his
head, and speaking in low tones.

"I thought as much," responded Alice, with a smile.

"He's perfectly harmless," went on the soldier, looking out to see the
aged negro shuffling off. "You see, he used to be a slave in some
Southern family," the army man explained. "He was given his freedom, but
never took it, and they say he went insane when his mistress died. He had
taken care of her since she was a baby, and he took it very much to
heart."

"Poor old man," murmured Alice.

"Yes, we all like him around here," the soldier continued. "He has a
notion now that his 'little mistress,' as he calls her, is only lost, and
he keeps searching for her. Sometimes he scares the lady visitors, so we
try to keep him out of the lonely parts of the fort. But he must have
slipped in here when no one was watching. I'll give him a good lecture."

"Oh, please don't be harsh to him!" pleaded Alice. "Really he did
nothing!"

"But he scared you, Miss."

"Oh, not much. Only for a second. Then I guessed what his trouble was.
Please say you won't scold him!" she pleaded.

"Well, I guess I'll have to, if you ask me that way, Miss," said the
soldier with the air and manner of a Southern colonel. "We can't refuse
the ladies anything, you know," and he bowed and smiled in a frank manner
that pleased Alice.

"Then you won't punish him?" she asked.

"Punish him? Oh, no, Miss. Old Jake is just like a child. He sort of
lives in the fort. No, I won't do any more than tell him to keep away
from here, for them's the captain's orders, Miss."

"All right," she answered. "And now I think I had better join my friends.
What a horrible place this is!" she added, with a backward look at the
dungeon.

"You may well say that, Miss. But it isn't so bad now as it must have
been in the old days. It's a queer world, that men would make such a
place to put a fellow creature in," and with this somewhat philosophical
remark the soldier saluted again, as Alice bade him good-bye.

"Why, where have you been?" Ruth asked, as sister appeared. "We have been
looking all over for you. Where were you?"

"In jail!"

"Jail! Alice, don't joke about such things."

"No, sister mine, I was only in a deep, dark dismal dungeon, and I had
such a romantic adventure."

"Oh, do tell us about it!" begged Miss Pennington.

"Did you meet a handsome prisoner?" asked Miss Dixon.

"Yes, a regular Othello."

"Othello? Who speaks of Othello?" interrupted Mr. Bunn. "I