Year: 1868

So we went up the country in post haste.
I was, of course as one of the staff, admitted to
see Gerald, whom found terribly cut up.
81 don't mind the imprisonment; it's the dis


grace! The lashesl By God shall kill my
self directly get loose after it, know shall.


"No, no." said Meggie; "don't for my sake
| O, Gerald | if you knew how have suffered for
weeks past, you would live for my sake do not
care about the brand of lashes 1 know you are
innocent and that there has been some horrible
blunder committed inthis matter. o, Willie, dear,
do think of something to save him."


20, do, there's good fellow get me some stutf
that will make an end of me-"


'Don't talk like that, Gerald there's some In
fernal mistake in it. Don't despair yet Let's go
over the ground again step by step, and made
him tell me the whole story over again.


''It seems to me, Gerald, we want but few
things to show you are not guilty. We want the
tiger you shot at, and that we shant get and we
want the clew to the mystery of the other rifle.


20, I've thought of it all till I'm sick. l don
care what happens now. III wait till the day be-
fore it's to come off, and then break my head a.
gainst the walls"


'Don't be fool, Gerald I'm sure you are in
nocent. So is Margaret


''Yes; so are hundred others but it's all no
use. In three days I am disgraced for life, if L
! live"


"Well, must leave you now, and see what
can do.


'sLet me have five minutes with Meggie, will
you?"


I then left them alone for some ten minutes,
and then told Meggie she must 60 home with me.
I was beaten I could not see how [ could get
any fresh evidence, and without that reprieve-
postpontment-was impossible
I went to the wounded officer, the captain OF
his own company, and got him to tell his own sto-
ry it was just the same thing over again, always
the exceedingly loud report, and the touled and
still smoking carbine.


ssI would" said the captain, shave given the
price of my commission rather than have had it
happen. He's fine fellow as ever sat horse,
brave, kind, and as thorough a gentleman as the
colonel himself; I always made him my orderly
when I could, so as to have company. l declare
to you that did my best at the Court for
him, and got into disgrace with the general pre-
siding for ''coloring my statements was his
expression-so as to favor the prisoner. l almost
sniveled when I heard the sentence, as if he had
been my brother. Themen are mad about il; ; there
has not been lash or public punishment OF any
kind in theregiment for the last twenty-five years
| hardly knew how to pass time tried to
think, but my ideas only travelled in the same old
grooves again.
| invited the assistantsurgeon to come up to
nv quarters, and introduced him to my sister. He
was quite young fellow. and seemed quite flat
tered by my simple attention, for in the army they
have not made up their minds whether medical
officer should be treated as gentleman ; but the
strangest thing I ever saw in my life was my Sis
ter's conduct 0fcnurse. speaking 10 YOU fellows
I shan't be misunderstood, and some OF you have
seen her. She laid herself out to please him to an
extent I never should have thought my dear grave
Meggie capable Of; sang to him, played to him,
and made eyes at him till thought her brain was
turned. She said she should so like to see his
quarters, asked him to ask us to lunch. and shut
me up like rat-trap when I ventured to him that
it might not be convenient.
| Well, he went away at last as mad as she.
spoke to her after he was gone, and she tell into
nv arms, sobbing as if her heart was breaking,
and then, without word of explanation, ran out
of the room.


Next day we went to his quarters, and nothing
would satisfy her but that he should mix up some
medicine for her out of the bottles of his travelling
case There she was handling, and shifting, and
tasting everything, like child Of ten rather than
girl of eighteen. She sent him about the room;
made him bring books from the opposite side OF it,
so that she might read about the properties OF the
drugs and, in short behaved so like lunatic that
T thought the trouble about Gerald must have at
fected her mind. I got her away at last, and in
tended to insist on her remaining in the house and
putting some ice to her head. 1t was quite un-
necessary; the minute we left the surgery she was
calm and silent as man.


Well, the days passed in some sort of dreary
fashion till the evening of the llth. [ had been
asked during the day to 60 down with the officers
to see some rife practice, at some temporary marks
and went down.


1t was rather late when rode up to- the firing
point, and they were just leaving off; and one Of
them came up and said


81 say, Captain, tell us the cause of these new
bullets turning inside out?" and he handed me
bullet reversed just such another as Williams ha:
in his hand.


I took it, just to explain the matter to him. wher
thought struck through my mind like a flash o.
lightning.


; 'Saved, by God!" I exclaimed. "Who's go
the bullet out of the saddle"


"What bullet?'


"Gerald' d's-my COUSINS"


"Oh Gentleman Jacks affair. The doctors


got it." 49,


"Where is hep


E ''Dont know-quarters, think.
mo, he's come into town; 1 saw him on tn


road as we came by.


t sped on into town, leaving them to think wha
| they pleased; and spent more than two hour
E finding the DOCTOR At last | caught him.
In another minute we were riding full gallop tt
his quarters.
$ He had the bullet-a little bruised and singular
ly Aattened, and blunted at the point-it mus
, have been just spent when it struck.
then went to the sergeant who had charge
E the nineteen rounds of ammuntionthat were fount
4 in Gerald's pouch. About midnight contrlvee
to find him. and after some little delay l got pos
t session Of them.


E then returned to the doctor, and we compared
the nineteen bullets with the one found in the sad
die. then ran to the telegraph clerk, reused hin
out of bed and told him to telegraph to the head