How Officers With Large Families Can Possibly Manage This Move
I Do Not See - Sell Their Pay Accounts I Expect, And Then Be Court
Martialed For Having Done So.
Congress failed to pass the army appropriation bill before it
adjourned, consequently no money can be paid to the Army until the
next session!
Yet the Army is expected to go along just the same,
promptly pay Uncle Sam himself all commissary and quartermaster bills
at the end of each month, and without one little grumble do his
bidding, no matter what the extra expense may be. I wonder what the
wise men of Congress, who were too weary to take up the bill before
going to their comfortable homes - I wonder what they would do if the
Army as a body would say, "We are tired. Uncle, dear, and are going
home for the summer to rest. You will have to get along without us and
manage the Indians and strikers the best way you can." This would be
about as sensible as forcing the Army to be paupers for months, and
then ordering regiments from East to West and South to North. Of
course many families will be compelled to remain back, that might
otherwise have gone.
We are taking out a young colored man we brought up with us from Holly
Springs. He has been at the arsenal since we have been here, and Hal
has been with him. It is over one year since the dog saw me, and I am
almost afraid he will not know me tonight at the station. Before we
left Pass Christian Faye telegraphed the sergeant to bring Hal with
the company and purchase necessary food for him on the way up. So,
when the company got here, bills were presented by several of the men,
who claimed to have bought meat for the dog, the sum total of which
was nine dollars for the two days! We were so pleased to know that Hal
had been so well cared for. But the soldiers were welcome to the money
and more with it, for we were so glad to have the dog with us again,
safe and well.
We have quite a Rae family now - Faye and I - a darky, a greyhound, and
one small gray squirrel! It will be a hard trip for Billie, but I have
made for him a little ribbon collar and sewed securely to it a long
tape which makes a fine "picket rope" that can be tied to various
things in various places, and in this way he can be picketed and yet
receive exercise and air.
We are to go almost straight north from the railroad for a distance of
over four hundred miles, and of course this will take several weeks
under the most favorable conditions. But you must not mind our going
so far away - it will be no farther than the Indian Territory, and the
climate of Montana must be very much better than it was at Camp
Supply, and the houses must certainly be more comfortable, as the
winters are so long and severe.
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