Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1905-10-04

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 a soldier. Fearfully and wonder
fully 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 Hoosier-
dom chosen to represent their states on
the sacred soil'' of eastern Virginia.
And about the first thing Fred Ben
ton had done on his return was to
snub, if not actually insult, his fathers
junior partner, between whom and that
father relations were already severely
strained.
Never yet had George McKinnon
been able to satisfactorily explain how
that letter addressed to Paul Ladue
tant as it doubtless was held to be, as
evidence of Ladue's active sympathy
with the rebellion, there were not =
few responsible citizens who declared
the postmaster gravely culpable for
surrendering it to any biz the lawful
owner. Whereat the postmaster on
hearing of the cry against him came
out with card in the "Watchman, -
insisting that the letter had been
placed by the distributing clerk in the
Ladue box, which was at least six feet
from the general delivery window, and
that neither he nor any one of the
employees had subsequently touched it.
Naturally matters looked squally for
McKinnon. He had been popular, but
the better class of people felt that
Paul Ladue had been harshly, even
outrageously, dealt with, and that Nc
Kinnon's insidious, if not fiery,
speeches were the direct cause.
A revulsion of feeling had set in.
Before leaving for Washington there
had been ample time for Fred Benton
to spread abroad Ladue's declaration
that nothing would persuade him TO
cast his lot with the south.
Such was the state of feeling that
Gale, the would-be heroic leader of pub.
lie sentiment, awoke to the fact that It
might be wise for him to cross the
lake and visit kith and kin among the
Wolverines, for city officials had come
and asked ugly questions, and there
was talk Of arrest and indictment fen
melting riot.
McKinnOn called at the Bentons and
asked to see Miss Elinor, and Mics
fD ho
senior approved her conduct, for tk%Ge
had been words between the partners
unpleasant words. In the end, McKi7-
non withdrew from the firm and allied
himself with his old partners bitterest
rivals.
Then came the general with aide-de-
camp Fred, and the former responded
to Mcklnnon's greeting with cold and
distant civility. The latter asked him
and refused his proffered hand. 1t
was lucky the general had to take his
young staff officer to the state capital,
whence they were recalled to Wash
ington just in time to meet the de-
moralized wreck of McDowell's raw.
untaught regiments, drifting in from
the disaster of First Bull Run
And then the nation woke up in
earnest to realization of the fact thar
the south had men as brave as the best
in the land and leaders more skillful
than those we had yet sent afield. TIL en-
it became apparent that not until it.
was thoroughly organized, drilled and
disciplined could northern army
hope to subdue the army of the south
ITO Be Continued
Acquiring a Specimen.