days. I'd be glad
if you'd take him out tonight, if it suits you."

"Nothing could please me better, sir," Dick cried eagerly, for he
dearly loved a horse.

"How soon will you be ready?"

"At once, Major."

"Then I'll send around now for the horse." Just a few minutes
later an orderly rode up, dismounted, saluted and turned the saddled
animal over to A company's commander.

"This is luck, indeed!" Dick told himself, as he felt the horse's
flanks between his knees and moved off at a slow canter. "I wonder
why I never tried to transfer into the cavalry."

While waiting for the horse he had telephoned the adjutant, stating
that for the next three hours he would be either in camp or in
the near vicinity.

After being halted by three outlying sentries Prescott rode clear
of the camp bounds, riding at a trot down a moonlit country road.
Vinton was the nearest town, where soldiers on a few hours' pass
went for their recreation out of camp. The road to Vinton was
usually well sprinkled with jitney busses conveying soldiers to
or from camp, so Prescott had chosen another road which, at night,
was likely to be almost free of traffic of any kind.

"As this is the first evening I've had off in three weeks I don't
believe I need feel that I'm loafing," Dick reflected. "It's
gorgeous outdoors to-night. There will undoubtedly be plenty
of moonlight in France, but there won't be many opportunities
like this one."

Finding that his horse was sweating, Dick slowed the animal down
to a walk. He had ridden along another mile when, near a farmhouse
he espied a soldier in the road, strolling with a young woman.

As the horse gained upon the young couple the soldier glanced
backward, then swung the girl to the side of the road and halted
beside her, drawing himself up to attention and saluting smartly.
The man was Private Lawrence of his own company.

"Good evening," Dick nodded, pleasantly.

"Good evening, sir," replied the private.

Dick didn't ask, as some officers would have done, whether the
soldier had pass to be out of camp. He could ascertain that on
his return to camp. Instead, he said:

"You must have this road pretty nearly to yourself, Lawrence,
as far as soldiers go."

"There's at least one other, sir," the soldier replied, in a matter
of fact way. "I saw one slip by in the field, close to the road.
I won't be sure, but I think it was Private Mock, sir."

"He has friends down this way?" Dick asked