not earn it. Only a few weeks
later the boys would be sent east to school. Six hundred dollars he
wanted, and his whole mind seemed to focus on that amount like a burning
glass, and the thought of it scorched him.

All through luncheon Frank thought of the money. He went off into
day-dreams in which he rescued the daughter of the Colonel from all
sorts of dangers and invariably after each rescue, the Colonel would
say, "My boy, thanks are too tame. I insist, in fact I _order_ you to
accept this little token of my regard." And then he would press into
Frank's hand six hundred dollars. It was thrilling; and in a day-dream
so easy.

The fact that the Colonel's only daughter was a strapping damsel who
stood five feet eight and weighed one hundred and sixty pounds and
always took the best of care of herself in all kinds of tight places
without asking odds of anyone, did not affect Frank's day-dreams at all.
Neither did the fact that the Colonel was well known to be so close with
his money that he had learned to read the headlines upside down so that
he seldom had to buy a paper of a newsy! Six hundred dollars ... it
would have killed him!

Frank was called back to the present by hearing Horace say,

"Six hundred dollars! Where does a common soldier get all that?"

Frank looked up from his dessert quite wild-eyed. It was so pat!

"His grandfather sent it to him. He has a lot more than that."

"What are you talking about?" demanded Frank, coming wholly out of his
trance and looking from one to the other. "Who has six hundred dollars,
and whose grandfather sent it to him?"

"Lee's," said Bill.

"I don't believe it!"

"It is true," Bill affirmed. "I was just telling Horace that I went to
Lawton this morning before I came here, so that Lee could bank the
money. He has a nice bank account. He is saving up so he can go into
business when he is discharged."

"Well, I don't believe it," said Frank bitterly. Six hundred
dollars--and someone else had it!

"It is true anyhow," repeated Bill, "and this is the way it happened.
Years and years ago, as the storytellers say, the Government decided to
grant to every Indian a certain amount of ground. I forget how much Lee
told me. Anyhow, it was a nice large farm, and they gave one to each
Indian. Some of the Indians were glad to get the grant and went right
off and settled down and did their best to be farmers. And some of them
didn't want land, and said they wouldn't _have_