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 THE UNIVERSITY OF 
 
 NORTH CAROLINA 
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 THE WILMER COLLECTION 
 
 OF CIVIL WAR NOVELS 
 
 PRESENTED BY 
 
 RICHARD H. WILMER, JR. 
 
WlLMtiK COU-fcC U!0^ 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
In Blue Uniform 
 
 AN ARMY NOyEL 
 
 BY 
 
 GEORGE I. PUTNAM 
 
 NEW YORK 
 CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS 
 
 1893 
 
COPYRIGHT, 1893, BY 
 CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS, 
 
DEDICATION 
 
 My dear Melville Upton : — 
 
 In offering you this book 1 come not as one exalting 
 his gifts, but rather as one making sincere acknowledg- 
 ment of service done. While the work involved has all 
 been mine, it was yours to perform that primary and 
 necessary office best described as "touching the button." 
 For without the energetic impulse imparted by your vigor- 
 ous nature, the book had never been written. Some who 
 will read the book may regard your act with distrust ; 
 I can at least assure them that your motive was good. But 
 whether you have done well or ill it shall be far from me 
 to declare. I can do no more than affirm the pleasure 
 it gives me to thus make you, in a way, joint-heir with 
 me in the mingled favor and disfavor that the book will 
 surely find. 
 
 GEORGE I. PUTNAM. 
 
 Charlestown, New Hampshire, 
 Aprils, 1893. 
 
 I 
 
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 in 2010 witii funding from 
 
 University of Nortii Carolina at Chapel Hill 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/inblueuniformarmOOputn 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 STATEMENT 
 
 This is a story of the Old Regiment. 
 Every. man and woman will know which that 
 is ; and yet no two will be likely to agree. 
 For though there have been and still are real- 
 ments upon regiments, but one holds to each 
 of us the proud pre-eminence of being the 
 Old Regiment. That is its title of flattering- 
 distinction, its mark of affectionate regard. 
 ■For official purposes, let it be designated by 
 a number, something between one and twentj^- 
 flve, — for this shall be an infantry regiment, 
 most of us being foot-soldiers, — but the 
 number never will get beyond officedom. 
 Let two crutch-supported veterans of a 
 younger day meet and compare notes. " What 
 was your regiment?" says one. "After I 
 was promoted to Major I served with the 
 so-and-so; but my fighting days were spent 
 1 
 
2 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 in the Old Regiment." That is his sufficient 
 claim to distinction and preferment. 
 
 In the time of which I write the Old Regi- 
 ment was furbishing up its battered accoutre- 
 ments after one campaign, and getting itself 
 in handsome trim for another. This was an 
 occupation that palled upon it after a little, 
 for it smacked of the smug safety of civil life. 
 Its forte lay in the field. It had a way of 
 CToinof forth with more cartrido^es and men 
 than another regiment, and of coming back 
 with fewer. That was why all the young 
 men with a life apiece to throw away quickly, 
 made haste to enlist with the Old Regiment. 
 But now its chief end seemed to be to draw 
 an oiled rag through a shiny gun-barrel — an 
 occupation for old soldiers with a satiated 
 taste for fighting. And garrison days were 
 unconscionably long in coming to an end. 
 
 The headquarters were at a post on a west 
 Texas prairie. Here were six companies out 
 of the ten, and a troop of cavalry. Brave, 
 decrepit old Colonel Randelmann was in 
 command, with portly, empurpled Major 
 Remmick second. It was isolated, as army 
 posts usually were ; but the army being at 
 all time sufficient unto itself, the Old Regi- 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 3 
 
 ment did not care. It was a good station, 
 as stations went, and assignment to it was 
 regarded as a mark of favor. The Old Reg- 
 iment always made the best of ever3-thing, 
 and accordingly appreciated its temporary 
 home. 
 
 A long, low row of dingy brown cottages 
 made up the officers' quarters, and were 
 known collectively as the "Line." One 
 could stand at either end on a day when the 
 piazzas were occupied, and have a clear view 
 of each cottage and family to the other. The 
 builders had used a rough native stone, and 
 chinked it with native mud. From the ma- 
 jority of chinks the mud had fallen ; so that 
 each dust-storm was necessarily followed by 
 a fierce day of house-cleaning. These open- 
 ings also gave free entrance to the native 
 vermin of the land — to centipedes, scorpions, 
 and tarantulas ; but the Old Regiment was 
 accustomed to more dangerous and insidious 
 foes, and sat undisturbed. The Line extended 
 the length of the parade, and was faced on 
 the opposite side by the men's barracks, also 
 of stone, with long porches. The men sat 
 there of an evening, and their pipes glowed 
 through the dusk. And in hot weather they 
 
4 IJSr BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 swung hammocks from the porch roof, and 
 slept there through the night. Behin'd the 
 barracks was yet another row of weather-worn 
 cottages, occupied by married soldiers. Their 
 wives were generally laundresses, except in 
 the cases of exalted non-commissioned officers, 
 and gave to this section of the settlement the 
 name of " Calico Row." Beyond, there were 
 the adobe walls of the corrals, with the 
 stables, the hay- and wood-yards, and the 
 world over which the quartermaster held 
 sway. Quite independent was the Old Regi- 
 ment in its girt-about station. 
 
 It was an admirable parade ground on 
 which the quarters looked ; as level as a floor 
 and liable in wet seasons to be transformed 
 into a shallow, wadable lake, to the great 
 delight of the children. The water disap- 
 peared quickly, and the grass came up short 
 and thick, and of a delicate green, as became 
 its quick growth. It would be dotted with 
 prairie flowers of various tints, blooming but 
 for a day, and without fragrance. As the 
 hot sun scorched the grass, and the feet of 
 tramping men thinned it, multitudes of cir- 
 cular holes the size of a lead-pencil appeared 
 in the soil. These were the entrances to the 
 
IN BLUE UNIF0B2T 5 
 
 chambers of tarantulas, and endless fun did 
 the garrison children have around and about 
 them. 
 
 From the centre of the parade rose the tall, 
 tapering flagstaff, wavering from the plumb, 
 and leaning heavily on its Inany props like an 
 old soldier on his crutches. It had seen its 
 best days, and was an object of solicitude. 
 Near it was a square upraise of stone, on 
 which the sundial was placed. Regularly, 
 with the anticipated arrival from West Point 
 of a newly fledged Second Lieutenant, the 
 old sundial was destroyed ; and the first duty 
 required of him was to build another. 
 
 " A sundial ! " he exclaimed in dismay, 
 vaguely remembering that some mention of 
 such a tiling had been made at the Academy, 
 " What on earth is wanted of a sundial ? " 
 
 " To tell the time with," was the curt reply. 
 
 " But what's the matter with your clocks ? " 
 
 " Such a misfortune ! They are all unreli- 
 able, and the best have been allowed to run 
 down. We have no way of telling the cor- 
 rect time ; we are living by guess. You are 
 just the man for us — fresh from the Acad- 
 emy ; you will know exactly how to build a 
 sundial, and set us on our feet again ! " 
 
6 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 Two antique pieces of field artillery stood 
 in front of the headquarters building, and an 
 ordnance sergeant was maintained to care for 
 them. The morning and evening guns were 
 his particular function. With infinite care, 
 lest there should be a grain too much for the 
 old guns, he would weigh out the powder 
 charge, tie it methodically in the cartridge- 
 bag, ram it down the throat of the gun with 
 a stated number of motions, prick it twice — 
 never more or less — insert the friction primer 
 and jerk the lanyard, while the gun roared 
 through all the length and breadth of the 
 post, and the flag fluttered up or down its 
 staff. He was a creature of mechanical meth- 
 ods, was the ordnance sergeant, and had more 
 spare time than any other man. Yet he al- 
 ways maintained a pleasing fiction of being 
 busy on official matters, insomuch that his 
 large, perspiring wife, who had charge of the 
 bachelor officers' mess, could never count upon 
 him for the least assistance. She believed im- 
 plicitly in his labors, and was often indignant 
 at a government that required such steady ap- 
 plication from its soldiers and paid them so 
 poorly for it ; and she took into her service 
 one Mezique, a comely negro ex-trooper, a 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 7 
 
 "left-over" from the last garrison. For some 
 reason, probably no more distant than the 
 sutler's bar-room, he had not been re-enlisted. 
 So he remained behind when the colored cav- 
 alry rode away, and snapped his fingers at 
 destiny. He was a hunter, knew every wild- 
 turkey roost in the region, and brought many 
 a fine bird to the bachelors' table. His sole 
 remaining purpose in life seemed to be the 
 raising of pointer puppies, which he presented 
 feelingly to officers yet unwary — and later 
 borrowed from them in sums of five dollars 
 each. Thus did he manage to exist with a 
 maximum of comfort, and to know more days 
 of leisure than of labor. 
 
 The sheep and goats were divided as by a 
 great gulf along the length of the parade. 
 One side was to the commissioned strength, 
 the other to the enlisted. Across this gulf 
 only the strictest official intercourse was sanc- 
 tioned. Unbending orders were given to the 
 offspring of either side ; and it was only when 
 the officers' children were unusually wicked, 
 or the soldiers' children unusually daring, 
 that they came together on childhood's terms 
 of democratic equality. Even the dogs of the 
 two halves recognized the distinction, and 
 
8 IN BLUE UNIFOBM 
 
 bore each other an impLacable hatred. Let 
 an officer's dog encroach the least trifle on 
 the thither side of the parade, and barracks 
 resounded with the war-cries of sokliers' dogs 
 rushing upon him. Then the invader turned 
 tail and incontinently fled to his own domain, 
 unless supports were at hand, when a battle 
 royal would ensue. And similarly, no bar- 
 rack dog ever prowled bone-seeking about 
 the officers' kitchens. Each set had its own 
 hunting-ground, and kept jealously to it. 
 
 Despite its inaction, the Old Regiment was 
 happy. It was in a land of delights for the 
 hearty and open-handed. Fine fishing and 
 hunting abounded without the limits of the 
 post. The shot-gun was busy near at hand, 
 and farther away, in sundry canons and along 
 strange water-courses, the rifle brought down 
 large game. There were houses to live in, 
 and families were brought out from the states 
 and installed in them. .The blue of sky 
 overhung the green of earth, with the gay 
 banner of the army's love flying mid-between. 
 The bugle called to duty, not danger. Life 
 became placid. A chief excitement lay in 
 visits to a little town that had sprung up 
 under the protecting presence of the post, 
 
IN BLUE UNIFOnM 9 
 
 but even tliat was tame. The life of the 
 army lay within itself, and every going be- 
 yond the garrison gates was a trip into a 
 foreign country. The birds flew unceasingly 
 in circles above, and the water of the creek 
 rippled forever past ; but the Old Regiment 
 sat in its station, resting. It had its seasons 
 and its changes, and now had come the day 
 of retrospective quiet. 
 
The set of quarters occupied by Major 
 Remmick was half-way down the Line, and 
 dominated the others b}^ a full half-story. 
 For this was a two-story house ; the" others, 
 even that of Colonel Bruff, the new com- 
 manding ofificer, boasted but a story and a 
 half. The Major and Mrs. Remmick were 
 the least bit in the world proud and satisfied 
 that they had been able to retain this set 
 through the changes consequent upon the 
 retirement for disability of old Colonel Ran- 
 delmann and the coming of the new Colonel 
 to his kingdom. 
 
 Colonel Randelmann had been a bachelor, 
 a man from the volunteers, and one of the 
 simplest minded, most honorable men that 
 came acceptably through the fierce winnow- 
 ing of the Civil War. He was one of tliose 
 few whom the curt record of the annual Army 
 Register shows to have enlisted in '61 as a 
 private, and to have graduated in '65 as a 
 10 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 11 
 
 brigadier- or major-general of volunteers. But 
 fi'om having been an insatiable fighting man 
 in his youth, in his age he had contracted an 
 intolerable habit of campaigning to whoso 
 might be found to listen. The daily duty 
 in consequence of which he swung his stiff 
 wooden peg over the parade ground, from 
 his quarters to the office and back, was 
 scrupulously performed ; but the trip had ac- 
 quired for him the perils of a flank movement 
 in the face of the enemy. He prosed of past 
 deeds, and not infrequently forgot his in- 
 ability to do others like them. In despite of 
 this forgetfulness, or perhaps in consequence 
 of it, he was shelved upon the retired list. 
 It nearly broke the old soldier's heart. The 
 years of his service seemed very few and in- 
 complete as viewed from the large end. But 
 if he sorrowed, the regiment rejoiced with 
 a chastened joy. Colonel Randelmann was 
 well liked, and the regiment had been proud 
 to be commanded by a man with so excellent 
 a record. But» his departure meant the com- 
 ing of a younger man, with probably increased 
 activity in service for all. So Colonel Ran- 
 delmann vacated his end set of quarters, and 
 was escorted from the fjarrison to the mellow 
 
12 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 notes of trumpets that were quite as ready to 
 send forth triumphant Wasts upon the first 
 sight in the distance of his successor. Colonel 
 Randelmann had been in the array years 
 enough to know this Avas the inevitable ; he 
 accepted it with bowed head, and went his 
 Avay. 
 
 " Now," said Mrs. Remmick to the INIajor, 
 " we might just as well make up our minds 
 to being ranked out of quarters. This is the 
 best set in the post, and it isn't likely that 
 Mrs. Bruff will be satisfied Avith anything 
 short of that." 
 
 "I suppose not," said the Major, with regret. 
 
 " Then, of course, it will shift along down 
 through all the officers. Every one will have 
 to move." 
 
 " Got your eye on the set you'll take, eh ? " 
 inquired the Major. 
 
 " We shall certainly follow the example of 
 our seniors, and take the best we can get, 
 Major; and that will be Captain Eagan's." 
 
 " That's right. Everybody will drop a 
 notch, and the nih man Avill choose between 
 a tent and a garret," remarked the Major, 
 with pleasant forethouglit. He was a true 
 disciple of the principle of army etiquette, by 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 13 
 
 which every newcomer at a post may seize 
 upon the quarters of any officer below him in 
 rank, and cause an upheaval all through the 
 lower part of the Line. " Eagan will rank 
 out Barrett, and he the next, and so down to 
 L3'ndon; and then the lieutenants will take 
 a shuflle." 
 
 A knock was at the door. " Hello ! " 
 shouted the Major. "Come in!" Captain 
 Lyndon entered. 
 
 " Good evening, Captain," said the Major 
 and Mrs. Remmick in concert. He was well 
 liked by both. Mrs. Remmick, with busy 
 hospitality, insisted upon the most comfort- 
 able chair for the caller, and trundled it forth 
 for him. He accepted it with the slight 
 embarrassment that might be looked for in 
 a man accustomed to sit on cracker-boxes 
 with a luxurious sense of satisfaction. Major 
 Remmick laughed in good-natured commen- 
 tary upon his wife's endeavors. 
 
 " I've seen the time when the ground was 
 good enough for Lyndon," said he. Lyndon 
 laughed with him at the memory of old cam- 
 paigning days. 
 
 " Yes, and you too," said he. 
 
 "It isn't good enough now for either of 
 
14 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 you," Mrs. Remmick declared. " You are in 
 garrison, where it's your business to be com- 
 fortable in a civilized way. You are not 
 hunting Indians — or being hunted by them." 
 She concluded with a pleased expression that 
 indicated her joy in all her surroundings. 
 
 " And yet we may be on the hunt to-mor- 
 row — for quarters," said the Major, unable 
 to get away from the train of thought started 
 by his wife. 
 
 " That's so," ejaculated Lyndon, as though 
 suddenly recalling a fact. " The new C. O. 
 is due then, isn't he, with bag and baggage, 
 wife and maid? Where do you expect the 
 lightning to strike ? " 
 
 "• Right here in our midst," said the Major, 
 with solemn satisfaction. "Mrs. Remmick has 
 the thing definitely settled. We are to start 
 tlie ball rolling, and you will see a very pretty 
 burst of speed when it gets down among the 
 lieutenants. We can have no gain without 
 some small loss, and according to Mrs. Rem- 
 mick in this case we gain one colonel, and 
 lose one set of quarters all 'round." 
 
 Mrs. Remmick raised one finger, and called 
 out warningly, " Now, Major, I'm not so bad 
 as that." She continued to Captain Lyndon, 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 15 
 
 " I am hoping some one will take that vacant 
 set Colonel Ilandelmann had and so stop the 
 trouble ; for indeed it is a great trouble, just 
 as you are settled in your quarters to have 
 some one come along and turn you out." 
 
 " I agree with you," said Lyndon. " It 
 might seem that the more pay and the more 
 rank a man gets, the more careful he should 
 be about inconveniencing and annoying others. 
 But somehow, when we come to the question 
 of choosing quarters, that pretty theory is lost 
 sight of." 
 
 " Perhaps you would do away with the 
 choosing of quarters altogether," said the 
 Major, skeptically. 
 
 " Yes, I believe I would. The pay and 
 allowances that go with long years of service 
 and increased rank are all right ; a man earns 
 all he gets. But this other question presents 
 itself to me as a mere matter of selfishness. 
 These houses, all very much alike, are built 
 by the government for the use of its officers, 
 and I do not recognize it as a fact that any 
 outward circumstance gives one man prece- 
 dence over another in choice." 
 
 He spoke quite dispassionately, but the 
 sentiment was not pleasing to the Major. 
 
16 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 " It is hardly so much a matter of selfish- 
 ness as of convenience, Lj-nclon," said he. 
 " When a station is newly garrisoned, much 
 worry and irritation is avoided by having 
 quarters taken in succession from the ranking 
 officer down." 
 
 " It could be settled by lot quite as satis- 
 factorily. But that is not this case. Major. 
 Here we have a garrison nicely settled, and 
 the coming of one man may change the entire 
 face of it." 
 
 " It is his privilege, and I would not deny 
 him the exercise of it," said the Major, some- 
 what stiftly. Mrs. Remmick interposed to 
 check his humor. 
 
 " The Major expects to be a colonel some 
 day himself," said she in a half-aside to Lyn- 
 don. Remmick laughed as heartily then as 
 either of them, though not so much at hav- 
 ing remotely selfish motives attributed to his 
 argument as at the faint shadow of a coming 
 colonelcy. But this was very well under- 
 stood. Similarly, Lyndon had hopes of be- 
 coming a major. 
 
 " I hope I may live to see the day, and if 
 he ranks me out, I shall bear him no ill-will," 
 Lyndon declared heartily. " But at the same 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 17 
 
 time I should feel bound to protest against 
 the system. If the Major had been sitting in 
 this chair when I came in, and I had said, 
 ' Give me that chair ; I prefer it to any other 
 in the room,' I should only have illustrated 
 the working of the system." 
 
 " Xot altogether," said the Major, mightily 
 pleased to score a fine point. " Not a perfect 
 illustration. You wouldn't have got it. I 
 am the ranking officer." 
 
 " Well, if you came to my quarters and 
 demanded my chair, then." 
 
 " That's inadmissible, too, because I should 
 never think of doing such a thing. That is 
 not army usage; it is not even common 
 courtesy." 
 
 " For my part," said Mrs. Remmick, " I 
 think courtesy should take precedence over 
 the rights of rank. Don't you. Captain?" 
 
 "Its assumed rights — yes. Courtesy be- 
 fore all. Major, I am corrected. I should 
 not wait for you to demand my chair; I 
 should hasten to offer it to you." 
 
 A pleased murmur of approval greeted 
 this statement of Lyndon's. 
 
 " Ye-es, courtesy is a good thing ; it's all 
 right," conceded the Major, after a little 
 
18 IK BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 pause ; " but I believe in usage and the 
 Regulations. Of course, if you can do any- 
 thing for another without incommoding your- 
 self— " 
 
 " Oh, Major ! Where is your sense of hos- 
 pitality ! " screamed Mrs. Remmick, in dis- 
 may. 
 
 "It wouldn't be courtesy then, I fear," 
 said Lyndon. " Now we have time and again 
 seen some new lieutenant, whose rank hardly 
 entitled him to a tent on the parade, come 
 out with a wife, and no place to put her; 
 harboring a general trust in the harmony of 
 the world and the love all people must bear 
 them, by virtue of their loving each other. 
 Oddly, as it may seem, that trust is not alto- 
 gether misplaced ; for just as often we have 
 seen senior officers — bachelors, of course — 
 give up their own comfortable quarters and 
 crowd themselves into uncomfortable spaces, 
 simply as a matter of courtesy. The new 
 man had no choice of quarters ; they would 
 give him a set of their own. The young 
 couple probably do not fully appreciate such 
 kindness till they have had years of the life, 
 and the army has been rubbed into their veiy 
 grain. But it is done, year after year." 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 19 
 
 " That is so," said ]\Irs. Remmick, with an 
 approving nod of the head. 
 
 " Yes. It takes off what I suppose you 
 would call the curse of the system, too," said 
 the Major. 
 
 " Why, partly," consented Lyndon. " Only 
 some fellows get tired of doing it in the 
 course of years. They take their quarters 
 and stick to them, unless ranked out." 
 
 " Well," observed Mrs. Remmick, after a 
 pause, during which the two officers had 
 made a trip to the sideboard in the dining- 
 room, clinked glasses, and returned with 
 a fresh cigar apiece, "as I said, I hope we 
 won't be ranked out." 
 
 " Did you say that, my dear ? " inquired 
 the Major. 
 
 "Why, yes — or I meant it, anyway. We 
 are all so nicely fixed now, and I had asked 
 Millicent out for a visit. A niece of ours, 
 Captain," she continued, turning to Lyndon. 
 " She has never seen an army post, and she's 
 said to be a very pretty girl, by her photo- 
 graph." 
 
 " Oh, this is she," said Lyndon, making two 
 steps to the mantel and openly admiring a 
 likeness he had already glanced at several 
 
20 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 times. " She is pretty, indeed. What is her 
 name, Mrs. Remmick ? " 
 
 " Millicent Harding. She is a daughter of 
 my brother, and botli her parents are dead. 
 She has been studying art in Paris and New 
 York, and I haven't seen her in years. Now 
 she is alone, I think I have a duty towards 
 her. And besides that, I really want to see 
 her." 
 
 " It's another case of the army sister-in-law, 
 Lyndon," said the Major, cheerily. 
 
 But Mrs. Remmick very properly objected 
 to such sentiments. 
 
 " Major ! How can you ! Millicent is a 
 sweet, lovely girl. I think the last time we 
 were on leave you thought more of her than 
 3'ou did of me. And she's perfectly devoted 
 to her art." 
 
 " Regularly wedded to it," coincided the 
 Major. "Suppose she will bring it with 
 her?" But Mrs. Remmick ignored him. 
 
 " I shouldn't have much hope of her com- 
 ing if it were not for the new scenes and 
 ways of life she will find to study," she said. 
 "She will be no burden for entertainment 
 upon you bachelor officers, whatever the 
 Major may hint, for she is completely 
 wrapped up in her work." 
 
IN BLUE UNIFOBM 21 
 
 " She'll have all the bachelors in garrison 
 posing for her pictures before she's been here 
 a week," the Major declared. 
 
 " Speaking for one of them, I don't doubt 
 it," said Lyndon ; and the frank avowal 
 caused inquiring smiles from both. Captain 
 Lyndon was not regarded as a garrison gal- 
 lant. He was in no way a ladies' man. At 
 present he was newly promoted to a cap- 
 taincy, and was devoting himself to his com- 
 pany in a way that called forth remark from 
 all. When he declared his readiness to as- 
 sume a pose at the will of an unknown girl 
 artist, his speech was open to a suspicion of 
 cynicism. 
 
 " At any rate," he said, as he rose to take 
 his leave, " I hope you will not be disturbed 
 in your comfortable quarters, and that your 
 niece may make as intimate a study of army 
 life as she desires. Now," he added to him- 
 self, "I guess I've squared myself for that 
 break about ranking out." 
 
 The next afternoon, as he was passing 
 Major Remmick's quarters, Mrs. Remmick 
 came out on the porch and spoke to him. 
 
 " Of course you know Colonel and Mrs. 
 Bruff have arrived and are staying with us ? " 
 she asked. 
 
22 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 "I saw their ambulance come in this fore- 
 noon," he replied. " They had a hard ride 
 from the railroad ? " 
 
 " Not so very." She came down the steps 
 and spoke in a low tone. "I was so afraid 
 she would want these quarters when she saw 
 them, but I couldn't do less than ask them 
 here." 
 
 " That's the penalty of your high rank." 
 
 " Yes ; but she isn't going to take them. 
 They have decided on Colonel Randelmann's 
 old set. I'm so glad ! " 
 
 " I rejoice with you, and so will all the gar- 
 rison. And now you can have your niece — 
 the artist — " 
 
 " Millicent Harding," she prompted. 
 
 " Yes — Miss Harding — " 
 
 " Got a letter from her to-day. She will 
 come. Oh, we shall be very gay now. Cap- 
 tain." 
 
 "I believe you. One. girl sometimes goes 
 a long way towards livening up a post." 
 
 " That's true enough. You are all coming 
 in to-night ? " 
 
 " Every one of us, from Eagan down to 
 Wallace. The band will bray on the parade ; 
 ice-cream and cake will be served — Mrs. 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 23 
 
 Remmick and the dairy fates willing ; a mas- 
 ter of ceremonies will run affairs ; and I guess 
 we'll make the new Colonel think he's sti-uck 
 the finest regiment in all the service." 
 
 "As indeed he has," said Mrs. Remmick, 
 proudly. 
 
 " Amen to that ! " cried the Captain, pass- 
 ing on. 
 
II 
 
 There was no doabtful forecast concern- 
 ing the success of the reception to be ten- 
 dered the new Colonel that evening. The 
 regiment had as deep a pride in its social 
 reputation as in its fighting record, and this 
 was an occasion upon which it was ready to 
 expend itself. It was not every day that it 
 got a new commanding officer, and when it 
 did, it thought no more than proper to give 
 him a taste of its quality, so that he might 
 the more higlily appreciate his own rare good 
 fortune. 
 
 And Colonel Bruff had a reputation of his 
 own as well. He was known as one of the 
 sternest, most uncompromising old-line fight- 
 ers in the army, a man with a rigid sense of 
 justice, and an impartial dispenser of old 
 army discipline. The regiment was glad to 
 get him, and glad to attest its joy. Such a 
 man was bound to promote the efficiency of 
 any command, and the regiment was proud 
 24 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 25 
 
 to be considered at all times liiglily efficient. 
 There was no division of sentiment on that 
 point. Where the honor of the regiment was 
 concerned, the regiment was always united. 
 It now rose to a point of social honor. It 
 was desirable that Mrs. Bruff should admit 
 that the regimental ladies entertained more 
 delightfully than those in less favored por- 
 tions of the army, and that Colonel Bruff 
 should be impressed with the gallant and 
 courteous bearing of his officers. Their brav- 
 ery was a matter of record, and if Colonel 
 Bruff needed to be refreshed concerning it, 
 he would be obliged to consult the record 
 itself. The regiment never exaggerated its 
 old dangers ; it spent no time in lauding its 
 old glories ; it was always looking up and 
 pushing ahead to new ones. 
 
 The bachelor officers assembled at their 
 mess-room, and came up the Line to Major 
 Remmick's in a body. At the same time the 
 married men, with their wives and daughters, 
 came from their quarters. From every point 
 of the garrison wherein the commissioned 
 strength resided, small rivulets of blue and 
 gold flowed, uniting in the effective stream 
 that poured through Major Remmick's open 
 
•26 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 door. The word having ofone forth that the 
 reception would begin at a certain hour, it 
 began at that hour, — not a moment sooner 
 or hxter. It was a matter of pride with the 
 regiment that this should be so. 
 
 " But talk about your procrastination ! 
 Punctuality is the thief of my time," breathed 
 Wallace, the junior lieutenant, as he bound 
 himself about with a gilded belt and joined 
 the bachelors' column. 
 
 " How so ? " demanded the man next him, 
 vaguely. 
 
 " Because I was counting on a half-hour in 
 which to prink and make myself look pretty, 
 and I didn't get it, you were so confounded 
 punctual. It's a clear case of robbery." 
 Upon this, he was regarded with compassion- 
 ate glances, as being one not yet addicted to 
 all the regimental virtues. 
 
 Captain Eagan, flanked by his wife and 
 supported by two daughters, was the first to 
 pass the welcoming door. This was by de- 
 sign, as he was the next lower in rank to 
 Major Remmick. Following this order of 
 seniority came the captains, from Barrett 
 down to Lyndon, and the first and second 
 lieutenants, ending with Wallace. 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 27 
 
 Just within the parlor door stood Major 
 Remmick, very purple as to the face, owing 
 to his tightly buttoned dress-coat. Each 
 succeeding relay was received by him, and by 
 him presented to the Colonel. Then they were 
 gently forced along to where Mrs. Remmick 
 stood with Mrs. Bruff. Mrs. Remmick had 
 not asked any of the garrison ladies to assist 
 her in receiving, because she regarded Mrs. 
 Eagan as unavailable, being a cavalry 
 woman — Captain Eagan commanded the sin- 
 gle troop of cavalry at the post. And having 
 decided against the highest ranking lady, 
 she would not pass over her, and take regi- 
 mental ladies lower in rank. This was well 
 understood. The regimental ladies approved 
 of ]\Irs. Eagan's rejection, and of the delicate 
 courtesy toward her that robbed them of 
 invitations to assist ; and Mrs. Eagan herself, 
 seeing Mrs. Remmick receive alone, was 
 mollified. It was as she herself would have 
 done. 
 
 There was a certain stately rhythm and pre- 
 cision in the utterance by Major Remmick of 
 the rank and name of each officer, and its 
 repetition by Colonel Bruif. No breath was 
 wasted ; in that coat, the Major had none to 
 
28 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 waste. Thus, from the Major : '' Captain 
 Burns, Mrs. Burns." And from the Colonel : 
 " Good evening. Captain Burns ; Mrs. Burns, 
 good evening." " Captain Lyndon." " Good 
 evening, Captain Lyndon." A single shake 
 of the hand from each to each, dealt with 
 military exactness ; no favoritism. " Mr. 
 Willard." "Good evening, Mr. Willard." 
 The Major was below the captains now, and 
 in conformity with army custom was present- 
 ing the lieutenants with the civilian prefix, 
 "Mr." "Mr. Thompson, Dr. Sanders, Mr. 
 Lawrence, Mr. Bates, Mrs. Bates, Mr. Mil- 
 ler." And so in slow procession to the last, 
 when the Major unbent. "And here's the 
 recruit, Mr. Wallace." "You have the left 
 of the line, Mr. Wallace," said the Colonel, 
 and all laughed at his ready application of a 
 military expression. It did not matter that 
 they had heard it similarly used many times 
 before. Wallace blushed in great embarrass- 
 ment under the unexpected pleasantry from 
 a notoriously grim old disciplinarian. A lit- 
 tle breath of relief went round the room, and 
 all felt that the reception had opened very 
 well indeed. 
 
 The ordeal of presentation passed, the good 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 29 
 
 Major stuck liis thumbs in his belt, and be- 
 trayed his satisfaction in the smile that deep- 
 ened on his purple countenance ; and even the 
 Colonel looked around and nodded to Mrs. 
 Bruff in a manner expressive of his concur- 
 rence in the sentiment. The ladies chatted 
 desperately among themselves, and the officers 
 stood about erectly, with their hands clasped 
 behind them, and pretended to enjoy easy 
 converse ; but very generally they kept one 
 intelligent eye on the Colonel to observe 
 what his mood or intention might be. Major 
 Remmick, by virtue of his rank, seemed de- 
 puted to draw him out. 
 
 " Well, Colonel, you've seen the lot of us," 
 said he, with the conciliatory air of a show- 
 man after a doubtful performance. "In- 
 fantry, cavalry, staff, doctors, and all." 
 
 "A fine looking set of men. Major," re- 
 sponded the Colonel, seeing what was ex- 
 pected of him. " I have been with many a 
 regiment in my time, but none, I am sure, 
 that it will afford me greater pleasure to 
 command than this." The sentiment was 
 echoed down the room from man to man, and 
 induced a comfortable feeling towards the 
 new commander. 
 
30 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 " The regiment is not a muchly married 
 one, is it, Mrs. Remmick ? " inquired Mrs. 
 Bruff. 
 
 " Not as much as some, Mrs. Bruff. Some 
 of the companies at other stations have the 
 full complement of wives, I believe ; but 
 those at headquarters have not. Don't you 
 think so, Mrs. Burns ? " 
 
 " Oh, yes, decidedly. They are very much," 
 said Mrs. Burns, at random ; for she had been 
 telegraphing to her husband, and had not 
 caught the conversation. 
 
 "• But I am sure I shall find them pleas- 
 ant," continued Mrs. Bruff, with determined 
 amiability. 
 
 "Dear me, yes. The Major and I — well, 
 we have been in the regiment for years, and 
 there is absolutely never any trouble." 
 
 " Oh, we are quite like a family of sisters," 
 cooed Mrs. Burns. 
 
 " Yes, indeed. I hope and believe you will 
 find us all pleasant to serve with, Mrs. 
 Bruff," said Mis. Remmick, anxiously. 
 
 " Oh, I am quite sure of it," said Mrs. 
 Bruff, positively. 
 
 Just then refreshments were brought in, 
 and the attempts at chat ceased. The ladies 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 81 
 
 were settling themselves for the bit of lunch? 
 and the men, standing against the wall, were 
 watching the progress about the room with 
 trays of the soldiers pressed into service for 
 the night, and estimating their own ability 
 to manage plate, cup, and saucer with but a 
 single pair of hands. 
 
 There was one thing about it, Mrs. Rem- 
 mick reflected in a comfortable state of mind ; 
 the china was good, and Mrs. Bruff could 
 hardly fail to be surprised at its quality and 
 condition, so far from a purchasing town, 
 from a railroad ; in fact, from civilization. 
 Some of it was Mrs. Remmick's own, some 
 had been loaned by Mrs. Burns, some by Mrs. 
 Willard, and some by young Wallace, who 
 had indulged his untrained fancy in an ex- 
 pensive mess kit just before joining. The 
 silver, which was solid, had been gotten to- 
 gether in the same way, but its varieties of 
 weight and of pattern made the levy rather 
 in evidence. These reflections would have 
 been disquieting to any but an army woman ; 
 but to Mrs. Remmick, accustomed through 
 long years of service to all degrees of ingen- 
 ious makeshifts, they favorably indicated the 
 resources of the regiment, and she knew Mrs. 
 
32 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 Bruff would look upon the matter in the 
 same way. After all, as a final argument, 
 Mrs. Remmick might have said that it was 
 not her reception ; it was the regiment's ; 
 everybody who could, had a hand in it, and 
 it was only by a happy chance that her quar- 
 ters were made use of for the purpose. It 
 was altogether proper and quite to be ex- 
 pected that the regimental silver and china 
 and napery should be thus gathered and 
 exposed to view. 
 
 Buttered biscuits, half-way between hot 
 and cold, were offered with small cups of 
 chocolate. Cake and ice-cream followed. 
 The men fought gallantly against odds to do 
 justice to the fare ; but more than one silently 
 drew a comparison between this occasion and 
 various evenings in camp, when a man might 
 sit on a bent bush with the meat-can on his 
 lap and the coffee-cup on the ground beside 
 him, with the occasional arrival from ambush 
 of unexpected bullets to give a zest to the 
 appetite. By a curious hitch in their reason- 
 ing, those camp days were days of stern duty, 
 and this, an evening of blandishment and 
 pleasure ; and they honestly held to that use 
 of the qualifying terms, and attempted no 
 transposition. 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 33 
 
 Mrs. Bruff, eating her ice-cream with a 
 heavy spoon engraved " W," wliich did not 
 stand for Remmick, took occasion to say it 
 was very good. " It must be quite like hav- 
 ing a dairy of one's own to live in the midst 
 of a grazing country," she added. 
 
 " You will hardly believe me when I tell 
 you it is next to impossible to get a drop of 
 milk or cream," said Mrs. Remmick, earnestly, 
 and the other ladies nodded their support of 
 her assertion. " Here we are in what the 
 ]\lajor calls a 'cow country,' but it's little 
 enough milk or cream that we see. If it 
 wasn't for Sergeant Burke, who keeps a cow, 
 we should be at a pretty pass. The ranches 
 don't supply us with anything. And the ice- 
 cream, let me confide to you, is half corn 
 starch." She communicated this startlinof 
 information behind her hand in a whisper 
 that was heard by all the ladies and half the 
 men. But they received the statement with 
 unconcern, for every family on the Line had 
 been levied on for cream before resort was 
 had to corn starch. And it was an open 
 secret that condensed milk also had been 
 brought into requisition. 
 
 " And the ice," continued Mrs. Remmick 
 
34 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 before Mrs. Bruff could make more than an 
 ejaculatory comment, — " the ice with which 
 the cream was frozen came from Lake Michi- 
 gan. That to me is the strangest thing of 
 all, stationed as we are on the hot plains, 
 two thousand miles from Michigan, and four 
 days' march from a railroad. As the Major 
 says, we have to go a good ways for our bless- 
 ings these days." 
 
 "And I say it again. Didn't we have to 
 go to Montana this time for Colonel and Mrs. 
 Bruff?" asked the Major, who had come 
 behind his wife's chair as she talked. Every- 
 body laughed at this, some nervously, all 
 unrestrainedly, and Mrs. Bates, the young 
 wife of a young lieutenant, shook her fan at 
 the Major and said he was perfectly killing. 
 This was flattering to the Major's strain of 
 humor. He was fortunate in having Mrs. 
 Remmick to hold him in check, and to tell 
 him from time to time that he was not so 
 witty as he might imagine. 
 
 The conversation had been like a succession 
 of detached fortifications crowning a row of 
 eminences, with wide passages between. The 
 fire from the hill-tops failed to search these 
 spaces ; but there was an able ally provided. 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 35 
 
 The regimental band had been ordered out, 
 and was stationed on the parade directly in 
 front of the Major's quarters. On a trip over 
 the creek Mrs. Remmick had discovered in 
 the store which dominated the frame-and- 
 canvas town, a dozen Japanese lanterns, sur- 
 vivals of some Fourth of July stock in trade. 
 These she had bought, and the field music 
 and soldiers' boys held them above the heads 
 of the bandsmen as they played. Under their 
 influence, and spurred on by a hope of privi- 
 leges and beer, the band played its very best, 
 which was also its very loudest. Conversa- 
 tion was impossible while it was at work, 
 and Lyndon, catching the Major in passing, 
 shouted in his ear that it was a bright idea 
 to get the band out. The Major could only 
 grin and nod appreciatively as he went on. 
 
 It became apparent that the ceremonies of 
 the evening were at an end with the refresh- 
 ments, and there remained but the trouble- 
 some business of getting out. For this, the 
 formation, offensive and defensive, was simi- 
 lar to that attending the getting in. Hands 
 were taken and dropped, good-nights said, 
 and assurances of a delightful evening re- 
 peated. Colonel Bruff had been fairly re- 
 
36 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 ceived and acknowledged as the executive 
 and administrative head of the regiment, and 
 Mrs. Bruff had taken her place as First Lady. 
 The new power was formally installed. 
 
 As they went down the Line from the 
 Major's, some of the officers turned in with 
 Lyndon at his quarters; and Lyndon hailed 
 others who were ahead. 
 
 " Won't you fellows come in ? We've got 
 all night to do this in." 
 
 "Might as well continue the wheel," re- 
 marked Lawrence, who thereupon returned 
 with a bachelor contingent. And Willard 
 shouted back, " I'll come in immediately," 
 which was taken to mean as soon as he had 
 escorted Mrs. Willard home. Others came 
 dropping in, and Lyndon had the pleasure 
 of seeing his demijohn of a choice Mononga- 
 liela brand deeply appreciated. 
 
 " Well, what do you all think of him ? " 
 suggested Burns, when a short retrospective 
 silence had gathered on the group. 
 
 "The C. O.? He's all right. Seems to 
 be a good sort of old man," said the speakers 
 for all. 
 
 " He's a stickler, though, for regimental 
 manners." 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 37 
 
 " Well, that's what we want, isn't it ? " 
 
 " Yes, of course." 
 
 " It is good enough, far as it goes," said 
 Lawrence. " But we want a grand old man 
 at the head of affairs ; a man that is a man, 
 and not an automatic spool of red tape." 
 
 " I reckon the C. O. will give you variety- 
 enough. And red tape's all right in its way. 
 Don't go sassing department methods," said 
 Burns. 
 
 " Oh, it has its advantages, but taken as a 
 steady diet it is wearisome. And this regi- 
 ment can't spell itself with a big red R when 
 it is lying back like this, peacefully making 
 out monthly returns and running garrison 
 courts. We'll be getting flabby in our 
 muscles." 
 
 " It's a bloodthirsty boy, now isn't it ? " 
 said Lyndon, playfully knocking Lawrence 
 between the shoulders. " One would look 
 for a string of scalps at his waist, instead of 
 a brand-new dress belt." 
 
 " I thought the old man had children," 
 suddenly observed Eagan. 
 
 " Oh no ; you're wrong. Never heard of 
 any." 
 
 "But he had, though," said Major Rem- 
 
38 IN BLUE UNIFOBM 
 
 mick, who had run out for a breath of air 
 after the reception, and been attracted by the 
 light in Lyndon's quarters. 
 
 " Go ahead, Major. Let's have it," cried 
 the anticipative crowd. There was some- 
 thing in his manner that portended a story. 
 
 " Don't get excited ; it isn't much. There 
 was but one — a boy. I remember the little 
 chap twenty years ago, when the Colonel 
 and I were serving together in Kansas ; he 
 was a captain then, and I was a lieutenant. 
 This boy was smart as lightning. He didn't 
 take to the Colonel's idea of domestic dis- 
 cipline kindly, and as soon as he was old 
 enough they sent him away to school. After 
 that, he got into some bad row, we never 
 knew what; but he was expelled, and the 
 Colonel said he would never see him again. 
 It was more than a mere school affair ; he 
 went dead against his father's orders in some 
 other way. And the Colonel is hell-fire and 
 a rod of iron. Anj^way, that's all was known 
 of that. 
 
 " Of a sudden, then, the Colonel and his 
 wife went East on leave ; and when they 
 came back Mrs. Bruff was wearing black, 
 and looked old ; and the old man was even 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 39 
 
 grummer than ever. They were in mourning 
 for their son." 
 
 A little murmur of sympathy went through 
 the gathering, and men nodded gravely as 
 they listened. 
 
 " It was very painful. Some of the ladies 
 tried to sympathize Avith Mrs. Bruff, but the 
 poor woman broke down in tears so that they 
 had to quit. She could not bear to speak of 
 it. And the Colonel invited no sympathy; 
 he repelled it. He went about his duty look- 
 ing exactly as he does to-day. So they have 
 lived it down, and nobody says ' son ' to them. 
 It's been hard enough on them, no doubt." 
 
 " It would have been tough on the boy 
 had he lived," said young Wallace, with 
 ready feeling for juvenile trials. 
 
 "What! Boy? I'm talking about the 
 father. He's a law to himself, and nothing 
 can swerve him from his idea of justice. He 
 would have been impartially correct to his 
 son — probably was ; but that's all." 
 
 " But that isn't enough, is it. Major ? " asked 
 Lyndon, quietly. And Wallace thanked him 
 with a grateful look. 
 
 " Well — he's just, anyway. And that's 
 of first importance in our line of life," per- 
 
40 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 sistecl the Major. He had a weakness for 
 maintaining his own unswerving allegiance 
 to discipline ; it was when theory was put 
 aside and the moment of practice came that 
 his true belief was made known. 
 
 Eagan gave a harsh sort of a laugh that 
 turned all eyes to him. 
 
 " I'm thinking, Lyndon, your company will 
 come in for a touch of his iron hand," said 
 he. 
 
 " That will be all right," said Lyndon, with 
 affected carelessness. " He will give me jus- 
 tice, according to the Major here, and that is 
 enough for me." With the conservatism of 
 officers of long standing he shrank from 
 discussing regimental affairs with men from 
 other regiments. All friction and all experi- 
 ment, he held, should be covered from the 
 outward view. 
 
 " Well, I like him, and I believe he likes 
 us," said Willard. " But that's neither here 
 nor there. It isn't a question of likes and 
 dislikes, but only of duty under whatever 
 conditions." 
 
 "Yes, we all like him," said the others. 
 But it was more a matter of pride than of 
 affection. He was a good commanding officer, 
 
IN BLUE UNIFOEM 41 
 
 and under him they were satisfied of a vigor- 
 ous administration. 
 
 Lawrence was the last to say good-night. 
 He was Lyndon's first lieutenant, and pur- 
 posely staid behind. 
 
 "If the C. O. should go to coming down 
 like a thousand bricks," said he when they 
 were alone, " he'll be likely to take a fall out 
 of you, Lyndon." 
 
 " I'm not on the run yet," answered Lyn- 
 don. " I know most of the captains think I 
 am too lenient with my men, but you know 
 for yourself what kind of discipline I have." 
 
 " None better." 
 
 " You know my views. I don't believe in 
 the machine soldier; I don't believe in the 
 court martial for every petty break ; I do be- 
 lieve in looking after the physical and moral 
 welfare of the men. It isn't a matter of res:- 
 ulations, but of principle. I hope the old 
 man won't go to being crabbed, for it might 
 be unpleasant." 
 
 " I hope not. And anyhow, I'll back your 
 judgment with all the chips I've got," de- 
 clared Lawrence, warmly. 
 
Ill 
 
 The morning after the reception Colonel 
 Bruff took over the command of the post 
 from Major Remmick. It was not an affair 
 of ceremony. While guard-mounting was in 
 progress the two officers came out, and walked 
 together slowly towards the headquarters 
 building. The Colonel stopped for a moment 
 to look narrowly at the men in line, consti- 
 tuting the new guard, and to note the appear- 
 ance of the band. He made no criticism ; 
 the Major expected none. The habit of in- 
 spection was one they possessed in common, 
 drawing it from their service. They knew 
 the men of one regiment should, theoretically, 
 appear no better than those of any other, and 
 that in practice there was seldom a noticeable 
 difference. A certain standard of require- 
 ments was exacted from all ; for those who 
 fell below, squad drill and the " setting up " 
 exercises until the requisite soldierly facility 
 should be acquired. Had the guard turned 
 42 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 43 
 
 out sloucliily, the Colonel might have spoken 
 of it, or the Major felt called upon for an 
 apologetic statement of cause. But there 
 was no occasion for criticism, and as for com- 
 pliment — it is possible that the Colonel felt 
 a little thrill of pride at sight of his own men, 
 for this was to be his regiment, now and 
 henceforth, till promotion should again touch 
 his shoulder straps. But he would not have 
 betrayed such an emotion to the Major, or 
 have allowed its existence to be even sus- 
 pected. Stern self-control and the suppres- 
 sion of emotion were parts of the Colonel's 
 stock-in-trade. His voice might have be- 
 trayed him ; and so, no matter how highly 
 he might think of liis men, no matter how 
 strongly their natty appearance might impress 
 him, not a syllable escaped. After gazing a 
 moment in contemplative silence, he strode 
 on to the office, and the Major subordinately 
 followed, a fraction of a pace to the rear. 
 
 The office door stood ajar, and they passed 
 within, to the room devoted to the adjutant's 
 use. Save for the orderly on duty, standing 
 at attention statuesquely, it was vacant. 
 The adjutant. Lieutenant Willard, was at 
 that moment conducting guard-mounting; 
 
44 IN BLUE UNIFOBM 
 
 they could hear his voice ringing across the 
 parade in the commands preparatory to march- 
 ing in review. Straight beyond was the office 
 of the sergeant-major ; and turning through 
 an interior door to the left, they entered the 
 office of the commanding officer. 
 
 " Colonel, I turn over the command to 
 you," said Major Remmick at this point. 
 
 The Colonel cast a glance over the interior. 
 The national and regimental flags stood in 
 their cases in the corner ; there were the 
 usual official books of reference, the plain, 
 office furnishings of a simply conducted mili- 
 tary post. His observant eye took it all in, 
 even as he made acknowledgment. 
 
 "Very well. Major," said the Colonel, 
 quietly. The two officers touched their cap 
 visors in slight military salute. The Colonel 
 sat down behind the flat-topped desk, ready 
 to administrate the affairs of the post. Major 
 Remmick drew up a chair, and the two spoke 
 of matters connected with the office. Wallace, 
 going by to the post library, glanced in and 
 saw them thus. To the group he found over 
 the books he said the Major was giving the 
 C. O. pointers, and that the gentlemen present 
 had better turn over a new leaf each in 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORII 45 
 
 deportment immediately. They smiled sig- 
 nificantly at his irreverent youth, and he 
 sank behind an old copy of a daily jDaper, and 
 assiduously read the advertisements. 
 
 The Major was speaking of the commis- 
 sioned personnel of the regiment. " The staff 
 has shown itself efficient," said he. " Mr. 
 Willard as adjutant and Mr. Thompson as 
 quartermaster are capable of any duties in 
 their departments, and unless you have 
 changes in view — " 
 
 " I have none, Major," said the Colonel, 
 quietly. " I presume they will send in their 
 resignations as is customary on the advent 
 of a new commanding officer, but I do not 
 expect to accept them. I shall no doubt be 
 quite satisfied with the appointments made 
 by my predecessor, Colonel Randelmann." 
 
 The Major heard him with pleasure. " I 
 think you will," he rejoined. " You will find 
 the commanders of companies quite generally 
 attentive to discipline, and the command is in 
 accordingly fine trim. Of course, all do not 
 agree as to the best methods, and do not 
 always enforce the letter of the regulations. 
 But the general result is good." The Major 
 stumbled painfully through this statement. 
 
46 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 He wanted to say a good word for Lyndon, 
 whom he liked, before it should be possible 
 for the Colonel to take exception to any of his 
 methods. But what he did say only aroused 
 questioning suspicion in the Colonel's mind. 
 
 " I do not see how there can be any dis- 
 agreement. The regulations are very explicit. 
 Please explain yourself. Major." The Colonel 
 tapped nervously on the desk as he spoke. 
 
 " I mean degrees of leniency. The same 
 infringement of discipline does not have the 
 same weight with all of them. We have some 
 captains who would yet string a man up, or 
 buck and gag him ; and we have others 
 who I believe would never think of such a 
 thing." 
 
 " Regulations are against any corporal pun- 
 ishment," observed the Colonel. " But some- 
 times the temptation is great. I should prefer 
 to err on the side of strictness. That, to my 
 mind, produces the best results." 
 
 " Yes, sir. But in this case we have the 
 record to show for the result. The guard- 
 house book will show that the prisoners from 
 the companies with lenient captains are no 
 more in number than from others." 
 
 " Which proves nothing save that leniency 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 47 
 
 is there. It does not establish discipline," 
 said the Colonel, testily. 
 
 " That is so. And yet, I would add that 
 from one such company desertion is practi- 
 cally unknown. That is a desirable feature. 
 I do not wish to be understood as advocating 
 any departure from regulations. Colonel," 
 added the Major, as though in fear of being 
 thought biased. 
 
 "I should hope not, sir. Regulations are 
 made to be observed," said the Colonel, drily. 
 And then he added with a keen glance : 
 " Which is this model company ? " 
 
 " I had reference to Captain Lyndon's com- 
 pany. It may appear a bit strange that he, 
 who is the junior captain, should seem most 
 successful in company discipline. Old stag- 
 ers who served through the war do no better 
 than he. It may be his progressive ideas — " 
 
 " Progressive nonsense ! " belched the Colo- 
 nel so vehemently that the Major started. " I 
 don't want any of this stuff and nonsense. 
 Every new lieutenant comes in with new-fan- 
 gled nursery ideas of coddling tough, grown- 
 up men who fight for a living. A pretty lot 
 they'd have to take the field with ! I will 
 have none of it. Major, this regiment has 
 
48 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 but one guide for conduct — and the book of 
 Regulations is its Bible ! " 
 
 He grew red in the face and glared upon 
 the junior officer as though in him he had 
 discovered an arch-offender. The Major 
 shuffled his feet uneasily, and had no reply 
 to make. He was conscious that guard- 
 mounting was over, that the adjutant was in 
 his office without, and that other officers had 
 gathered there in accordance with the morn- 
 ing custom. He knew by the outer stillness 
 that the Colonel's outburst had not been un- 
 noticed by them, and that they would in their 
 hearts say he was receiving the first wigging 
 at Colonel Bruff's hands. This rankled. It 
 mattered not that it was a misconception, or 
 that he might open the subject to them and 
 explain it in a way to down the idea. He 
 knew he could not speak of it first to any one, 
 and that no one would mention it to him. 
 Such proceeding Avould have been without 
 the bounds of official courtesy. By and by 
 the incident would be forgotten ; but till 
 then he would bear the uncomfortable knowl- 
 edge that the captains were secretly sym- 
 pathizing with him, and that the graceless 
 lieutenants, whom he had himself occasion- 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 49 
 
 ally rated, were chuckling to see the tables 
 turned. It was simply one of the petty an- 
 noyances of the service. It was now his part 
 to preserve a calm unmoved exterior, and 
 theirs to avoid any indication of having 
 heard aught. 
 
 A knock sounded on the door. " Come 
 in ! " called the Colonel, unnecessarily loud. 
 His irritation had not yet abated. It was the 
 old and new officers of the day, reporting the 
 state of the post for the past twenty-four 
 hours, and asking orders for the new tour. 
 They presented the guard report for exam- 
 ination, and Colonel Bruff went through it 
 systematically. He thought fit to call atten- 
 tion to one entry, holding his finger on the 
 line as he did so. 
 
 " ' Burton, H company, confined at mid- 
 night by Captain Burns. Released at re- 
 veille by order of his company commander.' 
 Who is his company commander ? " 
 " Captain Lyndon, sir." 
 " What was the man's offence ? " 
 " I don't know, sir," said the old officer of 
 the day. " I inquired, but the sergeant of the 
 guard could tell me nothing. He was both 
 confined and released without my knowledge." 
 
60 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 " I shall inquire into this," said the Colo- 
 nel, stiffly. " If a man's offence is sufficient 
 to warrant his being placed under charge of 
 the guard, he should certainly be brought 
 before a court martial. This haphazard con- 
 fining and releasing is playing at cross-pur- 
 poses. No new orders, gentlemen ; that will 
 do." 
 
 With another comprehensive salute the 
 two officers swung on their heels and went 
 from the room. Colonel Bruff turned to 
 Major Remmick with the queerest of smiles 
 edging his lips. 
 
 " I profess to you. Major, the kindliest feel- 
 ing toward my command, commissioned and 
 enlisted," said he. " Captain Lyndon is un- 
 doubtedly an excellent officer, and I should 
 dislike to — " He made a little gesture 
 with his hand, at which the Major nodded. 
 " I know it is a custom with some command- 
 ing officers to put a man. in the guard-house 
 and withdraw him again, leaving no official 
 record of the matter beyond the entry in the 
 guard-book. I do not approve of that." 
 
 The adjutant entered then with the con- 
 solidated morning report, the day's passes, 
 and various other papers, which he laid be- 
 fore the Colonel. 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 61 
 
 " I shall request you and Mr. Thompson to 
 continue on the staff during the remainder of 
 your terms of appointment," said the Colonel 
 to him at sight of two official forms of resig- 
 nation. Willard bowed in acknowledgment. 
 " Charges against Private Burton," continued 
 the Colonel, picking up another paper. 
 
 " He was released this morning, sir," said 
 Willard. 
 
 " I understand so. I wish to see Captains 
 Burns and Lyndon regarding it." He touched 
 the bell on his desk, and the orderly appeared 
 in the doorway, in answer. Willard de- 
 spatched him in search of the two officers. 
 While he Avas gone, the other routine matters 
 of the morning were attended to. 
 
 " Captain Burns," said the Colonel, when 
 the two officers arrived, "I wish to know 
 why you confined Private Burton last 
 night?" 
 
 " He was out of his quarters, sir, and near 
 the officers' line. As I was going home about 
 midnight I saw him in the shadow, near the 
 quarters of Major Remmick. He would give 
 no reason for being there, and so I confined 
 him." 
 
 "Why did you release him this morning, 
 
52 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 Captain Lyndon?" asked the Colonel, with 
 an air of strict impartiality. 
 
 " He was reported absent from the com- 
 pany at reveille. I found him in the guard- 
 house. He had not been drinking — he does 
 not drink. He is one of my most trustworthy 
 men. When he assured me he was bent on 
 no harm, I believed him. He asked me not 
 to press him for a reason for his being out at 
 midnight, and I respected his request. He 
 did not seek to avoid punishment; he did 
 not complain. I released him on my own 
 responsibility, for he is a man whom I can 
 trust." Lyndon delivered himself of this in 
 as unimpassioned a manner as possible. He 
 believed from his foreknowledge that the 
 Colonel's judgment would be against him, as 
 he knew the sentiment of Captain Burns to 
 be. He did not care so much about the last 
 matter, however ; he and Burns had already 
 had their explanation. 
 
 "Hereafter," said the Colonel, slowly, 
 " when a man is put in the guard-house, I 
 will myself judge of the propriety of his 
 imprisonment, and will myself give the order 
 for his release. I can understand, Captain 
 Lyndon, your natural pique at having one 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 53 
 
 of your men imprisoned by another officer 
 with no word of it to you ; but you should 
 regard the present circumstances." 
 
 " I am not aware, Colonel, that I have 
 acted from pique in this case," said Lyndon, 
 protesting. 
 
 " Hereafter you will not act at all. I shall 
 myself control the discipline of the post. 
 And you will now. Captain Ljmdon, proceed 
 to your company barracks, and cause Private 
 Burton to be replaced under charge of the 
 guard. That will do." 
 
 After that sentence of absolute dismissal, 
 there was nothing for it but to go. Argu- 
 ment would have been useless, and possibly 
 worse than that. The Colonel had turned 
 from the two officers, and was busying him- 
 self with papers as though he had been alone. 
 After all, the autocratic way has much in it 
 that is admirable. 
 
 Once outside. Burns grasped Lyndon's 
 hand. " This is most unfortunate, old man," 
 said he. There could be no bar to his talking 
 to Ljaidon of the event, for he had been a 
 participant. " If I could have foreseen this, 
 your man might have slept all night on the 
 porch of the Colonel himself before I'd have 
 said a word to him." 
 
54 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 "Yes, I can appreciate that," said Lyndon, 
 " but I fear I can't keep with you on that 
 
 lay." 
 
 " What do you mean ? " 
 
 " Burton being in, I would have liberated 
 him just the same, let the consequences be 
 what they may." 
 
 " Yes, I know you would. Well, that's all 
 right. Look here, Lyndon. You may be 
 lenient with your men, but it strikes me you 
 are strict enough with yourself. In this case 
 you would hold yourself to your idea of duty, 
 while I would let duty slide." 
 
 " That will do for talk ; I know you. But 
 seriously. Burns — what he said, you know 
 — about a bit pique — " 
 
 "Rot and nonsense! Don't I know it? 
 You forget I've been some years in the regi- 
 ment with you, Lyn. And now, to prove it, 
 I'll tell you what I think of our brand-new 
 colonel." He made a tube of his hands, and 
 otherwise evinced a desire for secrecy on the 
 open parade, within sight of all the doors and 
 windows of garrison. 
 
 " Well ? " said Lyndon, laughing at his 
 absurdity. 
 
 "That he is a dandy in the field and a 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 55 
 
 devil in the garrison. It takes some of both 
 kinds to make our tight little army. Run 
 along now and put your man in the guard- 
 house." 
 
 And there being absolutely no help for it, 
 Lyndon did as he was bid. 
 
IV 
 
 The absolutism displayed by Colonel Bruff 
 in the small matter of Private Burton was 
 regarded by the garrison as a fair sample of 
 what might be expected at all times. Sever- 
 ity had been anticipated, for the Colonel's 
 reputation was established throughout the 
 length and breadth of the army. If some 
 had looked for a period of gentle adminis- 
 tration at the first, they were disappointed. 
 Colonel Bruff was long accustomed to com- 
 mand, and from the moment he sat in the 
 seat of the colonel of the regiment he had 
 been possessed of no uncertainty as to his 
 course of action. As a result of army expe- 
 rience, he acted vigorously and promptly. 
 The Burton case came "up on his first day 
 of command, and gave him an opportunity. 
 Otherwise the garrison might not have had 
 a taste of his quality so soon. 
 
 A garrison court martial was at once con- 
 vened, to remain in force during the presen- 
 56 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 57 
 
 tation of fifteen cases. There were already 
 several prisoners in the guard-house, doing 
 penance for minor offences, and they, with 
 Burton, were at once brought before the 
 court. Without the spoken expression of an 
 opinion, the commissioned force seemed pos- 
 sessed of the idea that their own duties might 
 be performed with a trifle more snap than 
 had been common, and still no harm be done. 
 Time had been when a man might lie a close 
 prisoner in the guard-house 'for a week, while 
 the judge advocate made futile efforts to 
 gather the members of his court ; and even 
 at that, the trial might result in a finding of 
 "not guilty." The soldier had then no re- 
 dress for the wrongful imprisonment he had 
 endured, but accepted it stoically as an inci- 
 dent of military life. But now, when young 
 Wallace went forth to find his court, all three 
 of the members were promptly on hand, and 
 met, per notification, of an early morning hour, 
 in the court-martial room. 
 
 The squad of prisoners came over from the 
 guard-house, attended by a corporal and a 
 number of sentries. One at a time they were 
 summoned before the court, and stood trials 
 of an average length of five minutes. They 
 
68 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 were mainly charged with drunkenness and 
 absence from various military duties. They 
 seldom attempted any defence, acknowledged 
 their guilt with unexpressive countenances, 
 and were at once remanded to the guard- 
 house. They could forecast their punishment 
 with considerable accuracy ; for a garrison 
 court had but limited powers, and quite gen- 
 erally adjudged penalties in accordance with 
 the terms of an accepted schedule. Thus, a 
 soldier on the lingering edge of virtue might 
 say to himself: "If I go to the sutler's to- 
 night and get drunk, I shall miss reveille in 
 the morning ; then the court will soak me for 
 a two-dollar blind. Is it worth while ? " The 
 answer would be dependent upon the sol- 
 dier's predisposition and the attractions then 
 offered by the sutler; but if it was in the 
 affirmative, the court seldom failed to satisfy 
 his expectations. 
 
 When Burton's case was called, no defence 
 was made. Wallace, in his dual capacity of 
 judge advocate of the court and of counsel 
 for the prisoner, had ascertained from Burton 
 that his plea would be " guilty," and no wit- 
 nesses had been summoned for either side. 
 The charge was read, the plea of " guilty " 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 69 
 
 entered, and Burton remanded to the custody 
 of the guard. The court reached a finding 
 in accordance with the plea. There was 
 then a slight pause. 
 
 "Will some one propose a sentence?" 
 asked Wallace. 
 
 Major Remmick, who was president of 
 the court, came from behind his newspaper. 
 "The charge was — ?" he inquired absently. 
 
 "Out of barracks after taps," said Wallace. 
 
 " And he pleaded guilty ? " 
 
 "HecUd." 
 
 "Ah-h, somebody give a guess. It ain't 
 worth much," he concluded, returning to his 
 paper. It was too slight a matter to occupy 
 his attention on a drowsy forenoon. No one 
 appeared impressed with the enormity of the 
 offence. 
 
 " Dollar," at length was suggested by Law- 
 rence, the junior member. No other penalty 
 was proposed. 
 
 " One dollar ? " inquired Wallace, directing 
 an interrogatory glance on each member. 
 Nods and grunts signified assent. " Fine, 
 one dollar," said Wallace, making a note of 
 it. Lawrence laughed cynically. 
 
 " Wish now I'd said two bits," said he. 
 
60 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 " No more cases to come before the court," 
 Wallace amiounced, with relief. It was his 
 duty to write out iu prescribed form the pro- 
 ceedings in each case tried, and to submit 
 them to the adjutant the next morning. lie 
 had quite enough to occupy him for the day. 
 
 " If's no objection, court's adjourned. Court 
 is adjourned," declared the Major, rising from 
 his chair and buckling on his sword. Then 
 the dispensers of justice walked forth with a 
 step of conscious integrity from the scene of 
 their completed labors. 
 
 Garrison duty was not arduous, only tedious. 
 The Line was crowded, many officers were 
 present for duty, and there was nothing to be 
 done beyond an occasional roll-call, an hour 
 of drill, and the sundown parade. It is not 
 to be doubted that thanks were offered up 
 for even the milk-and-watery excitement of a 
 court martial. 
 
 It was a custom with the officers to assemble 
 each morning at headquarters to salute the 
 commanding officer and to exchange greetings 
 with each other. After this formality, time 
 would occasionally hang heavy and show a 
 disposition to linger in the garrison, till many 
 a man had more of it on his hands than he 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 61 
 
 knew what to do with. The shadow on the 
 old sundial, planted midway of the parade, 
 crawled with exasperating slowness ; the gar- 
 rison flaQ- hancr motionless in glowing bars: 
 the flagstaff listed wearily from the perpen- 
 dicular ; dogs arose, stretched, and slept again ; 
 the pulses lagged; the world ceased swinging; 
 and over all was unappeasable time, slowly 
 dissolving in the silence of eternity. In these 
 echoes of great solitudes, young and unaccus- 
 tomed lieutenants sometimes became morose 
 and irritable ; but oftener they developed a 
 congeniality with surroundings, and lived 
 a placid, contented, routine-duty existence, 
 broken only by sudden and unfrequent ex- 
 cursions of a warlike character in the field. 
 These were anticipated with eagerness, and 
 dwelt upon afterwards with tenacious regard. 
 Wallace had said, soon after joining, that he 
 was disappointed in the life ; he had looked 
 for something active and stirring, and he 
 thought his athletic training had missed of 
 its purpose. But after a few of those emer- 
 gency calls for outside duty, he admitted that 
 there was another side to it, and was satisfied. 
 " And after all," said Burns, who was 
 Wallace's captain and the patient victim of 
 
62 IN BLUE UNIFOEM 
 
 his soul's outpouring, "garrison life isn't so 
 bad. There's one feature jou forget." 
 
 "Wliat is that?" asked Wallace, perfunc- 
 torily. 
 
 "The ladies," said Burns, with finality. 
 
 " Oh yes ; they are ever with us," returned 
 the youngster. " I didn't forget them. How 
 could I?" And then he laughed wickedly 
 at the memory of stories told him of garrison 
 gossips. 
 
 "No, I didn't suppose you had forgotten 
 them, but I thouglit you might remember 
 them a little better. It comes pretty hard on 
 them sometimes, this life does ; but they 
 don't grumble half as bad as the men. I've 
 been in the army thirty-five years, and mar- 
 ried for every one of those ; I have had some 
 experience in these matters," said Burns. 
 
 " Yes, I reckon that might be so," assented 
 Wallace. 
 
 " What would a post be like without them ? " 
 demanded the Captain. 
 
 Wallace considered f arsightedly. " I know," 
 said he. " It would be just a hell-hole." 
 
 "That's what," said Burns, emphatically. 
 He added disconnectedly ; " That's good 
 whiskey of yours, Where'd you get it ? " 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 63 
 
 "It's some I had sent up from Galveston," 
 replied Wallace, setting out the glasses. 
 " How ! " said the two simultaneously, and 
 drank. " It is smooth stuff, but 'most gone. 
 I'll have to come down to e very-day drinking- 
 fluid pretty soon," Wallace added. 
 
 "All whiskey's good, but some is better 
 than others," said Burns, speaking from his 
 experience of thirty-five years and quoting 
 the " Kentucky Colonel." 
 
 Wallace lay back in his chair, and twirled 
 his empty glass uneasily. He was thinking 
 of making a confession, and dreaded to do so, 
 the more as he knew it would be entirely 
 unexpected by Burns. It had several times 
 presented itself to his mind as the proper 
 thing to do, but never had an occasion so 
 propitious as this occurred. Burns had fairly 
 introduced the conversation, and had induced 
 this thought, in speaking of the army women. 
 At last he cleared his throat with so mighty 
 an effort that Burns looked up in surprise. 
 
 " Bronchitis ? " he asked. 
 
 " No. Heart trouble," said Wallace, with 
 an uneasy laugh. 
 
 " I'm sorry," said Burns, with a doubting 
 twinkle in his eye. 
 
64 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 " I ought to tell you," began Wallace, " as 
 you're my captain, and I'll likely be with 
 your company some years, I think I ought to 
 tell you something of my plans." He hes- 
 itated, and Burns looked at him kindly. 
 " Before many months, I want to get a leave, 
 and go back East. There — I'm — engaged 
 to a girl, back there — and I want to marry 
 her and bring her out." 
 
 He stopped quite out of breath and with 
 his heart in his throat, wondering how Burns 
 would take it. Some captains, he knew, 
 preferred bachelor lieutenants, because they 
 required but little baggage space on marches 
 from station to station. 
 
 " How soon do you mean to do this ? " 
 asked Burns. 
 
 " We haven't settled on the date yet," said 
 Wallace, at once introducing the girl as a 
 factor, " but within a year, surely." 
 
 " Well, if I might give you a bit of 
 advice — " 
 
 " Certainly." 
 
 " I would say to wait till you rank some- 
 body. You are the junior lieutenant now, 
 and would have to depend on charity for a 
 housekeeping set of quarters." 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 65 
 
 " It's a shame the government doesn't 
 provide more quarters ! " declared Walhice, 
 angrily, voicing a sentiment as old as the 
 army. The Captain looked at him with an 
 amused expression, and said : — 
 
 " That's so. But the government's quite 
 shameless in the matter." Then he added 
 in an entirely different tone, " I suppose you 
 thought this would surprise me, didn't you ? " 
 
 " Why, yes. I am sure no one knew it. 
 I have told no one but you," replied the boy, 
 himself surprised. 
 
 " That's where you are wrong. Every- 
 body knows it, — ' everybody ' meaning the 
 ladies and those they have admitted to their 
 confidence. So I have been expecting this 
 from you." 
 
 "I am glad I told you," said Wallace, 
 simply. " But how did they know ? " 
 
 " By the chance exercise of a little feminine 
 ingenuity for which they might be praised, 
 not blamed," said Burns. " It comes from 
 the weakness of Savage, the old soldier who 
 distributes the mail. He is so old and de- 
 crepit that he can do nothing else, you know, 
 so he is kept at that till an opportunity 
 comes for sending him to the Soldiers' Home. 
 
QQ IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 He is a box of chatter and gossip, and takes 
 a childish delight in playing postman. He 
 never forgets the quantity or quality of any 
 one's mail. To test his memory, the ladies 
 sometimes ask him how others on the Line 
 have fared. ' Was there any mail for Mrs. 
 Burns this morning?' one would ask. ' Yes, 
 ma'am, two letters and a postal,' he would 
 say. ' And did Miss Burns have any ? ' 
 ' She had a paper and one letter, but I couldn't 
 make out the postmark.' So it would go. 
 They say it is all for the pleasure of testing 
 Savage's memory, but it might be turned to 
 2:)ractical account. You probably see how 
 they became satisfied you were spoken for?" 
 
 " I suppose so," said Wallace, slowly. 
 
 " Many letters — similar appearance — 
 square envelopes — feminine handwriting — 
 same postmark — easy enough, you see." 
 Burns laughed good-naturedly, but Wallace 
 was not happy. 
 
 " I don't mind it's being known," said he, 
 " but in that way — You know, I don't like 
 it. Of course there's no harm done, but it 
 shows a spirit that — that I don't like. It is 
 too much like interference. It doesn't matter 
 this time, but some time it might be different." 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 67 
 
 "But it's a fine check, don't you see?" 
 persisted Burns. " A fellow is going to walk 
 pretty straight when he knows that every 
 woman in garrison will be listening to the 
 sound of his steps. It is a great moral en- 
 gine," he added, laughing with a touch of 
 cynicism. 
 
 "I think. Captain, that an officer in the 
 army should be very careful how he walks, 
 without regard to comment. You know 
 we are always hearing about the ' high army 
 sense of honor,' and officers are expected to 
 be a little more strict in their ideas of right 
 than other men. I don't object to that — I 
 rather like it; I want to be thought very 
 honorable. But we both know that officers 
 are given to fostering that notion among 
 civilians; and here we get down to inside 
 facts, and find that they have to have a spur 
 to stand in fear of. I tell you it makes me 
 feel that there's no more honor in the army 
 than out of it, and I've always flattered my- 
 self that there was." Wallace looked very 
 soldierly as he said this, and quite ready to 
 renounce everything for the sake of an ideal 
 standard of honor. 
 
 "It's a grand check," repeated Burns, 
 
68 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 lamely, harking back over Wallace's fine 
 outburst. "It is an excellent thing when 
 you come to look at it in that way." 
 
 " But I don't look at it that way," persisted 
 Wallace. 
 
 "Never mind: it's all right. You will — 
 after you are married," laughed the Captain. 
 
V 
 
 For an unfledged chick at soldiering and 
 a presumable ignoramus in the fine art of 
 strategy, Wallace did some very good work 
 after the visit of his captain. In the course 
 of his thoughts that night he decided that 
 it would be impolitic for him to wait for the 
 suggestive glances and words of the ladies to 
 worm from him the fact of his engagement, 
 and he was sure that would be their next 
 step. For himself and for the girl he meant 
 to marr}^,- it would be much better that he 
 should bravely announce the condition of 
 his expectations. 
 
 Sallying forth the next day, he looked up 
 and down the Line for a weak point on 
 which to make his attack ; and seeing a con- 
 course of ladies on Mrs. Remmick's porch, 
 concluded that a kind fate had thrown them 
 in his way, and turned towards them at once. 
 He preferred to engage the enemy en masse 
 rather than to scatter his force from point 
 
 CO 
 
70 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 to point, and be obliged to trust in many- 
 independent tongues for the telling. As 
 he walked, he whistled. Object, apparent 
 unconcern. 
 
 " Here comes Man-With-A- Girl - In - The- 
 East," said Mrs. Bates beneath her breath as 
 lie approached. Every one looked up. 
 
 " Oh ! Mr. Wallace I Dear me," murmured 
 Mrs. Remmick. 
 
 " Don't let him hear you call him that ! " 
 gurgled Miss Burns in Mrs. Bates's ear. " If 
 he should know that we know what we know, 
 it would spoil all the fun ! " She snuggled 
 in her seat with a kittenish motion, and 
 anticipated Wallace's arrival with enjoyment. 
 She had acquired the certain age at which 
 single women enjoy inflicting delicate torture 
 on a male victim. 
 
 " Good morning, everybody ! " called Mr. 
 Wallace, genially, throwing off his cap and 
 seating himself on the lower step. There 
 was a chorus of glad replies. Mrs. Remmick 
 pressed him to come up on the porch, but he 
 would not. " I like this place," said he. "It 
 is safer. I can talk with you and gaze upon 
 3^ou all from afar, and if need be, I can 
 execute a masterly retreat." 
 
IN BLUE UNIFOBM 71 
 
 " The idea of running away from us ! " 
 ejaculated Mrs. Eagan. The group laughed 
 shrilly at the mental picture of a lone lieu- 
 tenant fleeing down the Line from their pres- 
 ence. The two little girls of Dr. Sanders 
 came laughing down the steps, and sat be- 
 side him and held his hands with juvenile 
 freedom. 
 
 " You can't run away from us," they de- 
 clared triumphantly. 
 
 " I'd never want to. But why couldn't I ? " 
 
 " Because we'd run away with you," they 
 gurgled. 
 
 " Well ! Bravo ! Mrs. Remmick, here 
 are two deserters from your camp," cried 
 Wallace. "Are there more to follow? At 
 this rate I'll soon be strong enough to hold 
 my own against you." 
 
 " We see so little of you nowadays, Mr. 
 Wallace," interjected Mrs. Bates, mildly tak- 
 ing him to task. " Are you .so busy? " 
 
 " Not so busy now as before the mails got 
 so irregular. That deranges my daily plan 
 of life," said he, with a smile intended to 
 provoke comment. It had the desired effect. 
 
 " Oh, Mr. Wallace ! Have you so many 
 correspondents, then ? Or is it all to one ? 
 
72 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 You neglect us shamefully! We tJiought 
 there was something on your mind." 
 
 " Not on my mind — my lieart ; and such 
 a weight! Ah! If I dared unfold — But, 
 no. And here comes Savage with the mail, 
 after an unexplained absence of three days. 
 All other considerations will now kindly sink 
 from sight." 
 
 The old soldier came limping laboriously 
 up the Line, and stopped at the group. He 
 had mail for nearly everybody, but before 
 delivering it he performed his more immedi- 
 ate military duty of saluting Wallace punc- 
 tiliously. 
 
 "Lef tenant, I knocked at your door, but 
 I didn't get no answer, so I just left your 
 mail on the hall table," said he. 
 
 "That was all right, Savage. What was 
 it?" 
 
 " There were the papers, sir, and some offi- 
 cial correspondence, and three letters, sir." 
 
 "Three! That's one a" day for the past 
 three days. Are they alike or different. 
 Savage ? " 
 
 " All alike, sir, with big square envelopes, 
 and long slantin' handwritin'." 
 
 "Ah, yes. Those will be from my fian- 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 73 
 
 c^e." He said this as though to himself. 
 There was an unmistakable rustle of surprise 
 above him on the porch, which he uoted with 
 satisfaction. 
 
 "Yes, sir, I expect they be," assented 
 Savage, with the deferential manner of a 
 soldier in the presence of his officer's opinion. 
 " Shall I go and fetch them up to you, sir ? " 
 
 "No, never mind, Savage. They'll keep. 
 It's all right." Then, as the old soldier 
 saluted and limped awa}', he turned and 
 nipped an outburst of pretty exclamation. 
 
 " That slipped out unawares," said he, de- 
 ceitfully. " It was awfully awkward of me 
 to speak so before Savage, but it was kind of 
 him to aofree with me. It shows we have an 
 understanding. Just suppose that he had 
 denied the statement — what a pickle I should 
 have been in ! " He laughed a little at the 
 notion. 
 
 " But are you really, truly, engaged, then ? 
 And ought we to congratulate you ? " queried 
 Mrs. Bates, eagerly, and in the greatest 
 doubt. 
 
 " If you don't, I shall take it as very un- 
 kind of you, I am sure ; for I really and truly 
 am engaged, and I really, truly, came up just 
 
74 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 now to announce the fact. Wasn't that 
 kind of me ? You will overlook my abrupt 
 method, I am sure. And here's her jDicture," 
 he added, handing up a photograph. It was 
 passed from hand to hand, and everybody 
 said she was a very pretty girl. 
 
 "Now tell me that you're all immensely 
 surprised," he implored, when he had gotten 
 his property back. 
 
 "Indeed we are. You were never sus- 
 pected," declared several, in close succession 
 and with varying degrees of emphasis. 
 
 "Never suspected it in the world?" he 
 insisted, looking from one to another in the 
 group, inquiringly. 
 
 " Never. Never," they repeated. 
 
 "I am glad of that, for I like to be the 
 bearer of good news and pleasant surprises. 
 I didn't know but Savage had gotten ahead 
 of me, and betrayed my confidence ; but for- 
 tunately I find him trustworthy." 
 
 " But you haven't told us her name ! " 
 cried some one, suddenly. And others at 
 once demanded her name as their just due, 
 after having praised her photograph. 
 
 But here Wallace grew red, and refused to 
 be cajoled. He could not bring himself to 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 75 
 
 speak her name before these women. There 
 were some araono- them to whom he had no 
 objection; they had not lent themselves to 
 the deception. But he harbored a strong 
 feeling of resentment against tlie others for 
 the spirit of petty inquisitiveness they had 
 displayed ; and before them his lips refused 
 to speak the loved words. 
 
 "She is no one you know, I'm sure," said 
 he, somewhat ungraciously. " Til tell you all 
 some time — before the cards are out." Fur- 
 ther than this he would not say. And just 
 then the orderly issued from headquarters 
 and blew officers' call on the bugle in a ner- 
 vous staccato that betokened something un- 
 usual. " I'm in luck to-day," said Wallace, 
 ambiguously ; and he immediately hurried 
 away to join the officers then gathering in 
 Colonel Bruff's office. 
 
 Although the call was blown at an unusual 
 hour, the group of ladies did not display a 
 marked interest in it. There had been times 
 in the experience of some of them when it 
 had been a forerunner of months of danger- 
 ous and difficult campaigning, during which 
 they had been forced to remain alone and un- 
 informed in stagnated posts. The memories 
 
76 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 of these days drove the blood back upon their 
 hearts, and they looked at one another ques- 
 tioningly. But a moment's reflection reas- 
 sured them, and they did not voice the fear 
 that had momentarily crept in. It happens 
 that women in the army continually develop 
 a rare degree of courage. On this occasion 
 the lack of recent rumors of Indian troubles 
 led them to believe that nothing serious was 
 in the wind ; it might be some new feature of 
 garrison discipline, or possibly some detached 
 service, but nothing to cause general uneasi- 
 ness. So they bent to the work in their 
 hands, and discussed the announcement made 
 by Wallace. 
 
 Hitherto, it had been only whispered, but 
 now that Wallace himself had sanctioned it, 
 they could speak openly. The prospect, how- 
 ever remote, of a new bride at the station, 
 was pleasantly exciting. They reflected that 
 she would wear the latest Eastern styles direct 
 from the makers, which they could only build 
 for themselves from published fashion plates 
 and patterns. Thus her entrance would be 
 attended v/ith danger to herself ; for an 
 assertive and emphatic manner of apparel 
 would be construed as a flaunt or a menace : 
 
IN BLUE UN I FOB M 77 
 
 and while her triumph would be as short- 
 lived as the fashions themselves, yet she could 
 be made to do penance in many ways for 
 a long time after. And so the buzz passed 
 from clothes to accomplishments, and looks, 
 and nature, and family ; till Mrs. Eagan burst 
 into a loud and disconcerting laugh, at which 
 the infantry ladies looked up, displeased. 
 
 "Dear me!" said she. "How we are 
 running on, talking of her as if she was to 
 come to-morrow. As like as anyway, half 
 of us will never see her. To me, it would 
 be far more interesting to know why Mr. 
 Wallace made the announcement as he did." 
 
 " I did not see anything peculiar about it," 
 said Mrs. Remmick, tentatively, looking about 
 her for support; and the ladies rallied to her 
 with assenting nods. There was nothing 
 strange about it, to them. 
 
 " Well, it is a little different from the way 
 in our regiment," said Mrs. Eagan, in expla- 
 nation. " There, the announcement is always 
 made first at the bachelors' mess, and the 
 health of the bride-to-be is drunk in cham- 
 pagne, and there are congratulations, and a 
 good, sociable time generally. It is after that 
 when the ladies learn it." 
 
78 IN BLUE UNIFOE^f 
 
 " Yes ? That is a very pleasant custom — 
 for some regiments — I'm sure," said Mrs. 
 Remmick, assenting with care. " With us, 
 we have no settled custom ; it has never been 
 thought necessary or worth while. Our offi- 
 cers are very considerate of the ladies, and 
 knowing that we take a special interest in 
 such matters, usually make announcements 
 directly to us. I am sure we appreciate their 
 kindness very mucli." 
 
 " Oh ! That would never do for us. The 
 regiment before everything else ! " declared 
 Mrs. Eagan, setting her voice on an unpleas- 
 antly high key. Her loyalty was unbounded, 
 and she felt compelled to uphold the practices 
 of her regiment against all comers. 
 
 " Yes, that is the cavalry way," said Mrs. 
 Remmick, with commiserating indulgence. 
 "It is very delightful. But how dear the 
 thought to us that we are first ! I do not 
 believe our regiment suffers through the 
 native chivalry of its officers." 
 
 No, indeed! Her cohort of ladies agreed 
 with her. And they set their stitches with 
 careful precision as they reflected, between 
 shots, on the advantage of belonging to a 
 superior branch of the service. But Mrs. 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 79 
 
 Eagan unfortunately betrayed a loss of 
 temper. 
 
 " Well, I must say I don't think there is 
 much chivalry in telling what is already 
 known. With us, the officers take the bull 
 by the horns every time. They don't go 
 'round, grabbing at his tail," said she. 
 
 " Oh, Mrs. Eagan ! " exclaimed several, in 
 shocked tones. " That is perfectly dreadful ! " 
 
 " Mr. Wallace acted very well about it," 
 pursued Mrs. Remmick, in the smoothest 
 voice. Her manner was not indicative of 
 the sliofhest waimth of feelincr. " He made 
 the announcement to suit himself, which was 
 quite independent and quite right. You 
 really cannot mean that his engagement 
 was known — that he had already told it to 
 others ? " 
 
 " It was as good as known," declared Mrs. 
 Eagan. " What with questioning jjoor, old, 
 half-witted Savage, and putting two and two 
 together — " 
 
 "Dear Mrs. Eagan! You give us credit 
 for too much perception ! Remember, please, 
 we are only infantrj^" 
 
 Mrs. Eagan knotted her work together. 
 " Well, I must run home. I see the Captain 
 
80 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 coming from headquarters now. After all, 
 the 7iiain thing is the getting married." 
 
 ^'■3Iust you go? Good by! No, the rest 
 don't signify," they called after her. Then 
 they settled themselves with little restful 
 sighs, and looked upon Mrs. Remmick grate- 
 fully. 
 
 "You are what J call a loyal woman, Mrs. 
 Remmick," declared Mrs. Burns. 
 
 " My dear, don't mention it," said the Ma- 
 jor's wife, with true sincerity. " I do so 
 detest these little garrison spats and wran- 
 gles, and yet, when you see one coming you 
 can't run away from it. I don't know why 
 it is," she continued, shaking her head, " that 
 the infantry and cavalry and artillery are 
 always at each othei-'s throats, to say nothing 
 of the staff at odds with all three. It doesn't 
 seem right. It is not pleasant, but I suppose 
 it has to be so," she concluded with fatalistic 
 resignation. 
 
 " It's professional jealousy, like actors, and 
 — and those people," said wise little Mrs. 
 Bates, giggling at her own theory. 
 
 The officers were now seen issuing from 
 headquarters, and several came directly up 
 the parade to where the ladies sat. 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 81 
 
 "I wish Mrs. Eagan Imd staid to see that," 
 remarked Mrs. Willard. " Coming straight 
 to tell us all the news." 
 
 " Yes ; that substantiates my theorj^" said 
 Mrs. Remmick, as she rose to receive the 
 officers. " Come up, gentlemen. We are 
 all attention." 
 
 " It isn't much," began the Major. " Noth- 
 ing but a stage robbery — " 
 
 " The stage ! And Millicent — " ejacu- 
 lated Mrs. Remmick, in fright. 
 
 " Millicent ! She hasn't come yet, has 
 she ? Calm yourself, my dear ; it is all right. 
 The Colonel is going to put out a detail to 
 ride with the stage and escort it each way. 
 Millicent will have no trouble whatever." 
 
 " It is most interesting," Lyndon declared. 
 "He is a single man — " 
 
 " Like myself," said Wallace, blushing red. 
 They laughed at his avowal, for his secret 
 was also out among the officers. 
 
 " We'll hope so," said Lyndon. " But a 
 single, bold, bad, robber-man. He is account- 
 able for all the irregularities of the mail 
 lately. If you ladies miss any letters, rest 
 assured they will be found in his pockets — 
 when he is taken. He is a bold fellow, if he 
 is a road agent." 
 
82 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 " Road agents generally are," said the 
 Major, commenting from experience. 
 
 "Yes, and how gallant ! " interjected Wal- 
 lace, with enthusiasm. " If there happens to 
 be a woman on the stage, which isn't often, 
 she might be as old as Methuselah and cor- 
 respondingly ugly, but he wouldn't touch 
 her." 
 
 " Course not," assented the Major. "But 
 how if she was young and pretty? That's 
 what Mrs. Remmick is worrying about." 
 
 " Same thing. Major," cried the bo}^ 
 " Her watch and her purse remain hers. 
 That's the story they tell about him — a 
 regular Claude Duval, or any of those past- 
 masters." 
 
 "We must expect Wallace to admire a 
 gallant bearing wherever he may find it," 
 said Lyndon, as though in apology for the 
 youngster. " He is at just that congratula- 
 tory stage in which he sheds his own chival- 
 rous light on every one and every thing quite 
 impartially." Wallace colored under the 
 volley of light laughter this produced. 
 
 " I wouldn't talk if I were you, Captain," 
 said Mrs. Remmick, warningly. 
 
 " I certainly have the right to talk,'" he ex- 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 83 
 
 postulated. " I am only an old bachelor, and 
 have no expectations like his," indicating 
 Wallace. " I'm as steady and reliable as 
 any old married man ; for instance, now, the 
 Major here." 
 
 "Old? Me old? I'll swear I'm the most 
 youthful fellow here, barring looks ! " cried 
 the Major, rousing himself. He shook his 
 towsled head playfully, like a mildly assertive 
 goat. 
 
 "When does the escort go out?" asked 
 Mrs. Remmick, anxiously. 
 
 " To-night. Lawrence goes with it in 
 command, and takes camp at the Colorado 
 crossing, riding both ways with the stage 
 from there to Redtown. That's the part the 
 gentleman of the road infests. A sergeant 
 will have another detail at the Ten Mile 
 water-hole, and take it the rest of the way." 
 
 "I'm thankful," said Mi'S. Remmick. 
 
 " When does your niece come ? " asked 
 Lyndon. 
 
 "We look for her in a couple of days, 
 now. Coming so far, we are not quite sure 
 what day she will arrive," she replied. 
 
 " I will speak to Lawrence before he goes 
 out, and he will be looking after her at Red- 
 
84 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 town, if lie goes that far — as of course he 
 will," Ljaidon continued. 
 
 " I wish you would. That's very kind of 
 you, Captain. And Mr. Lawrence — " 
 
 " Oh, he will be glad of the chance." 
 
 " Well, thank him for me in advance ; or 
 I may see him myself before he goes. I am 
 Sflad it is Mr. Lawrence ; I wouldn't have 
 anything happen to Millicent for the world. 
 Think of being in the stage when it is 
 robbed! She would be frightened to death 
 at the very idea ! " 
 
 " You mean you would be, my dear," inter- 
 posed the Major. 
 
 " No, sir ; I am speaking of Millicent. She 
 doesn't know the first thing about this south- 
 western country," she continued, turning to 
 the group. " She is an artist, and spends her 
 time between New York and Paris." 
 
 " Sort of amphibious, as it were," explained 
 the Major, gravely. 
 
 "You ought to be ashamed to say such 
 things about your niece, Major ! Call her a 
 mermaid, why don't you?" Mrs. Remmick 
 said this in such a way that the Major felt 
 com[)limented. "She is a lovely girl, and 
 very talented. She has had pictures in the 
 Exhibitions ! " 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 85 
 
 " I hope she will stay with us a long time," 
 said Mrs. Bates. " We do get so stupid out 
 here, away from everything and everj'body. 
 I have not seen a picture since I was mar- 
 ried." This was the new birth from which 
 she dated her life. "I just long for some one 
 to liven me up a little." 
 
 " I have no idea how long she will stay," 
 said Mrs. Remmick ; " but we are delighted 
 at the idea of having her with us, and shall 
 keep her as long as we may." 
 
 Later, when they were alone together, the 
 Major approached his wife with a quizzical 
 look. 
 
 " Why didn't 3^ou tell them Millicent would 
 stay the usual length of time ? I was tempted 
 to. They would have understood." 
 
 "The usual length — " she repeated, won- 
 deringly. 
 
 " Yes ; stay till she gets married, of course. 
 What else do girls visit isolated army posts 
 for?" 
 
 " William ! You incorrigible ! I don't 
 think Millicent would have to look far for a 
 husband. When she wants one, there will be 
 a plenty to choose from. She will have to 
 spend no time in searching." 
 
86 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 " You will never make these women here 
 believe anything else of her visit," he de- 
 clared. 
 
 " Why, Millicent is devoted to her art ! " 
 
 "Exclusively?" 
 
 " Exclusively. You needn't shake your 
 head ! She doesn't think of anything else." 
 
 " She must be different from other girls," 
 said he, skeptically. 
 
 "She is," declared Mrs. Remmick, enthusi- 
 astically. 
 
 "Now, you will never make me believe 
 that," declared the Major. 
 
 Mrs. Remmick came very close to him. 
 " You are every bit as much a boy as when 
 I first knew you, and you had nothing there," 
 said she, flatteringly, and putting a finger on 
 the field of his shoulder-strap. " And now 
 you are a big, pompous major ! " She kissed 
 him, presumably for the sake of the memory. 
 " Now leave Millicent alone, and let her have 
 a good time." 
 
 " I will," said he, in mock humility. " I 
 hate to see people have a good time, but I'll 
 agree to let her alone. It's the only way to 
 keep peace in the family." 
 
 "Brute ! " said she, laughing. 
 
VI 
 
 The west-bound express over the Texas 
 and Pacific railroad makes a breakfast station 
 of Redtown, and there is always a fine group- 
 ing of Texan color at the depot for the sur- 
 prised admiration of the travellers. But it is 
 not entirely for effect ; the gathering is quite 
 natural. The passing of the overland trains 
 is an event, like the arrival of the circus ^ and 
 the long line of cars, with rows of strange 
 windowed faces, is a drawing card. The train 
 is regarded with a sort of su^Derior toleration ; 
 the faces of passengers are scanned curiously, 
 for there is no telling whom one may not see 
 in the breadth of travel ; and there is not so 
 much envy of these speeding voyagers as 
 there is of a sentiment of superiority to them. 
 They whirl along the leagues, but can know 
 little of the country, for Texas is wide and 
 the line of rails narrow ; and the accustomed, 
 acclimated ones who lounge about and view 
 them have some of- the spurning of hardy 
 87 
 
88 IN BLUE UNIF0R3I 
 
 pioneers for those who would come after 
 them, reaping in peace and safety the fruit of 
 their toiL 
 
 Millicent Harding descended from the 
 sleeper at Redtown, with a clear sense of 
 relief at the accomplishment of the rail stage 
 of her journey. From New York to Redtown 
 is so far that one has ample time, even on a 
 limited express, to weary of the miles. And 
 yet the transition had been accomplished so 
 quickly that she was quite unable to adapt 
 herself at once to her surroundings. To her 
 it was all as new and strange as a different 
 civilization ; and it was not so very far from 
 being this. It was not alone that tlie human 
 beings about her were of a different type from 
 anything she had bafore encountered, but 
 that the very air she breathed was different. 
 It came to her in its play over prairies of 
 unknown extent, so strong, so virile, that it 
 forced the lungs open and intruded itself in 
 long, deep draughts. It bore into the heart 
 a supreme sense of exaltation. Millicent had 
 not been accustomed to think herself a poor, 
 wretched thing of the walled-in city, but now 
 she wondered with a secret joy at the change. 
 It was so gratefully overpowering that for 
 
IN BLUE UNIFOBM 89 
 
 the first moments she was oblivious to every- 
 thing else. Then she became aware of the 
 curious gaze of strangely dressed men, with a 
 sense of annoyance. But in a moment that 
 j)assed. They looked upon her as with the 
 soft eyes of dumb animals. And as her prac- 
 tised glance took in colors and groupings, 
 unstudied and picturesque, her first conscious 
 thought was of a desire to whip out canvas 
 and palette, and so to the picture before her. 
 But all these accessories were in her baop-asre : 
 and — this was eminently practical — the bag- 
 gage must be looked after. That was for her 
 to do, and quickly. 
 
 A Jewish-looking man in plaids crossed 
 her path with a lingering, sidelong glance, as 
 she walked down the platform towards the 
 baggage cars. A brown, blanket-clad Indian 
 stood like a post, and she made a considerable 
 detour around him. A drunken man, red- 
 faced and filthy, staggered towards her, feebly 
 singing, and was suddenly collared out of 
 sight by a tall, lithe cowboy in chaps, with a 
 revolver and jingling spurs. A swarthy 
 Mexican followed her with his eyes, silently 
 soliciting her admiration, as he gracefully 
 swung his brilliant blanket into new folds 
 about his slender form. 
 
90 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 And there were yet other travellers than 
 herself, anxious about their baggage, — drum- 
 mers from all the world, ranchmen returning 
 from business trips, rolling stones out for 
 pleasure only. The hissing of steam, the 
 clatter of trucks, the rhythmical pounding of 
 the dining-room gong, made a deafening din. 
 People shouted at the tops of their voices, 
 and even then were not heard. Millicent 
 hesitated on the outer edge of the turmoil, 
 dreading to take the plunge ; and yet it had 
 to be done. And just then she heard her 
 name spoken. 
 
 " Pardon me if I am wrong, but is not 
 this Miss Harding?" 
 
 A slender young man in a uniform of blue 
 and white stood by her, and she looked into 
 his face with a springing sense of relief. 
 
 " Oh yes." 
 
 " I am Mr. Lawrence, from the post. Major 
 Remmick told me of your coming, and kindly 
 commissioned me to do what I could for you. 
 Now, if you will let me take you to the wait- 
 ing-room — or will you have breakfast? " 
 
 " There was a buffet on the car, thanks — " 
 
 " That is better. I have eaten at Redtown 
 — once. We will go to the waiting-room. 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 91 
 
 I'll take your checks, please. Everything 
 else is quite arranged." 
 
 She gave them to him thankfully. " I am 
 so glad ! I really did not know what to do, 
 it was so strange," she confessed weakly to 
 him. 
 
 He was back again in a marvellously short 
 time, and took her to the stage, which was 
 ready for starting. " They don't waste much 
 time on this stage line," he explained. " For 
 one thing, they carry the mail, and so they 
 have to hurry. It will seem slow to you, 
 however, after your journey. I know, be- 
 cause I sometimes make the trip myself. But 
 the stage gets through in a single day, and 
 it's ninety miles. You can believe me, they 
 attend strictly to business." 
 
 Lawrence opened the stage door, and looked 
 in. " Back seat, if you please," he said civ- 
 illy to some one. " Back seat for a lady." 
 
 The back seat was occupied by two men — 
 one a ranchman known to Lawrence, the other 
 the plaided Jew. The ranchman jumped up, 
 but Lawrence put him back. 
 
 " No, not you, Mr. Porter," he said. " You 
 had engaged your seat. This one here I 
 want," and he turned to the Jew. 
 
92 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 " But this is engaged too," said the occu- 
 pant of it. " It is taken, occupied. Don't 
 you see it is ? " 
 
 Lawrence thrust his body within the stage, 
 and for a moment there was the sound of his 
 voice in quiet but convincing argument. 
 From time to time Mr. Porter was heard as- 
 senting. Then Lawrence sprang out, smiling. 
 
 " Now, if you please," said he to Millicent. 
 
 "I don't want to take the man's seat," 
 Millicent protested in a whisper. "I heard 
 every word you said, and it was awful ! I 
 can ride backward just as well, or with the 
 driver. I can't take his seat." 
 
 " It is your seat," said Lawrence, decidedly. 
 " It had been engaged for you. Believe me, 
 it was only a misunderstanding on the part 
 of the fellow. Lie did not know the custom 
 out here. It is your seat by every right." 
 
 "And what is this peculiar custom, Mr. 
 Lawrence ? " she asked, still unyielding. 
 
 " Just plain, common courtesy. That's all. 
 You must get in. The stage Avaits." And 
 to her surprise Millicent found herself taking 
 the vacated back corner without further pro- 
 test, and assisted thereto by a pair of strong 
 arms. 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 93 
 
 "Mr. Porter, Miss Harding; niece of ]\Ia- 
 jor Remmick." Lawrence performed a hasty 
 introduction. "All right!" he shouted to 
 the driver aloft. A crack of the whip, a 
 sudden careen on leathern rocking springs, 
 and the stage rolled forward to the beginning 
 of its ninety miles. 
 
 Without knowing it, Millicent smiled to 
 herself out of real pleasure at her experience 
 with Lawrence. Here was a young man, 
 gentle and dignified, who did not consult her 
 preference but assumed to judge for her, and 
 who, with complete courtes3% compelled her 
 to accede to his judgment. To be sure, she 
 was in a strange land, one to which he was 
 as a native; possibly he knew best. But 
 such autocracy on an hour's acquaintance 
 amused her. Since such a happening had 
 not been hers before, she concluded it must 
 be the army way. She was inclined to think 
 there was something likable about it, but on 
 this point she was not quite clear. It might 
 be simply her satisfaction in having the most 
 comfortable seat in the stage, for she could 
 understand that she had. All the seats were 
 occupied, and the ousted Jew faced her from 
 the front. He looked unhappy as he jolted 
 
94 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 back and forth with the motion of the steer- 
 age. He did not have the moral grace of his 
 seatmate, who bumped along with philosophic 
 unconcern. The Jew's acute misery affected 
 her, and she determined to offer him her seat 
 at the first stopping-place, out of sheer pity. 
 Of course there would be towns and stopping- 
 places every few miles. 
 
 She was the only woman passenger, but 
 that gave her uneasiness on but a single 
 score. If the men wanted to smoke, she knew 
 she would never have the courage, thus 
 unsupported, to say she objected. And there 
 were cigars sticking out of their pockets. 
 And tobacco-smoke was hateful to her. And 
 then she caught the untainted breath of the 
 new morning blowing through the windows, 
 and the outside world claimed her attention. 
 It eclipsed all other matters; it was worth 
 her while. 
 
 The road was taking them over a gently 
 rounded country, rich with short, green grass, 
 and broken here and there in its smoothly 
 swelling distances by bushy patches, much 
 like transplanted sections of a forest's under- 
 growth. Coming nearer these, they were 
 seen to be little groves of mesquite, hardly 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 95 
 
 to be dignified as trees. The thickets were 
 sparse and thin, and among them were many- 
 cattle. Millicent was dimly conscious of the 
 ranchman beside her saying to the man in 
 front that cows were coming on well. This 
 chance remark became to her as a part of the 
 landscape. As they fled down slopes and 
 rolled smoothly over the succeeding summits, 
 she viewed a limitless plain, with everywhere 
 cattle, cattle, feeding on the green grass. In 
 that clear air one could see for miles, and far 
 away dots and specks transformed themselves 
 into more herds to please the ranchman's 
 eye. They were the riches of the country, 
 and the season was prosperous. Nowhere 
 was there a sign of roof or habitation of man, 
 and it gave her a feeling of awe, of sacrilege, 
 to be thus boldly penetrating a land popu- 
 lated only by dumb beasts. The vastness, 
 the uncontrolled extent, of these solitudes 
 impressed her with a sense of human little- 
 ness and of her own unimportance in life. 
 She wondered that her companions could 
 speak of cattle and their money equivalents 
 in such a place, at such a time. And then 
 she reasoned that they were accustomed to 
 it; it was an old story, and familiarity made 
 
96 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 it common ; they were no more impressed by- 
 it than she woukl be by miles of paved streets 
 and vistas of blocks of high houses. But 
 would it ever become an old story to her? 
 
 Occasionally they came upon brown patches, 
 where the grass had been eaten away into tlie 
 roots. Little mounds stood irregularly about 
 these places, with small brown monuments 
 atop. As they came yet closer, the monu- 
 ments turned somersaults, and fell inside the 
 mounds. This was very startling, until, upon 
 arrival, the place resolved itself into a prairie- 
 dog- villasfe. Each little brown fellow erected 
 himself on top his habitation to view the 
 stage's progress ; and when it came within 
 the zone of danger to himself, he inconti- 
 nently dipped down into his burrow, and 
 Millicent would see but the vanishing tip of 
 a stumpy tail wagging derisively at her and 
 all the world. There was the spirit of inde- 
 pendence engendered by the plains, in these 
 tiny creatures. A conceit took her that it 
 was no more than the audacious impudence 
 of unbirched schoolboys, and she laughed at 
 the sight. 
 
 Mr. Porter looked out on his side. " Prai- 
 rie-dogs," said he. " E^er see them before, 
 Miss Harding?" 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 97 
 
 " Never," said she, quickly. " But I knew 
 what they were the moment I saw them." 
 
 "Not to have seen them shows you are 
 new to the countrj^," he continued, doubtfully 
 commiserating. 
 
 " I am, I shall have to admit," said she. 
 " I don't like to, though, for I can understand 
 it is little to my credit. How you people 
 must pity us poor Easterners ! " 
 
 " We like to have you get out here and see 
 what freedom of life really is ; and being a 
 'tenderfoot,' as the term goes, isn't so bad. 
 It is like the freshman year at college — a nec- 
 essary prelude to the good things to come." 
 
 " Ah ! you know, then, — " 
 
 " Yes ; I'm Yale — a number of years back, 
 however," he added, in extenuation of his 
 weatherworn appearance. 
 
 "I beg your pardon," said INIillicent, bit- 
 ing her lip in mortification at being caught 
 sitting in hasty judgment; "I might have 
 known." 
 
 " I don't see how, unless you are a seeress," 
 he laughed at her. " The visible varnish and 
 gilding rub off pretty quickly when one does 
 really begin to live." 
 
 Mr. Porter's companion on the front seat 
 
98 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 leaned forward with the impressive manner 
 of one with information to impart. " Talk- 
 in' of prairie-dogs and tenderfeet," said he, 
 "•I've seed a dog, a tenderfoot dog, chase 
 them little fellers all day under the idee that 
 he mouglit ketch one of them. He was a 
 hunter dog from the East, and he was 
 a-showin' off; ary yeller dog in Texas would 
 have knowed better. Of co'se he nuvver 
 ketched one, and you nuvver see so surprised 
 a critter as he'd be w'en he'd sneak on a bur- 
 row and jes' see the tip o' the tail going 
 down. He run all day till he nachelly wore 
 his footses out, and had to be tuk up and 
 carried. And that's why they calls 'em ' ten- 
 derfeet' now." He sat back gravely and 
 spat out of the window. 
 
 "Mr. Veck," said Mr. Porter, by way of 
 necessary introduction, " and one of the best 
 men on the ranch. You are going to the fort ? " 
 
 " Yes ; I am to visit my uncle. Major Rem- 
 mick," replied Millicent, still laughing at 
 Veck's explanation of a common term. 
 
 "Ah, I know the Major. A good man 
 every way. Will you kindly give him my 
 regards? Mr. Porter of the Cross-bar ranch." 
 
 Millicent felt a thrill of pride at hearing 
 
IN BLUE UNIF0n3I 09 
 
 such ready praise of her uncle, and ghidly 
 promised. 
 
 Just without the town they had passed a 
 military detail beside the road. There had 
 been four armed soldiers on a buckboard. 
 Now, looking back around a turn, Millicent 
 saw that they were following the stage at a 
 little distance behind its dust. And just 
 then Mr. Lawrence, mounted on a white 
 horse, rode up from some unseen place, and 
 called out cheerily : 
 
 " Well ! All right inside ? " 
 
 Millicent looked out at him in some sur- 
 prise. "I thought we had left you miles 
 behind ! " she cried. 
 
 " Me ? Oh no. Can't be shaken off so 
 easily as that. You are being highly honored, 
 Miss Harding — military escort, mounted, 
 and solely on your account." 
 
 " How nice of you ! " said she, not quite 
 understanding him. In her dark civilianism 
 she could not separate the grain of his remark 
 from the chaff. " Why isn't there a brass 
 band ? Can't I have one ? " 
 
 " Wait till you get to the post. You shall 
 have all you want, and even more, if you are 
 easily satisfied." 
 
100 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 He turned his horse's head, and galloped 
 away from the stage to a little rise of land. 
 Miilicent learned from Mr. Porter, as she 
 watched his course, that this was an escort 
 sent to protect mails and passengers from 
 highwaymen. There had been many rob- 
 beries of late, and this was Colonel Bruff's 
 way of putting a stop to them. The armed 
 men on the buckboard were there for busi- 
 ness, not for show. 
 
 " And Mr. Lawrence ? " she asked. 
 
 " I suj^pose he is in command of the detach- 
 ment. They are in camp at the crossing of 
 the Colorado. It will be no picnic for him, 
 either, but plain, steady, hard riding and 
 watchfulness until he is relieved." 
 
 Miilicent looked out to see him swooping 
 from summit to summit, outlined on his 
 white horse against tlie pale blue sky. lie 
 rode erect, and with such ease that he seemed 
 like a part of the horse. Long practice had 
 taught him to accomplish great distances 
 with the minimum of fatigue to both horse 
 and rider. There was none of the j)lay and 
 affectation of many school-horsemen about 
 him, and Miilicent smiled to think how in- 
 congi'uous such a rider would appear in that 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 101 
 
 setting. Yet Lawrence had been trained in 
 as severe a school as any. 
 
 " How well he rides ! " w^as her involuntary 
 comment. 
 
 "He does," said Mr. Porter, readily. 
 "West Point does that, if nothing more, for 
 the army officers. They do know what 
 horses are for, and that is important knowl- 
 edge out here. jVIr. Lawrence rides quite 
 like a cowboy. Here comes one now ; look 
 at him." 
 
 A speck was rising and falling across the 
 plain and coming nearer. Millicent could 
 not have told at that distance what it was, 
 but to the practised eye of Mr. Porter the 
 motion was sufficient information. A distant 
 cowboy was riding to intercept the stage and 
 get the mail for some ranch hidden from 
 view. As he came nearer, Millicent beheld 
 him with amazement. 
 
 " Why, he hasn't the reins at all ! " she 
 exclaimed. 
 
 " No," said Mr. Porter, with smiling appre- 
 ciation ; " he is guiding the pony entirely 
 with his legs now. His hands are busy roll- 
 ing a cigarette of loose, dry tobacco in a 
 cornhusk. Now he strikes a match and gets 
 
102 IN BLUE UNIFOEM 
 
 a light. It is quite a feat, Miss Harding, 
 when a breeze is blowing. To tell you the 
 truth, I doubt if Mr. Lawrence could do it." 
 
 The cowboy rode up, took what was given 
 liim, and was away without a word to any 
 one. He rose and fell rhythmically till he 
 became a dark speck, and finally faded from 
 sight in the midst of the living green. Milli- 
 cent was an accomplished horsewoman and 
 had seen exhibitions by good riders, but she 
 had never beheld so finished a style of riding 
 as he displayed. She turned to Mr. Porter 
 with a face expressive of admiration. 
 
 " There is a type. That is the result of 
 the plains school of riding," said Mr. Porter, 
 with quiet pride. 
 
 A table-topped elevation, called by cour- 
 tesy a mountain, had been menacing their 
 progress for an hour, and now they drew up 
 under its brow. The stage ranch was at that 
 place, and they stopped for dinner. 
 
 A family was living in the stage house, 
 and Millicent was made free of their rooms. 
 Presently, as she looked out, she saw Law- 
 rence ride up, and after the dinner they 
 walked about together while waiting for the 
 afternoon's start. 
 
IN BLUE UNIFOBM 103 
 
 " I was thinking how inexpressibly lonely 
 the life of those people must be," said she, 
 indicating the house. " Here is a man, his 
 wife and daughter, dropped down in this for- 
 lorn spot by apparent chance. What can 
 they find to do here all day long, and day 
 after day ? " 
 
 " That has always been a question with 
 me, and I never liked to ask them to answer 
 it," said Lawrence. " I happened to learn 
 something of their history one day — for 
 people in a monotone have histories as well 
 as other people." 
 
 " I know they do," assented Millicent. 
 " What is theirs ? " 
 
 " It seems they were well-to-do somewhere 
 m the East. I can't locate them any more 
 definitely than that. He — the old man — got 
 to drinking, and everything went by the 
 board. It must have been horrible for the 
 wife," he said, agreeing with Millicent's ex- 
 clamation of pity. " After everything was 
 gone, he swore off ; and after various attempts 
 to reform, and the same number of failures, 
 he turned up out here with his family, and 
 went to keeping stage ranch. He is pretty 
 well out of the way of temptation here, and 
 
104 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 tliiit is what he needs. I understand he 
 keeps very straight." 
 
 " I am ghid of that, and if it ended there, 
 no one should comphiin. But it is not for 
 himself alone — " 
 
 "No; there's his wife and the girl," said 
 Lawrence. " I do hate to see women sacri- 
 ficing themselves for the sake of one weak 
 man, — and yet that is what it amounts to in 
 this case ; otherwise, they would not be with 
 him, I suppose. No ; I never asked them 
 what they did to kill time ; somehow, I never 
 wanted to." 
 
 " I don't think I would care to, either," said 
 Millicent, softly. Tlien, "Oh, these little 
 glimpses of others' lives ! How pathetic they 
 are ! Why is it so ? " 
 
 " Why ? We are what other people make 
 us, I reckon. We are not really responsible. 
 I know my Uncle Sam is responsible for me 
 as I am. But I am not altogether pathetic, 
 am I ? Would you wring any hands over me ? " 
 
 " Not you," she declared. " You are lucky 
 — perhaps. But I am sorry for that girl in 
 there." 
 
 " Possibly she gets some good out of life," 
 suggested Lawrence, cheerfully. 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 105 
 
 " She has a guitar and a melodeon," said 
 Millicent, as though enumerating blessings, 
 "and a kerosene lamp with a green paper 
 shade." 
 
 " That sheds a little brighter light on the 
 subject," declared Lawrence. " Her life is not 
 all pathos. You've no idea how good a little 
 music is out here, or how far we can make a 
 little of it go. I happened upon a ranch once 
 where they had just got an organette, and I 
 assure you we sat up the best part of the 
 night, turning the crank and making up our 
 minds which tune went best. The vote, I 
 remember, was in favor of 'Flow Gently, 
 Sweet Afton ' — the sound of running water 
 in a desert land. At the ranch there was 
 nothing but a mudhole, by courtesy a spring." 
 
 " And people lived there ? " she cried in 
 amazement. 
 
 "Not only that, but liked it. It's all in 
 getting used to a place, Miss Harding. I 
 suspect this place seemed awfully lonesome 
 and dreary to these people when they first 
 came, but I'll warrant they like it well enough 
 now. They form ties and associations. Now, 
 if the melodeon is all they have, they get just 
 as much satisfaction out of it as a town family 
 
106 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 would from a grand piano. It has no compe- 
 tition. Don't you believe it?" he asked, see- 
 ing: her thoucchtful face. 
 
 "I — suppose so. I was thinking it would 
 take years to get used to the life. And what 
 will become of her, anyway ? " 
 
 " The girl ? Believe me, her future is 
 already settled, and very satisfactorily. 
 The guitar explains that. It is a native 
 of the section; they never brought it with 
 them." 
 
 " You mean — " 
 
 " Lover — American or Mexican cowboy 
 — white moonlight — strummed tunes — and 
 a gallop to town for a wedding. Same thing 
 as in the East, Miss Harding, so far as the 
 theory goes ; a trifle more primitive in prac- 
 tice, but producing the same result." 
 
 His horse was brought up to him just then, 
 and he laughed at his statement of the case, 
 while he looked at the bridle and tested the 
 cinching of the saddle. The stage clattered 
 to the door with fresh horses, ready for the 
 afternoon run. 
 
 " That is very pretty," said she, as though 
 half offended. " It may be better for her, but 
 I am not obliged to you for spoiling all my 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 107 
 
 long fancies about her, I was quite ready to 
 make some great sacrifice for her benefit, — 
 perliaps I might have consulted you about it, 
 — but you make it appear that she wants no 
 sacrifice, and would appreciate none ; that 
 she is quite contented. Well, perhaps you 
 are right. No doubt a cowboy who can ride 
 and roll cigarettes, and plays the guitar, is a 
 sufficient factor to make her forget others 
 that are lacking. We will hope so, since that 
 is the best we can hope — for her." 
 
 " We don't need to hope it ; we may know 
 it. I spoke with authority," said he. 
 
 " As usual ! " she flashed at him, as he 
 helped her up to the exalted seat beside the 
 driver; for the day was fair, and she had 
 elected to see this wonderful land more 
 broadly than was possible from the stage 
 window ; and she nodded smilingly down 
 at him from her perch as the stage rolled 
 away. 
 
 " Pretty girl ! Friend o' yourn ? " inquired 
 the ranch-keeper. Lawrence did not hear 
 him. He was following the receding stage 
 with his ej^es, and he swung himself into the 
 saddle mechanically. " Come on ! " he beck- 
 oned to the waiting escort. The ranchman 
 
108 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 coughed knowingly behind his hand. A 
 young man and woman, who had witnessed 
 the departure from the doorway, looked at 
 each other, nodded in happy significance, and 
 smiled. 
 
VII 
 
 To a girl reared as Millicent had been, 
 in a delicate Eastern environment, and now 
 tasting for the first time the broader joys of 
 untrammelled nature, the ride on the box 
 could not fail to be joyfully exciting. The 
 road wound about the bases of a few tabled 
 hills, and then broke forth again upon the 
 plain. She could trace its hard, white length 
 shimmering ahead to a needle's point. The 
 horses padded hard to the front, and they 
 bowled along merrily. 
 
 The country was a flat expanse in shaded 
 browns and greens, bending gracefully away 
 and upward to meet the descending hem of 
 the heavens. That horizon was faint and 
 mysterious ; its ethereal dimness led to doubts 
 of its existence ; and the eye wondered at 
 its own extended power of vision. Cattle 
 browsed placidly in the distances ; and once 
 a herd of pretty white-and-fawn-marked 
 creatures dashed close to the stage, and 
 109 
 
110 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 then held away on a wide curve. There 
 were shouts and exclamations from the pas- 
 sengers, bemoaning the absence of guns ; for 
 these were antelope, and fair game for any 
 hunter. It mattered not that no use could 
 be made of the game ; it was alive and wild, 
 and therefore to be shot. The driver looked 
 back and gesticulated wildly to the military 
 escort that was trailing after, but they held 
 their fire for other purposes. Birds circled 
 above the plain continually, calling to one 
 another. Closer to the surface, brilliant 
 butterflies fluttered about, and fanned them- 
 selves above their reflections in shallow, ciys- 
 tal pools. Clumps of vivid color here and 
 there showed the cactus in bloom. It was 
 a country of vastness, yet lacking in no feat- 
 ure for variety. 
 
 Even the driver, whose face was lozenged 
 by sun and wind into a resemblance to the 
 leather curtains that flapped on the stage, 
 loved the sight. He pointed around the 
 compass with his whip, embracing the uni- 
 verse in his delight. 
 
 " This is what I UJce," said he on a venture 
 to the pretty girl beside him ; for he would 
 not be considered wanting in the courteous 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 111 
 
 attention due a traveller. *' This is a land- 
 scape. You c'n see and see into the edge of 
 heaven an' the next county. You ain't shet 
 in by mountins, nor nuthin'." He did not 
 venture to look at Millicent as he spoke, but 
 delivered his remarks over the backs of his 
 horses. 
 
 " It is lovely ! " declared Millicent, with 
 girlish enthusiasm, " and not monotonous in 
 the least." 
 
 " Well, now, there is them that like moun- 
 tins, and say this is monotonous. But I 
 don't see anything in hills. They bind you 
 in, and fall over on ye. You can't see beyond 
 them. They wall ye about unpleasant. I 
 nuvver git tired of a long sight about me, 
 and the wind blowing free, from clear beyond 
 my sight. It's my natur, I reckon, and I 
 love it." 
 
 The ice being broken, he became communi- 
 cative, and entertained Millicent with an 
 account of the robbery of the stage. It had 
 been on his partner's runs, not his. The 
 "hold ups " had taken place in the hills they 
 had passed, and there was no chance of 
 trouble the rest of the way. And he reck- 
 oned they wouldn't tackle the stage while 
 
112 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 they was soldiers along, anyway. There 
 would be shooting both ways then, and that 
 wasn't exactly their idea. 
 
 Then he confided to Millicent that he had 
 soldiered it before he took to driving. Lef- 
 tenant Lawrence he declared to be a nervy 
 man, and one of whom the road agents stood 
 in awe. He had served with the Leftenant, 
 and knew what he was talking about. He 
 went the length of saying that the Leftenant 
 had as soon fight as eat, and would sooner 
 shoot than run. You wouldn't think it to 
 talk with him, for he was mild and gentle as 
 one of the horses it became necessary just 
 then to touch up with the whip. And now, 
 to see him gallopin' ahead down the road on 
 that white horse of his — it was most as good 
 as being a soldier agin himself! Get up, 
 there ! Stage horses were lumbering things 
 at the best. 
 
 "A soldier's life must be full of excite- 
 ment," said Millicent, lamely. She saw he 
 was touched by the recollection ; but it was 
 beyond her experience, and she did not know 
 what to say. 
 
 "Excitin' enough in a way. But it ain't 
 so much that; it's the sense of being with 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 113 
 
 your hind,^' said the driver, introspectively. 
 " It's the feeling o' standin' by somebody, and 
 somebody standin' by you. It's like brothers, 
 only more so. Yis, if I had a brother, I'd 
 rather have a soldier for a brother than any 
 man I know of. 'Most any real soldier'd do." 
 He whipped uj) the horses again, as though 
 the memories were too tender to be indulged 
 in while live issues were at stake. 
 
 As the afternoon advanced, a subdued 
 roaring began to make itself heard. Its origin 
 lay at no definite point, but seemed to be all 
 along the line of the horizon to their front. 
 At intervals in their progress it sv/elled and 
 increased until the air quivered with the 
 volume of the sound. It seemed unexplain- 
 able, and Millicent began to be apprehensive, 
 and looked questioningly at the driver. 
 
 " That's the Colorado," he exj)lained as he 
 noticed her perturbation. " She'll have been 
 getting a boom ; some cloudburst up-country, 
 I reckon. She's as mean, tricky a little river 
 as I ever see ; one day jes' a-crawling among 
 the stones, and the next tearin' along, bank 
 full." 
 
 "Do you think the bridge will be gone ? " 
 queried Millicent, anxiously. 
 
114 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 " No, I guess that will be all right," said 
 he. Then he found it necessary to look away 
 before he could proceed with his reply. " I 
 say the bridge will be all right, because there 
 ain't a bridge. I don't reckon there's one 
 in the county ; least, I nuvver heard of one. 
 We'll jes' ford it, if we can. I've known 
 parties to camp for days on the edge of the 
 river, waiting for the water to go down, but 
 I don't really think it is that bad this time." 
 
 When they arrived at the crossing, it was 
 a yellow, troubled stream that flowed before 
 them. It was not wide, but fearsome from 
 its unknown depth. The ceaseless roaring 
 thrilled them, and the clots of foam gave it 
 a menacing appearance. The water swirled 
 by angrily, laden with drift from the assailed 
 up-country. Sometimes it was only logs, or 
 matted debris, and again it would be the body 
 of some animal, showing that the rise had 
 been very sudden. Up and down, the banks 
 barely confined the yellow flood, and an omi- 
 nous noise as of boulders grinding together in 
 the bed of the stream was given forth. To 
 Millicent it looked about as bad as could be, 
 and the passengers in the body of the stage 
 spoke of it in tones of dismay. 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 115 
 
 The driver j)ulled. up and looked at the 
 ford with a critical eye. Lawrence had 
 paused at the very brink, and his white horse 
 stood with his fore legs braced, as though in 
 refusal to advance. Lawrence looked over 
 his shoulder at the driver, pointed ahead, and 
 nodded. 
 
 " Can we make it, Leftenant ? " shouted 
 the driver. 
 
 Lawrence shouted something in reply, but 
 it was inaudible. The driver perceived his 
 intent, however. 
 
 " He's going to try it," said he. 
 
 Lawrence pressed the spurs to his horse, 
 but the animal refused to enter the water. 
 He trembled in his antagonism to his rider's 
 will. He reared and shook his head in dumb 
 protest. Fear had possession of him. 
 
 " Oh, don't ! " called Millicent, timidly. 
 
 " He'll do it, Miss. Keep ca'm," cautioned 
 the driver. And Millicent gripped the iron 
 handles beside her and put a guard on her 
 voice. 
 
 Lawrence spent a few moments consider- 
 ately in calming his horse. He withdrew 
 a few paces from the water and patted him 
 gently. Then he moved forward again and 
 
116 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 with relentless determination drove him into 
 the water, urging him with voice and spur. 
 They then went forward bravely. The water 
 rose mid-leg and body high and pressed 
 strongly. It foamed and roared in rage. It 
 would bear horse and rider under. So would 
 it triumph, dashing high and rolling resist- 
 lessly on. Twice the horse lost his footing, 
 and twice his rider turned his head to the 
 mad current, keejDing him to the only chance 
 of safety. Then he struck the firm bottom 
 in shallowing water and scrambled up the 
 opposite bank, streaming and trembling. 
 Millicent had witnessed the battle from be- 
 tween her fingers across her eyes. 
 
 " We c'n make it," announced tlie driver, 
 authoritatively, gathering up the lines. " The 
 stage's heavy ; only keep the bosses on the 
 ford — " 
 
 He hesitated, for Lawrence was recrossing. 
 His judgment was with- the driver's; the 
 crossing was practicable, but he recommended 
 a degree more of caution. A line was carried 
 across to aid in keeping the horses' heads up 
 stream ; and then the stage rolled into and 
 through the flood. It tipped, and jolted, and 
 careened. The inside passengers were wet. 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 117 
 
 and thought themselves about to be drowned 
 like rats in a trap. But the passage was 
 safely accomplished, and they congratulated 
 themselves on their deliverance from a great 
 hazard. But the deed passed without special 
 comment by the chief actors. The driver 
 looked back once, and nodded his satis- 
 faction. Lawrence waved a good-by, and 
 rode away to his camp. The stage hastened 
 on to the supper station, and then, through 
 the gloom of the sudden southern nightfall, 
 twenty miles more, the miles shortening as 
 they sped from under foot, to the post, and 
 the quarters of Major Remmick. And there 
 was a warm welcome for Millicent, and a fit- 
 ting close to her long journey. The rail por- 
 tion of it she looked upon as commonplace ; 
 but the stage ride had impressed her, not 
 alone by its novelty, and she gave a strong 
 account of it. 
 
 " You should have seen Mr. Lawrence ford- 
 ing that river, as I did," she declared. " He 
 was fearlessness itself — in blue — on that 
 plunging white horse in the yellow water. 
 It was foolhardy, I thought. I shut my eyes, 
 for I didn't dare to look ; and I opened them 
 again, for I didn't dare not to see. But he 
 
118 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 knew what he was about. Oh dear, how 
 green I must have appeared! But you ought 
 to have seen him ! " , 
 
 " We know him well, and none of us will 
 question his courage or his ability," said the 
 Major, beaming. 
 
 "No indeed! I had confidence in him. I 
 felt that if he said we could get across, there 
 would be no danger, and I wasn't afraid — 
 not very much. But he was so picturesque! 
 I am glad I saw that crossing. I should love 
 to paint it." She was silent, in keen mental 
 appreciation of the color effect, and the lite- 
 rary value of such a picture. 
 
 And when she went to bed presently, it 
 was with a confused brain-mingling of white, 
 brown, blue, and yellow schemes, till a rattle 
 of drums and a shrieking of fifes aroused her 
 to a new day — a day as regulated by military 
 authority. 
 
VIII 
 
 Theee was a jovial, rollicking twist to 
 the fifes, and the rumbling drums had noth- 
 ing threatening in them as the field music 
 paraded the edges of garrison, playing the 
 reveille music. It was sparkling, alluring, 
 and a pretty measure for those unaccustomed 
 to it. Army women have sometimes com- 
 plained that it breaks in upon their slumbers, 
 and army men frequently assert that it comes 
 too early. But Miss Harding, with but a 
 short night's rest separating her from a long 
 and tedious journey, and by no stretch of the 
 imagination ever to be accounted an early 
 riser, slipped from her couch and peeped out 
 of the window to observe what this first mili- 
 tary-musical wonder might be. 
 
 The grayness of unwilling dawn was upon 
 the earth ; for reveille summons the sun, and 
 he came under protest. But even as the 
 music ceased, he shot a level, answering ray 
 of light across the eastern prairie. It fell 
 119 
 
]20 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 upon a group of men at the foot of the flag- 
 staff, who were engaged in raising the colors, 
 and it followed the red, white, and blue up 
 the slim staff till it rested in glory at the top. 
 Little parties of soldiers stood in line on the 
 far side of a level rectangle upon which she 
 looked, and returned crisp shouts as the roll 
 of names was called. Tlie result of roll-call 
 was transmitted swiftly with much waving of 
 arms to a lone man standing at the centre of 
 the rectangle ; and then the swarms of men 
 dispersed, and the place was as empty as be- 
 fore. Miss Harding had to admit to herself 
 that reveille was but a brief business, with 
 a very short-lived excitement ; and as there 
 seemed to be no immediate succeeding spec- 
 tacle, she had nothing for it but a return to 
 bed. 
 
 As the morning wore on, the garrison took 
 on a more lively air. The general guard and 
 police duty proceeded without jar or hin- 
 drance. Little parties of garrison prisoners, 
 each with an escorting sentinel, came along 
 the kitchen wall and cut a day's supply of 
 stove wood for the officers. Front doors 
 were thrown open, and there was a prelimi- 
 nary garnishing in every house up and down 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 121 
 
 the Line. And at uncertain intervals a 
 smartly officious personage came from the 
 adjutant's office and blew various blasts on 
 the bugle, summoning successive sections of 
 men to some military duty. The housemaids 
 laughed at the unhappy prisoners. The cav- 
 alry horses were herded off for the day with 
 a great dust and a j)rodigious clatter of hoofs. 
 A specially reliable soldier drove behind a 
 mule, equally reliable, to each kitchen door, 
 and received from the heads of households 
 directions for the day's marketing in the little 
 town. The market and the grocery were the 
 only places to be visited, and the soldier 
 punctiliously set down his orders in a little 
 book. And then the bugler, bursting with 
 his responsibilities, came forth and blew 
 mess-call. This signal was generally agreed 
 upon as a summons to breakfast, and all over 
 the post there was a prompt gathering at 
 tables. 
 
 At the bachelors' mess it was gladly an- 
 nounced that the Major's niece had arrived. 
 None had seen her, but it was beyond ques- 
 tion that the stage had driven in and stopped 
 at the Major's door. That could mean but 
 one thing ; for no one else was expected, and 
 
122 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 people did not visit remote army posts with- 
 out giving due warning of their coming. 
 The bachelors made an arrangement to call 
 upon her in a body that evening. 
 
 " ' In union is strength,' " quoted Thomp- 
 son, laughing. " We will make a reconnois- 
 sance in force, and then, if advisable, attack 
 in echelon — or any other way." Thompson 
 was old and gray, and walked with a cane. 
 He had been upon the verge of a captaincy 
 for years, and hope deferred, the juniors 
 asserted, had made his heart sour. Yet he 
 was an excellent quartermaster, always ready 
 to furnish rude household appliances to the 
 best of the government's ability, and quite 
 willing to sacrifice mules and ambulances in 
 the good cause of a garrison merrymaking and 
 picnic. 
 
 " She's a very pretty girl," remarked Wal- 
 lace, thoughtfully. 
 
 " There ! The youngster has beaten us all 
 out again," cried Thompson, in mock dismay. 
 " When did you see her ? Did you sit up 
 last night, or get up this morning ? You are 
 an enterprising chap, anyway." 
 
 " Haven't seen her at all," said Wallace, 
 stoutly defending himself. " If you want to 
 
IN BLUE UNIFOBM 123 
 
 know, there's a photo of her on Mrs. Rem- 
 inick's mantel, and you've seen it yourself a 
 dozen times. The only trouble with you is 
 that you don't know a good thing when you 
 see it." 
 
 " I'll know an application for an ambulance 
 next time you put one in," returned Thomp- 
 son, with a menace of refusal. Then he speed- 
 ily changed to a wheedling tone. " What 
 does she look like ? Come, now, Wallace, 
 speaking as a man of observation, what can 
 you say of her looks ? " He appeared eagerly 
 interested. 
 
 Wallace thoughtfully filliped a morsel of 
 bread at his dog, standing on guard, looking 
 out for tid-bits. He caught and swallowed 
 it at a gulp, and asked for more. " Well — 
 face, oval ; features, regular ; blonde ; classic 
 lips ; light hair, and plenty of it ; eyebrows 
 straight — " 
 
 " That will do ! Don't say another word, 
 or I won't promise to wait for evening," inter- 
 rupted Thompson, in simulation of youthful 
 passion. " You seem to have studied her 
 photograph to some purpose — and you can 
 have that ambulance." 
 
 " You forget Wallace has had lots of expe- 
 
124 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 rience," interposed Lyndon. " You and I are 
 not in the same class with him. Don't you 
 go running after strange gods — and god- 
 desses, you young What's-his-name," he 
 added to Wallace, vainly trying to remember 
 the name of some fabled favorite of women. 
 
 " No danger. I'm so enmeshed that I can't 
 move. You fellows can have the field," said 
 he, candidly. 
 
 "Wallace deals in fair words, but I 
 wouldn't trust him in such a case," said 
 Miller. " You know even the steadiest old 
 family horse will keep in the road only so 
 long as he wears blinders ; take them off so 
 he can see all around, and he is forever try- 
 ing to get at the forbidden fruit on the 
 sides." 
 
 " That's so ! " shouted the officers, in jovial 
 chorus. " Keep your blinders on, Wallace. 
 Look straight ahead. No more dallying by 
 the wayside for you." They covered the boy 
 with confusion. His cheeks burned. But 
 he knew it was a part of his fate as a pro- 
 spectively married man to endure such chaf- 
 fing ; and he contented himself with declaring 
 that they would not have so much to say if 
 they did not really envy him his happy state. 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM . 125 
 
 It was a day of continuous reception for 
 Millicent. At short intervals light footsteps 
 would be heard on the porch, and then a face 
 would appear at the door with the appealing 
 query, '•'•May I come in?" Before nightfall 
 nearly all the ladies in garrison had thus 
 informally made Millicent's acquaintance. 
 Some of them made excuse of an errand to 
 Mrs. Remmick ; but most of them declared 
 that their sole purpose in running in was to 
 see Miss Harding, and to give her immediate 
 and hearty welcome to the midst of the army. 
 There was a spontaneous quality to this move- 
 ment of theirs and to their Avords that left no 
 doubt of genuineness. They made her free 
 of their hearts and their hearthstones, and 
 yet with that indefinable atmosphere of ex- 
 clusiveness that marked her for an approved 
 guest. Not every one coming to the post 
 would have been granted such a reception as 
 this ; not every one would have been glad- 
 dened by any general recognition. For if 
 army men are jealous of their prerogatives 
 and given to clannishness, army women pos- 
 sess the same sentiment of their optimacy in 
 a superlative degree. And one whom they 
 do take by the hand and cause to feel at 
 home is favored among: ten thousand. 
 
12G IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 In the evening there was a general move- 
 ment of the officers to the Major's quarters, 
 and many of the hidies wlio had been in dur- 
 ing the day came again, convoying their hus- 
 bands. Mrs. Bruff had been one of the 
 earliest callers, and this may have had some 
 influence upon the actions of the others ; for 
 it is beyond question that the wife of the 
 commanding officer can do no wrong ; and 
 the attitude taken by her on any matter is 
 bound to be copied to a considerable extent 
 by the junior ladies. She came again in the 
 evening, though without her husband — a fact 
 that she deplored as she explained that it was 
 almost impossil)le to get him away from his 
 newspaper if the stage happened to be in, and 
 that he was devoted to solitaire. But slie 
 stood as his accredited representative, to say 
 nothing of her own quality ; so no shadow 
 was cast on the informal pleasure of the 
 evening. 
 
 Mrs. Remmick was highly gratified with 
 the response made by tlie garrison, and the 
 Major's broad face beamed from red to pur- 
 ple upon every one. It was quite understood 
 that this was not an occasion of actual intro- 
 duction under official auspices ; there would 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 127 
 
 be a social function later on the accepted 
 plan of such events, to which all the garrison 
 and such other nobility as might be found, 
 would be bidden. Meanwhile, as a prelude, 
 the evening was a remarkable success. 
 
 Millicent herself moved about in a state of 
 brilliant excitement. Her eyes shone, and 
 her pleasing color, instead of doubtfully 
 wavering, was fixed in her cheeks. It was 
 a novel experience to find herself in a room- 
 ful from which civilian attire was excluded. 
 Every man was clad more or less bravely 
 in blue and yellow and white. It was not 
 strange that they should gather about her ; 
 she was accustomed to the talk of men from 
 her artistic Bohemia through her successive 
 liglits of social life. It was the fact that 
 their attire outshone that of the women ; that 
 they were not embarrassed by it ; tliat tliey 
 were, without exception, of fine bearing ; 
 that their eyes had a fearless habit of looking 
 straight at the point of observation ; that all 
 were to-night making a little army Bohemia 
 for her — it was this that gave piquancy to 
 her entertainment. She was young and 
 pretty, with a fixed habit of enjoying her 
 life as she found it whatever; but her 
 
128 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 new surroundinofs o^ave it an added zest that 
 night. 
 
 In the movements of the guests she found 
 herself cut off and hemmed in by a laughing 
 group of young officers. They were telling 
 wonderful stories of the country, a terra in- 
 cognita to her, and expecting her to believe 
 them. It began when she told them some 
 incidents of the stage ride, and of the high 
 water of the Colorado. She gave a lively 
 account, in which Lawrence was not men- 
 tioned. 
 
 " Tliat was a narrow escape," said Miller, 
 gravely, as she finished. "I suppose, from 
 the fact of your reaching dry land in safet}^ 
 that you were not attacked by water-ani- 
 mals ? " 
 
 "• I didn't see any, I'm sure," said Millicent, 
 beginning to believe that dangers had been 
 concealed from her. " What are they like ? " 
 
 " I have never seen one, and can give you 
 no good description. The name of the worst 
 kind is 'Gila monster.' He is something to 
 steer clear of, if half they say is true." 
 
 Millicent delighted the group by shudder- 
 ing at his statement. 
 
 "And did you see no taran^jdas on the 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 129 
 
 way ? " he inquired. He disguised the word 
 by placing the accent on the penultimate, 
 and chuckled at her mystified expression. 
 
 "Taran tulas?" she queried. "Oh, I 
 suppose you mean robbers? Of course we 
 did not, when we had soldiers with us." 
 
 " No, not human robbers, but beasts of the 
 plain," he explained, kindly. "They lie in 
 wait by the roadside, spring upon the horses, 
 kill them with a bite, and then lunch off 
 them. They thus put passengers to great 
 inconvenience, but they never are known to 
 attack them." 
 
 "Really? Oh, don't think me so credu- 
 lous," she laughed, in pretty doubt. " Do you 
 really have such horrid creatures? I know 
 they say such things about Texas — " 
 
 " You are not to believe ' such things ' un- 
 less they come on excellent authority — as 
 substantial as Mr. Miller here," said Wal- 
 lace. " The only animals that soldiers fear 
 in these parts are the soldier rabbits. You 
 may have seen some at a distance ? No ? 
 They are powerful and fleet. They make 
 nothing of taking a full-grown man over 
 their shoulders and galloping away with him 
 to their lair. They prefer soldiers, — some- 
 
180 IN BLUE UNIFOEM 
 
 thing attractive about the uniform, — and 
 hence the name." 
 
 Milhcent sat in silent amazement as Wal- 
 lace sjDun this story with a straight face. 
 
 " That particular kind of animal I was 
 speaking of, Miss Harding, the taran tula, is 
 almost extinct here now. But we have a 
 smaller kind, — the species seems to have 
 degenerated into a sort of spider, — and you 
 can see their holes in the parade ground by 
 thousands. The garrison boys amuse them- 
 selves by catching them and putting them 
 under a glass, in company with a couple of 
 red ants, to fight. That is the only form in 
 Avhich duelling survives with us, and that is 
 one-sided. The ants win every time," said 
 Miller, regretfully. 
 
 " I shan't dare to step on the parade ground, 
 for fear of them," Millicent declared. " And 
 I don't think much of your manner of amuse- 
 ments. You are cruel." 
 
 " Ah, but you should see the boys go hunt- 
 ing for them," continued Miller, with calm 
 conviction. " It is as pretty a sight as you 
 could ask for. You will let me take j^ou out 
 some day to witness it? There is no blood- 
 shed, no firing of guns. They take a string 
 
IN BLUE UNIFOBM 131 
 
 with a bit of wax at tlie end, and dangle it up 
 and down in the reptile's hole till he gets 
 mad and bites into it. Then his fangs stick 
 in the wax, he is harmless, and he is drawn 
 out wrisffflino- to do battle with the ants." 
 
 Millicent looked to AVallace for confirma- 
 tion of this wonderful tale. He nodded his 
 head at her solemnly. 
 
 " I don't believe your story ! " said she, 
 suddenly. " How do you get them away 
 from the wax without being bitten? Ah, I 
 have you there I " 
 
 Wallace looked at Miller, puzzled, but 
 that gentleman was equal to the occasion. 
 
 " We pry the fangs apart," said he, " with 
 a bayonet, or a broom-stick, or anything 
 handy — " 
 
 " What's all the fan about ? " deinanded the 
 Major and Lyndon, attracted by the laughter 
 that greeted Miller's explanation. ''What's 
 the matter. Miss Harding?" said Lyndon. 
 " I see. These bo3^s have been treating you 
 to Texas stories. They keep a stock on hand 
 ready for all comers. Don't put any faith in 
 them or their stories either. As the phrase 
 goes, they are giving you a ' fill.' " 
 
 " Oh, I know it ! " laughed the girl. "Fm 
 
132 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 sure of it. They have no mercy on a — a — 
 tenderfoot? Yes, tenderfoot. Uncle, I shall 
 appeal to you for protection."' 
 
 " And you sliall liave it ! " The old war- 
 rior fell into an attitude fit for personified 
 heroism. "Beware!" he breathed at the 
 young fellows. " Be on your guard ! I am 
 not here for trifling." 
 
 Everybody laughed, some out of kindly 
 consideration for the Major's humorous fail- 
 ing. And Millicent implored : 
 
 " Oh, uncle, if you would onli/ let me paint 
 you like that ! It would make my reputation 
 forever ! " 
 
 " Yes, and spoil mine," said he, subsiding. 
 
 After that there came a lull in the chatter, 
 and nearly all the guests took advantage of it 
 to say good-night. 
 
 "Well!" said Millicent when the last one 
 was gone. " I am surprised at two things." 
 
 " What are they, my dear ? " asked the 
 Major, prepared to hear something nice about 
 the army. 
 
 "Nobody talked weather, and only one 
 asked me what I thought of the army. 
 What self-restraint that was ! " 
 
 " I suppose so," said the Major, doubtfully, 
 
IN BLUE UNIFOBM 133 
 
 hardly knowing whether or not to consider 
 the army complimented. " But what do you 
 think of us — the officers, I mean ? the women 
 are another question." 
 
 " Yes — I should hope so," she laughed 
 saucily. " I like them in a way — the offi- 
 cers. There's nothing slow about them." 
 
 "My dear," suggested Mrs. Ilemmick, to 
 whom the popular fieedom of phrases was 
 distasteful, "is that a good manner of ex- 
 pression ? " 
 
 "Why, it is expressive, isn't it?" asked 
 Millicent, innocently. " And they are not 
 slow. I looked at them, and somehow 
 thought of poor Dicky Swope." And here 
 she laughed again. 
 
 "And who is this Mr. Swope?" her aunt 
 inquired with a touch of primness. 
 
 " He was in Paris when we were there," 
 she went on. " We were four girls together, 
 you know, and we had our little salon, and 
 we did things in some sfi/le, I tell you ! Then 
 it came Christmas time, and we fixed up the 
 place with greens, and put some mistletoe on 
 the chandelier — " 
 
 " Why, Millicent, do you think that was a 
 very nice thing to have — you four girls 
 
134 IN BLUE UNIFOBM 
 
 alone ? " asked ]\Irs. Remmick, really alarmed 
 for the proprieties. 
 
 " Never mind, dear aunt ; that is just what 
 we did have," replied Millicent, with ani- 
 mated decision. "We put it there, — you 
 could only just see it if you knew it was 
 there, — and Dicky Swope used to come in. 
 He was a good boy, and would do anything 
 in the world for us ; his father was a Metho- 
 dist minister in Kansas somewhere. But he 
 was so sloiu ! He would throw himself into 
 a chair as though tired to death; and one of 
 the girls would stand under the cliandelier — " 
 
 "Which one?" demanded the Major, 
 roguishly. 
 
 " Not this one, uncle, really ; and only for 
 Dicky at that. She would stand there and 
 fold her hands, and look up at it as though 
 she was just languishing ! And we would all 
 be on the point of screaming to see her so 
 audacious ! And poor Dicky would sit there 
 — well, he didn't know a good thing when 
 he saw it. You should have been there ! " 
 
 " I think so," said Mrs. Remmick, incisively. 
 
 " But you wouldn't think of playing such 
 tricks on these boys here, eh ? " said the 
 Major, in some pride. 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 135 
 
 " Um — they may be a little isolated, but 
 they know a thing or two, I fear. No, it 
 wouldn't be safe with them." 
 
 " There's lots of mistletoe grows round 
 here, if you care to risk it," he pursued. 
 
 " Oh, bring it in," said she, falling into his 
 vein and determined to appear even more 
 radical than he. " Bring in a bushel ! Hang 
 it over the door ! Put out a sign, ' Kisses 
 within ; price re'duced for large lots.' Have 
 a clearance sale ! " 
 
 " Admirable ! " declared the Major. 
 
 " Horrible ! " exclaimed Mrs. Remmick, 
 scandalized b}^ the thought. 
 
 " Oh, 3^ou dear aunt," cried Millicent, run- 
 ning to her. " They would all be for uncle 
 and you — for you anyway — and for uncle if 
 he let me paint him ! " 
 
 "So that's the penalty, is it?" said the 
 Major. 
 
 " Which ? " asked Millicent, loftily. 
 
 "The prize, the reward, I mean," said he, 
 correcting himself. " Please excuse me." 
 
 " Yes, that is it," said she. 
 
 " I will consider it," said he, saluting her. 
 « Good night." 
 
IX 
 
 The warmly hospitable greeting extended 
 to Millicent by all in the garrison acted as 
 a spur upon Mrs. Remmick in the matter of 
 the state function. She had intended to do 
 something handsome, but now she gave her- 
 self almost entirely to planning for the event. 
 It was due in a measure to the garrison, as 
 an acknowledgment of their cordiality; it 
 was plainly due Millicent, as being her niece, 
 and a person of considerable social distinc- 
 tion ; it was due herself, as hostess, that the 
 affair should be creditable to her ; and it was 
 a matter of primary acknowledgment that it 
 was due the whole army in general, and the 
 Old Regiment in particular, that no effort 
 should be spared to add to the entertainment's 
 brilliancy. Time, labor, and expense were 
 for consideration only as they contributed to 
 this result. For Millicent was then for the 
 first time to see the army on its best behavior ; 
 and there were a certain few civilians in the 
 136 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 137 
 
 little town and on neighboring ranches who 
 had been accustomed to the wearing of di'ess 
 coats in the East, and who were always to 
 be impressed with the lavishness and mag- 
 nificence of army entertainments. Moreover, 
 Mrs. Reramick had a warm heart for her 
 niece, rejoiced in her pleasure, and delighted 
 to contribute to it ; and this may easily have 
 been quite as important a factor in the matter 
 as any other. 
 
 Women who love to do for others are 
 always lovable in themselves. This is not 
 necessarily or probably a quality of form, 
 fashion, or manner, but of the soul ; and the 
 possessor of that soul, in its highest develop- 
 ment, must be well known to be appreciated. 
 It is a quality of unusual frequency among 
 army women, and yet the casual acquaintance 
 would be very shrewd to suspect it. For, in 
 their everyday life, they are so hedged about 
 by narrow limitations that little opportunity 
 for the open exercise of this element occurs. 
 Conditions are unfavorable ; there is frequent 
 isolation in dismal camps and remote garri- 
 sons, where the preferences of life must make 
 way for the homely necessities of living. 
 But this refinement of the soul, in women, 
 
138 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 doth feed and strengthen upon itself, so that 
 the sudden demands for sacrifice that accom- 
 pany the army life are never unsatisfied. 
 They have their unrequited share in the 
 labor and perils of the army. Reliance upon 
 them is seldom in vain. Not unfrequently 
 have they sounded the keynote for tests of 
 the heroic capabilities of the men. They 
 have the one or two sublime flights of con- 
 stancy and courage that may come in a life- 
 time ; but beyond, and on all sides of these, 
 stretches the daily round of existence in 
 waste places where nature is sullen ; the kill- 
 ing monotony of unheard-of camps ; difficulty 
 after ditliculty subdued and not spoken of. 
 The army woman has true heroism in small 
 affairs, and it is here that she does mostly 
 shine by her own unconscious virtue ; and 
 here, perhaps, she reaches altitudes of self- 
 sacrifice undreamed of, save by the few initi- 
 ated companions of her exile. 
 
 The husbands and fathers of these women 
 understand them in so far as with man's baser 
 intelligence they may, and they show a lively 
 appreciation — generally. Like other men, 
 they have loud faults ; and one is that, with 
 innate masculine stupidity, they occasionally 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 139 
 
 fall sliort in the measure of regard and duti- 
 ful respect. They have been known to lay 
 at the doors of their women's tongues, gossip 
 and scandal-causing circumstances that might 
 have found abiding-places nearer home. But 
 the mainspring of their bearing is a true 
 chivalrous defence against all outsiders. 
 They may say things about army women, but 
 civilians had better beware of meddling ! 
 And when it comes to personal courtesy and 
 attention in numberless ways, the army men 
 are unsurpassable. Taken through, one may 
 say they do their best according to their 
 light ; and if some stumble in darkness, the 
 fault is less general than individual. And it 
 is consoling to reflect that Christian civiliza- 
 tion has several lengthy strides yet to take 
 before the ideal plane shall be reached. The 
 code of these ofhcers entitles them to a place 
 in the front rank of progress. 
 
 Wallace had a section of the code served 
 to hira a day or two after the announcement 
 of the coming event had been made. No in- 
 vitations were issued in garrison, it being a 
 garrison affair at which all felt bound to 
 appear. Some were sent outside. Willard, 
 the adjutant, strolled into Wallace's quarters 
 
140 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 after morning drill, when he would be sure 
 of finding him in, and commenced chatting 
 of the aifair. 
 
 " I suppose of course you will escort some 
 one ? " he said at a stroke. 
 
 Now, that was a question Wallace had been 
 asking himself. Being measuiably unversed 
 in the ways of life, and so believing himself 
 of as large importance in the world as he was 
 in the eyes of a single laughing girl some- 
 where back East, he aspired to all the honors 
 he could carry. And more. He had a strong 
 wish to escort some one, the some one to be 
 Miss Harding. He was smitten with her in a 
 harmless way, she being a generous girl and 
 privately posted as to his matrimonial expec- 
 tations, and he desired to show her every 
 possible favor. Thus it was that he had 
 jumped at the thought of being her escort. 
 But he did not jump at an opportunity 
 to gain her consent. Some instinct moved 
 within him to tell him that it would be an 
 unwise measure ; that he did not have rank 
 enough to entitle him to precedence on this 
 occasion. And so he dilly-dallied, and Wil- 
 lard's question found him still open for an 
 engagement, and pining thereat. 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 141 
 
 "I don't know," returned Wallace, in as- 
 sumed carelessness. " I hadn't thought of it 
 — particularly. I suppose all the married 
 ladies will be tliere with their husbands?" 
 he inquired, cautiously. 
 
 " Ye-es, I suppose so," said Willard, assent- 
 ing to the hazard. 
 
 There was a pause, while both men fumbled 
 for words. Willard, however, felt sure of his 
 case, and was only waiting for Wallace to 
 develop it for him. 
 
 " Miss Harding will go with the Major and 
 Mrs. Remmick ? " was Wallace's next sugges- 
 tion, made as though all other possibilities 
 were exhausted. 
 
 " Ye-es ; that is, in a way. I believe Cap- 
 tain Lyndon expects to escort her in person, 
 though." 
 
 " Ah, I didn't know that ! " exclaimed Wal- 
 lace, unguardedly. 
 
 " Oh, that's fixed up. The army never 
 allows its guests to suffer, Wallace. We give 
 them the best we've got." 
 
 "Well, that's right." Wallace concealed 
 but a fraction of his disappointment, but Wil- 
 lard was determinedly unobservant of it. 
 
 " Certainly. The army has a pretty high 
 
142 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 standard in these things, but I see you are 
 getting the hang of it all right. Some men 
 don't get over their civilian notions for a long 
 time. I like to see a youngster show some 
 sense and discretion in these matters," and he 
 looked flatteringly vipon Wallace. 
 
 " That's all right — thanks, Willard." He 
 reddened a little, which was to his credit. 
 " Of course, it's a gentleman's business to 
 have, as you say, a high standard. Well — I 
 suppose in the case of families all will go 
 together ? " 
 
 If they had, that would have settled the 
 business, and Willard would have had no 
 occasion to make this call. 
 
 " Why should they ? " said he, in mild sur- 
 prise. " You wouldn't expect Miss Harding 
 to go with the Major and his wife, and no 
 special escort, would you ? No. We must 
 treat all alike. The army is too democratic 
 to allow of any appearance of favoritism." 
 
 Wallace maintained a silence that was 
 oppressive to Willard, for he had a distinct 
 duty for him to perform. 
 
 " I tell you, Wallace," he continued, " in 
 the army it's different from civil life. We 
 are all oh a social level from the nth lieuten- 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 143 
 
 ant up, or from the ranking colonel clown. 
 It is a mere matter of promotion, and socially 
 one man is as good as another. Same way 
 with our women. We treat them all alike, 
 for army women never grow old. That's 
 where they differ from their civil sisters. 
 We are glad to pay them equal attention at 
 all times, and when you consider all they go 
 through for us, it is no more than they 
 deserve." 
 
 "That's so!" declared Wallace, with a de- 
 gree of warmth that was of comfort to Wil- 
 lard, for the trump card had been played. 
 " Well, let's see, then, looking at it as a mat- 
 ter of duty — oh, of pleasant duty — well, of 
 pleasure, then, and leave duty out," said he, 
 for Willard did not appear to agree with his 
 manner of looking at it. " To begin near the 
 top, — for rank and age go together, — there's 
 Miss Burns, now. Wonder if anybody is 
 going to take her ? " 
 
 " Nobody is going to leave her," said Wil- 
 lard, more quietly, for Wallace had at last 
 taken the trail he designated. " I don't know 
 if any one has spoken to her about it. Haven't 
 heard the fellows mention it." 
 
 "That's not to be wondered at," com- 
 mented Wallace. 
 
144 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 "It is a case in point," said Willard, ignor- 
 ing his reraai'k. " She is a little past the 
 blush, to be sure, and she never was pretty, 
 exactly. You can't expect such a personal 
 blessing as that in this God-forsaken climate. 
 But there isn't a better girl in the whole 
 United States army, and what is more, she 
 belongs to the regiment. Born in it, lived in 
 it; if she don't marry out of it, hope she may 
 die in it. And a fellow, especially a young 
 fellow like you, Wallace, w^ith your expecta- 
 tions of bringing out a wife yourself some 
 day, needn't be afraid of ingratiating himself 
 with the regimental ladies." 
 
 " There's no harm in asking her, anyway," 
 remarked Wallace, tentatively. " As you say, 
 she's old, and she's homely ; and she can't 
 talk a little bit. Does she dance, do you 
 happen to know ? " 
 
 Willard fenced cautiously. He did not 
 mean to lose the game when it was so nearly 
 secured. " No, I don't knov/ ; that is to say, 
 I never danced with her myself. I was never 
 stationed with her before, and we don't get 
 a dance out here very often, anyway." 
 
 " Anybody would be excusable for getting 
 rusty on dancing," said Wallace, half bitterly. 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 145 
 
 " I'll try it, anyway," he added. " Loyalty to 
 the regimental ladies a good thing? Well, 
 you'll find me there every time ! I'm glad 
 you mentioned her, too, Willard. It don't 
 make a particle of difference whom I take, 
 and I hadn't thought of her myself." 
 
 " Oh, that's all right. I didn't mean to 
 make any suggestion — merely inquiring 
 casually," said Willard, mendaciously. " But 
 it's a good point to remember: army women 
 never grow old. Well, must go now. Good 
 day." 
 
 " So long." 
 
 Willard hastened home and told his wife 
 her plan had worked admirably. Later, 
 when they saw Wallace go up the Line to 
 Captain Burns's quarters, they felt that they 
 had reaped a full recompense. For Miss 
 Burns had intimated in Mrs. Willard's hear- 
 ing that she should not attend. Plainly, this 
 was because no escort offered. Now Miss 
 Burns would attend, matters would go 
 smoothly, and there would be no hackling 
 of any one's feelings. Mrs. Willard had 
 acted so delicately in the matter that Miss 
 Burns could never suspect her of complicity 
 in a plot to provide escorts ; and the result 
 
146 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 was entirely along the desirable line of regi- 
 mental harmony. 
 
 With the easy adaptability of army life, 
 the chapel was made into a dancing pavilion 
 for the night. It was the one building at the 
 post that admitted of general use. Ordinarily 
 it was a school-house. On exceptional Sab- 
 baths religious services were held in it, and 
 it took its name from this rarer quality. A 
 squad of soldiers made short work of the 
 benches, and the limited floor space, notori- 
 ously rough, was made ready for the dancing. 
 No wax was required ; brooms and scrubbing- 
 brushes did its business quickly. 
 
 Requisition was made upon Thompson, 
 the quartermaster, for a great mass of flags 
 and bunting; and this was draped about 
 the ragged walls according to the enlisted 
 man's idea of the artistic. At any rate, it 
 was so disposed as to cover the broken plas- 
 tering, which was a point gained. And then 
 one of the companies contributed a stand of 
 arms, from which the punch-kettle was to be 
 suspended; and Captain Eagan's cavalry 
 troop surrendered their sabres, which were 
 ingeniously fitted together in the form of 
 stars, and secured against the background 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 147 
 
 of bunting. The schoolmaster's platform 
 was reserved for the orchestra, improvised 
 from the regimental band, and a tent pitched 
 outside and near a window answered admi- 
 rably for a refreshment room. Thus the 
 scene was prepared for an evening of dancing 
 and light, and it was viewed with satisfaction 
 as representing passably well the army notion. 
 There was some talk of drawing in the reveille 
 gun to stand on the platform, muzzle on, to 
 the party ; thus each arm of the service would 
 have been represented in the decorations. 
 But it was feared the gun might have a 
 depressing effect, as a moral engine, and so 
 mar the perfection of the evening, and the 
 idea was abandoned. The detail of enlisted 
 men who did the work of garlanding were 
 well satisfied with the result. With more 
 resources, they would have made a better 
 showing; but their labors had been conscien- 
 tiously performed, and the effect was decid- 
 edly army ; and that, after all, was what they 
 had striven for. 
 
 The night itself was still and white as 
 Texan summer nights are. The silences of 
 the prairie were accentuated by the occasional 
 distant yelping of some brute outcast. There 
 
148 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 was a conscious rhythm flowing through, 
 which might have been the soft breeze in the 
 tree-tops along tlie creek bottom, or the pretty 
 wimpling of the water. Tlie moon rode down 
 the expanse of heaven, clothed in white 
 gi-andeur, and barring the earth's surface 
 with blackest shadows; the spaces between 
 were brilliant in her pale, strong shining. 
 But she met with rivalry at the post chapel, 
 all glowing with oil lamps in every window. 
 A resonance of music filtered from it, and 
 when the door was opened, couples were seen 
 to go whirling gaily by. Cups clinked in 
 the tent; sliced lemon perfumed the imme- 
 diate air; soldiers on temporary refreshment 
 duty came and went awkwardly with trays. 
 Within and without there was a commingling 
 of voices, a touching of hands, an interblend- 
 ing of conditions. The dance was on, and 
 the army was enjoying itself in unstinted 
 fashion. 
 
 Large assemblies were uncommon ; a dance 
 was a rarity ; so the room was crowded as it 
 never was for schooling or chapeling. Every 
 one in the garrison entitled to be present 
 took glad advantage of this right and came. 
 Those discriminatingly bidden from without 
 
IN BLUE UNIFOBM 149 
 
 were present, their black coats suspicious 
 of packing-box wrinkles. And all around, 
 fringing the circle of light and pressing to 
 the windows, were laundresses from the mar- 
 ried men's quarters, and enlisted men them- 
 selves, and many a dark face of negro or 
 Mexican. For plainspeople do not greatly 
 affect ceremonious social musters ; and curi- 
 osity drew them irresistibly towards this 
 approximation to remember scenes that these 
 transplanted people were disporting them- 
 selves in. 
 
 Time ran like water in a brook with the 
 gay party. The musicians, fortified to their 
 unaccustomed task with deep draughts, 
 threw themselves with vigor into the work, 
 and executed, literally, succeeding waltz, 
 polka, and gallop. The couples danced to 
 this music when practicable, and when not, 
 promenaded. Some danced but rustily at 
 the best, and were content with a little ; yet 
 there was not a woman who had not or mioht 
 not have done bravely at footing it delicately 
 in some past day. The officers, too, betraj^ed 
 an unaccustomed touch. The older ones 
 moved with grand, military precision; the 
 younger, Avith a phantom of West Point days 
 
150 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 in their mind's eye, swung witli more certain 
 vigor. Each one claimed Millicent for a 
 dance, and when the older ones upon inquiry 
 found themselves anticipated by the young- 
 sters, they were politely surprised ; duly 
 depressed ; concluded it was probably better 
 so for Miss Harding ; for themselves, they 
 had not danced since — ; danced better in 
 the spirit than the flesh, anyway ; and so 
 saying, resigned themselves, and strove to 
 escape the vigilant wifely eye on the passage 
 to the refreshment tent. Thus, between the 
 young and the old, Millicent did not suffer 
 from lack of due attention, and had a vastly 
 good time. 
 
 The heavy instruments of the orchestra 
 thundered and rumbled unavailingly against 
 the screaming violins ; couples waltzed and 
 walked ; mothers of families were danced 
 once about the room by their husbands, then 
 gave it up and sat agaiost the wall in a state 
 of perpetual conversation with all comers. 
 Each smiled and nodded to each. And in 
 the warm midst of the unchecked play, a 
 young officer, fresh to the fight and clad in 
 resplendent uniform, strode in. The men 
 nearest him shouted, and made a dash for his 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 151 
 
 hand ; the women screamed at him joyfully ; 
 others turned to look, then joined in ; the 
 music was being wasted, for all were giving 
 hearty greeting. 
 
 " Lawrence ! This is great luck ! How 
 did you ever do it ! " 
 
 "Bagged no robbers yet? Better luck 
 next time ! " 
 
 And the Major, his purple face shining 
 through a gathered mist of perspiration, 
 struCToied to him to do the honors. 
 
 " And Lawrence forty miles away ! " he 
 cried, witli famous adaptation. " We just 
 needed you, Lawrence. Hadn't the slightest 
 idea you could get here, though. Well, well, 
 I'm glad enough. Come right along up to 
 the head of the procession." 
 
 So Lawrence laughingly fought off his 
 comrades and went up the room to where 
 Mrs. Remmick and Millicent stood. He was 
 tanned warmly, as blonde men do tan, from 
 his exposed camp on the stage line. 
 
 " That is Mr. Lawrence coming," Mrs. 
 Remmick whispered to Millicent. 
 
 Mr. Lawrence ! She had not recognized him 
 in the change from scouting rig to full uniform. 
 Surprised, she felt her color rising, and was 
 
152 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 angry with herself for it. But she did not 
 quite understand why every one was making 
 such a fuss over him. Then he came up, and 
 bent over her aunt's hand, and turned to her. 
 
 " This is the great transformation scene," 
 she laughed. " 1 am not at all sure you are 
 the desperado-looking man who rode all round 
 the stage that day." 
 
 The very same, he assured her, and none 
 other. 
 
 "And how are your familiars, the rob- 
 bers?" she inquired. 
 
 " They are very tantalizing. I have not 
 once caught sight of them in all my riding." 
 
 " How sad ! You must have been quite 
 homesick for the sight of a friendly face." 
 And then she regretted having said that. 
 
 "I was — I was. And so I rode forty 
 miles to get here, see the face of that friend, 
 and claim a dance with the owner of it. Am 
 I too late?" And he made a movement to 
 take her card. 
 
 " You progress in your acquaintance as 
 you ride — very rapidly," said she, in some 
 protest. He might have thought she was 
 complimenting his horsemanship, but for her 
 qualification. "And I fear you are too late. 
 
IN BLUE UNIFOEM 153 
 
 The dancing is nearly over, and Captain 
 Lyndon has the two that are left. Is he 
 generous ? " she inquired, tentatively, with a 
 suggestion in her eyes. 
 
 " He would be generous to a fault, if there 
 was one. He will divide with me to the last. 
 Captain — " He turned to where Lyndon had 
 stood near, but he was gone. Colonel Bruff 
 had come up to him, and, touching him on 
 the shoulder, had said peculiarly : 
 
 " One of your men, I believe. Captain ? " 
 The Captain had been dreaming, with his 
 eyes on Millicent's face, and Mrs. Remmick 
 looking at him approvingly. He awoke with 
 a start, and followed the direction of the 
 Colonel's glance. Nearly every one had 
 worn away from the door, and come near 
 Lawrence ; and an enlisted man, very much 
 the worse for the refreshment tent, had strad- 
 dled in, and was weaving tipsily towards 
 them. Tliis was Burton. There was a sud- 
 den hush in all the room, upon which his 
 drunken tones were loud, as he waved his 
 arms fleeringly, and repeated : — 
 
 "'Come, fill the cup, and in the fire of spring 
 Your winter garment of repentance fling ! ' 
 
 Ole man's got good liquor on to-night ! " 
 
154 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 Lyndon bowed to the Colonel, and started 
 towards the man. But as quick as he was, 
 some one else was quicker. Miller advanced 
 upon Burton, and hissed at him : 
 
 " Clear out ! You drunken dog ! " 
 
 "That's bad language 'tween gent — gent'- 
 men, y' know," retorted the staggering man. 
 " I got's good right here's you have. Take 
 that, y' drunken dog ! " 
 
 And upon that he spun around with out- 
 stretched arm, and slapped Miller in the 
 face. 
 
 Lyndon's hand was upon Burton's collar in 
 a moment, and he stayed the angry attempt 
 of Miller to avenge the red mark on his 
 cheek. " There is another way," he said. 
 Then : " Burton, march before me to the 
 door. March ! " 
 
 Burton looked at him in vinous stupidity. 
 
 "Oh, Cap'n, is it? Cert'n'y, Cap'n, do 
 anything you say." And he went waveringly 
 out at the door, Lyndon at his heels. 
 
 There was a pause for a moment, when 
 each looked questioningly at another. Milli- 
 cent's face was as red as Miller's own, where 
 the man's hand had fallen upon it. Colonel 
 B:uff made a sisrnificant motion to the musi- 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 155 
 
 cians, and they struck into the last waltz. 
 The guests moved once more, animated by 
 the music and by the closing hour. Law- 
 rence turned to Millicent, whose side he had 
 not left. 
 
 " Come, Miss Harding," he pleaded. " Cap- 
 tain Lyndon will hardly be back in time to 
 dance. Give me this one." 
 
 They took a few turns, and she stopped. 
 " I cannot dance," said she, and he led her to 
 a seat. "Such a sight affects me so — the 
 brutishness of it. I am so sorry such a thing 
 should occur. It is terrible ! " 
 
 " It was unpleasant," he admitted. " But 
 drinking is a common fault with the men. 
 The worst of it is that it should be so 
 exposed." 
 
 " Oh no," said she, earnestly. " The worst 
 of it is that the ungoverned fault should be 
 there." 
 
 Lawrence looked at her curiously. He 
 had grown so habituated to drunkenness 
 among the enlisted men on the slightest 
 pretext or on no pretext at all, and to free 
 drinking everj^where, that this untainted view 
 struck him as a novelty. He did not know 
 what to say, but he had to make some reply. 
 
156 IN BLUE UNIFOIiM 
 
 " I don't know but you are right," said he. 
 And the more he thought about it, the more 
 he became convinced that she was. 
 
 The waltz came to an end, and people pre- 
 l^ared to go away. Still, Lyndon did not 
 return. The Major turned almost anxiously 
 to Millicent, and spoke in extenuation. 
 
 " Captain Lyndon is probably detained 
 about confining his man," said he. " Always 
 is some kink in the matter. If he doesn't 
 get back — " His eye sought Lawrence 
 helplessly. 
 
 " If I may escort Miss Llarding, I shall be 
 glad," said Lawrence, quickly. 
 
 Lyndon did not return, and Lawrence 
 walked with her the short distance from tlie 
 chapel to the Major's quarters. 
 
 " This was really your due," said she. 
 "After that long ride, and not getting a 
 dance, after all. The wind shall be tempered 
 to you a little." 
 
 "Shall I regard you as a special Provi- 
 dence ? " he asked. " I should like to, for I 
 am still unsatisfied. This is one of those 
 times when a fellow can't get enough. He 
 can only be duly grateful for such favors as 
 may be shown him." 
 
IN BLUE UNIFOBM 157 
 
 "Aren't you repaid for your ride yet?" 
 asked Millicent, as she extended her hand in 
 parting. 
 
 "•Quite," said he, bending low over it. 
 " That is cancelled. But I want to open an 
 account." 
 
 " That is quite impossible," said she. " The 
 terms are cash." She laughed as she said it, 
 remembering the proposition about the mistle- 
 toe. But Lawrence could not know that. 
 
X 
 
 The inruption of the drunken soldier 
 gave an unpleasant color to subsequent dis- 
 cussion of the dance. Even when it was not 
 mentioned, it was felt as an unhappy occur- 
 rence and a direct commentarj^ on the futility 
 of the army's social system. Overlooking the 
 fact of Burton's intoxication, which might 
 have made his tongue unruly, it was a piece 
 of unparalleled audacity for him to declare 
 his right to be present. This was the senti- 
 ment of the garrison, commissioned and en- 
 listed, for strong old custom declared against 
 the doctrine thus advanced. Of course, he 
 must have been drunk, or he would have said 
 nothing so outrageous. The fact that he had 
 been ordered out to assist in the tent gave him 
 no right, fancied or real, to intrude upon the 
 floor. It was against all the canons of the 
 army and all good discipline for him to do so. 
 This was what the officers said ; and when 
 Millicent, feeling argumentative and looking 
 
 158 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 159 
 
 at the moral side of it, asked " why " he had 
 no right to be there, Mrs. Remmick shivered 
 at the bare suggestion. 
 
 " My dear," said she, " it would never do." 
 
 As a reason that was on a parity with 
 "because," and was equally unanswerable. 
 So she turned to Captain Lyndon, who had 
 smiled queerly at her first question. 
 
 " Had he not as much right there as an- 
 other man, circumstances not considered ? " 
 she asked. 
 
 " I would hardly carry it that far," said he. 
 " But let me ask you a question. Would you 
 have been willing to dance with him ? " 
 
 " As he was, certainly not." 
 
 " But if he had been sober ? " 
 
 " Yes. I believe I would." 
 
 " Millicent ! " exclaimed her aunt. " A 
 common soldier ! " 
 
 " That would not have made a particle of 
 difference, dear aunt," returned Millicent, 
 composedly. 
 
 Mrs. Remmick looked upon her in despair. 
 " Of course that is only because you are so 
 unaccustomed to the army," she said, in ex- 
 tenuation. " When a man enlists he abandons 
 all claims he may ever have had to a gentle- 
 
160 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 man's estate. I am surprised you do not see 
 that." 
 
 "I see it plainly, aunt," said Millicent. 
 " The only point is, that I don't agree with 
 you. It does not seem to me that enlisting 
 would change his nature. To be sure, I 
 don't know anything about this man — Bur- 
 ton, is it ? — whether he was a gentleman or 
 a — a — burglar. If he was a burglar, you 
 would still expect him to be a burglar at 
 heart, wouldn't you ? " 
 
 " He wasn't a gentleman, that's sure, " said 
 Mrs. Reinmick, evasively. " Just think how 
 drunk he was ! " 
 
 " As to that," said Millicent, with rising 
 color, " I do not think he was the only one 
 who drank too much. There were several 
 gentlemen who found the floor too uneven for 
 dancing." 
 
 Mrs. Remmick disposed the fabric she was 
 working on in her lap with a shake that 
 meant severe displeasure. She thought Mil- 
 licent was making herself very unpleasant 
 before Captain Lyndon. There were things 
 about tlie army that might be observed, but 
 never spoken of. She closed her lips tightly, 
 resolved to give Millicent no further oppor- 
 
IN BLUE UNIFOEM 161 
 
 tunity for such utterances. And then Lyn- 
 don came to the rescue. Although she knew 
 him to be given to "queer" fancies, she was 
 surprised that he shoukl fall in with the 
 spirit of Millicent's words in any degree. 
 He seemed to approve her sentiment, although 
 he did not wholly commit himself. 
 
 " After all, it is very little different from 
 your civil society," said he. " Your butler 
 and your coachman are not on intimate terms 
 with your guests. It may sometimes happen 
 that a son of good family drives your cab, or 
 that a gentleman enlists. But these cases 
 are the exceptions, and only prove the rule. 
 The fact of a man being in the ranks is good 
 and acceptable evidence that he is not en- 
 titled to the honors of your table. And here, 
 we are stringent on a double account ; and 
 the other side of it is discipline. The army 
 exists by discipline ; and where would that 
 be if privates and colonels were on terms 
 of good fellowship? I admire your theory, 
 Miss Harding, and am committed to it 
 myself up to a certain point. But with 
 us it would work out to an absurdity And 
 after all, I believe it was only in theory that 
 you would dance with the man." He laughed 
 convincingly. 
 
162 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 "Don't be too sure — and don't press the 
 point," said she, pleading with her eyes. She 
 knew that he had rightly judged her devotion 
 to the theory of social equality. It went no 
 further than his own. And then they wan- 
 dered into a desultory conversation upon 
 painting, in which Millicent led, and Lyndon 
 followed bravely at his best pace. And Mrs. 
 Remmick, seeing peace firmly established, 
 left them to their discussion. 
 
 Among the officers, Ljaidon was generally 
 held morally responsible for the Burton inci- 
 dent. Not that he furnished the liquor, or 
 had any part in it, but because his method of 
 dealing with his company was misunderstood. 
 Lawrence was the only man to combat this 
 sentiment. He declared vigorously that the 
 company had improved in every way vmder 
 Lyndon's management ; and as they heard his 
 words, and noted his manner, Lawrence soon 
 ceased to be pestered with remarks deroga- 
 tory to his captain ; and he would have had 
 to go afield to carry on the fight. But the 
 feeling did not languish on that account. 
 Tlie officers told themselves and each other 
 that it was outrageous misfortune to have 
 such a thing occur before civilian guests. 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 163 
 
 The Colonel, though keeping his own coun- 
 sel, was believed to be favorable to the 
 popular sentiment, for he was a thorough- 
 going martinet, and some had noticed the 
 manner in which he called Lyndon's atten- 
 tion to Burton at the dance. Lyndon was 
 condemned on all sides. 
 
 He had been struggling with a hard task 
 for months — ever since he attained his cap- 
 taincy. The former captain of the company 
 had been incapacitated for duty, and away 
 on sick leave a long time before being re- 
 tired ; and in his absence the company had 
 been unfortunately knocked about from com- 
 mander to commander. Its regular lieuten- 
 ants were on detached duty, and there was 
 no one to take a permanent interest in its 
 welfare. At intervals of a few weeks, differ- 
 ent lieutenants would be assigned to its com- 
 mand, and to do them justice, each one tried 
 conscientiously to make something out of it. 
 But as each one had various little peculiari- 
 ties of his own, and went at the business of 
 discipline with varying degrees of perspicacity 
 and determination, little progress was made. 
 The company fell into disrepute ; it had the 
 largest percentage of any in the guard-house ; 
 
164 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 its drill was the raggedest; its target record 
 at the tail of the regiment ; every graceless 
 scamp transferred from the iron-clad compa- 
 nies to this, where some latitude offered ; and 
 three-quarters of the soldier-deviltry kicked 
 up in garrison was laid with good suspicion 
 at the door of this company. It had been 
 suggested that the company be disbanded, 
 and reformed by drafts from the other com- 
 panies ; but as the captains severally pro- 
 tested against losing their best men and get- 
 ting bad men in exchange, this was never 
 done. And so the company was sadly in 
 need of a strong hand when Lyndon was 
 promoted to it, and came to the post to 
 assume the command. 
 
 Lyndon had a reputation with the enlisted 
 men of being an easy, indulgent commander. 
 During his years in the regiment he had 
 seemed loath to punish, and inclined to rely 
 more upon the men themselves than the other 
 officers were. This the men took to be a siern 
 of weakness, and an acknowledgment of ina- 
 bility to cope with serious situations. Tliis 
 was a short-sighted theory, inasmuch as Lyn- 
 don had never been permitted to exercise an 
 independent command for any length of time. 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 165 
 
 The company found an unlioly joy in antici- 
 pating his arrival. When some one remarked 
 that he had never had any trouble with his 
 men, the reply came that so long as he let 
 the men do as they pleased, there could be 
 no trouble. The men believed that the new 
 captain would interpose no serious bar to the 
 exercise of their will and pleasure. 
 
 It had been their will and pleasure to get 
 very drunk on each monthly pay-day. Other 
 companies would get drunk sometimes and 
 sometimes not, but this company never missed 
 a date. They could be depended upon, and 
 the guard-house cleared of lumber for their 
 reception. But what did they care for that? 
 A small fine, or a few days of confinement — 
 there was nothing unpleasant in it. So, on 
 the first pay-day when Lyndon called the 
 roll, they proceeded with the usual process 
 of juicing down and getting all the drunken- 
 ness they could out of their pay ; and, being 
 adepts at the business, this was considerable. 
 That night two men developed delirium 
 tremens, this being a climax, and were 
 strapped in the hospital. The others were 
 not disturbed, and they had a royal time 
 among themselves. They were surprised at 
 the limitless leniency of the new captain. 
 
166 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 So through the night, limited only by the 
 efforts of a few reliable non-commissioned 
 officers acting under Lyndon's orders. The 
 next morning they were sad-eyed and weary. 
 They were indisposed to effort, and devel- 
 oped a variety of alcoholic ills. They made 
 a lagging procession to tlie hospital when 
 sick-call sounded, and in feeble voices re- 
 counted to the surgeon their incapacities for 
 work. They did not ask to be taken into the 
 hospital for treatment, but only to be excused 
 from duty for the day. The surgeon heard 
 them through, and wrote in the sick-book his 
 disposition of each case. To their dismay he 
 wrote the one word; "Duty." 
 
 The hour for drill came, and the sun was 
 piping hot. Captain Lyndon strode across 
 the parade, girt with sword, for the duty. 
 Two or three of the more shaky ones saluted 
 him, and asked a personal favor : Would 
 the Captain kindly excuse them from the 
 drill ? They were sick. 
 
 " Why didn't you go to the hospital ? " he 
 asked. 
 
 " We did, sir." 
 
 " Didn't the surgeon excuse 3^ou ? " 
 
 " No, sir. He marked us ' duty.' " 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 167 
 
 "Then 'duty' it is, Isoys. I can't go 
 ao-ainst the doctor's orders." 
 
 The assembly sounded, and the company 
 formed. Lyndon drew his sword, and com- 
 menced the hour's drill. To the unhappy 
 men it was an era of torment. Never had 
 a drill-master been so exacting; never had 
 they been so disinclined to drill. Up and 
 down the parade he marched them, the sun 
 baking their backs and blinding their sodden 
 eyes. They marched in line and in column, 
 company front and by platoons ; they wheeled 
 and turned; they deployed as skirmishers, 
 and assembled on the far flank at a run. A 
 hundred times they mentally cursed the mer- 
 ciless captain ; a thousand times they cursed 
 their own folly in drinking to excess. They 
 stumbled and staggered like blind men, 
 heavy-headed, shaky-kneed, with paiched 
 tongues and roasting eyeballs. The other 
 companies, after a time of drill, rested for a 
 space in the shade ; not so with them. Cap- 
 tain Lyndon was out for drill, and he drove 
 them up and down the rectangle for one hour 
 without stopping. Then in gentle tones he 
 said their drill was far from satisfactory, and 
 that they should turn out for another hour 
 
168 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 of it in the afternoon. He dismissed them, 
 and they fell on their bunks, exhausted. 
 They were very sober. At the end of the 
 aftei'noon drill, beneath a yet better sun, 
 they were repentant. And that was the be- 
 ginning of a great change in Lyndon's com- 
 pany. 
 
 As the company rallied from its disrepu 
 table condition, the men found that the Cap- 
 tain was so far from being weak and easy 
 that he was one of the sternest disciplinarians 
 in the post; and yet the outer appearance 
 of the case did not indicate this. The 
 men could do what they pleased so long 
 as they pleased to follow regulations and 
 obey orders ; when they chose some other 
 line, trouble ensued with startling celerity. 
 Thunderbolts out of a clear sky were noth- 
 ing to it. But it was quite a company affair. 
 The whole garrison was seldom advised of 
 it by public imprisonment and trial. Under 
 such conditions the status of the company 
 improved ; the men found an interest, both 
 individually and as an organization, in their 
 duties, and took a new pride in the com- 
 pany's reputation ; so that it became excel- 
 lent in drill, and noted at the targets. The 
 
IN BLUE UNIFOBM 169 
 
 men found what it was to possess the respect 
 of the Captain — something before unthought 
 of. The company kitchen improved, and the 
 barrack took on an air of comfort. There was 
 a uniform supply of white stoneware, clean, 
 for the table ; and sheets and pillow-cases 
 were conspicuous on the bunks at Sunday 
 morning inspection of quarters, when all 
 the officers went through, comparing notes. 
 These things were in advance of the expe- 
 rience of other companies, and Lyndon's got 
 the name of being almost Sybaritic in the 
 luxury of its appointments. Affairs went 
 very well. The men had learned that Lyn- 
 don had a heavy hand. They were glad, and 
 respected it. But it was not always in sight, 
 and they were known to brag of their cap- 
 tain's " way," as differing from the ways of 
 other captains. 
 
 That was delightful to look upon, and 
 Lyndon deserved credit for the picture. But 
 it was not always Sunday morning inspection 
 in the quarters. There were off days for the 
 whole company, when they breathed a black 
 wind against all the world ; and there were 
 certain men in it who demanded extra con- 
 sideration in handlinor. Burton was amongf 
 
170 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 these. He was one of the most intelligent 
 men in the company, and had been a leading 
 spirit in soldier-wickedness. But after that 
 first disastrous j^ay-day, he had recognized 
 Lyndon's authority, and had held up his 
 head satisfactorily. He did not appear to be 
 anything out of the common run, nor did 
 he make any professions of reform ; they 
 would not have sounded well in his mouth. 
 But he had been instrumental in the com- 
 pany's improvement solely by force of ex- 
 ample. Lyndon knew this, and was willing 
 to acknowledge it as he might. He could 
 not go to Burton and thank him ; but he 
 found he wrote a good hand, and so had 
 him excused from drill, and appointed to an 
 additional clerkship in the adjutant's ofiQce. 
 Burton knew why that was done quite as 
 well as Lyndon, and showed his worth by 
 continuing in soldierly attention to duty. 
 He developed an erect, military carriage, and 
 appeared to such good advantage in line at 
 parade that Lyndon determined to make him 
 a corporal when the first vacancy should 
 occur. That would be several months ahead, 
 and so he intimated one day to Burton what 
 he might expect. He saw at once that he 
 had struck the right key. 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 171 
 
 It was but a short time after this when 
 Colonel Bruff arrived, and the court martial 
 of Burton followed. It did not affect Lyn- 
 don's faith in Burton, but it was a blow to 
 Burton's pride, and so shook his own faith in 
 himself. He thought it unjust, too, and that 
 made it worse yet. But he continued out- 
 wardly, at least, in the way Lyndon liked. 
 
 Then came the dance. In the hurry and 
 heat of preparation, it fell to Willard to 
 select some men to help in the evening. He 
 intended to take those whose day duty was 
 lightest, and his thought fell upon Burton, 
 for one. He did nothing except parade, and 
 could well afford to turn to. So he sum- 
 moned the sergeant major, and through him 
 commanded Burton to the task. 
 
 The sergeant major thought there was no 
 occasion for Burton to flash so angrily red 
 when the order was given him. Others 
 received it with no show of emotion. But 
 as he at once turned pale again, and answered 
 " all right " in his ordinary tone, nothing more 
 was thought of it. He went to the tent, 
 ladled out punch, filled glasses and uncorked 
 bottles till his head was filled with the scent. 
 Then he commenced drinking himself, in- 
 
172 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 vaded the hall, made a fool of himself, and 
 slapped an officer's face. There was the 
 unpardonable offence. 
 
 Miller received a great deal of sympathy 
 from the officers. They were one with him 
 in sentiment. The proper thing would have 
 been to knock the fellow down, drunk or 
 sober; a man sober enough to strike was 
 sober enough to be struck. But of course 
 Lyndon came between, and — well, Lyndon 
 was a good fellow ; but what was to become 
 of discipline if an immediate example could 
 not be made when the occasion so clearly 
 demanded it? Yes, regulations forbade any- 
 thing of the kind ; but cases were known and 
 cited in which men had been strung up, or 
 bucked and gagged, to the great benefit of 
 the service ; and nothing had ever been said 
 about it. If Lyndon had only been a moment 
 later — or if he hadn't had command of the 
 company at all. Ah ! That would have been 
 better. 
 
 "It plainly came from that doctrine of his 
 that an enlisted man is as good as anybody 
 else. So he may be, but not as an'^' enlisted 
 man ; not in my company," declared one 
 captain. 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 173 
 
 "Not though he does quote Khayyam at 
 you in his cups," said another. 
 
 " And did you hear what he said about 
 having a right to be there? That's what 
 comes of a company feeding on china plates 
 and sleeping between sheets ! We'll have 
 'em coming in courting our daughters next ! " 
 
 So the popular feeling fed upon itself. 
 Lawrence said nothing to his chief of these 
 matters, and very surely no one criticised 
 Lyndon to his face. But it was in the air, 
 and he could not walk the length of the Line 
 without feeling a cold wind blowincy from 
 each house : " We don't agree with you." 
 It would be untrue to say he did not care. 
 He did care a great deal. While no seeker 
 after popularity, he liked being on good terms 
 with all. It gives the strongest man a feel- 
 ing of lonesomeness to be shut away from 
 the world with a little parcel of his fellow- 
 creatures, each of whom in his mind criticises 
 him unpleasantly. The isolation is inten- 
 sified; the heart-strings are strained to the 
 point of endurance ; he has no thought in 
 commoii with his fellows; he has nothing to 
 talk to them about; he is esti-anged from 
 them ; he must fall back upon himself ; and 
 
174 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 it is only a man of fertile resources who can 
 dwell with himself and not weary of his 
 society, day after day through the long years 
 of his service. It was not so serious as that 
 with Lyndon. But he felt sometimes as 
 though it might come to that. 
 
XI 
 
 The morning after the dance Lyndon went 
 into Colonel Bruff's office to ask about the 
 charges against Burton. In his heart he had 
 entertained a hope that the Colonel might 
 prefer them himself, but the Colonel had no 
 idea of doinof such a thino-. 
 
 "In regard to Burton's case," said Lyndon, 
 "of course the charges will include drunk- 
 enness and striking an officer. The wit- 
 nesses — " 
 
 " There need be no lack of witnesses for 
 the prosecution, sir," interrupted the Colonel. 
 " You may put me down for one. As for the 
 defence, I don't think there will be a crowd." 
 
 " No, sir ; he can only introduce some testi- 
 mony as to character." 
 
 " Character, indeed ! Well, that won't go 
 a great way." 
 
 "I suppose not, sir; but I shall be glad to 
 say a word for him." 
 
 The Colonel drummed a moment on the 
 175 
 
176 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 table before answering. Tlie drum had been 
 of assistance to him all through life, and he 
 had a habit of imitatinsf it when in thougfht. 
 Then, " You will cumulate against him, Cap- 
 tain," said he, and ended the interview. 
 
 Any hopes that Lyndon may have enter- 
 tained of saving Burton were sufficiently 
 shattered by this. It meant that an abstract 
 should be made from the records of all the 
 offences Burton had been guilty of. His 
 court martials, the sentences imposed, and 
 even small matters of company correction 
 would be laid before the court sitting on his 
 case. It would be sufficiently damning to 
 counteract anything that could be offered in 
 the way of testimony of good character. It 
 left Burton without a leg to stand on. The 
 fact of cumulation would show the unenviable 
 estimation in which he was held by the com- 
 manding officer, and would render the pro- 
 ceedings of the court martial all the more 
 easy when they should come to casting about 
 for a sentence. The charges upon which he 
 was to be tried were sufficient to warrant his 
 dismissal from the service ; the cumulation 
 would only serve to determine how long a 
 term should be allotted him in the military 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 177 
 
 penitentiary. In this manner was justice 
 dealt out lavishly in double handfuls. Pre- 
 vious punishment did not count ; previous ill' 
 doincr did. This should be the end of Burton. 
 Colonel Bruff was actuated by no personal 
 motives in his direction of the case ; it was 
 of a piece with his usual course of procedure. 
 But that was small comfort to a man who had 
 looked forward to honor in the service, and 
 was now about to suffer the deepest dishonor 
 that could be cast upon him. 
 
 Captain Lyndon without delay drew up the 
 charges and specifications against Burton in 
 the customary circumlocutory form, and sub- 
 mitted them through regular military chan- 
 nels to the Colonel. That ofhcer, having 
 examined and approved them, caused an en- 
 dorsement to be placed on the fold to the 
 effect that he had investigated the case, found 
 it to be as stated within, and recommended 
 that a o-eneral court martial be convened for 
 the trial of the offender. This was despatched 
 to department headquarters with the satisfy- 
 insr assurance that the recommendation would 
 be favorably acted upon ; and the garrison 
 forthwith sat down to await the orders for 
 the general court, and while so waiting for- 
 got the case entirely. 
 
178 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 There are many duties to perform in a 
 garrison that lias the honor of being regi- 
 mental headquarters. That the officers for- 
 got Burton's case, or temporarily put it out 
 of mind, did not argue that they cared noth- 
 ing for it. It did not weigh heavily on even 
 Lyndon, and he had nothing but the best 
 good of every man in his company at heart. 
 It was a situation in which nothing could be 
 gained by brooding or by desperate prepa- 
 ration, and so he dismissed the matter as 
 completely as he might. The other officers, 
 almost to a man, hoped to see Burton dis- 
 missed; at least they said he ought to be. 
 Lyndon would have saved the man, but knew 
 he could do nothing. But he had his whole 
 company to look after, from its kitchen to its 
 drill, and as he was thoroughly conscientious 
 about it, he had little time in which to specu- 
 late about a single private lying in the guard- 
 house. It was brought to his mind every 
 mornincr when he went over the mornino' 
 report; but so long as Burton was carried on 
 this return as a prisoner of the guard, every- 
 thing was quite regular. 
 
 The scheduled duties of the garrison were 
 attended to ; reveille succeeded by stable call. 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 179 
 
 fatigue and mess call, by guard-mounting in 
 its turn, by the drill of the day and the sun- 
 down parade, through to tattoo and taps. 
 And after the wheel had gone round a suffi- 
 cient number of times, the charges against 
 Burton were returned from department head- 
 quarters, marked " Approved," over the sig- 
 nature of a brigadier general. By which it 
 was understood that the brigadier had exam- 
 ined them, by proxy. And in the same mail 
 came the order detailing officers for duty as 
 members of a general court martial to con- 
 sider all cases referred to it, beginning with 
 that of Private Burton. Department head- 
 quarters had done its turn ; it was now the 
 opportunity of the court. 
 
 Promptly the court was assembled, and 
 Burton brought before it. The affair was 
 oppressively methodical. There was but one 
 lawful w^ay for a court martial to take the 
 heart out of a man, and that way was so well 
 known and so often repeated that interest in 
 the proceeding had flown. Members of that 
 court may remember the stuff}^ room in Avhich 
 they sat; the heat that lay heavy upon the 
 land; the somnolence that prevailed with 
 some, the restlessness of others. There was 
 
180 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 a squeaking beliincl the rotten woodwork 
 that betrayed the day hiding-place of bats ; 
 and some junior members of the court amused 
 themselves b}"" thrusting their swords througli 
 cracks, thereby temporarily increasing the 
 squeaking, and occasionally drawing forth on 
 a sword-tip the quivering, reddened, loath- 
 some body of a bat. Burton, standing before 
 the court, read the apathy and indifference, 
 and knew it for a bad omen. When the 
 juniors were at their sword-play, he felt the 
 blades in his heart, lie knew they would 
 sacrifice him as readily as the vermin which 
 they found more interesting. 
 
 The court routine ran smoothly on. The 
 oaths were administered, the charges read, 
 the pleading taken, — guilty. The prosecu- 
 tion i-ested gladl}'. Had the prisoner any 
 defence to offer? the judge advocate asked 
 of him perfunctorily. None, he said, unless 
 the Captain would say a word for his char- 
 acter. The judge advocate turned inquir- 
 ingly to Lyndon, who nodded, arose, and was 
 sworn as a witness. 
 
 " I can say that the prisoner is well known 
 to me,." he began, when the formal questions 
 were ended. "lie is a man out of my com- 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 181 
 
 pany. I am well aware that the mass of 
 papers before this court show that at periods 
 of his service he has borne a bad character. 
 That was before I knew him, and I am not 
 competent to speak on it. Since I have had 
 command of the company, however, I can 
 say no man has done better than he. He 
 has been respectful and obedient. He has 
 shown good soldierly qualities." He hes- 
 itated, and the judge advocate looked up 
 from his note-taking to see if he had finished. 
 
 "For six months," he continued, "he had 
 not been under the influence of liquor. I 
 do not believe he had touched a drop in that 
 time. He was makinsr a strono' effort to do 
 well, and was looking forward to some prefer- 
 ment up to the time of this event. And I 
 cannot hold him altogether responsible for 
 the act that brought him before this court." 
 
 " That last is hardly relevant," said the 
 judge advocate. " It has no bearing on the 
 case, as testimony. And if you Avish to make 
 a plea for the prisoner, that should follow my 
 own statement to the court for the prosecu- 
 tion." 
 
 "Proceed," said Lyndon. "I will follow 
 you." 
 
182 IN BLUE UNIFOBM 
 
 " I don't care to make any statement ; the 
 prisoner has pleaded guilty. I will content 
 myself with a reply." 
 
 "Then I will continue," said Lyndon, 
 quietly. " I will say that I consider the 
 prisoner a victim of circumstances. His 
 status as a soldier is well defined. It should 
 be remembered that at the time of the occur- 
 rence he was not engaged upon any military 
 duty. At that time he was employed in 
 menial labor, — menial. He was ordered to 
 that labor in defiance of the sections of army 
 regulations that forbid such employment of 
 soldiers. He was ordered there without my 
 knowledofe. Had I known of it, I should 
 assuredly have ordered him away, and that 
 would have been eminently proper. He was 
 sent there without a shadow of good authority, 
 and in defiance of law. Had he refused to 
 go, he would have done no more than shoidd 
 be allowed him. Had he made complaint, an 
 investigation should have followed, and some 
 one should have been brought to a sudden 
 sense of the fact that the enlisted man has 
 rights, and that he is protected in these rights 
 by law. He is no servant ; he is no under- 
 ling. He is charged with responsibility, and 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 183 
 
 equally with ourselves he has the military 
 honor of the country to uphold." 
 
 The members of the court had by this time 
 cast off their sleepiness and were all atten- 
 tion. The boy lieutenants with new swords 
 had ceased jabbing bats, and were listening 
 closely to this unusual exposition. They 
 thought at first that Lyndon was intention- 
 ally scoring Willard for giving an unauthor- 
 ized order to Burton, and visions of a duel 
 came in their minds. It had not before been 
 their privilege to hear the private soldier 
 championed against all comers. They were 
 apprehensive of a jolly row, and the older 
 men were scowling. 
 
 " The private soldier," Lyndon continued, 
 " claims but little at our hands. First, there 
 is the consideration due from one human 
 being towards another. This should not be 
 his to claim, but ours to freely extend. He 
 is one with us in occupation and in aims. 
 We are dependent each upon the other, and 
 all upon him, for success in our professional 
 undertakings. We do not take him into our 
 councils ; that is not to be expected. We 
 have but to require of him to do so and so, 
 and the measure of his fidelity is the measure 
 
184 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 of our success. At our best we do nothing 
 for the private soldier. We too often look 
 upon him as even less than a piece of mech- 
 anism to be taken care of. But he, by his 
 diligence, his bravery, his honor, his readiness 
 to share with us the scars and give to us the 
 advantage, — he makes us what we are. 
 
 " No, he claims little, and that little often 
 by a mute demand. There is but the one thing 
 — justice.- Because we are hardly to be held 
 amenable to law and lig»ve almost complete 
 control over him, is the last reason why we 
 should be pitiless in our dealings with him ; 
 it is the first reason why we should put a 
 watch upon ourselves, and mete to him the 
 justice due. The enlisted man is not a 
 saint ; he is a fighter, genei'ally brutish, often 
 knavish, frequently drunk. We take him, 
 knowing him for what he is, and we must 
 not impose impossible restrictions upon him. 
 There are certain regulations provided for 
 his government, whose administration we are 
 charged with. As he tries to live up to them, 
 we should give him credit for the conscious 
 effort. That is but justice in its most primi- 
 tive conception. And if he fail, still there is 
 much in his favor by having striven, and that 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 185 
 
 should temper our judgment in his behalf. 
 For are we not all continually striving toward 
 some ideal of our own, and as constantly fail- 
 ing in our endeavor? But we do not count 
 ourselves as failures for that. We take credit 
 to ourselves for the effort, and condone our 
 own shortcomings. Let us then, as we have 
 mercy on ourselves, have it also for others." 
 
 The membei-s of the court appreciated the 
 rarity of such w^ords from a brother officer, 
 one whom they respected for his courage and 
 soldierliness. They would have slept under 
 the same sentiments from the chaplain, but 
 this was a novelty, and they were broad 
 awake. The president of the court showed 
 in his face grave doubt of the propriety of 
 allowing Lyndon to proceed, and yet he took 
 no measure to stop him. The expressions 
 used were revolutionary in their character, 
 but he counted on Lyndon's being in a help- 
 less minority. Major Remmick was leaning 
 forward, his face between his hands, intent on 
 the utterance. Some looked impressed, some 
 skeptical, but all listened. Burton sat behind 
 Lyndon like a statue. It was something new 
 in all his experience. He had heard the so- 
 called " guard-house lawyers " clumsily ad- 
 
186 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 vance similar views, but it had not occurred 
 to him that they would be shared by an 
 officer. The heat was intense ; the sun stared 
 in at the windows, a blinding glare ; the men 
 turned their backs upon him, and listened to 
 Lyndon. 
 
 " There is little more to say " — he spoke in 
 a quiet, even voice. " Here is a man who has 
 climbed by his own efforts high up the en- 
 listed man's scale. He was animated by the 
 best motives. He had that very good thing, 
 an exalted ambition. Upon the full head of 
 his endeavors comes a buffet. He is imposed 
 upon — thoughtlessly, unintentionally, maybe, 
 but still imposed upon. He dares make no 
 outcry. He mistrusts his own power of re- 
 dress ; he fears the power of reprisals. He 
 does what is required of him, and meets his 
 old enemy, drink, of whom he had been 
 steering clear. Fate was against him, and 
 the weak moment came when he could not 
 clearly see the end for which he had striven. 
 It is a sad thing, but in this he has proved 
 his right to our just consideration. For God 
 knows it is in our weak moments that we 
 all lose all we have striven for and gained 
 throuch months of stroncf endeavor. This is 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 187 
 
 to be thought of. Your justice will be meted 
 out with a firm hand; but shall not your 
 mercy also?" 
 
 He sat down, and the judge advocate rose 
 to reply. The president looked at him ex- 
 pectantly and nodded. Major Remmick got 
 up ponderously, tiptoed to Lyndon, and whis- 
 pered in his ear. At the same time he was 
 seen to shake his hand, as though in congrat- 
 ulation. 
 
 " I fear that I cannot make so eloquent an 
 appeal as the counsel for the prisoner has 
 done," the judge advocate commenced. " I 
 feel that I am unprepared and quite unable 
 to cope with him. My emotions have been 
 touched deeply by his words, and yet I fear 
 that if we lived by our emotions, our duty to 
 ourselves and to the world would suffer. I 
 have been told that professional hangmen 
 detest their work and suffer from the liveliest 
 sympathy for the criminals intrusted to them 
 for execution ; and yet people are hanged 
 every day, and the hangmen grow fat and 
 raise families. 
 
 " But I do not think the question is there. 
 We have a simple case in our hands. There 
 is no conflicting testimony, and it is difficult 
 
188 IN BLUE UNIFOBM 
 
 to perceive any misunderstanding about it. 
 In the first instance, this man is charged with 
 being drunk in garrison. There is nothing 
 said about his duty at tlie time, so the assump- 
 tion may be tliat he was not upon duty at all. 
 And that is a charitable construction. Had 
 he been drunk on duty, that had been so 
 serious a matter as to warrant being explicitly 
 set forth in the charges and specifications. 
 No. He is ' drunk in garrison.' It is not 
 even known officially where he got his liquor. 
 
 " The second charge is striking an officer. 
 That admits of but one construction — the 
 delivery of a blow. There are the two 
 offences charged against this man, and you 
 can make nothing more or less of them. To 
 both he has pleaded guilty, and that may be 
 taken as the guide of the court in proceeding 
 to a finding. The cumulative evidence does 
 not affect the trial of this case. It can be of 
 importance only after a finding has been 
 reached, and then only in case of a finding 
 adverse to the prisoner. I am now ready to 
 proceed with the essentials." 
 
 " The court is closed," announced the presi- 
 dent, and Lyndon withdrew. The sentinel 
 at the door received the person of Burton as 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 189 
 
 though it was a bale of goods, and marched 
 it back to the guard-house. 
 
 The result of the trial could not be publicly 
 known until the proceedings had been written 
 up, transmitted to the Colonel, re-transmitted 
 to department headquarters, acted upon there, 
 and a verdict of approval or of disapproval 
 by the brigadier general returned. All that 
 would take time, and meanwhile Burton sank 
 again from sight and mind, save as he might 
 be observed cutting wood and drawing water, 
 always with an armed sentinel at his heels. 
 For a day or two Lyndon's speech was quite 
 generally remarked upon, and then that, too, 
 was dropped from mind. There were daily 
 affairs of more importance. 
 
XII 
 
 Mrs. Remmick was one of the most amia- 
 ble women in the garrison. Army life had 
 been good to her in many ways, thereby cater- 
 ing to her amiability. Thus it had given 
 her a husband who adored her and whom she 
 constantly adored. He had faulty percep- 
 tions on many subjects ; but when Mrs. Rem- 
 mick thought on the list of men she had 
 known in the army, and on the percentage 
 that had dropped in un mentioned ways from 
 the Annual Register and from all human 
 knowledge, she could forgive him for being 
 no better than he was. When she married 
 the Major — then a lieutenant — she had 
 made up her mind to take the army as it 
 came, for better or worse, and to make the 
 most she conld of it. So she had put up 
 with all sorts of household inconveniences 
 and domestic makeshifts cheerfully. She 
 had, perhaps, narrowed a trifle, and held yet 
 more jealously to her social prerogatives ; 
 190 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 191 
 
 that was but natural. That would explain 
 why she was vexed at Millicent's remark 
 about the dancing private and the tipsy offi- 
 cers ; and yet it was true that such a remark 
 would have fallen upon horrified ears in a 
 much wider social circle than that of the 
 army. However, her displeasure was but 
 short-lived; and Millicent, too, had the ex- 
 cellent sense to withdraw the sting of her 
 words. 
 
 Neither Mrs. Remmick nor Millicent lost 
 sight of the fact that, however pleasant and 
 relaxing the visit might be, there was a meas- 
 ure of work to be performed. Millicent 
 meant to accomplish something in that new 
 atmosphere and with the brilliant material at 
 hand that should electrify her fellow-artists 
 in New York upon her return. It was essen- 
 tially an unknown field to them, and had never 
 been touched upon by painters imbued, as 
 Millicent was, Avith the dashing principles of 
 the modern French school. The American 
 soldier as he was had never been put in a 
 picture. He appeared sometimes as a pecul- 
 iarly jointed animal in stiff attitudes that dis- 
 played the uniform to advantage, but never 
 as a man. Here, in the isolation of a far 
 
192 IX BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 army post, Millicent saw him at home. He 
 was stripped of feathers and devoid of frills ; 
 but there was a certain fascinating quality of 
 rough-and-readiness in his carriage, his alert- 
 ness, that was the very quality of all others 
 she wanted. This was her opportunity. She 
 prepared to grasp it, and Mrs. Remmick 
 encouraofed her in the undertakinoc. 
 
 She dove deep into her trunks, got out all 
 the traps she had brought in the way of 
 artist's material, and made her room thick 
 with them. By degrees the}^ fell into a 
 pretty disorder, at once noticeable and grace- 
 ful, that caught Mrs. Remmick's fancy. She 
 was continually taking the garrison ladies up 
 to view the " studio," till it became a sanctum 
 where they might gather for an undisturbed 
 chat. Millicent would in the meantime touch 
 up some half-finished sketch, and allow them 
 to admire it. Several local bits done by her 
 were thumb-tacked on the walls, and yet 
 others she presented to members of the morn- 
 ing group. Thus her reputation as an artist 
 w^as magnified, and her popularity increased. 
 The photog?'apher who conducted a canvas- 
 walled gallery in town heard of her, and 
 came to the post to meet in her person a con- 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 193 
 
 genial artistic soul. He had it in liis mind 
 to propose collaboration on some landscape 
 work, but during the one call he ever made 
 he did not see his Avay clear to stating it. 
 The ladies of the garrison sang her praises 
 unceasingly. They harbored no jealousy, and 
 professed only admiration for her art, her 
 abilit}', and her charming personality. So 
 that Millicent's experience in army life bade 
 fair to be happ3^ 
 
 In spite of the INIajor's vehement protests, 
 or in consequence of them, she made several 
 sketches of him, — she was rapid with the 
 pencil, — and flashed them upon him in 
 revenge of his attempts at teasing. Some- 
 times she descended to caricatures, but these, 
 after the moment's laugh, were conscientiously 
 destroyed; otherwise the garrison might have 
 come to regard her with doubt. She made 
 an excellent sketch of the Colonel riding 
 meal-sack on his fat plug at battalion drill ; 
 that she put away for future use. Through 
 the kind services of Ljaidon she made a very 
 complete collection of the details of soldier 
 dress, and for a time her room was warlike 
 with revolvers, long rifle-cartridges, saddle- 
 cloths, prairie-belts, hat ornaments, and blanket- 
 
194 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 bags, — all things that had the smack of the 
 real, venturesome service about them. She 
 made studies of these to familiarize herself 
 with them, and went about her work in a 
 systematic way that spoke well for her train- 
 ing. She took a keen delight in lier exjilora- 
 tions in this hitherto unknown field. 
 
 There were out-of-door sketches to be made 
 also ; for the southwestern light is a peculiar 
 thing, and sun and shade possess qualities to 
 vex the heart of any painter until they are 
 mastered ; then they give much joy. All 
 over the surrounding prairie she tramped, 
 generally with Lyndon for an escort, work- 
 ing now by the target butts, now in the 
 pecan woods by the creek, or on the far side, 
 getting the perspective value of miles of 
 wire fence. Mesquite, cottonwood, cactus, 
 all presented points for stud}^ and she was 
 indefatigable in her devotion to the work 
 she had chosen. 
 
 On one rare day she came upon a congress 
 of brilliant butterflies gathered on a single 
 tree, in such numbers as to weigh down the 
 leaves ; all around other butterflies fluttered, 
 seeking places on which to alight, as tremu- 
 lous as detached leaves that a capricious 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 195 
 
 breeze will not allow to reach the ground. 
 That was too much to paint ; she could only 
 admire, and demand of Lyndon if he had 
 ever seen anything like it ? No ; he never 
 had. Nor had she ; she could sketch any 
 day, but this was the chance of a lifetime. 
 If Captain Lyndon was willing to put that 
 camp-stool in the shade, they would stop 
 there and look at it for liours. Captain Lyn- 
 don was very happy to arrange the camp- 
 stool and the shawl, and the sketching-um- 
 brella, so that Miss Harding might be most 
 comfortable ; and they sat down together 
 before the tree like a determined enemy 
 besieging a city. 
 
 It was a matter of smiling comment in the 
 post that Lyndon was so constantly IVIilli- 
 cent's escort on these short sketching-trips. 
 He had previously been so deeply engaged in 
 military affairs, had been such a student of 
 campaigns even, that it was wdth difficulty he 
 could be lured awa}^ from his books for a single 
 evening. Now, nothing was of sufficient 
 importance to keep him from escort duty. 
 He discovered suddenly that Lawrence, now 
 returned to the company, could attend to 
 ordinary routine quite as well as he. So, 
 
196 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 except when the regulations or Colonel 
 Bruff required his presence, he was quite 
 likely to delegate his authority to Lawrence, 
 and to go beyond the bounds. He had not 
 previously thought highly of the surrounding 
 country ; but he was quick to perceive new 
 beauties in it when it was required of him to 
 indicate them to a young lady of artistic 
 tendencies. 
 
 Young Wallace watched the course of 
 affairs with an almost fatherly solicitude, and 
 wrote long accounts to the Eastern girl 
 whose name he still refused to divulge to the 
 ladies, but which they all knew ; for Savage 
 collected the mail, as well as delivered it. 
 Miller looked on and grinned that it was all 
 very pretty for those who cared for it, but 
 for himself, he was not a marrying chap. 
 Lawrence bit his lip at it, and said nothing. 
 He went about the company duties, and car- 
 ried out Ljnidon's wishes to the letter. Only 
 once, when some one happened to remember 
 his ride on the day of the dance and spoke of 
 it, he replied with a few words that silenced 
 the man of memory. Lyndon had a clear 
 field, and not a few of the officers were look- 
 ing forward to buckets of champagne at an 
 early date. 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 197 
 
 Millicent and Lyndon sat in the shade, and 
 looked at butterflies. "A peaceful occupa- 
 tion," said Lyndon. 
 
 Millicent had been in a reverie, and started. 
 " Yes ? " said she. " Is it tiresome ? Such a 
 weary tone as you have — " 
 
 " Not at all. I could stay here — with you 
 — till the next war breaks out." 
 
 " What unbounded patience ! Or do you 
 look for a war soon ? " 
 
 " I never look for it. I have given up all 
 hope of it, and quite abandoned myself to 
 garrison routine." 
 
 "I have noticed that you go round and 
 round in a small circle of duties, with no 
 chance of getting out if it," she replied. 
 *' What do you do to break the monotony of 
 it? For I suppose it does get monotonous 
 sometimes ? " 
 
 "Yes, after a while it does. When one 
 has been putting in a quarter of a century 
 engineering two sets of fours through com- 
 pany drill, it begins to be what might be 
 called monotonous." There was a sarcastic 
 quality to his tongue. "What do we do? 
 Oh, various things. There is always great 
 temptation to do forbidden things — things 
 that result in courts martial and dismissals." 
 
198 IN BLUE UNIFOBM 
 
 Somehow the thoughts of both ran back 
 just then to Burton. 
 
 " Yes," she sighed. Then she roused her- 
 self for a statement. " 1 have wanted some 
 such opportunity as this," she said, " to tell 
 you — for it is your due — that some one ap- 
 preciates what you did for that poor man." 
 
 Lyndon looked at her with hopeful eyes. 
 
 " I am glad to hear you say that," said he, 
 with emphasis on the pronoun. " I spoke as 
 I believed, not with any hope of benefiting 
 Burton. The court martial is such a cast- 
 iron affair ; its judgment is run in such a 
 narrow mould. It is limited in general to a 
 strict interpretation of the letter of the law, 
 and there is no leniency in that. I don't 
 doubt that Burton will get the full penalty; 
 but I am glad I spoke." 
 
 " And so am I," said she, sincerely. 
 
 " That is why I am glad," said Lyndon. 
 
 "No, don't say that, or I shall not be 
 glad," she replied with a look that kept him 
 where he was. She was sorry now that she 
 had introduced the subject. " You are glad 
 for the same reason that I am ; because you 
 did the man good, and because it is of no 
 harm, even to the most bigoted, to hear the 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 199 
 
 truth spoken once in a while. I haven't a 
 doubt but the court was prejudiced — the 
 older members, I mean — without knowing it. 
 They would judge the prisoner by the law, 
 and not by their own sense of justice. Is it 
 not so ? " 
 
 " Yes," said Lyndon ; " or, rather, by what 
 their sense of justice would have been, had 
 they allowed themselves independence of 
 thought in the past years. They are bound 
 down to the Book of Regulations, and it is a 
 heavy weight." 
 
 They were silent a little, and suddenly 
 Millicent laughed. 
 
 " To think of their surprise ! It must have 
 been like having a bombshell exploded among 
 them. Tell me, did you feel like a bomb- 
 thrower — an Anarchist ? " 
 
 " I don't think I know the sensation," he 
 replied truthfuU}', in his ignorance. " I be- 
 lieve they more than half agreed with me. 
 But it will make no difference with the 
 result." 
 
 He arose, wondering why he had allowed 
 himself to be diverted from the line of com- 
 pliment, and more, that he had started on. 
 There was something he wanted to say to 
 
200 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 her that might tlius have been led up to, and 
 it was something he could not, dared not, 
 say abruptly. He dared not trust himself 
 with the utterance, and yet he felt that his 
 glow of passion was patent to all the observ- 
 ing world ; as indeed it was. He cast about 
 within him for some way of again leading up 
 to the phase of conversation he longed for, 
 yet dreaded. 
 
 " Do me a favor one moment," exclaimed 
 Millicent, suddenly. " Stand just as you are — 
 the shortest time." She made a dive for the 
 sketch pad lying beside her, and Lyndon 
 unwaveringly maintained his attitude. 
 
 " I wonder if I look as I feel ? " he asked 
 at length, half-laughingly. 
 
 " Oh, precisely," she "declared hurriedly, as 
 she drew in the long lines of his figure. 
 Thus the enigma resolved itself for him. 
 
 "Then if you know how that is — " he 
 began, with his heart in his throat, when 
 something struck him in the face. There 
 had been a pattering of small objects around 
 for some time, but he had paid no attention 
 to it. Now he looked up and saw on the bank 
 abov^, and peering over, Wallace and the two 
 mischievous little girls of Dr. Sanders. 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 201 
 
 "When you answer our rap, we'll come 
 down," shouted Wallace, in great glee at 
 having made a hit. The little girls laughed 
 shrilly. 
 
 " You villain ! " growled Lyndon, while 
 Millicent laughed as though she saw some- 
 thing ridiculous in it. " Come down ! How 
 — how long have you been up there ? " 
 
 "Long — long enough to get tired of it, 
 you were so absorbed," answered Wallace, 
 simulating weariness. Then with more vi- 
 vacity he addressed Millicent. " Miss Har- 
 ding, may I see the sketch? It must be 
 admirable with such a model — I dare say 
 nothing of the artist — and it is ! The Cap- 
 tain to the life! Allow me ?" 
 
 He took a pencil and quickly wrote be- 
 neath it, " Lyndon's Dilemma." Millicent 
 laughed, but scorned to shake her head at 
 him. 
 
 " Boy's nonsense ! " she exclaimed with 
 great indifference. Then she tore the sketch 
 into small fragments. 
 
 "What is it?" demanded Lyndon, with a 
 touch of jealousy. " What is it all about? " 
 
 " Just a joke, a riddle that can't be an- 
 swered," said Wallace. "I am only a boy, 
 
202 7.V BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 and I'm snubbed according-ly. Come along, 
 little girls," he continued to his small, romp- 
 ing companions. " You and I will lead the 
 way out. Want to ride with us, Lyndon? 
 We go out on our jaunts in style, and there's 
 an ambulance up here somewhere, waiting 
 for us. You and Miss Harding may have the 
 back seat." 
 
 The offer was accepted, and Millicent 
 climbed the bank nimbly, wdth a small girl on 
 either hand. Wallace and Lyndon followed 
 with the sketching-gear. Only once did 
 Wallace attempt levity. 
 
 "I say. Captain, you're making a pack- 
 horse of yourself these days." 
 
 " Perhaps I don't understand you," returned 
 L3aidon, looking at him with a certain con- 
 centration of glance that spoke warningly for 
 him. 
 
 " I beg your pardon," said Wallace. That 
 was all. 
 
 One evening not long after this, Mrs. Rem- 
 mick gave a small card party for Millicent. 
 Captain Eagan's two daughters were present 
 with Miss Burns, and Lyndon, Lawrence, 
 Miller, and Wallace came up from the mess. 
 It was one of the small affairs, unimportant 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 203 
 
 in itself, that had served to make that season 
 fly as no season had flown in the memory of 
 the regiment. 
 
 But cards came to grief. The two Misses 
 Eagan were the commonest kind of players, 
 and Miss Burns giggled. So that presently 
 the men began to show tricks with the cards. 
 Some of them were very good at this. But 
 the good tricks were soon played, and ex- 
 plained, and then played over again for them 
 all to see ; and then Millicent was led to 
 entertain them with anecdotes of her artist 
 life. There were some curious bits of Bohemia 
 that she chose to relate, glimpses of a Avay 
 of living that had much in common with the 
 army. Not in the freedom of come-and-go, 
 the civilian indifference and disregard where 
 unpleasant features arose ; but in the merry- 
 go-easy air of it, making such cheer as might 
 be, laughing away dulness, caring little for 
 a scarcity of dimes, living with a singleness 
 of aim. This was like, and yet, in the set- 
 ting, different. It had an air of novelty to 
 the hearers, although now and then a familiar 
 note was sounded. It was intense, and 
 attractive, and bright enough, as Millicent 
 told it, to make other life seem dingy by 
 
204 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 comparison. More than once a langh was 
 followed by a sigh that such delights should 
 be in tlie green earth, and not come near 
 them. They had toys of their own, but 
 these in the playliouse of the stranger were 
 of an unaccustomed sort. No wonder that, 
 like small children, they should feel a rising 
 of envious longing at the sight. Nor did 
 they want the playhouse closed ; they de- 
 lighted in the new jingle, even though it 
 were not theirs. 
 
 " Ah me ! " sighed Miss Burns. " That 
 must be delightful ! And you will some day 
 be going back to it, and we shall be — " 
 She stopped to let painful imagination com- 
 plete her sentence. 
 
 "Doing the old, demnition grind," said 
 Miller. "But don't let's forecast. Miss 
 Harding is not gone j^et." 
 
 Lyndon seemed on the point of hoping 
 that she would stay a. long, an indefinite, 
 time yet, when Mrs. Remmick spoke. 
 
 " I can't keep Millicent with me always. 
 I wish I could ! But we must seem very dull 
 after such a merry round of life as hers ! " 
 
 " Oh, dear aunt," cried Millicent. " How 
 can you ? I have a delightful time liere." 
 
IN BLUE UNIF0R2I 205 
 
 "I am glad, dear, but we know that an 
 artist cannot be forever in the wilds. Some 
 day you may be leaving, and then we shall 
 read in the papers of your pictures of Ameri- 
 can army life. Make them like, Millicent." 
 
 " And not necessarily that," suggested 
 Miller. " We shall trust to your gener- 
 osity." 
 
 Millicent deprecated any great expectations. 
 
 " At the most, it will be something new," 
 she said. " The other girls will be coming 
 over from Paris, and doing the conventional 
 sort of thing, just as they have been doing 
 ever since the beginning. I shall be glad to 
 have this unusual line." 
 
 She gave a little gurgle of laughter. 
 
 " What is it ? " said her aunt. 
 
 " I was thinking of some of the girls I used 
 to be with," Millicent explained. " There was 
 one girl — so intense I She worked and 
 studied with hardly any rest. It was the 
 world to her. She used to say when we 
 teased her away: ' Girls, nothing shall divert 
 me from my art.' And she called it 'awt.' 
 Indeed, she never went anywhere at all." 
 
 " There might have been another reason 
 for that," suggested Wallace. 
 
206 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 " No ; it was simply that she woukl not, 
 for she had lots of invitations. She refused 
 them all, for her aivt. And she was a very 
 pretty girl, too. There was no lack of young 
 men ready to take her anyivliere. But she 
 would have nothing to do with them — • 
 avoided them — said they were instruments 
 of interference between her and her work. I 
 remember that I said to her one day as we 
 were working together : ' Do you know what 
 I believe? Some day some man will ct)me 
 along, and you will be just the girl to go off 
 like a flash and marry him ! ' She said, so 
 earnestly, ' That is just what I am afraid of 
 myself.' " 
 
 " Heroic girl ! To avoid the fascinating 
 creature, man," said the Major at his wife's 
 ear. 
 
 "And she is married now?" asked Law- 
 rence, as though expecting an affirmative 
 reply. 
 
 " No, indeed ! She is working as hard as 
 ever. She even went so far as to get up a 
 club, and ever so many of the girls joined, 
 that was to keep them from marriage. The 
 girls were all infected with her spirit of 
 devotion to the work. She said, ' Girls, if 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 207 
 
 we marry, it is death to our awt.' She 
 wanted to see women do something great 
 and noble in art, and not have the men carry- 
 off all the glory forever. So this club was 
 formed, with a constitution and all that, and 
 the girls signed it in sivarms. It read beauti- 
 fully : ' We do hereby promise to devote our 
 lives to art,' and a lot more that I don't 
 remember. She gave me a copy of it framed 
 as I was leaving, and I have it at home." 
 She ran on, laughing, to the end of her story. 
 
 "A regular celibate club," said Wallace, 
 with evident disfavor. 
 
 "• Yes, just that, indeed," assented Millicent. 
 
 "Is the membership increasing right 
 along?" asked Miller. 
 
 "I don't know. The girls were very 
 staunch, the last I knew of it. They would 
 hardly accept the slightest attention. And 
 as for marrying, no one would have thought 
 of it." 
 
 "Deliver us from the evils we know not 
 of," said Wallace, devoutly. 
 
 " Is that the expression of your sentiments, 
 you young backslider?" demanded the Major. 
 
 "No, not mine. Some other fellow's. I 
 picked them up, but they don't belong to me," 
 
208 IN BLUE UNIFOBM 
 
 he returned, standing up to his colors. And 
 then he was patted on the back, amid much 
 hiughter, for his loyalty. And so the party 
 broke up. 
 
 A little later the Major went forth for a 
 taste of air before turning' in for the niofht. 
 Some one was walking on the parade, and the 
 Major joined him. 
 
 " Hello, Lyndon ! What are you doing out 
 here alone, with the moon and all the stars 
 inspecting you?" he demanded. 
 
 Lyndon gave a little nervous laugh, and 
 determined to make a confidant of the Major. 
 
 " I was thinking," said he, " what were the 
 chances of your niece — Miss Harding — 
 beino- a member of that club ? " 
 
 The Major laid a hand on his arm. " My 
 dear fellow," said he, gently, " what does it 
 matter? " And Lyndon grasped at the straw 
 with some comfort. 
 
 " Hello out there ! Major ! Lyndon ! 
 Come up and have a new cigar with me I " 
 It was Lawrence speaking from his porch. 
 
 So they joined him, and three small red 
 dots soon glowed from the shade in line- 
 But few words were spoken. 
 
XIII 
 
 Department headquarters were remark- 
 ably active in passing upon Burton's case. 
 Sometimes cases lingered there till long 
 after the primal post authorities had for- 
 gotten them ; but this one was attended 
 to with such celerity that Willard whistled 
 to himself as he broke the seals upon the 
 package. By return of mail ! It was almost 
 that. He took the papers to Colonel Bruff, 
 merely remarking that Burton's case was 
 back, and that the proceedings were aj)- 
 proved. The Colonel read the endorsement, 
 and then opened the papers to the finding 
 and sentence of the court. He read: — 
 
 " Plea, guilty. Finding, guilty. Sentence, 
 to be dishonorably discharged the service 
 of the United States, forfeiting all pay and 
 allowances now due or that may become due 
 him, and to be confined at hard labor, at such 
 place as the Reviewing Authority may desig- 
 nate, for a period of three years." Further 
 209 
 
210 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 examination showed that the Reviewing 
 Authority, in accordance with form, had 
 designated the military penitentiary at P^'ort 
 Leavenworth, Kansas, as the place of con- 
 finement at hard labor. Further than that, 
 the recommendation to clemency made by 
 a majority of the court was disregarded, 
 and the court scored for its suggestion. 
 
 "It does not appear," were the words of 
 the Reviewing Authority, "that there was any 
 just ground for this recommendation. The 
 charges and specifications were explicit, and 
 no doubt existed of the prisoner's guilt. In 
 fact, the prisoner attempted no defence. The 
 court seems in this particular to have been 
 led astray by the appeal to sentiment made 
 by the prisoner's counsel, to which no more 
 than a rhetorical value should attach. The 
 members of the court are reminded that a 
 court martial differs from the ordinary civil 
 court in that it is not only a court of justice, 
 but a court of honor as well. No other sen- 
 timent, however admirable in itself, is sup- 
 posed to affect its considerations. The judge 
 advocate is to be complimented on his con- 
 duct of the case. Signed," etc. 
 
 The Colonel read, and nodded approvingly. 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 211 
 
 " That is quite in accord with my judgment 
 — admonition and all," said he. "The ser- 
 vice has quite enough to do in dispensing 
 justice with honor. You will notify Prisoner 
 Burton of his sentence, Mr. Willard, and 
 direct the officer of the day to have him 
 ironed at once." 
 
 There was nothing else of importance in 
 the morning papers. The Colonel signed 
 the consolidated report, and marched up the 
 parade to his quarters, followed at the regu- 
 lation six paces by the nattily uniformed 
 orderly of the day. And if he carried himself 
 a trii3e more stiffly and returned salutes a 
 shade more curtly than usual, it was because 
 his personal opinions had met with approval 
 in high quarters, and because Justice and 
 Honor were supporting him on either hand. 
 Poor Mercy, quite downcast, lingered droop- 
 ing in the rear of the orderly. 
 
 The Colonel felt that justice had been done 
 Burton. He believed the man to be essen- 
 tially bad, and altogether unworthy of the 
 status of an enlisted man. The sentence 
 passed upon him was, in the Colonel's opin- 
 ion, none too severe ; and as it ridded the 
 regiment of him it was all the more excel- 
 
212 IN BLUE UNIFOBM 
 
 lent. And the Colonel had adhered to the 
 letter of the hiw in his share of the matter. 
 He had neither written nor spoken a word to 
 bias the action of the powerful Reviewing 
 Authority at department headquarters ; it 
 was thus that his honor was upright. He 
 had nothing with which to reproach himself ; 
 on the contrary, he was to be congratulated 
 on the proper termination of another of those 
 troublesome little crises so constantly arising 
 in garrison discipline. For it was only by 
 successfully coping with these that the garri- 
 son, the department, the division, — yes, the 
 whole army, — was enabled to maintain the 
 necessary dignity and majesty in time of 
 peace to successfully carry out the purpose 
 of its being in time of war. Consequentl3% 
 he perceived with satisfaction that he had 
 been instrumental in maintaining the pro- 
 fession of arms, to which he was devoted 
 before all else, on the exalted plane it occu- 
 pied in the eyes of the world. This was a 
 point on which he deserved to be commended ; 
 and as he could hardly explain to a second 
 party the course of mental athletics he was 
 going through, he was obliged to commend 
 himself ; which he did. 
 
IN BLUE UNIFOBM 213 
 
 Under the sharp stimulation of the moment 
 he perceived it was the road to preferment in 
 high official circles that he was treading — 
 the road to promotion. And promotion was 
 a blessed thing, to be appreciated both for its 
 rarity and for its increase of pay. He would 
 gladly exchange the eagle of a colonelcy for 
 the star of a brigadier, and he felt that the 
 step was by no means an immediate improba- 
 bility. In accordance with the prevailing 
 custom, he would surely be made a brigadier 
 a month or two before being put on the re- 
 tired list for age. That was the thoughtful 
 attention accorded its eligible old soldiers by 
 a closely calculating government. But in 
 this flush of triumphant justice he thought it 
 likely that merit would be appreciated, and 
 that he would yet have sway over a briga- 
 dier's command for two or three active years 
 at least. 
 
 The officer of the day was notified by the 
 adjutant of the final approval of the proceed- 
 ings in Burton's case, and at once went to 
 the guard-house and read out the sentence. 
 The officer of the day happened to be Miller. 
 He performed the duty in the mechanical 
 manner peculiar to military men ; it was a 
 
214 IN BLUE UN I FOB M 
 
 bit of routine, and not at all unusual. So 
 dispassionately did he conduct himself that 
 Burton forgot for a moment the drunken 
 blow that had reddened his face. If jNIiller 
 rejoiced at the sentence, he gave no sign ; 
 and if he regretted it, he was equally unde- 
 monstrative. 
 
 " By the Colonel's orders 3'ou will be placed 
 in irons immediately," said Miller, in conclu- 
 sion. That was custom. It was taken as 
 prima facie evidence of a man's predisposi- 
 tion to evil that a court martial should sen- 
 tence him to dismissal and confinement at 
 Leavenworth. The advertisement of innate 
 sinfulness was in the shackles. Men were 
 not likely to accept stoically the penalty set 
 against them ; they were far more likely to 
 break away and disappear from the military 
 authorities, sometimes through the conni- 
 vance of comrades, and herein also lay a rea- 
 son for the Colonel's order. Leavenworth 
 was not popular as a place of compulsory 
 residence, nor was the prison occupation of 
 shoe-:r/c.king a factor for entertainment. A 
 man sentenced to the penitentiary could be 
 set down as a candidate for desertion at the 
 first opportunity ; and there he was, a crimi- 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 215 
 
 nal at large. In order to preserve discipline 
 and to protect the community from such des- 
 perate characters, irons were resorted to. 
 
 A corporal of the guard came forth with 
 two armed privates, between whom Burton 
 was placed ; and Miller marched the little 
 procession at once to the blacksmith's shop. 
 
 The blacksmith was also an enlisted man, 
 but he had forged the fetters for many a 
 comrade. So when Miller said to him, "Iron 
 this man," he at once produced a stout link 
 chain of eighteen inches in length, with a bar 
 at each end. The bars were heated, curved 
 around Burton's ankles, and there secured. 
 There was no danger of a man running away 
 when he was limited to an eighteen-inch 
 stride. Miller watched the blacksmith at 
 work and inspected the chain to make sure 
 there was no defect in it. Sometimes a link 
 might be so made as to be easily broken and 
 escape rendered possible. It was a part of 
 Miller's duty to provide against such an 
 unhappy occurrence. Having done his duty, 
 he returned Burton to the guard-house for 
 safe keeping, and reported to Colonel Bruff 
 that his orders had been complied with. 
 As the news got about, all barracks were 
 
216 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 a-thrill with sympathy for Burton. In quit- 
 ting his okl, reckless ways he had not become 
 priggish. He was yet the same jovial, merry 
 companion whom the men had loved, while 
 that they wondered at his capacity for drink. 
 They did not now concern themselves with 
 the law ; they were moved only by sympathy. 
 He had made hard camps and marched long 
 marches and fought cruel foes with them, and 
 all with the rugged lack of gelf-consideration 
 that endears man to man. He was unselfish, 
 always ready to help where a soldier's help 
 might be given. And now the barracks 
 mourned. 
 
 From barracks the ready compassion ex- 
 tended to the married quarters. Calico Row 
 talked of nothing else that afternoon. The 
 soldiers' wives shook their heads mournfully 
 over the fate of so fine a young man, and 
 drank much tea for their consolation. But 
 tea availed nothing with -the younger women. 
 They had not yet recognized the fact that 
 between Indian campaigns and courts mar- 
 tial the best of the garrison was sure to go. 
 It was theirs to utter the exclamations of 
 pity that the elder women had outgrown. 
 No deep personal interest was theirs. Bur. 
 
IN BLUE UNIF0R3T 217 
 
 ton was liked by all, but he was chary of his 
 affection. He avoided all display of the kind. 
 And if one of them was preferred by him 
 before the rest, the others did not know it. 
 It was a universal loss they deplored. 
 
 Just at the moment when night fell rapidly 
 and began revealing her stars, the sergeant 
 of the guard went about the guard-house on 
 a tour of inspection, and at the first corner 
 came face to face with a girl. A bar of 
 light was flung from a window, across her, 
 and he saw in a moment she was the drum- 
 major's daughter, Annie. She had a shawl 
 flung over head, and she clutched it at her 
 throat with one hand, while the other she 
 stretched out to the sergeant. For he was 
 an old man in the regiment, and had known 
 her from a baby. 
 
 She was the first to speak, and in a whis- 
 per. " Sergeant ! " 
 
 " Annie ! You here ! " He was surprised 
 to find her and hesitated between listening 
 to her and sending her home. 
 
 " Sergeant," she whispered again. " I 
 must see him. I must." 
 
 He knew whom she meant, for the garri- 
 son that day was breathing but a single name, 
 — Burton. 
 
218 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 "See Burton? Of all queer things ! No, 
 no, Annie; I can't do it — and this is no place 
 for a young girl at night. You ought not to 
 be here. Run home now, quick." He spoke 
 to her kindly, as to a little, erring child ; for 
 many times had he dandled her on his knee 
 when she was smaller and he was younger. 
 
 " Ah, what harm ? " she pleaded, coming a 
 little nearer. " I know the place well, I 
 know ; but you'll think none the worse of 
 me for being here. Indeed, it is where I' 
 should be, Sergeant. Oh, bring him out here, 
 if only for a moment. They'll be taking him 
 away so soon ! " She laid a hand on his arm 
 gently. "You know me, Sergeant — Annie 
 — and you won't refuse me this I'm asking?" 
 she whispered to him. 
 
 " I love you like a daughter, Annie, and 
 I'd refuse you nothing in conscience," he 
 replied. " But how can I do that? " 
 
 "Just for a moment — one little minute," 
 she murmured. 
 
 " It would be straight against orders. He 
 is to see nobody. I could not do a worse 
 thing this night than that." 
 
 " By the love you bear your wife, your 
 own wife," she pleaded as low as a zephyr 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 219 
 
 might breathe. "Do not say 'no' to me. 
 By the love — " 
 
 He suddenly put his white-gloved hand 
 beneath her chin, and raised her face into 
 the light. 
 
 " Are you married to him ? " he demanded. 
 
 "I am promised," said she, in sudden 
 calm. 
 
 " 'Tis the same," said he, dropping his 
 hands, " and you have the best reason in the 
 world for wanting to see him out of here. 
 You are a good girl, Annie, but I cannot let 
 you see him. I have promised to keep him 
 well, and I will." 
 
 He turned resolutely away. Annie moaned 
 a little, and then sped after him. She could 
 not give up so. 
 
 " Then do this at least for me," she said. 
 " Give him this — and this. See ? I give 
 them to you for him ; I can trust you." A 
 little folded paper lay in one outstretched 
 hand, and in the other a small three-cornered 
 file. That way lay escape from the shackles. 
 
 " Can you ? " said the Sergeant. " But I 
 can't trust myself. God bless you, Annie, 
 for your true love, but do not come to me 
 to-night." 
 
220 m BLUE UNIFOBM 
 
 Then she became fiercely indignant, and 
 "upbraided him. 
 
 " Are you a man at all ? " she cried. " Have 
 you the heart of a man in your breast? Or 
 is it crushed out of you? Are you a mere 
 duty machine that cannot love ? Oh-h-h — " 
 
 He took her by the two shoulders. 
 
 " If you stay here longer, you will get into 
 trouble," said he, sternly. " Go home. To- 
 night I am on dut}^ ; I am a soldier, and noth- 
 ing else. To-morrow I march off duty, and my 
 man's heart will beat. Go home. Can you 
 not wait ? " 
 
 Then she bowed her head, and sobbed piti- 
 fully. " Forgive me ! " she whispered. " I 
 love him so ! " She fled through the darkness 
 homeward, as she was bidden. 
 
XIV 
 
 Each morning at guard-mounting the 
 prisoners were paraded with the old guard, 
 and Burton's shackles were tested by the new 
 officer of the day, generally in person. This 
 was at first done carefully, then perfunctoril}'-, 
 and then left to a non-commissioned officer, 
 who made a report on their condition. To 
 all appearances Burton had calmly accepted 
 his sentence as the inevitable, and would make 
 no effort to avoid it. Had it been otherwise, 
 the vicrilance would not have been relaxed, 
 and Burton would not soon have been going 
 out to the reception of the new guard with 
 liis shackles so filed as to be broken by the 
 merest jerk. The filing was neatly done, and 
 was concealed by rags which he had obtained 
 permission to wear around his ankles to pre- 
 vent chafing. The cursory examination to 
 which they were subjected revealed nothing, 
 and he was looked upon as an unusually 
 safe and trusty prisoner, waiting patiently 
 221 
 
222 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 for the day when he should be transferred to 
 Leavenworth. 
 
 But this coukl be only a mistaken conclu- 
 sion. It was equivalent to crediting him with 
 a continuance of all the good resolutions upon 
 which he had formed his conduct during Lyn- 
 don's captaincy, when the present was satis- 
 fying and the future held something worth 
 striving for. He had nothing now to gain by 
 exemplary conduct ; but he might, indeed, dis- 
 semble, and so win a chance of escape. His 
 moral fabric, founded upon a lively hope of 
 reward, necessarily fell when that reward 
 became less than air. He retrograded, and 
 became at heart what he had been, with the 
 advantage of a period of good behavior on 
 which to base appearances. He appreciated 
 this advantage fully, and turned it to account. 
 The officers were deceived by him, and it was 
 given to only a few of his fellows to know his 
 intentions. But these few were trusty from 
 his jooint of view, and were indeed spirits 
 upon whom he could rely. They were much 
 such men as he himself, possessing in high 
 degree the fiery quality that makes a man 
 especially to be desired in the field and within 
 reach of danger, and converts him into a sad 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 223 
 
 dog of the guard-liouse in the safety and 
 seclusion of the garrison. They were essen- 
 tially fighting men, and always ready to 
 accept chances. By their kind offices matters 
 had been well arranged, looking to Burton's 
 escape and the prevention of his capture. 
 
 It was not known when orders misfht be 
 received to forward Burton to the peniten- 
 tiary. The Colonel looked for the missive 
 every day, but it did not come, and he was 
 in the dark as to the intentions of his supe- 
 riors. And yet, by that unferreted system 
 of communication that enables the barracks 
 to persistently forestall the headquarters in 
 matters of news, Burton had been informed 
 that a convoy of prisoners was at San Antonio, 
 ready to start, and that he would probably 
 be ordered out to join them en route. The 
 order was likely to arrive any day, and its 
 arrival would diminish his chances of escape 
 to a minimum ; for then he would be deprived 
 of all liberty, and kept a close cell-iDrisoner 
 till the hour of departure. It was time to 
 cast aside his passiveness and to act boldly. 
 
 The opportunity came on a day when 
 Lyndon was on duty. The men had been 
 quiescent for a week, and garrison-prisoners 
 
224 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 were scarce. There were not enough of them 
 to do the police work usually expected of 
 them ; this was the good result of Colonel 
 Bruff's administration. In the emergency, 
 general prisoners went to labor in unaccus- 
 tomed places. For three days the wood-yard 
 had been short handed, and Burton had 
 swung an axe there, always under the eye 
 of a sentinel. On the fourth day the sentinel 
 to whom he was told off, a long-limbed speci- 
 men of the renegade Yankee to whom the 
 Southwest offers a refuge, marched him to 
 the extreme limit of the yard for work. It 
 was half a mile from the garrison proper, 
 and well out of sight. Great quantities of 
 cordwood were piled on the area in measured 
 sections, and made a labyrinth of narrow 
 passages through which they had to pass, and 
 among which a man could easil}'' elude pur- 
 suers. From the end of the yard the ground 
 fell away in a clean and gentle slope to the 
 creek, where the yellow stones showed beneath 
 the shallow water. Beyond was a fringe of 
 pecan trees ; and beyond that, the swell and 
 dell of the prairie for miles upon miles until 
 the blue lid of heaven sliut down upon it. 
 It was a scene to make broad thoughts and 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 225 
 
 hopes of freedom bud and swell in the breast 
 of man. It was a familiar view to Burton ; 
 and yet he looked upon it and his nearer 
 surroundings with a little whistle of satis- 
 faction. 
 
 " You're fond of scenery ? You like it, 
 eh ? " said the Yankee sentinel, with a grin. 
 
 " Oh, it is fine, fine ! " said Burton, carelessly. 
 The man was not in his confidence, and 
 might not be entirely reliable. He struck 
 the axe into a log several times to convey to 
 a distance the idea of labor. " It's a fine, 
 grand country, old man ? " he added, a trifle 
 more enthusiastically. 
 
 The sentinel gazed critically into the blue 
 distance. 
 
 "I can't say I like it myself — well, not so 
 very much. I have a big liking for moun- 
 tains. The bigger they are, the more I like 
 them. A fellow don't feel so dern conspicu- 
 ous, somehow. He can't see things so mighty 
 far off." He lingered over his words as 
 though to convey an idea that might not be 
 spoken. 
 
 Burton fell in promptly with his remark. 
 
 " That's so," he assented. " Mountains 
 are a good thing if you don't want to be 
 
226 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 seen; but then, that's just the place they'd 
 go to look for you." 
 
 " Might be so," drawled the sentinel. " No 
 telling where they won't go when it comes to 
 that. And yet, there is times, as you know 
 and as I know, when a mountain 'ud come in 
 right handy." 
 
 " As how ? " asked Burton. 
 
 " Right off — well, in there, somehow," 
 said the Yankee, pointing across the creek to 
 the wavering blue of the prairie. " One lit- 
 tle hill in there would help out the scenery, 
 to my idea, and be a good thing other ways, 
 too." 
 
 " There's other things just as good," said 
 Burton. He did not know how far he might 
 trust this man. He was not the one he 
 would have chosen for the occasion. The 
 indications were satisfactory, but it was not 
 advisable to run any chances of error. He 
 might not be so favorably inclined as he 
 seemed. 
 
 Burton chopped steadily for two minutes. 
 It was well to let the sound of the axe be 
 heard; inquisitive officers might thus be 
 barred from personal visits of inspection ; and 
 the conversation was becoming interesting. 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 227 
 
 The time for words would soon be past, and 
 then would follow action. Burton dealt 
 heavy, resounding blows. 
 
 Some cowboys, riding along the opposite 
 bank, saw him, and shouted derisively about 
 " soldiering " at his work. Burton stopped 
 and listened. Two soldiers together, a sen- 
 tinel and a prisoner, will do in a fair day the 
 work of one half-grown boy. This is an 
 accepted basis of calculation, and for that 
 reason the phrase of the cowboys conveyed 
 a caustic meaning. Burton scowled after 
 them. 
 
 " Dern 'em ! " said the sentinel. 
 
 " Those fellows never are 'round when 
 we're doing soldier work," said Burton, bit- 
 terly. " When we're chasing a few Apaches, 
 or a whole tribe is chasing we, those fellows 
 are taking mighty good care there's no holes 
 shot in their precious hides." 
 
 " Dern 'em ! " repeated the sentinel, with 
 emphasis. 
 
 Burton chopped. The sentinel lit a pipe 
 and sat down comfortably. He offered Bur- 
 ton a chew off his plug, which Burton ac- 
 cepted. The prisoner's axe lay idle beside 
 the sentinel's rifle. 
 
228 IN BLUE UNIFOBM 
 
 " Did you ever see the way these Mexican 
 troops do?" asked Burton, socially, as he 
 adjusted the quid. " You ever see them at 
 all ? " 
 
 "None to speak of. How'd you mean?" 
 
 "I used to see them up here at Juarez, 
 across from old Fort Bliss. They send a 
 prisoner down to the river for a couple of 
 buckets of water; a sentinel goes to watch 
 the prisoner ; a corporal goes to watch the 
 sentinel ; a sergeant of the guard goes to 
 watch the corporal ; and some sort of a lieu- 
 tenant goes along with a gun and a knife to 
 see that the whole procession don't desert. 
 That's the way with them. They don't use 
 much water, those fellows." 
 
 The sentinel laughed noiselessly. It was 
 a good story, and he enjoyed the local 
 application. 
 
 "I reckon it's something the same way 
 with us," he said, tentatively. 
 
 Burton looked at hira narrowl3^ 
 
 " What do you mean ? " he said. 
 
 " Oh, nothing. I was just a-thinking that 
 when a fellow gets sick of soldiering he 
 ought to skip out, whether he's a Greaser or 
 a white man. / would, I swear I would. 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 229 
 
 Soraeliow, I'd owe it to myself to do it. I 
 ain't sick of it 3'et ; my little old thirteen 
 dollars a month is coming in too slick and 
 easy. But if I didn't have that to look 
 forward to — well, I know what I'd do." 
 
 The two men looked at each other and 
 nodded. They commenced to understand 
 each other. 
 
 " I'd skip before I'd go to Leavenworth," 
 said Burton, in a low tone. 
 
 " Oh, a dern sight sooner," rejoined the 
 sentinel. 
 
 Burton stood up straight, and looked all 
 about. 
 
 " Might give a few chops, for gen'rul 
 effect," suggested the sentinel. And Burton 
 cut out a chip or two with a great noise. 
 
 " Don't work too hard. The day's young 
 yet," said the vigilant sentinel. And Burton 
 stopped. 
 
 " Is that a pretty good rifle of yours ? " 
 asked Burton, presently. 
 
 " Fair — yes, that is to say, it looks all 
 right," said the sentinel. "But I never have 
 any luck with it. I couldn't qualify at 
 the targets. And I'm the worst sort of a 
 skirmisher." 
 
230 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 "That SO?" 
 
 " Fact. And I certainly ain't much confi- 
 dence in it to-day," he continued dryly. 
 "I'm using reloaded ammunition, and that 
 cartridge in there ain't got enough powder — 
 well, not enough to carry to the crick ! 
 And my firing pin's broke, too. No, I ain't 
 banking much on that gun to-day." 
 
 He looked up quizzically as he finished 
 speaking, and Burton bent over him with 
 great earnestness. 
 
 "Do you know what I'm going to do?" he 
 whispered. 
 
 " I know what I'd do," responded the sen- 
 tinel. 
 
 " I'm going to do that same," said Burton. 
 "Presently you'll see a couple of horses come 
 behind the pecans over there. There'll be 
 a girl riding one — the drum-major's Annie — 
 my Annie, by God ! For we're promised, 
 do you know it? That other horse is for 
 me. — We've got our plan all made. I 
 shall break my anklets and run. You can 
 holler 'halt' all you want to, and fire 3'our 
 gun ; I shan't stop, and you don't have 
 to hit anything. — Then we ride away and 
 ride away, Annie and I, and every man in 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 231 
 
 barracks will say Godspeed ! And it's no 
 cavalry squad that'll find us and bring us 
 back! We know a trail — but I've said 
 enough. — First you know, I'm off. So I'll 
 say it now, good-by to you and all the 
 boys." 
 
 The Yankee sentinel knocked out his pipe. 
 He did not want to be found smoking in the 
 excitement about to ensue. 
 
 "I'm right sorry to lose you," said he, 
 "and so are all the boys. But I'm a good 
 American. I believe in freedom and equality. 
 One man's good's another, I guess. I know 
 / wouldn't do no penal service — no, not for 
 the whole United States army. Well, I 
 reckon there's your girl now, over behind 
 them trees. — Hello ! Gone ? I swear, he took 
 me by surprise ! " 
 
 One whistle had pierced through the wood ; 
 and with a twist of ankle and wrist, Burton 
 had snapped the fetters apart, and was run- 
 ning as for life down the slope to the creek. 
 He made for the shallowest part, and the 
 horses were waiting just beyond. 
 
 The sentinel gained his feet with a great 
 show of celerit3^ 
 
 " Stop ! " he cried in a husky tone. " Halt I " 
 
232 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 he shouted. And then, in a yet louder tone, 
 as the distance was increased, " Halt, or Til 
 fire ! " 
 
 Burton made an irreverent backward move- 
 ment with his hand and kept on his course. 
 
 " I reckon I'd better fire now," said the 
 sentinel, and bringing his rifle hip high, he 
 pulled the trigger. There was a small flash, 
 a loud report, and Burton flung up his hands 
 and pitched heavily forward down the hill to 
 the water's edge. Annie's scream rang over 
 the water, for she had witnessed every move- 
 ment. 
 
 The sentinel looked in amazement from liis 
 gun to the convulsed, writhing body of the 
 man and back again, unable to grasp the 
 whole occurrence. Then he dropped his 
 gun, crying: 
 
 " My Gowd, I've hit him ! " 
 
 And he would have run forward to where 
 Burton lay with his hands in the edge of 
 the creek. But just then a composed voice 
 said: 
 
 " You are mistaken ; I fancy that was my 
 shot." 
 
 He looked around, terror-stricken. Lyndon, 
 pale but very calm, was at that moment 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 233 
 
 emerging from an alley of the wood-yard, 
 with a smoking revolver in his hand. 
 
 "We will leave him lying there," said 
 Lyndon. " To the guard-house ! Forward, 
 march ! " 
 
XV 
 
 The shot had been heard at the guard- 
 house, and the sergeant of the guard, acting 
 with prompt decision, had at once ordered a 
 coi-poral and a private of the guard in the 
 direction of the sound. On the way they 
 were met by Captain Lyndon, marching the 
 delinquent sentinel to safe keeping. By his 
 order the private ran to the hospital for a 
 stretcher and men to carry it, and the cor- 
 poral hurried to the place where Burton was 
 lying. Lyndon hastened the steps of his 
 prisoner, saw him behind a firmly bolted grat- 
 ing, and then went directly in search of 
 Colonel Bruff to report to him the whole 
 proceeding. The matter of medical attend- 
 ance for Burton was beyond his province. 
 He gave himself no uneasiness concerning it, 
 for he knew the hospital work under Dr. 
 Sanders was as faithfully attended to as that 
 of any department of the post. But out of 
 sympathy he was resolved to go to the hos- 
 234 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 235 
 
 pital so soon as his report should be received, 
 and learn the condition of the wounded man. 
 He might have preferred to do that first, but 
 military observances forbade. 
 
 The Colonel's composure abated nothing 
 as he listened to Lyndon's statement that he 
 had been giving his company a little gallery 
 practice with rifle and pistol, and had ended 
 with his own revolver full of service car- 
 tridges ; then he had gone by the guard-house 
 casually, and had inquired where the pris- 
 oners were working. Learning of Burton's 
 exposed place, he had walked down through 
 the wood-yard, and arrived just as Burton 
 burst his shackles and ran. He at once 
 divined that the sentinel was conniving at 
 the escape, and was convinced of it by his 
 listless shouts and his unaimed shot. He 
 had fired at the same time, left Burton Ipng 
 where he fell, and had secured the sentinel 
 as a prisoner in the guard-house. The sur- 
 geon had been notified. Burton had not 
 been killed, though he might possibly be 
 dead by that time. He was probably already 
 at the hospital, and they could learn of his 
 condition in a short time. Captain Lyndon 
 stood silently at attention, awaiting the 
 Colonel's pleasure. 
 
236 IN BLUE UN IFOR 31 
 
 The Colonel regretted the shooting. He 
 called it a "regrettable incident." There 
 was a general feeling abroad, he said, of hos- 
 tility to the shooting of soldiers except by 
 an armed foe. Personally, he thought a little 
 occasional firearm practice by their officers 
 \yould have a salutary effect upon them ; but 
 the military being subservient to the civil 
 power, his views were not generally accepted. 
 There was a point involved upon which the 
 Regulations were not sufficiently exijlicit ; 
 while they forbade capital punishment for 
 any offence, sentinels were enjoined to pre- 
 vent the escape of prisoners by any and all 
 means in their power. Guns and cartridges 
 came within the limitation of the word 
 " means " ; hence, shooting under such cir- 
 cumstances was justifiable before the Regu- 
 lations, and was morally right, anyway. 
 Captain Lyndon had done no more than his 
 duty, and the Colonel was pleased to say so. 
 
 This was the sole occasion upon which the 
 Colonel was known to make adverse criticism 
 of the Regulations. 
 
 Lyndon regretted the "incident" more 
 deeply than the Colonel appeared to; for he 
 had been an active participant in it, and the 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 237 
 
 Colonel was but a passive judge. Lyndon 
 was not in the habit of shooting men — par- 
 ticularly men of his own command. He had 
 borne himself exceptionally well in several 
 Indian campaigns ; but shooting white men 
 was different work. Still, he did not allow 
 himself to be influenced by any considera- 
 tions of sentiment. He had conceived it to 
 be his duty to shoot, and he had shot. That 
 duty did not seem a whit the pleasanter or 
 the more desirable on account of the Colo- 
 nel's commendation. Under the same cir- 
 cumstances, he would do the same again, for 
 it was the only course open to him. But it 
 was a course that brought with it a stern, 
 unjdelding, unwelcome sense of satisfaction. 
 
 Other times, other manners. 
 
 It was a matter of surprise to himself that 
 he should have been called upon to do this 
 thing. Superficially considered, his habit of 
 discipline would never have led to it. But 
 there were times when only a hard hand 
 would do at all, and it was an element of his 
 nature, perhaps unappreciated by himself, 
 that enabled him to rise to the demands of 
 occasion. He looked upon Burton as a 
 victim of harsh judgments, rashly delivered ; 
 
238 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 but therein lay no reason why he shoukl 
 shrink from inflicting the final stroke when 
 it was required of him. His own ideas of 
 a lenient, flexible discipline were not applica- 
 ble to all cases ; some men would require a 
 different treatment. His would fail with 
 such as completely as the generally accepted 
 terms had failed with Burton, though the 
 end mio-ht not be so laden with disaster. 
 
 Burton's end was the natural one for such 
 a case ; but Lyndon thought it a curiously 
 unhappy combination of fates that compelled 
 him to put the finishing touch to the bad 
 work of others. If he had not taken the 
 pistol witli him, he would not have shot 
 Burton; and if he had not gone to gallery 
 practice in Lawrence's place, he would not 
 have had the pistol ; and if Lawrence had 
 not asked to be excused from the drill, he 
 certainly would not have gone near it. Law- 
 rence had taken advantage of his being on 
 duty, and therefore obliged to remain in 
 garrison, to ask to be excused so that he 
 might go riding with Miss Harding. Lyndon 
 gave a little start when that memory recurred 
 to him, and thought it gave an added touch 
 of bitterness to the whole unpleasant "inci- 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 239 
 
 dent." He was nearly ready now to call it 
 a catastrophe.. 
 
 Tliey had looked very well riding out of 
 the post, — Lawrence on the clean, white 
 horse that had carried him through the flood, 
 and Millicent on an easy bay loaned by good- 
 natured Captain Eagan from his troop in 
 superb disregard of regulations. Eagan might 
 have loaned her his entire troop, boot and 
 saddle, had Millicent expressed any desire 
 for it. He had a broad, irreflective way of 
 doing grandly generous things that was in 
 keeping with his good Irish name; and he 
 was as nearly INIillicent's humble slave as 
 Mrs. Eagan thought proper. But Eagan was 
 not alone in his homage. The entire garrison 
 was quite at her service. The married men 
 did what they could ; the promised men went 
 a step farther and indicated what might have 
 been expected of them under more favorable 
 conditions ; and the men yet to be promised 
 vied with one another in showing her such 
 attention as she would accept. Lyndon 
 might easily have persuaded himself that he 
 had paid her a real attention in excusing 
 Lawrence from drill ; for thereby she had 
 her ride and her escort, and without it she 
 
240 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 must have clone without either. At any rate, 
 he waved his cap gaily, and looked after 
 them with the eyes of self-sacrifice as they 
 cantered up the Line and out through the 
 west gate. The world was before them, 
 broad and free, to ride upon it where they 
 would. 
 
 They went forth, well-wished and merry, 
 happy in the simple exhilaration of the day. 
 A pale blue sky sheltered them, growing 
 dark as it came evenly down to earth in folds 
 and panels. The air was still. Larks rose 
 from the prairie as their horses' feet padded 
 softly and regularly on the turf. Now and 
 then a road-runner, ablaze with brilliant 
 plumage, cut along their path, or with an 
 eye single to premeditated danger in their 
 approach, scuttled into the undergrowth with 
 a heart palpitating at the narrow escape. 
 Plover in comfortable colonies rose fluttering 
 above them, and when they had gone by, 
 settled again to their chosen ground of 
 repast. Snipe tilted along in wet places, 
 uttering sharp little cries. The world was 
 instinct with life and vitality ; its creatures 
 were everywhere, joyous in living. The 
 grasses even bore themselves with a stalwart 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 241 
 
 grace, and the flowers stared unwinkingly 
 into the face of the sun. It was a brioht 
 world, a happy world, a world for two reason- 
 ing, appreciative, language-speaking beings 
 to live in. And these two rode through it, 
 each listening within to a heart-song of joy 
 and peace in this fair world that was theirs. 
 
 They reined in to a walk while they went 
 down the steep cut that led to the creek, 
 and they stopped half-way across the ford to 
 watch the water wrinkle about the horses' 
 hocks. The horses put down their heads, 
 stretching an immeasurable length of neck, 
 and drank. "Like a toboggan slide," said 
 Lawrence. " Or an accordeon, drawn out," 
 said jNIillicent. They looked at each other, 
 laughing in happy appreciation of each 
 other's similes. Down below them the 
 stream was creeping fearingly to successive 
 steps of a limestone ledge over which it 
 flowed, and taking the sudden leap from one 
 step to another with mingled sounds of antic- 
 ipative dread and jubilant surprise. " ' Here 
 we go ! Here we go ! ' That's what the 
 water is singing," said Millicent. But Law- 
 rence said, No ; it was a secret the water was 
 babbling about big bass and catfish in the 
 
242 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 rapids and j)ools, and that none but a fisher- 
 man could understand it. " Then you sliall 
 transhite it for me," said Millicent, quite as 
 well satisfied with his version as her own. 
 
 And with that they rode up the other side 
 to the prairie level. Then on and along 
 the creekside, between the singing brown 
 water and the green growth of bush and 
 grass that swept away and up to the loving 
 blue sky, far away. It was a world without 
 spot or blemish on its face, doubt or fear in 
 its heart. On and on they rode. 
 
 They went slowly by a belt of pecan trees, 
 the shadows barring their path and flicker- 
 ing in their faces in constantly passing pat- 
 terns. The sound of an axe came to them 
 remotely. " Some poor prisoner is earning his 
 pay," remarked Lawrence. Prisoner ! They 
 both smiled at the word. In very truth, 
 each of them was a jsi'isoner, owning the 
 other as jailer. It w^as a happy occupation, 
 this of being a prisoner. The axe bore no sig- 
 nificance. This unseen man, this prisoner, 
 became a flj'ing image in their happy world. 
 They were not in the least concerned with 
 him, but from his state of curtailed liberty 
 he was in harmony with them and theirs. 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 243 
 
 Prisoner, indeed ! Yes, forever and a day, 
 said their eyes. What could be better? 
 
 As they went, a girl came towards them, 
 ridinff one horse and leadincj another. She 
 looked at them with a guilty color, and smiled 
 as she passed in safety. Lawrence idly rec- 
 ognized the fact that she was a garrison girl, 
 but his thoughts followed her no further ; she 
 might have led a dozen horses, and he would 
 hardly have seen them. She avoided Law- 
 rence, and passed on the other side ; and her 
 eyes encountered Millicent's with deep, plead- 
 ing meaning, insomuch that Millicent's color 
 rose answeringly. 
 
 " That girl is going to meet her lover," said 
 Millicent, confidently. " She will meet him, 
 and they will ride away together on those 
 horses — ride, and hardly think where." 
 
 " You know this?" asked Lawrence, roused 
 to interest. 
 
 " Oh, perfectly. She looked at me as she 
 went by. I could read." 
 
 Lawrence considered the matter closely. 
 
 " I believe you are right," said he. " She 
 smiled after she passed you, knowingly. I 
 hope he won't disappoint her. Yes, they will 
 meet — perhaps she is going to ask him to 
 elope with her ! " 
 
244 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 ]\Iillicent laughed at the absurdity of the 
 thought. Lawrence rode nearer to her. 
 
 "That makes a difference, doesn't it?" he 
 said. 
 
 "What?" 
 
 " Eloping." 
 
 "Decidedly. All the difference in the 
 world." 
 
 And more they said, but with their eyes, 
 too rare and subtle a language for words. 
 And they rode through the Gates of Joy, 
 not knowing that the road led thither. And 
 presently they came to a broad, placid pool 
 in the creek's course, with tall trees around, 
 and green, flat-leaved plants spreading on 
 its surface. There they dismounted, and sat 
 beneath a tree, conversing, till suddenly both 
 started, and looked at each other question- 
 ingly. 
 
 " I thought I heard a shot," said Lawrence, 
 doubtfully. 
 
 " And I — I heard no shot, but a single 
 scream," answered Millicent. 
 
 " No scream ; only a shot," he maintained. 
 
 They listened fearingly for a repetition of 
 the sounds, but heard nothing. And they 
 breathed more easily and were reassured. 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 245 
 
 "It was nothing — we were mistaken," said 
 thev. " Oh, it could have been nothing: at 
 alL" So they composed themselves again to 
 their own affair. Their conversation became 
 entirely personal, and Millicent referred as 
 with pride to his fording of the river, to his 
 ride for a dance with her, and to incidents 
 that she had learned of his army life from 
 other lips than his own, 
 
 " I almost believe there is nothing you can- 
 not do," said she at the last, adoringly. 
 
 " Even to making you love me a little ? " 
 he asked, not in the least degree doubt- 
 ingly. 
 
 " So it would appear," she replied with hap- 
 piness, and touching a ring he had placed on 
 her finger. 
 
 They remained there till shadows were 
 at their shortest, and then rode slowly back. 
 People who saw them go down tlie Line 
 nodded to one another and averred, "They 
 love each other ; they are engaged," and none 
 were found to gainsay it. 
 
 That evening, in familiar privacy, Lawrence 
 told his captain of the existing arrangement. 
 Lyndon went white for a moment. The day 
 had been one long trial to him. Then he ral- 
 
246 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 lied and congratulaled Lawrence as warmly 
 as that happy man could wish. 
 
 " And Avhen did this occur ? " asked Lyn- 
 don, later, with an attempted lightness of 
 demeanor. 
 
 " Six days ago, between 8 and 8.30 o'clock 
 of the evening," replied Lawrence, candidly. 
 
 Lyndon sighed lightly. "I am glad it 
 wasn't to-day," he said unguardedly. " I 
 should not have liked that." 
 
 " Why ? " demanded Lawrence, quickly. 
 
 " Oh, nothing — nothing, I assure you," 
 Lyndon replied in his most convincing man- 
 ner. But it would not do. " Only, then, 
 because it has been a day of ill luck. But 
 that is only a fancy, anyway, and of not the 
 slightest account." 
 
XVI 
 
 The announcement of the engagement 
 was not longer delayed, and it was received 
 Ly the garrison with ready congratulations. 
 Every one had a little private set of joy-bells 
 tuned to the occasion, on which they rung 
 endless chimes. Even Lyndon put a good 
 face on the matter, and joined in. Major 
 Remmick had a pretty clear conception 
 of the disappointment he had suffered, but 
 beyond a crushing, comforting grip of the 
 hand, such as big-hearted, slow-tongued men 
 bestow on each other in serious seasons, he 
 gave no sign. Even to Mrs. Remmick he 
 made no admissions when that excellent lady 
 sought confirmation of her suspicions. 
 
 But it was not a time for thinking of dis- 
 appointments. Lawrence, himself, in his ex- 
 uberance of new life, overtopped all other 
 considerations. Wallace greeted him like a 
 brother in the happiness that is bej'ond under- 
 standing, — save by the initiated, — and the 
 247 
 
248 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 two formed an unusually strong friendship on 
 the strength of their common interest. The 
 post sutler was suavity itself those days, smil- 
 ing in his prosperity ; and Lawrence poured 
 out a month's pay in champagne for thirsty 
 comrades who held that his happiness would 
 last all the longer for being thoroughly " wet 
 down " at the outset. This was a phase of 
 the new relationship that the ladies were 
 expected to maintain a fiction of knowing 
 nothing about. Of course, they did know, 
 and the men knew that they knew. But it 
 was a matter only to be hinted at in glances 
 of the eye, or in intelligent little laughs and 
 gurgles. This prohibition for speech gave to 
 it the fascination of wickedness, and had a 
 clear financial value for the sutler. He did not 
 appreciate it, however; he smiled vacantly, 
 and ordered up another basket, and swore 
 profanely that the gentlemen of this regi- 
 ment were better headed men and could 
 punish more bottles than the gentlemen of 
 any other regiment he ever see ; and he had 
 been sutlering forty year. This was in itself 
 quite an effective argument in favor of con- 
 tinuing the punishment. 
 
 The ladies, from Mrs. Colonel Bruff down 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 249 
 
 to Mrs. Second Lieutenant Bates, gathered 
 around Millicent in a cooing circle, and re- 
 peatedlj'- assured her of the joy they found 
 in her own. They would be glad to welcome 
 her as really one with them, they said. As 
 a visitor at the post she had been able to form 
 a good idea of army life ; but to know its full 
 delight she must pass within the doors and 
 abide there. Her heart must be in the army, 
 — indeed, there was no doubt that it was 
 there already, — but she must follow it. A 
 delightful fact that they communicated to 
 her, and that made the life throughout ro- 
 mantic, was that army marriages were love 
 marriages. This was the rule. What but 
 love, and the most pronounced love at that, 
 would tempt a girl to leave a home in the 
 land where homes were — in the states, 
 God's land — and follow a penniless lieu- 
 tenant into a barren wilderness to become 
 forever a nomad ? It was farewell to a home, 
 but welcome to a love that should take the 
 place of home and all things else. 
 
 As the ladies told her these things in low, 
 convincing tones, their cheeks flushed and 
 their eyes brightened in attestation. Expos- 
 ure to sun and wind in an unkind country 
 
250 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 made an early ruin of the delicate charms of 
 their girlhood ; but there was youthful blood 
 in their hearts, still pulsing to the measure of 
 their young happiness. And many in glad- 
 ness repeated to Millicent the lesson Wallace 
 had learned some weeks before : " In the eyes 
 of army men, my dear, army women never 
 srrow old." This was the shibboleth of their 
 enduring joy and peace. The young women 
 repeated it in blind, trusting acceptance, and 
 the older ones in the loyal forgetfulness born 
 of experience. And it bore a great satisfac- 
 tion into the lieart of Millicent. 
 
 They reasoned directly to the conclusion 
 that should love come to one in the guise of 
 an army officer, there was sufficient and good 
 reason for disregarding all other interests and 
 absorbing one's self in that alone. Millicent 
 was very glad none of them made any refer- 
 ence to her art. Truth to tell, this phase had 
 occasioned her no little uneasiness. She had 
 feared comment, perhaps from some unmar- 
 ried but marriageable girls of the regiment, 
 as being temporarily unpleasant ; but the chief 
 trouble lay within hei-self. This seemed so 
 inconsistent an ending to the career she had 
 planned, for which she had studied. She 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 251 
 
 had never thought to be married. She had 
 ehminated that from her plan of life. Art 
 was to have been the object of her devotion, 
 and excellence in her own work her sole 
 ambition. She had even flattered herself 
 into the belief that she was incapable of love, 
 and then it had come upon her unaware. 
 She was a disappointment to herself to find 
 that, like other girls, she could so take up 
 with a Man, to the u-reparable injury of Art. 
 It was humbling ; she perceived there was 
 nothing distinctive about her, after all. This 
 happily drew her thoughts from art to a de- 
 lightful wondering as to what He saw in her 
 to prefer — she still being in a humble frame 
 of mind. After all, it was as well. Art was 
 art, and but an artificial part of life, a manu- 
 factured issue ; but love was the whole of life 
 — was life itself ; and upon that conclusion 
 she became content. After that the thumb- 
 tacked sketches and the paint-brushes gradu- 
 '/ally disappeared from her room, the sketching- 
 umbrella and camp-stool gathered dust in a 
 corner, and a sardonic spider wove a web 
 rope about her easel. It was a process of 
 tapering off the old life and making it sub- 
 ordinate to the new. 
 
252 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 One time she pleased Lawrence much and 
 flattered his vanity, which was robust in those 
 days, by showing him a rear-view sketch of 
 an officer on a white horse lighting his way 
 through a raging flood of yellow water. Be- 
 neath it she had written : " The Beginning." 
 He recognized the Colorado-crossing incident, 
 and carried off the sketch in triumph. He re- 
 garded it as wonderfully clever ; his imagina- 
 tion was vivid then. He had a frame made 
 for it by the garrison carpenter, and would 
 sit by the hour, smoking pipes of incense 
 before it; for it was a piece of her work, 
 something she had done, something of him 
 and for him. 
 
 But while happiness ruled in the courts of 
 the Line, there was Aveeping and black despair 
 on Calico Row. In the drum-major's quar- 
 ters Annie lay, with fierce rebellion in her 
 heart. 
 
 " It ain't fair, it ain't fair ! " she repeated, 
 while her mother sat helplessly by. " They've 
 got money and clothes and everything they 
 want ; and if that ain't enough, they've got 
 each other. An' all I had was my man, my 
 lover, and he's dyin', dyin' in hospital ! Shot 
 comin' to me, and dyin' ; and I can't see 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 253 
 
 him ! They've got everything. I've got noth- 
 ing. It ain't fair — and I hate 'em ! " 
 
 Her mother listened with nodding sympa- 
 thy, and drank tea. 
 
 " Try a cup, Annie," she urged. " It'll do 
 you good." 
 
 Tea for the crushed heart ! Annie turned 
 away, moaning and crying in her deep misery, 
 for which the only solace offered was tea. 
 
 " I couldn't liave him livin', and I can't see 
 him dyin'. It ain't fair ! " 
 
 "It'll wear out," said her mother, sooth- 
 ingly. " There, dear heart, don't take on so. 
 It'll wear away. There's many a good man 
 shot, and many a girl crying, in the army. 
 I've been a girl ; I know. It'll all wear away 
 in time." 
 
 " Time, time — that means living without 
 him. I don't want time. I want him — or I 
 want to die," moaned Annie. 
 
 Her motlier shook her head and emptied 
 the cup. She knew ; she had been a girl in 
 the army. Annie was taking it hard, but it 
 wouldn't last so. In a garrison where girls 
 were scarce and single men plenty, there 
 would be no lack of rivals for Burton's place. 
 Some one of them would be successful, and 
 
254 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 Annie would smile again. She knew ; it had 
 been so in her own girlhood, and natures did 
 not change, though time ran never so fast. 
 She liked Burton, but there were other men. 
 She knew that, although Annie seemed as 
 yet strangely unconscious of it. Burton was 
 djdng, but Annie would recover. Her sym- 
 pathy was with Annie, but her tea-dosed 
 equanimity was undisturbed. Heart wounds 
 heal rapidly, and all would be well in a short 
 time. 
 
 Beyond all doubt. Burton's last days were 
 passing. The hospital steward said so, and 
 that was equivalent to the verdict of a jury 
 of consulting surgeons. A man could not, 
 dared not, get well once the hospital steward 
 had given him up. Burton had sent a mes- 
 sage or two to Annie, and the steward had 
 delivered them with the bearing of an official 
 go-between for the eternal and the temporal. 
 The surgeon, too, said nothing hopeful. From 
 the time when Burton had been picked up and 
 taken on a stretcher to the hospital ward, he 
 had sunk steadily, though slowly. With con- 
 scientious care Dr. Sanders had done what 
 lay in his poM^er ; but Burton's was a case 
 for the grave-digger rather than for him. 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 255 
 
 Lyndon made a point of going to the hos- 
 pital on daily visits of inquiry. On one of 
 these occasions he went into the ward where 
 Burton lay alone, and spoke with him. This 
 was something he had wished, yet dreaded, 
 to do. To his surprise and gratification, 
 Burton made it easy for him. 
 
 "It was a mean trick. Captain," said he, 
 his weak fingers clinging in Lyndon's stronger 
 grasp, " a mean trick to break away when you 
 was ofhcer of the day. For j^ou've treated 
 me — treated somehow diif erent — better — 
 from any officer I ever saw. You — seemed 
 to forget I was a private soldier, and treated 
 me like a man. I was mighty sorry to make 
 you any trouble by breaking when you was 
 on duty ; but it came that way, and I couldn't 
 help it. And I didn't want to go to Leaven- 
 worth ; I didn't deserve to go. But you 
 said all that in your speech. I've been want- 
 ing to thank you for that, and the way you 
 used me, and to say I was sorry. I'm glad 
 to have the chance." 
 
 "Burton, I want to say that it was my 
 great misfortune to bring you to this bed. 
 That shot — " 
 
 "It's all right. Captain. Don't you think 
 
256 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 I care a rap about it. You only saved me 
 the trouble of living a few more years, up and 
 down, drunk and sober. I know I've got to 
 die, and as far as I can see I'd rather put in 
 those years there than here. I ain't very fit, 
 but I'm as fit as I ever would be. All the 
 chaplains this side of — of Halifax, wouldn't 
 make any difference. It seems a little rough 
 on Annie, just now; I'm sorry for her. But 
 I reckon it's better so. You did your duty, 
 Captain, and I'm glad you did it. It's all 
 right." 
 
 " I sympathize with Annie," said the Cap- 
 tain, very low. 
 
 "It's all right, Captain," said Burton 
 again. 
 
 " Yes, it's all right," said Lyndon, softly. 
 
 Burton reiterated that it was all right, and 
 he seemed to find comfort in making the 
 assurance, and in holding by Lyndon's hand ; 
 so that Lyndon stood by the cot much longer 
 than he had expected to — standing there, 
 indeed, until Burton fell into a short slum- 
 ber, and he could release himself from his 
 grasp without disturbing him. He went out 
 on tip-toe, holding his sword with one hand 
 lest it should rattle, and so wake Burton up. 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 257 
 
 That night, as he looked out of window, he 
 saw lights passing in the hospital, and shad- 
 ows quickly thrown on lighted spaces. It was 
 an unusual stir, and he went over to the sur- 
 geon's little office to learn what it meant. 
 A hospital orderly rushed out past him into 
 the night, and i-an up the Line. Ljaidon 
 heard his footfalls on the gravel to the far 
 end. Presently he returned, and Colonel 
 Bruff was with him. With a hare nod, the 
 commanding officer went up the stair, fol- 
 lowed by the orderl^^, and Lyndon was alone 
 again. He wondered what strange event had 
 called the Colonel out at that hour. Some 
 case of emergency, evidently. As he pon- 
 dered, he heard steps returning down the 
 stair, echoing in the dead silence. He 
 turned, and met Dr. Sanders. 
 
 " Hello, Lyndon," said the Doctor, in sur- 
 prise. " I didn't know you were here. I'm 
 glad you are, though." 
 
 He wiped his brow with a handkerchief, 
 although it was not a warm night. 
 
 " Yes," said Lyndon. " I saw the lights 
 and came over. I didn't know what they 
 meant, and I — my head was full of Burton, 
 poor fellow — " 
 
258 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 "He won't last the night through," said 
 the Doctor. 
 
 "No?" 
 
 "No." Then with an air of relief in the 
 telling he added : 
 
 "He just sent for the Colonel, and the 
 Colonel is with him now." 
 
 " I was here wlien he came," said Lyndon. 
 "It is unusual? " 
 
 "Very." The Doctor seemed to want to 
 say more, but to be unable to speak. 
 
 " I had a little talk with him to-day." 
 
 " He wanted to talk with the Colonel, too," 
 replied the Doctor, after a short pause. " Not 
 on official matters," he added, thinking Lyn- 
 don appeared doubtful of the interview. 
 
 " No-o," said Lyndon, thoughtfully. 
 
 The Doctor leaned towards him confiden- 
 tially. 
 
 " I suppose I ought not to leave a patient 
 so near death as he is," he said, " but it 
 was the Colonel's orders. He motioned me 
 towards the door after the first word the 
 poor fellow spoke. They wanted to be alone 
 together ; doctor's of no use, anyway. I was 
 Avilling to go. That first word — " The 
 Doctor stopped again, as though unable to 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 259 
 
 continue. The perspiration stood on his 
 face. 
 
 " What was that word, Doctor ? " asked 
 Lyndon, cahnly. 
 
 " Father," gasped the Doctor. 
 
 Tlie two men stood looking at each other 
 across unfathomable depths. It was the infi- 
 nitely loud ticking of the clock, and the 
 sight of the pendulum silently swinging with 
 the rapidity of thought through arcs of 
 immeasurable length, that brought them back 
 to full consciousness. The swift orderly ran 
 up the Line again, and returned with Mrs. 
 Bruff. She was trembling with expectant 
 fear, and sobbed once as the Doctor in deep 
 sympathy silently led her up the stair to the 
 ward. He returned to Lyndon immediately. 
 
 " They don't want me yet," he whispered. 
 "Not till the last moment. My God, it is 
 horrible ! " 
 
 The overhead lamp made deep shadows 
 beneath his eyes, and his cheeks looked 
 hollow. He was terribly shaken by the sud- 
 den discovery. 
 
 " I pity them both," said Lyndon, simply. 
 
 Then they sat silent, with the clock for 
 
260 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 company. They had no thoughts to be 
 clothed in words. By and by, a slight 
 breathing at the door aroused them from 
 an abstracted state, and they saw the orderly 
 at the door. He nodded to the Doctor with 
 deep intelligence. 
 
 " He's going," whispered the Doctor. " I 
 can do nothing — only hold his pnlse, and 
 say when he ceases to breathe. I wish any 
 one but me had to witness the despair of 
 those two people upstairs ! " 
 
 He turned then, and went straight to his 
 duty ; and Lyndon departed so that he should 
 not be seen again that night by the father 
 and mother of the man he had killed. 
 
XVII 
 
 The next day the garrison went about its 
 routine with an oppressive sense of unhappy- 
 portent. Men turning out for first duty felt 
 calamity in the air. There was a supernat- 
 ural stillness over the place ; the wind was 
 dead ; the clouds hung motionless ; the flag 
 was wound about its staff in undisturbed 
 folds. Ordinary footsteps on a porch echoed 
 across the parade as through an empty hall. 
 Life was a surprise to the living, and moving 
 objects were regarded curiously. Officers 
 consulted together in awed groups, while 
 the women watched them from the piazzas 
 of quarters, and the enlisted men from bar- 
 rack porches. Something of significance was 
 abroad. 
 
 Even the children at their play were 
 affected by the air of fearful, undiscovered 
 mystery. They went about with pale cheeks 
 a,nd wide eyes, looking in the faces of their 
 elders. The two little girls of Dr. Sanders 
 261 
 
262 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 wandered hand in hand up and down the 
 Line, till they chanced upon Wallace. He 
 perceived their forlorn condition, and at once 
 sat down on a convenient railing with a child 
 on either side. 
 
 " What is the matter ?" he asked kindly. 
 
 " We don't know," they answered, almost 
 tearfully. " Mamma's got a headache, and 
 papa's at the hospital. And something dread- 
 ful has happened, that we don't know any- 
 thing about." 
 
 " I will tell you what it is," said he after 
 a moment. "Your papa is at the hospital 
 because one of the soldiers has died. That is 
 something none of us know anything about. 
 But I do not think it is so dreadful. I 
 wouldn't mind it if I were you." 
 
 The little girls were somewhat consoled by 
 his words. They reflected on the limited 
 number of deaths they had known, and on 
 what followed. 
 
 " Will there be a funeral ? " they asked, 
 doubtingly. 
 
 " Yes, I think I can promise you that. 
 There will be a funeral, with the band, and a 
 procession, and a firing party, and the fat old 
 priest in the long white duster, from town. 
 You will see and hear it all." 
 
IN BLUE UNIFOBM 263 
 
 The assurance of a funeral was comforting. 
 Death was not so bad a thing, when it was 
 followed by so moving a pageant. The little 
 girls went away to gather playmates, and to 
 bestow the rites of military burial upon a 
 discarded doll in the back yard. Soon the 
 sound of toy drums and trumpets and of 
 mournful cries proclaimed that the mimic 
 representation of sorrowful state was satisfac- 
 torily progressing. 
 
 Colonel Bruff did not appear at the office. 
 His name was carried on the sick-report, and 
 Major Kemmick assumed command in his 
 stead. Mrs. Bruff was prostrated, and was 
 being attended by Mrs. Remmick. The sur- 
 geon had his hands full. It was a quiet, 
 whispering, head-shaking gathering of the 
 regiment's officers that filled the adjutant's 
 office that morning and waited for develop- 
 ments. No one seemed to know definitely 
 the whole story ; no one attempted to make 
 a consecutive statement of facts. And yet, 
 in a general way, without looking to any one 
 for information, it was accepted that Burton 
 was that son of the Colonel who had been 
 mourned as dead twenty years before, and 
 that in his last moments the relationship had 
 been avowed and admitted. 
 
264 IN BLUE UNIFOBM 
 
 During the day, in the same unheralded, 
 mysterious way, the whisper ran from group 
 to group that the mourning put on by Mrs. 
 Bruff so many years before had been by the 
 Colonel's express command. Tlie son — a 
 mad, impetuous boy — had disgraced them, 
 and was thenceforth dead to them. They 
 should never see him, hear from him, speak 
 of him. It had ever been the Colonel's way 
 to condone no fault, to exhibit no moving 
 of the kindly feelings. What had the boy 
 done ? No one knew. What did it matter ? 
 Appreciating through experience the Colo- 
 nel's stern censoriousness, they could afford 
 to judge the boy the more leniently. And 
 he had been a good soldier. Yes, all could 
 now give him credit for that. He was lying 
 very white and still, in the dead-house at the 
 hospital. He was unable to strike a blow or 
 say a word for himself. None would be 
 so uncharitable as to speak ill of him then. 
 
 It was perceived that the Colonel and his 
 wife had indeed lost sight of their son through 
 the intervening years. They were regarded 
 with great sympathy ; for ]\Irs. Bruff, over- 
 come in the shock of discover}^ and the re- 
 laxation after years of close, concealing 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 265 
 
 habit ; for the Colonel, in the remorse that 
 weighed upon him. For it was said that he 
 was taking it hard. The general expression 
 throusfhout the Q'arrison was that it was hard 
 luck. An unusual respect, devoid of fear, 
 was felt for the Colonel in his affliction. 
 
 It became known that Burton would re- 
 ceive burial, not as the Colonel's son, but as 
 a soldier. Out upon the prairie, to the south 
 of the post, a small square had been reclaimed 
 from the creeping cactus growth and given 
 over to the dead for habitation. It was 
 fenced about with wire to guard against rov- 
 ing stock ; and the graves were made deep ; 
 for prairie-dogs are great burrowers, and 
 coyotes are not above digging fiendishly in 
 newly delved soil. Wooden markers, neatly 
 turned and painted white, indicated the heads 
 of graves. They bore in stencil a briefly 
 comprehensive record of service and death. 
 
 And on a day, the funeral Avas held. The 
 band wailed and mourned through a dead- 
 march. Two mules drew an artillery caisson 
 on which lay the coffin, flag-draped, with the 
 helmet and side arms of its occupant. The 
 firing party followed with reversed arms, and 
 after them the strength of the garrison. The 
 
266 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 procession moved at a snail's pace, to the 
 melancholy booming of the bass drum and 
 the intermittent shrilling- of the fifes. One 
 had plenty of time in which to reflect on the 
 solemnity of the occasion before it was over. 
 
 There had been some speculation as to the 
 personal course the Colonel would pursue. 
 He had made no arrangements of any kind. 
 But as the line was formed for the funeral pro- 
 cession, the door of his quarters opened, and 
 he stepped out in the full uniform of his rank. 
 It was the first time since Burton's death 
 that he had been seen by the garrison. He 
 came forward alone. 
 
 As the band struck into the dirge, he took 
 his place at the head of the officers' column, 
 and marched steadil}^ with them to the grave. 
 He gave no trace of unusual sorrow in the 
 fashions ordinarily affected. It might have 
 been read in a certain ashyness of counte- 
 nance, and in a firmer settling of lines around 
 his mouth ; but step, bearing, attitude, all 
 proclaimed the soldier accustomed to a re- 
 pression of show. The open acknowledg- 
 ment of his fault was in his presence ; his 
 expiation of it was in his heart. 
 
 The coil of the procession unwound itself 
 
IN BLUE UNIFOBM 267 
 
 from the garrison, and crept slowly over the 
 ground to the grave. The helmet and side 
 arms were quickly removed from the coffin, 
 and placed on the ground. Then the coffin 
 was lowered from sight, while the officers 
 and men grouped themselves unconventionally 
 around. One side of the enclosure was occu- 
 pied b}' the soldiers' wives. The little girls 
 of Dr. Sanders were there, having escaped 
 the motherly eye. They hung on the wire 
 fence, and gazed at the fat old priest, as he 
 stood at the head of the grave and com- 
 menced intoning. They were disappointed, 
 for he had replaced the long white duster 
 with a rust}^ black cassock. 
 
 So to the end. The priest was choir, 
 clergyman, and intermediary at the Throne. 
 A good man, the priest, old and gray. No 
 easy existence his. The little covered wagon 
 in which he rode about the country, with its 
 single mule, was at a paling. Here a wed- 
 ding, there a christening, again a burial. He 
 was in demand by all sects and by those of 
 no sect, and he never failed to respond. Thus 
 was his Catholicism put to the proof. 
 
 Many a soldier had he laid away. A sorry 
 chant, a prayer of Latin, rusty as his cassock 
 
268 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 and comforting as the sight of it. Requiescat 
 in pa-a-ace ! Dust to dust. A volley. Taps. 
 Good-night to a dead soldier. 
 
 Then back to the post, to the barracks, 
 Avith the band playing a lively quickstep, 
 and the muffles removed from all the drums ! 
 How the tenors did rattle beneath the beat 
 of the field music ! It was an alert, stirring 
 measure. Oh, it is pain that passes, and joy 
 that remains, glossing over the dead graves 
 with turf, enamelling the mounds with fair 
 flowers. The living of this world are worthy 
 of more consideration than the dead, for there 
 are fewer of them ; they rank next in impor- 
 tance to those who have yet to live. 
 
 The Colonel did not resume command of 
 the post. Major Remmick sat in his place. 
 Nor was he seen but seldom. Once, in the 
 sudden gloom after sunset, he was observed 
 with his wife, walking across the prairie 
 southerly from the pos.t. But no curious 
 eyes followed them, and their return was 
 unnoted. 
 
 He sent one day a note to Lyndon's . 
 quarters, and in return Lyndon went to con- 
 fer with him. What was said at that inter- 
 view was never known ; there was a great 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 269 
 
 deal that could not be said. But after that 
 Lyndon's company rejoiced in a return to the 
 privileges of the old-time manner of discipline, 
 and Lyndon bore himself with a modestly 
 victorious air. 
 
 Shortly, the Colonel and Mrs. Bruff left 
 the post on a month's leave of absence. This 
 was soon extended to three months, and this 
 to six. The officers read these notices of 
 extension, and said it was no wonder they 
 hated to come back. It was thought quite 
 likely he would try to transfer to some other 
 regiment. Recent associations were too pain- 
 ful. 
 
 But they were hardly prepared for the 
 announcement that followed these, that Colo- 
 nel Bruif had taken advantage of the thirty 
 years' service law, and applied for retirement 
 under it. He had looked forward so aspir- 
 ingly and hopefully to a brigadier generalship 
 that they had not supposed anything could 
 alter his purpose in that regard. He would 
 surely have waited for his promotion. 
 
 " It has taken the heart out of him," said 
 the officers. " His ambition was to retire as 
 a brigadier. But this has aged him. Poor 
 old man, — heigho ! . . . Well, — he didn't 
 
270 IN BLUE UNIFOBM 
 
 need the increased pay, anyway; he had a 
 regidar income outside the service. Let's 
 see, now, — whom does that promote? . . ." 
 For the retired list is the rock and anchor 
 of the service. The okl look forward to it 
 for a fcAV comfortable years on three-quarters 
 pay ; and the young figure up how soon the 
 old will be shelved upon it, and they them- 
 selves get another grade. From the Military 
 Academy to the Retired List — there is the 
 procession of life, from the army's viewpoint. 
 The band plays a dirge as the old veteran 
 goes, but it is a quickstep that warms the 
 hearts of the juniors who have seen him to 
 the verge of his retirement. Their turns 
 will come sometime in the years that are yet 
 to be, — but in the meantime, please God, let 
 the quickstep play ! 
 
XVIII 
 
 Without a spoken admission of the fact 
 ^by any one, it was like the lifting and removal 
 of a great weight from the garrison when 
 it was definitely known that Colonel Bruff 
 would not return to the command. Spirits 
 were light and sanguine. The future offered 
 nothing unusual in the strict professional line, 
 but even routine became less depressing. The 
 prevailing thought was optimistic. For a 
 time, at least, the performance of duty w^ould 
 go on without the vigilance of a harshly con- 
 sidering eye, and the officers were glad; for 
 even the sticklers amonsf them mio^ht admit 
 that they had had quite enough of the hyper- 
 critical quality. Major Remmick continued 
 in command, for he was the ranking officer 
 present ; and under him there was sure to be 
 a just and yet pleasant administration. By 
 and by a new colonel would be sent them, 
 but that event was too far away to cause 
 immediate apprehension. In calm, consid- 
 271 
 
272 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 ered method drill succeeded drill, and parade 
 followed parade, ever with the air of being 
 something new to itself, and of being sur- 
 prised at awakening no unusual interest 
 among the accustomed spectators. 
 
 The Inspector of the department came on 
 his official tour, and M^as pleased with all he 
 saw ; and that was everything. He was not, 
 given to submitting " whitewash " reports, 
 as rumor ran some of his associates were, 
 and no little ratchet or pinion of the post's 
 mechanism escaped him. His report to the 
 brigadier general at department headquarters 
 placed the Old Regiment at the head of the 
 department in general efficiency ; whereat 
 there was great rejoicing among the rank 
 and file and the commissioned of the Old 
 Regiment. It was their ancient glory to be 
 considered efficient, and subsequently to be 
 allowed to prove it in the field. The men 
 kept their rifles clean, their cartridges oiled, 
 and one pair of marching-shoes in good con- 
 dition. This had been seen ; they were 
 efficient. Now for the proof. 
 
 Unfortunately for the fire-eaters there was 
 no more prospect of field service than at any 
 time in the two years immediately preceding. 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 273 
 
 The Indians, to whom they looked for an 
 occasional frolic, were provokingly sedate 
 and taciturn. Of foreign foes there were 
 none. The Old Regiment was hotly pre- 
 pared for an emergency that could not be 
 said to exist, and it was eating its heart out 
 at the ill will of destiny. Lawrence and 
 Wallace fumed in company. Not that they 
 wanted war, for that would mean an indefi- 
 nite delay of other plans each had privately 
 laid ; but it gave them a chance to say in 
 conclusion : 
 
 " Now we've had our inspection, and every- 
 thing is O. K., and there's no trouble in the 
 wind, it would be a good time to put in for 
 a leave." 
 
 " Good idea ! We will consider the motion 
 carried unanimously." 
 
 So the two matrimonial aspirants submitted 
 applications for leave of absence through 
 the regular military channels, conscious that 
 every one at the post would approve their 
 action. And Wallace then retired period- 
 ically to seclusion, whence he wrote letters 
 East, informing a Girl that he was on the 
 point of starting, and should be witli her by 
 or before a certain date ; which was the date 
 
274 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 set for their marriage. And Lawrence would 
 be going into Major Remmick's quarters, and 
 pleading with Millicent for a speedy fulfil- 
 ment of promises. 
 
 " I'm no good this way ; I'm nothing," he 
 would say, spreading out his hands desper- 
 ately. "I'm neither free nor bond, bachelor 
 nor married man. I'm of no use in the com- 
 pany, and the men grin at me at drill. I 
 can't eat, and I've forgotten how to drink. 
 I'm losing my grip. Can't you take a little 
 more pity on me, and complete the ruin ? 
 Don't leave me in this unfinished state ! " 
 
 " You poor boy ! The whole garrison is 
 sorry for you ! Well, since you are so anx- 
 ious, I will tell you. . . ." And Lawrence 
 would listen rapturously to such details of 
 plans and preparations as she chose to impart 
 to him. 
 
 It had been a shock to him to learn that 
 they could not be married at the post and go 
 thence on a wedding trip. He had dreamed 
 of a military wedding, administered by a 
 chaplain borrowed from another post, at 
 which the entire regiment should be present. 
 When he proposed this in all confidence, he 
 was staggered by Millicent's prompt refusa.1 
 to be a party to it. 
 
IN BLUE UNIFOEM 275 
 
 " It is quite impossible," she said decidedly. 
 " You don't understand ? No? But it is so. 
 I shall have to go East. There are lots of 
 things to do and to get." 
 
 Lawrence did not understand in the least ; 
 but as Millicent was supported in her decla- 
 ration by Mrs. Remraick, he was brought 
 around to an abandonment of his scheme. 
 And a little later he was led to believe that 
 he himself proposed putting in an application 
 for a leave, and escorting Millicent and Mrs. 
 Remmick on their eastward journey. He re- 
 membered that there were many things he 
 wanted to do and to get himself; and as he 
 had not been on leave for some years, he really 
 owed himself the attention. Besides, when 
 Millicent's purchases were made, and she 
 should have signified her willingness to let 
 the ceremony proceed, he would be at hand 
 and there would be no delay. Quite a com- 
 pact little plan, and one of which he was 
 inordinately proud, for it was approved by 
 Millicent and countersigned by Mrs. Rem- 
 mick. He only waited to learn that his leave 
 application had been granted to put it into 
 operation. 
 
 One night when Lyndon dropped in upon 
 
276 IN BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 the family, they were in full glee over the 
 plan and its probable accomplishment ; for 
 the applications of both Wallace and Law- 
 rence had come back, approved. Nothing 
 now stood in the way of their going. 
 
 "And when we return — you and I," Law- 
 rence was saying daringly to Millicent, " we 
 will live in quarters — a mud-walled kitchen 
 and a tent. And how will you like that, 
 Ma'am?" 
 
 " Excellently ! " she cried, not to be out- 
 done. " I shall ask Mr. Thompson to let me 
 have canvas on tlie walls, and then I'll deco- 
 rate it with charcoal sketches. And how will 
 you like that, Sir ? " 
 
 " It is more than I bargained for," said he, 
 with a droll air. "But it is an incentive." 
 
 " If we happen to be shy of quarters, Law- 
 rence," said Lyndon, "you can count on me. 
 Take mine and welcome." 
 
 " And mine, too," said the Major, in his 
 humorous vein. 
 
 "I couldn't furnish a major's .quarters in a 
 year," laughed Lawrence. " A tent or a tepee 
 is nearer my size. But tliou, O worthy Cap- 
 tain, wilt fall a victim to thine own gener- 
 osity. If need be, I shall take you at your 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 277 
 
 word. It isn't every captain who would let 
 his first lieutenant rank him out, now is 
 it?" he said in proud commendation to the 
 group. 
 
 " That is Captain Lyndon's principle," said 
 Mrs. Remmick, nodding at him reminiscently. 
 
 Millicent reached Lyndon's side before the 
 evening was over, and spoke to him with her 
 hand on his arm. 
 
 " Don't you do it — give up your quarters, 
 I mean. You have sacrificed enough," said 
 she, somewhat illogically, but with an elo- 
 quent little pressure. The Captain under- 
 stood. 
 
 In a few days they mounted the stage — 
 Millicent and Mrs. Remmick, Wallace and 
 Lawrence — and rolled away in a dust-cloud, 
 while handkerchiefs were flown from every 
 door, and the officers' caps were in the air. 
 
 " Two brides to come — two sets of married 
 quarters to fix up. My ! Guess I've got 
 my hands full," said Thompson, with his 
 mind running on the quartermaster's slim 
 resources. 
 
 " She's a fine girl. What a pity she throws 
 herself away on the infantry," said Captain 
 Eagan to his wife. " If I'd only had a stray 
 
278 iJV BLUE UNIFORM 
 
 lieutenant with my troop, tlie}^ wouldn't have 
 had any walkover ! " 
 
 Lyndon and the Major walked away arm 
 in arm. 
 
 " It had to be so, I suppose," said the Major, 
 awkwardly enough. 
 
 "It's all right," began Lyndon, cheerily, 
 and then stopped ; for he was repeating Bur- 
 ton's words. But he continued : " I'm glad 
 for her and glad for him. And as for you 
 and I, we're just a pair of widowers." 
 
 " Yes, just so, temporarily," assented the 
 Major. " But out of it all you have some- 
 thing." 
 
 "My company? Oh, I had that anyway. 
 I suppose I'll coddle it now more than 
 ever." 
 
 " No, you gained something ; made it." 
 
 "What, I'd like to know?" demanded 
 Lyndon, wonderingly. 
 
 " A record. This is straight talk, now. 
 You have converted the regiment. You have 
 indicated a higher type of the American sol- 
 dier. It is a mighty good thing for a man 
 to have a steady ticker in his breast ; but a 
 good heart is better." 
 
 They walked on silently. The bugler came 
 
IN BLUE UNIFORM 279 
 
 forth by the reveille gun and blew a tripping 
 stave. 
 
 " Mess-call," said Lyndon, disengaging his 
 arm. " I'll have to leave you and look after 
 my company mess." 
 
 " Keep it up," the Major called after him in 
 pride and affection. " The men will rise up 
 and call you blessed; and that's something, 
 you know." 
 
 "It's everything — now," replied Lyndon. 
 
 Norfajooti 53rc33 : 
 
 J. S. Cushinpc & Co. — Berwick & Smith. 
 Boston, Mass., U.S.A. 
 
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 Miller's Story of the War. Illustrated. 
 
 T/ie National Novels, each, %i.2^ ; the sets, 6 vol., %7-jo. 
 
 Friend Fritz. lamo, paper, 50 cts.; cloth, Si. 25. 
 
 Eugene Field. 
 
 A Little Book of Profitable Tales. i6mo, $1.25. 
 
 " This pretty little volume promises to perpetuate examples of a wit, 
 humor, and pathos quaint and rare in their kind." — New York Tribune. 
 
 Harold Frederic. 
 
 Seth's Brother's Wife. i2mo, $1.2^. The Lawton Girl. i2mo, 
 $1.25 ; paper, 50 cts. In the Valley. Illustrated. i2mo, $1.50. 
 
 " It is almost reasonable to assert that there has not been since Cooper's 
 day a better American novel dealing with a purely historical theme than 
 'In the Valley.'" — Boston Beacon. 
 
 James Anthony Froude. 
 
 The Two Chiefs of Dunboy. An Irish Romance of the Last 
 Century. i2mo, paper, 50 cts.; cloth, $1.50. 
 
 " The narrative is full of vigor, spirit and dramatic power. It will 
 unquestionably be widely read, for it presents a vivid and life-like study of 
 character with romantic color, and adventurous incident for the back- 
 ground." — The iVew York Tribune. 
 
4 SCRIBNER'S BRIEF LIST OF FICTION. 
 
 Robert Grant. 
 
 Face to Face. i2mo, paper, socts. ; cloth, $i .25. The Reflec- 
 tions of a Married Man. lamo, paper, qocts.; cloth, $1.00. 
 
 " In the ' Reflections,' Mr. Grant has given us a capital little book which 
 should easily strike up literary comradeship with ' The Reveries of a 
 Bachelor.' " — Boston Tratiscript. 
 
 Edward Everett Hale. 
 
 Philip Nolan's Friends. Illust'd. i2mo, paper, 5octs.; cloth, $1.50. 
 
 " There is no question, we think, that this is Mr. Hale's comple;est and 
 best novel." — The Atlantic Monthly. 
 
 Marion Harland. 
 
 Judith. i2mo, paper, ^o cts. ; cloth, $1.00. Handicapped. 
 i2mo, $1.50. With the Best Intentions. 12010, cloth, $1.00; 
 paper, 50 cts. 
 
 " Fiction has afforded no more charming glimpses of old Virginia life 
 than are found in this delightful story, with its quaint pictures, its admir- 
 ably drawn characters, its wit, and its frankness." 
 
 — The Brooklyn Daily Times. 
 
 Joel Chandler Harris. 
 
 Free Joe, and Other Georgian Sketches. i2mo, paper, 50 cts.; 
 cloth, $1.00. 
 
 " The author's skill as a story writer has never been more felicitously 
 illustrated than in this volume." — The New York Sun. 
 
 Augustus Allen Hayes. 
 
 The Jesuit's Ring; i2mo, paper, 50 cts. ; cloth, $1.00. 
 " The conception of the story is excellent." — The Boston Traveller. 
 
 George A. Hibbard. 
 
 The Governor, and Other Stories. i2mo, cloth, $1.00; paper, 
 50 cts. 
 
 "It is still often urged that, except in remote corners, there is nothing 
 in our American life which appeals to the artistic sense, but certamly these 
 stories are American to the core, and yet the artistic sense is strong in them 
 throughout. " — Critic. 
 
 E. T. IV. Hoffmann. 
 
 Weird Tales. With Portrait. !2mo, 2 vols., $3.00. 
 
 "All those who are in search of a genuine literary sensation, or who 
 care for the marvelous and supernatural, will find these two volumes fas- 
 cinating reading." — The Christian Union. 
 
SCRIBNER'S BRIEF LIST OF FICTION. 5 
 
 Dr. J. G. Holland. 
 
 Sevenoaks. The Bay Path. Arthur Bonnicastle. Miss Gilbert's 
 Career. Nicholas Minturni Each, 121110, $1.25; the set, $0. 2s- 
 Sevenoaks and Arthur Bonnicastle. Each, paper, 50c. 
 
 "Dr. Holland will always find a congenial audience in the homes of 
 culture and refinement. He does not affect the play of the darker and 
 fiercer passions, but delights in the sweet images that cluster around the 
 domestic hearth. He cherishes a strong fellow-feeling with the pure and 
 tranquil life in the modest social circles of the American people, and has 
 thus w iw his way to the companionship of many friendly hearts." 
 
 — The New York Tribune. 
 
 Thomas A. Janvier. 
 
 Color Studies, and a Mexican Campaign. i2mo, paper, 50 cts. ; 
 
 cloth, $1.00. 
 
 "Piquant, novel and ingenious, these little stories, with all their simplicity, 
 
 have excited a wide interest. The best of them, 'Jaune D'Antimoine,' is 
 
 a little wonder in its dramatic effect, its ingenious construction." — Critic. 
 
 Andrew Lang. 
 
 The Mark of Cain. i2mo, paper, 25 cts. 
 " No one can deny that it is crammed as full of incident as it will hold, 
 or that the elaborate plot is worked out with most ingenious perspicuity." 
 
 — The Saturday Review. 
 
 George P. Lathrop. 
 
 Newport. i2mo, paper, 50 cts. ; cloth, $1. 2s. An Echo of Passion. 
 i2mo, paper, 50 cts.; cloth, §1.00. In the Distance. i2mo, 
 paper, 50 cts. ; cloth, $1.00. 
 " His novels have the refinement of motive which characterize the 
 analytical school, but his manner is far more direct and dramatic." 
 
 — The Christian Union. 
 
 Brander Matthews. 
 
 The Secret of the Sea, and Other Stories, i2mo, paper, 50 cts.; 
 
 cloth, $1.00. The Last Meeting. i2mo, cloth, $1.00. 
 
 " Mr. Matthews is a man of wide observation and of much familiarity 
 
 with the world. His literary style is bright and crisp, with a peculiar 
 
 sparkle about it — wit and humor judiciously mingled — which renders his 
 
 pages more than ordinarily interesting." — The Rochester Post-Express. 
 
 George Moore. 
 
 Vain Fortune, ismo, $1.00. 
 "How a woman's previous ideas and actions will completely change 
 when the medium of a wild, intense love is interposed, was never more 
 skilfully sketched." — Boston Times. 
 
6 SCRIBNER'S BRIEF LIST OF FICTION. 
 
 Fiti-James O'Brien. 
 
 The Diamond Lens, with Other Stories. i2mo, paper, 50 cts. 
 
 "These stories are the only things in literature to be compared with 
 Poe's work, and if they do not equal it in workmanship, they certainly do 
 not yield to it in originality." — TAe Philadelphia Record. 
 
 Duffield Osborne. 
 
 The Spell of Ashtaroth. i2mo, $1.00. 
 
 " It has a simple but picturesque plot, and the story is told in a vividly 
 dramatic way." — Chicago Times. 
 
 Bliss Perry. 
 
 The Broughton House. i2mo, $1.25. 
 
 " A wonderfully shrewd and vivid picture of life in one of our hill 
 towns in summer." — IJariforJ Post. 
 
 Thomas Nelson Page. 
 
 In Old Virginia. Marse Chan and Other Stories. i2mo, $1.25. 
 On Newfound River* i2mo, Si.oo. Elsket, and Other Stories. 
 i2mo,$i.oo. Marse Chan. Ills, by Smedley. Sq.i2mo. $1.50. 
 
 "Mr. Page enjoys the distinction of having written the most exquisite 
 story of the war (' Marse Chan '), which has yet appeared. His stories 
 are beautiful and faithful pictures of a society now become a portion and 
 parcel of the irrevocable past." — Harper's Magazine, 
 
 George I. Putnam. 
 
 In Blue Uniform; 12010, $1.00., 
 
 The author of this love story, who is an ex-army officer, has given a 
 very natural picture of garrison life in the Far West, with strong character 
 studies, and a sufficient diversity of incident to give movement and cumu- 
 lative interest to the tale. 
 
 Saxe Holm's Stories. 
 
 First Series. Second Series. Each, i2mo, paper, 50c; cloth, Si. 00. 
 
 " Saxe Holm's characters are strongly drawn, and she goes right to the 
 heart of human experience, as one who knows the way. We heartily 
 commend them as vigorous, wholesome, and sufficiently exciting stories." 
 
 — The Advance. 
 
SCRIBNER'S BRIEF LIST OF FICTION. 7 
 
 Stories from Scribner. 
 
 Stories of New York. Illustrated. From Four to Six, by Annie 
 Eliot ; The Commonest Possible Story, by Bliss Perry; The End of 
 the Beginning, by George A. Hibbard ; A Puritan Ingenue, by 
 John S. Wood ; Mrs. Manstey's View, by Edith Wharton. 
 
 Stories of the Railway^ Illustrated. As the Sparks Fly Upward, 
 by George A. Hibbard; How I Sent My Aunt to Baltimore, by 
 Charles S. Davison ; Run to Seed, by Thomas Nelson Page ; 
 Flandroe's Mogul, by A. C. Gordon. 
 In Press : Stories of the South. Stories of Italy. 
 
 Stories of the Sea: Stories of the Army. 
 
 Illustrated. Each, i6mo, paper, 50 cts. ; cloth, 75 cts. ; half calf, $1.50. 
 
 The stories in these attractive little volumes are among the most 
 
 popular of those that have been published in " Scribner's Magazine." They 
 
 are daintily bound, and fully and beautifully illustrated. 
 
 Robert Louis Stevenson. 
 
 Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. i2mo, paper, 
 
 25 cts.; cloth, $1.00. Kidnapped. i2mo, paper, 50 cts. ; cloth, 
 
 ill, $1.25. The Merry Men, and Other Tales and Fables. 
 
 i2mo, paper, 35 cts.; cloth, $1.00. New Arabian NightS: 
 
 i2mo, paper, 30 cts.; cloth, Si. 00. The Dynamiter. i2mo, 
 
 paper, 30 cts.; cloth, $1.00. The Black Arrow. III. i2mo, 
 
 paper, 50 cts ; cloth, $1.00. The Wrong Box. i2mo, paper, 
 
 50 cts. ; cloth, $1.00. The Master of Ballantrae. i2mo, paper, 
 
 50 cts.; cloth, ill., $1.2^. The Wrecker. i2mo, ill., $1.25. 
 
 Island Nights' Entertainments. i2mo, ill., $1.25. 
 
 "Stevenson belongs to the romantic school of fiction writers. He is 
 
 original in style, charming, fascinating, and delicious, with a marvelous 
 
 command of words, and with a manner ever delightful and magnetic." 
 
 — Boston Transcript. 
 
 Charles Warren Stoddard. 
 
 South Sea Idyls. i2mo, $1.50. 
 "Brimful of delicious descriptions of South Sea Island life. Neither 
 Loti nor Stevenson has expressed from tropical life the luscious, fruity 
 delicacy, or the rich wine-like bouquet of these sketches." — Independent. 
 
 T. R. Sullivan. 
 
 Day and Night Stories. First and Second Series. Each, i2mo, 
 
 cloth, $1.00 ; paper, 50 cts. Roses of Shadow. i2mo, $1.00. 
 
 " Mr. Sullivan's style is at once easy and refined, conveying most 
 
 happily that atmosphere of good breeding and polite society which is 
 
 indispensable to the novel of manners, but which so many of them 
 
 lamentably fail of." — The Nation. 
 
8 SCRIBNER'S BRIEF LIST OF FICTION. 
 
 Frederick J. Stimson (J. S. of Dale). 
 
 Guerndale. i2mo, paper, tiocts. ; cloth, $i .25, The Crime of 
 Henry Vane. i2mo, paper, 50 cts. ; cloth, $1.00. The Senti- 
 mental Calendar. 111. i2mo, $1.00. First Harvest. i2mo, 
 $1.25. The Residuary Legatee. i2mo, paper, 3, cts.; cloth, 
 $1.00. In the Three Zones. i2mo, $1.00. 
 " No young novelist in this country seems better equipped tlian Mr. 
 Stimson is." — The Philadelphia Bulletin, 
 
 Frank R. Stockton. 
 
 Rudder Grange. i2mo, paper, 60 cts.; cloth, $1.25; illustrated by 
 A. B. Frost, Sq. i2mo, $2.00. The Late Mrs; Null, i2mo, 
 paper, 50 cts.; cloth, $1.25. The Lady, or The Tiger? and 
 
 Other Stories. i2mo, paper, 50 cts.; cloth, $1.25. The Christ- 
 mas Wreck, and Other Stories. i2mo, paper, so cts.; cloth, 
 Si. 25. The Bee-Man of Orn, and Other Fanciful Tales. i2mo, 
 doth, $1.25. Amos Kilbright, with Other Stories. i2mo, 
 paper, sects.; cloth, $i.2s. The Rudder Grangers Abroad, 
 and Other Stories. i2mo, paper, sects ; cloth, $1.25. 
 "Of Mr. Stockton's stories what is there to say, but that they are an 
 unmixed blessing and delight? He is surely one of the most inventive of 
 talents, discovering not only a new kind in humor and fancy, but accumu- 
 lating an inexhaustible wealth of details in each fresh achievement, the 
 least of which would be riches from another hand." — W. D. Howells, 
 
 Stories by American Authors. 
 
 Cloth, ibmo, JO cts. each; set, 10 vols., %j.oo; cabinet edition, 
 in sets only, %'j.jo. 
 " The public ought to appreciate the value of this series, which is pre- 
 serving permanently in American literature short stories that have con- 
 tributed to its advancement." — The Boston Globe. 
 
 Octave Thanet. 
 
 Expiation. Illustrated by A. B." Frost. i2mo, paper, so cts.; 
 cloth, $1.00. Stories of a Western Town. i2mo. Illustrated 
 by A. B. Frost. $1.25. 
 
 Octave Thanet has in this new book of Western stories a completely 
 fresh field, in which she has done her finest work. These stories portray 
 the types and conditions of life in the thriving, pushing towns of the great 
 Central Western States with knowledge, sympathy and a fine literary art. 
 
 John T. Wheelwright. 
 
 A Child of the Century. i2mo, paper, so cts. ; cloth, $1.00. 
 " A typijal story of political and social life, free from cynicism of morbid 
 realism, and brimming over with fun." — l^ie Christian at JVork. 
 
FAMOUS WOMEN OF THE 
 FRENCH COURT 
 
 CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS, PUBLISHERS 
 
 FORMER series of M. Imbert de Saint-Amand's historical 
 works have depicted the great French historical epochs 
 of modern times. The stirring events of the Revolution, of the 
 Consulate and Empire, and of the Restoration period, ending with 
 the July revolution of 1830 and the accession of Louis Philippe, 
 are grouped around the attractive personalities of Marie An- 
 toinette, the Empresses Josephine and Marie Louise, and the 
 Duchesses of Angouleme and of Berry. The remarkable and 
 uniform success of these works has induced the publishers to un- 
 dertake the translation and publication of a previous series of M. 
 de Saint-Amand's volumes which deal with epochs more remote, 
 but not for that reason less important, interesting, or instructive. 
 The distinction of the cycle now begun with the "Women of the 
 Valois Court" and ending with "The Last Years of Louis XV.," 
 is that, whereas in former series several volumes have been de- 
 voted to the historical events associated with each of the titular 
 personalities to which they were closely related, in the present 
 instance a more condensed method is followed. The color of 
 the present series is more personal, and therefore more romantic, 
 as is to be expected in the annals of a period during which the 
 famous women of the French Court were not only more numer- 
 ous but more influential than their successors of later times. 
 The dawn of the modern era, chronicled in M. de Saint-Amand's 
 "Marie Antoinette and the End of the Old Regime'' was the 
 beginning of the extinction of the feminine influence that flour- 
 ished vigorously in affairs of state from Marguerite of Angouleme 
 to Madame Dubarry. It is the history of this influence that the 
 author has graphically written in the four volumes now announced 
 — "Women of the Valois Court," " The Court of Louis XIV.," 
 and "The Court of Louis XV.," and "The Last Years of Louis XV." 
 
FAMOUS WOMEN OF THE FRENCH COURT 
 
 The first volume is devoted to Marguerite of Angouleme and 
 Catherine de' Medici and their contemporaries at the French 
 court during the days of the last of the Valois — the most ro- 
 mantic period of royalty probably in all history. The two principal 
 figures are depicted with striking vividness, — the half Catholic, 
 half Protestant sister of Francis I., the grandmother of Henry 
 IV., the author of the famous " Heptameron," and one of the most 
 admirable historical figures of any epoch ; and the diplomatic, 
 ambitious, unscrupulous but extremely human Catherine, univer- 
 sally held responsible for the awful Massacre of Saint Bartholo- 
 mew. But the subordinate though scarcely less famous women 
 who adorned the Valois Court — Diane de Poitiers, the Duchess 
 d'Etampes, Marguerite of Valois, Marie Stuart, and others — 
 are described with an equally brilliant and illuminating touch. 
 
 The volumes on the women of the great Bourbon epoch, 
 the epoch of Louis XIV. and Louis XV., when the Bourbon 
 star was in the zenith, contain a great deal of intimate history 
 as well as setting in relief the interesting personalities of the 
 famous La Valliere and Montespan and that perennial historical 
 enigma, Madame de Maintenon, in the volume devoted to the 
 court of the " Sun King," and those of Madame de Pompadour, 
 Madame Dubarry, Queen Marie Leczinski, and other celebrities 
 who made Versailles what it was during the long and varied 
 reign of Louis XV. The study of Madame de Maintenon is a 
 real contribution to history, and the pictures of the clever and 
 dazzling beauties who controlled so long the destinies not only 
 of France but measurably of Europe itself from the accession of 
 "le Grand Monarque" to the first threatenings of the Revolution 
 " deluge " are extremely lifelike and skilfully executed. The his- 
 torical chronicle of the time is by no means lost sight of by the 
 author, but in this series even more than in his works heretofore 
 published in English he appears not only as an interesting and 
 impartial historian, but as a brilliant historical portraitist. 
 
 FOUR NEW VOLUMES. 
 
 WOMEN OF THE VALOIS AND VERSAILLES COURTS. 
 
 Each ivith Portraits, $1.25. Price per set, m box, cloth, $5.00; half calf , gio.oo. 
 WOMEN OF THE VALOIS COURT. 
 
 THE COURT OF LOUIS XIV. Ingress. 
 
 THE COURT OF LOUIS XV. In press. 
 
 THE LAST YEARS OF LOUIS XV. In press. 
 
FAMOUS WOMEN OF THE FRENCH COURT 
 
 VOLUMES PREVIOUSLY ISSUED. 
 
 THREE VOLUMES ON MARIE ANTOINETTE. 
 
 Each with Portrait, $1.25. Price per set, in box, cloth, $3.75; half calf, $7.50. 
 MARIE ANTOINETTE AND THE END OF THE OLD RE'GIME. 
 MARIE ANTOINETTE AT THE TUILERIES. 
 MARIE ANTOINETTE AND THE DOWNFALL OF ROYALTY. 
 
 In this series is unfolded the tremendous panorama of political events in 
 which the unfortunate Queen had so influential a share, beginning with the days 
 immediately preceding the Revolution, when court life at Versailles was so gay and 
 unsuspecting, continuing with the enforced journey of the royal family to Paris, and 
 the agitating months passed in the Tuileries, and concluding with the abolition of 
 royalty, the proclamation of the Republic, and the imprisonment of the royal family, 
 — the initial stage of their progress to the guillotine. 
 
 THREE VOLUMES ON THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 
 Each ivith Portrait, $1.25. Price per set, in box, cloth, $3.75; half calf, $7.50. 
 CITIZENESS BONAPARTE. 
 THE WIFE OF THE FIRST CONSUL. 
 THE COURT OF THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 
 
 The romantic and eventful period beginning with Josephine's marriage, com- 
 prises the astonishing Italian campaign, the Egyptian expedition, the coup d'etat of 
 Brumaire, and is described in the first of the above volumes; while the second treats 
 of the brilliant society which issued from the chaos of the Revolution, and over 
 which Madame Bonaparte presided so charmingly; and the third, of the events 
 between the assumption of the imperial title by Napoleon and the end of 1807, 
 including, of course, the Austerlitz campaign. 
 
 FOUR VOLUMES ON THE EMPRESS MARIE LOUISE. 
 Each with Portrait, $1.25. Price per set, in box, cloth, $5.00; half calf , $10.00. 
 THE HAPPY DAYS OF MARIE LOUISE. 
 
 MARIE LOUISE AND THE DECADENCE OF THE EMPIRE. 
 MARIE LOUISE AND THE INVASION OF 1814. 
 MARIE LOUISE, THE RETURN FROM ELBA, AND THE HUNDRED DAYS. 
 
 The auspicious marriage of the Archduchess Marie Louise to the master of 
 Europe; the Russian invasion, with its disastrous conclusion a few years later; the 
 Dresden and Leipsic campaign; the invasion of France by the Allies, and the mar- 
 vellous military strategy of Napoleon in 1814, ending only with his defeat and exile 
 to Elba; his life in his little principality; his romantic escape and dramatic return to 
 France; the preparations of the Hundred Days; Waterloo and the definitive restora- 
 tion of Louis XVIII. closing the era begun in 1789, with "The End of the Old 
 Regime," — are the subjects of the four volumes grouped around the personality of 
 Marie Louise. 
 
FAMOUS WOMEN OF THE FRENCH COURT 
 
 TWO VOLUMES ON THE DUCHESS OF ANGOULEME. 
 
 Each with Portrait, $1.25. Price per set, i}i box, cloth, $2.50; ha!/ calf, $5.00. 
 
 THE YOUTH OF THE DUCHESS OF ANGOULEME. 
 
 THE DUCHESS OF ANGOULEME AND THE TWO RESTORATIONS. 
 
 The period covered in this first of these volumes begins with the life of the 
 daughter of Louis XVI. and Marie Antoinette imprisoned in the Temple after the 
 execution of her parents, and ends with the accession of Louis XVIIL after the abdica- 
 tion of Napoleon at Fontainebleau. The first Restoration, its illusions, the characters 
 of Louis XVIIL, of his brother, afterwards Charles X., of the Dukes of Angouleme 
 and Berry, sons of the latter, the life of the Court, the feeling of the city. Napoleon's 
 sudden return from Elba, the Hundred Days from the Royalist side, the second 
 Restoration, and the vengeance taken by the new government on the Imperialists, 
 form the subject-matter of the second volume. 
 
 THREE VOLUMES ON THE DUCHESS OF BERRY. 
 
 Each with Portrait, $1.25. Price per set, in box, cloth, $3.75; half calf , $7.50. 
 
 THE DUCHESS OF BERRY AND THE COURT OF LOUIS XVill. 
 THE DUCHESS OF BERRY AND THE COURT OF CHARLES X. 
 THE DUCHESS OF BERRY AND THE REVOLUTION OF JULY, 1830. 
 
 The Princess Marie Caroline, of Naples, became, upon her marriage with the 
 Duke of Berry, the central figure of the French Court during the reigns of both 
 Louis XVIIL and Charles X. The former of these was rendered eventful by the 
 assassination of her husband and the birth of her son, the Count of Chambord, and 
 the latter was from the first marked by those reactionary tendencies which resulted 
 in the dethronement and exile of the Bourbons. The dramatic Revolution which 
 brought about the July monarchy of Louis Philippe, has never been more vividly 
 and intelligently described than in the last volume devoted to the Duchess of Berry. 
 
 " In these translations of this i)iteresting series of sketches, ive have 
 found an unexpected atnoimt of pleasure and profit. The author cites 
 for us passages from forgotten diaries, hitherto unearthed letters, extracts 
 from public proceedings, atid the like, and contrives to combine and 
 arrange his inaterial so as to tnake a great many very vivid and pleas- 
 ing pictures. Nor is this all. The material he lays before us is of real 
 value, and much, if not tnost of it, must be unknoion save to the special 
 stztdents of the period. We can, therefore, cordiclly commend these books 
 to the attention of our readers. They luill find thevi attractive ijt their 
 arrangement, never dull, with much variety of scene and incident, and 
 admirably translated.''' — The Nation, of Dece7nber ig, iSqo. 
 
RARE BOOK 
 COLLECTION 
 
 THE LIBRARY OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF 
 
 NORTH CAROLINA 
 
 AT 
 
 CHAPEL HILL 
 
 Wilmer 
 890 
 

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