d felt for
a roll of gauze bandage. One little roll remained.

"Get back to the hospital and get another outfit of gauze and tape," he
ordered Velo.

Velo stood up and straightened his back. He looked down at Zaidos,
then his gaze traveled to the unconscious soldier.

"What do you bother with him for?" he said heartlessly. "It's no use.
I'm going to quit. What's the use of working myself to death?"

"Going to desert?" asked Zaidos coldly. He was holding the hurt
soldier in a position where he could treat the wound quickly.

"I suppose so," said Velo. "This isn't my fight!"

"Look here," said Zaidos, "I don't care what you do. If you desert and
are caught at it, and are shot, it is no affair of mine. I wash my
hands of you. But for the sake of your own manhood _get me that
bandage_ while I take care of this man. Don't be such a _cad_, Velo!
Get me the things I need, and then let's talk this thing out later.
But don't do anything to disgrace the family. After all, you know, if
anything happens to me, why, you are the head of the house."

Zaidos glanced suddenly up at his cousin, and surprised in his face a
look that once and for all swept away all the kindly doubts he had
cherished. Velo's countenance was so full of cold speculation and
deadly hatred that Zaidos started. Then he pulled himself together,
and looked Velo in the eye.

"Get the bandages!" he said coldly and Velo, as though controlled by
some superior force, turned to do as he was told.

As he hurried across the rough, blood-stained field, he too saw
pictures in his mind. He saw the contrasting fates, either of which he
thought might be his. The obscure life of a poor relation, dependent
on a relative's kindness, and the life of luxury if all that relative
had should come to him. A better boy could have planned to build up a
career for himself, but Velo could not or would not. He was like a
thief who would rather steal the dollar which he could go to work and
earn honestly.

Velo had become desperate in the last few days. As he hurried on, he
was seized with a sudden determination to end everything. He went into
the First Aid shelter and secured the bandages from the supply table
and went back, a dreadful resolve taking form as he went. He found
Zaidos still bending over the wounded soldier.

"Well, you hurried, didn't you?" he said, looking up with a nod of
thanks as Velo handed him the bandages. He went on rapidly, securing