"That would be a waste of breath, as he's doing all he can already; but
I'll do my part with coddling, write all your letters for you--business,
friendship, love--and do anything else desired; if in my power."

"You're very good," he said, with a furtive glance at May, who seemed to
see or hear nothing but her brother, who was asking about the last news
from home; "very good indeed, Miss King; especially as regards the
love-letters. I presume it would not be necessary for me even to be at the
trouble of dictating them?"

"Oh, no, certainly not!"

"Joking aside, I shall be greatly obliged if you will write to Aunt
Wealthy to-day for me."

"With pleasure; especially as I can tell her your wound is not a dangerous
one, and you will not lose a limb. But do tell me. What did you poor
fellows get to eat at Andersonville?"

"Well, one week's daily ration consisted of one pint of corn-meal ground
up cob and all together, four ounces of mule meat, generally spoiled and
emitting anything but an appetizing odor; but then we were not troubled
with want of--the best of sauce for our meals."

"Hunger?"

"Yes; we'd plenty of that always. In addition to the corn-meal and meat,
we had a half pint of peas full of bugs."

"Oh! you poor creatures! I hope it was a little better the alternate
week."

"Just the same, except, in lieu of the corn-meal, we had three square
inches of corn bread."

"Is it jest; or earnest?" asked Lottie, appealing to Harold.

"Dead earnest, Miss King; and for medicine we had sumac and white-oak
bark."

"No matter what ailed you?"

"Oh, yes; that made no difference."

To Harry's impatience the winter wore slowly away while he was confined
within the hospital walls; yet the daily, almost hourly sight of May
Allison's sweet face, and the sound of her musical voice, went far to
reconcile him to this life of inactivity and "inglorious ease," as he
termed it in his moments of restless longing to be again in the field.

By the last of March this ardent desire was granted, and he hurried away
in fine spirits, leaving May pale and tearful, but with a ring on her
finger that had not been there before.

"Ah," said Lottie, pointing to it with a merry twinkle in her eye, and
passing her arm about May's waist as she spoke, "I shall be very generous,
and not tease as you did when somebody else treated me exactly so."

"It is good of you," whispered May, laying her wet cheek on her friend's
shoulder; "and