ck's.
The general did riot appear to notice this breach of military etiquette.
On the contrary he smiled and said, pleasantly:

"I remember you perfectly. You were on your way to join Price, and your
presence here proves that you found him. When you are relieved I want to
see you."

"Very good, sir," replied Rodney, bringing his piece to a shoulder and
resuming his walk. "If that man's word is worth anything," he added,
mentally, when the general disappeared in his tent, "Dick Graham and I
will be free men when our year and three months are up, and you just say
that much to your folks and tell 'em it's confidential. He as good as
said that he would do something for me if he could, and now I will try
him on; but there's one thing I'll not promise to do: I won't re-enlist
until I get a good ready, and if I can help myself, that time will never
come."

Rodney walked his beat as if he were treading on air, and wished his
friend Dick would happen along about the time he was relieved, so that
he might tell him that he believed he had found a powerful friend in
their new brigade commander. At the end of two hours, having been
relieved from post and obtained the necessary permission from the
officer of the guard, Rodney presented himself at the door of General
Howard's tent, and sent his name in by the orderly.

CHAPTER XVIII.

CONCLUSION.

General Howard did not look or act like a man who was very badly
overworked, nor did he seem to be at all anxious over the result of the
heavy firing that was going on on the left of the line. He had pulled
off his coat and riding boots, and when the orderly entered to tell him
that Private Rodney Gray of the --th Missouri Cavalry had come there to
see him by his orders, he was tilling his pipe preparatory to indulging
in a smoke. He greeted Rodney pleasantly, and pointed with the stem of
his pipe to an empty cracker box.

"Turn that up and sit down," said he; whereupon the orderly opened his
eyes in wonder. There was a much wider gulf between the officers and
privates in the rebel army than there was in our own, especially after
the war had been going on for about a year. The sons of rich men, who
had shouldered a musket at the beginning, began working their way out of
the ranks, leaving behind them only those who were too poor or too low
in the social scale to command the influence that was necessary to bring
them a c