The Desert and The Sown

eave, and the wedding was now but a fortnight away. It began to seem preposterous that he should go at all, and the colonel was annoyed with himse

apropos of nothing. "I believe it's another case of 'mail-time fever.' The colonel says it comes on with Moya every a

me," said Mrs. Bogardus. "I never know one ca

st sergeant-of each company-to the adjutant's office, and there he'll get the mail for his men. The orderly trumpeter will bring it to the houses on the line, and the colonel's orderly-beautiful creature! There h

dful down, which the women's skirts swept with them as they walked. Mrs. Bogardus turned and clasped Christine's arm above the elbow; through the thin sleeve s

d the mother. "There i

ou aren't a girl. I should simply die in those awful things that y

e colonel is-impulsive," Mrs

king. I should know by the way he puts on wood that

upplied, with her quick wit, which

ge heart," sa

it and tries to meet her arms around him as if he were a tree, and he strokes her hair as if his hand was a bough! If ever I marry a soldier he shall

lent woman who has borne a child that can talk. Moya had often

le-aged persons like your mother and the colonel,"

had such a good ti

t altogether? Would y

g, I should want to be s

it costs something." Mrs. Bogardus was so concis

y out," said Christine, "and I gu

If I moved as often as they do, I'd have

re a business woman. You look at e

e dreamers like Paul or privileged persons like you. There has to be one in every f

are the household drudge!" Christi

ther smiled. "Don't

privileged family. It doesn't strike me it's going to be

ness, and yet she has learned to obey. She has had the freedom and the discipline of these little lordly arm

a dig at

Moya came out

y her mother's unwonted burst of praise. The faintest tinge of jealousy made her feel naughty. As Moya went down the board walk, the colonel's orderly ca

himself might have heard her. It was not the first time this privileged guest had rubbed against garrison customs in certain directions hardly wort

ook at them, when they are as pretty as that

the exercise of one of her prerogatives, it was her habit to

t was faced with one on top in Paul's handwriting. "All but one," she added, and proce

remained beside her. "Could I speak

will call hi

ed them. Mrs. Bogardus leading the way into the sitting-room, the colone

voice, which made you want to open the doors and windows to give it roo

r was mailed they got off-only two days ago," she s

k by yesterday. Today they are deep in the woods. No; I should say a ma

to Paul and urged him, if he could not prevent the others from going, to give up the trip himself. The Bowens were very much annoyed at his interference, and with Paul for listening to him. And Paul, rather than make things unpleasant, gave in. You know how young men are! What silly grounds are enough for the most serious decisions when it is a question of pride or good faith. The Bowens had bought their outfi

verything wrong end foremost, everybody mad with everybody else

sisted gloomily. As she spoke, the two gi

. "Moya has no news; all those pages and page

a poor pennyworth of bread,'" the colonel

gardus recalled him. "Don't you

l take command, as he should. There is no danger in the woods at any sea

You know there is danger. O

ppen?" asked Christ

ly. "That is the object of the trip. You want things to happen. It is the

prudently struck in, "and what would you hav

ce, or a good word for the absent-sa

ther men, now you have chosen on

our brother to those men! Papa, I beg

the other men are chaff!" Christine joined con

ied, in answer to a quizzical look. "As if I ha

ave, my dear young lady, and not know them as

oung men's trail. His assurances to the women left a wide margin for personal doubt as to the prudence of the trip. Aside from the lateness of the st