eutenant or Captain
Anybody. There were a dozen bright, graceful, winning women among the
dames and damsels at the fort, and Alice Renwick was a famous beauty by
this time. It was more than Maman Beaubien could withstand, that her
Nina should "lead" all these, and so her consent was won. Back they came
from Chequamegon, and the stately home on Summit Avenue reopened to
receive them. It was Monday noon when they returned, and by three
o'clock Fanny Sutton had told Nina Beaubien what she knew of the
wonderful rumors that were floating in from Sibley. She was more than
half disposed to be in love with Jerrold herself. She expected a proper
amount of womanly horror, incredulity, and indignation; but she was
totally unprepared for the outburst that followed. Nina was transformed
into a tragedy queen on the instant, and poor, simple-hearted, foolish
Fanny Sutton was almost scared out of her small wits by the fire of
denunciation and fury with which her story was greeted. She came home
with white, frightened face and hunted up Cub and told him that she had
been telling Nina some of the queer things the ladies had been saying
about Mr. Jerrold, and Nina almost tore her to pieces, and could he go
right out to the fort to see Mr. Jerrold? Nina wanted to send a note at
once; and if he couldn't go she had made her promise that she would get
somebody to go instantly and to come back and let her know before four
o'clock. Cub was always glad of an excuse to go out to the fort, but a
coldness had sprung up between him and Jerrold. He had heard the ugly
rumors in that mysterious way in which all such things are heard, and,
while his shallow pate could not quite conceive of such a monstrous
scandal and he did not believe half he heard, he sagely felt that in the
presence of so much smoke there was surely some fire, and avoided the
man from whom he had been inseparable. Of course he had not spoken to
him on the subject, and, singularly enough, this was the case with all
the officers at the post except Armitage and the commander. It was
understood that the matter was in Chester's hands, to do with as was
deemed best. It was believed that his resignation had been tendered; and
all these forty-eight hours since the story might be said to be fairly
before the public, Jerrold had been left much to himself, and was
presumably in the depths of dismay.

One or two men, urged by their wives, who thought it was really time
something were done to le