understand his feelings. I had my dear sister; but he has nobody. So a
merry Christmas to you! and keep well and hearty.
"Your loving father,
"FRIEDRICH AUGUST VOGT."

Frielinghausen also had a letter, which he read with streaming eyes and
a glowing face. He held his mother's pardon in his hands, and the love
which trembled in her words poured balm and healing on his heart, and
raised his desponding spirits.

He was another man after this Christmas Eve. Duties which before had
been a burden to him, which he had, besides, despised, he now performed
willingly and zealously.

If now Wegstetten inquired about him, Corporal Wiegandt always
answered, "He could not be doing better, sir."

The captain took an opportunity of praising him; and when he had
finished, Frielinghausen, his face quite red with pride and joy,
remained standing before him.

Wegstetten asked, "Well, is there anything you want to ask me?"

The tall youth choked a bit over his reply, but finally he got it out:
"Pardon me, sir--I don't know whether my request is in order--but, sir,
if you would have the goodness to write to my mother and tell her that
you are satisfied with me?"

Wegstetten was silent with astonishment. The request did seem a little
unusual and unmilitary; but he consented, and wrote to "The high and
well-born Baroness von Frielinghausen" a letter over which a mother
might well rejoice.

It seemed the more terrible for Frielinghausen when in February, after
the examination of the recruits, he received a telegram briefly
announcing his mother's death.

Work became lighter for the recruits after the examination. Certainly
the battery foot-drill and gun-drill was no joke; but things went more
quietly than they had done during the wild rush of the training, and
between-whiles one had occasionally time to take breath.

And now the recruits were gradually allotted their respective duties.
Horses to look after were given to the young drivers and to some of the
gunners. Vogt, Klitzing, and Weise, however, were not among these.
Corporal Wiegandt, who had been promoted to sergeant after the
examination, and had been put in charge of the guns and waggons of the
battery, knew them for industrious, trustworthy fellows, just such as
he needed to assist him.

The recruits were also being trained in sentry-duty; though this was
not made very much of. The field-art