ss and manner, tramping about in the
deep snow around the laundresses' quarters was one that afforded rather
too much malicious delight to a few of the denizens of the club-room at
the store; but the contemplation of his own misfortunes was beginning
to bring the doctor himself to a state of mind still less justifiable.
All his life he had shunned the contemplation of poverty and distress.
He was now for the first time seeing sickness and suffering in
surroundings that had nothing of refinement, and he shrank, like the
sensitive and selfish creature that he was, from such contamination.

It was hard news for Laramie when the telegraph flashed the tidings of
the savage fight up among the snows in the Powder River country, but it
was comfort to Dr. Bayard. He had begged for an assistant to replace
the young surgeon who had been taken to the front, and his request was
declined on the ground that the size of the present garrison did not
warrant the detail of an additional medical officer. Bayard ground his
teeth, and swore, when the paper came back to him, "Respectfully
transmitted with attention invited to the endorsement of the medical
director,--which is approved." He could have testified under oath now,
so strong was his conviction, that his father-in-law, the surgeon-general
of the army, and the medical director of the department were all in
league to annoy and humiliate him to the verge of distraction--or
resignation from the service. But the fight with Crazy Horse's band of
Sioux brought unexpected aid and comfort to the doctor in greatly
adding to his responsibilities; a large number of wounded and frozen
soldiers were being brought in as fast as ambulance and _travois_
could haul them, and now he was shrewd enough to know that an
assistant would have to be sent, and he did not even ask. The young
doctor who came back with the wounded was himself so badly frozen when
only two days' march away that he could be of no further aid. Bayard
went forward through the snow-drifts up the Platte to meet his new
patients, saw them safely housed in hospital, and gave himself up to
the devoted efforts in their behalf. The moment the assistant arrived
he was given instructions to take entire charge of the soldiers'
families and the "hangers on" of the post.

And now the 1st of May was come; many of the wounded were well enough
to be hobbling around the fort in search of air and sunshine; many
additional troops had passed Laramie