to the South Barracks," he said coldly. "Under guard,"
he added significantly. He knew men. He saw that the boy before him
would have to be whipped into shape. He thought of a recruit made the
day before. Zaidos his name was. He remembered with respect and
appreciation the manner of the lad. He looked once more at the new
recruit. Then he took a piece of paper from his desk, wrote one word
on it, addressed it "Officer in Command at South Recruiting Station,"
handed it to one of the soldiers standing beside Velo, and turned away.
For him the incident was closed.

But Velo, feeling as though he was under arrest, walked miserably and
fearfully through the streets, a soldier on either side, wondering with
all his might what was written in the folded paper.

He finally asked the bearer to let him see it, but the soldier refused
scornfully. As they neared the South Station his fears grew, if such a
thing could be possible. Once more he tried to get the mysterious
note. He had some money with him. He tried to bribe the man. For
answer the soldier struck him in the face. Velo sunk into a sulky
silence, and stood with eyes on the ground while the officer in charge
opened the message and read the single word therein.

"Good enough!" he exclaimed. "Just what we need!" and waved the two
men toward an inner room where Velo was stripped of his comfortable
clothes and fitted to the new uniform of the Greek Army.

And not until then did he find out his fate. A third man sauntered up
and stood watching.

"Rank and file?" he said jestingly.

"No," said the man who had carried the note. "Stoker!"

Velo thought his heart would break.

CHAPTER III

ONLY A STOKER

Zaidos was the last person in the room to awaken. Half a dozen of the
groups nearest the door had filed out, answered roll call, and stood at
attention in the street when a man shook him roughly by the shoulder
and roused him.

"Get up, lazy-bones," he cried gruffly, "else you will feel the flat of
a sword! Here you have been snoring since early last evening. How can
there be so much sleep in thee, I wonder? One would nearly think thou
hadst been wandering about all last night instead of sleeping here on
thy good soft bed."

"All right!" said Zaidos, nodding. He smiled at the speaker the bright
and winning smile that always won a way for him. He was on his feet in
an instant.

"That's the way to do it!" commended the man. "Wake when yo