ng
soldier. Do tell us what it all means. Oh! I beg your pardon, Mrs. Frost,
I surely thought you had met Colonel Crosby--let me pre-- Why, Nita!
What's-- Are you ill? Here, take my salts, quick!"

"No--no--go on--I--I want to hear! Where are they taking him?" faintly
murmured Mrs. Frost.

"Try to control yourself," said her companion. "I'll tell you in one
moment." Meantime from without the carriage the colonel continued,
addressing Nita's companion:

"He tells a perfectly straight story. He says he has an old friend who is
here so desperately ill and out of money that he got a doctor for him and
had been nursing him himself. Those things he carried are medicines and
wine that the doctor bade him buy. All he asks is to take them to his
friend's room and get a nurse, then he is ready to go to camp and stand
his trial, so I told the sergeant I'd be responsible."

"Oh, thank you so much! Do see that the poor fellow isn't punished. We'll
drive right round. Perhaps we can do something. It is Red Cross business,
you know. _Good_-afternoon, colonel. Please tell our driver to follow
them."

But, to her consternation, no sooner had they started than she felt
Nita's trembling hand grasping her wrist, and turning quickly saw that
she was in almost hysterical condition.

"My poor child, I had forgotten you were so worn out. I'll take you home
at once--but then we'll miss them entirely. Oh, could you bear----"

"Oh! No! No!" moaned Nita, wringing her little hands. "Take me--anywhere.
No! Take me home--take me home! and promise me not to--not to tell my
husband what we saw."

CHAPTER XI.

For a man ordinarily absorbed in his own command, Colonel Stanley
Armstrong had become, all on a sudden, deeply engrossed in that of
Colonel Canker. The Frosts had been gone a week, via Vancouver--the
expedition only about sixteen hours--when he appeared at Gordon's tent
and frankly asked to be told all that tall Southerner knew of the young
soldier Morton, now gone from camp for the third, and, as Armstrong
believed, the last time.

"Why, that young fella's a bawn gentleman," drawled Gordon, as he offered
the colonel a chair and cigar. "He was behavin' tip top, steady as you
please until about a month ago. He's only been with us since the first of
May--came with a big batch of recruits--a regular athlete, you know. Then
after he'd drilled awhile I nailed him for headquarters clerk. I never
knew him to be off an hour until abou