ugh he was sent here on a commissary errand."

"I dunno, sir. He's in the lockup there. He was very violent, and the
sergeant bound him with straps."

"I will go in and examine him; he may be one of my men, and, as our
brigade moves in the morning, I should like to know."

"Very well, sir; the officer of the day is asleep in the room beyond the
first door. One of the men will call him."

"Oh, no need to disturb him until I have seen the prisoner.--Here, my
man"--addressing a soldier asleep on a settee--"show me to the deserter
brought in to-night."

"Yes, sir," the man cried, starting up with confused alacrity; then,
noticing the insignia of major on Dick's gray collar, he saluted
respectfully, and, pointing to a double doorway, waited for his superior
to lead the way. Dick, who had been in the prison before, knew his
whereabouts very well, and it was not until the soldier reached the room
in which the deserter was detained that he seemed to remember that there
were no lights.

"Here are the man's quarters, sir; but I'm out of matches. If you'll
wait a minute I'll bring a candle."

"All right," Dick responded, in a loud voice; "I'll stand here until you
come back."

The quest of the candle would take the guide to the closet in the
guard-room, and, risking little to learn much, Dick struck a match and
peered into the stuffy little room, more like a corn-crib than a
prison-cell.

"Hist, Jack! is it you?" he called.

There was an exclamation from the farther end of the room, and then a
fervent--

"Heavens, Dick! is it really you?"

"Sh--sh--!"

The soldier's returning footfalls sounded in the passage-way; but, as he
re-entered the hall where Dick stood shading the flickering light, he
could not see the hastily extinguished match in Dick's hand. As the man
came slowly along the winding passage-way, Dick whispered:

"You are a recruit in Rickett's legion; you were drunk and lost your
way, and I am your major; you are stationed at Fort Lee near
Mechanicsville, and you belong to Company G."

Jack pretended to be sound asleep when the soldier and Dick entered. He
rubbed his eyes sleepily, and looked up in a vacant, tipsy way, leering
knowingly at the soldier, who had caught him by the shoulder.

"What are you doing here, Tarpey? Why aren't you with your company?
You'll get ball and chain for this lark, or my name's not James Braine."

"But, major, it--it wasn't my fault. My cousin, Joe Tarpey, came down
f