streets shaded by old
trees. The Tenth Infantry had its headquarters and two companies there.
Every afternoon, the military band played in the Plaza, where everybody
went and sat on benches in the shade of the old trees, or, if cool, in
the delightful sunshine. The pretty and well-dressed senoritas cast shy
glances at the young officers of the Tenth; but, alas! the handsome
and attractive Lieutenants Van Vliet and Seyburn, and the more sedate
Lieutenant Plummer, could not return these bewitching glances, as they
were all settled in life.

The two former officers had married in Detroit, and both Mrs. Van Vliet
and Mrs. Seyburn did honor to the beautiful city of Michigan, for they
were most agreeable and clever women, and presided over their army homes
with distinguished grace and hospitality.

The Americans who lived there were all professional people; mostly
lawyers, and a few bankers. I could not understand why so many Eastern
lawyers lived there. I afterwards learned that the old Spanish land
grants had given rise to illimitable and never-ending litigation.

Every morning we rode across country. There were no fences, but the wide
irrigation ditches gave us a plenty of excitement, and the riding was
glorious. I had no occasion yet to realize that we had left the line of
the army.

A camping trip to the head-waters of the Pecos, where we caught speckled
trout in great abundance in the foaming riffles and shallow pools
of this rushing mountain stream, remaining in camp a week under the
spreading boughs of the mighty pines, added to the variety and delights
of our life there.

With such an existence as this, good health and diversion, the time
passed rapidly by.

It was against the law now for soldiers to marry; the old days of
"laundresses" had passed away. But the trombone player of the Tenth
Infantry band (a young Boston boy) had married a wife, and now a baby
had come to them. They could get no quarters, so we took the family in,
and, as the wife was an excellent cook, we were able to give many small
dinners. The walls of the house being three feet thick, we were never
troubled by the trombone practice or the infant's cries. And many a
delightful evening we had around the board, with Father de Fourri,
Rev. Mr. Meany (the Anglican clergyman), the officers and ladies of the
Tenth, Governor and Mrs. Prince, and the brilliant lawyer folk of Santa
Fe.

Such an ideal life cannot last long; this existence of ours do