me 'Doc'!" snapped Bentley. "If there's anything I hate
it's this curtailing of titles as though they were too good for the man
that bears them. One of these days you'll get your double bars, if you
don't die of over-eating, and then how will you like it to be called
'cap'? How'd you like me to call you 'Buck' now? Who's going to
Stannard?"

"Pass the 'buck,'" said the quartermaster sententiously. "I apologize.
But Willett starts at day-break--takes a sergeant, six men and a pack
outfit--thought you'd like to know. Leaves us with mighty few cavalry,
now that Malloy and his people are still out."

"What keeps them?" asked Harris, looking up from Bentley's busy hands.
"I never heard what they were after."

"You never will," said Bucketts, "unless they stumble on it by
accident," then colored under the look of surprise, almost of reproof,
in the younger officer's face. It was not good that a post commander's
instructions to his men at arms should be slightingly spoken of by one
of his staff, and Bentley knew it; but Bucketts was already mentally
kicking against those very instructions. Now he stood abashed and
awkward. That Willett should be going seemed to Harris of small
matter--a matter of course. He wished himself again in Willett's place.

"How soon can you let _me_ be going?" he asked Bentley.

"We could have had you out by this time if you'd only quit fretting,"
was the gruff reply. "Well, I suppose Willett's glad of a chance to
join his chief?" he said interrogatively, though never looking up.

"Not unless looks belie him," was the answer.

Bentley bent lower over his work. "No--physical hindrance that I know
of," said he suggestively.

"It's financial, I take it," said Bucketts sturdily. "Our investigator
finds it--expensive--here at Almy."

So the sore was rankling still, and that luckless order had hurt no one
so much as him who bore it, and so those who might have been his
friends were taking a certain malicious comfort in his discomfiture. It
was not Willett's fault that he had come thus handicapped, but one
thing added to another had made him the disliked of men. Was it in
compensation for this that he stood so beloved of women? Then Bucketts,
having thus relieved himself, ventured again a glance at Harris, and
the younger soldier's eyes were on his, searching, questioning. It was
for Bucketts to explain, and he did it thus:

"Excuse me, Mr. Harris; I am not over-partial to this distinguished
clas