Shorty,
having been taken under the General's wing, had come back to triumph
over him, and he prepared himself with a volley of abuse to meet that of
his visitor. But Shorty, with stern eyes straight to the front, marched
up to him, saluted in one-two-three time, drew the envelope from his
belt, and thrusting it at him as he would his gun to the inspecting
officer on parade, announced in curtly official tones, "With General's
compliments, sir," saluted again, about-faced as if touched with a
spring, and marched stiffly toward the door.

Billings hurriedly glanced at the papers, and saw that instead of some
unpleasant order from the General, which he had feared, they were merely
some routine matters. His bullying instinct at once reasserted itself:

"Puttin' on a lot o' scollops, since, just because you're detailed
at Headquarters," he called out after Shorty. "More style than a
blue-ribbon horse at a county fair, just because the General took a
little notice of you. But you'll not last long. I know you."

"Sir," said Shorty, facing about and stiffly saluting, "if you've got
any message for the General, I'll deliver it. If you hain't, keep your
head shet."

"O, go on; go on, now, you two-for-a-cent Corporal. Don't you give me
any more o' your slack, or I'll report you for your impudence, and have
them stripes jerked offen you."

[Illustration: "WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THAT?" SAID THE GAMBLER. 141]

Hot words sprang to Shorty's lips, but he remembered the General's
injunction about the character and dignity of the staff, and restrained
himself to merely saying:

"Col. Billings, some day I won't belong to the staff, and you won't have
no shoulder-straps. Then I'll invite you to a little discussion, without
no moderator in the chair."

"Go on, now. Don't you dare threaten me," shouted Billings.

"How'd you get along with Billings?" inquired the Chief Clerk, when
Shorty returned.

"About as well as the monkey and the parrot did," answered Shorty, and
he described the interview, ending with:

"I never saw a man who was achin' for a good lickin' like that old
bluffer. And he'll git it jest as soon as he's out o' the service, if I
have to walk a hundred miles to give it to him."

"I'm afraid you'll have to wait a good while," answered Wilson. "He'll
stay in the service as long as he can keep a good soft berth like this.
He's now bombarding everybody that's got any influence with telegrams
to use it to keep him her