hat they
had fully earned.

"Yes, and he gets one of those iron crosses!" put in Tom Fragini.

"What for?" demanded Stransky in surprise. They were making a lot of
fuss about him when he had not done anything except to work out his
individual destiny.

"Yes--the first cross for Bert of the Reds!"

"And we'll let him make a dozen anarchist speeches a day!"

"Yes, yes!" roared the company.

"By all means--but not for this; for trying to save an old man's life!"
put in Marta.

After his survey of that amazing company the officer was the more amazed
to hear a woman's voice in such surroundings.

"The ays have it!" he announced cheerfully. He lifted his cap to Marta.
With tender regard and grave reverence for that company, he took extreme
care with his next remark lest a set of men of such dynamic spirit might
repulse him as an invader. "The lieutenant is in command for the
present, according to regulations," he proceeded. "You will retire
immediately to positions 48 to 49 A-J by the castle road. You have done
your part. To-night you sleep and to-morrow you rest."

Sleep! Rest! Where had they heard those words before? Oh, yes, in a
distant day before they went to war! Sleep and rest! Better far than an
iron cross for every man in the company! They could go now with
something warmer in their hearts than consciousness of duty well done;
but this time they need not go until their dead as well as their wounded
were removed.

"You're not coming with us?" Stransky whispered to Feller.

"Eh? eh?" Feller put his hand to his ear. "Quite deaf!" he quavered.
"But I judge you ask if I am coming with you. No. I have to stay to look
after my garden. It has been sadly damaged, I fear."

"That's right--of course you're deaf!" agreed Stransky, well knowing the
contrary. "I'll be lonely without you, pal. It was love at first sight
with me!"

"And with me!" Feller whispered. "You and I, with a brigade of infantry
and guns--" he began, but remembering his part, as he often would in the
middle of a sentence since the distraction of war was in his mind, he
turned to go.

"A cheer for the old gardener! We don't know who he is or was, and it's
none of our business. He saved the day!" called Stransky.

Feller started; he paused and looked back as he heard that stentorian
chorus in his honor; and, irresistibly, he made a snappy officer's
salute before starting on.

"That was very sweet to me," he was thinking, and then: "A mistak