Torrance, dead us he did Cannon if
you deserved it as they did. But he
stands up for Langdon."
"Pye said before, Captain Channing,"
replied Nathan, with pronounced en-
phasis on the title turning the color Of
his stripes and half way round in his
chair, Major Melville does not know
Langdon. AS for fainter, any man
who played the coward as lie did
would have to expect court martial at
least, and Melville let him off the pub
lie disgrace he deserved He was
shame to the regiment. AS for Cannon,
there was woman in that case, and,
others cut him as well as Melville"
well now, hold on, Nathan"
drawled Claiming, drawing his lean
length from the depths of an easy chair
in which he was spraWled. 81 was
stationed at Frisco about that time,
and know quite as much of the bust
ness as you do who happened to be in
Europe on leave, as I remember when
your regiment got into that cam
paign"-
"A1y battery wasn't in it!' interposed
Nathan hastily.
"And," continued Claiming placidly,
'Tainter isn't the only man to find the
perils of Indian fighting too much for
his nerve. We had case in my regi-
ment and-there are others. AS for
cutting Cannon, it's true others did it,
hut not until after Melville set the ex-
ample If Langdon was half as bad as
/ you make him out, Melville wouldn't
be backing him for employment at this
minute and you wouldn't be taking
such pains to prove your side of the
case, which, by CAD, isn't mine"
"All right sneered Nathan, rising
uneasily and making for the door in
evident discontinue over Channing's
pointed remarks. I'm betting you and
Melville will be wishing you had left
bad enough alone before you are many
months older, and don't envy you if
the colonel happens to hear of your
taking up tie cudgels for the man he
court martialed Come on, Torrance!w
'No fear; he won't hear" .drawled
Claiming. "Nonconductors are scarce
in your set, Nathan. Good night to
you-both."
(To Be Continued)
For The Thirty-Sixth Annual G. A. r
| Encampment at Washington, D. c.,
October 6 to II,
| tho Iowa Central will sell round trir