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Roe, Frances Marie Antoinette Mack

"Army Letters from an Officer's Wife, 1871-1888"

The company
passed several days ago, so we will go on in the morning; otherwise we
would have been obliged to wait for it.
I had to stay here all alone as Faye would not consent to my going
with him. He gave me one of his big pistols, and I had my own small
one, and these I put on a table in the tent, after they had gone, and
then fastened the tent flaps tight and sat down to await events. But
the tent soon became stifling, and it occurred to me that it was
foolish to shut myself up so I could not see whatever might come until
it was right upon me, so putting my pistol in my pocket and hiding the
other, I opened the tent and went out. The first thing I saw was a
fishing pole with line and fly, and that I took, and the next was the
first sergeant watching me. I knew then that Faye had told him to take
care of me.
I went over to tell him that I was going for a fish, and then on down
to the beautiful river, whose waters are green and very much the color
of the Niagara River. I cast the fly over on the water, and instantly
a large fish came up, took the fly, and went down again so easily and
gracefully that he scarcely made a ripple on the water until he felt
the pull of the line. That was when I forgot everything connected with
camp--Faye, horse thieves, and Indians! I had no reel, of course, and
getting the big fish out of the water was a problem, for I was
standing on a rather high and steep bank.


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