growled Abe
Bolton, as he rose to accompany his comrade. "All they're for is to
stand up as a background, to show off a lot of spruce young officers
dressed in fancy rigs."

"Well," said Kent, lightly, as they walked along, "I kind of like
that; don't you? We make picturesque backgrounds, don't we? you and
I, especially you, the soft, tender, lithe and willowy; and I, the
frowning, rugged and adamantine, so to speak. I think the background
business is our best hold."

He laughed heartily at his own sarcasm, but Abe was not to be moved by
such frivolity, and answered glumly:

"O, yes; laugh about it, if you choose. That's your way: giggle over
everything. But when I play background, I want it to be with something
worth while in the foreground. I don't hanker after making myself a foil
to show off such fellers as our officers are, to good advantage."

"That don't bother me any more than it does a mountain to serve as a
background for a nanny goat and a pair of sore-eyed mules!"

"Yes, but the mountain sometimes has an opportunity to drop an avalanche
on 'em."

At this point of the discussion they arrived at the company grounds, and
had scarcely time to snatch up their guns and don their belts before the
company moved out to take its place in the regimental line.

The occasion of Lieutenant Alspaugh's elaborate personal ornamentation
now manifested itself. By reason of Captain Bennett's absence, he was
in command of the company, and was about to make his first appearance
on parade in that capacity. Two or three young women, of the hollyhock
order of beauty, whom he was very anxious to impress, had been brought
to camp, to witness his apotheosis into a commanding officer.

The moment, however, that he placed himself at the head of the company
and drew sword, the chill breath of distrust sent the mercury of his
self-confidence down to zero. It looked so easy to command a company
when some one else was doing it; it was hard when he tried it himself.
All the imps of confusion held high revel in his mind when he attempted
to give the orders which he had conned until he supposed he had them
"dead-letter perfect." he felt his usually-unfailing assurance shrivel
up under the gaze of hundreds of mercilessly critical eyes. He managed
to stammer out:

"ATTENTION, COMPANY! FORWARD, FILE RIGHT, MARCH!"

But as the company began to execute the order, it seemed to be going
just the opposite to what he had commanded, and he c