Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-08-26

tress Monroe and married an inane
| young woman Of much wealth, was in
tolerant of fellow at his wits end
for, money, and there was captain in
the garrison who developed into one Of. :
Langdon's prosecutors. This was Felix
Nathan. Nobody in 1870 could have
traced Nathan's nntecedents. He shun-
ned the topic himself and left to others
the comforting theory that they. were
in some way connected with the pawn
shop. He had been commissioned in
the infantry at the instance of the
Hon. AIR. Steinmeyer, who represented
i'll congress a wealthy II inconspicuous .
district In New York. He found few
months sojourn in fighting regiment
on the far frontier so utterly to his dis
taste-the mere mention Of Indians
would turn him livid long years after
that when the army was reorganized
he literally bought transfer into the
artillery, where the splendor of his at
tire and certain Germanic cast Of fea-
ture won him the title Of the Baron"
or sometimes Herr Won Fertlgen klei-
dern. Certain pecuniary loans with
which he favored some Of his new
found comrades gave him at first
| glamour as Of generosity The remorse-
less rigor with which full payment was
later exacted-at most inconvenient
times and conspicuous plnces-remored
the glamour.
But the artillery works and polishes.
Nathan had to work, drill and study.
he was no fool He labored with his
dancing master and speedily shone in
both the ballroom and in ballistics.
They had sent him to Fortress Monroe
in hopes of damping his desire to re-
main in the artillery, and he mastered
the course with comparative ease. They
put UP Jobs" at his expense at mess
| by the introduction of sausage and
spareribs in undue proportion, and
Nathan said be feared they didn't
know the good from the bad, sent
''home," he said, for dainties and
amazed them with the quality and
quantity of sausages shipped to him.
And then In course Of time NE cut in
and won the heiress Of the season, and
that marriage made him. His wife had
most influential connections. They
frequently spent summers at Bar Far
Dor or Newport. They had the most
sumptuously furnished quarters in
I garrison and very "swell'' visitors
much of the time. They entertained
lnvishly, and SO it came about that
their social supremacy was established,
notSwithout protest, but 1t was no use
Kicking against the pricks. "'@
All the same, Nathan was mean. He
iavished his cigars and champagne on
certain Of his callers and trehted with
cold courtesy the others. Hts wife's
chums, If she had any, in the7fegiment
were the two or three whose gowns
sometimes nearly matched her own.
They distinctly put on airs" over
their fellows, and for a time weak
ling Of a post commander permitted it,
but that was before Melyille's day,
and Melville was regimental adora-
ton. .>lsS
/ One thing Nathan hated Langdon for
was the fact that the latter could take
the battery" and make It do anything.
He was consummate drillmaster and
handler of men. Things never went SO
well as when tho captain stepped aside
and the lieutenant took command Reg
mental critics twitted Nathan with the
fact and it made him furious. II any
thing could have helped Langdon, it
would have been service under some
otherp commander. There were three
other captains who would have been
gladsef his services. but Nathnh refus-
ed tolallow the exchange. Time and
again there were sharp DISBURSEMENTS
between them, and thrice when Lang
don had to appeal the decisinn went IN
his favor.
Byltthis time the battery had been
made a part Of the great western gar
rison on the Pawnee, where two squad
ronslof cavalry and four eight" or
mounted batteries formed the main
features, Of the command. A veteran
dragon of1cer was at the head OF at
fairs, q man with much conscience and
littlessympathy, and the way he sail
ed In" as the boys said, to polish up
the entire military estab lishment was
caution. The Nathsns gave sumptu-
GUS dinner in his honor about the first
thing, and the colonel pitched Into Ma
than within 48 hours all along of the
condition of his horses, to the intense
Joy Of the unlimited, because this was
1.-THE last thing that dinner was suppos-
ed to bring about. Nathan accepted
the criticism and said he could not help
himself, his Iieutenants were go care
less. 1t was at this time that renewed
complaints came to headquarters con-
corning the nonpayment Of those notes.
Poor Langdon was setting aside por-
tion OF his mortgaged stipend and send
Ing 1t each month to preferred cred
itors, but the others kept up the growl,
and 1t must be admitted that along
about this stage Of the game Ia his
crlef and despond Langdon had sought
soiace at times in whisky. AL this
Nathan reported to his chief when ask
ed about the financial status Of his sub
altern. Fad old "Cat 8 Nine Tails,"
the post commander, consulted the vet.
eran. major, who had but recently ar
rived and assumed command Of the