g the order written by
Captain Hamilton, Ned was suddenly shaken from head to foot. Not that
anybody, Mexican or American, was actually handling him roughly, but
that a hoarse, eager voice at his right ear exclaimed:

"Edward! My son! Is this you? Are you a prisoner?"

"No, Mister," responded Grant, before Ned could gather his wits to utter
a word. "He isn't a prisoner, but I'm ordered to stick him into the
outside of the Seventh somewhere. Is he your son?"

"He is, lieutenant," said Mr. Crawford. "And, oh, how glad I am!"

"Father!" Ned had shouted, as a pair of strong arms went around him.
"How did you happen to be here?"

"I came on one of our own supply-ships," said Mr. Crawford. "I'll tell
you all about it by and by. I had all but given up hearing anything of
you, and we sail for New York to-morrow. Lieutenant, I haven't seen him
for more'n a year. I want a good long talk."

"Of course you do!" said Grant, heartily. "Take him along, and let him
report at the camp of the Seventh to-morrow morning. You may go now, my
young greaser, but you'd better get on another rig than that before you
come."

"He will do that," said Mr. Crawford. "Come along, Ned. Let's go where
we can be by ourselves. I want to hear your whole yarn, from beginning
to end, and I've all sorts of things to tell you."

"Father," said Ned, "I know just the place. We'll go and get supper at
old Anita's, and we can talk all the way. Hurrah! How's mother?"

All the most important home news followed quickly after that, and Ned
felt that the capture of Vera Cruz was more important than ever.

"I am going to let you stay here, though," said his father. "You can
learn more than in any other way that I know of."

"That's what I want," said Ned. "And now I shall be in our army."

The father and son were not walking very fast, but they could talk
rapidly, and they had a great many things to say. They had some things
to see, as well, for everywhere, as they went, they encountered
detachments of United States soldiers patrolling the city, restoring
order and setting things to rights. That they were doing so appeared to
be a tremendous surprise to large numbers of the inhabitants, who had
almost been expecting to be ruthlessly plundered, if not murdered
outright, by these cruel barbarians from the awful republic of the
North. Not all of them were panic-stricken in this way, however, for
when the house of old Anita was reached, she was standing in the