to arrange things about the bed. I begged her to stay with me, but, of
course, I knew it was impossible.

So here I was, inexperienced and helpless, alone in bed, with an infant
a few days old. Dr. Loring, our excellent Post Surgeon, was both kind
and skillful, but he was in poor health and expecting each day to
be ordered to another station. My husband was obliged to be at the
Commissary Office all day, issuing rations to troops and scouts, and
attending to the duties of his position.

But, realizing in a measure the utter helplessness of my situation, he
sent a soldier up to lead a wire cord through the thick wall at the head
of my bed and out through the small yard into the kitchen. To this they
attached a big cow-bell, so, by making some considerable effort to reach
up and pull this wire, I could summon Bowen, that is, if Bowen happened
to be there. But Bowen seemed always to be out at drill or over at the
company quarters, and frequently my bell brought no response. When he
did come, however, he was just as kind and just as awkward as it was
possible for a great big six-foot farmer-soldier to be.

But I grew weaker and weaker with trying to be strong, and one day
when Jack came in and found both the baby and myself crying, he said,
man-like, "What's the matter?" I said, "I must have some one to take
care of me, or we shall both die."

He seemed to realize that the situation was desperate, and mounted men
were sent out immediately in all directions to find a woman.

At last, a Mexican girl was found in a wood-chopper's camp, and was
brought to me. She was quite young and very ignorant and stupid, and
spoke nothing but a sort of Mexican "lingo," and did not understand a
word of English. But I felt that my life was saved; and Bowen fixed up
a place on the couch for her to sleep, and Jack went over to the
unoccupied room on the other side of the cabin and took possession of
the absent doctor's bed.

I begged Jack to hunt up a Spanish dictionary, and fortunately one
was found at the cutler's store, which, doubtless the cutler or his
predecessor had brought into the country years before.

The girl did not know anything. I do not think she had ever been inside
a casa before. She had washed herself in mountain streams, and did not
know what basins and sponges were for. So it was of no use to point to
the objects I wanted.

I propped myself up in bed and studied the dictionary, and, having some
idea of the pronunc