ss Bruce decided to go, it was
noticed then and referred to afterward that Mr. McLean never so much as
looked at Miss Forrest or noticed her in any way at the time of this
occurrence. It was hardly night before the story had gone all over the
garrison, and added to Miss Forrest's growing unpopularity; and it was
kind-hearted Mrs. Miller herself who exclaimed, on hearing the details
in the inevitably exaggerated form in which all such narrative must
travel, "I declare! the title she has assumed seems to fit her,--Queen
of Bedlam, indeed!"

IV.

The doctor was giving a little dinner in honor of his friend Mr.
Holmes. Two days now had that gentleman been in garrison, where his
advent had created more of a flutter than the coming of an
inspector-general. He had a large cattle-range farther to the south,
beyond the Chugwater and comparatively removed from the scene of Indian
hostility and depredation; but such had become the laxity of discipline
on the part of the bureau officials, or such was their dread of their
turbulent charges at the reservations, that, from time to time,
marauding parties of young warriors had been raiding from the agencies
during the month of April, crossing the Platte River and dashing down
on the outskirts of the great cattle-herds south of Scott's Bluffs and
in the valleys of Horsehead and Bear Creeks. One party had even dared
to attack the ranches far up the Chugwater Valley at the crossing of
the Cheyenne road; another had ridden all around Fort Laramie, fording
the Platte above and below; and several of them had made away with
dozens of head of cattle bearing the well-known brand of Mr. Holmes of
Chicago. It was to see what could be done toward preventing the
recurrence of this sort of thing that brought Mr. Holmes to Laramie. At
least he said so, but there were ladies in the garrison who were quick
to determine that something worth more to him than a few hundred head
of cattle had prompted him to take that dangerous ride up from the
railway. "He would never have thought it worth while," said Mrs. Wells
after a day of quiet observation, "had Nellie Bayard not been here."

Another thing to give color to this theory was the fact that, yielding
to the importunities of Major Miller and his frequent telegraphic
reports of Indian dashes on the neighboring ranches, the division
commander had ordered a troop of cavalry back from patrol duty around
the reservation, and "The Grays" had marched