yet, and Wilkins was afraid to tell her. With her keen insight she had
long since discovered that her husband's associates and intimates in the
regiment were not the strong or the good men, and she had warned him at
Sandy that whatever he might have against such men as Truscott or Ray,
he had better stamp it out and seek to re-establish himself in their
good opinion. Such men as Gleason, with whom he consorted, would soon
get him into trouble. Poor Wilkins heard the major's blunt salutation at
the door and his wife's cordial invitation to walk in; but the major
declined with thanks. "Ask Mr. Wilkins to come out here on the piazza,
please; I want to see him on business," was his request; and when Mrs.
Wilkins came puffing up-stairs supplementing the message with a "Hurry
now; the major isn't the man for you to keep waiting," the hapless
veteran wished himself anywhere out of Wyoming; but down he went with
rather a hang-dog look. Stannard had met him with unexpected kindness of
manner. "I'm worried about the story told of Ray, Mr. Wilkins, and I've
come to get the authority from you. Of course you must have had
something to base such statements upon," and being fairly cornered,
Wilkins said his informant was Gleason. Being asked to show the letter,
Wilkins declared that he had burned it, and would never have alluded to
it but for Blake's manner, which he declared had goaded him into the
remarks. Then he told Stannard that Gleason wrote in so many words that
Ray was with Rallston night and day, and intimated that the latter kept
him at cards and wine most of the time, and that if some scandal did not
result when it came to paying for the horses he would be surprised.
Still, he could not quote the language; but he gave his impressions.
Stannard had called Merrill to witness the statement; then, giving
Wilkins injunctions to say nothing more to anybody on the subject, and
pledging Merrill to reticence, he had gone home, written brief and
hurried letters to Ray and to Gleason, told his wife that he had heard
the stories, and that until Ray had a chance to explain would regard
them as baseless rumors, or at the worst as exaggerations, for which
Gleason was responsible; then he had slept the sleep of the just until
the corporal of the guard came banging at the door at four A.M. to say
the reveille had sounded out in camp. Two hours later he had jogged away
at the head of his battalion.

Mr. Gleason's complacent acceptance of he