The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1906-11-27
q s9Idisr Surrender

the most popular oflceEs IN the army.
There was only one trouble with the
! colonel he had hobby he DIDN'T be
/ iIeve In an army Of men being tied to-
i an army Of women. "a soldier. he
used to say, should give his heart to-
/ the service. not to q woman aud chill
fren- Rhe truth Is that the colonel
was a very tender hearted man. and
the reason underlying his hobby was
that 1t was often painful for him to
administer the army regula lions where
1 the families OF the ofilSers and men
1 were made to susfer When body Of
4 his troops was ordered on dangerous
/ duty the coIopel at the time OF their
departure for duty would shut him
! self up in his quarters rather than wit
1 ness the wistful glances passing be
! tween husband and wife OF father and
I daughter as the force marched away.
No such reason for his opposition to
soldiers families was given by the
colonel. he would have been ashamed
to admit that he had any tenderness
beneath his rugged exterior. he put
| It all on the requirements of the SEW
ice, contendIng that the service reQuir-
ed men who loved to fight rather than
men who loved women.
The colonel by virtue Of his rank
4
with his, headquarters at one Of them.
! Gradually he efected the transfer Of
every married officer to the remote
post. so that Mt last the one was fun of
women and children, while the other
was full OF bachelors. Then the colo
mel was happy. He lived among sol
dIerB and soldiers alone.
One day Colonel Ammon was ordered
to report In person at washington. He
was gone four months, and when he
returned there was q sensation In his
district. he brought a wife with him.
Great interest was manifested by his
officers to know how the colonel would
get out OF a complication he had
brought upon himself. There was not
a woman at his headquarters who was
a suitable associate for his wife. All
knew that sooner or later something
must be done Would their commander
retransfer the married officers from the
other post or change his headquarters
to that post2 He must do one or the
other OF his wife would lead lonely
life.
The colonel was oblivious to the
fact that any such problem awaited
him. His experience In such matters
was very limited He supposed his
honeymoon would last forever, and
Just so long would his wife be con-
tented with him for companion. He
had realized the position Of one hold
ing his peculiar views linking a wife,
but had nat foreseen anything more
serious When the couple reached their
destination and Mrs. Ammon saw the
situation, she notified her husband that
there was trouble in store for them.
What was to be done2 It IVES decid-
ed to transfer headquarters, though
the wife had misgIvings as to her re
ceptIon and Intimated as much to her
husband.
It was 5 O'Clock on a pleasant sum-
mer afternoon when the pair drove up
In an ambuIance-the only available
conyeyance-to the gateway Of the
most and thence across the parade.
Usually at that hour the Officers fam
lilies, dressed for dinner and the even
ing, were either lounging on their
porches or on the benches lining the
parade.
The colonel paIed. Not woman or
a child was to be seen. His wife was
to be ostracIzed. Powerful as he was
as a commander Of men, he could not
order woman to associate with her.
He realized at last the consequences of
INDUCING his hobby ana groaned. Mrs.
Ammon, rising to the occasion, made
every EFFORT to comfort her husband.
Comfort! One might as well have tried
to comfort condemned criminal.
The pair dined in solitude. There
was no occasion for any OF the officers
to report to the colonel till the next
morning, and after dinner he sat silent. |
the picture OF despair. Not a sound
came from the officers quarters near by
nor across the parade except an occa-
sIonal bugle call. 1t seemed an age
before taps, and when Il came, lone
", melancholy sound, the colonel wish I
ed that 1t was sounded over his grave.
The last bugle note had scarcely died |
away when right under the colonel's
window the post band started nm |
Johnny Comes Marching Home" At |
the same moment his door was thrust |
open and n troup Of children poured In.
each child bearing flowers, which they
proceeded to heap upon the bride Next
came the officers wives, who, after
welcoming Mrs. Ammon, went to the I
colonel, and every woman kissed him
on the cheek Last Of all, the officers
entered, with hearty congratulations.
Scarcely had the throng offered their
welcome when n pair of folding doors
were thrown open and the servants OF
the officers living nearest We're seen In
the back room laying table and open
ing wine.
The change of expression on the colo
nel's face was study for n painter
Surprise. relief, pleasure. embarass-
ment, were NIL struggling for the mas
terry. His face was like the red stripes
In the flag under which he served. On
his wlfe's lips he saw n smile, and IN
mn she 70