It Is Delightful To Be In A Nicely Furnished, Well-Regulated House
Once More.
The buildings are all made of adobe, and the officers'
quarters have low, broad porches in front, and remind me a little of
the houses at Fort Lyon, only of course these are larger and have more
rooms.
There are nice front yards, and on either side of the officers'
walk is a row of beautiful cottonwood trees that form a complete arch.
They are watered by an acequia that brings water from Sun River
several miles above the post. The post is built along the banks of
that river but I do not see from what it derived its name, for the
water is muddy all the time. The country about here is rather rolling,
but there are two large buttes - one called Square Butte that is really
grand, and the other is Crown Butte. The drives up and down the river
are lovely, and I think that Bettie and I will soon have many pleasant
mornings together on these roads. After the slow dignified drives I am
taking almost every day, I wonder how her skittish, affected ways will
seem to me!
I am so glad to be with the regiment again - that is, with old friends,
although seeing them in a garrison up in the Rocky Mountains is very
different from the life in a large city in the far South! Four
companies are still at Fort Missoula, where the major of the regiment
is in command. Our commanding officer and his wife were there also
during the winter, therefore those of us who were at Helena and Camp
Baker, feel that we must entertain them in some way. Consequently, now
that everyone is settled, the dining and wining has begun. Almost
every day there is a dinner or card party given in their honor, and
several very delightful luncheons have been given. And then the
members of the old garrison, according to army etiquette, have to
entertain those that have just come, so altogether we are very gay.
The dinners are usually quite elegant, formal affairs, beautifully
served with dainty china and handsome silver. The officers appear at
these in full-dress uniform, and that adds much to the brilliancy of
things, but not much to the comfort of the officers, I imagine.
Everyone is happy in the fall, after the return of the companies from
their hard and often dangerous summer campaign, and settles down for
the winter. It is then that we feel we can feast and dance, and it is
then, too, that garrison life at a frontier post becomes so
delightful. We are all very fond of dancing, so I think that Faye and
I will give a cotillon later on. In fact, it is about all we can do
while living in those four rooms.
We have Episcopal service each alternate Sunday, when the Rev. Mr.
Clark comes from Helena, a distance of eighty-five miles, to hold one
service for the garrison here and one at the very small village of Sun
River.
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