ning it, I saw Volmer
standing in front of me, cap in hand, looking very meek and humble. Very
respectfully he apologized, and expressed his regret at having offended
me. That was very pleasant, but knowing the man's violent temper, and
thinking of coming days, I proceeded to deliver a lecture to the effect
that there was not another enlisted man in the regiment who would use
such language in our house, or be so ungrateful for kindness that we had
shown him. Above all, to make it unpleasant for me when I was alone.

I was so nervous, and talking to a soldier that way was so very
disagreeable, I might have broken down and cried again--an awful thing
to have done at that time--if I had not happened to have seen Hang's
head sticking out at one side of his door. He had run to his room again,
but could not resist keeping watch to see if Volmer was really intending
to "killee" me. He is afraid of the soldier, and consequently hates him.
Soon after he came, Volmer, who is a powerful man, tied him down to his
bed with a picket rope, and such yells of fury and terror were never
heard, and when I ran out to see what on earth was the matter, the
Chinaman's eyes were green, and he was frothing at the mouth. For days
after I was afraid that Hang would do some mischief to the man.

It is the striker's duty always to attend to the fires throughout the
house, and this Volmer is doing very nicely. But when Faye went away he
told Hang to take good care of me--so he, also, fixes the fires, and at
the same time shows his dislike for Volmer, who will bring the big wood
in and make the fires as they should be. Just as soon as he goes out,
however, in marches Hang, with one or two small pieces of wood on his
silk sleeve, and then, with much noise, he turns the wood in the stove
upside down, and stirs things up generally, after which he will put in
the little sticks and let it all roar until I am quite as stirred up
as the fire. After he closes the dampers he will say to me in his most
amiable squeak, "Me flixee him--he vellee glood now." This is all very
nice as long as the house does not burn.

Night before last Mrs. Mills invited me to a family dinner. Colonel
Mills was away, but Mr. Hughes was there, also Lieutenant Harvey to whom
Miss Mills is engaged, and the three Mills boys, making a nice little
party. But I felt rather sad--Faye was still en route to Washington, and
going farther from home every hour, and it was impossible to tell wh