Of Course I Had My Arms Around Him,
And Of Course I Cried, Too.
It was so pitifully distressing, for it
told how keenly the poor dumb beast had suffered during the year he
had been away from us.
People stared, and soon there was a crowd about
us with an abundance of curiosity. Cagey explained the situation, and
from then on to train time, Hal was patted and petted and given
dainties from lunch baskets.
He was in the car next to ours, coming out, and we saw him often. Many
times there were long runs across the plains, when the only thing to
be seen, far or near, would be the huge tanks containing water for the
engines. At one of these places, while we were getting water. Cagey
happened to be asleep, and a recruit, thinking that Hal was
ill-treated by being kept tied all the time, unfastened the chain from
his collar and led him from the car.
The first thing the dog saw was another dog, and alas! a greyhound
belonging to Ryan, an old soldier. The next thing he saw was the dear,
old, beautiful plains, for which he had pined so long and wearily. The
two dogs had never seen each other before, but hounds are clannish and
never fail to recognize their own kind, so with one or two jumps by
way of introduction, the two were off and out of sight before anyone
at the cars noticed what they were doing. I was sitting by the window
in our car and saw the dogs go over the rolling hill, and saw also
that a dozen or more soldiers were running after them. I told Faye
what had happened, and he started out and over the hill on a hard run.
Time passed, and we in the cars watched, but neither men nor dogs came
back. Finally a long whistle was blown from the engine, and in a short
time the train began to move very slowly. The officers and men came
running back, but the dogs were not with them! My heart was almost
broken; to leave my beautiful dog on the plains to starve to death was
maddening. I wanted to be alone, so to the dressing room I went, and
with face buried in a portiere was sobbing my very breath away when
Mrs. Pierce, wife of Major Pierce, came in and said so sweetly and
sympathetically: "Don't cry, dear; Hal is following the car and the
conductor is going to stop the train."
Giving her a hasty embrace, I ran back to the end of the last car, and
sure enough, there was Hal, the old Hal, bounding along with tail high
up and eyes sparkling, showing that the blood of his ancestors was
still in his veins. The conductor did not stop the train, simply
because the soldiers did not give him an opportunity. They turned the
brakes and then held them, and if a train man had interfered there
would have been a fight right then and there.
As soon as the train was stopped Faye and Ryan were the first to go
for the dogs, but by that time the hounds thought the whole affair
great fun and objected to being caught - at least Ryan's dog objected.
The porter in our car caught Hal, but Ryan told him to let the dog go,
that he would bring the two back together. This was shrewd in Ryan,
for he reasoned that Major Carleton might wait for an officer's dog,
but never for one that belonged to only an enlisted man; but really it
was the other way, the enlisted men held the brakes. The dogs ran back
almost a mile to the water tank, and the conductor backed the train
down after them, and not until both dogs were caught and on board
could steam budge it ahead.
The major was in temporary command of the regiment at that time. He is
a very pompous man and always in fear that proper respect will not be
shown his rank, and when we were being backed down he went through our
car and said in a loud voice: "I am very sorry Mrs. Rae, that you
should lose your fine greyhound, but this train cannot be detained any
longer - it must move on!" I said nothing, for I saw the two big men in
blue at the brake in front, and knew Major Carleton would never order
them away, much as he might bluster and try to impress us with his
importance, for he is really a tender-hearted man.
Poor Faye was utterly exhausted from running so long, and for some
time Ryan was in a critical condition. It seems that he buried his
wife quite recently, and has left his only child in New Orleans in a
convent, and the greyhound, a pet of both wife and little girl, is all
he has left to comfort him. Everyone is so glad that he got the dog.
Hal was not unchained again, I assure you, until we got here, but poor
Cagey almost killed himself at every stopping place running up and
down with the dog to give him a little exercise.
It is really delightful to be in a tent once more, and I am
anticipating much pleasure in camping through a strange country. A
large wagon train of commissary stores will be with us, so we can
easily add to our supplies now and then. It is amazing to see the
really jolly mood everyone seems to be in. The officers are singing
and whistling, and we can often hear from the distance the boisterous
laughter of the men. And the wives! there is an expression of happy
content on the face of each one. We know, if the world does not, that
the part we are to take on this march is most important. We will see
that the tents are made comfortable and cheerful at every camp; that
the little dinner after the weary march, the early breakfast, and the
cold luncheon are each and all as dainty as camp cooking will permit.
Yes, we are sometimes called "camp followers," but we do not mind - it
probably originated with some envious old bachelor officer.
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