Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1903-06-18

that the fascinations of pool, pitch"
I and poker held just about half his
commissioned force at all 'off duty"
hours of the day or night hanging
| about the officers club room at the
post traders; knew, moreover, that
while the adiutant never wasted
| moment over cards or billiards, he,
the post commander, had many time
| takenFa hand or a cue and wagered
| his dollars against those of his de-
voted associates. They all loved him.
| There wasn't "mean streak in his
whole system" said every soldier at
Fort Frayne. He had a capital rec
ord as volunteer-a colonel and,
| later, brigade commander in the
| great war. He had the brevet of
| brigadier general of volunteers, but
| repudiated any title beyond that of
his actual rank in the regulars. He
| was that rara avis-a bachelor field
officer, and a bird to be brought
down if feminine witchery could do
| it. He was truthful, generous, high
| minded, brave-a man who preferred
| to be of and with his subordinates
rather than above them-to rule
| through affection and regard rather
| than the stern standard of command.
He was gentle and courteous alike to
| officers and the rank and file, though
| he feared no man on the face of the
globe. He was awkward, bungling
and overwhelmingly, lavishly, kind
and thoughtful in his dealings with
| the womenfolk of the garrison, for
| he stood in awe of the entire sister
hood. He could ride like a centaur;
he couldn't dance worth cent. He
could snuff candle with his Colt at
| 20 PAGES and couldn't hit croquet
| ball to save his soul. His deep-set
gray eyes, under their tangled
thatch of brown, gazed straight into
| the face of every man on the Platte,
soldier, cowboy, Indian or halfbreed,
but fell abashed if laundress looked
at him. Billy Ray, captain of the sor-
rel troop and the best light rider in
| Wyoming, was the only man he ever
| allowed to straddle beautiful thor
oughbred mare he had bought in
Kentucky, but, bad hands or good,
| there wasn't riding woman at
| Frayne who hadn't backed Lorna
time and again, because to woman
the major simply couldn't say no.
And though his favorite comrades
at the post were captains like Blake
and Billy Ray, married men both
whose wives he worshipped, the ma
| jor's rugged heart went out especial
ly to Beverly Field, his boy adjutant,
a lad who came to them from West
Point only three years before the
autumn this story opens, young
fellow full of high health, pluck and
| rrinciple-a tip top soldier, said
everybody from the start, until, as
Gregg and other GROWERS began to
declaim, the major completely spoiled
him. Here, three years only out of
military leadingstrings, he was a
young cock of the walk, 'too dam
Independent for a second lieutenant"
said the officers club element of the
command, men like Gregg, Wilkins,
Crane and few of their following
"The keenest young trooper in the
regiment" said Blake and Ray, who
were among its keenest captains, and
never a cloud had sailed across the
serene sky of their friendship and
esteem until this glorious September
of 1SS- when Nanette Flower, bril-
liant, beautiful brunette came visi-
tor to old Fort Frayne.
And it was on her account the
major would, could he have seen the
way, said no to the adiutant's request
to be absent again. On her account
and that of one other, for that re-
quest meant another long morning
in saddle with Miss Flower, another
long morning in which "the sweet
est girl in the garrison" so said
they all, would go about her daily
duties with an aching heart. There
was no woman at Fort Frayne who
did not know that Esther Dade
thought all the world of Beverly
Field. There was one man who ap-
parently had no inkling of it-Beverly
Field himself.
She was the only daughter of a
veteran officer, a captain of infantry,
who at the age of so, after having
held high command in the volun-
teers during the civil war, was still
meekly doing duty as a company
officer of regulars nearly two decades
after. She had been carefully reared
by most loving and thoughtful
mother, even in the crude old days
of the army, when it's fighting force
was scattered in small detachments
all over the wide frontier, and men,
and women, too, lived on soldier ra-
tions, eked out with game, and dwelt
in tents or ramshackle, one-storied
huts, built by the labor of troops"
At IL she had been placed at school
in the far east, while her father en-
ioyed a two years tour on recruiting
service, and there, under the care
of a noble woman who taught her
girls to be women indeed-not vapid
votaries of pleasure and fashion, Es-
ther spent five useful years, coming
back to her fond fathers soldier roof
winsome picture of girlish health
and grace and comeliness-a girl
who could ride, walk and run if need
n