Читать книгу THE BETTER PART OF VALOR - Morgan Mackinnon - Страница 10

Chapter 3

The first few days of the voyage fell into a comfortable routine. Cresta favored the informal restaurant and usually arrived there for breakfast around 8:30 a.m. Invariably, she would find Keogh seated outside with a cup of coffee and the ship’s newspaper which would have whatever news had arrived over the ship’s telegraph along with small sketches of seafaring life, thumbnail descriptions of members of the crew or passengers, a list of daily activities on board such as shuffleboard, deck bowls, or a roster of lectures. The orchestra played on deck in the afternoons if weather permitted and played in the formal first-class dining room every evening.

Spotting Cresta, Keogh would rise, fold the newspaper, and tuck it under one arm while offering his other arm to her as escort into the restaurant for breakfast. Normally, both breakfast and luncheon were solely buffet choice while waiters brought water, coffee, tea, and juice to diners. Should a lady enter the restaurant with a gentleman, the gentleman would prepare her plate first, bring it to the table, and then fix his own. Cresta always waited for the gallant soldier to return to their table before beginning to eat.

After breakfast, they would stroll the deck (if weather permitted) or sit in deck lounge chairs and talk. Keogh spoke mostly of his family and how much he missed them; Cresta spoke of her family and made him laugh when she described a bevy of kooky, nosey, exasperating characters. When it came time for luncheon, they more or less assumed they’d be dining together. Afternoons were usually spent in the writing and reading room, and they were quite contented sharing each other’s companionship whether they spoke or not. Evenings they would change into more formal wear, share a drink together, and then eat supper. So far, they had not gone to the formal dining room because the informal restaurant was cozy and comfortable for them.

“Tell me, Myles. What is it you do with the US Army? I do not mean to be too inquisitive.”

“I am afraid my Civil War adventures are much more interesting. However, I do a variety of things. At present, I am assigned to Fort Abraham Lincoln, which is a large fort on the Missouri River in Dakota Territory. Despite my brevet rank, the end of the war dictated a much smaller military force. I was offered a commission as Captain in the regular army, and since I wished to stay in the military life, I accepted.

“Part of our duty is to assist the Reconstruction efforts in the South. I have chased after moonshiners as well as Klan members. Sometimes I am asked to serve on the panels of court-martial proceedings. I have served as acting Quartermaster as well as a staff officer for General Sully. To tell you the truth, service in a remote fort can be quite boring, especially in winter.”

She stirred her tea and took a sip. “Sounds to me as though you manage assignments to a variety of interesting duties.”

“I have made it known I would volunteer for anything noteworthy. I am not fond of doing nothing but drill and parade and eat and then do it all over again.”

As was normal in later afternoons, the Colonel was sipping at a glass of whiskey. Cresta shrewdly observed he drank too much, but she wasn’t sure why. It was true the Irish had a probably undeserved reputation as being hard drinkers but normally there was an underlying cause. So far, she had not seen him obviously inebriated.

“Our real purpose on the frontier is to guard the crews working on the expansion of the railroads and to chase after Indians attacking settlers and stage stations. I say ‘chase after’ because that is literally all we can do. While we chase one band, they are miles away, attacking another station. We have had the misfortune to come upon stations that have been attacked and burned not more than an hour before we arrived. All we can do is bury…”

Cresta wasn’t shocked in the least, but Myles apparently thought she, a lady, would be.

“I apologize, Cresta. There are things I should not say to a lady with regards to what is happening on the plains. I will continue with your permission. When I am not on assignment elsewhere, I am in command of Company I, which is one of twelve companies of cavalry stationed at Fort Lincoln. Each company has a Captain, a First Lieutenant, a Second Lieutenant, one first sergeant, one quartermaster sergeant, eight corporals, two trumpeters, farrier, blacksmith, saddler, wagoner, and seventy-eight privates.”

She smiled. “That is a lot of responsibility. And your commander?”

Keogh made something of a disgusted sound in his throat. “My commanding officer is a nuisance. Obnoxious, rude, hateful, vindictive, reckless…shall I go on?”

“If you hate him that much, why don’t you seek a permanent assignment elsewhere?”

“Sometimes I ask myself that question. Well, for one thing, Fort Lincoln is new, it is spacious, I have my own officer’s quarters, I am frequently away on special assignment, and I take as much leave as I can manage. I seem to have the odd distinction of being considered one of the commander’s special cadre of insiders, plus his wife likes me. I am included in many social functions which shut out those who are not insiders. I tolerate it as well as I can.”

She nodded. “Now I shall be nosy. Did you migrate from Ireland solely to offer your sword to the Union Army?”

“In a way, I suppose I did. I volunteered with the Papal forces in Italy, did some Vatican duty, but at the time, the Union Army was desperate for experienced officers and were recruiting in Europe. I was commissioned in the volunteer units as a Captain. As always, I suppose, it was difficult to fit in until I proved my worth in battle.”

“Because of your accent? I find it quite delightful.”

His face was dark. “No. I find it odd that a country such as the United States, a country made up of immigrants, can manage to spawn hatred for new immigrants. Many Irish immigrated to the States because of poverty resulting from the potato famine. They were looked at as trash. Less than human because they were poor and wished for a better life. They were called shanty Irish or micks. The men I served with could not put me on the same level because I had a college education and came from a comfortable situation, but they took to calling me an Irish bastard until we had had a few fights and I showed them my mettle in battle. After leading a few cavalry charges, I was welcomed among all the men.”

Cresta made no immediate reply but thought to herself how so many things in life always remained the same.

Keogh then asked Cresta how she managed without her now deceased husband, and she replied she was much better off without the beast. She still had work as an alienist, her situation was secure, and she was content.

“Do you ever intend to marry again?”

She looked at him with her strange, violet eyes. “Never again. I fear there is something missing in my heart that will never be filled. I have my work and I have my cats.” She smiled. “Two out of three ain’t bad.”