Has spirited them off to some place where they will not
freeze. He cannot understand all this ranking out of quarters,
particularly after he had put the house in perfect order. When I told
him to sweep the rooms after everything had been carried out, he said:
"What for? You cleanee house nuff for him; he no care," and off he
went. I am inclined to think that the little man was right, after all.
There have been many changes in the garrison during the past few
months, and a number of our friends have gone to other posts. Colonel
and Mrs. Palmer, Major and Mrs. Pierce, and Doctor and Mrs. Gordon are
no longer here. We have lost, consequently, both of our fine tenors
and excellent organist, and our little choir is not good now. Some of
us will miss in other ways Colonel Palmer's cultivated voice. During
the summer four of us found much pleasure in practicing together the
light operas, each one learning the one voice through the entire
opera.
When we get settled, if we ever do, we will be at our old end of the
garrison again, and our neighbors on either side will be charming
people. There is some consolation in that; nevertheless, I am thinking
all the time of the pretty walls and shiny floors we had to give up,
and to a very poor housekeeper, too. After we get our house, it will
take weeks to fix it up, and it will be impossible to take the same
interest in it that we found in the first. If Faye gets his first
lieutenancy in the spring, it is possible that we may have to go to
another post, which will mean another move. But I am tired and cross;
anyone would be under such uncomfortable conditions.
FORT ELLIS, MONTANA TERRITORY,
March, 1883.
THE trip over was by far the most enjoyable of any we have taken
between Fort Shaw and this post, and we were thankful enough that we
could come before the snow began to melt on the mountains. Our
experience with the high water two years ago was so dreadful that we
do not wish to ever encounter anything of the kind again. The weather
was delightful - with clear, crisp atmosphere, such as can be found
only in this magnificent Territory. It was such a pleasure to have our
own turn-out, too, and to be able to see the mountains and canons as
we came along, without having our heads bruised by an old ambulance.
Faye had to wait almost twelve years for a first lieutenancy, and now,
when at last he has been promoted, it has been the cause of our
leaving dear friends and a charming garrison, and losing dear yellow
Hang, also.
