and then, finally ten o'clock, but Captain Percival did not come! I was
becoming very cross--for half an hour before I had sent Hang up to call
him, knowing that he and Faye also, were obliged to be ready to start
at ten o'clock. I was worried, too, fearing that Faye would have to go
without any breakfast at all. Of course the nice little breakfast was
ruined! Soon after ten, however, our guest came down and apologized very
nicely--said that the bed was so very delightful be simply could not
leave it. Right there I made a mental resolution to the effect that if
ever a big Englishman should come to my house to remain overnight, I
would have just one hour of delight taken from that bed!
To my great amusement, also pleasure. Captain Percival ate heartily of
everything, and kept on eating, and with such apparent relish I began to
think that possibly it might be another case of "delight," and finally
to wonder if Hang had anything in reserve. Once he said, "What excellent
cooks you have here!" This made Miss Mills smile, for she knew that Hang
had been loaned out the evening before. Faye soon left us to attend to
matters in connection with the trip, but the three of us were having a
very merry time--for Captain Percival was a most charming man--when
in the room came Captain Chater, his face as black as the proverbial
thundercloud, and after speaking to me, looked straight and reprovingly
at Captain Percival and said, "You are keeping his excellency waiting!"
That was like a bomb to all, and in two seconds the English captains had
shaken hands and were gone.
The mounted police are still in the post, and I suspect that this is
because their commander is having such a pleasant time driving and
dining with his hostess, who is one of our most lovely and fascinating
women. I received a note from Faye this morning from Helena. He says
that so far the trip has been delightful, and that in every way and by
all he is being treated as an honored guest. Lord Lome declined a large
reception in Helena, because the United States is in mourning for its
murdered President. What an exquisite rebuke to some of our ignorant
Americans! Faye writes that Lord Lome and members of his staff are
constantly speaking in great praise of the officers' wives at Shaw,
and have asked if the ladies throughout the Army are as charming and
cultured as those here.
Our young horses are really very handsome now, and their red coats are
shining from good grooming and feeding. They are large, and perfectly
matched in size, color, and gait, as they should be, since they are half
brothers. I am learning to drive now, a single horse, and find it very
interesting--but not one half as delightful as riding--I miss a saddle
horse dreadfully. Now and then I ride George--my own horse--but he
always reminds me that his proper place is in the harness, by making his
gait just as rough as possible.
FORT SHAW, MONTANA TERRITORY, December, 1881.
YOU will be greatly surprised to hear that Faye has gone to Washington!
His father is very ill--so dangerously so that a thirty-days' leave
was telegraphed Faye from Department Headquarters, without his having
applied for it so as to enable him to get to Admiral Rae without delay.
Some one in Washington must have asked for the leave. It takes so long
for letters to reach us from the East that one never knows what may
be taking place there. Faye started on the next stage to Helena and at
Dillon will take the cars for Washington.
Faye went away the night before the entertainment, which made it
impossible for me to be in the pantomime "Villikens and Dinah,"
so little Miss Gordon took my place and acted remarkably well,
notwithstanding she had rehearsed only twice. The very stage that
carried Faye from the post, brought to us Mr. Hughes of Benton for a few
days. But this turned out very nicely, for Colonel and Mrs. Mills, who
know him well, were delighted to have him go to them, and there he is
now. The next day I invited Miss Mills and Mr. Hughes to dine with me
informally, and while I was in the dining room attending to the few
pieces of extra china and silver that would be required for dinner (a
Chinaman has no idea of the fitness of things), Volmer, our striker,
came in and said to me that he would like to take the horses and the
single buggy out for an hour or so, as he wanted to show them to a
friend.
I saw at once that he and I were to have our usual skirmish. There is
one, always, whenever Faye is away any length of time. The man has a
frightful temper, and a year ago shot and killed a deserter. He was
acquitted by military court, and later by civil court, both courts
deciding that the shooting was accidental. But the deserter was a
catholic and Volmer is a quaker, so the feeling in the company was so
hostile toward him that for several nights he was put in the guardhouse
for protection. Then Faye took him as striker, and has befriended him
in many ways. But those colts he could not drive. So I told him that the
horses could not go out during the lieutenant's absence, unless I went
with them. He became angry at once, and said that it was the first team
he had ever taken care of that he was not allowed to drive as often
as he pleased. A big story, of course, but I said to him quietly, "You
heard what I said, Volmer, and further discussion will be quite useless.
You were never permitted to take the colts out when Lieutenant Rae was
here, and now that he is away, you certainly cannot do so." And I turned
back to my spoons and forks.
Volmer went out of the room, but I had an uncomfortable feeling that
matters were not settled. In a short time I became conscious of loud
talking in the kitchen, and could distinctly hear Volmer using most
abusive language about Faye and me. That was outrageous and not to be
tolerated a second, and without stopping to reason that it would be
better not to hear, and let the man talk his anger off, out to the
kitchen I went. I found Volmer perched upon one end of a large wood box
that stands close to a door that leads out to a shed. I said: "Volmer,
I heard what you have been saying, as you intended I should, and now
I tell you to go out of this house and stay out, until you can speak
respectfully of Lieutenant Rae and of me." But he sat still and looked
sullen and stubborn. I said again, "Go out, and out; of the yard too."
But he did not move one inch.
By that time I was furious, and going to the door that was so close to
the man he could have struck me, I opened it wide, and pointing out
with outstretched arm I said, "You go instantly!" and instantly he
went. Chinamen are awful cowards, and with the first word I said to the
soldier, Hang had shuffled to his own room, and there he had remained
until he heard Volmer go out of the house. Then he came back, and
looking at me with an expression of the most solemn pity, said, "He
vellee blad man--he killee man--he killee you, meb-bee!" The poor little
heathen was evidently greatly disturbed, and so was I, too. Not because
I was at all afraid of being killed, but because of the two spirited
young horses that still required most careful handling. And Faye might
be away several months! I knew that the commanding officer, also the
quartermaster, would look after them and do everything possible to
assist me, but at the same time I knew that there was not a man in the
post who could take Volmer's place with the horses. He is a splendid
whip and perfect groom. I could not send them to Mr. Vaughn's to run, as
they had been blanketed for a long time, and the weather was cold.
Of course I cried a little, but I knew that I had done quite right, that
it was better for me to regulate my own affairs than to call upon the
company commander to do so for me. I returned to the dining room, but
soon there was a gentle knock on the door, and opening it, I saw Volmer
standing in front of me, cap in hand, looking very meek and humble. Very
respectfully he apologized, and expressed his regret at having offended
me. That was very pleasant, but knowing the man's violent temper, and
thinking of coming days, I proceeded to deliver a lecture to the effect
that there was not another enlisted man in the regiment who would use
such language in our house, or be so ungrateful for kindness that we had
shown him. Above all, to make it unpleasant for me when I was alone.
I was so nervous, and talking to a soldier that way was so very
disagreeable, I might have broken down and cried again--an awful thing
to have done at that time--if I had not happened to have seen Hang's
head sticking out at one side of his door. He had run to his room again,
but could not resist keeping watch to see if Volmer was really intending
to "killee" me. He is afraid of the soldier, and consequently hates him.
Soon after he came, Volmer, who is a powerful man, tied him down to his
bed with a picket rope, and such yells of fury and terror were never
heard, and when I ran out to see what on earth was the matter, the
Chinaman's eyes were green, and he was frothing at the mouth. For days
after I was afraid that Hang would do some mischief to the man.
It is the striker's duty always to attend to the fires throughout the
house, and this Volmer is doing very nicely. But when Faye went away he
told Hang to take good care of me--so he, also, fixes the fires, and at
the same time shows his dislike for Volmer, who will bring the big wood
in and make the fires as they should be. Just as soon as he goes out,
however, in marches Hang, with one or two small pieces of wood on his
silk sleeve, and then, with much noise, he turns the wood in the stove
upside down, and stirs things up generally, after which he will put in
the little sticks and let it all roar until I am quite as stirred up
as the fire. After he closes the dampers he will say to me in his most
amiable squeak, "Me flixee him--he vellee glood now." This is all very
nice as long as the house does not burn.
Night before last Mrs. Mills invited me to a family dinner. Colonel
Mills was away, but Mr. Hughes was there, also Lieutenant Harvey to whom
Miss Mills is engaged, and the three Mills boys, making a nice little
party. But I felt rather sad--Faye was still en route to Washington, and
going farther from home every hour, and it was impossible to tell when
he would return, Mrs. Mills seemed distraite, too, when I first got to
the house, but she soon brightened up and was as animated as ever. The
dinner was perfect. Colonel Mills is quite an epicure, and he and Mrs.
Mills have a reputation for serving choice and dainty things on their
table. We returned to the little parlor after dinner, and were talking
and laughing, when something went bang! like the hard shutting of a
door.
Mrs. Mills jumped up instantly and exclaimed, "I knew it--I knew it!"
and rushed to the back part of the house, the rest of us running after
her. She went on through to the Chinaman's room, and there, on his cot,
lay the little man, his face even then the color of old ivory. He had
fired a small Derringer straight to his heart and was quite dead. I did
not like to look at the dying man, so I ran for the doctor and almost
bumped against him at the gate as he was passing. There was nothing that
he could do, however.
Mrs. Mills told us that Sam had been an inveterate gambler--that he had
won a great deal of money from the soldiers, particularly one, who had
that very day threatened to kill him, accusing the Chinaman of having
cheated. The soldier probably had no intention of doing anything of the
kind, but said it to frighten the timid heathen, just for revenge. Sam
had eaten a little dinner, and was eating ice-cream, evidently, when
something or somebody made him go to his room and shoot himself. The
next morning the Chinamen in the garrison buried him--not in the post
cemetery, but just outside. Upon the grave they laid one or two suits
of clothing, shoes--all Chinese, of course--and a great quantity of
food--much of it their own fruits. That was for his spirit until it
reached the Happy Land. The coyotes ate the food, but a Chinaman would
never believe that, so more food was taken out this morning.
They are such a queer people! Hang's breakfast usually consists of a
glass of cold water with two or three lumps of sugar dissolved in it and
a piece of bread broken in it also. When it is necessary for Hang to be
up late and do much extra work, I always give him a can of salmon, of
which he seems very fond--or a chicken, and tell him to invite one or
two friends to sit with him. This smooths away all little frowns and
keeps things pleasant. Volmer killed the chicken once, and Hang brought
it to me with eyes blazing--said it was poor--and "He ole-ee hin," so
I found that the only way to satisfy the suspicious man was to let him
select his own fowl. He always cooks it in the one way--boils it with
Chinese fruits and herbs, and with the head and feet on--and I must
admit that the odor is appetizing. But I have never tasted it, although
Hang has never failed to save a nice piece for me. He was with Mrs.
Pierce two years, and it was some time before I could convince him that
this house was regulated my way and not hers. Major Pierce was promoted
to another regiment and we miss them very much.
FORT SHAW, MONTANA TERRITORY, July, 1882.
THE garrison seems lonesome since the two companies have been out, and I
am beginning to feel that I am at home alone quite too much. Faye was in
Washington two months, and almost immediately after he got back he was
ordered to command the paymaster's escort from Helena here, and now he
is off again for the summer! The camp is on Birch Creek not far from the
Piegan Agency. The agents become frightened every now and then, and ask
for troops, more because they know the Indians would be justified in
giving trouble than because there is any.
An officer is sent from the post to inspect all the cattle and rations
that are issued to them--yet there is much cheating. Once it was
discovered that a very inferior brand of flour was being given the
Indians--that sacks with the lettering and marks of the brand the
government was supposed to issue to them had been slipped over the sacks
which really held the inferior flour, and carefully tied. Just imagine
the trouble some one had taken, but there had been a fat reward, of
course, and then, where had those extra sacks come from--where had the
fine flour gone?
Some one could have explained it all. I must admit, however, that anyone
who has seen an Indian use flour would say that the most inferior grade
would be good enough for them, to be mixed in dirty old pans, with still
dirtier hands. This lack of cleanliness and appreciation of things by
the Indians makes stealing from them very tempting.
The very night after the troops had gone out there was an excitement in
the garrison, and, as usual, I was mixed up in it, not through my own
choosing, however. I had been at Mrs. Palmer's playing whist during the
evening, and about eleven o'clock two of the ladies came down to the
house with me. The night was the very darkest I ever saw, and of this we
spoke as we came along the walk. Almost all the lights were out in the
officers' quarters, making the whole post seem dismal, and as I came in
the house and locked the door, I felt as if I could never remain
here until morning. Hang was in his room, of course but would be no
protection whatever if anything should happen.
Major and Mrs. Stokes have not yet returned from the East, so the
adjoining house is unoccupied, and on my right is Mrs. Norton, who is
alone also, as Doctor Norton is in camp with the troops. She had urged
me to go to her house for the night, but I did not go, because of the
little card party. I ran upstairs as though something evil was at my
heels and bolted my door, but did not fasten the dormer windows that
run out on the roof in front. Before retiring, I put a small, lighted
lantern in a closet and left the door open just a little, thinking that
the streak of light would be cheering and the lantern give me a light
quickly if I should need one.
Our breakfast had been very early that morning, on account of the troops
marching, and I was tired and fell asleep immediately, I think. After
a while I was conscious of hearing some one walking about in the room
corresponding to mine in the next house, but I dozed on, thinking to
myself that there was no occasion for feeling nervous, as the people
next door were still up. But suddenly I remembered that the house was
closed, and just then I distinctly heard some one go down the stairs.
I kept very still and listened, but heard nothing more and soon went to
sleep again, but again I was awakened--this time by queer noises--like
some one walking on a roof. There were voices, too, as if some one was
mumbling to himself.
I got the revolver and ran to the middle of the room, where I stood
ready to shoot or run--it would probably have been run--in any
direction. I finally got courage to look through a side window, feeling
quite sure that Mrs. Norton was out with her Chinaman, looking after
some choice little chickens left in her care by the doctor. But not one
light was to be seen in any place, and the inky blackness was awful to
look upon, so I turned away, and just as I did so, something cracked and
rattled down over the shingles and then fell to the ground. But which
roof those sounds came from was impossible to tell. With "goose flesh"
on my arms, and each hair on my head trying to stand up, I went back to
the middle of the room, and there I stood, every nerve quivering.
I had been standing there hours--or possibly it was only two short
minutes--when there was one loud, piercing shriek, that made me almost
scream, too. But after it was perfect silence, so I said to myself that
probably it had been a cat--that I was nervous and silly. But there came
another shriek, another, and still another, so expressive of terror
that the blood almost froze in my veins. With teeth chattering and limbs
shaking so I could hardly step, I went to a front window, and raising it
I screamed, "Corporal of the guard!"
I saw the sentinel at the guardhouse stop, as though listening, in front
of a window where there was a light, and seeing one of the guard gave
strength to my voice, and I called again. That time the sentry took it
up, and yelled, "Corporal of the guard, No. 1!" Instantly lanterns were
seen coming in our direction--ever so many of the guard came, and to our
gate as they saw me at a window. But I sent them on to the next house
where they found poor Mrs. Norton in a white heap on the grass, quite
unconscious.
The officer of the day was still up and came running to see what the
commotion was about--and several other officers came. Colonel Gregory,
a punctilious gentleman of the old school--who is in command just
now--appeared in a striking costume, consisting of a skimpy evening
gown of white, a dark military blouse over that, and a pair of military
riding boots, and he carried an unsheathed saber. He is very tall and
thin and his hair is very white, and I laugh now when I think of how
funny he looked. But no one thought of laughing at that time. Mrs.
Norton was carried in, and her house searched throughout. No one was
found, but burned matches were on the floor of one or two rooms, which
gave evidence that some one had been there.
In the yard back of the house a pair of heavy overshoes, also government
socks, were found, so it was decided that the man had climbed up on the
roof and entered the house through a dormer window that had not been
fastened. No one would look for the piece of shingle that night, but in
the morning I found it on the ground close to the house.
All the time the search was being made I had been in the window. Colonel
Mills insisted that I should go to his house for the remainder of the
night, but suggested that I put some clothes on first! It occurred to me
then, for the first time, that my own costume was rather striking--not
quite the proper thing for a balcony scene. Everyone was more than kind,
but for a long time after Miss Mills and I had gone to her room my teeth
chattered and big tears rolled down my face. Mrs. Norton declares that I
was more frightened than she was, and I say, "Yes, probably, but you did
not stop to listen to your own horrible screams, and then, after making
us believe that you were being murdered, you quietly dropped into
oblivion and forgot the whole thing."
Just as the entire garrison had become quiet once more--bang! went a
gun, and then again we heard people running about to see what was the
matter, and if the burglar had been caught. But it proved to have been
the accidental going off of a rifle at the guardhouse. The instant
that Colonel Gregory ascertained that a soldier had really been in Mrs.
Norton's house, check roll-call was ordered--that is, the officer of the
day went to the different barracks and ordered the first sergeants
to get the men up and call the roll at once, without warning or
preparation. In that way it was ascertained if the men were on their
cots or out of quarters. But that night every man was "present or
accounted for." At the hospital, roll-call was not necessary, but they
found an attendant playing possum! A lantern held close to his face did
not waken him, although it made his eyelids twitch, and they found that
his heart was beating at a furious rate. His clothes had been thrown
down on the floor, but socks were not to be found with them.
So he is the man suspected.. He will get his discharge in three days,
and it is thought that he was after a suit of citizen clothes of the
doctor's. Not so very long ago he was their striker. No one in the
garrison has ever heard of an enlisted man troubling the quarters of
an officer, and it is something that rarely occurs. I spend every night
with Mrs. Norton now, who seems to have great confidence in my ability
to protect her, as I can use a revolver so well. She calmly sleeps on,
while I remain awake listening for footsteps. The fact of my having
been at a military post when it was attacked by Indians--that a man
was murdered directly under my window, when I heard every shot, every
moan--and my having had two unpleasant experiences with horse thieves,
has not been conducive to normal nerves after dark.
During all the commotion at Mrs. Norton's the night the man got in her
house, her Chinaman did not appear. One of the officers went to his room
in search of the burglar and found him--the Chinaman--sitting up in his
bed, almost white from fear. He confessed to having heard some one in
the kitchen, and when asked why he did not go out to see who it was,
indignantly replied, "What for?--he go way, what for I see him?"
I feel completely upset without a good saddle horse. George is
developing quite a little speed in single harness, but I do not care for
driving--feel too much as though I was part of the little buggy instead
of the horse. Major and Mrs. Stokes are expected soon from the East, and
I shall be so glad to have my old neighbors back.
CAMP ON BIRCH CREEK, NEAR PIEGAN AGENCY, MONTANA TERRITORY, September,
1882.
BY this time you must have become accustomed to getting letters from all
sorts of out-of-the-way places, therefore I will not weary you with long
explanations, but simply say that Major Stokes and Faye sent for Mrs.
Stokes and me to come to camp, thinking to give us a pleasant little
outing. We came over with the paymaster and his escort. Major Carpenter
seemed delighted to have us with him, and naturally Mrs. Stokes and I
were in a humor to enjoy everything. We brought a nice little luncheon
with us for everybody--that is, everyone in the ambulance. The escort of
enlisted men were in a wagon back of us, but the officer in charge was
with us.
The Indians have quieted down, and several of the officers have gone on
leave, so with the two companies now here there are only Major Stokes,
who is in command, Faye, Lieutenant Todd, and Doctor Norton. Mrs. Stokes
has seen much of camp life, and enjoys it now and then as much as I do.
The importance of our husbands as hosts--their many efforts to make us
comfortable and entertain us--is amusing, yet very lovely. They give
us no rest whatever, but as soon as we return from one little excursion
another is immediately proposed. There is a little spring wagon in camp
with two seats, and there are two fine mules to pull it, and with this
really comfortable turn-out we drive about the country. Major Stokes is
military inspector of supplies at this agency, and every Piegan knows
him, so when we meet Indians, as we do often, there is always a powwow.