oved Mr. Ray like a brother, but that Mrs. Whaling had told her of the
positive evidence the general had against him, and so what could she
think? Mrs. Stannard listened to both with uncompromising and decidedly
chilling silence, and each withdrew discomfited.

Colonel Rand spent much of the morning after Wolf's revelation in
overhauling papers with Colonel Whaling, but his visit to the ladies at
number eleven was of unusual length and cordiality. He left only in time
to see Ray and Blake a few moments in town before taking the eastern
train. It had been Mrs. Stannard's intention to drive thither to call on
Mrs. Rallston, but she was too late. Mr. Green's telegraphic message
from Denver had warned him that Rallston was delirious with fever, and
after the rapturous interview between brother and sister that followed
upon his return from Wolf's bedside, Ray had gently broken the news to
her of her husband's illness, and before the coming of train time on the
following day Rand had obtained telegraphic authority for him to escort
her to, and remain with her in, Denver. His release by the civil
authorities would have had about it something of the nature of an
ovation, when at noon on that day the full details of Wolf's confession
were "spread upon the records," but by ingeniously circulating the story
that he would return to the fort at sunset, Blake managed to throw the
public off the track. His arrest was suspended by the telegram from
division headquarters. Rand was ordered to come thither at once with his
documentary proofs of the falsity of the charges against Ray, and the
latter went quietly off to Denver with a ten days' leave, conducting his
sister to her husband's bedside. He saw no one at Russell before going,
but we have reason to believe that the plethoric missive he sent to Mrs.
Stannard derived much of its bulk from an enclosure that was not meant
for her eyes at all, and Blake went back to Russell to the lionizing he
deserved.

But the gloom at the garrison was dispelled perforce by the arrival of
troop after troop, company after company, from east, west, and south,
fast as cars could carry them,--all bound for the Black Hills to meet
and support Crook, who was reported fighting his way southward through
unknown regions and unknown numbers of the red men. Nothing had been
heard even by telegraph from the --th from any source whatever since the
steamer came down to Bismarck with sick and wounded, and the news t