care for these poor creatures, was her claim, along o'
having little Paquita on her hands so many days, "and now that poor
girl beyant will be screaming herself into fits!"

"Let her scream," said Plume, unstrung and shaken, "but hold you your
tongue or I'll find a separate cell for you. No woman shall be knifing
my men, and go unpunished, if I can help it," and so saying he turned
wrathfully from her.

"Heard you that now?" stormed Mother Shaughnessy, as he strode away.
"Who but he has helped his women to go unpunished--" and the words
were out and heard before the sergeant major could spring and silence
her. Before another day they were echoing all over the post--were on
their way to Prescott, even, and meeting, almost at the northward
gateway, the very women the raging laundress meant. Of her own free
will Clarice Plume was once again at Sandy, bringing with her, sorely
against the will of either, but because a stronger will would have it
so--and sent his guards to see to it--a cowed and scared and
semi-silent companion of whom much ill was spoken now about the
garrison--Elise Lebrun.

The news threw Norah Shaughnessy nearly into spasms. "'Twas she that
knifed Pat Mullins!" she cried. "'Twas she drove poor Downs to dhrink
and desartion. 'Twas she set Carmody and Shannon to cuttin' each
other's throats"--which was news to a garrison that had seen the
process extend no further than to each other's acquaintance. And more
and stormier words the girl went on to say concerning the commander's
household until Mullins himself mildly interposed. But all these
things were being told about the garrison, from which Lola and
Alchisay had fled in terror to spread the tidings that their princess
was a prisoner behind the bars. These were things that were being
told, too, to the men of Sanders's returning troop before they were
fairly unsaddled at the stables; and that night, before ever he sought
his soldier pillow, Shannon had been to "C" Troop's quarters in search
of Trooper Stern and had wrung from him all that he could tell of
Carmody's last fight on earth--of his last words to Lieutenant
Blakely.

Meantime a sorely troubled man was Major Plume. That his wife would
have to return to Sandy he had learned from the lips of Colonel Byrne
himself. Her own good name had been involved, and could only be
completely cleared when Wren and Blakely were sufficiently recovered
to testify, and when Mullins should be so thoroughly resto