AN OLD FRIEND IN A NEW GUISE
At eleven o'clock on the morning of September fifteenth two slim,
sun-burnt, erect and athletic-looking young men walked into headquarters
at Fort Butler.
The sergeant seated at a desk in the outer room, after taking a look at
them, concluded to take a chance. He rose, saluted and stood at
attention.
"What can I do for you, gentlemen?" he asked.
"Is Major Tipton at headquarters?" queried Hal.
"Yes, sir."
"Will you take our cards in to the major if he is not too busily engaged
to receive them?"
The sergeant glanced at the uppermost card, on which was printed, from
engraved script, in the regular form for officers' cards:
"Henry Overton,
U. S. Army."
"At once, gentlemen," replied the sergeant. "Will you be seated?"
The sergeant vanished behind the door to the next room. In an instant he
came out again, halting just beyond the doorway, and announced:
"Major Tipton wishes you to step inside, gentlemen."
Major Tipton was standing by his desk to receive his new young officers.
He was a large man, tall, with broad shoulders and somewhat inclined to
portliness. His hair was iron-gray, his face rather highly colored. But
he looked the picture both of courtesy and heartiness as he held out a
hand to Hal.
"Welcome, gentlemen," was his greeting. "Welcome to the Thirty-seventh.
I can speak, with especial heartiness, for the second battalion."
Hal and Noll presented themselves by name.
"Be seated, gentlemen. And so you have come up from the ranks? We have
many splendid officers in the service who took the same path to
commissions. I had the hard-won pleasure of coming through West Point,
but many of the officers who have served with me and under me came up
from the ranks. Our battalion now has its full complement of officers.
The two second lieutenants of the other companies are men just from West
Point this year."
"I think you will like the post here, especially if you are fond of the
water. As you will find, when you have time to take a walk, this
reservation is right on the bank of the Rio Grande River. In fact, this
post is a frontier station. But that you have already gathered from maps
or other sources."
"We have looked up everything we could find about Fort Butler, sir,"
Noll answered.
"You are both bachelors, I understand."
"Yes, sir," assented Hal.
"Good. We have plenty of room in the bachelor quarters, and no more
cottages, at present, for married officers. So, gentlemen"--here the
major's eyes twinkled merrily--"you will be doing me an especial favor
if you do not contemplate marriage for the present."
"We are wholly free from engagements in that line, sir," Noll laughed.
"I am glad to hear it, Mr. Terry. A young officer should first find out
if he can live on his pay, before he tries to make it do for two
persons. Having been informed that you were bachelor officers I have
already given orders that your quarters be made ready. We have twelve
sets of officer's quarters here, and, including yourselves, only five
officers to put in the quarters. And now I take it that you will want to
go to your quarters after your long ride on the train?"
"We are wholly at your orders, sir," responded Hal.
"Then I will take time to play host in what is really Uncle Sam's house.
I will take you over to your quarters myself. Pardon me for a few
moments, while I do some telephoning."
Calling up the quarters of Captain Goodale, Major Tipton said:
"Captain, this is the commanding officer. Your new second lieutenant,
Mr. Terry, is here. He will call upon you at two o'clock this afternoon,
unless you have another engagement for that time. Two is all right, is
it? Thank you, Captain."
Major Tipton then called up Captain Foster, informing him that Mr.
Overton would call upon him at two o'clock that afternoon.
"Now, where is your baggage, gentlemen? At the station, I suppose."
"Yes, sir."
"I will send for one of the battalion quartermaster sergeant's men to
take your checks and have your baggage up here without delay."
A private soon entered, received the baggage checks of the young
officers and departed.
"Now, come along, gentlemen," invited the major, reaching for his
uniform cap. "I will take you over to your quarters at once."
Fort Butler looked like many another army post, in that the reservation
was several hundred acres in extent; that it had well-laid, well-kept
roads, a guard house, parade ground, hospital, administrative buildings,
a barracks for enlisted men and other quarters for the officers. The
post lay in a flat country bordering the river, and the grounds about
the buildings were tastefully laid out.
From the little headquarters building Major Tipton led Hal and Noll in a
somewhat southerly direction toward the officers' quarters. At the
extreme western end of "officers' town" lay a plain, barracks-like
building, with front porch upstairs and down.
"That barn will be your home, gentlemen," announced the major. "And the
building just this side is the one that contains the officers' club."
"Officers' club," otherwise known as "officers' mess," is a term that
might be misunderstood by a civilian. The "club" is where the bachelor
officers eat their meals; other officers on post often eat there, too,
especially in the absence of their families. There are reading and
writing rooms at the "club," and other features that make it a somewhat
pleasant lounging place for young officers in their few leisure hours.
While there is plenty of comfort at an officers' club there are few in
which anything like real luxury is to be found. And, while the civilian
may remain at his club until well into the small hours the Army officer,
with his next day of arduous duty ahead of him, usually leaves his club
between nine and ten in the evening, if not much earlier.
Major Tipton then led the young officers to the bachelor house,
explaining that he had assigned them quarters upstairs, as they would
find them much pleasanter than the downstairs rooms.
The two sets of quarters proved to be facing each other, Hal's on the
east side, Noll's on the west side. Each set consisted of a parlor and
bedroom, with bath and dressing-room adjoining.
"There's room enough here, sir, to start married life in," smiled
Lieutenant Overton.
"Have you that bee buzzing about you?" asked the major, giving him a
keen glance.
"Not in the least, sir."
"I have arranged for two excellent men to act as your strikers,"
continued the commanding officer. "Their selection is, of course,
subject to your approval. At Fort Butler an officer pays a striker eight
dollars a month."
The two lieutenants expressed their thanks. While they were still
inspecting their quarters two private soldiers came up with the baggage
from the railway station.
"I'll take my leave, now, and give you time to dress," said the major,
rising. "I shall be at the club during the noon-time to-day, and will
introduce you to such of the officers as may be present."
Both young officers saluted as their commander withdrew.
"Now we've got to hustle," admonished Hal. "We'll have a lot to do."
"I'm busy," affirmed Noll, rising and making for the door to go to his
own quarters.
Hardly had the door closed when a knock came. Another knock could be
heard at Noll's door.
"Come in," called Hal, and a young private entered, saluting.
"Major Tipton arranged with me to serve as your striker, sir, until you
make some other arrangement," reported the soldier.
"You've come at just the right moment, then," answered Hal. "Your name?"
"Ellis, sir."
"Very good, Ellis. Unpack my trunk and bags in the bedroom. I'm going
into my bath."
"Very good, sir."
Catching up clean underclothing Lieutenant Hal retired to the bathroom.
Completing his toilet with soldierly speed, the youthful lieutenant
opened the door into his parlor.
Private Ellis arose, standing at attention.
Hal tarried only long enough to note that the striker had placed his
swords in a corner, and that his revolver, belt and ammunition box lay
on the desk.
"Ellis has done this sort of work before," Hal told himself. Then he
stepped out, knocking on Noll's door. The latter's striker opened it at
once.
"Lieutenant Terry is nearly ready, sir," reported Noll's striker.
An officer's striker is a species of military servant, yet it is not
considered in the Army that the striker's work is really menial, or in
any way degrading. Some of the best and brightest of the commissioned
officers now serving in the Army have been employed in the past as
strikers to officers. No private soldier is compelled to serve as
striker. He does it only of his own choice, and is always paid by the
officer, the amount of pay depending upon the extent and nature of the
services so performed. A striker's work must not interfere with his
performance of his own soldierly duties. A trained striker knows just
the hours when he is expected to be at his officer's quarters, and just
what he must do when he gets there.
Noll soon came out, presenting a striking sight in his brand-new, finely
fitting uniform.
"I can't rid myself of the notion that I'm liable to arrest by the
guard," laughed Noll as the chums made their way down the stairs.
"Why?" asked Hal.
"For daring to masquerade in an officer's uniform," grinned Noll.
"You'll get used to it soon," replied Hal. "You haven't been an enlisted
man all your life, you know."
"But I have been during all the years that I've been really living,"
Noll retorted. "You look out, too, Hal, old bunkie, or you'll be
saluting the first second lieutenant you see."
"I shall, anyway," Overton retorted. "Any other second lieutenant on the
post, except yourself, ranks me, and I'm not sure but that you do."
Nor had the young lieutenants taken ten steps from their room when a
soldier, turning the corner, brought his hand up to the visor of his cap
in trim salute.
Hal was ready with his acknowledgment of the salute, but Noll started
guiltily, half a second later, and hurriedly raised his own hand to
return the soldier's courtesy.
"I was nearly caught that time," admitted Terry, in an undertone.
"Watch, out, chum. It's a grave matter, as you well enough know, for an
officer to overlook a soldier's salute."
Three more soldiers passed them, but Noll was looking now, and fully
alert to bring his own hand up to his cap.
Then the chums turned and ascended the steps to the club. Neither had
ever before entered an officers' club, save on some errand of duty.
Major Tipton was waiting for them inside. There were two other officers
present--First Lieutenants Johnson and Sears.
"Mr. Johnson is first lieutenant of F company, your company, Mr. Terry,"
stated the major. "Mr. Sears is first lieutenant of your company, H, Mr.
Overton. These gentlemen, after luncheon, will take you to your
respective captains and present you."
Soon there were sounds of others entering the hallway. Then a voice was
heard, declaring firmly:
"You may think me a grind, but I have little sympathy with either
officers or men who think too much of pleasure. The first duty of any
soldier, from general down to rookie----"
Now three more officers stepped into the room.
"----is duty, and it should always be spelled with a capital 'D,'"
finished the speaker earnestly.
Noll got a glimpse of that speaker. It startled him so that he drew
back, muttering:
"For the love of Mike! It's our old Algy."
"Who?" queried Hal, who had not caught a glimpse, yet, of the face of
the officer in question.
"It's Feathers--I mean, Ferrers," breathed Noll. "The officer who tried
to resign because the Army was no place for a gentleman."
"Mr. Brisbane," sounded the major's voice, "I want you to meet a new
officer, Mr. Overton. Mr. Pratt, Mr. Overton. Mr. Ferrers, Mr. ----"
"I think, Major, we have met before, sir," spoke Lieutenant Hal, turning
to grasp the hand of Lieutenant Algy Ferrers, whom readers of "UNCLE
SAM'S BOYS AS SERGEANTS" will well remember.
"Er--ah--yes," agreed Mr. Ferrers, but it was plain that his memory had
deserted him as to Hal's face.
"Terry and I were sergeants at Fort Clowdry, Mr. Ferrers," Hal
continued.
"Oh, I remember you now, of course," cried Algy heartily, but a slight
flush mounted his cheeks at mention of Fort Clowdry.
Then Noll was presented to his brother officers.
Major Tipton withdrew, going to his own quarters just as luncheon was
announced.