ere."

"Would I be some sort of soldier, too, like?" demanded Sim Gage. "I
tried to get in. They wouldn't take me. I'm--I'm past forty-five."

"You'd be under orders just like a soldier."

"Would I have any sort of uniform, like, now?"

Doctor Barnes sat thinking for some time. "No," said he. "You have to
pass an examination before you really get into the Army; and you're
over age, you and Wid, both of you. But I'll tell you--I'll give you a
hat--you shall have a hat with a cord on it, so you'll be like a
soldier. We'll have a green service cord on it,--say green with a
little white in it, Sim Gage? Don't that make you feel as if you were
in a uniform?"

"Now that'd sure be fine, Doc, a hat like that," said Sim. "I sure
would like that. And I certainly would try to do what was right."

Doctor Barnes, still sitting before the little white operating table
where his surgical instruments lay, was looking thoughtful. "In all
likelihood I shall have to put a corporal and four men up at your
place. That means they'll have to have a house. I can commandeer some
of the teams down here, and some men, and they'll all throw in together
and help you build an extra cabin. You and they can live in that, I
suppose?"

"I reckon we could," said Sim Gage. "That'd be fine, wouldn't it?"

"And as those men would need horses for their own transport, they'd
need hay. We'd pay you for hay. I don't see why we couldn't leave one
wagon and a team at least up there, to get in supplies. That would
help you in getting things started around on your place again, wouldn't
it?"

"Would it, Doc?" said Sim Gage, brightening immensely. "It would raise
a _load_ offen me, that's what it would! Right now, especial." He
cleared his throat.

"That there brings me right around to what I come down here to talk
about," said he with sudden resolution. "For instance, there was a
letter come to her up there--from back where she lived--from Annie
Squires. So her and me got to talking over that letter, you see."

"What did Annie Squires say, if it's any of my business?" said the
Doctor, looking at him steadily.

"Well, I was just talking things over, that way, and we allowed that
maybe Annie Squires could come out here--after--well, after the
_wedding_, you see."

It was out! Sim Gage wiped off his brow.

"The wedding?"

"Why, one thing and other, her and me got to talking things over.
Things couldn't run on; so we--we fixed