parade.

After the regimental band had played the colors down the line, and the
other ceremonies had been observed, Adjutant Wright took his post to
publish the orders.

These were few, and the reading did not occupy long. As the officer
returned the papers to the breast of his coat the men expected to see
him step back. Instead, however, the adjutant sharply called:

"Battalion, attention! I am directed by the battalion commander to make
an inquiry. Each man will pay close heed, and answer if he is able. Has
any non-commissioned officer or private in this battalion heard, at any
time lately, any man in the same squad room with him talk in his sleep
in such a way as to indicate that the man talking in his sleep had any
knowledge concerning the men who recently broke into and robbed the
battalion commander's quarters? Any man having such knowledge will fall
out."

There was a tense silence, but the ranks of the first battalion remained
intact.

"If there is any non-commissioned officer or private who did not fully
understand my question, he will fall out," continued the adjutant.

Still no man fell out.

"If the man who addressed the anonymous letter to the battalion adjutant
is present he will step out," continued Lieutenant Wright.

Still the ranks remained unbroken.

Being at "attention," each man in the four companies was looking fixedly
ahead. But curiosity was running wild under all those blue fatigue
blouses!

"An anonymous letter has been received at battalion headquarters,"
continued the adjutant sternly. "This letter accuses a soldier, who is
named, of having guilty knowledge concerning the perpetrators of the
robbery of the other night. The writer of this letter asserts that other
men in the squad room have heard the anonymously accused soldier talking
in his sleep in such a manner as to implicate the accused in the
robbery.

"No man present has acknowledged having heard such talk. Either some
soldiers now in ranks have lied in denying having heard such talk, or
else the writer of the anonymous letter is a liar. I am directed by the
battalion commander to state his belief that the writer of the anonymous
letter is the liar.

"The writer of the letter has been ordered to fall out and reveal
himself. If that writer is present, then he knows in his own mind, and
one of these days his comrades will know, that he is too much of a
coward to face responsibility for his sneaking action.

"The man who