lonel Ray's regiment with you at Chickamauga?" he
asked.

"It was expected when I left, general. You mean the --th Kentucky?"

"I mean his volunteer regiment--yes. I was wondering whether any of his
family had gone thither. But you wouldn't be apt to know."

And Stuyvesant felt the blood beginning to mount to his face. He could
answer for it that one member had not gone thither. He was wondering
whether he ought to speak of it when Drayton finally turned upon him and
held forth the letter. "Read that," said he, "but regard it as
confidential."

It was such a letter as one frank old soldier might write another. It
was one of a dozen that had come to Drayton that day asking his interest
in behalf of some young soldier about joining his command. It was dated
at Cincinnati five days earlier, and before Stuyvesant had read half
through the page his hand was trembling.

"Dear Drayton," it said, "I'm in a snarl, and I want your help. My
sister's pet boy came out to try his hand at ranching near us last
year. He had some money from his father and everything promised
well for his success if he could have stuck to business. But he
couldn't. Billy Ray, commanding my first squadron, was stationed
with me, and the first thing I knew the boy was head over ears in
love with Billy's daughter. I can't blame him. Marion, junior, is
as pretty a girl as ever grew up in the army, and she's a brave
and winsome lass besides--her Dad all over, as her mother says.

"Walter's ranch was thirty miles away, but he'd ride the sixty six
times a week, if need be, to have a dance with Maidie Ray, and the
cattle could go to the wolves. Then came the war. The Governor of
Kentucky gave Ray the command of a regiment, and that fool boy of
mine begged him to take him along. Ray couldn't. Besides, I don't
think he half liked Walter's devotions to the girl, though he
hadn't anything against him exactly. Then I was retired and sent
home, and the next thing my sister, Mrs. Foster, came tearing in
to tell me Walter had gone and enlisted--enlisted in the regulars
at Denver and was going to 'Frisco and Manila, as he couldn't get
to Cuba. She's completely broke up about it.

"Foster went to Washington and saw the President and got a
commission for him in the signal corps,--volunteers,--and he
should be with you by the time you get this, so I wired ahead.

"He isn