excessive! The
strong men were breathing hard, their brows drawn together and upward.
The weaker soldiers had a ghastly look, as of life shrunk to a point.
_Close up, men! Close up--close up!_

Farther down the line, on the white bank to which they tried to keep,
the column almost filling the narrow road, Cleave checked his horse. "I
have a brother in this regiment, and he has been ill--"

A company came stumbling by, heads bent before the bitter wind. He spoke
to its captain, the captain spoke to a lieutenant, the lieutenant to a
private in the colour guard, who at once fell out of line and sprang
somewhat stiffly across the wayside depression to the two horsemen drawn
up upon the bank. "Well, Richard! It's snowing."

"Have you had anything to eat, Will?"

"Loads. I had a pone of cornbread and a Mr. Rat in my file had a piece
of bacon. We added them and then divided them, and it was lovely, so far
as it went!" He laughed ruefully. "Only I've still that typhoid fever
appetite--"

His brother took from under the cape of his coat a small parcel. "Here
are some slices of bread and meat. I hoped I would see you, and so I
saved them. Where is that comforter Miriam knitted you?"

The boy's eyes glistened as he put out a gaunt young hand and took the
parcel. "Won't Mr. Rat and I have a feast! We were just talking of old
Judge at the Institute, and of how good his warm loaves used to taste!
Seems like an answer to prayer. Thank you, Richard! Miriam's comforter?
There's a fellow, a clerk from the store at Balcony Falls, who hasn't
much stamina and no shoes at all. They were bad when he started, and one
fell to pieces yesterday, and he left most of the other on that bad
piece of road this morning. So at the last halt we cut my comforter in
two and tied up his feet with it--I didn't need it, anyway." He looked
over his shoulder. "Well, I'd better be catching up!"

Richard put a hand upon his arm. "Don't give away any more clothing. You
have your blanket, I see."

"Yes, and Mr. Rat has an oilcloth. Oh, we'll sleep. I could sleep now--"
he spoke dreamily; "right in that fence corner. Doesn't it look soft and
white?--like a feather bed with lovely clean sheets. The fence rails
make it look like my old crib at home--" He pulled himself together with
a jerk. "You take care of yourself, Richard! I'm all right. Mr. Rat and
I were soldiers before the war broke out!" He was gone, stumbling
stiffly across to the road, running stiff