nst me, sir," said the boy, with
quivering lips. "I don't know why I can't get justice in this troop. If
Captain Devers thinks me so bad a soldier, why don't he let me transfer?
I've asked twice, and he refuses. It's my belief he's trying to drive me
to desert so as to get me out of the way--or destroy my character."

"Hush, Brannan. You know that you ought not to talk to me in that way.
There's no time for words. I'll ask Mr. Hay to keep special lookout for
you. I know the general will overtake us to-morrow, and quick as
possible I'll have a word with him. Now, good-by, lad. Stand to your
guns a little longer and you're all right."

"I'll try, sir, if you'll give my--give my respects to Mr. Davies, and
say to Miss Loomis--God bless her." And with a choke in his voice the
young soldier turned suddenly away, dashing his sleeve over his eyes.

"Get to work there, you, Brannan," growled Sergeant Haney before
Cranston was out of hearing. "No more palavering with officers out of
your own troop this day unless you want double trouble in it,--and be
damned to you," he added, in low and cautious tone, his eyes furtively
following the captain, now twenty yards away. And Cranston was riding
home to don his winter field rig and to a parting that he dreaded beyond
all description, for now, more than for many a long year, had Margaret
need of all her husband's love and encouragement and devotion.

Sunday noon the detachment from Scott was across the railway and first
on march to the beleaguered agency. Sunday night they camped in the
breaks of the big divide, some fifteen miles north of Braska, and still
no tidings came from beyond the Niobrara. Restoring the telegraph line
as they went, digging it out from under the snow, the infantry trudged
along all day Monday, following the trail of their mounted comrades who
left them at dawn, and early Monday morning an ambulance drawn by six
spanking big brown mules whipped by them along the road, and the kindly
twinkling eyes of their old friend and fellow-campaigner, the general,
peered out at them. Away he went to overtake the foremost riders, with
just brief word or two and cordial grasp of the hand to the few officers
who hastened alongside. Without guard or escort, with only a single
aide-de-camp, with his life in his hands as usual, the Gray Fox was
heading straight for the scene of danger. "Heard anything at all?" he
asked.

"Not a thing." Who could tell whether man or woman was