When, as the tallest Corporal in
Co. Q, he stood on the right of the company, on drill and dress parade,
and made the others "dress" on him, he wished that Maria Klegg could
only see how straight the line was, and how soldierly the boys looked.
When the Colonel personally selected him to command the squad which
was to escort the Paymaster through a dangerous part of the country, he
would have given much had Maria known of the trust reposed in him. And
when, as Corporal of the Guard, he suppressed in his usual summary way a
noisy row among the teamsters and cooks, he was very glad that Maria did
not hear the remarks that a Corporal always thinks necessary to make on
such occasions. Shorty did not swear with the fluent ease of before
his visit to the Klegg homestead, but a little excitement gave the old
looseness to his tongue. And when he sat around the guard-fire, he would
refuse to be drawn into any "little games," but turn his back upon the
chattering crowd, and furtively draw from his breast-pocket the remnant
of Maria's dress, and feel it, and muse over it, until aroused by the
call:

"Corporal of the Guard, Post No. 14. I want a drink o' water."

Shorty began to watch for Si's mail a good deal more anxiously than that
worthy did. He managed to go by the Chaplain's tent whenever duty took
him in that part of the camp, and sometimes when it did not, and inquire
if there was any mail there for Si. One day he was rewarded by the
Chaplain handing him two letters. His heart beat a little quicker by
seeing that they were both postmarked Bean Blossom Creek. The smaller--a
white envelope, superscribed in Annabel's cramped little hand--he thrust
indifferently into his pocket, and the larger--a fat, yellow envelope,
covered with the good Deacon's massive crow-tracks, and securely
fastened by a dab of sealing wax, pressed down with a cent--he studied
with tender interest. It had come directly from her home--from her
father. It probably told something about her.

It seemed as if there was something of the perfume of her presence about
it. Possibly she had carried it to the station and mailed it. He turned
it over gently, studied every detail, and fixed his eyes upon it, as
if he would make them pierce the thick, strong paper and devour the
contents. Then it occurred to him that the better and quicker way to get
at the inside would be to deliver the letters to Si. So he hunted up his
partner, whom he found about to take his sq