Wait a moment, Captain Hallam,
I'd rather do it myself!" And she turned lightly and ran out to
the dark porch.

The trooper holding Hallam's horse: sat his own saddle, wrapped to
the eyes in his heavy overcoat, long lance with its drooping pennon
slanting stiffly athwart the wintry wilderness of stars.

"Soldier!" she called gently from the porch. "Stable, blanket, and
feed; then come back to the kitchen, and there will be a good hot
dinner waiting."

The cavalryman slowly turned his head at the sound of her voice.
And, as he made no movement to obey:

"There is the stable over there," she said, pointing across the
frozen field. "Follow that gate path. There's a lantern in the
barn."

An orderly, passing, added:

"Come on, lancer. I'm going to the barn myself;" and very slowly
the trooper turned both tired horses and walked them away into the
darkness.

When she returned to the table there was considerable laughter over
a story chat Hallam had been telling. He jumped up, seated Ailsa,
hovered over her for a second with just a suspicion of proprietary
air which made her blush uncomfortably. Talking had become
general, but everybody noted it, and Letty's eyes grew wide and
velvety, and the blood was making her cheeks and lips very pink.

Dr. West said: "The new regiment on Pine Knob was recruited from
the Bowery. I happened to be with Kemp, their surgeon, when sick
call sounded, and I never saw such a line of impudent, ruffianly
malingerers as filed before Kemp. One, I am convinced, had
deliberately shot off his trigger finger; but it couldn't be
proven, and he'll get his discharge. Another, a big, hulking
brute, all jaw and no forehead, came up and looked insolently at
Kemp.

"Kemp said: 'Well, what's the matter with you?' "'Aw,' said the
soldier, with a leer, 'I've got de lapsy-palls, and I wanter go to
de horspittle, I do.'

"I never saw such a mad man as Kemp was.

"'So you've got the lapsy-palls, have you?'

"'Bet yer boots, I have.'

"'_And_ you want to go to the hospital?'

"Aw--w'ats der matter wit youse, Doc.?'

"And Kemp gave him a bang on the eye with his fist, and another on
the nose, and then began to hit him so quickly that the fellow
reeled, about, yelling for mercy.

"'Sure cure for the lapsy-palls,' said Kemp; and, turning his glare
on the rest of the shivering line: 'Anybody else got 'em?' he asked
briskly.

"At that a dozen big brutes sneaked out of the line and hurr