The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-11-10
THE IRON BRIGADE
CHAPTER iii.
THE FIRST UNIF,

| And then for many a week there came
no word from Paul Ladue. At the little
| frame cottage near the lake sad-eyed.
| submissive, broken man sat long hours
each day in worn old rocking chair, apa-
thetic, accomplishing, yet looking wistful-
ly into the faces of the few who came to
see him as though imploring news of his
now doubly banished boy. The children
Nina, fond little daughter of fourteen.
and Alphonse, merry-eyed lad Of ten
sought vainly to rouse him. There was not
business enough at the shop to call him
thither. People had no time for books in
the war days. They read only the papers,
and many of them only the news and ru-
mors from the front. Through the efforts
| OF Squire Benton reliable, If not over
bright. young man was found to take
charge of what was left of the stock in
trade. and to supply the casual wants of
| school children in search of sponges and
slate pencils, or elders in need of station
cry with which to write to the boys now in
camp by thousands along the line of the
Potomac and the Ohio Weak eyes and
| legs had led to his rejection when surging
| patriotism prompted him to throw UP the
charge of ward school and present him.
self as food for powder, and in sore dis
| appointment he meekly took the rendered
place At least it would give him album
dant time to read and study.
In still other ways did the squire seek
to aid the needy household, and, all unre-
buked now. Elinor went day after day to
see Ladue and the fragile woman, his wife,
who never left her room. Womanfully did
she strive to cheer the aging and TO guide
the young, and rarely did she go empty
| handed. All through the long, hot summer
OF 81 she was ever slipping over to the
cottage and ever coming back with pa
thetic sadness in her sweet blue eyes.
There was still no further news from Paul
Paul, who, after rude mauling and man
handling, had escaped the threatened tar
| and feathering only because the gas works
and the tar were far away, the fire depart
ment and two companies of young state
troops close at hand. The fremen manned
their brakes, and the powerful streams of
cold water cast damper on the enthusi-
asm Of the mob. The soldiers fixed their
bayonets, enabling the mayor and certain
leading men to bore a way to the midst of
the throng, to rescue the exhausted lad,
and later to bear him out of harms way,
but that ill-born effort to crush and out
rage the high-spirited fellow had turned
the scale. In one brief letter from St.
Louis Paul had announced his intention Of
making his way to Mobile After that
who could say?
And Fred, too Elinor's stanch ally and
supporter, was gone. Denied a commission
In the earlier regiments of his native State
for the reason that the men demanded the
right to elect their officers from among
those enlisting with them, a course which
his father had forbidden, he had found life
we'll nigh unbearable after the almost
tragic events of that night In June, and so
boldly wrote a long, urgent, appealing let
ter to general officer-an old soldier of
the old army-who, since before the days
OF the Mexican war and until recalled to
active service in the spring of 81, had
made the Badger State his home, and that
vehement. vigorous letter the general took
and laid before the President himself
This was before the first serious eye
opener-the battle of Bull Run, and the tall,
ungainly son of the West was still able to
see the whimsical side of things, untinged
by the infinite sadness and suffering of the
days to come.
Wants to be a soldier and to sink the
law, does he?" said the President, stretch
ing his long. lean legs underneath the table
and running his huge hand through the
crop Of bristling hair that crowned his fore
head like a hedgerow, land the squire
won't let him enlist-I met Benton once at
Rice's caravanseria there In Chicago-and
the boys won't have anybody that doesn't
start even with them? Well general, see
only way out of this fx-that is to
make him second lieutenant Of regulars,
unless he continued. with a twitch about
the corners of his broad mouth unless I
appoint him a brigadier general. Accord
ing to some of the papers 1 may have done
worse. Which shall it be?"
1.-The second lieutenancy will appeal to
him. think, SIR" said the general, "and
then / can appoint him aid-de-camp and
teach him practical soldering so that he
won't be utterly novice when he goes to
his regiment. / know the lad, and am
under many an obligation to his father"
$50 be it." said the President. And so
it happened that two days later there
came to Fred wire from Washington bid
ding him join his general there forthwith.
and within another forty-eight hours he
was gone-eager, ambitious, and full of in
tense zeal and resolution, determined to
make a name for himself. For few days
in mid July he was home again as aid To
the general, who had been ordered thither
to help the state authorities In the organi-
cation of still more regiments Very tall
and stiff and "swagger'' he looked in his
Eastern-made uniform, a vivid contrast
to many an old school friend, whose first
blue frock coat seemed more like an Off
color edition of some clerical garment than
the garb of soldier. Fearfully and won
derfully were they made-those uniforms
of our Western volunteers. and much did
they of the great army about Washington
marvel and make merry at the sight of the
officers of the few regiments from Badger
and Hoosierdom chosen to represent their
States on the sacred soil'' of eastern Vir-
gina. Yet were they little more ungainly
than those worn by the new-made mill
tares from Maine and New Hampshire.
Fred Benton, however, had been taken I'm
hand by a soldier nephew of his general-a
young New Yorker, long time of the Sew
enth and now, like Fred, OF the regular in
fantry, and famous old army tailor had
taken his measure, his orders and his
promptly rendered cash with all alacyity
to the end that when he appeared with his
chief on the familiar streets at home all
that bustling young metropolis marveled
at the change that had come over him.