"

"Then send him over in about ten minutes."

Home once more, Mr. Billings started a tiny blaze in his oil-stove, and
soon had a kettle of water boiling merrily. Sharp to time a member of
the guard tapped at the door, and, on being bidden "Come in," entered,
ushering in O'Grady; but meantime, by the aid of a little pot of
meat-juice and some cayenne pepper, a glass of hot soup or beef-tea had
been prepared, and, with some dainty slices of potted chicken and the
accompaniments of a cup of fragrant tea and some ship-biscuit, was in
readiness on a little table in the back room.

Telling the sentinel to remain in the shade on the piazza, the
lieutenant proceeded first to make O'Grady sit down in a big wicker
arm-chair, for the man in his broken condition was well-nigh exhausted
by his walk across the glaring parade in the heat of an Arizona noonday
sun. Then he mixed and administered the counterpart of the beverage he
had given his prisoner-patient in the morning, only in point of potency
it was an evident falling off, but sufficient for the purpose, and in a
few minutes O'Grady was able to swallow his breakfast with evident
relish, meekly and unhesitatingly obeying every suggestion of his
superior.

His breakfast finished, O'Grady was then conducted into a cool, darkened
apartment, a back room in the lieutenant's quarters.

"Now, pull off your boots and outer clothing, man, spread yourself on
that bed, and go to sleep, if you can. If you can't, and you want to
read, there are books and papers on that shelf; pin up the blanket on
the window, and you'll have light enough. You shall not be disturbed,
and I know you won't attempt to leave."

"Indeed, sir, I won't," began O'Grady, eagerly; but the lieutenant had
vanished, closing the door after him, and a minute later the soldier had
thrown himself upon the cool, white bed, and was crying like a tired
child.

Three or four weeks after this incident, to the small regret of his
troop and the politely-veiled indifference of the commissioned element
of the garrison, Captain Buxton concluded to avail himself of a
long-deferred "leave," and turned over his company property to Mr.
Billings in a condition that rendered it necessary for him to do a thing
that "ground" him, so to speak: he had to ask several favors of his
lieutenant, between whom and himself there had been no cordiality since
the episode of the bivouac, and an open rupture since Mr. Billings's
somewhat eventful