The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1912-10-03
SHORTEST WAY OUT OF 4
DIFFICULTY.
WEEKLY SHORT STORY.

Major Mcdonald. as the name indi
Gates, of Scotch descent, was ever
inch soldier. He claimed that arm.
Officers should be celibates.
Btu Major Mcdonald could not en-
force his opinions or their practic
upon those under his command. Will
he restricted himself to celibacy. hi
officers were marrying and raising chill
dren, and many Of the men In the rank
were doing the same thing. The con
sequence was that during several year.
when his command was located in on,
place 1t came to comprise nearly a.
many women and children as soldiers
Then came the order to move. Ever
the major was not prepared for the in
crease of his military family and thu
herculean task of transporting the liv.
ing impediments. to say nothing OF
furniture and baggage, The migration
was from Fort W. to Fort j.. and. since
the command consisted of two COM
panies and each company was allowed
but one wagon. 1t required dozen
trips for both wagons to make the
transfer.
During the hegira the major fumed
and stamped and swore that he would
rather command a tribe Of Indians
with full complement of squaws and
papooses, for, while his own force was
loaded down With effects. the Indians
carried their clothing-when they had
any on their backs His wrath was
especially irritating to the wives of his
soldiers, who considered that they had
their rights even as part of an army.
The move was trying one for ALL and
they had been some time settled In
their new quarters before the garrison
resumed it's wanted good humor.
AS soon as the furniture was in po-
sition and the trunks, boxes and bar
rels unpacked, the officers wives
there were two captains and four lieu
tenants, all married-got' together to
fire blank cartridges or empty words at
the major They began by calling him
a brute, a monster, devil, but finally
simmered down to applying no more
name to him than crusty
old bachelor. Then the meeting resolv-
ed itself into committee Of the whole
to express its dissatisfaction at the
treatment it had received and take
measures against its recurrence.
There was one dissenting voice in the
clatter tongues. Mrs Captain Fer
guson, good natured, motherly wo-
man, avowed that the major was right:
that an army encountered with wom-
EN- and children would be better equip
ped with blank cartridges, that the
army was no place for them, and. be-
Ing an encumbrance, they should bear
any scolding the commander
chose to give them.
couple of months after the hegira
a niece of Mrs. Ferguson--Mss Gwen
aolin Brayling, young lady Of nine
teen--came out from the east to visit
her aunt When the major heard of
her arrival he shifted the air ominous-
y. The ladies whom Mrs Ferguson
had reproved for their structures on the
major at once took notice, wondering
low the new mpedlnenta--as they
rad come to facetiously style Miss
affect the major
Did you ask permission to have her
,ome?" asked Mrs. Lieutenant Hank
less Of Mrs. Ferguson.
II did not" replied Mrs. Ferguson.
I shall take care of her in every re-
lpon the garrison
Hell get even with you" exclaimed
Mrs. Captain Wetherby, shaking her
lead ominously
To this Mrs. Ferguson did not deign
reply
Miss Brayling had scarcely had time
o make the acquaintance of the ladies
the garrison before she was private
warned by them to keep herself at
s safe distance as possible from the
"Whatll he do to me?" she asked.
"What'll he do? Why, what a aues-
on. Don't you know that he consid-
RS women a drawback to the COM
,and? If there was an article In the L
regulations" TO cover the case he'd {
lnvene a board Of survey to condemn
very one Of us and make a bonfire
[ u.s."
What an awful mani"
Now. it happened that Captain Fer
uson soon after Miss Brayling's ar
val was promoted to be major and :,
ssigned to the command of Fort G., .
20 miles south OF Fort J. He had no ,
'oner left the fort. his WIFE children
nd niece In an ambulance and his eff
cts In an army wagon, than Major ,
acDonald was heard to say, There !,
five cliDgers and one soldier" There .
as not lady at Fort J. who did not
IVY Mrs Ferguson the change, but
/ had at least the satisfaction in her
Ding that they would feel the more
eedom in abusing Major Macdonald.
About week after the departure of
e Fergusons Major Macdonald re- .
lived an order from Washington d.
II ting hin, IN ioenoot IT, $780,. -