nothing.

The night came on, warm and stifling almost as the day. The window of
Loring's room opened on the crude wooden gallery that ran the length of
the hotel, and he kept it open from the bottom for such air as could be
obtained. A note lay on the mantel shelf when he returned from the
office late in the afternoon. This he had taken downstairs, inclosed it,
unopened, in one of the coarse hotel envelopes, addressed and sent it by
a messenger to Mrs. Burton's. At ten o'clock at night, in his shirt
sleeves, he was packing a valise, when at the open window, on the
gallery without, there appeared suddenly a slender, graceful, girlish
form; a fair face gazed appealingly, imploringly in, and a soft voice
pronounced his name.

Starting up, he stepped quickly toward the apparition. One instant the
lovely face lighted with hope, joy, triumph, then changed to sudden
wrath before the shade, pulled vehemently down, shut it from sight.

Even as she stood there, baffled, "a woman scorned" in the presence and
hearing of another, who nevertheless stepped quickly forward to express
her opinion of such heartless, soulless conduct despite the interposing
shade, there came a sharp, imperative rap on Loring's door, and the
summons "Wanted at headquarters at once, sir!"

And, weeping as though bereaved and forsaken, the younger woman threw
herself upon the broad and sympathizing bosom of the elder.

"There, there, poor darling! Don't cry. Wait till Mr. Lambert and the
General hear how he has treated you," said Mrs. Burton, "and we'll see
what'll happen."

CHAPTER XXI.

The day of perturbation had been succeeded by a night of worry at
department headquarters. Dispatches full of grave import were coming in
from Gate City and Cheyenne. Old John Folsom, long time a trader among
the Sioux, and known and trusted by the whole tribe, had given warning
weeks before that serious consequences would attend the effort to build
another post along the Big Horn. Red Cloud and his hosts of warriors had
sworn to sweep it from the face of the earth and every man of its
garrison with it. All this had been reported by the General to his
superiors at Washington, and all this had been derided by the Indian
Bureau. Against the judgment, against the counsel of the department
commander, the work went on. A large force of laborers hired by Major
Burleigh at Gate City early in the spring had been sent to Warrior Gap
under strong escort, and the unsea