ignity and reserve of manner that kept them at some distance. To
others, especially to the youngsters in the ----th as well as to those
in the Riflers, he unbent entirely, and was frank, unaffected, and
warm-hearted. He seemed to bask in the sunshine of the respect and
consideration accorded him on every side. Yet no one could say he seemed
happy. Courteous, grave far beyond his years, silent and thoughtful, he
impressed them all as a man who had suffered too much ever again to be
light-hearted. Then it was more than believed he had fallen deeply in
love with Nellie Travers; and that explained the rarity and sadness of
his smile. To the women he was a centre of intense and romantic
interest. Mrs. Waldron was an object of jealousy because of the priority
of her claims to his regard. Mrs. Hurley--the sweet sister who so
strongly resembled him--was the recipient of universal attention from
both sexes. Hayne and the Hurleys, indeed, would have been invited to
several places an evening could they have accepted. And yet, with it
all, Mr. Hayne seemed at times greatly preoccupied. He had a great deal
to think of.

To begin with, the widow Clancy had been captured in one of the mining
towns, where she had sought refuge, and brought back by the civil
authorities, nearly three thousand dollars in greenbacks having been
found in her possession. She had fought like a fury and proved too much
for the sheriff's posse when first arrested, and not until three days
after her incarceration was the entire amount brought to light. There
was no question what ought to be done with it. Clancy's confession
established the fact that almost the entire amount was stolen from
Captain Hull nearly six years before, the night previous to his tragic
death at Battle Butte. Mrs. Clancy at first had furiously declared it
all a lie; but Waldron's and Billings's precaution in having Clancy's
entire story taken down by a notary public and sworn to before him
eventually broke her down. She made her miserable, whining admissions to
the sheriff's officers in town,--the colonel would not have her on the
post even as a prisoner,--and there she was still held, awaiting further
disclosures, while little Kate was lovingly cared for at Mrs. Waldron's.
Poor old Clancy was buried and on the way to be forgotten.

What proved the hardest problem for the garrison to solve was the fact
that, while Mr. Hayne kept several of his old associates at a distance,
he had openly