el desires to see you at the office at eight o'clock in the
morning," said he in low tone to Cranston. "Howard has been away all
day,--since guard-mounting, in fact,--and no report was made of it.
Devers has been notified that the colonel would investigate matters--the
whole business, in fact--early to-morrow."

But who can tell what a day may bring forth? Devers, after a sleepless
night, filled with foreboding of the wrath to come as the result of that
impending investigation, sat nervously over his coffee while the
trumpets were sounding first call for guard-mounting, and turned a shade
yellower at the ring of the front-door bell. The servant re-entered the
dining-room and announced that Lieutenant Leonard, the adjutant,
desired to speak to the captain. For a moment he could not rise.
Conscious of his own double-dealing, visions of arrest, charges,
court-martial--heaven knows what all--were floating before his startled
eyes, but go he had to. Summoning courage, bravado, or something, he
swaggered into the hall.

"Oh--ah--step into the parlor, Mr. Leonard," said he, airily, "I presume
you're here on business." He was preparing to exhibit amaze--virtuous
and soldierly indignation--at the idea of having, all unheard and
unrepresented, been ordered into arrest on the prejudiced statement of a
swarm of hostile officers and sorely badgered and bullied members of his
troop. Well knowing himself to be tottering on the ragged edge of final
discovery, his duplicity exposed, his deceit established, he
nevertheless braced himself for the supreme effort to bluff to the very
last. Thanks to the storm-shed without, the hall was dark, and for a
moment he could only vaguely see the huge bulk of the infantryman
standing erect before him, the very attitude indicative of stern
official purpose.

And then in sudden revulsion of feeling,--in a wild whirl of reviving
hope, courage, exultation,--he noticed that the adjutant was without his
sword, and listened, spell-bound, well-nigh incredulous and without
reply, to the brief official words which Mr. Leonard delivered, then
saluting, turned on his heel and left the house.

"It is my duty to announce, sir, that Colonel Stone has had a stroke of
apoplexy or vertigo and is seriously ill. As senior captain, you are in
command of the post."

CHAPTER XVI.

That beautiful wintry Tuesday morning was as placid and serene as nature
could make it, but Fort Scott was in a ferment. Whether