o deal with?"

Armstrong took the missive held out to him, and slowly read it, the
General studying his face the while. The letter bore no clue as to the
whereabouts of the writer. It read:

"March 1st, '98.

"It is six weeks since I repaid all your loving kindness, brought
shame and sorrow to you and ruin to myself, by deserting from West
Point when my commission was but a few short months away. In an
hour of intense misery, caused by a girl who had won my very soul,
and whose words and letters made me believe she would become my
wife the month of my graduation, and who, as I now believe, was
then engaged to the man she married in January, I threw myself
away. My one thought was to find her, and God knows what beyond.

"It can never be undone. My career is ended, and I can never look
you in the face again. At first I thought I should show the letters,
one by one, to the man she married, and ask him what he thought of
his wife, but that is too low. I hold them because I have a mad
longing to see her again and heap reproaches upon her, but, if I
fail and should I feel at any time that my end is near, I'm going to
send them to you to read--to see how I was lured, and then, if you
can, to pity and forgive.

"ROLLIN."

Armstrong's firm lips twitched under his mustache. The General, with
moist eyes, had risen from his chair and mechanically held forth his
hand. "Poor lad!" sighed Armstrong. "Of course--you know who the girl
was?"

"Oh, of course," and Drayton shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, we'll have to go," and led on to the misty light without.

Over across the way were the headquarters tents of a big brigade,
hopefully awaiting orders for Manila. To their left, separated by a
narrow space, so crowded were the camps, were the quarters of the
officers of the --teenth Infantry, and even through the veil of mist both
soldiers could plainly see along the line. Coming toward the gate was Mr.
Prime, escorted by the major. Just behind them followed Mildred and the
attentive Schuyler. But where was Miss Lawrence? Armstrong had already
seen. Lingering, she stood at Billy's tent front, her ear inclined to his
protruding pate. He was saying something that took time, and she showed
no inclination to hurry him. Miss Prime looked back, then she and
Schuyler exchanged significant smiles and glances. There was rather a
lingering handcl