e rations gave out; then down due south by compass through
flooding rain, heading for the Black Hills, two weeks' march away. It
was summer sunshine when they cut loose from tents and baggage at Goose
Creek, with ten days' rations and the clothes they had on. It was
freezing by night before they saw those tents and wagons again down in
the southern hills, where they came dragging in late in September,
having lived for days on the flesh of their slaughtered horses, and in
all these weeks of marching and suffering and fighting no line had
reached Stannard or Truscott or anybody from the wives at home. There
were sore and anxious hearts among them, but those at home were sorer
still.

It was the second week in August when those last letters came from the
--th to Russell. It was the second week in September before they heard
from them at the bivouac on the Yellowstone. It was the second week in
October before the next news came,--the hurried letters brought down
from the Black Hills, and telling of their homeward coming. It was the
last week in October as they rode--bronzed and bearded and gaunt and
thin, herding in the disarmed bands of Red Cloud--that the orders were
received returning them to winter quarters far down along the Union
Pacific, nearly ten days' march to the south; and meantime--meantime how
very much had happened at Russell.

It was the twelfth day of Mr. Ray's arrest and the sixth of his sharp
illness that Mr. Gleason arrived at the post and went to report to the
commanding officer. Mrs. Truscott and Miss Sanford, seated on their
piazza, saw him alight at his quarters from the stage, and immediately
went in and closed their door. Mrs. Stannard had been with them awhile
the evening previous. Ray was entirely out of danger and was sitting up
again, but very quiet and weak. Gleason, it seems, had taken a
roundabout way on his return, and had stopped two days at Fort Laramie,
from which post he did considerable telegraphing. The mail coming direct
from Fetterman brought those letters (which were sent by the sergeant)
three days ahead of him, and not a lady in the cavalry quarters at
Russell, except perhaps Mrs. Wilkins, would now receive him. Mrs.
Stannard met him on the walk soon after his arrival, and passed him with
a mere inclination of the head and the coldest possible mention of his
name, but she saw he was thin and haggard and very anxious-looking. He
was closeted with the post commander a long time, a