Betty at Fort Blizzard

d away and took the road to the long street of the married men's quarters. An icy fog swept from the Arctic Circle, enveloped the world, hiding both moon and stars, and made the great arc lamps

was all a woman, and at seventeen was

nclinations were merciful. Besides, she had been taught by her father and mother the great lessons of life in kindness and tenderness. She had seen her father give up a pa

ta stopped in front of the right do

oor lady. We all want to help her, but we find it hard, for she will tell nothing of herself, of her f

wing her thin face, made more pallid by the great braids of lustrous black hair that fell about her. A

said, gently, "to ask if I

and then hesitated for a moment,

ied to ask the chaplain just now-he is a kind man, and tries to help me but for some reason

write a letter for

oussard," answer

bout her nervously, fearing Mrs. Lawrence's words had been overheard, and stammer

Broussard for me and tell him that my husband is missing and will soon be posted as a deserter; that I don't know where he is, but I am sure he will return. Don't tell Mr. B

he girl and lasted for some minutes. Anita

an do something else for

is to write the letter, as I asked you, and post it to-night. It can't reach Mr. Broussard in less than a month, perhaps two months. The

el Fortescue leaning over her chair. If was a picture Anita had often seen, and at those times, from her childhood and from Beverley's, they were made to feel that t

ay anything about it to you, mother and daddy, but I would rather not tell you to whom the letter is to be written. You must trust me, my ow

d Colonel Fortescue, smiling. "Yo

he room. As they heard her light step tripping up the stairs,

ring his last interview with him. "I think Brou

's candid eyes

ange intimac

unhesitatingly r

"If you are fomenting a love affair between Anita at Fort

t a person to foment love affairs, or a

tescue; and then there was no more music from the harp, the Colonel

letter, telling exactly, and only, what Mrs. Lawrence had asked, and it was signed "Sincerely Yours." But when

and sends his love. I ri

ng her crimson mantle around her, she slipped out, in the cold mist, to the letter box. For one moment she held th

glow of the light, went off to look after the eight McGillicuddys, the little Lawrence boy, and the After-Clap, none of whom could have got on without her. Colonel Fortescue, coming out of the headquarters

ank you for your kindness in letting me stay in the qua

ly, "if you have any friends with w

e smiled as

care to communicate with them. Please understand me that I

," said Colonel Fortescue, "but

sed the wrong word. Mrs. Lawrence struggled feebly to her feet, th

ne, even the Colonel of the regiment, t

d Colonel Fortescue, "I

her head, sank, rather

"as my husband was only a private, and you are the Colonel; but I thin

reat wrong in bringing you to this post; but you may depend upon it that neither

you nor your child shall

than my body," replied Mrs. Law

ct. In spite of all the Colonel could say, the Sergeant still accused himself of being the cause of Lawrence's desertion. McGillicuddy's bronzed face, like a hickory nut, grew so haggard, his self-reproaches so piteous, that Colonel Fortescue thought it well to

urnfully to the chaplain, "as it is the damned cl

e opinion of the Arctic cold as Colonel Fortescue. "I th

ome back and give himself up. One great consolation to the Sergeant was, to spend a large part of his pay in comforts for Mrs. Lawrence and clothes and books and toys for the little Ronald. Mrs. McGillicuddy, who had reasoned out a very

at loyalty meant, especially loyalty to one's country. Among the most attentive listeners was Kettle, whose honest black face glowed when the chaplain proclaimed that every man owed it to his country to defend i

Kettle, earnestly, to the chaplain,

ed man should tell me that a sermon of mine was a corker, than for the

isty, but Ignatius McGillicuddy, aged ten, had sneaked out of the sacristy, still wearing his red cassock, and, seeing the chaplain passing out of the gate, thought it safe to begin an elaborate skirt dance, in his cassock, and making many fancy steps, with much high kicking, while the skirt of his cassoc

f catechism

nor were the After-Clap's orders always orders to him that day. In the late afternoon Mrs. Fortescue,

matter with you

iss Betty," Kettl

eking?" Mrs. For

. "I'm seekin' light on my duty to my countr

Fortescue. "Your duty at present

implicity, to Mrs. Fortescue's. "But the chaplain, he say we orter fight for our country; maybe at

can't ride and you can't shoot, I don't think you wil

t McGillicuddy, who had stopped at the Commandant's house on an errand. Sergeant Halligan, seeing no one around in th

man who can carry a gun to fight for his country. I saw the chaplain looking straight at you, and he was a

that?" anxiousl

day and walk post all night, but it's a merry jest compared with burning in hell fire. I'd ruther drill and

t I ain't noways fond of guns. If it wasn't for them devilish guns I'd

The Colonel wouldn't disoblige his lady. You'd be detailed to

ted grin, "I always did have a kinder honi

were sometimes dull at Fort Blizzard, and the men in the bar

sabre and sabretache were dazzling to Ket

shaver, and the Kun'l-he wasn't nothin' but a lieutenant then-wuz courtin' Miss Betty, and he pick me

e Sergeant, cheerfully. "The Colonel could manage

ride a gentle hoss

mounts. I could get the milkman's hoss for you. She is twenty-three years old and as quiet as an old

d at nine o'clock the next morning, he would go to the officer in charge of mounts, and by ten o'clock Kettle, as soon as he had finished washin

as radiant and informed Mrs. Fortescue, between the fish and the

ttle's was, but Kettle maintained a mysterious silence, only admit

ide in the buggy behind the milkman's horse. Sergeant Halligan did not give Kettle any time to repent of his decision, and promptly appeared at ten o'clock and escorted Kettle to the recruiting office. The recruiting sergeant was on hand and Sergeant

e in no white regiment," cried Kettle to Sergeant Halligan,

ligan, airily, "we can get you in all right, a

nt Gully, "we can fix that

e proceedings rath

and count my teeth?" he asked. Kettle had not spent tw

m of Sergeant Halligan, "not with such a husky felle

d declared that no surgeon who ever lived would turn down

st to Sergeant Halligan and his side partner, Sergeant Gully, and al

just leave the orderly in charge and step in with you and introduce Private Pi

the other, Kettle started across the plaza in the clear morning light

privates, marching gaily into the drill hall,

kman's hoss?" aske

n, "D'ye think I'm an infernal fool to put such a proposition up to

s a deceiver, suh-a deceiver, and I'm a'goin to tell

ou, and you can face three months in the military prison for it. And I'm a-thinkin' that Briggs, the drill sergeant, will put you on the kickingest horse in the regimental stables. Sergeant Gully here s

he had not much spirit for jokes, but he laughed when Sergeant Halligan explained to him that Sergeant Gully had enlisted

in a blue moon, and Kettle, marching between the two

rger. The trooper at the same time handed the Sergeant a long whip. Corporal, the charger, understood as well as any trooper in the regiment what the crack of the whip meant, from walk, trot, to gallop. A

Kettle was not in uniform as the other recruits were, Sergeant Briggs,

nd you stay up, and if you d

ant's jokes. Kettle, with much difficulty, managed to climb on Corporal's back and crouched ther

fool have I got

o, Gallagher!" said the serge

im into a hard gallop. As the horse quickened his pace, Kettle dropped the reins, and grasping Corporal around the neck, hung on desperately as the horse sped arou

e dropped the reins,

eck, hung on

nd I ain't a goin' to, neither. Miss Betty, she tole me the way to surve my country wuz to look af

arrest," promptly replied Briggs. "His office is in the headq

oat and went down on his knees to scrub the pantry. Two hours afterward, when the drill sergeant's work was done in the riding hall and he discovered that Kettle

lled out Colonel Fortes

rgeant Gully and Sergeant Halligan said he enlisted. Of course, I know, sir, they couldn't enlist him, but I'm afraid I helped 'em on with the joke. Anyhow, I made him get on a horse, a

d wearing blue over-alls, in which he did scrubbing. The Colone

being saucy to Sergeant Briggs?"

I done resigned. I tole that there Briggs man so, and lef

e," thundered the Colonel, i

fter-Clap, in all his morning freshness, his little white fur cap and coat showing off his eyes and hair, so dark, like his mother

ng his eyes, "I'm a goin' to the guardhouse, my lam

is might be true, and set u

y, struggling with the baby and her astonishment and indignation all a

hed him off, and Mrs. McGillicuddy went to report to Mrs. Fortescue,

d business about the naygur's wantin' to enlist. Gully and Sergeant H

e regiment, the Colonel satisfied himself with a stern reprimand, which was not entered against them. But having sentenced Kett

d itself into two camps, one on the Colonel's side and one on Kettle's. Anita, of course, sided with her father, and declared he had done perfectly right about Kettle, as he did about everything. Sergeant M

of course, Mrs. Fortescue, who outwardly observed an armed neutrality, but who called the Colonel "John" during t

oor Kettle," and the After-Clap was not rebuked in his insisten

drawing-room. Colonel Fortescue, however, spent most of his time during those three days at the headquarters building or the officers' club. As for Mrs. McGillicuddy, she was openly on the side of Kettle and against the Colonel, and shrewdly surmised exactly what had happened about the enlistment, and also that Sergeant McGillicuddy

een Sergeant Gully and Sergeant Halligan draggin' poor Kettle along to the riding hall. I seen Kettle when he run out, and McGillicuddy was a standin' off, a-laffin' fit to kill hi

"It's been a sad day to all of us, except the Colonel. Of course, I never attempt to

ut the orficers, but I do think, mum, as three days in the guardhouse for poor Kettle, who was bamboozled by Tim Gully and Mike Halligan, is on

s of the Colonel's presence in the next room, shaving himself sa

th and gave himself such a jab w

he Colonel went on, with var

with open delight by his partisans, Mrs. Fortescue, Mrs. McGillicuddy and the Af

nlist no mo', so help me Gord A'mighty. An' I ain't a'goin' to pay no more 'tention to the ch

e's breath, and the Colon