felt himself wronged
by his superiors. Strain, too, suffered in his own estimate, and Petty
was fuming with pent-up wrath and hate against that cool, supercilious,
contemptuous upstart of an Engineer. Who in blazes was he anyhow? What
was his family? What his social status? demanded Petty to himself, even
though he knew that these were matters whereof our democratic military
system took no thought whatever. It is the proud boast of the American
Army that neither wealth nor name nor ancestry can count in the long
race for the stars. In these glad days of peace and national prosperity,
the officer is speedily taught that promotion is the result of only one
of two things, patient waiting or political influence.

And so it resulted that when Walter Loring steamed away southward on the
long run for the States, he left behind an unsettled fight, three or
four aggrieved officials--aggrieved because of him or his affairs and
their mismanagement of both--and one inveterate enemy. He had plenty of
time to think it all over after he was fairly at sea, but none before.
He and Dennis needed every moment to get his belongings aboard and his
business closed. He called upon the General as directed and stood in
respectful silence while that choleric warrior paced up and down the
room and explained his position. He wished Mr. Loring to understand that
while he felt that the young officer had behaved with disrespect, at
least with disregard of his commanding general, the latter was too
magnanimous to stand in his way, and had therefore determined the
evening previous to release him from arrest and from further duty that
he might lose no time in "joining" his new station, even went so far as
to say he had found much--very much to commend in the young gentleman
and his performance of duty in Arizona, and, but for the unfortunate
entanglements that had resulted, would have taken pleasure in making
public announcement of the fact. He could not but deprecate the conduct
of Mr. Loring's friends in Washington, and might find it necessary to
appeal to the President for justice. Meantime, however, he desired Mr.
Loring to know that no personal consideration had actuated his conduct.
He had done what he believed to be his duty, and then, like the orator,
the General paused for reply.

Mr. Loring stood in civilian dress and soldier attitude, hat in hand, an
attentive listener, never interposing a word or hazarding a remark. When
the General stopped