ansas River. They knew how to plow and plant
their fields and they had modern machinery with which to do it. The
few Southerners who came to Kansas were poorly equipped. Lawrence was
crowded with immigrants from every section of the North. The fields were
white with their tents. A company from Ohio, one from Connecticut, and
one from New Hampshire were camping just outside the town. Daily their
exploring committees went forth to look at localities. Daily new
companies poured in.

Stuart let them pour and asked no questions about their politics. He was
keen on one thing only--the pretty girls that might be among them.

When exploring parties came to Fort Leavenworth, the young Lieutenant
inspected them with an eye single to a possible dance for the regiment.
The number of pretty girls was not sufficient to cause excitement among
the officers as yet. The daughters of the East were not anxious to
explore Kansas at this moment. The Indians were still troublesome at
times.

A rumor spread through the barracks that the prettiest girl in Kansas
had just arrived at Fort Riley, sixty-eight miles beyond Topeka. Colonel
Phillip St. George Cooke of Virginia commanded the Fort and his daughter
Flora had ventured all the way from Harper's Ferry to the plains to see
her beloved daddy.

The news thrilled Stuart. He found an excuse to carry a message from
Colonel Sumner to Colonel Cooke.

He expected nothing serious, of course. Every daughter of Virginia knew
how to flirt. She would know that he understood this from the start. It
would be nip and tuck between the Virginia boy and the Virginia girl.

He had always had such easy sailing in his flirtations he hoped Miss
Flora would prove a worthy antagonist.

As a matter of course, Colonel Cooke asked the gallant young Virginian
to stay as his guest.

"What'll Colonel Sumner say, sir?" Stuart laughed.

"Leave Sumner to me."

"You'll guarantee immunity?"

"Guaranteed."

"Thank you, Colonel Cooke, I'll stay."

Stuart could hardly wait until the hour of lunch to meet the daughter.
He was impatient to ask where she was. The Colonel guessed his anxiety
and hastened to relieve it, or increase it.

"You haven't met my daughter, Lieutenant?" he asked casually.

"I haven't that honor, Colonel, but this gives me the happy
opportunity."

He said it with such boyish fun in his ringing voice that Cooke laughed
in spite of his desire to maintain the strictest dignity. He half
suspe