rty waved their hands in laughing salutation.
Mrs. Stone and Mrs. Flight on the back seat, Messrs. Darling and Tommy
Dot opposite them in the body of the sleigh. Captain Pollock in the
driver's perch with a fair companion whose husband was still detained at
the agency, but wanted her to have the best time possible instead of
moping at home. Then came Willett's stylish sleigh and team, Sanders on
the back seat with Mrs. Darling, Almira blooming in her accustomed place
by "Phaeton's" side. She neither bowed nor kissed her hand to Cranston's
window, but smiled sweetly up into her companion's eyes.

Mr. Langston, meantime, was dining at the officers' mess, and presently
when Mrs. Leonard came over to see if she could not help her neighbor a
trifle in her packing, she unfolded some of the details of the Braska
plan. Messrs. Burtis and Willett desired to entertain some of their fort
friends in town; Colonel "Pegleg" was the only man at the post who owned
a sleigh; Mrs. Stone was invited as a matter of course, and accepted,
provided the colonel felt well enough to let her go, and it was duly
settled that six of the party should go in her sleigh. The rest was
easily arranged. Langston was only too glad to go out with Willett and
spend the hours until the return of the party in calling and dining at
the post, hoping thereby to obtain more than one glance at and more than
a few words with Miss Loomis. It was nearly sundown when they started.
It would be eleven before they got back. Long before that hour the
lights in Cranston's quarters were out and all was silence and peace.
Langston, strolling by after making his evening calls, looked long, as
lovers will, at the window of the room he knew to be hers, then went
resignedly over to the store and took a hand with the officers at a game
for which at other times he had no use whatever,--pool. He had to do
something to while away the time until the sleigh-bells came tinkling
back, and that seemed to be the only thing going.

But midnight came before the foremost sleigh. Pollock safely tooled his
party into the post as the twelve o'clock call was going the rounds. Oh,
they had had a blissful time! a glorious time! Such a delightful
supper,--partridges and celery and all manner of dainties from Chicago,
and such oyster patties! to say nothing of Roederer _ad libitum_. Then
they had danced, and then they had more supper, and then started home.
Willett would be along in a minute.

But