There was the hint of a limp, which explained the cane; but for someone ninety-eight, he moved well.

The real name for the Dugout was actually the Amusement Hall. It offered alcohol, pool, and card games. The place had an interesting history. Carrie Nation, the famous Kansas prohibitionist, had visited Wadsworth in 1901 to protest the sale of alcohol. She got an earful from the old veterans—many of them dressed in their Civil War and Indian war uniforms—who hooted and whistled their disapproval of her mission.

"This here's about as close to an old-time saloon as I can get to these days," Great-Grandfather Battles declared. "Damned shame too. There used to be grand saloons in Kansas."

We sat at a table near a window, and eventually, I was sent to get coffee for my grandm...

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