ver the grave of her innocent first-born? There are twenty
reasons, but they must all of them be good ones. I am sorry to give it
as my decided opinion, Wallis, in perfect confidence, that they must all
be whopping good ones. Well, that was the beginning; only the beginning.
After that he held on for a while, breaking the bread of life to a
skedaddling flock, and then he bolted. The next known of him, three
years later, he enlisted in your regiment, a smart but seedy recruit,
smelling strongly of whiskey."

"I wish I smelt half as strong of it myself," grumbled Wallis. "It might
keep out the swamp fever."

"That's the true story of Col. John James Waldron," continued Old
Grumps, with a groan which was very somnolent, as if it were a twin to a
snore. "That's the true story."

"I don't believe the first word of it--that is to say, Colonel, I think
you have been misinformed--and I'll bet you two to one on it. If he was
nothing more than a minister, how did he know drill and tactics?"

"Oh, I forgot to say he went through West Point--that is, nearly
through. They graduated him in his third year by the back door, Wallis."

"Oh, that was it, was it? He was a West Pointer, was he? Well, then, the
backsliding was natural, and oughtn't to count against him. A member of
Benny Haven's church has a right to backslide anywhere, especially as
the Colonel doesn't seem to be any worse than some of the rest of us,
who haven't fallen from grace the least particle, but took our stand at
the start just where we are now. A fellow that begins with a handful of
trumps has a right to play a risky game."

"I know what euchered him, Wallis. It was the old Little Joker; and
there's another of the same on hand now."

"On hand where? What are you driving at, Colonel?"

"He looks like a boy. I mean she looks like a boy. You know what I
mean, Wallis; I mean the boy that makes believe to wait on him. And
her brother is in camp, got here to-night. There'll be an explanation
to-morrow, and there'll be bloodshed."

"Good-night, Colonel, and sleep it off," said Wallis, rising from
the side of a man whom he believed to be sillily drunk and altogether
untrustworthy. "You know we get after the rebs at dawn."

"I know it--goo-night, Adjutant--gawbless-you," mumbled Old Grumps.
"We'll lick those rebs, won't we?" he chuckled. "Goo-night, ole fellow,
an' gawblessyou."

Whereupon Old Grumps fell asleep, very absurdly overcome by liquor, we
extremely