having the time of his life. He preferred the teacher's visiting the
camp rather than the fort. The "Howdy, sonny!" which he had received
from the men, and the "Make yourself at home, Bill" from Gardley, had
given him great joy; and the whole thing seemed somehow to link him to
the teacher in a most distinguishing manner.

Supper was ready almost immediately, and Mom Wallis had done her best to
make it appetizing. There was a lamb stew with potatoes, and fresh corn
bread with coffee. The men ate with relish, and watched their guest of
honor as if she had been an angel come down to abide with them for a
season. There was a tablecloth on the old table, too--a _white_
tablecloth. It looked remarkably like an old sheet, to be sure, with a
seam through the middle where it had been worn and turned and sewed
together; but it was a tablecloth now, and a marvel to the men. And the
wonder about Margaret was that she could eat at such a table and make it
seem as though that tablecloth were the finest damask, and the two-tined
forks the heaviest of silver.

After the supper was cleared away and the lamp lighted, the gifts were
brought out. A book of Scotch poetry for Jasper Kemp, bound in tartan
covers of the Campbell clan; a small illustrated pamphlet of Niagara
Falls for Big Jim, because he had said he wanted to see the place and
never could manage it; a little pictured folder of Washington City for
Big Jim; a book of old ballad music for Fiddling Boss; a book of jokes
for Fade-away Forbes; a framed picture of a beautiful shepherd dog for
Stocky; a big, red, ruffled denim pillow for Croaker, because when she
was there before he was always complaining about the seats being hard;
a great blazing crimson pennant bearing the name HARVARD in big letters
for Fudge, because she had remembered he was from Boston; and for Mom
Wallis a framed text beautifully painted in water-colors, done in rustic
letters twined with stray forget-me-nots, the words, "Come unto Me, all
ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Margaret
had made that during the week and framed it in a simple raffia braid of
brown and green.

It was marvelous how these men liked their presents; and while they were
examining them and laughing about them and putting their pictures and
Mom Wallis's text on the walls, and the pillow on a bunk, and the
pennant over the fireplace, Margaret shyly held out a tiny box to
Gardley.

"I thought perhaps you would