that a mother's love has not outrun you to it. Go out
and win."

"You are a Trojan, mother. I hope I'll always be worthy of your love,
wherever I am," her son murmured.

Two hours later, when Dr. Carey stopped for Thaine, Virginia Aydelot came
down to his buggy. Her face was very white and her eyes were shining with
heroic resolve to be brave to the last.

"Horace, you may be glad you have no children," she said, as they waited
for Thaine and his father to come out.

"My life has had many opportunities for service that must make up for the
lack of other blessings. It may have further opportunity soon. May I ask a
favor of you?"

Virginia was not to blame that her heart was too full to catch the
undertone of sorrow in Horace Carey's words as she replied graciously:

"Anything that I can grant."

"Life is rather uncertain--even with a good doctor in the community--"Dr.
Carey's smile was always winning. "I have hoarded less than I should have
done if there had been a Carey to follow me. There will be nobody but Bo
Peep to miss me, especially after awhile. I want you to give him a home if
he ever needs one. He has some earnings to keep him from want. But you and
I are the only Virginians in the valley. Promise me!"

"Of course I will, always, Horace. Be sure of that."

"Thank you, Virginia. I am planning to start to California in a few days.
I may be gone for several months. I'll tell you good-by now, for I may not
be down this way again before I go."

Virginia remembered afterward the doctor's strong handclasp and the steady
gaze of his dark eyes and the pathos of his voice as he bade her good-by.
But she did not note these then, for at that moment Thaine came down the
walk with his father, and in the sorrow of parting with her son she had no
mind for other things.

Dreary rains filled up the first days of May. At Camp Leedy, where the
Kansas volunteers mobilized on the old Fair Ground on the outskirts of
Topeka, Thaine Aydelot sat under the shelter of his tent watching the
water pouring down the canvas walls of other tents and overflowing the
deep ruts that cut the grassy sod with long muddy gashes. Camp Leedy was
made up mostly of muddy gashes crossed by streams of semi-liquid mud
supposed to be roads. Thaine sat on a pile of sodden straw. His clothing
was muddy, his feet were wet, and the chill of the cold rain made him
shiver.

"Noble warfare, this!" he said to himself. "Asher Aydelot knew his bearing
wh