Through her eyes we see the close-knit social life of an army post, the western frontier's divided response to the American Civil War, and the cultures and peoples of the West.

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1893 edition. Excerpt: ... V In February husband was granted a short leave of absence, and we made a visit to San Antonio, and Austin, where Dr. R. N. Lane, my brother-in-law, was practising medicine, and well known to many army people. We left Fort Inge in an ambulance, with no escort; Mr. Lane and the driver were supposed to be a sufficient guard through a country where there were some small settlements and a house to sleep in every night . At the end of the first day's ride, we found Dhanis, a small German settlement, where one Mr. Finger kept a house for wayfarers. The ladies' bedroom-- there seemed to be but one--was small, with a low ceiling, stone floor, and large, open fireplace. The furniture consisted of a bed, wash-stand, some extremely uncomfortable chairs, and a small table, on which our meals were served. With a big fire of dry logs, we felt quite content, after being in the cold wind all day. The fare was simple, but not bad, and, with healthy appetites, we enjoyed the novelty of the situation. In all my wanderings I have never come across another such bed as that! It was shaped just like an egg> and we had to cling like bats to stay in it at all, and had very little rest. I am sure Mr. Finger would have been surprised had we told him the bed was uncomfortable. The ladies' chamber was, I think, the pride of the house. Men were put to sleep in a room that opened into the stable, and an army officer told me he awoke suddenly one morning, and, on looking up, saw a horse's head just above his own. The next stop we made was at Castroville, where we found quite a nice house kept by a quaint old French woman, --Madam Tardee, --well patronized by army people at that time. The house was clean, and the fare better than one would expect. The bedrooms,

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