ine of the Fort had been strengthened by Maggie's
extravagant reputation as a mediator among the disaffected rank and
file. Whatever characteristic license the grateful Dennis
M'Caffrey--let off with a nominal punishment--may have taken in his
praise of the "Quane of the Marshes," it is certain that the men
worshiped her, and that the band pathetically begged permission to
serenade her the last night of her stay.

At the end of that time, with a dozen invitations, a dozen
appointments, a dozen vows of eternal friendship, much hand-shaking,
and accompanied by a number of the officers to their boat, Maggie and
Jim departed. They talked but little on their way home; by some tacit
understanding they did not discuss those projects, only recalling
certain scenes and incidents of their visit. By the time they had
reached the little creek the silence and nervous apathy which usually
follow excitement in the young seemed to have fallen upon them. It was
not until after their quiet frugal supper that, seated beside the fire,
Jim looked up somewhat self-consciously in his sister's grave and
thoughtful face.

"Say, Mag, what was that idea o' yours about selling some land, and
taking a house at Logport?"

Maggie looked up, and said passively, "Oh, THAT idea?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Well," said Jim somewhat awkwardly, "it COULD be done, you know. I'm
willin'."

As she did not immediately reply, he continued uneasily, "Miss Preston
says we kin get a nice little house that is near the Fort, until we
want to build."

"Oh, then you HAVE talked about it?"

"Yes--that is--why, what are ye thinkin' of, Mag? Wasn't it YOUR idea
all along?" he said, suddenly facing her with querulous embarrassment.
They had been sitting in their usual evening attitudes of Assyrian
frieze profile, with even more than the usual Assyrian frieze
similarity of feature.

"Yes; but, Jim dear, do you think it the best thing for--for us to do?"
said Maggie, with half-frightened gravity.

At this sudden and startling exhibition of female inconsistency and
inconsequence, Jim was for a moment speechless. Then he recovered
himself, volubly, aggrievedly, and on his legs. What DID she mean? Was
he to give up understanding girls--or was it their sole vocation in
life to impede masculine processes and shipwreck masculine conclusions?
Here, after all she said the other night, after they had nearly
"quo'lled" over her "set idees," after she'd "gone over all th