nt time, it
very nearly approached the ludicrous. He was small in stature, but
his bump of self-esteem was developed in an inverse ratio to his
size. He seemed to be making a constant effort to maintain his
dignity at the proper level, in which direction he was greatly
assisted by a pair of eye-glasses, perched on a very large and
decidedly Roman nose. It had been claimed by his college chums
that the eye-glasses were worn for this especial purpose; be that
as it may, without their assistance, his task would certainly have
been a difficult one, as his eyes, which were very full and round,
and surmounted by a pair of extremely high-arched eyebrows, gave him
always an expression of exaggerated surprise and bewilderment,
which, when intensified as on the present occasion, rendered his
appearance very far from the otium cum dignitate to which he aspired.
But upon very few is the "giftie" bestowed, "to see oursel's as
ithers see us," and to many besides the junior Mr. Rutherford, such
a vision would be anything but satisfactory.

At the present time, however, Rutherford's only troubles were his
immediate surroundings, and the problem of how to pass the next three
hours. The loungers, who by this time had changed to a sitting
posture, and who were staring at him with an unwinking fixedness which
made him rather nervous, did not seem very congenial companions. The
town consisted of merely a few, straggling, unpainted buildings, while
in every direction extended the apparently interminable stretches of
undulating prairie, partially covered with sage brush and wild cactus.
Though early in the season, the heat was intense, and the glare of the
sunlight reflected from the patches of white, chalk-like sand, was so
blinding as to seem unendurable.

The interior of the depot was even more cheerless than the exterior. A
rusty stove, minus one leg, two or three battered benches, a flaming
circus poster, and an announcement of the preceding year's county fair
constituted the entire furnishing and decoration. No signs of life
were visible, the window into the ticket office being closed, while
from somewhere within the little inclosure, a telegraphic instrument
clicked with a cheerful pertinacity that to Rutherford seemed simply
exasperating.

In the course of half an hour, however, the monotony was relieved by
the appearance of half a dozen soldiers, who strolled over from a
neighboring fort, about two miles distant. Rutherford had s