an't you telegraph to the regiment and have things
stopped?"

"They are far above Fetterman, and can only be reached by courier. Webb
and Gleason went out with small escort last night, so the despatches
say. By Jove! I'll try it. Surely the colonel and Stannard and Wayne
ought to be told. Wayne is still at Laramie, but he would come.
Something must be done to block these lies whatever they are."

"Oh, if Luce were only where we could make him hear! Mr. Blake, _can't_
you find out from Mr. Warner what the trouble is,--what the charges
are?"

"Of course I can. It is some mere local mischief that fellow Gleason has
kicked up. I'll go just as soon as I've seen Billy."

And go he did: and would have gone straight into the old colonel's
office even had that veteran not called him in. And when next Mr. Blake
appeared upon the walk, the light had gone out of his face. He went
slowly, reluctantly, wretchedly, back down the row. He could not bear to
carry the news to Ray, yet he had promised, and in his hand was a copy
of the charges and specifications preferred against his friend. So far
from being a mere local matter the arrest was ordered from division
headquarters, the court was already selected, and the time fixed for its
meeting. Long before sunset the whole garrison knew--and with what
additions and exaggerations who can say?--that Lieutenant Ray was to be
tried by court-martial for offences that reflected on the honor of the
whole regiment, and that accepting bribes and large sums of money from
prominent contractors while on the horse board, gambling with them and
misappropriating public funds, were the main allegations. The charges
were signed by a prominent staff-officer, and Gleason's name only
appeared incidentally as a witness; so did that of Rallston, Ray's
brother-in-law; but there were several others. Blake laid the bulky
paper before his friend with this word,--

"Before you say aye or nay to any one of the charges in this batch of
infamy, I want to say to you, Ray, that I'll stake my commission on
their utter falsity."

And he had said practically the same thing to the post commander.

That afternoon Mr. Blake, after a long talk with Ray, knocked at Mrs.
Stannard's door and asked to see her a moment. She came to him in dire
anxiety. Long before this had Mrs. Whaling been in to lament over the
downfall of this unhappy young man, and to expatiate on the gravity of
the charges. On Mrs. Stannard's making pro