CORA *e PE 
 
 of Me REGIMENT 
 
 ia
 
 Jessie B.Conway, Ml. D-
 
 o
 
 The Pet of the Regiment 
 
 MISS LAURA JEAN LIBBEY 
 
 ARTHUR WESTBROOK 
 COMPANY 
 
 CLEVELAND, OHIO, U. S. A.
 
 CORA, THE PET OF 
 THE REGIMENT 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 " MY DAUGHTER SHALL NEVER HAVE A IX)VER WHILE I 
 LIVE ! " SAID THE OLD GENERAL, FIERCELY. " I WILL 
 GUARD HER FROM THEM, IF I HAVE TO MAKE A PRISON 
 OF THESE FOUR WALLS, AND NEVER LET HER SEE ANY 
 OTHER HUMAN FACE THAN MINE.' " 
 
 " So you would like to enter the military school at 
 West Point, eh ? " said General Ormsby, slowly, as he 
 keenly eyed the handsome young man before him; ad<$- 
 ing : " I am rather surprised to hear that. When you 
 saved my precious young daughter's life yesterday, at the 
 risk of your own, when through fright she stumbled and 
 fell headlong directly in front of one of the trolley cars 
 that was rushing along at tremendous speed, and would 
 have been crushed to death in another instant of time 
 but for your act of heroism " 
 
 The old general's voice grew husky with emotion. He 
 stopped short ; he could not finish the sentence for a 
 moment ; words failed him. 
 
 Turning abruptly in his chair, he raised his eyes to 
 the portrait of a young and lovely girl, fair as a dream, 
 
 2136750
 
 6 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 that hung on the opposite wall, and his bronzed, weather- 
 beaten old face blanched, and his strong hands trembled 
 as he strove to control his emotions. The young man 
 looked up at the pictured girlish face, too, and his color 
 deepened. 
 
 After a moment's pause, the general went on slowly: 
 
 " The message I sent you was, ' Ask any favor in rea- 
 son of me, and if it is within my power it shall be 
 granted.' I supposed you would think it a good oppor- 
 tunity to be set up in business for yourself, as I hear you 
 have been searching in the city for a situation, and 
 without success. I repeat that I am surprised to hear 
 you say that you would like to go to West Point." 
 
 " It has been the one dream of my life, sir," responded 
 Arthur Rollins, raising his frank, dark eyes, the warm 
 color coming and going on his cheeks, his form trem- 
 bling with eagerness " my one ambition ; but I never 
 supposed that I, a poor farmer's son, with only a limited 
 education, would ever live to see that fond dream real- 
 ized. The exciting life of a soldier has a wonderful 
 charm for me. My heart and soul would be in it. I 
 wouldn't mind entering the service as a private, and by 
 dauntless courage and hard work win my spurs and my 
 way to the front, rise to a captain, then a colonel, and 
 perhaps some day I might be a general to rule an army, if 
 a war should break out." 
 
 General Ormsby smiled quietly at the enthusiasm of 
 the handsome youth of one-and-twenty standing before 
 him in all the bravery of his noble manhood, saying to 
 himself " that a finer young fellow would certainly be 
 hard to find." 
 
 For a few minutes the general studied the pattern of
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 7 
 
 the carpet attentively; then looking up, he said, sud- 
 denly : 
 
 " We need more brave young men at West Point. We 
 have too many milk-sops there who have gained an en- 
 trance through influence or money; men who never ex- 
 pect to see a battle, and who are so cowardly they would 
 run if a musket were pointed at them. They think be- 
 fore they get there that they are going to have a lazy 
 life of it. They soon have the starch taken out of them 
 when they go into training, and suffer the hardships 
 of patrol duty shouldering a heavy musket for thirty- 
 six hours, with never a wink of sleep ; standing knee- 
 deep in water for long hours, or lying on the hard earth, 
 wrapped only in an army blanket, with the thermometer 
 below zero, and exposed to the wind and weather from 
 dusk to dawn ; leaping on flying steeds ; suffering hun- 
 ger, thirst and privation for days ; or if there is a riot, 
 called out to face death in charging upon the mob." 
 
 " I would not mind hardship, sir," declared young 
 Rollins. " When one is poor one is used to it in one way 
 or another." 
 
 " And then there is another thing. No soldier should 
 ever fall in love or marry," added the general, slyly. 
 " They are often ordered out upon the frontier, and 
 their sweethearts, or even wives, must be left behind." 
 
 The general's warning, that the young man who 
 mapped out a military career for himself should never 
 fall in love, had been given too late. Arthur Rollins' 
 heart had already gone from him he was hopelessly 
 in love at first sight with the general's daughter. 
 
 It never occurred to him that he should ever see her 
 again, or have the opportunity of trying to win her. He 
 said to himself he had met his ideal, that he should love
 
 8 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 her in secret, and hopelessly, until the day that he died, 
 and never care to look upon another girl's face. 
 
 There was the sound of a sweet, silvery girlish voice 
 in the corridor without. General Ormsby heard it and 
 Started. 
 
 " Well, young man," he said, hurriedly, " I shall see 
 that your wishes are granted, if it be possible. There 
 happens to be a vacancy at West Point from my district 
 "i-the congressman from my vicinity informed me. You 
 shall take the place of the cadet who has just been trans- 
 ferred, providing and it is a very important proviso 
 you can pass the examination satisfactorily. Getting into 
 West Point is not a question of money or influence. A 
 young man stands entirely on his own merits. The con- 
 gressman from my district shall propose your name, 
 however, and we can but hope for the result." 
 
 " I thank you with all my heart, sir," replied Arthur, 
 rising to his feet, " more than words can express. I 
 shall feel that whatever I attain in the future will be 
 due to you. Please believe that my gratitude is un- 
 bounded." 
 
 " I shall notify you in the course of a fortnight in 
 regard to the matter," said the general, rising and hold- 
 ing out his hand. 
 
 There was nothing else to do but shake hands and 
 bow himself out, although the young man would have 
 given anything he possessed to have stayed long enough 
 to meet once more the lovely young girl tripping lightly 
 down the corridor; but as he was not asked to do so, 
 there was nothing else to do but to take his leave. 
 
 The door had scarcely closed behind the young man 
 ere the portieres on the opposite side of the apartment 
 were thrust aside by a white hand, and a lovely young
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 girl, fair as the morning itself, burst into the room like 
 a bit of bewildering sunshine. 
 
 " Oh, here you are, papa ! " cried the girl, springing 
 into the old general's outstretched arms. " I have been 
 looking everywhere for you, you old darling ! " 
 
 " And now that you have found me, what is it you 
 want ? " he asked, drawing the girl closer into his arms 
 and stroking back the golden curls from her dimpled 
 face. 
 
 " I want to show you the invitation I have just re- 
 ceived for the grand ball the cadets are going to give 
 at West Point; I'll tell you about it later; but first I 
 want to know who it was that was with you a moment 
 since in the library? " 
 
 " It was Mr. Arthur Rollins, the young man who did 
 us both the greatest service of our lives yesterday," he 
 answered. " He came here in response to a message from 
 me." 
 
 " It was a wonder you did not summon me to the 
 library, too, that I might thank him in person," she re- 
 turned in a tone of great disappointment. " I I shall 
 probably never see him again now." 
 
 " Your letter of sincere gratitude was all-sufficient, 
 my dear Cora," returned the general, gravely. 
 
 That Cora Ormsby was the idol of his life, the sun- 
 shine and delight of his old age, was little to be wondered 
 at, in addition to being as lovely a creature as poet ever 
 sung about or artist painted. She was a bright and jolly 
 young girl, full of mirth and coquetry, with a laugh 
 like a joy-bell. Every one loved her and helped to spoil 
 her. 
 
 She never remembered what having a mother was like 
 the girl had been brought up in an atmosphere of gov-
 
 10 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 ernesses and tutors; but they had not clouded over the 
 sunshine of her nature, and at seventeen she was way- 
 ward and willful, but intensely lovable. 
 
 The old general prided himself on the fact that he 
 had never yet said " No " to his idolized darling. The 
 time was coming when the utterance of that word was 
 to cost him the severest pang of his life. 
 
 The general had married late in life, and his marriage 
 had come about in a strange way. He had been known 
 to be a confirmed bachelor; his servants were all men; 
 he had no patience with the frivolity of womankind he 
 held them in supreme indifference; every woman might 
 have been swept from the face of the earth for all he 
 cared he would not have missed them. 
 
 Suddenly he was called to the bedside of a dying 
 comrade, and because he could not find it in his heart to 
 say " No " at such a time, he found himself made the 
 guardian of an orphaned daughter. 
 
 He was home on a furlough, and the question which 
 perplexed him sorely was what should he do with her 
 when he returned to the army, two weeks later? The 
 good minister of the parish suggested : 
 
 " Why not marry her, if she will have you? " 
 
 " But I am old enough to be her father," declared the 
 general. 
 
 " Perhaps she would overlook that," was the reply. 
 
 " I could never have the courage to ask her such a 
 question," said the hero of a hundred battles, desper- 
 ately, and flushing very red. 
 
 The minister took the task of proposing for the gen- 
 eral upon his own shoulders ; and the general looked at 
 him in helpless bewilderment when he was informed, a 
 few days later, that the young girl had said " Yes."
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 11 
 
 The upshot of the matter was he married her, and 
 after a week of unalloyed happiness he went back to his 
 army, leaving his young bride behind. 
 
 Nine months later he received an urgent telegram call- 
 ing him home from the far West ; but he arrived too late 
 his young wife had passed away, and they placed in his 
 arms the little babe she had left as a legacy to him, to 
 comfort him and solace his old age. 
 
 General Ormsby lived for the child alone from that 
 moment he could not bear to have her out of his pres- 
 ence for a day. When he returned to the army again, 
 the little one and a faithful old nurse went with him. 
 
 The laughing, golden-haired, merry child became the 
 pet of the regiment; there was not a soldier but would 
 have laid down his life to serve the dainty little fairy. 
 
 She learned to use a musket with the best of them, and 
 to ride the wildest horse like a young Diana. 
 
 General Ormsby was greatly relieved when he was 
 recalled East, and could bring his little daughter into 
 civilization again, before she was quite sixteen. 
 
 Then began the siege of making a lady of the wayward 
 little beauty, and it was certainly the hardest battle the 
 old general ever fought. 
 
 She pleaded so sweetly, and coaxed him so lovingly to 
 let her throw away her books and send the governess and 
 tutors away when she was quite sixteen, that he couldn't 
 say nay, though it was contrary to his better judgment. 
 
 After that she ruled the old mansion, the servants, Miss 
 Bitterwood, the housekeeper, and the old general, ac- 
 cording to her own sweet will. Wise people shook their 
 heads gravely and wondered how it would end. Miss 
 Bitterwood's lamentations were loud and deep that harm 
 would yet come of such willfulness.
 
 12 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 " What if she should ever fall in love and marry, and 
 leave you ? " some one once asked the old general. 
 
 The effect of those words was alarming. It was the 
 first time such a possibility had ever presented itself to 
 his mind. 
 
 " I I think I can manage that," he said. " Cora shall 
 never have a lover while I live; I will guard her from 
 them, if I have to make a prison of these four walls, and 
 never let her see any other human face than mine ! " 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 FOR ONE MOMENT HE HELD THE SLENDER FORM IN HIS 
 
 ARMS. 
 
 Meanwhile, Arthur Rollins walked hurriedly down the 
 country road, for he had barely time to reach the depot 
 and take the train back to the city from which he had 
 come in response to General Ormsby's telegram, that he 
 would like to see at his villa up in Cranstons-on-the- 
 Hudson the young man who had saved his daughter's 
 life, quite as soon as he could make it convenient to take 
 the trip up from Brooklyn. 
 
 When the young man had crossed the Brooklyn Bridge 
 in search of something to do on that fated day, having 
 failed hopelessly in the great metropolis, he little dreamed 
 that it was the hand of fate leading him on to his destiny. 
 
 Arthur had scarcely proceeded a dozen blocks ere his 
 attention became riveted on a pretty young girl walking 
 with an elderly lady just ahead of him. 
 
 The woman was quite as old and homely as the girl
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 13 
 
 was sweet and pretty, and he judged by her severe aspect 
 that she was probably the girl's chaperon. 
 
 They were crossing the street toward the opposite pave- 
 ment the lady in advance, the girl following, when sud- 
 denly there was a terrible cry and a shout. 
 
 The motorman of a trolley car had lost control of the 
 power, and his car was crashing down upon the girl at 
 a terrific speed. The shout seemed to fairly paralyze 
 the girl. The cries of the people turned to groans of 
 horror as they saw before their mind's eye the awful 
 tragedy that must take place before their gaze in another 
 instant of time. 
 
 Arthur Rollins gave a great gasp as he took in the 
 appalling situation, and the thought that flashed through 
 his brain was I will save her, or die in the attempt. 
 
 The crowd of spectators that stood looking on with 
 bulging eyes and faces white as death saw the young 
 man make a desperate leap, catch the girl in his arms 
 as he dashed past her, and in another instant of time the 
 car had rushed past the spot where the terrified girl had 
 stood. But he had saved her not a hair of the lovely 
 golden head was hurt and the life that throbbed through 
 her she owed to him. 
 
 Her companion received the girl from his arms, almost 
 hysterical with fright. From her incoherent words he 
 learned that his surmise had been correct she was the 
 girl's governess and chaperon that they had been visit- 
 ing friends in the city, and were going over to the Grand 
 Central Depot in New York on their way home to Crans- 
 tons-on-the-Hudson. 
 
 They had stopped on their way to do a little shopping, 
 and were just crossing over to the opposite pavement 
 to reach their carriage when the rescue took place.
 
 14 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 " General Ormsby will reward you handsomely for the 
 great service you have rendered his daughter Cora as 
 soon as he hears of this," said the lady at parting. " Go 
 to him at once when he sends for you. He is a great 
 general, and worth his millions, and he loves his daugh- 
 ter better than his life." 
 
 Arthur stoutly declared he would accept no pecuniary 
 reward whatever, and very reluctantly gave his card. 
 
 His sole reason in promising to call upon General 
 Ormsby was the hope of meeting his lovely daughter 
 again. 
 
 But the interview was over, and he had not seen the 
 fair young girl. In this Arthur felt grievously disap- 
 pointed, despite the fact that the great old general had 
 promised him that the fond dream of his life should be 
 realized he should enter West Point, and that speedily, 
 too, providing he could pass the examination. 
 
 And so it came to pass, after a fortnight's hard study 
 day and night, in which Arthur put in more hard work 
 than many another young man in twice as many months, 
 coached by the general, that Arthur was summoned be- 
 fore the officers in charge. 
 
 His heart fell like lead when he found there a score 
 or more of applicants for the one vacancy. Three days 
 of suspense terrible to our hero in which he learned 
 for the first time that money, position or influence did 
 not count at West Point, that every young man must 
 stand on his own merits to win or fail three days during 
 which he scarcely ate or slept and then he received word 
 that he, the poorest, most dependent of them all, had 
 gained the victory over his competitors, and was named 
 as the successful candidate.
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 15 
 
 Two days later Arthur Rollins was duly installed as 
 one of the cadets at West Point. 
 
 Arthur was such a jovial fellow the cadets took to him 
 at once. 
 
 " You are just in time for the grand ball," they de- 
 clared ; " but," said one of them, confidentially, " let me 
 whisper a little secret in your ear, Rollins. You already 
 have a bitter enemy in camp in Captain Lindsay. The 
 story of your bravery in saving old General Ormsby's 
 lovely daughter Cora caused quite a flutter among the 
 cadets here, for every one knows how romantic little love 
 affairs generally spring out of just such incidents, and 
 every one knows that Captain Lindsay is over head and 
 ears in love with the bewitching beauty. Well, the up- 
 shot of the matter was, some of the boys chaffed the cap- 
 tain about it. He turned white to the lips. ' Let the fel- 
 low have a care ! ' he returned, fiercely. ' If he dare 
 make love to Cora Ormsby, it will be war to the knife 
 between us ! ' And, to make the matter worse, you 
 will be under his command." 
 
 Arthur Rollins threw back his head proudly. 
 
 "If we are to be rivals, so be it," he answered. " Cap- 
 tain Lindsay will find that I will not flinch. Why should 
 I deny the truth? My heart went out to the general's 
 daughter at first sight. I will win her if I can." 
 
 " You had better go about it slyly," said one of the 
 cadets ; " and I wouldn't advise you to dance with her at 
 the ball." 
 
 " That is exactly what I intend to do, if she will dance 
 with me," returned Arthur, spiritedly. " He will find 
 me a man, every inch of me, and a two-edged sword 
 which he had better not fool with." 
 
 The cadets voted that Arthur had spunk enough to
 
 16 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 carry him through; and they declared that they would 
 rather see Arthur win her than the captain, who was 
 purse-proud and cordially detested for his hauteur and 
 arrogance by every cadet in the academy. 
 
 Every young cadet's heart beat high, for there was 
 scarcely one of them but expected a sweetheart or per- 
 haps a fiancee at the ball. 
 
 Two pairs of eyes eagerly scanned the faces of the 
 hundreds of visitors. 
 
 " Cora is not here," muttered Captain Lindsay. 
 
 " She is not here," said Arthur to himself. 
 
 In the hearts of both men flashed the thought that she 
 would be sure to be at the ball later on. 
 
 At the grand mansion of General Ormsby, scarcely 
 ten minutes' walk distant, just this side of the village 
 of Cranstons, in an upper room dainty as any princess's 
 boudoir could be, Cora Ormsby sat in a velvet arm-chair, 
 sobbing as though her heart would break. She could hear 
 the far-off sound of the bugle, the drum, and the fife, and 
 the sound made the blood leap through the girl's veins 
 like wine. 
 
 " It's a shame that I can't go and see the drill," sobbed 
 the girl, clinching her little white hands, " and can not 
 go to the ball in the evening, when I would give anything 
 in the world to be there ! " and again her voice was 
 choken with a torrent of sobs. 
 
 There was a light tap on the door, and the next mo- 
 ment Frankie Belknap Cora's school chum burst hur- 
 riedly into the room. 
 
 " Why, what is it I hear, Cora ? " cried her friend, 
 clasping Cora in her arms with a resounding smack. 
 " Ain't you really going to the great military ball to- 
 night?"
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 17 
 
 The general's daughter shook her head. 
 
 " Why, how is that ? " cried Frankie, in amazement. 
 " You'd be the belle of the ball, I am sure." 
 
 " Papa was suddenly called away on business the very 
 day after I spoke to him about the ball, and, of course, I 
 was left in charge of mean, prim old Miss Bitterwood, 
 the housekeeper here. She knew very well where papa 
 had gone, and that he wasn't expected back for a month. 
 She must have known it, for he had a long talk with 
 her, the servants said, an hour or more before he started. 
 That was in the morning, before I was up. Every time I 
 asked her about when papa was to return, she put me 
 off with some evasive answer. At last she came boldly 
 out and told me papa had left word that I must not go 
 to that ball under any circumstance. Now, I don't be- 
 lieve he told her that; he would not have been so cruel 
 when he knew I had set my heart on it." 
 
 " I don't believe he did either," declared Frankie, im- 
 patiently. " Mean old Miss Bitterwood only wants to 
 tyrannize over you, simply because you are left in her 
 charge and she has the power." 
 
 " I am sure of it," sobbed Cora, crying as though her 
 heart would break. 
 
 " I am going, and when I'm dancing and having the 
 grandest time in the world, I'll think of you buried up in 
 this lonesome old house. All the cadets will be asking 
 for you, so will that handsome young fellow who saved 
 your life. Shall I take any message from you to him ? "
 
 18 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE CADETS GAY BALL AND ITS FATAL ENDING. 
 
 The June evening was drawing to a close ; for an hour 
 or more after her friend, Frankie Belknap, had left her, 
 Cora sat by the open window, leaning her golden curly 
 head on her white arms, sobbing as though her heart 
 would break. 
 
 The sun went down and the dusk crept up; one by 
 one the stars fixed themselves in the blue sky overhead, 
 and a new moon, like a bright jewel, was peeping over the 
 tall beech-trees that lined the grounds which surrounded 
 Ormsby Villa. 
 
 The music had ceased. Cora knew that the cadets were 
 by that time in the mess-room. 
 
 In a little while the ball would open, and then oh, the 
 torture of it! the grand march would begin the hand- 
 some young cadets would soon be whirling away to the 
 mad, merry mazes of the dance. Cora could picture it 
 vividly. Ah! there it was! The music struck up. The 
 wind was blowing in the direction of the villa. She could 
 hear it, and all the fire in the girl's nature swept through 
 her heart. 
 
 The general's daughter sprung to her feet, her heart 
 beating, every pulse in her body throbbing to the measure 
 of the music in intense excitement. 
 
 " Because she is too old to enjoy herself, why should 
 she prevent me from going? " panted Cora. " It is not 
 right." 
 
 She caught up a light scarf, and, throwing it over her 
 disordered curls, stole noiselessly from the house. 
 
 She had no idea of entering the ball-room, though the
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 19 
 
 white lawn dress, dotted here and there with blue corn 
 flowers, and wide blue silk sash, which girdled her slen- 
 der waist, which was her every-day apparel, was certainly 
 as sweet and dainty as many of the girls would wear to 
 the ball as their best finery. 
 
 But Cora never dreamed that any one would see her 
 as she hurried down the long sloping hill and along the 
 road, reaching the scene of the festivities quite breathless 
 ten minutes later, just as the band struck up another be- 
 wildering waltz. 
 
 A few minutes' uphill walk, and the road turned to 
 the left near the top of the bluff. 
 
 Before her was the long, gray, massive facade of the 
 riding-hall ; another climb, and Cora crept into the foot- 
 path, up the steep and rounded terrace. 
 
 Directly ahead of her, its great windows brilliantly 
 lighted, was the gray stone structure, with its arched 
 door-way and broad flight of steps in the center, in which 
 they were giving the grand ball, the music floating out to 
 her in bewildering strains. 
 
 The girl had scarcely proceeded a dozen steps ere the 
 command " Halt ! " fell suddenly upon her startled ear, 
 and the next moment a sentry stepped quickly before her 
 from out the shadow of the trees. 
 
 " Oh, how you frightened me ! " cried Cora. " I I 
 only want to look in at the ball. I don't want to go in 
 and dance. Of course, you don't know me, but I'll tell 
 you who I am I am General Ormsby's daughter." 
 
 The sentry did not need to be told that. With a little 
 surprised cry, the handsome cadet had dropped back. 
 
 " Miss Ormsby ! " he cried, hoarsely. " Is this indeed 
 you? I I was just thinking about you, wondering if you 
 were inside among that gay throng, enjoying yourself.
 
 20 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 Don't you know me ? " he cried, bending eagerly forward, 
 raising his cap with one hand and extending the other. 
 
 " Oh, you couldn't be Arthur Mr. Rollins ! " cried 
 Cora, her girlish heart all in a flutter. 
 
 " You have guessed my identity," he answered. " I 
 had no idea that you would recognize me, even if fate let 
 me meet you again." 
 
 " Why not ? " asked the girl, promptly. She did not 
 add that she had thought of, dreamed of no other face 
 but his since the moment they had first met, that, awake 
 or sleeping, she had thought of no one else but him. But 
 before he had time to answer, she added, quickly : " Why 
 are you a sentry out here, instead of enjoying yourself 
 midst the lights and music of the ball-room inside ? " 
 
 An angry flush crossed his face, and his dark eyes 
 flashed. 
 
 " It is the work of the captain in command to keep 
 me outside so that I could not enjoy the ball, and I like 
 dancing so much ! " 
 
 " How shameful ! " cried Cora, indignantly. " I was 
 kept away from the ball, too, and I like dancing quite 
 as much as you do. Why, the music fairly turned my 
 brain. I could not keep away. Will you promise never 
 to betray my secret if I tell it to you? " 
 
 " Yes," he added, earnestly ; " I would never divulge 
 anything you might say to me, though the whole army, 
 with drawn swords, commanded me .to do so ! " 
 
 " Well, then, I stole away from the house to come here, 
 though Miss Bitterwood commanded me not to leave my 
 room until she gave me leave to do so. Papa is away, 
 you know, and I am left in her charge. When I ran out 
 of the house I made up my mind to tell papa immediately 
 upon his return; but.it was not until I was quite here
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 21 
 
 that I realized how bitterly angry he would be. If he 
 should take it into his head that I had willfully disobeyed 
 a command which he had left with Miss Bitterwood, he 
 would never forgive me. Promise that you will never 
 reveal that I have come here to-night ! " 
 
 " I promise," returned Arthur, solemnly. " You can 
 trust me ; I would give my life rather than betray you ! " 
 
 " Oh, there is that heavenly waltz again ! " cried the 
 girl, enthusiastically, clasping her hands in delight. 
 " Imagine this green velvet turf a smoothly waxed floor, 
 and we gliding over it to the mad, merry music of the 
 waltz ! Oh, I would give anything for just one dance ! " 
 
 " Would you ? " cried the young cadet, dropping his 
 musket forgetting everything in his bewilderment save 
 the presence of the gloriously beautiful young girl before 
 him, with her fair, sweet face, so radiant in the golden 
 starlight, turned eagerly up to his. 
 
 He forgot he was a soldier a sentry on duty forgot 
 everything save the mad ecstasy of the moment. 
 
 " Would you really care so much for a little waltz ? " 
 he whispered. 
 
 She nodded her curly golden head, and a great sigh 
 broke from the cherry-ripe lips. Almost before she was 
 aware of it, for the second time in her life the same strong 
 arms encircled her; the sweet, entrancing strains burst 
 forth with a flood of melody that fairly intoxicated her 
 senses, and the next instant over the velvety sward they 
 glided to the gay measures of the " Bonny Bells of Scot- 
 land." 
 
 " I wish this waltz could last forever ! " breathed the 
 young cadet, holding the girl closer. " Don't you ? " 
 
 " Yes," whispered the general's daughter. " It's quite
 
 22 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 as nice as though we were in the ball-room with the 
 rest." 
 
 " A thousand times nicer," declared Arthur. " It must 
 have been fate that made us both meet here so unex- 
 pectedly. I have longed so much to see you just once 
 more, to tell you " 
 
 The sentence never was finished. 
 
 " Halt ! " came the command, in a voice hoarse and 
 furious with passion, and Captain Lindsay appeared sud- 
 denly upon the scene. 
 
 The word struck a terror to the hearts of the two who 
 were dancing gayly across the greensward, under the light 
 of the moon. 
 
 A gasp of dismay broke from the lips of Arthur 
 Rollins, and, simultaneously, a cry of terror from the 
 girl. 
 
 " Do not betray me ! " she gasped ; and in a flash she 
 had torn her white hands from his clasp, and darted like 
 a terrified fawn across the moonlit space, and was lost 
 in a trice amid the shadows of the overarching trees. 
 
 " Who was that ? " thundered the captain in a terrible 
 voice. 
 
 " A young lady, sir," responded Arthur, huskily. 
 
 " I was well aware of that. I asked who that young 
 lady was, and what brought her here ! " 
 
 " I decline to answer," returned Arthur, raising his 
 head proudly, and looking his superior officer full in the 
 face. 
 
 " Do you dare defy me ? " yelled the captain, fairly 
 quivering with rage. Even in the faint moonlight Arthur 
 could see that his face was distorted and livid, while 
 flecks of foam stood out on his lips, so intense was his 
 terrible passion. " I will wring it from your lips," he
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 23 
 
 cried. " You, a sentry, deserted your post ! You shall 
 be court-martialed for this drummed out of West Point 
 in disgrace ! " 
 
 " I am willing to stand the trial, sir," returned Arthur, 
 white to the lips. 
 
 His retort only maddened the captain the more. 
 
 " You are insolent ! " he cried ; " but you shall suffer 
 for that as well ! So you will not tell who the girl was, 
 eh ? Report at once to the adjutant at head-quarters. I 
 shall find out for myself who it was ! " 
 
 Captain Lindsay made a dash in the direction which 
 Cora had taken. 
 
 Arthur's bayonet brought him to a quick standstill. 
 It was his turn to cry " Halt ! " 
 
 " Not one step ! " cried Arthur. " You shall not pursue 
 that girl. You shall not cross this lawn, except over my 
 dead body ! " 
 
 For an instant the word seemed to electrify the cap- 
 tain ; but quick as a flash he recovered himself and sprung 
 forward, throwing himself with all his weight upon 
 Arthur. 
 
 The attack was so sudden and so unexpected that the 
 bayonet fell from Arthur's hands, and at that instant the 
 captain's saber flashed in the moonlight, and he made a 
 lunge at the unarmed cadet's heart. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 The sword with which Captain Lindsay lunged directly 
 at Arthur Rollins' heart never reached its mark, for, 
 quick as a flash, the young cadet caught the upraised arm
 
 24 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 and sent the weapon whirling from his hand. The next 
 instant they had closed in mortal combat. Back and for- 
 ward over the greensward they swayed to and fro, like 
 strong oaks bent by a whirlwind. 
 
 For the first time in his life Captain Lindsay, who was 
 an expert athlete, found that he had met his match. 
 
 With one supreme effort Arthur threw him from him. 
 
 " Go ! " he said, scornfully, and the captain was not 
 slow to take advantage of the opportunity. 
 
 " You shall answer for this ! " he hissed, as he gathered 
 himself together and picked up his sword. 
 
 " I am at your service at any time," returned Arthur, 
 coolly. 
 
 In another instant his adversary was lost among the 
 shadow of the trees. 
 
 What Captain Lindsay would do the young cadet had 
 not the least idea. 
 
 Slowly he resumed his pace up and down. He had 
 threatened him with arrest and court-martial. Well, 
 come what might, he would never betray Cora ; they 
 might pierce him with bayonets, torture him on the rack, 
 but they could never tear from his lips the secret that 
 would go down to the grave with him. Then, pacing 
 up and down, he quite forgot his recent encounter with 
 Captain Lindsay, in living over again the happy event 
 which had caused it. 
 
 What a sweet little fairy she was! If he had been in 
 love with her before he was doubly infatuated with her 
 now. Those eyes bright as stars a thousand times 
 brighter than those which beamed above their head 
 had shot love's fatal dart straight through his heart. 
 
 She was an heiress and a great general's daughter, while 
 he was a mere nobody, with fame and fortune all to make.
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 25 
 
 Was it not madness to think of her? He told himself 
 that the first great lesson of his life must be to try to 
 forget her. She was getting to have too much of a hold 
 on his thoughts. 
 
 Meanwhile, Cora had fled homeward panting with ter- 
 ror. 
 
 When she arrived at her home she found the inhabitants 
 of the villa in great commotion. What could have hap- 
 pened, she wondered, standing quite still in great affright. 
 
 She could see lights flashing to and fro ; had her father 
 ccme home, and had anything happened to him? Her 
 heart stood quite still. 
 
 Quaking with horrible dread, Cora crept up to the 
 porcrT; the door was unfastened, just as she had left it, 
 and no one saw her as she glided into the entrance-hall 
 and up the broad oaken stair-way to the corridor above. 
 She had scarcely reached her room ere she heard quick 
 footsteps. It was Miss Bitterwood, the housekeeper. 
 
 " I have been looking for you everywhere, Cora," she 
 said, sharply ; " where have you been ? " 
 
 " Out enjoying the moonlight," answered the girl, hang- 
 ing her head, a bright spot burning on either cheek. 
 
 " Humph ! " exclaimed the housekeeper. " You had 
 little to do, roaming out in the grounds by yourself. 
 Your father sent me in search of you, and a pretty time 
 I have had hunting you through the house." 
 
 " Oh, papa has got home, then ? " cried Cora, joyously, 
 bounding like a deer toward the door. 
 
 " Yes ; he is in the library ; but I want to tell you some- 
 thing before you go down." 
 
 The girl started. A guilty conscience needed no ac- 
 cuser. A burning flush swept over her face, her hands 
 trembled.
 
 26 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 " Your father is not alone," continued Miss Bitter- 
 wood. " There is a stranger with him a lady." 
 
 " A lady ? " repeated Cora, in amazement too great for 
 words. " Why, who do you suppose it can be, Miss Bit- 
 terwood ? " 
 
 " That we shall soon know," said the housekeeper, add- 
 ing : " What would you say if you thought your father 
 was bringing home a bride ? " 
 
 " I would leave this roof this very hour ! " cried the 
 girl, imperiously. " I shall not go down, Miss Bitter- 
 wood, until you find out who is down there with my 
 father ! " 
 
 " But he is calling for you," said the housekeeper. 
 " You must go down. Come, I will go with you." 
 
 " No ! " cried Cora, in affright. " You must find out 
 who it is with papa, or, better still, tell him to come up 
 here to me. I must see him." 
 
 The housekeeper shook her head. 
 
 "If there are any battles to be fought, one might as 
 well face them first as last," she said. " Be brave, and 
 come right along." 
 
 Trembling with apprehension, Cora allowed herself to 
 be taken down to the library. She clung close to the 
 housekeeper. 
 
 " You must go in alone," she said. 
 
 And before Cora was aware of her intention, she had 
 opened the door and had fairly thrust her in, closing 
 it quickly after her. 
 
 " My dear little Cora ! " cried the general, springing 
 forward and clasping her in her arms, " I am so glad 
 to see you once again. It seems an age since I have 
 looked upon your face ! " 
 
 Cora kissed her father, then she looked past him ap-
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 27 
 
 prehensively toward the veiled figure in the velvet chair 
 opposite. 
 
 " Lyle," said the general, turning toward the slim 
 figure, " this is my daughter Cora, of whom you have 
 heard me speak. Bless me, how awkwardly I am getting 
 at this matter ! " cried the general. " This is Miss Lyle 
 Warner, my ward, Cora Lyle, this is my daughter." 
 
 Her father's ward! 
 
 Had her ears deceived her? 
 
 The stranger threw back her veil, and Cora saw stand- 
 ing before her the most beautiful girl she had ever be- 
 held in all her life a girl of about her own age, a little 
 taller and slenderer, perhaps, with a wealth of blue-black, 
 curling hair, a face like a wild red rose, cheeks like the 
 crimson heart of a pomegranate blossom, cherry-ripe lips, 
 and eyes black and luminous as midnight stars. 
 
 " Your ward, papa ! " gasped the daughter, looking in 
 bewilderment at the lovely young stranger. 
 
 " Yes," he answered, looking very strange and uncom- 
 fortable ; " that is the business that took me to the city. 
 I can not explain it to you now. I want you and Lyle 
 to take to each other, and become the best of friends. 
 She is to make her home with us, and share all your 
 pleasures with you." 
 
 The beauty smiled, disclosing a row of pearly teeth. 
 
 " We are sure to be friends," she said. " I have heard 
 so much about you, Cora, that it seems as though I al- 
 ready knew you." 
 
 Cora Ormsby did not feel quite sure of this. The face 
 smiling down into her own was as beautiful as a dream, 
 but there was something about the stranger that struck 
 a chill to her heart, she could not tell why. 
 
 " Take Lyle up to your room, my dear," said the gen-
 
 28 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 eral, turning to his daughter. " She will occupy your 
 apartments with you to-night. To-morrow we will get 
 the western wing ready for her, or any other suite of 
 rooms in the house that she fancies." 
 
 The words sounded strange to his daughter's ears. 
 
 Together the two girls quitted the library and went 
 slowly to Cora's room. 
 
 "Oh, what a beautiful boudoir!" cried the girl, as she 
 followed Cora into the dainty blue and gold apartment. 
 " Why, this is a veritable fairy bower," she added, sink- 
 ing into the seat which Cora indicated. " I never for a 
 moment dreamed that General Ormsby's home was as 
 magnificent as this, and I did not know that you were 
 a young lady. He always spoke of you as a child." 
 
 " This is my birthday, I am seventeen to-day," said 
 Cora, quietly ; " but tell me," she added, " how it hap- 
 pened that you are my father's ward? I I never heard 
 of it before." 
 
 Lyle's face flushed crimson. 
 
 " Perhaps it would be better for your father to tell 
 you all about it," she said, constrainedly. " No doubt 
 he will do so to-morrow." 
 
 During the half -hour's conversation that followed she 
 seemed eager to learn all that she could concerning Cora's 
 and the general's affairs, but was reticent in regard to 
 her own. 
 
 " Perhaps you would prefer to have this room all by 
 yourself to-night if you are tired," said Cora. " I think 
 I will share the housekeeper's apartment for to-night." 
 
 " Please yourself," said Lyle. 
 
 " I will send a maid to you to see that you have every- 
 thing that you require."
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 29 
 
 " Thanks ; you are very kind," was the answer. Bid- 
 ding her " good-night," Cora left the room, and the 
 stranger was in possession of Cora's beautiful boudoir. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 There was a low tap at the door at that instant. The 
 girl started. No doubt it was the maid whom the gen- 
 eral's daughter said she would send to her. 
 
 " Come in," she drawled, wearily. 
 
 Instead of the maid whom she expected to see, Miss 
 Bitterwood, the housekeeper, stepped quietly into the 
 room. 
 
 " Hush ! " she said, as the girl was about to speak. 
 " Walls have ears ; speak low. No one must know that 
 we have ever met before." 
 
 " You have warned me about that so many times that 
 it is not necessary to go over the ground again, I should 
 fancy." 
 
 " It takes a great deal to drill a thing into your mind," 
 answered the woman, contracting her brow into a heavy 
 frown. " For years it has been the one dream of my 
 life to see you sitting where you are to-night. Now it 
 only remains for you to play yours cards well to become 
 mistress of this magnificent house and the fortune of 
 General Ormsby." 
 
 " It would take a pretty good fortune to make me 
 marry an old gray-beard like that, Aunt Bitterwood," 
 said the girl. " You kept his age from me ; you cheated 
 me into the belief that he was a much younger man than 
 what I find him. He is old and baldheaded."
 
 30 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 " I am trying to get a grand home for you, you silly 
 girl, and the time will come when you will see what 
 I am doing for you, you ungrateful hussy ! I haven't the 
 least doubt but that you'd be infinitely more pleased to 
 get some ten-dollar-a-week clerk, to wash and bake and 
 scrub for him ; but after four or five years of it your 
 eyes would be opened. Love doesn't last long when a 
 woman has to pitch in and work hard for a man. Then 
 you would cry out, ' Heavens ! why didn't I marry a rich 
 man?'" 
 
 " What a sordid old woman you are ! " cried the niece. 
 " No wonder you never married, or that no one ever fell 
 in love with you ! " twitted the girl. 
 
 " I could have married many and many a time, if I had 
 wanted to take a poor man," declared Miss Bitterwood, 
 grimly ; " but I was no such fool as that." 
 
 " I suppose you endeavored all these years to get Gen- 
 eral Ormsby, and when you found out, after trying, that 
 you had been on a fool's errand, then you want me to 
 attempt it." 
 
 The elder woman flushed, and the girl well knew that 
 her random remark had hit hard. 
 
 " We will talk on this subject to-morrow ; but I warn 
 you, if you want to get along with the general, to sway 
 his heart and get his millions, you want to keep in with 
 the daughter." 
 
 " I already see that will be an impossibility, and I 
 haven't been under this roof an hour. We will clash at 
 every point, I am sure. But, laying all business aside in 
 our conversation, isn't this a beautiful room, aunt? Its 
 furnishings must have cost a small fortune ! " 
 
 " You won't find many to equal it. Every apartment 
 in the mansion is furnished on the same grand scale. All
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 31 
 
 this goes to the daughter, providing the general does not 
 marry again. It is late now; you must retire, so I will 
 leave you. Now, think well over what I have said." 
 
 'A moment more and the door closed after the tall, 
 angular form, and once more the girl found herself 
 alone. 
 
 " It is indeed a grand thing to be rich," she murmured ; 
 " but in this case the sacrifice is almost too great. What 
 a strange thing it is that Fate changes our destiny even 
 in a day. If we hadn't stopped on our way from the 
 depot to-night, to look in at the grand ball the cadets 
 were giving, and I had not met that young man, my heart 
 would have been untouched; but somehow, at the very 
 first sound of his voice, I realized that he was my affinity. 
 How brave and handsome he looked standing there in the 
 moonlight ! I wouldn't care how poor he was, I'd rather 
 marry him, and live on a crust of bread, than to wed this 
 old gray-beard, with all his millions ! I did not catch the 
 name when the general introduced him, and I was afraid 
 to speak of it again, to let him see how much interest I 
 had taken in the young man. 
 
 " Ah ! but he was so handsome, so kingly ! If there is 
 such a thing as people realizing when they meet the one 
 intended for them, I should say that he is mine. 
 
 " My aunt always told me that, with a face as beau- 
 tiful as mine, I should make my fortune. I always 
 thought that perhaps I could, if an opportunity were 
 given me, and now the chance is mine at last. No, in- 
 deed, let aunt coax as much as she may, I shall not marry 
 that horrid old gray-beard until I see if I can not capture 
 that handsome young fellow first. 
 
 " How angry I am that I did not come here a week ago, 
 and get a chance to attend the cadets' grand ball.
 
 32 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 " I am glad I didn't marry any one of the poor clerks 
 who were sighing for me, and almost fighting duels. I 
 was intended for luxury, never for a poor man's wife. 
 
 " But I must not forget to make myself very agreeable 
 to the old gentleman, in order to be permitted to stay 
 here, where I can see him. If he once found out the 
 interest I have taken in this handsome cadet, it would 
 be bad for me he would take no more interest in me." 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Cora was up with the sun the next morning. As soon 
 as she had arranged her simple toilet she hurried down to 
 the dining-room, where she knew she would find her 
 father. 
 
 The general was there with his papers. 
 
 " Oh, papa ! " cried Cora, springing into his arms, 
 " how glad I am to find you home once more. The old 
 house has been almost like a prison since you've been 
 away. I have actually counted the hours until you 
 would return." 
 
 " Have you missed me so much, little girl ? " he asked, 
 stroking the golden head. 
 
 " More than tongue can tell," returned Cora. 
 
 The general had not been reading his paper that morn- 
 ing. He had been standing by the window engaged in 
 deep thought. He had been wondering what Cora would 
 say if she knew that he had proposed marriage to the 
 beautiful young girl he had brought to the villa the 
 evening before. He was wondering how he should find
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 33 
 
 words to disclose it when the inevitable hour for making 
 it known should come. 
 
 Lyle had asked him to keep it a secret for a little while, 
 and he must obey her wishes. When he told his daugh- 
 ter, perhaps there would be a little scene, a few tears, but 
 it would end by her accepting the inevitable, and in time 
 she would love the beautiful dark-eyed Lyle. 
 
 She was so sweet, so charming, that he did not see 
 how his daughter could help it. She could not find any 
 fault with her, unless it might be her youth. She was 
 only a year or so older than Cora herself. He knew that 
 she would say: 
 
 " Why, papa, you must be mad ! She is young enough 
 to be your granddaughter ! " 
 
 But he would defend his position by saying he was not 
 the first man by any means who had taken unto himself 
 a young wife. 
 
 " When a widower marries, why should he wish to 
 wed gray hairs and wrinkles when his heart is as young 
 as ever ? " he queried. 
 
 Suddenly, in the midst of his reverie, he remembered 
 that his daughter was speaking to him. 
 
 " What is it you say, Cora ? " he asked, straightening 
 himself up and paying close attention. 
 
 " I was asking how in the world, papa, it happened 
 that you had a ward and I never knew the existence of 
 her." 
 
 She saw his face flush. He coughed uneasily, the 
 morning paper rattled nervously in his grasp. 
 
 " Why, the fact is," said the general, slowly, " a few 
 weeks ago I received a letter from a young girl down in 
 the city, stating that she had just been left an orphan, 
 with a small fortune, and she asked my advice as to how
 
 34 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 to invest it, requesting me to keep her communication a 
 secret from every one. Her father had been an army 
 officer, she went on to say, and she had heard my name 
 so often upon his lips that it did not seem to her that she 
 was a stranger to me. She believed my advice would 
 be straight from the heart, and she could put full con- 
 fidence in me. 
 
 " I answered her letter in accordance with her request, 
 and thought no more about the matter. Soon after I 
 received a telegram from this young girl, asking me to 
 please come to the city at once to advise with her, as she 
 was in great distress. 
 
 " It so happened that I had an important business en- 
 gagement in New York, and thinking that I could kill 
 two birds with one stone, I took the next train. I went 
 to the address indicated. It was a boarding-house. I 
 confess, my dear, that I was shocked at the vision of 
 girlish loveliness that came into the meagerly furnished 
 parlor to greet me. 
 
 " ' Oh, General Ormsby/ she sobbed, putting out her 
 hands, ' how good of you to come ! But how can I ever 
 tell you what has happened ? ' 
 
 " ' You had better get at the root of it at once, my dear 
 child,' I suggested, a little bluntly, perhaps. 
 
 " Between tears and sobs I drew the truth from her 
 at last. She had been inveigled by some swindling ad- 
 vertisement to invest all of her little fortune in a lottery 
 scheme. She had drawn a blank. In a twinkling every- 
 thing she had on earth was swept from her. Oh, how she 
 wept! And you know I could never stand a woman's 
 tears. I would rather face a whole regiment of soldiers 
 with drawn swords. 
 
 " ' I do wish that I had put the money in your hands,'
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 35 
 
 she wailed ; ' made you guardian of it. I am home- 
 less and penniless. What shall I do ? ' 
 
 " All in a moment it occurred to me to make this pretty 
 young girl my ward, and, as her guardian, bring her home 
 with me." 
 
 He did not add that on the spot he had asked the girl 
 to be his wife, and that she had said she must have a 
 year to think it over before giving him her final answer, 
 which she felt sure would be in the affirmative ; still, she 
 would not bind herself by a formal betrothal for that 
 length of time. 
 
 " So I brought her home," he concluded, aloud. " She 
 will be a brilliant acquisition to the household. To tell 
 you the truth, my dear child, you need the association 
 of some one thoroughly ladylike to teach you those little 
 elegancies of deportment so very essential to a lady." 
 
 The girl drew back with flashing eyes. 
 
 " She can't teach me anything, papa," she cried. " I 
 know quite as much as she does, even more, if anything." 
 
 " She is very cultured and refined," declared the gen- 
 eral, irritably. " I wish you were like her. She has 
 such a dignified pose; she attracted much attention on 
 our journey here. If you want to please me, Cora, you 
 will show her every consideration," this very sharply. 
 
 Cora's arms fell from about his neck. It was the first 
 time in his life that he had ever spoken to her in that tone, 
 and it cut to the girl's heart like the thrust of a sharp 
 sword. Her pride would not let her appear to notice it. 
 
 " See that a place is provided for her at the breakfast- 
 table. You must go to her room at once to see that she 
 is up, and show her about the grounds make her ac- 
 quainted with the house. I will be awaiting you at the 
 usual hour in the breakfast-room."
 
 36 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 Without a word, Cora turned away to obey him. The 
 girl's heart felt strangely heavy as she quitted the room. 
 
 Lyle was up and dressed when she tapped at the door. 
 
 " Good-morning," said Cora, hesitatingly, on the 
 threshold, doubtful whether she would be welcome or not 
 to enter her own boudoir. Lyle answered the saluta- 
 tion. 
 
 " I have just been hoping some one would come to 
 me," she said. " I have been moping around for over 
 an hour, hardly knowing what to do with myself." 
 
 " I am sorry," returned Cora. " I could have come to 
 you long ago had I known you were up." 
 
 " I hope breakfast will soon be ready, for I'm as 
 hungry as a bear," declared Lyle. " You must have 
 splendid coffee ; the odor of it came up here to me." 
 
 Cora started back in surprise. It quite amazed her to 
 hear such a remark from the lips of a stranger. This 
 certainly did not bear out her father's idea of culture 
 and refinement, which he had credited to the lovely 
 stranger. 
 
 " It must be perfectly lovely to live so near West 
 Point," chattered Lyle. " I suppose you know all the 
 cadets ? " 
 
 " Pretty much," returned Cora. 
 
 " Do you believe there is such a thing as love at first 
 sight," asked Lyle, suddenly and eagerly. " Tell me, do 
 you ? " 
 
 " Yes," said Cora, blushing like a red, red rose, " I 
 think so; but Miss Bitterwood says that such an idea is 
 ridiculous." 
 
 " She doesn't know anything about young girls' 
 hearts," laughed Lyle. 
 
 Again It struck Cora that, for a stranger, she made
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 37 
 
 rather free remarks concerning members of the house- 
 hold. 
 
 As they opened the door of the breakfast-room, Gen- 
 eral Ormsby came forward to meet them. To Cora's 
 amazement, she saw that he wore a red rosebud in his 
 button-hole. The sight nearly caused her to drop to the 
 floor. In all the years of her life she never remembered 
 having seen her father wear a rose in the lapel of his 
 coat before. He had always characterized the people 
 who wore them as dudes and brainless fops. His face 
 was flushed, and he was laughing and making remarks 
 quite as silly as a school-boy might to pretty Lyle War- 
 ner. 
 
 Cora was alarmed. It almost seemed to her that she 
 was in a dream. Her surprise knew no bounds when she 
 saw him offer his arm gallantly to his companion, as a 
 young carpet-knight might have done, and lead her to the 
 table. 
 
 " What a beautiful rose you are wearing, General 
 Ormsby ! " cried the girl. 
 
 " Pray accept it," returned the general, with a low 
 bow. 
 
 The next instant it was in Lyle's white fingers, and 
 she was holding it to her red lips. 
 
 " This is the month of roses," he said. " The grounds 
 and old-fashioned garden back of the house are running 
 riot with the most gorgeous of blooms. After breakfast, 
 I should be delighted to take you through the grounds. 
 I think you will be pleased with the place," he said, with 
 pride on his face and a touch of eagerness in his voice. 
 
 " I am sure I shall," she returned, with a dazzling 
 smile. 
 
 During the meal Cora did not talk much; but her
 
 38 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 father did not seem to notice it, so animated was he in his 
 conversation with the handsome young stranger. 
 
 " Now I will show you the roses, if you are quite 
 ready," said the general. 
 
 They passed out into the garden together. 
 
 Cora stood quite motionless, white as death, in the cen- 
 ter of the spacious room. Her father had not invited 
 her to accompany them ; for the first time in his life he 
 had forgotten her simply forgotten her. 
 
 With trembling feet, Cora hurried to Miss Bitter- 
 wood's apartment, and flung herself into the housekeep- 
 er's arms, telling her what had occurred. 
 
 " Do not make a goose of yourself, my dear ! " ex- 
 claimed the housekeeper, angrily. " Your father is only 
 showing the young lady the most natural courtesy. It 
 is but little wonder, she is so very beautiful. Why, there 
 isn't a young man for miles around but would be de- 
 lighted to step into his shoes. You must show her every 
 courtesy; she is extremely aristocratic, and will make a 
 fine companion for you to take about with you." 
 
 " I am very sure I shall not like her," faltered Cora, 
 piteously. 
 
 " Why not, pray ? " asked Miss Bitterwood, with as- 
 perity. 
 
 " I do not know just why, but somehow I feel it in my 
 heart," she moaned. " I wish she had never entered 
 this house. Somehow, she has cast a dull, gray shadow 
 over it." 
 
 " Nonsense ! " replied Miss Bitterwood. " She has 
 brought sunshine and gayety into it. If you are wise, 
 you will make a friend, not an enemy, of Ly Miss War-
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 39 
 
 ner. She is sure to win all the cadets' hearts before she 
 is here a month, and be the acknowledged belle of West 
 Point." 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 " Yes, before a fortnight is over, beautiful Lyle War- 
 ner will be the acknowledge belle of West Point," re- 
 peated Miss Bitterwood, in a voice that had a very tri- 
 umphant ring to it. 
 
 The words cut to Cora's heart like the thrust of a sharp 
 sword. 
 
 How could she doubt it when even her father seemed 
 to be so infatuated with the beautiful stranger. 
 
 There was something about her which Cora could not 
 bring herself to like. When the two girls were alone 
 together, the only subject which seemed to interest Lyle 
 was the cadets. 
 
 During that week she insisted upon going every day to 
 see them drill. Very eagerly she would scan each face, 
 then she would look away with a disappointed air. The 
 face she sought was not among them. One by one she 
 inquired about, asking who he was if his father were 
 rich, and if he had a sweetheart, until Cora grew wofully 
 tired of answering such questions. She took good care, 
 however, not to make any of these remarks when the gen- 
 eral was present. 
 
 " Have you no beau-ideal among the handsome ca- 
 dets ? " she asked of Cora one day. The girl blushed 
 furiously, and managed to turn off the question with- 
 out replying to it ; but Lyle was not to be put off in this
 
 40 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 manner. " Have you never had any love affair ? " per- 
 sisted Lyle. 
 
 " Yes," admitted Cora, reluctantly, at last. " I have 
 met a young man whom I think the most splendid fellow 
 the whole wide world holds ! " 
 
 " Does he like you ? " asked Lyle, anxiously. 
 
 Again Cora flushed crimson to the roots of her golden 
 kair. 
 
 " He has never said so in so many words, but his eyes 
 leok it every time our' glances meet." 
 
 " Promise you will not tell if I make a confidante of 
 you," whispered Lyle, eagerly. " Do you think it strange 
 for a young girl to fall in love with a young man whose 
 very name she does not know ? " 
 
 " I have heard often enough that love at first sight is 
 not uncommon." 
 
 " Well, that is exactly what I have done," declared 
 Lyle. " I am deeply in love with one of the cadets. I 
 think he fell in love with me at first sight. I'd give any- 
 thing to get an introduction to him." 
 
 " I'll speak to papa about it, and I'm sure he can bring 
 it about." 
 
 " Oh, not on your life ! " declared Lyle. " I wouldn't 
 have him know it for anything in the world. He would 
 think it terrible for a young lady to express a wish to get 
 acquainted with a young man old people have such 
 queer thoughts, you know. Perhaps we can manage it 
 without him. The first time we are together and see him, 
 I will point him out. Perhaps we can get up a flirtation 
 with him." 
 
 " A a flirtation ? " gasped Cora. " Surely you must 
 be jesting; no respectable young girl would think of such 
 a thing."
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 41 
 
 " I really didn't know they were such prudes out here," 
 pouted Lyle. " New York girls don't think it so dread- 
 ful." 
 
 " Pardon me, yes, they do," answered Cora. " I know 
 plenty of young girls who would make a terrible fuss if 
 any young man should attempt to flirt with them." 
 
 " Why, your friends must all be prudes," sneered Lyle. 
 " Why, my friends would think nothing of it, whatever," 
 declared Lyle, with a toss of her head, and Cora fell to 
 wondering what kind of girls Lyle's friends must be to do 
 such a despicable thing as flirt with strangers. 
 
 During that fortnight Arthur Rollins had managed to 
 see Cora frequently. 
 
 Her coming and going had attracted no attention what- 
 ever in the household; her place was quietly usurped by 
 the stranger. It was Lyle who accompanied the general 
 to the morning-room after breakfast was over, cut and 
 read his papers for him, even going so far as to write his 
 letters for him. Cora found to her great dismay that 
 she was not even missed by the father who would not 
 allow her out of his presence before. 
 
 There was one part of the grounds quite secluded 
 from the main path, and which no member of the house- 
 hold ever frequented ; to this spot Cora would steal away 
 and throw herself down in the long grass, giving herself 
 up to the bitterest tears that ever fell from mortal eyes. 
 
 Suddenly there was a step, a strong white hand pushed 
 aside the interlacing branches, and Cora sprung to her 
 feet just as Arthur Rollins, the handsome cadet, stepped 
 into the little leafy bower. He had been attracted by the 
 sound of violent weeping. His amazement knew no 
 bounds when he saw Cora.
 
 42 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 " Miss Ormsby and in tears ! " he cried, in great 
 alarm. " What can it mean ? " 
 
 " I was not cry-cry-ing ! " she sobbed, gulping down 
 another sob which threatened to overcome her. 
 
 Arthur took her hands gently in his. Poor little hands, 
 how cold they were, and how they trembled ! 
 
 " There is something the matter," he said, very gravely. 
 " Pray tell me what it is, and command me if there is 
 any way in which I can serve you." 
 
 Cora shook her head and hid her face in her hands. 
 
 " It is really nothing," she persisted in a smothered 
 voice. " I was a little lonesome. Every one gets lone- 
 some once in awhile, you know." 
 
 " And, after the manner of your sex, you thought the 
 only way to bring yourself to a cheerful state was to 
 drown yourself in tears. But were you really so lone- 
 some ? " 
 
 " Yes," she admitted. 
 
 A thrill shot through his heart. It had been four days 
 since he had seen her. Had that anything to do with it ? 
 
 " Sit down on this fallen log," he said, " and let us 
 talk a little while together. This is the first time we 
 have had a chance to have a chat since the evening we 
 had that never-to-be-forgotten, delightful dance in the 
 grounds." 
 
 " Tell me," she asked, eagerly, catching her hands to- 
 gether, " did Captain Lindsay ever find out who it was 
 that ran away so unceremoniously the night of the ball? " 
 
 " No," returned Arthur, lightly ; "I refused to tell him. 
 That is all there is to it." 
 
 He would not let her know of the terrible altercation 
 that had followed, and how Captain Lindsay had strode 
 away vowing the direst vengeance on him.
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 43 
 
 The blow had not as yet fallen. The young cadet had 
 watched and waited ever since, not knowing in which 
 direction his vengeance would fall upon him. His rage 
 was like a tempest, gathering in fury with each succeed- 
 ing day. 
 
 Each moment he was growing more desperately in love 
 with her. How he longed to ask her if he might come 
 to see her often, that he had thought of nothing, dreamed 
 of nothing but her by night and by day! He was so 
 taken up with Cora that he even forgot to ask after the 
 health of the beautiful girl he had seen with her, and 
 whom he heard was stopping with her at the villa. 
 
 He could think of nothing, talk of nothing but herself. 
 
 He learned that she came to the glade nearly every day 
 alone, and he promised himself that he should come there 
 too, if there was any way possible, little dreaming of the 
 terrible tragedy that was to occur. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Arthur walked back to camp with a warm flush on his 
 boyish face and a glad light in his eyes, whistling a merry 
 tune. He was in love, thoroughly in love; and when a 
 young man is in that state the world seems all couleur de 
 rose to him. 
 
 During the half hour which he spent with Cora, his 
 enemy was so near that he could hear all that passed be- 
 tween them, and his rage knew no bounds. He clutched 
 his hands together to keep from parting the vines, spring- 
 ing in between them, and thrusting aside the handsome 
 young cadet. He knew enough of human nature, how-
 
 44 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 ever, to realize that this would only hurt his own cause 
 with Cora. No ; he must be more diplomatic than that. 
 
 There was but one way, and that was to disgrace him 
 openly ay, disgrace him so bitterly that he would never 
 dare raise his head among his fellow-men. 
 
 Instead of going back to camp, the captain suddenly 
 wheeled about and bent his steps toward the villa. He 
 found the old general in the library. 
 
 " Good-afternoon, Lindsay," said the bluff old general, 
 warmly wringing the young man's hand. " Delighted to 
 see you, I am sure. I suppose you were strolling past and 
 thought you would give me the pleasure of a little call ? " 
 
 "No, general. I came here to see you on a special 
 mission," said the captain, a little confusedly. 
 
 " If it is a fair question, general, I should like to ask 
 if you know this young cadet, Rollins, personally? " 
 
 " To be sure," returned the old general. " I thought 
 every one knew that. Why, I was the one, backed by 
 the congressman from my district, who got him in. I 
 think it is well known why I took such an interest in 
 him. You know he once saved my dear little Cora's life." 
 
 " But did you inquire into his character very thor- 
 oughly, general ? " asked the captain, very significantly. 
 
 General Ormsby started. 
 
 " Well," he said, slowly, " he told me that he was born 
 and brought up in the little village of Red Bank. He 
 had come to New York to find a position, and brought 
 letters of recommendation from the school-master and 
 both of the ministers in the village. I did not investigate 
 the authenticity of the letters. His fair, open countenance 
 was all the recommendation I needed ; and I flatter myself 
 that I am a tolerably good judge of human nature."
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 45 
 
 " But is it not possible for one to err at times ? " mur- 
 mured the captain. 
 
 General Ormsby looked at him. 
 
 " You speak in innuendoes. I do not like it. Come 
 right out plainly and tell me what you have on your 
 mind," said the general, bluntly. 
 
 " Well, in the first place, there is something about 
 him which the cadets in his regiment do not understand. 
 He does not make friends with them " 
 
 " Well, well ; what of that ? " cut in the general, frown- 
 ing. 
 
 " It would take pretty positive proof to make me think 
 ill of this young man," he declared. " I will look into 
 the matter." 
 
 The captain bowed ; the conversation then drifted into 
 other channels, and soon after Captain Lindsay took his 
 leave. 
 
 It was toward the end of the season, and upon the fol- 
 lowing week they were to break up camp, and most of 
 the cadets were to return to their homes. 
 
 To Captain Lindsay's intense rage, Arthur Rollins was 
 invited by the general to be his guest during his vacation. 
 In extending it, General Ormsby had but one thought, 
 and that was to let the officers and cadets, one and all, see 
 how thoroughly he trusted the young man. He quite for- 
 got about Cora. It did not occur to him, until Arthur 
 sent back his note of acceptance, and briefly acknowledged 
 the general's kindness. 
 
 Two days later there was to be a lawn fete at a neigh- 
 boring villa, and many of the cadets were to be present, 
 [Arthur Rollins among them. 
 
 Cora heard this with a glad throb at her heart. Lyle
 
 46 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 listened eagerly while the general and his daughter were 
 discussing the affair. 
 
 She said to herself how strange it would be if her 
 hero should be there. If she but knew his name! Ah! 
 that was the trouble. If she did not meet him soon she 
 would fling prudence to the winds and ask the old general 
 the name of the young cadet whom they had met and 
 he had spoken to that evening. Never did a day break 
 more auspiciously than the one on which the lawn fete 
 was to take place. 
 
 Hundreds of young girls had looked forward to it, 
 and uttered cries of delight as they opened their eyes and 
 saw the sun shining warm and bright. 
 
 All the cadets who could get away were on the qui 
 uive of expectancy, much to the annoyance of their fel- 
 lows who were obliged to remain on duty. It was high 
 noon when the beaus and belles began to arrive. The 
 old general escorted Cora and Lyle. 
 
 " You will be the two prettiest girls at the lawn fete," 
 he observed, eying them both critically. 
 
 Cora was dressed in simple white, with a pale-blue 
 sash knotted about her slender waist, and a bunch of 
 simple pansies at her belt and twined among her golden 
 curls. 
 
 Lyle had never been to a lawn fete before ; but rather 
 than ask Cora, she followed her own idea, and almost 
 took Cora's and Miss Bitterwood's breath away when 
 she came down to join the general and his daughter, ar- 
 rayed in a crimson silk dress veiled in black lace, and 
 wearing all the jewelry which she possessed. Her crit- 
 ical eyes noted every detail of Cora's dress. 
 
 " She evidently goes in for simplicity," thought Lyle.
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 47 
 
 " Now, what chance will she stand in that dress com- 
 pared with me ? " 
 
 And her spirits rose higher and higher as they set out 
 toward the scene of festivity. 
 
 Cora watched her beautiful companion, owning to her- 
 self that Lyle was certainly the most beautiful creature 
 that she had ever beheld. 
 
 She wondered if Arthur Rollins would admire her. 
 She half wished that she had not been invited to the 
 lawn fete. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 The entrance of the two beautiful girls on the grounds 
 created quite a sensation. 
 
 " I think I shall have to go up to the porch and sit 
 down and rest awhile," said the general, puffing and 
 panting, " much as I should enjoy going through the 
 grounds with you." 
 
 He began to realize for the first time in his life how 
 firm a hand old age was laying upon him. Cora felt 
 greatly distressed for him. 
 
 Lyle was secretly delighted. She had said to herself 
 that she would not enjoy the lawn fete if the old octo- 
 genarian were to keep constantly at her elbow. She 
 would improve her time to see and be seen while he was 
 resting. 
 
 " Shall I not accompany you to the porch, papa, and 
 sit with you until you are rested ? " asked Cora, anx- 
 iously.
 
 48 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 " No ; you and Lyle can come back for me after awhile. 
 Go and enjoy yourself. I will be a looker-on." 
 
 " I suppose you know every one here," said Lyle, her 
 face flushing eagerly. 
 
 " I do not think there will be many strangers," replied 
 Cora. 
 
 " Do not be surprised if I flirt desperately with the 
 handsome cadets. Don't look so shocked. Your pained, 
 puritanical face makes me laugh." 
 
 Seeing that Lyle was enjoying herself to the top of her 
 bent, Cora excused herself a moment to see how her 
 father was getting along. 
 
 While Lyle stood there chatting with a group of young 
 girls and their escorts, she noticed with intense satisfac- 
 tion how jealous and ill at ease all the girls were. 
 
 " They are never sure of their beaus when I am about," 
 she thought, amusedly. 
 
 Suddenly some one touched her on the arm, and said : 
 
 " Miss Warner, I wish to introduce Mr. Arthur Rollins 
 to you." 
 
 She turned a laughing face, and saw standing before 
 her the handsome cadet who had haunted her very 
 dreams, who had been in her thoughts every hour of the 
 day since she had met him on the night of the cadets' 
 great ball. 
 
 " I believe we have met before," she said, extending her 
 hand. 
 
 Her dark eyes flashed with a brr 1 r ^ht, and her 
 crimson lips quivered with emotion. was so com- 
 
 pletely transformed all in an instant :-it Arthur was 
 startled by her loveliness. 
 
 " I was just about to make the same remark," said
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 49 
 
 Arthur, with a low bow ; " but I hardly supposed that 
 you would remember me." 
 
 Remember him! Lyle looked up into the handsome, 
 laughing, debonair face, saying to herself that she should 
 never forget him. 
 
 Arthur talked so freely, so gracefully, that she forgot 
 everything in the charm of his presence. 
 
 " How warm the sun shines down in the grounds and 
 how cool it looks down by the river," she said. 
 
 He took the hint at once, as he knew that she wanted 
 him to invite her to walk that way. He bit his lips. He 
 was waiting there in the hope of Cora joining them ; but 
 perhaps she would see them and follow them to the 
 sylvan retreat. He could only hope for it. 
 
 " Shall we walk down that way? " he asked, taking the 
 path which led past the house. 
 
 He had seen Cora on the porch, and he had hoped that 
 his companion might elect to go that way. But no, with 
 a charming little nod of the head, she said : 
 
 " The other path is shortest, and there is an avenue of 
 trees down to the water's edge." 
 
 So they strolled off together, and Cora, from the vine- 
 covered porch, watched them with a dull, heavy pain at 
 her heart. 
 
 " They have met, and he is infatuated with her, like 
 every one else is," she thought. 
 
 Lyle was brilliant in conversation ; with her smiles and 
 her glances she did her utmost to captivate the handsome 
 cadet. 
 
 She succeeded so well that for a time he quite forgot 
 the little white- robed figure back 'on the porch. 
 
 He thought he had never met a more amiable girl than 
 this lovely dark-eyed creature by his side. She was so
 
 50 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 bright, so vivacious, that she amused him and what 
 young man does not like to be amused ? 
 
 He admired the girl by his side as men always will ad- 
 mire an exquisitely beautiful face, but his heart had never 
 for an instant swerved from its allegiance to Cora. 
 
 He was anxious to get back to the throng on the lawn ; 
 it never occurred to him that he had passed over an hour 
 in loitering up and down the river's bank with lovely 
 Lyle; but Cora knew it, and the pain in her heart grew 
 worse. 
 
 " She will try to charm him," she muttered, " and she 
 will be sure to succeed." 
 
 She saw them approach, and she sprung from her chair. 
 Should she go down and meet them, or should she avoid 
 Arthur ? He had been at the lawn fete a whole hour, and 
 yet he had not sought her out. 
 
 At that moment the band struck up a waltz. 
 
 "Oh, how delightful!" breathed Lyle. "I am so 
 fond of dancing ! " 
 
 " May I hope for a waltz later ? " he asked, uttering 
 the words mechanically. 
 
 " You may have this one if you like," she answered, 
 looking up archly into his face. 
 
 He murmured some inarticulate word, but there was 
 no help for it. She placed her hand on his arm, and 
 the dance began which was to cause so much mischief. 
 
 Cora saw, and her heart felt like so much lead in her 
 bosom. 
 
 " Why don't you go and join the young folks, my 
 dear ? " asked the general. " Lyle will come and sit with 
 me for a little spell if you ask her." 
 
 " I am afraid not, papa," answered his daughter, chok- 
 ing down the lump that rose in her throat.
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 51 
 
 " What is she doing ? " he asked, eagerly. " Your eyes 
 are better than mine." 
 
 " Dancing," was the brief response. 
 
 The general muttered something under his breath, and 
 he grew very restless. 
 
 " I wish you would tell her I want her, Cora," he said, 
 sharply. 
 
 " Isn't there something that I can do for you, papa?" 
 she asked. 
 
 " No," he returned, his face darkening. " With whom 
 is she dancing? " 
 
 " Mr. Rollins," replied his daughter, faintly. 
 
 He grew so fidgety in his seat that Cora quite sub- 
 dued her own troubles in trying to interest him. 
 
 The waltz was over at last, and Arthur led Lyle to a 
 seat under the drooping branches of the trees. He was 
 thankful enough to see young Captain Harding stepping 
 up to them, and to hear him ask Lyle for a waltz the 
 next moment. 
 
 " I shall not dance any more to-day," she said, raising 
 her dark, luminous eyes. 
 
 She was in hopes that the captain would bow and turn 
 away, but he had no intention of doing this. 
 
 Still he lingered, discussing the fete, and what a bril- 
 liant success it was. This gave Arthur an opportunity 
 to bow himself out of Lyle's presence, much to her cha- 
 grin. 
 
 Her eyes followed him to see in which direction he was 
 going, and her anger knew no bounds when she saw him 
 walk straight to where Cora was.
 
 52 CORA, THE PET*OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 The afternoon was almost over, when Arthur had a 
 few moments to himself and made his way to her side. 
 She nodded quite carelessly to him. There was a flush 
 on her cheeks; but the pretty red lips did not smile 
 their usual welcome for him, and the pretty blue eyes did 
 not brighten at his approach. 
 
 " I must have been mistaken," he thought to himself, 
 drawing apart from the group and looking at her with 
 wistful eyes. " She has no particular interest in me, that 
 is certain. I was mad to think that her pleasantness 
 meant anything deeper than the most commonplace kin iJ 
 ness." 
 
 A deep sigh broke from his lips, and he turned away. 
 
 The affair was over at last, much to the regret of every 
 one save Cora. 
 
 " If you are coming in our direction, I should be glad 
 to have you walk along with us, Mr. Rollins," said the 
 general. 
 
 Both girls looked up suddenly, and both blushed; but 
 'Arthur saw only the fair face of Cora. 
 
 " I should be only too pleased," he murmured, accept 
 ing the general's invitation with alacrity. 
 
 He could never tell just how it happened, but as th^y 
 passed through the arched gate-way, he found himsdf 
 by the side of Miss Warner, instead of Cora. It never 
 once occurred to him that this came about by the sharpest 
 kind of maneuvering on the part of Lyle, who saw her 
 chance and improved it at once. She chatted to him 
 gayly, and her remarks were so witty that he was obliged 
 to laugh outright. 
 
 Their mirth annoyed Cora, who was walking ahead
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 53 
 
 with her father, although she pretended not to hear, and 
 never once turned her head around. 
 
 When Lyle heard that Arthur was coming to the villa 
 to spend a couple of months, her delight knew no bounds. 
 
 " How charming ! " she cried. " It will certainly be a 
 great relief, it was so monotonous. Cora is not very 
 fond of pleasure." 
 
 He looked quite surprised to hear that. 
 
 " Dear me ! how fast the general and Cora walk ! " she 
 said. " In the city we are not noted for being pedestrians, 
 as you are in the country. Would you mind if I asked 
 you to slacken your pace a little ? " 
 
 Soon Cora found that the distance between herself and 
 Lyle and her companion was growing considerably 
 greater. 
 
 " Am I walking too fast for you, papa? " she asked. 
 
 He answered : 
 
 " No ; I could walk even faster." 
 
 She said no more. 
 
 She and the general were gradually gaining ground, 
 while Arthur and Lyle were left at some little distance. 
 
 The general and Cora had entered the house by the 
 time they reached the porch. They could hear all that 
 transpired through the open window of the library. 
 
 " Good-bye," she heard Lyle say, as she extended her 
 dimpled jeweled hand. " You will be sure to be with 
 us to-morrow ? " 
 
 " Yes," he answered, gallantly, raising his hat. 
 
 " Come as early in the forenoon as possible," she said, 
 brightly ; " I am going out horseback riding. I should be 
 so pleased to have you accompany me." 
 
 " Isn't Miss Ormsby going? " he asked. 
 
 " Perhaps so," she replied.
 
 54 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 " I should be delighted to come." With this he bowed, 
 turned, and walked quickly down the graveled walk. 
 Lyle stood on the porch and watched him until a bend 
 in the road hid him from her. 
 
 She might have stood there long hours, unconscious of 
 the flight of time, had not Miss Bitterwood suddenly ap- 
 peared on the porch. 
 
 " Dear me, where have you been ? Cora and the gen- 
 eral returned fully a quarter of an hour ago. What have 
 you been doing, I wonder?" 
 
 " Turning a handsome cadet's head," responded Lyle, 
 promptly. 
 
 The housekeeper's brow darkened. 
 
 " Wasting your time on some poor cadet," she said, 
 sharply. " Well, well ! a peasant will be a peasant, if you 
 deck her in court diamonds." 
 
 Cora started and turned pale. How strange it was 
 that the housekeeper should speak so familiarly to Miss 
 Warner; but she would not listen. When the two girls 
 found themselves alone together, Lyle at once began to 
 discuss the lawn fete. 
 
 "Wasn't it a grand affair?" she said. "I enjoyed it- 
 better than I did anything in my life before." 
 
 " Perhaps some one helped to make it so very pleasant 
 for you." 
 
 Lyle blushed furiously. 
 
 " Perhaps," she answered, with a laugh. " Mr. Rollins 
 is an exceedingly pleasant companion," she said. " You 
 did not tell me about him. He is ever so much nicer than 
 any of the other cadets I have met so far. He tells me, 
 too, that he is to be your father's guest during his vaca- 
 tion." 
 
 " So I have just heard papa say," returned Cora.
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 55 
 
 " It always livens up matters so nicely when there is a 
 young gentleman about. What a pity your father did 
 not invite two one for each of us." 
 
 Cora flushed. She could not understand Lyle Warner. 
 
 " Why, what are you blushing for ? " asked Lyle with a 
 laugh. " Are you also smitten with the handsome ca- 
 det?" 
 
 " Miss Bitterwood is calling me. I must go," said 
 Cora, anxious to change the subject. But Lyle detected 
 the motive. 
 
 On what trifles do human lives turn! If Cora had not 
 blushed, her life would have been entirely different. 
 
 " There is something that she is keeping back from 
 me," thought her beautiful, designing companion ; " and 
 I must find out what it is." 
 
 Aloud she said: 
 
 " How long have you known Mr. Rollins, Cora ? " 
 
 " Some months," was the evasive reply. 
 
 " I wonder that you could have known him an hour 
 without falling deeply in love with him, he is so fasci- 
 nating." 
 
 Cora looked embarrassed. 
 
 " Perhaps you are one of the kind that never intend 
 leaving your father while he lives ? " 
 
 " I do not expect to," returned Cora. 
 
 " But tell me more about Arthur Rollins," persisted 
 Lyle. " Where you first met him ? Has he a sister ? 
 Where is his home? " 
 
 Before Cora could answer this avalanche of eager 
 questions, Miss Bitterwood entered the drawing-room. 
 
 " The general would like to see you, Miss Warner," she 
 said, carelessly. 
 
 Lyle's brow darkened, and she bit her lips to keep back
 
 56 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 the angry retort that rose to them. There was nothing to 
 do but to obey her aunt's summons. Cora stole quietly up 
 to her own room. 
 
 " I have almost a mind to write him not to come," she 
 panted, " she is so much in love with him. He would 
 begin by flirting with her and end by adoring her. But 
 can I stand by and see it, uttering no word? Of course, 
 he is nothing to me; but his eyes have told me that he 
 cares for me, even though his lips did not frame the 
 words." 
 
 Then the pride of the Ormsby's came to her. 
 
 " I shall not let them see, though my heart breaks ! " 
 
 Lyle spent the evening in the drawing-room with the 
 general. Cora remained in her room, retiring early under 
 the plea of having a severe headache. 
 
 She was not missed. There had been a time, she said 
 to herself, and not very long ago, when her slightest in- 
 disposition would have caused the greatest anxiety in the 
 household. It was different now. Of course, her father's 
 attention to the beautiful stranger was only through 
 courtesy, still it hurt Cora most cruelly. 
 
 Early the next morning Lyle was in the grounds. She 
 was the first to welcome Arthur when he came to the 
 villa. 
 
 " I was expecting you," she said, sweetly. " Welcome 
 to Ormsby Villa, Mr. Rollins." 
 
 He looked about for Cora. She was not there. 
 
 " She has left the duty of greeting me to her friend," 
 he thought, rather bitterly. 
 
 " The general is indulging in an after-breakfast nap 
 over his newspaper, and Cora is busy writing a letter," 
 she explained. " So I promised to take charge of you en- 
 tirely until luncheon hour."
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 57 
 
 " It was very good of you," he answered, simply ; " but 
 I don't want to be a burden to you." 
 
 Lyle laughed merrily. 
 
 " Perhaps I look upon it as a pleasure," she said, rather 
 archly. 
 
 No man could help feeling flattered to hear sucn a 
 remark concerning himself from such lovely lips. 
 
 A few moments later, to Cora's great astonishment, 
 she saw Lyle and Arthur Rollins riding down the broad 
 graveled carriage road toward the entrance gate, their 
 horses cantering briskly along side by side. 
 
 The sight brought the color to her face. 
 
 " I did not even know that he had come," she said to 
 herself. " No one took the trouble to inform me. He 
 must have asked for Lyle." 
 
 How handsome Lyle looked in her blue riding-habit, the 
 blue veil wound about the silk hat, flying in the breeze, 
 her cheeks all aglow! 
 
 " I will show him that I do not care," she said to 
 herself. 
 
 But even though she said it so determinedly, she put 
 on her prettiest lawn dress for luncheon, and took extra 
 pains in twining a blue ribbon about her golden curls. 
 
 " Where is Lyle ? " asked the general of Miss Bitter- 
 wood, half an hour later, as she passed through the 
 morning-room. " She is not here to read to me. She 
 has not even cut my papers." 
 
 " She has been in her room all the morning with a 
 severe headache. She begged me to make her apologies 
 to you, and to say that she hopes you will not think 
 she has negelected you." 
 
 " I did not know that I could miss her so much," 
 sighed the general.
 
 58 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 " Shall I go to her and say that you would like her 
 to come down ? " 
 
 " Oh, by no means," he answered. " Do not disturb 
 her. She will no doubt be down to luncheon presently." 
 
 " It's a lucky thing that he doesn't know that she's gone 
 out riding," she thought. " I must go down to the bend 
 in the road and warn her to come home by the side path." 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 When Lyle and Arthur Rollins came dashing up the 
 road an hour later, and the girl saw Miss Bitterwood 
 awaiting her at the sharp turn which led to the villa, her 
 brow darkened with a frown. She bit her red lips 
 fiercely to keep back the exclamation that rose to them. 
 
 " Ah ! there is the housekeeper of the villa ; no doubt 
 she wishes to speak with me," she said, carelessly. "If 
 you ride on, I will overtake you in a moment or two. 
 Perhaps it might be more enjoyable for you to ride over 
 by way of the field, and look over the general's stables 
 and kennels." 
 
 " Thanks ; I will act upon your suggestion," said Ar- 
 thur, touching the animal lightly with his whip. 
 
 In a moment he was quite out of sight. By that time 
 Lyle had reached the spot where Miss Bitterwood was 
 pacing up and down. 
 
 " Well," she exclaimed, with a toss of her dark curls, 
 " I suppose I am in for a lecture ; but this is hardly the 
 time or the place for it ! " 
 
 Miss Bitterwood reached for the bridle of the horse, 
 and brought him to a stand-still with a terrible jerk.
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 59 
 
 " / couldn't have believed this unless I had seen it ! " 
 <$he cried, in a hard, rasping voice. " Are you so blind 
 to your own interests as to flirt openly with this poor 
 cadet who hasn't a cent in his pocket, and right before 
 the general's eyes? You know if you miss him, it 
 means going back to New York and your little garret 
 room, and finding work in some millinery shop at star- 
 vation wages." 
 
 The girl's face blanched. 
 
 " I don't see that I am liable to forget it with you din- 
 ning it into my ears every hour of the day. Supposing 
 the old general does ' throw me over,' as you call it, it 
 wouldn't matter very much to me if I were lucky enough 
 to capture a young millionaire, would it ! " 
 
 " First get your young millionaire. I hope you don't 
 think Arthur Rollins is one. He's a beggar, I tell you, in- 
 tent upon capturing an heiress like Cora Ormsby." 
 
 The girl smiled superciliously. She did not attach one 
 word of importance to what her aunt said, believing that 
 she spoke with a purpose in view. 
 
 " I will not be lectured any longer," cried the girl. 
 " I will have a good time, if I die for it ; you may as well 
 understand that first as last." 
 
 " Then I wash my hands of you entirely ! " cried Miss 
 Bitterwood, furiously. 
 
 Lyle shrugged her shapely shoulders. 
 
 Without another word, her aunt strode back to the 
 house by a short cut. 
 
 It so happened that when Arthur had looked through 
 the stables and passed beyond to the dog-kennels, the first 
 person he met was Cora. 
 
 Was it only his fancy, or did the lovely young girl 
 flush crimson as she heid out her hand to him ?
 
 60 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 " Welcome to Ormsby Villa, Mr. Rollins," she said. 
 " I saw you when you were coming to the entrance gate, 
 but before I could get down-stairs you had started out 
 for a ride. I hope you enjoyed it the morning was de- 
 lightful." 
 
 " Our canter over the hills was charming. It would 
 have been more enjoyable, however, had you been with 
 us." 
 
 Cora did not tell him that she had had a hearty cry 
 when she had seen them ride off without her. 
 
 " I suppose you want to see the dogs," she said, turn- 
 ing hastily away that he might not see the expression on 
 her face. 
 
 They spent some time watching the noble St. Bernard, 
 the general's two magnificent greyhounds, the mastiff, and 
 Prince, the Newfoundland, who was the general favor- 
 ite. 
 
 " Why, what is this ? " exclaimed Arthur, moving on 
 to the next kennel. " Not a dog, but a fox, as I live ! " 
 
 " Yes, it is a fox," said Cora ; " but he is a general 
 favorite, perhaps the best-loved animal about the place, 
 and quite tame, I assure you. You see he knows me and 
 loves me well." 
 
 " As if any one could know you and refrain from 
 loving you," thought Arthur, looking at the sweet, dainty 
 girl by his side, and the lovely pink and white dimpled 
 face, which the broad sun-hat, with its simple wreath of 
 blue corn-flowers, half revealed. 
 
 But, instead of tittering the words that sprung to his 
 lips, he crushed them back, saying : 
 
 " It is an odd animal to make so much of. It must 
 owe its place in the kennels to an accident. Did it come
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 61 
 
 to steal your chickens and get caught in a trap ? " laughed 
 Arthur. 
 
 " No. I will tell you how it came about. The story is 
 quite interesting, as well as pathetic. Although papa is 
 not as young as he used to be, he is very fond of young 
 people about him. Two years ago he invited a party of 
 young gentlemen up from the city to enjoy a fox-hunt. 
 He secured three fine specimens, but in bringing them 
 here two escaped, and the remaining one had one of his 
 legs severely injured. 
 
 " He was put in a kennel and cared for, to be in prime 
 order when the day of the hunt should arrive. One of the 
 gentlemen came out every morning to look after him, 
 until, in the course of time, the animal grew to know 
 him. 
 
 " At last the day of the hunt dawned bright and clear. 
 *At an early hour the gentlemen were mounted on their 
 horses, and chatting gayly to each other in the best of 
 spirits. The hounds were running to and fro, and bay- 
 ing with impatience. They seemed to know what was 
 coming, and were anxious for the fray. 
 
 " I went upstairs and shut myself in my room. I could 
 not bear to see the fox let loose and the mad chase begin. 
 It seemed like cruelty rather than sport. 
 
 " Colonel Hart that was the gentleman who took 
 such an interest in the affair, and who had so keenly 
 watched the rapid recovery of the animal at length an- 
 nounced that all was ready. I heard the bugle-call and 
 knew that they were off. 
 
 " I will tell you the rest of the narrative in Colonel 
 Hart's own words : 
 
 " ' The moment the bugle sounded, the fox was off like 
 an arrovr from a bow; but ere he had leaped the first
 
 62 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 fence we were after him in close pursuit, scarcely a dozen 
 rods behind. Over fences, ditches, and hedges we went 
 at a mad gallop, the horses snorting with excitement, the 
 hounds mad in pursuit of their game. 
 
 " Surely ay, surely and steadily they are gaining on 
 the fox. the colonel a yard in advance," added Cora, 
 clasping her hands together in the excitement of telling 
 the story. " Another leap, and yet another, and the fox 
 would be overtaken by the hounds. 
 
 " The poor animal seemed to realize its peril. One in- 
 stant, on the edge of a rising hill, it paused and cast one 
 terrified glance backward. It saw the dogs, their mad 
 eyes glaring, eager for its life-blood ; it saw the hunters, 
 with their set faces ; but it also saw the familiar face of 
 Colonel Hart. In an instant the poor animal recognized 
 him as the friend who had come to the kennel every day 
 to see him. 
 
 " Before any one had the slightest intimation of what 
 the fox was about to do, it had turned, and with one leap 
 sprung over the heads of the excited dogs, and landed 
 directly in Colonel Hart's arms. Quivering with fear, the 
 agonized eyes that sought his seemed to say in almost 
 mortal language : 
 
 " ' Save my life ! They want to kill me ! I trust my 
 life to you, for you are my friend.' 
 
 " Colonel Hart stopped short. 
 
 ' ' Gentlemen,' he said, ' the hunt is over. I would 
 rather sacrifice my right arm than hunt to death the ani- 
 mal that has put its life in my hands, that trusts me. I 
 shall keep this fox as a family pet as long as he lives.' "
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 63 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 " This poor animal has had a strange history," said 
 Arthur Rollins ; " he ought to be thankful that he has 
 fallen into such good hands. You have a very kind heart 
 to feel such sympathy for him." 
 
 " The poor fellow appreciates any kindness shown 
 him," said the girl, turning away. 
 
 They sauntered slowly back to the house, chatting as 
 they went. Lyle stood at the open window of the morn- 
 ing-room awaiting their approach. There was a danger- 
 ous light in her eyes, and the smile on her lips was not 
 pleasant to see. 
 
 She had changed her riding-habit for a pretty pink 
 chambray, and looked as cool and fresh and fair as a 
 rose, with her floating pink ribbons, that matched the 
 deepening rose-tints in cheek and lips. 
 
 " You must be quite tired, Mr. Rollins," she said, 
 archly. " I should have thought you would have pre- 
 ferred resting a little while on the cool veranda ; but then, 
 putting all thoughts of self away to please others is a 
 virtue with you." 
 
 " I did not know you were so tired," said Cora, apolo- 
 getically. 
 
 " I did feel a little tired when I came in, but I grew 
 so interested in looking over the kennels that I quite for- 
 got it." 
 
 " A soldier ought never to admit that he is tired," 
 remarked the general's daughter. 
 
 At luncheon Lyle was gayety itself. A man would have 
 had a heart of stone not to have been charmed with her. 
 
 When they rose from the table, Cora asked Arthur and
 
 64 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 Lyle to join her in the music-room, to look over some 
 new songs which she had just received. 
 
 " Have you any favorites, Mr. Rollins ! " she asked. 
 
 He shook his dark, handsome head. 
 
 " All songs are pleasing to me," he said, " if they are 
 simple and sweet." 
 
 Lyle had nothing to say. 
 
 " She wants to show him that she is up in music and 
 that I am not," she thought ; " but in this she will find 
 herself mistaken." 
 
 Cora sat down to the instrument first, and played the 
 most difficult selections with an ease and grace which 
 showed her an apt pupil of the grand old masters. Arthur 
 could not have told what it was, but he knew that it was 
 the melody of which the poets sung, which made the 
 world brighter, and his heart beat quicker for having 
 heard it. 
 
 The little hands grew tired at length, though Arthur 
 could have listened on and on forever. 
 
 " You play, do you not, Lyle ? " she asked, suddenly. 
 
 " A little," was the answer ; " not by note. The songs 
 I love best I know by heart. I love best to play in the 
 twilight." 
 
 At that moment a summons came for Cora; the gen- 
 eral wanted her. 
 
 Lyle was secretly delighted. She could not have been 
 called at a more propitious time, she told herself, for it 
 left her alone with Arthur. 
 
 " Draw your chair nearer to the piano," she said. 
 
 He did as she requested. He never forgot that hour. 
 The sunshine drifting in from the open windows, the 
 rich odor of hypHnths and wild roses that ran riot over 
 the lattice- work outside, the beautiful girl seated at the
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 66 
 
 piano, and the voice that filled the spacious room with 
 such melody as he had never heard before. 
 
 The hours flew by on golden wings, and, true to her 
 promise, Lyle improved them as the honey-bee the golden 
 light that falls on the blooming roses. 
 
 Arthur told himself that no man was ever so fortu- 
 nate as to have two such lovely companions; but he 
 could not find time to exchange a single word with Cora. 
 
 Lyle always filled up the breach by her ready wit and 
 the happy faculty of knowing just what to say and when 
 to say it. 
 
 " I prayed that the night might be lovely," she said, 
 as they strolled out into the grounds, while the dusk 
 crept up and the darkness of night grew on. " See, there 
 is the moon rising over the tops of that belt of pine-trees 
 yonder; and while we have been standing here the stars 
 have come out. See, the heavens are studded with them." 
 
 " It will be a glorious night on the water," said Cora, 
 to which Arthur fully agreed. 
 
 The grounds of the villa ran directly to the bank of 
 the Hudson. They found the little white skiff rocking 
 to and fro as though chafing at restraint and anxious to 
 be dancing away over the billows. 
 
 Again, as though by chance, Arthur found himself 
 seated with the oars facing Lyle. A few deft strokes 
 sent the little boat flying out over the water. 
 
 " I thought I was an adept at handling a boat," laughed 
 Cora ; " but I really could take lessons from you with 
 great advantage, Mr. Rollins." 
 
 " My home was on the bank of the river. I spent a 
 great deal of my time in my boat," replied Arthur. 
 
 " I suppose you are an expert swimmer ? " remarked 
 Cora.
 
 66 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 " I have been accounted a very fair one," he replied, 
 modestly. 
 
 " If this boat should tip over, which one of us would 
 you try to save ? " asked Lyle in a bantering tone. 
 
 " The question is hardly a fair one," declared Arthur. 
 " I should do my best to save both." 
 
 " Do not get to far in mid-stream," warned Cora. 
 " The Albany boat will soon come steaming up, and un- 
 less we get back nearer shore we will be right in her 
 way." 
 
 " It looks as if there was a storm coming up, too," said 
 Arthur, resting on his oars for a moment and scanning 
 the heavens. 
 
 All at once the stars seemed to die out of the sky, and 
 great black clouds swept over the moon. 
 
 " There is a storm coming," said Arthur. " See how 
 the wind is freshening, and there is a dense fog creeping 
 up. I am afraid it will be down upon us before we can 
 reach shore." 
 
 It took but a moment of time to turn the little boat ; 
 but in that moment a dense fog seemed to rise suddenly 
 from the water and infold them, growing so dense that 
 he could not see even Lyle's face, scarcely three feet 
 from him. Arthur's face grew white with anxiety. 
 
 " What is that? " he cried, as a muffled sound reached 
 his ear. 
 
 " The fog-horn," said Lyle. 
 
 " Ah ! great Heaven ! " cried Cora, starting to her 
 feet, " it is the Albany boat bearing down upon us ! It 
 sounds nearer each instant. We are surely lost ! "
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 67 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 " Great Heaven ! it is the Albany boat bearing down 
 upon us, and they can not see us through the fog. We 
 are lost lost ! " 
 
 Cora's startled cry echoed out wildly over the vast ex- 
 panse of water. 
 
 In her wild excitement she had sprung to her feet. 
 That action was fatal. In a twinkling she found her- 
 self struggling in the water. 
 
 Quick as a flash, Arthur sprung to her rescue, and 
 Lyle, screaming wildly, clutched the side of the boat, 
 saving herself, by the barest luck, from overturning the 
 skiff and throwing herself into the water. 
 
 She realized the danger as her terrified ear caught the 
 sound of the fog-horn of the approaching steamer. 
 
 In that moment the sense of self-preservation, so 
 strong within all of us, took possession of her. Leaning 
 quickly forward, she grasped the oars just as they were 
 sliding from their locks. One or two strokes of the oars, 
 and the little boat whirled out over the waves. Not an 
 instant too soon, for a moment later the steamboat passed 
 swiftly over the spot where the little skiff had been. 
 
 Some one on deck saw the miraculous escape. A great 
 cry arose, for they beheld in the same moment two dark 
 forms struggling in the water. Arthur had caught the 
 slender form in his herculean grasp just as the girl was 
 sinking for the third and last time. 
 
 He saw the steamer, and he struck out for it. In an in- 
 stant there was the greatest confusion on deck. Ropes 
 were thrown out to him, while some one went quickly to 
 the assistance of the terrified girl in the boat. In less 
 time than it takes to tell it, all three were in the cabin
 
 68 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 of the steamer Cora in a dead faint, Arthur weak from 
 exhaustion, while Lyle, save for the scare, was unhurt. 
 
 " That was indeed a narrow escape," said the captain, 
 as he led Arthur off to one of the state-rooms. 
 
 Meanwhile, the restoratives which had been applied 
 had taken their effect upon Cora. Slowly her eyes 
 opened. Was it a dream? She was in some strange 
 place, the face of Lyle bending over her. 
 
 " What has happened ? " she whispered. " Where am 
 I ? Oh, I remember ! The skiff the Albany boat ! " 
 
 Arthur came into the cabin to meet them, holding out 
 hands anxiously to Cora. To see her standing there alive 
 and well before him was so great a joy that it fairly took 
 his breath away. 
 
 He could not find words in which to tell her how thank- 
 ful he was, and he thought of the mad vow that he had 
 taken when he sprung from the skiff into the wild waters 
 if he could not save her he would die with her. 
 
 And when they came up the garden-walk that led to 
 the porch of Ormsby Villa, the general, who sat smoking 
 in his high willow rocker, never dreamed of the thrilling 
 experience through which they had passed. 
 
 "Did you enjoy your row on the river?" he asked, 
 detaining Lyle after the others had passed into the house. 
 
 " Not so very much," she said, toying nervously with 
 the long ribbons of her hat ; " the pleasure would have 
 been greater had you been with us." 
 
 " Thank you for that pretty little speech," he returned, 
 gallantly, raising the little white hand to his lips. " I as- 
 sure you that the pleasure would have been mine had I 
 been able to accompany you this gout is very provok- 
 ing."
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 69 
 
 Lyle turned her head away, that he could not see the 
 sneer on her red lips. 
 
 " I grew worried about you when the fog came up so 
 suddenly," he said ; " but I felt that Cora was in good 
 hands when she was in your charge." 
 
 Lyle's dark eyes flashed. " I suppose he thinks me a 
 chaperon instead of a companion for his daughter," she 
 thought, furiously; but she turned to the general with a 
 very gracious smile on her lips : 
 
 "Will you excuse me if I retire to the house?" she 
 asked. " I feel a little tired." 
 
 " Certainly," he responded, gallantly ; " go to your 
 own room by all means ; don't let me detain you." 
 
 He looked after the slim, girlish figure with a weary 
 expression in his fine old eyes. 
 
 " Am I mad that I should hope such a beautiful crea- 
 ture should love me? " he muttered. " Sometimes I think 
 that it is impossible; she would be more apt to care for 
 that foolish young fellow Rollins; but still, Miss Bitter- 
 wood can not be mistaken. Only to-day she said to me 
 jokingly yet I think she meant it ' General, I think you 
 are renewing your youth. Unless I am very much mis- 
 taken, our pretty young guest is falling in love with you.' 
 If it wasn't for this gout, I could get about as lively as 
 a boy." 
 
 He rose from his chair and attempted to skip across 
 the porch, but old age and the gout were too much for 
 him. 
 
 At the first nimble step, he sunk down in his tracks 
 with a cry of pain that brought the servants to his aid in 
 a hurry. 
 
 The upshot of the matter was that he was carried help- 
 lessly up to his room, and put to bed groaning with pain.
 
 70 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 It would be a fortnight ere he could appear downstairs 
 again. 
 
 Lyle made the most of this, and flirted desperately with 
 Arthur Rollins. She had him most of the time to her- 
 self, Cora was so engrossed in the care of her father. 
 
 The fortnight during which Cora immured herself 
 in her father's room passed drearily enough to Arthur, 
 despite Lyle's attractions. When three days passed and 
 she had not put in an appearance, he grew desperate. 
 
 " She does not care to see me," he argued to himself. 
 
 Then a brilliant plan occurred to him. He would set- 
 tle the doubt in his heart at once. 
 
 Going to his own room, and after writing and tearing 
 up page after page, he succeeded in producing the fol- 
 lowing note : 
 
 " DEAR CORA The three days in which you have ab- 
 sented yourself so completely have been days of endless 
 torment to me. If you do not appear by to-morrow, I 
 shall feel like ending my visit at Ormsby Villa at once. 
 You can easily understand the reason why. It is this : I 
 love you, Cora. A day that I do not see you has no 
 sunshine in it for me. It brings forcibly to me the terri- 
 ble thought what if the time should ever come when I 
 could see you no more? The very thought brings with 
 it a fever of pain so great that it seems to scorch through 
 to my very heart. Let me confess to you on this white 
 paper the secret which I have never dared to tell you 
 when I was in your presence. Without you life would be 
 unbearable to me. When I have attained some promi- 
 nence in military life, will you become my wife? Per- 
 haps I do not couch the words in as flowery language as 
 some men could, but it comes from the depths of my 
 heart, and makes the honest words a prayer to you. I 
 send with this little note two roses a yellow rose and 
 a white one. If your answer be ' Yes,' wear the white
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 71 
 
 rose on your bosom. If it be ' No,' I will know it by 
 seeing the yellow one there. I can say no more; words 
 and expressions fail us when the heart is too full. How 
 eagerly I shall watch for your decision you will never 
 fully realize. My life, my future, lie in the issue. 
 " Yours faithfully in life or in death, 
 
 " ARTHUR." 
 
 Hastily sealing the note, he rang for one of the ser- 
 vants to dispatch it to Cora. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 It so happened that when the maid entered Cora's 
 room with Arthur Rollins' note and the two roses, there 
 was no one there but Lyle. She dropped the novel she 
 was reading and looked up quickly, recognizing the writ- 
 ing at a glance as Arthur's. 
 
 " Are they for me ? " she asked, eagerly, holding out 
 her hands for them, the color coming and going on her 
 face. 
 
 She remembered that she had told him only that morn- 
 ing how fond she was of both white and yellow roses. 
 
 " No, they are not for you, miss," answered the maid ; 
 " they are for Miss Cora." 
 
 Lyle's face grew dark and stormy with rage. When 
 the girl had quitted the apartment she crossed the room 
 quickly, seized the flowers, and was about to fling them 
 upon the floor and stamp upon them, but she controlled 
 herself by a great effort. 
 
 " That would never do," she muttered ; then her eyes
 
 72 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 fell upon the letter which accompanied them. ' What 
 has he written to her, I wonder." 
 
 The temptation to know its contents was too great for 
 Lyle to withstand. Picking up a sharp pen-knife which 
 lay upon the table, she ran the thin steel blade so deftly 
 around the lightly mucilaged edge that it yielded at once 
 to the knife. It was but the work of a moment to draw 
 the written pages from the envelope and devour their 
 contents. 
 
 " A confession of love ! " she shrieked below her 
 breath. " He asks her to be his wife ! " 
 
 Once, twice, thrice she read the letter through, her face 
 changing from one of beauty to that of a fiend incarnate. 
 
 " So ! " she cried, " all my labor, all the smiles I have 
 lavished upon him, have gone for naught. I can not win 
 his love from her; but one thing I vow if I can not 
 win him, she shall never be his wife ! " 
 
 But what should she do with the letter? Cora might 
 return at any moment and see it in her hand. 
 
 She would not have her receive that letter and read its 
 contents for all that this world held. 
 
 At that instant she heard Cora's light footstep in the 
 corridor without. Quick as a flash, she thrust it into 
 her bosom, but not an instant too soon, for just then the 
 door opened and Cora entered, carrying a light wicker- 
 basket in her hand. 
 
 " Ah ! you are here, Lyle ! " she exclaimed ; " I have 
 been looking the grounds over for you. No one would 
 think of finding you indoors on a day like this. It is a 
 perfect June day." 
 
 Lyle laughed constrainedly. 
 
 A little later the bell rang for luncheon. The two girls 
 descended the stairs to the dining-room.
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 73 
 
 A few moments later the door opened and Arthur en- 
 tered. He saw that Cora and Lyle were already seated 
 at the table. 
 
 Lyle made some kind of a light, laughing remark as he 
 seated himself at the table, but he could not, to have 
 saved his life, have told what is was that she said. 
 
 The perfume from the rose that Cora wore on her 
 bosom reached him. Did it mean happiness or despair? 
 
 Although Arthur seemed so brilliantly gay, yet Lyle 
 noticed that he did not eat a mouthful, that food seemed 
 to choke him. When the meal was over, Cora rose from 
 the table, her guests following. 
 
 " Do come out into the grounds, Mr. Rollins," said 
 Lyle ; " I have something to show you." 
 
 He would have given the world for the sweet privilege 
 of being by himself in that hour, but he could not possi- 
 bly refuse. There was no way out of it but to accompany 
 her. 
 
 Would Cora go with them ? A mad hope that perhaps 
 she might filled his heart ; but that hope died away in his 
 bosom when he saw the general's daughter turn away in 
 the direction of the corridor and ascend the stairs. 
 
 " Isn't it a perfect morning? " exclaimed Lyle. " The 
 birds are singing and the air is heavy with the perfume 
 of flowers." 
 
 He did not answer. The very mention of flowers made 
 his soul sick within him. Lyle saw the sudden pallor 
 that crossed his face, and her brow darkened. 
 
 " Mr. Rollins," she said, laying a little mite of a hand 
 on his white arm, " something has gone wrong with you. 
 I know it, I feel sure of it. Won't you tell me what it 
 is? Perhaps I could help you. You arouse all my sym- 
 nathies."
 
 74 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 " What a strange idea ; you are inclined to be notional," 
 he said. 
 
 " It is not a strange idea, it is the truth," replied the 
 girl, quietly. 
 
 A sudden thought came to him. This girl was so sweet, 
 and so gracious, that perhaps she could aid him in his 
 great difficulty. An impulse which he could not wholly 
 account for urged him to confess his secret to his com- 
 panion ; little dreaming of the sorrow that. was to accrue 
 from it. 
 
 " I will take you at your word, Miss Warner," he said. 
 " I really think you can aid me if you will, you have such 
 good judgment and tact. What would you do, Miss 
 W T arner, if you loved some one very dearly and she did 
 not care for you ? " 
 
 Lyle started. The hand on his arm trembled like an 
 aspen leaf, but he was too preoccupied with his own 
 thoughts to notice it. 
 
 "If you loved some one better than life itself, and were 
 treated kindly, but nothing more, what would you do/' he 
 asked, huskily, " to gain the favor of the one whose love 
 meant your vital happiness? There is such a one whom 
 I adore, but she does not care for me. I would give my 
 life and soul to win her. She is to me what the gladsome 
 sunlight is to the dark and dreary earth." 
 
 " Do you know what I would do ? " said Lyle in a low, 
 intense voice. " Listen : I would find somebody else to 
 make love to if I were you, and when this girl whom you 
 adore imagined that you really cared for another, woman- 
 like she would be more apt to want you then. If you 
 can only once arouse jealousy in her heart, you can win 
 her love. It is well worth trvins:."
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 75 
 
 Arthur looked wonderingly at his companion. Surely 
 such a way to win a girl's love seemed strange to him. 
 
 " I am a woman, and I know," said Lyle. " The trial 
 will convince you that I have advised you rightly." 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 The answer which Lyle had given Arthur Rollins fairly 
 took his breath away. She repeated it so that she would 
 be sure to understand her. 
 
 "If the young girl is coy and will not be wooed, and 
 yet beneath that cold exterior you think there beats a 
 warm heart that might be touched with love, you must 
 try to win her by strategy. Make desperate love to some 
 other girl when she is around; that will arouse her 
 jealousy, and where there is jealousy there is always 
 love." 
 
 Arthur drew his breath hard. 
 
 " It seems a cruel way to win one's affection," he said ; 
 " but perhaps you are right. You know the way of win- 
 ning a girl's heart. I may as well tell you all. The fai. 
 young girl whom I so hopelessly adore is your friend, 
 Cera Ormsby." 
 
 That very evening, much to Arthur's surprise, he re- 
 ceived word that his leave of absence had ended, and 
 that he was expected to report for duty at once. 
 
 " I must have a little talk with Cora before I go," he 
 said. " You must arrange it somehow for me, Miss 
 Warner." 
 
 " With much pleasure," she said. " I will send her out
 
 76 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 to you on the balcony, where in the moonlight you can 
 talk to her to your heart's content." 
 
 " You are good to me," he said, his eyes filling with 
 tears. " I shall never forget your kindness to me, Miss 
 Warner." 
 
 " Do not mention it," she said, waving her hand to 
 him, as she disappeared through the long, open French 
 window of the parlor. 
 
 After what seemed an age to him, he heard the sound 
 of footsteps. 
 
 The footsteps drew nearer. 
 
 Arthur paced up and down the moonlit balcony, won- 
 dering what words he should use to tell her of the great, 
 overpowering love for her which filled his soul. 
 
 The lace draperies were flung back, and Lyle, not 
 Cora, stood before him. 
 
 " My dear Mr. Rollins," she said, " one never likes 
 to be the bearer of an unkind message ; but I beg of you 
 not to blame me for it. I went to Cora's room, and there 
 I found her busy with a little piece of fancy-work which 
 she is making for Captain Lindsay. When she heard 
 my errand, her anger was certainly very great. 
 
 " ' Go to him and tell him that I will not see him,' 
 she said. ' You must say " Good-bye " to him for me.' 
 
 " All expostulation was useless. She had made up 
 her mind, and would not change it. The more I said, the 
 colder and haughtier she grew. I was obliged to leave 
 her at last, with that answer for you. I am, oh, so sorry ! 
 I beg you not to hold me responsible for the words." 
 
 Arthur was proud. He had been deeply wounded by 
 the girl he loved. 
 
 There was great consternation in the household next 
 morning when the general received the note Arthur had
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 77 
 
 left, which was the first intimation he had had of his in- 
 tended departure. 
 
 " However, army rules are not to be trifled with," he 
 said to Cora when she brought him the letter. 
 
 He had gone without so much as saying good-bye to 
 her. What could it mean? What could she have done 
 to so offend him? 
 
 " I will write and ask him," said Cora to herself. 
 
 Suiting the action to the word, she went straight to 
 her desk to write the fatal letter that was to wreck two 
 lives. 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 When Cora sat down to her desk to write the letter, but 
 one thought occurred to her, and that was to let Arthur 
 know how deeply grieved she was about his going away 
 without exchanging one word of farewell in person. 
 
 " I should like to see you just once more, and to find 
 out if I have done anything to offend you. If you will 
 come to the orchard at ten p. M. to-morrow we can talk 
 the matter over. Yours very sincerely, 
 
 " CORA." 
 
 In her excitement, and in writing the note so hur- 
 riedly, she did not see the terrible mistake she had made 
 in putting down " P. M.," which meant at night, in- 
 stead of writing " A. M.," in the morning. In writing 
 the note it never occurred to the girl that she was doing 
 anything out of the way. 
 
 She had no mother to advise her, and a young girl
 
 78 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 never thinks of taking her love affairs to a cross, sick, 
 gouty old father. 
 
 Without stopping to read over what she had written, 
 Cora quickly dispatched the note. It so happened that 
 while it was on its way to its destination, Arthur, who 
 had forgotten a couple of books which he had left in 
 his room, was hurrying toward the villa. There was the 
 hope, too, in his heart that he might see Cora. 
 
 So intent was he with his own thoughts that he did 
 not see the dark form of Captain Lindsay keeping pace 
 with him scarcely a rod behind. The handsome young 
 cadet had gained permission for an hour's leave of ab- 
 sence, and returned to the villa. 
 
 This looked remarkably suspicious to the captain. 
 
 He meant to see the outcome of it. By the merest 
 chance, Arthur took the path that led to the rear of the 
 grounds. 
 
 As he reached the oak-tree which Lyle had mentioned 
 as having a deep hollow in it, wherein she was to put 
 her letters for him, he started, and the desire came over 
 him to examine it. Surely it could do no harm. Running 
 his hand into the trunk of the tree, suddenly it came in 
 contact with a bit of paper. Drawing it out, he found it 
 to be an envelope addressed to himself. He saw at a 
 glance that it was Lyle's writing. Why, what could she 
 have to write to him about in so short a time, he won- 
 dered. The envelope contained but a short note. He 
 quickly ran his eyes over its contents, which were as 
 follows : 
 
 " DEAR MR. ROLLINS Do not come near the house 
 nor write, for reasons which I will explain later on."
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 79 
 
 He stood quite still for a moment and stared at the 
 note. 
 
 How lucky a thing it was that he received it just in 
 time ! he told himself. How thoughtful of Lyle to write 
 him ! But what could it mean, he wondered. He turned 
 slowly and walked back to camp. 
 
 Captain Lindsay, who followed him, had watched what 
 had taken place with breathless interest. 
 
 Could it be that the handsome, dashing young cadet 
 and the general's daughter were keeping up a clandestine 
 correspondence ? 
 
 He must know what that letter contained, he told him- 
 self. 
 
 He knew by past experience, on the night of the ball, 
 that Arthur Rollins was his equal in point of strength. 
 
 He could not take it from him in a hand-to-hand en- 
 counter. 
 
 " Ah ! I have it ! " he exclaimed. " He will read it 
 over while on duty, and then it can be taken from him." 
 
 Captain Lindsay took a shorter cut back to camp, and 
 reached it before Arthur did. Thus it happened that he 
 did not see Arthur take Lyle's letter, tear it slowly into 
 minute shreds, and fling it slowly to the breeze. 
 
 To Arthur's surprise, he found Cora's missive await- 
 ing him. What could it mean? Cora had asked him to 
 come, while Lyle's note particularly urged him most earn- 
 estly to remain away until she could communicate with 
 him. 
 
 Now, which should he do? The matter troubled him 
 greatly. 
 
 He noticed the error that Cora had made in her note 
 regarding the time, and he remarked to himself what 
 an unpleasant consequence might accrue if it had fallen
 
 80 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 into any one's else hands and they had been inclined 
 to make mischief out of it. 
 
 He only had time to glance quickly over Cora's note 
 ere he was called to duty, and he thrust it hastily into 
 his breast-pocket, to read again at the first moment he 
 could do so without being observed. 
 
 He was on the end of the line at drill. The cadets 
 were all resting on their arms for a moment, when the 
 impulse suddenly came to him to glance at the heading 
 of the note to see whether Cora had said, " My dear 
 Friend, Mr. Rollins," or if she had begun it with a 
 formal " Mr. Rollins, Dear Sir," when he felt a tap on 
 his shoulder, accompanied by a deep bass voice saying : 
 
 " Take that letter to the officer of the day ! " 
 
 For a moment Arthur seemed fairly paralyzed. 
 
 Turning quickly, he found himself confronted by Cap- 
 tain Lindsay, whose face was distorted with rage. 
 
 " What is that which you have in your hand ? " he de- 
 manded "a letter?" 
 
 " Yes," answered Arthur. 
 
 " Hand it to me ! " commanded his superior officer. 
 
 " I can not," said Arthur in a low voice vibrating with 
 emotion. 
 
 "You dare refuse?" cried Captain Lindsay, his face 
 fairly livid with passion. 
 
 " In this instance, I must ! " cried Arthur Rollins, 
 firmly. " No eye shall ever read this letter save my 
 own ! " 
 
 " For the last time, I say, give me that letter, or I shall 
 have it taken from you by force ! " 
 
 " Never ! " retorted Arthur. " I would sooner give up 
 my life!" 
 
 " Put Mr. Rollins under arrest, and take from him
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 81 
 
 the letter which he has in his possession ! " commanded 
 Captain Lindsay, summoning a sergeant who was pass- 
 ing. 
 
 Quick as a flash, Arthur Rollins tore the note into a 
 thousand shreds, and before any one had the slightest 
 idea of what he was about to do, crushed the bits into 
 a hard, compact ball and swallowed it, thus putting it 
 past the power of Captain Lindsay to ever find out the 
 contents of the note which Cora Ormsby had written 
 him. 
 
 The action was so sudden that for an instant it al- 
 most staggered Captain Lindsay. He saw that he was 
 baffled ignominiously baffled in the trap he had set to 
 catch the handsome cadet. 
 
 In less time than it takes to tell it, Arthur Rollins 
 found himself under arrest, charged with resisting his 
 superior officer and destroying a letter. 
 
 General Warburton, the commander in charge, asked, 
 sternly : 
 
 " What have you to say, Mr. Rollins ? " 
 
 " What can I say, sir ? " returned the young cadet, 
 earnestly. 
 
 " What did you do with the letter in question ? " 
 
 " Destroyed it," came the answer, calm and clear. 
 
 " Whom was it from ? " asked General Warburton. 
 
 " I am sorry to say that I must decline to tell, sir, as 
 it was purely of a personal and private nature." 
 
 "You absolutely refuse to reveal its contents?" 
 
 Arthur Rollins turned as white as marble, but he 
 looked with unflinching eyes at his superior officer, as he 
 replied : 
 
 " I must refuse, sir."
 
 82 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 Very calmly he received the order to go at once to his 
 tent. 
 
 Left alone by himself, Arthur Rollins bowed his head 
 in his hands. He had saved the fair name of pretty Cora, 
 that angel among girls. He did not care what they did 
 with him for it; he would willingly have laid down his 
 life for her. 
 
 'A week passed, and Arthur, in close confinement, won- 
 dered what the outcome of all his trouble would be. The 
 little guard-house in which he paced up and down seemed 
 like a veritable prison cell to him. 
 
 He was used to vigorous out-of-door life, and being 
 penned up in the narrow guard-house was beginning to 
 tell upon him. 
 
 He little dreamed that during that time Captain Lind- 
 say was doing his utmost to make things look pretty 
 black for the handsome young fellow who had sup- 
 planted him in Cora Ormsby's favor, whom he hated with 
 all the desperate hatred of his revengeful nature. 
 
 During that never-to-be-forgotten week Arthur saw 
 but few of his old comrades. He never dreamed that a 
 terrible story was being circulated among his companions 
 that he would bear watching. 
 
 He had heard the rumor that several of the cadets had 
 complained that they had lost their valuable time-pieces. 
 The matter had been kept exceedingly quiet, in the hope 
 of tracing them, but so far it had proved unavailing. At 
 about this time a strange event happened which seemed 
 to play directly into Captain Lindsay's hands. 
 
 On the morning of the day of Arthur's arrest a most 
 malicious specimen of the tramp genus was found loiter- 
 ing about the grounds. He was taken into custody. A 
 note was found in his pocket which read as follows :
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 83 
 
 " I can not see you just now. Wait until the affair 
 has blown over, and then I will arrange for a meeting." 
 
 There was great excitement at head-quarters when it 
 was discovered that this man, who had in his pocket a 
 note from Arthur Rollins, was a noted New York 
 crook. 
 
 While they were making investigations, the man was 
 suddenly seized with apoplexy, and expired. The general 
 believed that the letter which young Rollins had received 
 was from this man that its contents were of so dan- 
 gerous a nature that he was obliged to resort to most 
 desperate methods lest it should be discovered. 
 
 General Warburton had always held to one strict rule : 
 " Believe every man a rascal until he is found to be 
 otherwise." 
 
 For the first time in his life he had allowed himself 
 to be influenced by impressions. He had been strangely 
 drawn to the young cadet at first sight when he had 
 assisted at his examination. He was sorry to see his 
 downfall ; but he hid his sympathy under a very stern 
 exterior. He determined to try an experiment. He 
 waited until the midnight hour at the time when only 
 the sentries and the men on duty were about then he 
 sent for young Rollins. 
 
 The room looked strangely weird as Arthur entered it 
 in charge of the guard, which was dismissed at the door. 
 
 " Yon will step this way, Mr. Rollins," aid General 
 Warburton, in his most severe manner. 
 
 The young man obeyed. He saw a dark form on a 
 stretcher, over which the general stood, motionless as a 
 statue. He approached wonderingly. 
 
 "Can you tell me who this fellow is?" said the gen-
 
 8-i CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 eral, reaching up and turning a flood of light upon the 
 scene. 
 
 One glance, and Arthur Rollins staggered back as 
 though a sword had pierced his heart. 
 
 " You know him, then ? " 
 
 Like one hearing the sentence of death, the young 
 man bowed his head in assent ay, bowed his head until 
 it rested on his breast, as though he never cared to lift it 
 in this world again. 
 
 " Who is he? I demand the truth ! " 
 
 " You shall have it, sir," answered Arthur Rollins, 
 huskily. 
 
 It was nearly daylight when the young cadet left Gen- 
 eral Warburton's presence. He was whiter than he 
 would ever be in death. 
 
 Would General Warburton expose him? 
 
 " If he does, I shall kill myself! " he muttered. 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 Long after Arthur Rollins had left him, General War- 
 burton sat silent and motionless. The tramp had been 
 quietly and deftly removed, and there was none to ask 
 whither he had been taken. 
 
 When the sunlight poured into the room, General 
 Warburton still sat perfectly motionless with his head 
 bent on his hands. 
 
 The strange story which the young man had divulged 
 to him had almost taken his breath away. He had made, 
 too, a wonderful discovery which greatly surprised him. 
 
 The next day, very much to the chagrin of Captain
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 85 
 
 Lindsay, Arthur Rollins was honorably acquitted ; he 
 dared not question his superior officer, or make any fuss 
 over the outcome of the matter. 
 
 He swore to himself that ere another fortnight he 
 should find something else against Arthur Rollins which 
 it would not be so easy for him to explain. Just at this 
 critical time a report was received that a large detach- 
 ment was to be sent out to the frontier to suppress hos- 
 tilities there. Several young officers were detailed from 
 West Point. 
 
 General Ormsby was in command; Captains Hastings 
 and Lindsay were to be of his staff, and among the other 
 names that were enrolled was that of Arthur Rollins. 
 
 Captain Lindsay fairly ground his teeth with impotent 
 rage. There was no way in which he could get Arthur 
 Rollins' name struck off, he well knew. His anger was 
 all the more intense when he learned that there was a 
 likelihood of General Ormsby taking his daughter Cora 
 to the frontier with him, and perhaps the general's ward, 
 Lyle Warner, would accompany them. 
 
 For this reason, if for no other, there was not a man at 
 the Point but would have given anything in the world 
 to have gone on that expedition. 
 
 Regiments were constantly being sent to the far West, 
 and the departure of the boys in blue under command 
 of General Ormsby attracted the usual attention. 
 
 At last, with many a " God-speed," they were fairly 
 on their way. It was a journey never to be forgotten. 
 The ladies who accompanied the regiment declared it was 
 simply charming. Staging over the mountains, following 
 the narrow road, where one misstep of the mountain 
 mules would mean certain death in the chasm thousands
 
 86 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 of feet below, lent a spice of excitement to those who 
 traveled over the ground for the first time. 
 
 At last, one morning, when the sun was just rising over 
 the belt of cottonwood in the east, the alkaline wastes 
 of Wyoming Valley spread out before them, with the 
 thread-like stream of the Beaver River winding along 
 like a serpent of silver as far as the eye could reach, 
 with Fort Hadley to the right of it, in the blue, hazy 
 distance, they reached their destination. 
 
 The white covered wagons, this strange mode of trav- 
 eling, delighted Lyle. Stopping wherever noon or night 
 overtook them to cook or to sleep, was a wild, romantic 
 life that she had never dreamed of. 
 
 From the very first moment of their starting, Arthur 
 Rollins had tried to secure a few moments' conversation 
 with Cora, to explain to her why he had not kept the 
 appointment which he had made; but every effort was 
 balked by the sudden appearance upon the scene of either 
 Lyle Warner or Captain Lindsay, to say nothing of Cap- 
 tain Hastings, who hung about Cora like a veritable 
 shadow. 
 
 That Captain Lindsay heartily detested Arthur Rollins 
 was known to more than one of the boys of the regi- 
 ment ; and they could readily understand why, too, when 
 they saw that Cora Ormsby, the general's pretty daughter, 
 blushed confusedly and turned away whenever her eyes 
 and Arthur's met. 
 
 The occasion of the re-enforcement of General Orms- 
 by's regiment caused great commotion at Fort Hadley, 
 especially as there were young ladies among the arrivals, 
 and the prettiest girls imaginable. 
 
 These maids and matrons looked with glaring eyes 
 of fury at the young and pretty girls whom General
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 87 
 
 Ormsby had brought with him, registering a vow that 
 they would make it as unpleasant for them as they could, 
 and they would be glad to leave Fort Hadley and return 
 to their own domain in the East. 
 
 There was much discussion over the new arrivals that 
 night on the piazza, of Mrs. Raymond, the young wife 
 of the major, who had brought her sister, Julia Gordon, 
 out with her to get the best catch of the fort. It was 
 true that Miss Gordon was not quite as young as she 
 once was. Her married sister always impressed upon 
 every one that Julia was a mere child only eighteen ; but 
 there was not a man in camp who did not have the secret 
 suspicion that the mere child was nearer eight-and- 
 twenty than eighteen. 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 Major Raymond entered the house hurriedly. 
 
 " You are wanted at head-quarters," he said, hurriedly. 
 " All the ladies are gathering there. They are talking 
 about giving a ball to-morrow night in honor of the new- 
 comers." 
 
 " Why, we had a hop only last week," declared Mrs. 
 Raymond, with a toss of her head. 
 
 " Now, don't go over there and say anything to op- 
 pose it," said her husband, seeing that she was decidedly 
 against the idea. " You know they gave one for you 
 when you and your sister came." 
 
 Mrs. Raymond shrugged her shapely shoulders. 
 
 " I suppose they will have the ball whether I assent 
 or not," she said.
 
 88 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 Throwing a light scarf over her head, and motioning 
 her sister to follow, Mrs. Raymond whisked out of the 
 room. 
 
 She found all the ladies of the garrison gathered to- 
 gether in great excitement over the projected festivity. 
 Neither Cora, Lyle, nor Miss Bitterwood was present. 
 They had sought a little rest in their cottage at Officers' 
 Row, and had retired at once to sleep off the fatigue of 
 their journey. Messengers were sent out at once to all 
 the adjoining forts, that all the officers and their ladies 
 might be present at the great event of the season, to wel- 
 come the lovely Eastern girls and the crack regiment 
 from West Point. 
 
 " I am sorry that they went to all this trouble," de- 
 clared General Ormsby, " for I shall not be able to attend, 
 I fear. My rheumatism and gout are getting the best 
 of me." 
 
 " But Cora and Lyle looked forward to it with all the 
 eagerness that young girls experience in such affairs. 
 
 The officers at Fort Hadley had kept the secret of the 
 great ball very closely, that it might not be known among 
 the Indian villages some twenty miles distant. But for 
 all their caution, the intelligence had reached them, and 
 a secret conference was held at the great Indian wigwam. 
 What would it portend? Who could say? 
 
 The great chief, Blackhawk, shrugged his huge shoul- 
 ders ominously, as he said : 
 
 " Let the white men dance to-night ; the Indians shall 
 dance there when the sun rises. Wait and see ! "
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 89 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 Every one was on the qui vive of expectation about 
 the grand ball which was to take place that evening. 
 
 The ladies of the garrison could think of, talk of noth- 
 ing else. 
 
 All the pretty white dresses and fleecy mulls and gay 
 ribbons in their possession were gone over carefully, for 
 every woman, as well as every young girl, wanted to look 
 their best on this gala occasion. 
 
 Captain Lindsay presented himself early at General 
 Ormsby's for Cora. 
 
 " Girl-like, she is not ready," said the general. " It's 
 strange how much time they take to fuss over their curls 
 and furbelows. A man can get ready for the most im- 
 portant occasion in ten minutes. It seems almost in- 
 credible to me that women should want to take as manv 
 hours. Ah ! here she comes now, the little witch ! " 
 
 At that moment Cora entered the room, radiant as a 
 dream in her fleecy dress of spotless white, with a spray 
 of wild flowers at her belt and intwined in her golden 
 curls. 
 
 If Captain Lindsay admired her before, he fell head 
 over heels in love with her now, as he gazed with ad- 
 miration at the airy, fairy creature who advanced to 
 meet him. 
 
 His heart thrilled through and through as the tips of 
 the little pink fingers rested in his palm for one brief 
 second. Before he had time to clasp them closer, they 
 were hurriedly drawn away from him. 
 
 The girl said, coldly : 
 
 " I am ready, Captain Lindsay. Good-bye, papa ; " 
 and slie threw her arms around the old general's neck
 
 90 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 and laid her fresh, warm cheek against his. " You will 
 not be lonely, will you, dear ? " 
 
 " No," he answered. " Go and dance and have a good 
 time, and break the hearts of all the fellows of the gar- 
 rison, and your old father will sit on the porch and 
 listen to the music as it floats back to him. If I don't 
 fall asleep, I may take a look in before the affair breaks 
 up." 
 
 " Do, papa ! " exclaimed Cora. " I shall look for you." 
 
 " Don't spoil a good time by having me on your mind," 
 called the general. 
 
 " Isn't it a glorious night ? " said Captain Lindsay, as 
 he paused on the porch for an instant. " Not a cloud in 
 the sky, the moon at its full, and the stars so large and 
 bright that they seem like glittering diamonds twinkling 
 in the azure blue. Shall we take a stroll about? It is 
 early yet, and the night is excessively warm." 
 
 " No, Captain Lindsay," said Cora, " I prefer not. As 
 I am to be one of the guests of honor, it would look 
 better to be there early instead of late." 
 
 He bit his lip. 
 
 " It is such a pity to go in-doors a night like this," he 
 said. 
 
 "If you would enjoy a stroll so much, Captain Lind- 
 say, you can come out again after you leave me at the 
 ball, and you can stroll about to your heart's content." 
 
 He eagerly caught the little hand that lay lightly on 
 his arm. 
 
 " Do you not know that it is the company one has 
 with one that makes moonlight strolls either a heaven on 
 earth or unbearably tedious? If you were in the ball- 
 room, all my interest would be centered there."
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 91 
 
 " Captain Lindsay," exclaimed Cora, " I do not like to 
 have you talk to me so ! It is not pleasant." 
 
 " It would be pleasant for almost any other girl ac- 
 quaintance of mine to hear those words from my lips," 
 he retorted, bitterly. 
 
 " Possibly," said Cora ; " but it does not follow that I 
 should be interested in them." 
 
 " You would have cared for me if it had not been for 
 that miserable fellow Rollins ! " he declared, haughtily. 
 
 The girl angrily drew her hand from his arm. 
 
 " A person who speaks ill of Mr. Rollins in my pres- 
 ence the man who saved my life can not hope to re- 
 tain my esteem." 
 
 " We must not quarrel over this matter," said the Cap- 
 tain. " I wish you would promise me one thing," he 
 went on suddenly, " if you never grant me another favor 
 in your life." 
 
 " What is that ? " asked Cora, wonderingly. 
 
 " That is, promise you will not dance with Arthur 
 Rollins at the ball to-night." 
 
 He saw the girl's cheeks flush as crimson as the wild 
 roses she wore at her belt, and the flush creep to the 
 roots of her golden hair. How was he to know that it 
 had been her one hope, ddy and night, ever since she 
 had first heard of the ball, that she would see Arthur 
 there, and dance with him? 
 
 " I shall not promise anything of the kind." 
 
 A sudden thought came to him. 
 
 " Will you grant me this favor, then : that you will 
 give me all the square dances ? " 
 
 She hesitated a moment. Surely she could not make 
 any mistake in giving that promise. 
 
 " I do not mind making an agreement for that," she
 
 92 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 said, " seeing you are my escort," thinking they certainly 
 would not have more than two or three of them during 
 the entire evening. 
 
 " It is so good of you," he murmured. " How can I 
 thank you ? " 
 
 By this time they had reached the garrison. The 
 music and the hum of voices told them that a goodly 
 number of guests had already arrived. The entrance of 
 General Ormsby's lovely daughter and Captain Lindsay 
 created a great furor, and as they saw Cora that night, 
 many of them remembered her to the last day of their 
 lives. Even the officers' wives, who were inclined to be 
 jealous of her when they had heard of her youth and 
 great beauty, could not help but admire her. 
 
 The front door of the general's cottage had scarcely 
 closed after Cora, ere Lyle glided down to the living- 
 room from whence she had heard the sound of General 
 Ormsby's voice. 
 
 " All alone, and in the dark, general ? " she asked, 
 sweetly, as she glided to his side. 
 
 " Yes ; I was waiting for you to come down," he an- 
 swered. " We can take our chairs out on the porch and 
 have a long, quiet, uninterrupted talk." 
 
 " I should enjoy it by all means," murmured Lyle ; 
 " but first let me mix you a glass of toddy you say you 
 like the way I make it." 
 
 " Yes, indeed ! " he answered, eagerly, " you are the 
 only one who knows enough to put plenty of rum in it. 
 I like it hot and strong, with only a little lemon flavor." 
 
 In less time than it takes to tell it, Lyle had prepared 
 the beverage. He did not notice that she slipped a white 
 powder into the contents of the glass. He drank it at a
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 93 
 
 single draught, smacking his lips, and declaring it was the 
 finest he had ever tasted. 
 
 Five minutes more and he began to nod. Ten minutes, 
 and he was fast asleep. 
 
 " He will not waken till broad daylight to-morrow," 
 muttered Lyle. " Sit and talk with you, indeed ! " she 
 continued. " Bah ! " 
 
 Flying to her room, she had barely time to change 
 her dress ere Arthur Rollins came for her. 
 
 " Of course Cora is making herself the belle of the 
 ball," she thought. 
 
 This was quite the case. Each one of the officers' wives 
 was forced to admit to herself that the general's lovely 
 daughter was as sweet and good and kind of heart as she 
 was fair of face. 
 
 Even Julia Gordon could not help feeling kindly in- 
 stead of hostile toward her. 
 
 "Where is your friend, M'iss Lyle Warner?" asked 
 one of the ladies. " Surely she will be here this evening, 
 will she not?" 
 
 " Oh, yes," said Cora ; " she will come later. Ah ! there 
 she is now ! " she exclaimed, as the door opened to admit 
 the tall, slender figure leaning upon the arm of Arthur 
 Rollins. 
 
 There was a momentary hush. Neither the officers 
 nor their wives had ever seen anything like it. She was 
 like an old picture stepping out of a frame. Her dress 
 was one of azure mull, deepening into the bluer shades of 
 violet, while from the clouds of lace her white shoulders 
 and graceful neck rose like the stem of a lily. Her 
 raven-dark hair was done up high on her shapely little 
 head with a cluster of pansies that were knotted at either
 
 94 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 shoulder, and which lay half hidden in the meshes of 
 lace on her breast. 
 
 Cora looked at her in wonder from across the room. 
 She had never beheld anything quite so striking. Up to 
 the last moment Lyle had declared that she had not the 
 least idea what she should wear, and that it was a pity 
 to wear anything one cared for before army officers and 
 their wives. 
 
 " My dress shall not trouble me," she repeated, as 
 though it were a matter of very little concern what she 
 wore. 
 
 No wonder that Cora was astounded to see her appear 
 in the grandest costume she had ever laid her eyes on 
 outside of West Point or the metropolis. How hand- 
 some Arthur Rollins looked ! A great pang of jealousy 
 shot through her heart as she saw Lyle leaning on his 
 arm so radiantly happy. 
 
 " He loves her ! " she murmured. " Ah ! how could 
 he help it! She is the most gloriously beautiful being 
 that I have ever beheld." 
 
 Her lips quivered, but she would not let the tears fall, 
 so great was her pride. 
 
 When she saw Arthur whirling by in the dance, she 
 turned to Captain Lindsay, saying falteringly : 
 
 " You asked me for a waltz just now, and I told you 
 that I was too tired. I have changed my mind. I had 
 only intended to dance the square dances to-night, but I 
 I will waltz with you now if you still care for it." 
 
 " Care for it ? It will be heaven on earth for me," 
 whispered the captain, delightedly. 
 
 Just at that moment Arthur had excused himself to 
 Lyle, and had started in search of Cora, whom he in- 
 tended to ask for the waltz that had just struck up. He
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 95 
 
 turned white to the lips when he saw her whirling by in 
 his rival's arms. 
 
 The sight was more than he could calmly endure. How 
 dared he ask Cora to dance; and yet, why not? Was 
 she not known to be heart whole and fancy free? He 
 must see her before the evening was over and have some 
 kind of understanding with her. Despite Lyle's warning, 
 the pain in his heart to see another smiling on her was 
 more than he could bear. The anguish of hope deferred 
 was making him sick to the very soul. He would wait 
 until the dance was ended and seek Cora. 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 After several futile attempts to gain a few moments' 
 conversation with Cora, Arthur Rollins said to himself 
 that he must wait until the girl evinced some evidence of 
 wishing to speak with him. 
 
 Arthur Rollins could not bear to see Cora and Captain 
 Lindsay apparently enjoying themselves so much. He 
 wished to Heaven he had not come to the ball. The air of 
 the room seemed stifling to him. He longed for a turn or 
 two out on the greensward, in the soft glow of the moon- 
 light, where he could commune with his own thoughts, 
 undisturbed by the babble of meaningless voices where 
 he would be beyond the sound of the empty compliments 
 of the men and the shrill laughter of the ladies. 
 
 Both Lyle and Cora saw him as he slipped out of the 
 room, quite unobserved, as he thought. 
 
 Lyle was waltzing with Captain Lindsay, and Cora,
 
 96 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 surrounded by a group of admirers, stood underneath an 
 arch of flags. 
 
 Arthur paced up and down the long porch, lost in 
 deep thought. 
 
 He felt that he was not the only man in the world 
 whose life-dream had been blighted. Ah! if he could 
 but do some great and valiant deed whereby she might 
 be proud of him, he might yet win her love. But oppor- 
 tunity never comes to those who seek it so eagerly. 
 
 He stopped a moment by one of the great pillars of 
 the piazza, and looked thoughtfully out over the somber 
 landscape. A great hush lay on the brown, barren 
 plain ; not even a night bird was on the wing, hieing to 
 its home ; the leaves of the cottonwood-trees were stilled. 
 
 Suddenly, as Arthur's keen eyes roamed over the plain, 
 he saw in the distance a black streak, like a long shadow 
 or a fallen tree. 
 
 " That is strange," he muttered, quite forgetting him- 
 self for a moment. " I did not notice that log there to- 
 day, and I came into camp from that direction. I was 
 tired enough, and I would have sat down there to have 
 rested and brushed up a bit before coming into the 
 range of Cora's vision." 
 
 Was it only his fancy, he wondered, or did the log 
 seem longer and a trifle nearer than when he had first 
 observed it? 
 
 " I am losing control of myself," he muttered ; " I am 
 growing as fanciful as a woman I, who used to have 
 such cool, steady nerves. Perhaps it is the wide range 
 of vision which affects me so curiously. I think my 
 eyes are deceiving me. That log seems still nearer and 
 longer. It is amazing to me that there are such high
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 97 
 
 trees around here. I am sure I have not noticed them. 
 Great God ! am I mad, or do I dream ? There are a dozen 
 logs in sight ! and, merciful Heaven, they are moving ! " 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 For a moment it seemed to Arthur Rollins that his 
 eyes must be deceiving him. The more he strained his 
 eyes to gaze, the more confused he became. The dark 
 objects seemed to him innumerable. 
 
 But one solution presented itself to his mind, and that 
 was the Indians! 
 
 Arthur's face blanched. He realized in an instant what 
 was about to happen. 
 
 There was not an instant to be lost. In less time than 
 it takes to tell it, he had ran to the ball-room, into which 
 he leaped through the nearest window. 
 
 "The Indians are coming!" shouted Arthur. "The 
 fort is being surrounded ! " 
 
 In an instant the festivity was turned into a scene of 
 the wildest commotion. The women did not faint, or 
 cry out, or utter any moan. They were the wives, sis- 
 ters, and daughters of soldiers. They had come to the 
 wild and rugged frontier, fully realizing the perils of the 
 life they had undertaken perils that might beset them 
 at any moment. They were ready to face the horrors 
 of war of death, if need be at the sound of a bugle- 
 call. 
 
 With one accord they crept together, not daring to lift 
 their voices to hold their loved ones from duty's call in 
 that trying moment.
 
 98 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 Like a flash the officers and men had sprung from their 
 partners' sides in the dance, even before Major Ray- 
 mond's voice rang out the order: 
 
 " Turn out, every man of you lively ! Carbines and 
 revolvers ! Jump to arms ! " 
 
 Across the ball-room sprung the laughing, chaffing, 
 boisterous crowd of a moment before. Away they rushed 
 to the gun-racks, grabbed their carbines and revolvers, 
 hurriedly buckled their cartridge-belts around their 
 waists, and, leaping down the stairs, formed ranks 
 quickly. 
 
 The rattle of musketry was followed by the wild, 
 savage yells of the Indians. 
 
 Oh ! those gallant, loyal hearts ! One by one they are 
 lost to view. They take the last look upon their com- 
 rades. Obedient to their leader's order, loyal, steadfast, 
 unmurmuring to the bitter end, they press forward. 
 
 One by one the officers are picked off. Where is Cap- 
 tain Lindsay? They saw him in the ball-room but a mo- 
 ment before. It is evident that he has deserted the ranks 
 in the moment of peril. Down goes the colonel and the 
 major. 
 
 " Take command ! " cried Major Raymond, faintly, 
 calling out Arthur Rollins' name. 
 
 He did take command. Through the bullets that flew 
 like hail-stones Arthur sprung to the front, urging the 
 men on like a tried veteran. Thank Heaven ! he had not 
 taken the lead an instant too soon. Into the very teeth 
 of it, rallying the men oh all sides of him, he plunged. 
 
 They saw an arrow hit him ; they saw the warm blood 
 spurt from his white cheek in the clear, bright moon- 
 light. He drew it out and threw it aside, but he never 
 faltered. The soldiers knew that it meant life or death,
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 99 
 
 and they fairly rained bullets into the black, swarming 
 mass of savages. 
 
 " Charge, and fire again ! " cried Arthur Rollins, in a 
 husky voice. " For the lives and honor of our women 
 they must be beaten back ! " 
 
 Step by step he drives them back they are cowards, all 
 of them, these Indians they are terrified as they look at 
 this gallant young giant who advances, mowing them 
 down by scores, and who seems to live a charmed life, and 
 whom neither arrow nor bullet can stop. They retreat, 
 breaking right and left, and amid the terrible slaughter 
 Arthur Rollins stands victor of the great battle, with his 
 little band, panting and exhausted, barely alive, just as 
 the troopers come thundering up to their aid, and fling 
 themselves in a trice from their horses. 
 
 This was the last Arthur saw ; his courage, which had 
 kept up to the highest pitch during the excitement, could 
 no longer sustain him. The wounds on his face, and 
 the score or more on different parts of his body, were 
 beginning to tell upon him at last. As the commanding 
 officer in charge of the troopers reached him, Arthur 
 sunk down in the midst of his comrades in a death-like 
 swoon. 
 
 A week a long, weary week Arthur Rollins lay un- 
 conscious of what was transpiring around him. 
 
 When consciousness returned to him, he found himself 
 lying in a darkened room in General Ormsby's quarters, 
 the old general himself bending over him. 
 
 He looked up into the drawn, white old face with some- 
 thing very like wonder in his own. His mind was a blank 
 for a moment regarding what had occurred. 
 
 " Why am I here, general ? " he asked, wonderingly, 
 struggling to a sitting posture. Then he became aware
 
 100 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 that his face was bandaged, and that parts of his body 
 were terribly sore. 
 
 " What has happened ? " he repeated, wonderingly. 
 
 General Ormsby tottered up closer to the couch, knelt 
 beside it, and wept as men seldom weep in a life-time. 
 
 Arthur Rollins looked at him in wonder too great for 
 words. 
 
 " My dear sir," he exclaimed, surprisedly, " I can not 
 understand why you should weep like this." 
 
 Suddenly he remembered all the horrible massacre 
 under the light of the moon. 
 
 " We saved the fort ? " he asked. 
 
 General Ormsby nodded. 
 
 " Was there great loss of life ? " questioned the young 
 man, struggling upon his elbow. 
 
 The old general could not answer. 
 
 " It seemed their intention to break into the garrison, 
 where the ladies were," resumed Arthur, faintly. " Poor 
 souls! it must have been a terrible ordeal for them! 
 Was your daughter Miss Ormsby much terrified ? " 
 asked Arthur, wistfully. 
 
 Again the old general seemed to sob his heart out. 
 
 " Listen, my boy ! " he cried. " God save me from 
 going mad while I tell you. Cora, my darling, has sud- 
 denly disappeared they have taken her captive; per- 
 haps they have killed her or or worse. The Indians 
 abducted her during the terrible fight."
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 101 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 The words which General Ormsby uttered fell upon 
 Arthur Rollins' ear like the shock of doom. He scarcely 
 believed that he had heard aright. 
 
 " Cora abducted ! " he faltered, huskily, as though un- 
 able to realize the terrible import the words conveyed. 
 
 The old general bowed his head until it rested upon 
 his breast. Words seemed to fail him. 
 
 Looking up at him, Arthur saw that what he had heard 
 was indeed true. Long years passing over his head could 
 not have aged the old general as much as this one week 
 had done, owing to the loss of his idolized daughter. 
 
 It preyed upon him, driving him to the very verge of 
 madness. 
 
 Weak as he was, Arthur struggled up to a sitting pos- 
 ture, his face white as death. 
 
 " And while I have been lying here she has been in 
 such terrible clanger ! " he cried. " Oh, the horror of it ! " 
 
 " What would you do ? " asked General Ormsby, as the 
 young man attempted to put on his clothes. 
 
 " I am going to find your daughter Cora and restore 
 her to your arms, if she is living on the face of the earth. 
 If she is dead, I shall devote my life to exterminating 
 every Indian on the frontier, man, woman and child of 
 them ! " 
 
 General Ormsby laid his shaking hands on his shoulder. 
 
 " You are not able to undertake it just yet," he said. 
 " You are too weak. All the very best scouts of the 
 fort are out on her trail. They will find her if if " 
 
 He could not finish the sentence, but commenced to 
 pace up and down the floor again in the most pitiful
 
 102 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 agitation, just as he had paced up and down for the last 
 week by night and by day, scarcely eating or sleeping. 
 But these words by no means assured Arthur nor swayed 
 him from his project. Excitement seemed to lend him 
 new life, despite his weakness. 
 
 When the doctor tried to persuade him against this 
 step, he called him to one side, saying hurriedly : 
 
 " I will tell a secret to you, doctor I love the girl bet- 
 ter than life itself. It would be a living death of torture 
 to lie here while her fate is in jeopardy! " 
 
 " In that case, I will say no more about your going," 
 said the doctor. " I can realize that action would be bet- 
 ter for you than inaction in your present state of mind." 
 
 In order to let our readers know the terrible fate which 
 had overtaken the general's darling, we must go back to 
 an incident that happened two days before the ball. 
 
 It was night, and quite a number of soldiers and half- 
 breeds had gathered together at one of the stores, where 
 one of the sutlers did a thriving trade among the army 
 men and the chiefs of the reservation, which lay some 
 ten miles further on down the river. 
 
 Captain Lindsay had just finished the purchase of a 
 package of cigars which was to last him over the evening 
 of the ball. 
 
 As he was about to leave the place, some one stepped 
 up to him and tapped him lightly on the shoulder. 
 
 Turning abruptly and a little angrily at being so fa- 
 miliarly stopped, he found himself face to face with Joe, 
 a half-breed who had been employed upon one of the 
 steamers that ran up and down the Hudson that passed 
 West Point a year or so before. 
 
 " What in the world are you doing here ? " exclaimed 
 Lindsay, sharply, and a little haughtily.
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 103 
 
 " I was seized with a notion of visiting old friends 
 and home," replied Joe. " I was greatly surprised to 
 hear that you were here. I like the free-and-easy life on 
 the plains," continued Joe, his swarthy face lighting up, 
 his sharp black eyes sparkling. " I act as interpreter for 
 my tribe the Sioux. I was at Fort Hadley to see Gen- 
 eral Ormsby a few days ago, but you did not see me. 
 Your men are not doing right by us," exclaimed the half- 
 breed, bitterly. Our treaty with the Government says we 
 are to have so much ammunition. Your agents refuse to 
 obey that order and drive us further back into the in- 
 terior of the country day by day." 
 
 " Do you suppose we intend to furnish you with arms 
 to come some night and massacre us in our beds ? " ex- 
 claimed Captain Lindsay. 
 
 The half-breed started violently, and muttered some- 
 thing under his breath which the captain did not catch. 
 
 " It's all very well to say that you came out here for 
 rest and change," said the captain, jocularly; " but I guess 
 the real truth is, you are wanted in the States, and had 
 to fly." 
 
 Again the half-breed regarded him with that strange 
 look in his eyes which might mean nothing or might 
 mean a great deal. 
 
 "If I had money enough, I would get back to the 
 States," said the half-breed, doggedly. 
 
 Suddenly, as they stood there, a strange thought flashed 
 through the brain of Captain Lindsay a thought so dia- 
 bolical that for a moment it almost took his breath away, 
 wicked man though he was. The man before him would 
 be just the one to aid him. 
 
 " How much would it take to bring you back to the 
 States, Joe?" he asked.
 
 104 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 " Something less than fifty dollars," was the reply. 
 
 " If you will help me with a little job, you shall have 
 that amount," said Lindsay, hoarsely. 
 
 " I'll do it," said his companion, without stopping to 
 inquire what the little job was that he had on hand. 
 " You know I helped you out of a scrape or two at the 
 Point that the world was never any the wiser for." 
 
 " Hush ! " exclaimed Captain Lindsay, looking around 
 sharply ; " that's over and past." 
 
 " Is there a pretty girl in this affair ? " questioned the 
 half-breed. 
 
 It was now the captain's turn to flush and look an- 
 noyed. 
 
 " I don't mind telling you that there is a young girl 
 in the affair," he said, coolly. " Come, we will walk 
 slowly along while we discuss the subject." 
 
 After a few moments of silence, Lindsay began slowly : 
 " I'm in love with a pretty girl " 
 
 The half-breed's burst of violent laughter made him 
 turn angrily and sharply about. 
 
 " What's the matter with you ? " he asked, abruptly. 
 
 " You in love ? " cried his companion, uproariously. 
 " That's quite a joke, Captain Lindsay." 
 
 " Why shouldn't I fall in love? " demanded the captain, 
 biting his under lip savagely. 
 
 " I didn't know that you were ever out of love ; you 
 know, it was always said that you had a new one for each 
 of the three hundred and sixty-five days of the year." 
 
 Lindsay frowned, but he did not utter the sneering 
 retort that sprung to his lips. It was not his intention to 
 make an enemy of the man who knew so much about him, 
 so he concluded that it was best to swallow his chagrin.
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 105 
 
 " After you get through laughing," he said, " I will 
 go on." 
 
 " Go right ahead," retorted his companion ; " never 
 mind me, captain." 
 
 " Well," said Lindsay, " I am in love with General 
 Ormsby's daughter; but the fact is, the girl isn't in love 
 with me. There's a handsome dude up there who seems 
 to have completely won her fancy. I want to put a stop 
 to the thing before this love-making goes any further." 
 
 " Why don't you give him a dose of that ? " said the 
 half-breed, reaching over and tapping the revolver which 
 the captain always carried in his pocket. 
 
 " The fellow seems to have a charmed life," declared 
 the captain ; " bullets whistle by him. I saw a horse 
 throw him two days ago, and he landed on his feet like a 
 cat. Anybody else would have been killed! It is his 
 feats of daring which have won this girl's love. Now, I 
 want to do something quite as daring in her eyes. To 
 make a long story short, I want you to prowl around the 
 fort on the night of the ball, and abduct her. I will then 
 prove to be the hero in the case. I will rescue her from 
 you, apparently at the risk of my life; that will give me a 
 hold on her favor. Do you understand ? " 
 
 The man nodded. 
 
 " Do you think it can be accomplished ? " 
 
 " It has been done before, hasn't it? " said Joe, looking 
 the captain fully in the face, " and " 
 
 The rest of the sentence was finished in a whisper.
 
 106 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 For an hour or more Captain Lindsay and Joe paced 
 up and down the banks of the river, laying their dia- 
 bolical plans. 
 
 At last it was settled, and they parted. Captain Lind- 
 say walked hurriedly back to the fort, and Joe pursued 
 his way in long swinging strides toward the Sioux 
 village. 
 
 When the fusillade had commenced, and bullets poured 
 in through the windows and doors like hail, and the ex- 
 citement became intense, Captain Lindsay, unnoticed by 
 every one save Cora, beat an ignominious retreat. 
 
 This cowardly act, in the moment of their greatest peril, 
 aroused all the anger and disgust in Cora's nature. But 
 she had scarcely any time for thought, as she was sud- 
 denly seized from behind by a pair of strong arms that 
 had reached in from an open window against where she 
 leaned. 
 
 In less time than it takes to tell it, she had been drawn 
 through, a thick blanket was thrown suddenly over her 
 head, and some one bore her swiftly out into the night 
 air. Her terrified shrieks were smothered by the blanket 
 that was wrapped about her, and she felt herself being 
 lifted upon a horse. The noise and din of the terrible 
 battle which was raging completely drowned her wild 
 cries. 
 
 Through sheer terror, Cora fainted dead away in the 
 strong grasp of her captor. 
 
 The hour in which Cora returned to consciousness was 
 the bitterest of her life. She woke to find herself amid 
 such strange surroundings, that for the moment it seemed
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 107 
 
 to her that she must still be in some horrible dream r 
 that she was the victim of some terrible nightmare, from 
 which she would presently arouse. 
 
 She was lying on a couch of furs deer-skins with 
 i white tent above her head. Through the opening the 
 stars in the night-sky were plainly visible. By the en- 
 trance, before a camp-fire of burning fagots, knelt a 
 young Sioux maiden, beside an older woman, both re- 
 garding the dark figure within the tent with great curi- 
 osity. 
 
 Cora struggled to her feet in bewilderment, a wild 
 cry breaking from her lips as the truth dawned upon her 
 that this was no dream, but a horrible reality. 
 
 She was in the midst of hated foes the Sioux upon 
 whom the soldiers at Fort Hadley were raging such 
 deadly warfare. 
 
 In an instant she remembered all some one suddenly 
 grasping her from behind, the heavy blanket that was 
 thrown over her to stifle her wild cries and desperate 
 struggles, the wild ride over miles and miles, then dark- 
 ness and oblivion. 
 
 With a cry of terror, Cora sprung from the couch and 
 would have rushed through the entrance had not the un- 
 wieldy figure of one of the women barred the exit. 
 
 " Let me go let me go ! " panted Cora. " Do not at- 
 tempt to detain me ! " 
 
 The woman jesticulated sharply, answering in a gut- 
 tural voice, and pushed the girl violently backward. 
 
 The shrieking, screaming mob crowded about the tent 
 in which Cora sat, their wild, glaring eyes, terrible ges- 
 ticulations, and high-pitched angry voices making her 
 almost die with terror. 
 
 In the midst of them ay, the foremost of them she
 
 108 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 saw the horrible creature whose face she had but an in- 
 stantaneous glimpse of as he snatched her through the 
 window. 
 
 He stepped forward without any ceremony, and entered 
 the tent. 
 
 " Hush ! " he cried, as the girl started to her feet, 
 screaming with terror. 
 
 " Do not dare to come near me ! " cried Cora, cowering 
 back from him as though he were a poisonous cobra 
 coiled there waiting to strike her to death with a venom- 
 ous blow. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 " Hush ! " he said, for the third time, holding up his 
 hand to her, and speaking in very good English ; " you 
 anger my people." 
 
 " Why did you take me from my father and those who 
 love me? " she wailed, piteously. "If it was for money, 
 take me back and my father will pay you handsomely." 
 
 Joe smiled, showing his white teeth. 
 
 " You are the daughter of General Ormsby," he said. 
 " Once he had me arrested for stealing a bit of rope ; 
 true, there was a horse at the other end of it, and I 
 did time for ft a year. I vowed vengeance on him, 
 and now I see my way clear to it. I did not dream you 
 were his daughter until I saw your face. You are like 
 him ; there is no mistaking that. I could not have struck 
 a blow at his heart a surer way." 
 
 " What are you man, or fiend incarnate ? " cried Cora.
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 109 
 
 " Do not strike at my dear old father's heart through his 
 only child, whom he loves dearer than life itself." 
 
 Three days passed, and, to Cora's intense relief, Joe, 
 the half-breed, did not put in an appearance again. 
 
 He seemed to be gone off on some mission ; but those 
 with whom he had left her watched her every move so 
 intently that escape was impossible. She made one or 
 two attempts to escape, but it seemed only to call down 
 the fury of the Sioux upon her, and her life now hung 
 in such jeopardy that another attempt would have caused 
 them to take her life then and there. 
 
 The woman whom the half-breed had left standing 
 guard never left her for an instant. 
 
 All in vain Cora knelt and prayed to her, and tried to 
 make her understand. 
 
 She might as well have prayed to an image carved in 
 stone. 
 
 He had cautioned them well upon this point. When 
 he had disappeared he had gone directly back to Fort 
 Hadley, and hung about the outskirts of the camp untity 
 he could secure an interview with Captain Lindsay with- 
 out being observed. 
 
 He knew it would mean death to him if any of the 
 soldiers or officers of the garrison sighted him. He 
 learned, too, that dispatches had been sent to the nearest 
 posts, and that several regiments of cavalry had been sent 
 on to Fort Hadley to wage a mighty war upon the tribe 
 for their late uprising, to drive them from the country, or 
 to bring them into subjection. 
 
 He knew it was the disappearance of the girl that had 
 brought this about, and that they would leave no stone 
 unturned to find her whereabouts, and deal out justice 
 upon the whole Sioux nation.
 
 110 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 He had foreseen all this, but he did not care. 
 
 On the third day that he had lain in ambush about the 
 fort he came face to face with the very man he was in 
 search of Captain Lindsay. 
 
 Furious with rage, he sprung toward the half-breed. 
 
 " What have you done with the girl ? " he cried, 
 hoarsely. 
 
 " Don't get excited ! " cried Joe, shaking himself free 
 from the other's grasp. " She's safe ; what more do you 
 want?" 
 
 " You have broken faith with me. You were to take 
 her to the bend in the road and wait for me there." 
 
 " Take me to her at once ! " cried Captain Lindsay, 
 imperiously. " Three days in your hands ! Great God ! 
 the girl must be almost dead with terror. If I find that 
 you have harmed one hair of her head, I'll have your 
 life for it ! " 
 
 " No threats! " said the half-breed, doggedly. 
 
 " Where is she ? " demanded Captain Lindsay. 
 
 " Let money ask that question for you. Fork over that 
 fifty dollars you promised." 
 
 " Not until you place the girl in my hands." 
 
 The half-breed laughed a low, exultant laugh. 
 
 " We may as well understand each other," he said. 
 " You will have to make it a round five hundred, or the 
 girl stays where she is ! " 
 
 " Great Heaven ! " cried Captain Lindsay. " You can 
 not mean it ! " 
 
 "You must raise it," replied the half-breed; "or the 
 girl will live and die among the Sioux ! "
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. Ill 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 All in vain Captain Lindsay threatened and swore at 
 the man who stood there. He was inexorable. 
 
 He dared not betray to his companions at Fort Had- 
 ley the fact that he knew of Cora's whereabouts, for the 
 truth would leak out that he had been mixed up in the 
 conspiracy. Then the rage of the soldiers would be so 
 great that they would not even let him have a trial, but 
 would make a target of him. 
 
 No, he must win the half-breed over to his way of 
 thinking, and release Cora by strategy from her perilous 
 surroundings. 
 
 All arguing was lost upon the half-breed. 
 
 " Five hundred dollars is my price," he declared. " If 
 you want the girl, you must raise that amount, or keep 
 still." 
 
 Captain Lindsay swallowed his chagrin as best he 
 could. 
 
 " I will see if it is possible for me to raise it," he said, 
 at length. " If I can do so, I will see you in a couple 
 of days." 
 
 Turning abruptly, he left him standing there. 
 
 The half-breed looked after him with a low, cunning 
 smile. 
 
 " He will raise that amount of money somehow," he 
 muttered, triumphantly. " And after I have that much 
 in my hand, I'll raise it another hundred before I deliver 
 General Ormsby's daughter to him." 
 
 " I don't know but that I'd like her myself," he solilo- 
 quized. " She hates me ; but then, women often change
 
 112 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 their minds. I'm not such a bad-looking fellow, any- 
 how." 
 
 His reverie came to an abrupt ending, for at that mo- 
 ment he espied, lying full length under one of the cotton- 
 wood trees, the figure of a man. 
 
 He approached him with a cat-like tread, and saw that 
 he was sleeping. At that moment he caught sight of a 
 chain which the sleeping man was wearing. 
 
 He bent over him cautiously, and was just about to 
 appropriate it and the watch to which it was attached, 
 when the sleeper suddenly awoke. 
 
 He comprehended the situation in an instant, and in less 
 time that it takes to tell it, he had caught the half-breed by 
 the shoulder, and administered to him the soundest 
 thrashing he had ever received in his life. 
 
 " Now, be gone ! " he cried, pointing down the path, 
 " before I give vent to my anger again and give you a 
 little more of the same kind of sauce." 
 
 " I will pay you back for this ! " panted Joe, when he 
 got quite out of reach of the other's long, swinging, mus- 
 cular arms. " You will rue this day, mark my words ! " 
 
 The young man laughed at his threat. 
 
 " I have no fear of a barking dog," he declared. 
 
 " I can bite as well as bark ! " yelled Joe, white with 
 rage. 
 
 " Say this to yourself Arthur Rollins has no fear of 
 any man living ! " replied the young man, calmly. " Jot 
 that down in your memory, will you ? " 
 
 The name seemed to fairly electrify the half-breed. 
 
 " Ah ! that is the name of the man Captain Lindsay 
 had spoken about as being his rival, the one whom the 
 pretty Cora cared for. We shall meet again, Arthur
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 113 
 
 Rollins," he declared ; " and mark me well, you will rue 
 that time most bitterly!" 
 
 It was the noon of the following day after the little in- 
 cident which we have just narrated, that fate opened out 
 a way for Arthur Rollins. 
 
 He was hurrying along by the banks of the river, when 
 he suddenly heard sounds of horses' hoofs galloping 
 madly down the road. Looking ahead, he saw that it 
 was an Indian pony ridden by a Sioux maiden, and that 
 the animal was certainly running away with the girl. 
 
 Arthur knew that they must pass the spot where he 
 stood. It took him but an instant's time to decide upon 
 his course of action. 
 
 Winding his left arm firmly around the trunk of a 
 tree, he waited motionless for the infuriated animal to 
 approach. 
 
 " Courage ! " he cried to the excited girl, who was 
 about to fling herself from the animal's back. 
 
 But if she heard she did not heed him. For an in- 
 stant she swayed to and fro like a leaf in a gale ; the next 
 moment, just as she was abreast of him, and he reached 
 out his hand to grasp the flying reins, the girl fell head- 
 long from the saddle, and was precipitated down the 
 rocky embankment into the creek below. 
 
 Like a flash, Arthur brought the horse to a standstill, 
 and threw the reins over the limb of a tree. Having se- 
 cured the rearing, panting animal, he jumped at once to 
 the assistance of the maiden. 
 
 He found her lying half in half out of the water. She 
 was not unconscious from her terrible fall, but moaning 
 with pain. 
 
 In less time than it takes to tell it, Arthur had lifted
 
 114 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 her in his strong arms, bore her up the embankment, and 
 placed her beneath the shade of a cotton-wood tree. 
 
 " Are you badly hurt ? " he asked, anxiously. 
 
 " I I think I have sprained my ankle," answered the 
 girl, faintly, in remarkably good English. " Perhaps I 
 have broken it." 
 
 Arthur removed the small moccasin and the leather 
 leggin that enveloped her foot. 
 
 " The limb is not broken," he said ; " but you have 
 succeeded in giving yourself a terrible sprain. Good 
 heavens ! that confounded horse has managed to get free, 
 and he is off ! " 
 
 " What shall I do? " moaned the girl, piteously, as sha 
 wrung her hands and sobbed convulsively. 
 
 " You mean, how will you get back to your people ? " 
 
 She nodded. 
 
 " To which village do you belong ? " he asked. 
 
 " The nearest one ; but it is some five miles distant," 
 she answered. 
 
 " There is no other way than for me to carry you a lit- 
 tle way at a time, giving me an opportunity to rest, and 
 I think I will be able to get you there before dark." 
 
 " You are good and kind," faltered the girl. " I I 
 thought all white men were cruel." 
 
 " Who told you that ? your people ? " 
 
 She nodded her dark head. 
 
 " You must not believe all you hear," said Arthur, 
 briefly, as he set to work bathing the injured ankle to keep 
 down the swelling. 
 
 Slender as the girl was, she was no easy burden to 
 carry. 
 
 Every few rods he was obliged to sit her down and 
 rest with her.
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 115 
 
 He knew that she must be suffering the most intense 
 agony, and he knew, too, that she was trying to keep it 
 from him, by the way in which she bit her lips to keep 
 back the groans that rose to them. 
 
 He did his best to draw her mind away from her suf- 
 fering. 
 
 They made slow progress, as Arthur had predicted. 
 
 The dusk crept up and the night darkened about them 
 ere the last mile was traversed. 
 
 " We can never get there ! " cried the girl, her courage 
 giving out at last. 
 
 " Oh, yes, we will," said Arthur. " It is just a little 
 way further. We will be able to see your camp from 
 the top of the hill yonder." 
 
 The words had barely left his lips ere he heard a terri- 
 ble yell proceed from a clump of trees but a few rods 
 distant, and in another instant he found himself sur- 
 rounded by a score or more of Sioux. When they saw 
 who it was the white man carried in his arms, they were 
 fairly stricken dumb. 
 
 One of the Sioux had shot at him with an arrow as 
 they advanced. When they reached Arthur's side, they 
 saw him stagger and fall heavily to the ground with his 
 burden. 
 
 The girl's anger knew no bounds. 
 
 Rapidly, in her own language, she explained what had 
 occurred that the man whom they had just shot down 
 had saved her life. 
 
 "Will he live or die?" she cried, sinking on her 
 knees beside him, all unmindful of her own excruciating 
 pain. " Some of you lift him and take him to the 
 village."
 
 116 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 They dared not disobey her command, for Minne- 
 waska's word was law to them. 
 
 The excitement was great when they reached the village 
 and discovered what had happened to the girl. 
 
 " Let him be cared for until he recovers," she cried, 
 pointing to Arthur. 
 
 And, although there was much grumbling and mutter- 
 ing among them, yet no one dared say " nay." 
 
 When Arthur came to his senses he found himself in a 
 tent, lying upon a pile of soft bear-skins. 
 
 Outside he heard the mutterings of guttural voices. 
 The pain in his head was intense. He sunk back with a 
 groan. 
 
 He had no idea of what had happened after he received 
 that stinging blow in the head. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 Hearing a slight movement close beside him, Arthur 
 opened his eyes and glanced up. He saw a woman com- 
 ing through the door of the tent. She came hastily up 
 to his rude couch and flung herself on her knees beside 
 him, repeatedly kissing his hand and gesticulating volubly. 
 
 Arthur, however, could not understand what she said. 
 He imagined that she must be the mother of the girl 
 whom he had rescued, as she had the same cast of feat- 
 ures. 
 
 " That's all right, my good woman," he said, hoping 
 that she could understand him better than he did her. " I
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 know you are grateful, and all that; but I did no more 
 for the girl than I would have done for another in the 
 same situation. I am afraid your people have done me 
 up. Why are these bandages around my head ? " 
 
 He could not understand her gesticulations, nor the 
 reply that she made him; he only knew that she was 
 pressing him back against the furs, as though she wished 
 him to lie there and not struggle to his feet. 
 
 She disappeared quite as suddenly as she had entered 
 the tent, and a few minutes later returned with a steam- 
 ing hot potion in a wooden bowl, which she indicated was 
 for him to drink. 
 
 A thousand thoughts passed through his brain. Should 
 he take it? Dare he take it? 
 
 She pressed the bowl to his lips ; he was too weak to 
 resist, and in a moment he had drained its contents to the 
 dregs. 
 
 " Kill or cure," he said to himself, " I may as well 
 down it." 
 
 The effect upon him was most exhilarating. It seemed 
 to relieve him at once of all pain, and shortly afterward 
 he dropped into a deep slumber which was unbroken for 
 long hours. 
 
 It was two weeks before Arthur Rollins was able to 
 sit up, and the first person whom he saw, when he was 
 able to walk to the door of his tent, was Minnewaska, 
 keeping watch outside. 
 
 " I am so thankful that you were not seriously injured," 
 she said, kneeling before him and reverentially kissing the 
 hem of his coat. " I was coming in to see you to-day," 
 she went on, in a voice of great agitation ; " for I have 
 something to tell you something which you must know."
 
 118 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 She took a hasty glance around, as though to make 
 sure that she was not observed. 
 
 " The men are all out on a hunt," she explained ; " so I 
 chose this opportunity to come here and talk with you." 
 
 " Your ankle is better, then ? " he said, interrogatively. 
 
 " Almost well," she answered. " The pain is now so 
 slight that I do not mind it much. The men of the village 
 like you not," she continued. " They make schemes to 
 destroy you. You must leave here this very night. I 
 will help you. Ah ! I would do anything in my power to 
 aid you, you were so good to me! If you ever get into 
 trouble, and Minnewaska can save you, she will do it, 
 even with the sacrifice of her life, if necessary. Or, if 
 she can help you in any way, you will have but to speak 
 and tell her what to do." 
 
 " You can help me," answered Arthur, quickly oh, 
 so much, my dear girl, that my gratitude to you would 
 be eternal ! " 
 
 He made a confidante of the maiden and told her the 
 story of Cora how he loved her, and was wearing his 
 heart out searching for her. 
 
 He saw her start as she listened. 
 
 " She is either hidden in some of the Indian villages, 
 or dead ! " he muttered, huskily. " If you would serve 
 me, find out for me where she is, if she is still alive." 
 
 A strange light came over her face. 
 
 " Rest in peace hereafter. I know where she is," she 
 said. " She is alive and well." 
 
 Arthur's joy at hearing this can better be imagined than 
 told. 
 
 " Tell me where she is," he said. 
 
 " In this village, where they hold her captive."
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 119 
 
 " Take me to her," cried Arthur, excitedly, " and you 
 will earn my everlasting gratitude." 
 
 The girl held up her hand. 
 
 " Not now," she said. " I will take any message from 
 you. If you were seen going by that tent, even by the 
 women, they would make a target of you. Remain where 
 you are." 
 
 " Tell her that I have been out searching for her ever 
 since her disappearance," he said, huskily. " Tell her I 
 will give every drop of my heart's blood to rescue her 
 from this place, and to restore her to the arms of her 
 father and her friends at Fort Hadley. You will not 
 forget all that I have said, my dear girl ? " he questioned, 
 anxiously. 
 
 She shook her head. 
 
 " Repeat it after me, until I see whether you have it 
 right," he said, looking eagerly down into her face. 
 
 Slowly she repeated the sentence word for word, but in 
 her own way. 
 
 " Yes, that is right," he said. " I see you have a great 
 memory. Go quickly with the message to Cora, I pray 
 you, and return to me with her reply." 
 
 He watched her intently as she turned and walked 
 slowly away, to see which direction she took ; but, as 
 though aware of this, the maid took a zig-zag path that 
 led in quite an opposite direction. Not that she meant 
 to throw her handsome young rescuer off the track of 
 finding the tent of the girl he loved ; but she knew intui- 
 tively that many eyes were watching her through rents in 
 several of the tents, and it would not do to go direct to the 
 tent of the lily-white maid, as they called Cora. 
 
 The woman hated the beautiful white girl for her
 
 120 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 beauty, and for the admiration she created in the breast? 
 of the Sioux braves. 
 
 " How strange that he should love the girl that has 
 been brought here ! " muttered Minnewaska, as she 
 limped painfully along. " How long have I lain on my 
 deer-skin couch, night after night, and thought of him, 
 while the stars shone in the sky until they grew pale in the 
 light of the coming dawn ! 
 
 " I saved him from their wrath because he was so good 
 to me. I would have done anything for him ay, given 
 him my love, if he had asked for it, and would have mar- 
 ried him. 
 
 " He loves another ! I could cheat her never tell her 
 of his message if I wanted to, and then the wedding 
 which they have planned for to-night, which gives the 
 lily-white maid to Joe, the half-breed, would take place. 
 It would be too late on the morrow for her handsome, 
 pale-faced lover to interfere. 
 
 " But would it be right ? Let me think. Ah ! let Min- 
 newaska think. 
 
 " He will go far away, and take her with him, and I 
 shall never see him again. The moons will come and 
 set, and I shall never see him." 
 
 Over and over again Minnewaska turned the situation 
 in her mind. 
 
 So intent had she been in her musings that she scarcely 
 realized how far she had walked, until she saw the tent 
 that was occupied by Cora lying just ahead of her. 
 
 She paused ; the lovely maiden had new interest for her 
 now. 
 
 Involuntarily she crept closer, and gazed eagerly within. 
 
 Cora was pacing up and down within the narrow tent,
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 121 
 
 while one of the women sat close by, heedless of the girl's 
 abject sorrow. 
 
 Minnewaska had learned the English language from 
 Joe, the half-breed, and was, in his absence, the only in- 
 terpreter for the chiefs in the village. She was the only 
 one who could understand Cora's piteous and constant 
 appeal to be set free. The dusky Indian maid drew 
 nearer still, and watched Cora. 
 
 She had never seen anything like her. Her skin was 
 white as snow, her hair more golden than the sunshine, 
 and her eyes as blue as the sky above. 
 
 A great bitterness filled Minnewaska's heart. If he had 
 not seen her, with all her fair, god-like beauty, perhaps 
 he would have cared for herself. 
 
 Perhaps this girl loved the handsome pale-faced hero 
 even as she loved him. 
 
 She must know, she told herself ; she must find out the 
 truth from this girl's lips. 
 
 " Three weeks, ay, nearly a month, I have been suf- 
 fering the agony of death here," moaned Cora, wringing 
 her hands, " and yet no one comes to rescue me. I can 
 not endure it. Surely Heaven would find mercy for me if 
 I laid my burden down and ended it all. The wretched 
 creature who tore me from home and friends vows that 
 he will make me his bride on the morrow. But he shall 
 see ! He has goaded me on to madness ; he shall find out 
 how it will end. I will kill myself; better that than to 
 suffer any more ! " 
 
 Suddenly she felt a light touch on her arm, and turning 
 quickly, she beheld the little Indian maid who often 
 looked in and spoke to her as she passed the tent. 
 
 She was the only one whom Cora could make under- 
 stand her great desire for freedom; but the girl always
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 shook her head, declaring she could not release her ; that 
 it would be as much as her life was worth to try it, and 
 advised her to try and reconcile herself to the future the 
 Sioux had marked out for her. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 Cora was thankful beyond words to see who was stand- 
 ing before her. 
 
 " Why have you stayed away from me so long," she 
 sobbed, holding out both hands to her, " when you knew 
 hew very wretched I was? " 
 
 " Because you always asked me to help you to escape, 
 and I could not ; so I did not come where you were." 
 
 Cora caught both her hands in hers. 
 
 " Supposing that some one should take you away from 
 your people and place you among strangers who hated 
 you, and who would have been glad to see you die at any 
 moment, to be thrust without a word from those whom 
 you love with all your heart and those who love you ? " 
 
 " Tell me," said Minnewaska, " did those who love 
 you make search for you, do you think ? " 
 
 " My father could not ; he is too old." 
 
 " Is there another a lover, who would search for 
 you?" 
 
 " Yes," said Cora, tears filling her eyes and rolling 
 down her cheeks, " there is another who loved me once 
 very dearly, and another girl came between us; but I 
 think the very night I was taken away he was learning
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 123 
 
 to care for me again. I am sure he will search for me. 
 My heart tells me that he will." 
 
 " And if he found you would you marry him? " 
 
 " Oh, yes yes ! " Cora answered. 
 
 The Indian maid looked very gravely into the tearful 
 blue eyes. 
 
 " What is his name ? " she asked " this young hero 
 whom you love ? " 
 
 " You have never heard of him, you will never see him. 
 Why do you ask this of me ? " 
 
 " It would ease my heart to know," said the maiden. 
 
 Cora was too agitated to notice how husky and broken 
 her voice was. 
 
 " He is indeed a hero," said Cora ; " and his name, 
 well is Arthur Rollins." 
 
 " I I have seen him," said Minnewaska. 
 
 " You have seen him ? " cried Cora, incredulously. 
 " How can that be? You must be mistaken." 
 
 The maid shook her head, toying nervously at the beads 
 she wore at her throat. 
 
 " He was here in our village a short time ago." 
 
 Cora fairly gasped for breath, so startling was this in- 
 telligence. 
 
 " Here ? " she cried. " Oh, he must have been search- 
 ing for me ! Tell me, my good girl ; for the love of 
 Heaven, speak quickly, is he here now ? " 
 
 " Y-e-s," she answered. 
 
 Before Cora had a chance to speak another word, the 
 maiden had passed out, whispering in a low voice as she 
 went past her: 
 
 " Be ready to fly with him to-night. I will come for
 
 124 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 you when the moon rises, and when the day breaks you 
 will be far away." 
 
 Cora could hardly believe that she had heard aright, 
 so wondrous was the news. 
 
 She felt like screaming aloud in the wild exuberance of 
 her joy. 
 
 Arthur was in the village; he had come to rescue her 
 at last! It seemed to her she must die of very joy. 
 Every moment would seem an age to her. How would 
 he succeed in rescuing her from the toils of this lynx- 
 eyed creature who had watched her so continuously by 
 night and by day for long, weary weeks? She did not 
 know when the woman took time to sleep, so constant 
 was her vigil. 
 
 At last the shadows in the tent began to lengthen and 
 darken, and the old woman bustled around the tent set- 
 ting things to rights. For the first time since she had 
 been there, Cora noticed that she did not sit down after 
 her supper and smoke her bamboo pipe, as she was in 
 the habit of doing. She generally dozed over it a little. 
 Was she afraid of growing sleepy to-night ? Cora prayed 
 fervently to Heaven that she might be got out of the 
 way somehow. 
 
 As she eagerly watched the dark forms running to and 
 fro, getting ready for their fires and their dance when 
 the braves should return home, she saw Minnewaska 
 stealing along carrying a jug upon her shoulder. 
 
 The woman saw her, too, as she seemed to be hurry- 
 ing past, and straightway ran out and hailed her. 
 
 She appeared to be insisting upon tasting of the con- 
 tents of the jug, and the girl seemed to be just as un- 
 willing to permit her to do so. Taking it away from
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 125 
 
 Minnewaska by main force, she raised it to her lips and 
 proceeded to take a long draught of it ere Minnewaska 
 succeeded in getting it back from her. 
 
 Cora could not understand the strange smile that flitted 
 over the girl's face a moment after as she nodded toward 
 her. She realized very soon after what that meaning 
 look meant, when she saw her jailer nod to and fro as 
 though unable to keep her eyes open. 
 
 At length she succumbed altogether, and with a thud 
 that Cora was sure would break every bone in her fat 
 body, she rolled over on the floor of the tent, her senses 
 locked in a deep slumber. 
 
 It was the first time that she had ever been off her 
 guard for long, weary weeks. Cora hurried past her 
 to the door of the tent, and peered eagerly about her into 
 the fast gathering darkness. 
 
 At that moment Minnewaska appeared, gliding swiftly 
 toward her. 
 
 " Come," she said, taking Cora by the hand ; " your 
 lover awaits you at the turn of the road." 
 
 Cora was about to spring out through the door of the 
 tent, when her companion held her back. 
 
 " You must not go like that," she said. " You must 
 dress as I am, or you will be captured at once. Then 
 they would be sure to take terrible vengeance upon you ! " 
 
 " What can I do ? " cried Cora, wringing her hands 
 and turning to her wildly. 
 
 Minnewaska pointed to her prostrate keeper. 
 
 " Take her things," she said, " and leave yours. Come ; 
 I will help you with them." 
 
 They did not fit Cora in any way. 
 
 " I will help you out," said her companion. " You 
 shall take mine."
 
 126 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 " What will you do ? " cried Cora, anxiously. 
 
 " Never mind me ; only look out for yourself." 
 
 " Where is the bend in the road ? " cried Cora. 
 
 " I will take you to it," was the whispered reply; " but 
 it will require some courage to do it, for you must pass 
 through the heart of the village its entire length. De- 
 tection would be fatal to you. It would mean instant 
 death. You still say you wish to risk it? " 
 
 White as death, Cora faced her. 
 
 " Yes, I will risk it, no matter what comes of it," she 
 said. " Better death than to wed the horrible wretch 
 Who vows he will make me his bride to-morrow. Lead 
 the way." 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 " Come," said Minnewaska, breaking in upon her 
 musings ; " we must start at once ; we have no time to. 
 lose. Ere the moon is another hour higher the brave? 
 
 will be returning, and then But we will not look 
 
 forward to any ills that might happen." 
 
 " I am ready," said Cora, stepping out of the tent, 
 without one backward glance at the narrow quarters in 
 which she had been forced to remain a long, weary 
 month that seemed an eternity. 
 
 Cora sprung to her feet with the agility of a deer. At 
 that moment Minnewaska joined her. 
 
 " Come," she said ; " we must fly while the excitement 
 is at its height if you would be free! " 
 
 For answer, Cora placed her hands in hers.
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 127 
 
 Stealthily and swiftly as shadows they made their way 
 among the groups gathered here and there, keeping their 
 faces turned from the camp-fire, and crouched down in 
 the grass when they found that they attracted attention. 
 
 A wild cry sounded from over the hills, terribly near 
 now. 
 
 " That is Joe, the half-breed's cry," said Minnewaska, 
 in a whisper. " He is returning to-night, instead of to- 
 morrow, as every one supposed he would do, and I feel 
 sure that he intends the marriage to take place to-night." 
 
 " Oh, let us fly let us fly ! " cried Cora, keeping her- 
 self from shrieking by the greatest effort. 
 
 " Hush ! Dei not let them see you so violently agitated," 
 said her companion ; " it would never do. Come ; walk 
 steadily and carelessly behind me. Remember that free- 
 dom lies at the end of this path. It all depends upon 
 yourself." 
 
 Cora was too much agitated to even hear what she was 
 saying. She dimly realized only one thing, and that was : 
 that she must save Arthur from the fate that awaited 
 him. 
 
 The Sioux were so near now that she could hear their 
 shouts. 
 
 " Have we much further to go? " panted Cora. 
 
 " Half a mile or more; but that is not far. You have 
 run the gantlet so far, surely you will not fail at the last 
 moment." 
 
 " But he, will they not find him?" gasped Cora, almost 
 beside herself with terror. " They are coming from the 
 very direction which we are taking. Hark ! what does 
 that terrible shout mean ? " whispered Cora. 
 
 " Ah, great Father ! I fear they have found your 
 lover ! " moaned her companion.
 
 128 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 Cora could not have grown any whiter, though the 
 words which her companion had uttered " those shouts 
 mean that they must have found your lover " seemed 
 to break her heart then and there. 
 
 " Let us fly to him ! " she repeated in a voice of terror. 
 
 " You need not fear to fly as swiftly as you can. I 
 will keep up with you. Do not fear for me ! I will take 
 you at your word," said Minnewaska. " Come ! " 
 
 Like two arrows from their bows they shot forward. 
 
 So great was the excitement of the men and women 
 running hither and thither, that Cora prayed no one 
 would notice them. 
 
 " Come ! " she cried, " and quickly." 
 
 Following Minnewaska's steps closely, she soon found 
 herself beyond the last tent. 
 
 " Do you see that bunch of cotton-wood trees just 
 ahead, close to the river ? " she asked. 
 
 "Yes," said Cora. 
 
 " That is where he was to have waited for you, if he 
 escaped himself." 
 
 " Do you think there is any possibility of his having 
 failed to do so? Would we not have heard of it in that 
 case?" 
 
 " I feel sure that he got away in safety, for I helped 
 him," said Minnewaska in a low voice. " Then I re- 
 turned to you. I saw him beyond the end of the village ; 
 we would have heard the uproar if any one had noticed 
 his flight, quite the same as in your case. Do you think 
 you could reach the cotton- wood trees alone? It is not 
 safe for me to venture any further with you; I would
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 129 
 
 be missed. It would be best for me to be in the village 
 and keep them from coming this way in search for you." 
 
 " You are quite right," said Cora. " I can not find 
 words in which to thank you for what you have done for 
 me. I pray that we may meet again, Minnewaska, and if 
 we ever do, you shall not find that my gratitude has 
 waned." 
 
 For one moment they clasped each other's hands and 
 looked into each other's faces in the moonlight ; the next 
 instant the Indian maid was vanishing like a small cloud 
 in the distance, and Cora was left alone on the broad 
 plains in the darkness of the night. Slowly the moon 
 began to pierce through the dense clouds. Cora prayed 
 that they would obscure it until she reached the cotton- 
 wood trees that loomed blackly before her in the dis- 
 tance. 
 
 The terrible excitement through which she had just 
 gone was beginning to tell upon her. It seemed to her 
 as though she would never reach her destination whert 
 Arthur must be awaiting her Arthur and freedom ! 
 
 Ah ! how sweet the words sounded to her ! 
 
 Her feet were beginning to lag, tired nature was com- 
 mencing to assert itself, despite her courage andValiant 
 spirit. 
 
 She was so tired she could scarcely take another step; 
 she was beginning to lag, with the goal almost in reach. 
 
 Her head, too, began to throb. Ah ! would she never 
 reach that clump of cotton-wood trees? Suddenly, di- 
 rectly in the path before her, a dark figure loomed up, 
 and advanced toward her with long, swinging strides. 
 She could not get away, she could not turn and fly. She 
 was like an exhausted bird who flutters down directly
 
 130 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 in the sportsman's sight, realizing its danger, but incapa- 
 ble of flight. 
 
 Cora's senses began to whirl. Without a moan or a 
 cry she fell headlong to the earth in a little heap just 
 as a dark figure reached her side. 
 
 It was Arthur. He could not wait until she reached the 
 cotton-wood trees, but came hurrying forth to meet her. 
 
 Realizing that she had fainted, he caught her in his 
 strong arms, and called her name over and over again, 
 begging her to open her dear eyes and look at him, speak 
 to him, the while covering her face and hands with pas- 
 sionate kisses. 
 
 He carried her to a little stream near by, laved her 
 face with its cooling waters, and in a few moments more 
 he was rewarded by seeing her open her eyes. 
 
 " Oh, Arthur, is it you ? " she cried, clinging to him, 
 and sobbing as though her heart would break. " Are 
 we safe have we really escaped from the terrible 
 Sioux?" 
 
 " Yes, we have escaped, but we are not yet safe," he 
 answered. " Every moment that we loiter here is fraught 
 with the greatest possible danger of recapture. We must 
 make all haste and try to reach the nearest fort before we 
 are discovered. You are so faint and weak, I fear we 
 shall not be able to make much progress." 
 
 " You had better go and leave me," she answered. " I 
 shall but hamper you." 
 
 " Do not pain me, Cora, by saying anything like that," 
 he said, huskily. " I can not bear it. I would rather 
 leave my heart behind me than you. Life would be noth- 
 ing to me if I had not found you and saved you! But 
 come ; every moment is precious to us. They may miss 
 us at any instant. In the clump of bushes yonder are
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 131 
 
 two ponies. Do you think you could ride one of them a 
 desperate ride, if need be? " 
 
 " Yes," she said. , 
 
 He noticed that it was as much as she could do, even 
 though she leaned heavily on his arm, to make her way 
 to the cotton-wood trees, and it was more difficult still 
 to mount into the saddle. By this he knew how ex- 
 hausted she must be, owing to the thrilling experience 
 through which she had just passed. 
 
 They had barely got seated in their saddles ere they 
 heard a wild cry resound on the still air. 
 
 " They have missed us, I am sure ! " cried Arthur. 
 
 At that moment there fell distinctly on their ears the 
 wild yelling of the Sioux, the clatter of hoofs, and the 
 neighing of the Indian ponies. 
 
 " God be with us ! " muttered Arthur in a low, hoarse 
 cry. 
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 Arthur had decided to make for Fort Hadley at the 
 start ; but when he found the Indians so close upon his 
 track, and saw that they were circling round toward the 
 west (the course which they had taken would bring them 
 between the fort and himself), he realized that he must 
 turn directly to the east, and try to reach Fort Bailey. 
 
 " Thank God you are so brave ! " cried Arthur, turn- 
 ing to Cora. *' You are a general's daughter, and you 
 show it ! " 
 
 They had come five, seven miles, on that desperate,
 
 132 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 dead run. The ponies were only flesh and blood, they 
 could not stand everything. He realized that they must 
 commence to waver soon. Something must be done by 
 strategy. 
 
 In less than twenty minutes' time their foes will be 
 within reach of them. They enter the ravine, the horses 
 thundering like mad. For a moment they are out of 
 sight of their pursuers. Capture and instant death stare 
 them both in the face if they are overtaken. There is 
 but one chance. He does not have a moment qf time to 
 speak to Cora about it. He must act, and quickly. 
 
 As they near a small clump of cotton-wood trees he 
 makes his decision. Quick as thought he leans over and 
 snatches Cora from the saddle, springing that same mo- 
 ment from his own. 
 
 Desperation gives him the strength of a lion. 
 
 He clambers up the tree with his precious burden 
 strained close to his heart, and the thick leaves merci- 
 fully shade them. 
 
 The horses, relieved of their burdens, go tearing down 
 the ravine at a mad pace. 
 
 There had not been an instant's pause from the mad 
 clatter of their hoofs to warn the pursuing foes that any 
 change had taken place. At that instant the moon went 
 behind a cloud. Surely Heaven was merciful, he thought. 
 
 On, on, they came, yelling and shouting, like the rush 
 of the wind, a veritable pandemonium of excited, blood- 
 thirsty savages. 
 
 Down the deep ravine they thundered. One instant 
 more and they were abreast of the tree. He dared not 
 even breathe, lest their sharp ears should detect it. 
 
 As they dashed on, one of the Sioux turned and said 
 something to his companion about the tree. For an
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 133 
 
 instant all eyes turned in that direction. Arthur's heart 
 stood still. He lived hours in that one second. Would 
 the foremost Sioux who had called attention to the tree 
 draw rein? 
 
 God ! the man paused, and lagged behind the rest. 
 
 Arthur's trembling hand stole to his breast-pocket, 
 and he drew out his revolver, and pressed it close to the 
 temple of the beautiful girl that was resting so heavily 
 against his shoulder. 
 
 Another instant that seemed the length of eternity 
 and the Sioux thundered on to overtake his companions. 
 
 With a long-drawn, quivering breath of excitement 
 Arthur restored the revolver to his breast-pocket. 
 
 He realized that the Sioux would soon overtake the 
 ponies ahead, and finding out that they had been tricked, 
 their anger would know no bounds. He must make for 
 the bank of the creek with his unconscious burden. 
 
 It was no easy matter to convey Cora thither, for she 
 was a dead weight in his arms. 
 
 When at length he gained the creek, and applied the 
 cool water to the girl's face, she quickly revived. 
 
 He did not have to explain to her all that had hap- 
 pened. 
 
 " We have escaped ! " she cried, clinging to him. 
 
 " We are not yet out of danger," he said. 
 
 " Are we to go in that little boat ? " she cried, faintly. 
 
 A cry of joy broke from Arthur's lips. 
 
 " I did not see it before ! " he cried. " That is just 
 what will save us." 
 
 It was a very small skiff, fastened to an overhanging 
 sapling. 
 
 In less time than it takes to tell it, he had placed Cora 
 in it, caught up the oars., and was soon pulling for dear.
 
 134 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 life down the stream. The great strain was beginning 
 to tell upon him. 
 
 Suddenly the oars slipped from Arthur's grasp. 
 
 " My God, Cora, it's all up with me ! They have hit 
 me this time. I I fear I am dying ! " 
 
 " Oh, no, no ! " the girl cried piteously ; " do not say 
 that, or I shall die too." 
 
 " Take the oars, and and do the best you can," cried 
 Arthur. " Never mind me." 
 
 He sunk into the bottom of the boat as he spoke. 
 Cora did take the oars and wield them with a will. 
 
 Suddenly the flying arrows about her ceased ; the yells 
 seemed to grow fainter and fainter. What could it 
 mean? 
 
 Perhaps they were launching skiffs and pursuing them. 
 Surely it must be that. 
 
 At a sudden bend in the river she saw that the water 
 was divided here the stream was divided and flowed 
 in two directions. She knew that one of them led to the 
 fort, the other one directly through an Indian village 
 some few miles distant from the one in which she had 
 been held captive. 
 
 Which stream should she take ? 
 
 " Heaven direct me," said the girl faintly, raising her 
 pale face to the starlit heavens. " I I vrill take the 
 stream to the right. Surely God will not let me go 
 astray ! " 
 
 She turned her skiff hastily to the right, and commenced 
 to pull hard against the stream, but it seemed to move 
 on very slowly. 
 
 On and on she rowed until her arms gave out, and she 
 could not pull another stroke if her life had depended
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 135 
 
 upon it. She was obliged to let the boat drift on whither 
 it would. 
 
 Why were the Sioux so quiet? What terrible danger 
 did their silence portend? 
 
 Ever and anon she glanced over her shoulder. There 
 was nothing in sight, no sound broke upon the stillness 
 of the night. 
 
 Was Arthur, who was still lying in the bottom of the 
 boat, dead or dying? 
 
 She called to him piteously; but there was no sound, 
 not even the sound of a breath. With a wild, bitter cry, 
 Cora sunk down on her knees in the boat, calling his 
 name over and over again. 
 
 Her hand came in contact with his face; it was still 
 warm. She placed her hand over his heart! Oh, joy 
 beyond words, it beat faintly ! he still lived. 
 
 She reached over the boat and caught cooling water in 
 her hands and laved his face with it as he had done for 
 her. She was rewarded by hearing a faint moan from 
 his lips, and a moment after he opened his eyes. 
 
 " Thank God you are not dead ! " 
 
 " No," he answered, faintly. " It is not even a mortal 
 wound that I have received, still, it is very painful. An 
 arrow pierced my shoulder. I meant not to succumb to 
 it, but I think I must have done so through sheer weak- 
 ness. Where are we now? What has become of our 
 foes?" 
 
 " I do not know," said Cora ; and then she proceeded to 
 tell him just what had occurred during his brief uncon- 
 sciousness, then she told him of the two streams. 
 
 " Which did you take ? " asked Arthur, hoarsely. 
 
 " The one to the right," she answered. 
 
 " God have pity on us ! " he sobbed rather than spoke.
 
 136 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 " Every moment that we are going in this direction we 
 are drifting further away from friends, and nearer 
 to the very heart of the camp of the Sioux. Turn the 
 boat, for Heaven's sake, if you can. If not, we are surely 
 lost!" 
 
 He saw that she was unable to do so it her strength 
 was gone. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXI. 
 
 As day after day dragged their slow lengths by, and 
 no tiding reached the fort of the whereabouts of Arthur 
 Rollins, who had kept up a continual search for Cora, 
 the agony of his friends began to increase hourly. 
 
 General Ormsby had long since ceased to pace the 
 floor until gray dawn had stolen in upon his misery, and 
 had settled down into a state of melancholy, shutting him- 
 self away entirely from all his friends, save the old house- 
 keeper and one or two commanding officers, with whom 
 he was obliged to communicate ; yet even these saw very 
 little of him. 
 
 Now was the time to turn the tide of affairs in her own 
 favor, Miss Bitterwood told herself, after vainly attempt- 
 ing to form some plan to bring her niece and the general 
 more frequently into each other's presence. 
 
 Delays were dangerous, she told herself; and her 
 woman's intuition led her to believe that the breach be- 
 tween them was widening daily. 
 
 One day she came to Lyle's room with a frown of im-
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 137 
 
 patience on her face, and sternly demanded an interview 
 with that impetuous beauty. 
 
 " You are ruining your prospects, as well as making 
 my life a continually worrisome one," she said, fret- 
 fully. " There is a limit to all things, and the end of this 
 affair will be, you will have to go back to your old life 
 of toil and hardship, unless you make a more favorable 
 impression upon the general, and without further delay 
 marry him." 
 
 " There is very little happiness or prospects, as you 
 call them, where you are, aunt," the girl replied, moodily. 
 " I may as well tell you," she went on, " that I have made 
 up my mind, and I intend not to change it, no matter what 
 any one says, in regard to marrying General Ormsby. I 
 detest him every day yes, every hour of my life, and you 
 know as well as you want to that I would be the most 
 miserable being on earth if I yoked myself to him. You 
 are quite right when you say there is a limit to all things. 
 I am only human, and I refuse to talk about him after 
 this, or even to allow him to enter my thoughts for an 
 instant longer." 
 
 General Ormsby would soon die of grief, as her aunt 
 had predicted, and there was a million of dollars to which 
 she would fall heir if she married him before it was too 
 late. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXII. 
 
 Miss Bitterwood's conviction concerning General 
 Ormsby was indeed quite true. He seemed to shrink
 
 138 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 from Lyle quite as much as he had once sought her 
 presence. 
 
 In the silence of his own apartment he cried out to 
 Heaven that it must certainly have been God's judgment 
 upon him for neglecting his daughter and seeking to wed 
 one scarcely more than Cora's age. It seemed to him that 
 he must have been mad to even have contemplated such 
 a step. 
 
 When Arthur Rollins had started out in search of Cora, 
 his hope had been great; but as time brought no tidings 
 of him, the old general settled down in an abject apathy 
 terrible to see. 
 
 " They have both met the same fate," he would mutter 
 over and over again. 
 
 One night the occupants of the cottage were startled 
 by a hoarse cry coming from the direction of the gen- 
 eral's room. When they gathered about him they found 
 him shivering as one stricken with palsy. 
 
 " I have had a terrible dream ! " he cried, " or rather, 
 an apparition passed before my eyes. I saw Arthur and 
 my darling in a little boat, surrounded by savages, and, oh, 
 God! he shot my darling through the heart rather than 
 that she should fall into the hands of the savages who 
 were yelling like mad about them ! " 
 
 From that moment on the old general refused to be 
 comforted, and he began to fail rapidly. 
 
 " There is but one thing to be done," said the physician 
 of the garrison to the commanding officers, " and that is 
 to secure for General Ormsby a leave of absence to re- 
 turn home. He is not able, since his great trouble, to be 
 on duty. He must be replaced by a younger man." 
 
 All his friends seemed to concur with this opinion.
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 139 
 
 When this information reached Miss Bitterwood's ears, 
 she hurried at once to her niece's apartment. 
 
 " What I have predicted has happened at last ! " she 
 cried. " The general is to return East." 
 
 " Well ? " said Lyle, looking up from the book she was 
 reading. 
 
 " General Ormsby has concluded not to reopen his 
 house. What, then, is to become of me, and yourself, for 
 that matter, I ask?" 
 
 The girl started to her feet. Now that ruin stared her 
 in the face, it brought her to a realization of what she had 
 lost. 
 
 "He will surely take us back with him, aunt?" she 
 queried. " You know he could not leave us here." 
 
 " When we reach the States again we will have to shift 
 for ourselves. You had a cool million within your grasp, 
 and you let it fly away from you like the down on a this- 
 tle. You deserve to be poor, and work hard. I shall 
 have no pity for you." 
 
 Lyle's face had grown very white indeed. 
 
 " All is not lost yet, aunt," she said, hoarsely. " I will 
 see General Ormsby myself and have a talk with him. He 
 has asked me to marry him, and I will hold him to it. I 
 will have his million, or I will know the reason why ! " 
 
 " What are you going to do ? " asked Miss Bitterwood, 
 as she sprung toward the door. 
 
 " See General Ormsby at once," she replied. 
 
 Her aunt did not attempt to detain her. She might as 
 well see him, she thought, and know the worst. 
 
 Lyle Warner flew quickly down the narrow stairway, 
 and tapped lightly at the general's door. 
 
 In answer to his " Come in," she glided into the apart- 
 ment.
 
 14.0 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 He was sitting at the window in his arm-chair, gazing 
 with his field-glass out upon the barren, trackless plain, 
 just as he had sat each day, straining his eyes out over 
 the grassy waste in the vain hope of seeing her who came 
 not. 
 
 " Oh, general," cried Lyle, gliding up to him, and 
 kneeling at the hassock at his feet, and burying her head 
 upon his arm, " you do not know how it grieves me to see 
 you sitting here so lonely! Do let me remain here be- 
 side you and try to cheer you up." 
 
 He shook his head slowly from side to side. 
 
 " I shall never feel cheery again," he moaned. " My 
 only hope, my constant prayer, is to die, and be with my 
 child up there." 
 
 " Oh, do not talk like that ! " cried Lyle, wringing her 
 hands. " Remember that you have me left to love and 
 comfort you." 
 
 Again he shook his head. 
 
 " No, no, Lyle ; that was all a mistake ! " he cried. 
 "Try and forget anything of that kind that may have 
 been said between us." 
 
 She started to her feet and looked at him. 
 
 " You do not mean that, General Ormsby ! " she panted. 
 " After winning all my young heart's love, do you mean 
 that you would cast me off after that fashion? It takes 
 two people to make a bargain, and it takes two to break 
 one!"
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 141 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIII. 
 
 General Ormsby rose to his feet with great dignity, and 
 slowly faced her. 
 
 " You forget yourself, Miss Warner," he said. " I 
 hardly think that you can mean all that you are saying. 
 It does not become a woman to insist upon marriage when 
 it has become distasteful to the other party equally inter- 
 ested. I have been thinking the matter all over, as I told 
 you, and I see that it would not be right for me to think 
 of marrying you. I may have been a little hasty, but even 
 so, it was the fault of the head, not the heart. I did not 
 mean to cause you grief in any way. The time will come 
 when you will look back to this scene and say : ' The old 
 general was right. I thank Heaven that I did not make 
 the sacrifice of becoming his bride.' You will in time 
 meet some good, true young man who will easily make up 
 the loss." 
 
 'As Lyle saw all prospect of the Ormsby million fading 
 from her grasp, she became frantic, almost wildly hys- 
 terical. 
 
 She had seen too much of life to go back to work now; 
 she would win while yet there was a fighting chance of 
 saving herself from poverty. 
 
 " Nothing that you can say changes my determination," 
 she declared. " No man should ask a woman to marry 
 him unless he intends to keep his promise, or to stand 
 the chance of being made to do so." 
 
 " I can not believe you mean all you say," he repeated. 
 
 " You shall see," she declared. 
 
 " Miss Warner," he said, rising to the occasion, " I 
 would not marry you now if you were the only woman in
 
 142 ORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 the world, and if it were to save my life! Of all things 
 on this earth, I abominate a mercenary person. I brought 
 you out to Fort Hadley, and I will return you to your 
 friends in the East. More than that you must not expect 
 of me!" 
 
 "If I were to sue you, the law would give me the 
 greater part of your fortune," she declared. 
 
 " We shall see," said the general, shaking his cane 
 fiercely at her. " I will make a test case of this for the 
 benefit of all elderly men who may be tempted to marry 
 young women, and open their eyes to the fact that they 
 are marrying them to spend their money. Go right ahead 
 with your breach of promise suit, young woman. You 
 will find old General Ormsby, who never shrunk from a 
 battle yet, is ready to meet a foe upon any ground, and 
 cross swords if need be." 
 
 Lyle saw that she had gone too far ; but there was no 
 way of retreating from what she had said. 
 
 " I wish you good luck with your lawsuit, young 
 woman," he said, opening the door for her to pass out. 
 
 Miss Bitterwood, who was leaning breathlessly over the 
 baluster, listening to the wrangle of words with a face 
 white as a sheet, cried out to herself that all was lost. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIV. 
 
 Without another word, Lyle left the room, a strange 
 glitter creeping into her dark, restless eyes. The excite- 
 ment of that interview had left her dazed, and with a 
 horror of what was coming stealing over her.
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 143 
 
 " I will be even with him ! " she said, under her breath. 
 " The craven, cowardly old man will grovel at my feet 
 and beg for pardon, and he will be glad to let me make 
 my own terms, or my name's not Lyle Warner ! " 
 
 The very first person she met as she entered the hall 
 was Miss Bitterwood, coming toward her with a face 
 white as death. Instead of uttering the words which 
 trembled on her lips, she motioned the girl into her apart- 
 ment. 
 
 Lyle sunk into the nearest chair, her aunt locking the 
 door nervously and dropping into a seat beside her, a 
 frantic expression crossing her comely features. 
 
 " You saw him, and all is over between you ? " she 
 asked, suddenly, her nerves wrought up to the highest 
 pitch of excitement. 
 
 " I will tell you all about it," Lyle answered, moodily, 
 her flashing eyes telling their own story. 
 
 For nearly an hour they sat there together, talking 
 over the strange turn affairs had taken, until Lyle had 
 quite exhausted herself with her fierce upbraidings of the 
 old general. 
 
 This was indeed a pretty state of affairs ; but it must 
 not, it should not end in this way, she told herself over 
 and over again. 
 
 " Indeed you will not go away among strangers. You 
 will stay just where you are, and become his bride! " de- 
 clared Miss Bitterwood, vehemently. " Two against one 
 will have some weight, I reckon, or I will know the 
 reason why." 
 
 At that moment Miss Bitterwood entered General 
 Ormsby's private office. He was seated in a chair by 
 the table, and his face wore a dejected, yet quite deter-
 
 144 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 mined, expression that boded no good for the errand 
 upon which she had come. 
 
 " I beg your pardon, General Ormsby, for interrupting 
 you," she said, summoning all her courage for the coming 
 attack. 
 
 " Take a seat," he said, coolly. " You are just the 
 person I wished to see. Pity you hadn't come here a little 
 sooner; there was a mighty storm brewing about the 
 place, and that Miss Warner was the cause of it all." 
 
 " Lyle Miss Warner, the cause of it ? " she panted, 
 wildly. " Why, every one knows that the girl thinks so 
 much of you. What on earth could you two have been 
 talking about to cause such ill feelings as this, I won- 
 der?" 
 
 " I should think it the strangest thing imaginable if 
 anything of so serious a nature as that which transpired 
 between the young lady and myself was not told you 
 before now. In short, the young girl's friendship with me 
 is at an end forever," said the general, bluntly. 
 
 As he said the words, Miss Bitterwood fell back in her 
 chair, trembling, shrinking from him, as if he had dealt 
 her a sudden blow. 
 
 " I I thought you had too kind a heart, general," she 
 said, with a touch of sadness in her voice, " to change 
 your sentiments, and to turn your liking against a poor, 
 friendless young girl, who has neither father, mother, nor 
 brother to turn to in life's sad warfare, because of some 
 unknown change that has come over you." 
 
 " Let us bury the hatchet and be friends as we once 
 were," he said, cheerily. " Give me a chance of saying a 
 few words in my own defense, and after that perhaps 
 you will not judge me as harshly as you do now, and I 
 am well assured that you would never think of being
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 145 
 
 as exacting as this girl, as unreasonable, is the word that 
 would suit me better." 
 
 " Go on," she said, gazing at him attentively, wistfully, 
 yet grieving in silence over his words. 
 
 She heard his deep, rich old voice saying earnestly : 
 
 " Miss Bitterwood, you and I have been old friends for 
 a long time, and in all the years that you have known me, 
 I am sure that you can never recall one instance wherein 
 I have ever acted dishonorably toward any one. She, 
 Miss Warner, has been trying to convince me against my 
 better judgment that I am trifling with her feelings when 
 I tell her that I do not desire to enter the state of matri- 
 mony with her, that we are entirely unsuited to each 
 other. Feeling as I do about it, it would be entirely 
 wrong to encourage such a thought for an instant, let 
 alone to take such a step." 
 
 No one could have been more respectful in his simple 
 arguings than he, she well knew, but she must talk for 
 the girl's interest, and she answered in a more exacting 
 tone: 
 
 " You did not tell her that these were your views when 
 you first became acquainted with her. You led her to be- 
 lieve that she filled an aching void in your heart. You 
 were always by her side; and she we believed you 
 wanted to marry her if she continued to care for you at 
 the expiration of a year, which is now up. Is this fair 
 from one who professes to be honorable ? " she asked, 
 her noble face lighting up with a glow of wounded pride, 
 remorse and fear for her niece's peril making sad commo- 
 tion in her heart. 
 
 He understood that Lyle, orphaned and homeless, 
 claimed all her protection and sympathy, and he felt 
 that it was little more than useless to argue his cause
 
 146 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 with Miss Bitterwood; yet he made one more effort to 
 convince her that he was right in his decision. 
 
 " I was a fool to allow myself to be smitten by her 
 charms and her girlish wiles, in the first place," he went 
 on ; " still, I had never felt a real thrill of love for her 
 beyond that pity for her friendless young life that had 
 never known the brightness and sunshine that a great 
 many girls are surrounded with from the cradle to the 
 grave." 
 
 General Ormsby rose and crossed the room to where 
 she sat. 
 
 What a strange position for a man to be placed in, he 
 thought forced to love against his will ! 
 
 " Miss Bitterwood, will you look up into my face a 
 moment ? " he asked, earnestly. " I have something more 
 important to talk to you about than this foolish entangle- 
 ment that you may thank Heaven I am well out of. What 
 if I have a deeper and more sensible affection in my heart 
 for an older person, a more sensible person, one nearer 
 my own age? I have waited a long time before I made 
 this decision. I have summered and wintered her who 
 is better fitted to walk beside me in the remaining journey 
 of my life. Do you not know who it is ? Your face has 
 been close to me all through the lonesome years of my 
 life. You only would be a fitting life-companion for me." 
 
 " General Ormsby, do can you mean it ? " she gasped, 
 scarcely believing that she had heard aright. 
 
 " Of course I do ; and, what is more, this is the only 
 declaration that has ever come from my heart since since 
 I wooed Cora's mother." 
 
 Miss Bitterwood dried her tears, and a crimson flush 
 of happiness suffused her half-hidden features. 
 
 " But you and I know Lyle well enough to understand
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 147 
 
 that she will never in the world consent to such a change 
 as this," she breathed, faintly. " We we can be noth- 
 ing to each other on that account." 
 
 " Yes, we can," said the general, reassuring her. " You 
 would surely not give me up for her sake, would you, 
 lovely one ? " 
 
 For a moment there was silence between them. Miss 
 Bitterwood was thanking Heaven for the cheer and com- 
 panionship that had been sent to brighten her sad life. 
 How strangely eventful her future was to be ! she thought. 
 How different from what she had ever imagined ! 
 
 "Is it 'yes' or 'no'?" he asked. 
 
 " Yes," she answered, faintly. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXV. 
 
 " I shall take you at your word, Miss Bitterwood," said 
 the general. " You have promised to marry me, and I 
 will see that there is no chance for you to back out ; " this 
 with a merry twinkle in his eye. A sudden thought came 
 to him, and he made up his mind then and there that he 
 would put it into execution at once. " How would it do 
 to send for the chaplain of the regiment and have the 
 knot tied here, and at once? At our time of life we are 
 not so particular about having much fuss and ceremony ; 
 besides, since I have lost my idolized daughter, my heart 
 LS heavy, and I want everything quiet around me." 
 
 " It is so sudden, my general," she said ; " perhaps I
 
 148 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 ought to go away a little while and get myself ready for 
 the marriage." 
 
 " There is no time like the present," he said, resolutely. 
 " Don't mind your looks in this case. A man never 
 thinks of how a woman's dressed when he makes up his 
 mind upon a hasty wedding." 
 
 So saying, he touched the servant's bell, and in response 
 to his summons an orderly tapped at his door. 
 
 " I want you to hunt the chaplain up, and tell him he 
 must come here to my office without delay. See that no 
 one else is allowed to disturb me," were his orders. 
 
 The soldier set out at once to execute his orders, the 
 general going to the veranda and gazing after him. 
 
 " What a sight I am," thought Miss Bitterwood, rue- 
 fully, finding herself alone for an instant. 
 
 She brushed her hair back, with its dark, severe waves, 
 smoothed her plain collar, rearranged the folds of her 
 gray dress, made in its unpretentious style, and took a 
 hasty look at her plain, radiant face, which the last rays 
 of the setting sun were lighting up. 
 
 While she stood there, bewildered, wondering whether 
 it could be reality or not, the door opened suddenly and 
 General Ormsby entered, followed by the minister. 
 
 " I did not have to wait long for our old friend," said 
 the general. " There is no need for any preliminaries 
 you may as well proceed at once with the ceremony." 
 
 Five minutes later, and he pronounced them man and 
 wife. 
 
 General Ormsby clasped the hands of the plain, trusty 
 woman in his own strong palms, and led her to a seat, 
 taking a chair beside her. 
 
 " You must forget the old life of hardship you have
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 149 
 
 had," he said, gallantly. " We must live only for happi- 
 ness and each other." 
 
 " I shall enjoy the future years immensely," she de- 
 clared, smilingly. 
 
 " Come," said the general ; " the parson has left us long 
 ago. No doubt he has told half the people of the fort the 
 news by this time. They will all be waiting for us let us 
 go to the little reception-room and prepare to receive them 
 quietly." 
 
 " It will be quite an ordeal for me to meet them at 
 present," she said, turning in the opposite direction. " I 
 will go to my room and steady my nerves a little," she 
 said, " and make myself presentable." 
 
 " I suppose you will have your own way, after the 
 fashion of brides," he said, laughingly. " You will meet 
 me at luncheon, and a few of our friends will be present 
 to greet you. I hope they will not be kept waiting long." 
 
 Leaving the general to his own reflections, the newly 
 made wife went hurriedly to her own room in search of 
 Lyle. 
 
 How should she break the news to her? she Wondered, 
 anxiously. 
 
 Would not the girl rave, or perhaps do worse ? In her 
 desperation and ungovernable temper, she might even be 
 tempted to take her young life in a fit of remorse. 
 
 Who could foretell how this strange marriage would 
 end, after all? she pondered. 
 
 With a crimson flush upon her face, Mrs. Ormsby drew 
 the girl hurriedly into her room, holding up a finger warn- 
 ingly to her. 
 
 " Hush ! " she said, speaking scarcely above a whisper. 
 " You must become more lady-like, and not speak your 
 mind out as you have been doing in the past. I am de-
 
 150 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 lighted with my interview with General Ormsby. I wish 
 we had come to this understanding long ago, instead of 
 our beating about the bush in the way we have been doing 
 so long. Draw your chair up nearer, Lyle; there is no 
 longer any use in my concealing the truth from you, and 
 my heart tells me that you will rejoice with me, my dear 
 niece, when you learn from my lips what has transpired." 
 
 " Is General Ormsby going to do handsomely by me, 
 after all ? " the girl asked, impatiently. " He had better, 
 if he knows when he is well off ! " 
 
 " Leave all that to me," interposed her aunt. " I will 
 see that you are abundantly provided for that you have 
 everything you need, and, under the circumstances, you 
 will be spared all the worry and bother of looking after 
 the general ; you will be just like a daughter to both 
 
 " But this part of it doesn't interest me one particle. 
 ' Like a daughter ! ' What has that to do with my set- 
 tlement? I thought you went down there to see him 
 about my becoming his bride," she went on, fretfully ; " if 
 not, he was to make me over a competence for his back- 
 ing out that would make me independent for life. I hope 
 you didn't let him put you off like a simpleton by his say- 
 ing he would regard me as a daughter always, or some 
 light little sentiment of that kind, to bridge things over 
 in his own way, and hoodwink me, because he found 
 you were easily appeased. I suppose you even forgot 
 yourself, and broke the sacred promise you made me, 
 by telling him that you were my aunt ! " this contempt- 
 uously. 
 
 She would not for the world have had any one suspect 
 that she was in any way related to the poor, dependent 
 old housekeeper. 
 
 " You will not give me a chance to get in a word edge-
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 151 
 
 ways," said that lady. " I hope, Lyle, when you know 
 all, that we shall be as good friends as we were in our 
 struggling past. Remember, my dear girl, that I have 
 always done everything in my power for you, and that I 
 always will. As long as I have a dollar, I will deny my- 
 self things to share all my prosperity with you. I would 
 be very unhappy to have wealth and everything at my 
 command, with this happiness I am now to share, without 
 doing all I possibly can for you, and to help you get a 
 man with the means of supporting you in good style some 
 day." 
 
 " Why, what in the world are you talking about, Aunt 
 Bitterwood? At the rate you are going on, one would 
 certainly believe you had been taking leave of your 
 senses, or that the old general had turned your head 
 which most any man could do ! " 
 
 For answer, her aunt stepped lightly across the carpet 
 and put both her arms around the impetuous young girl. 
 
 " I have been so fortunate, Lyle," she broke out ; " I 
 have some one to look after me during all the years to 
 come, I hope. Nothing could have worked more to my 
 satisfaction. Rejoice with me, my dear niece, when I 
 tell you that General Ormsby and I are married ! " 
 
 " Married ? Do you pretend to tell me that that par- 
 ticular old General Ormsby, whom I tried my best to 
 win, would marry you a woman as old as the hills ? Im- 
 possible! I would not believe it, unless I saw such a 
 transaction with my own eyes." 
 
 " There was no one present except the minister ; but 
 you can easily find out the truth if you doubt me, Lyle. 
 You can go with me and see the general, and learn from 
 his own lips that a marriage ceremony has actually taken 
 place between us. I did not tell him of the relationship
 
 152 CORA, THE i'ET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 that exists between you and me, but did everything in my 
 power to induce him to make you his bride ; but all to no 
 purpose." 
 
 " You have done the greatest wrong that could have 
 been done a young girl in this wide world ! " Lyle cried 
 out. " You have ruined my prospects and cast me adrift 
 because I trusted you and had no one else to advise me. 
 You have led me to believe all along that I ought to marry 
 General Ormsby for his money; that I should not set 
 my mind on any other marriageable young man, and that 
 if I did not carry out these plans, work and a future life 
 of toil would be my portion. I listened to you, foolish 
 girl that I was, only to be cruelly duped just when I most 
 needed a home and means of subsistence. I have wasted 
 a year and over of my precious life just when I might 
 have found some one better suited to my liking, thinking 
 it was right to obey you and abide by the choice you had 
 made for me." 
 
 Her aunt tried to reason with her, clinging to the girl 
 and whispering to her over and over again that she would 
 plan for her, save every dollar that came to her, dress 
 her in silks and diamonds, secure for her the handsom- 
 est, richest husband that was to be found; but Lyle an- 
 swered her never a word, but stood looking at her with 
 blazing eyes.
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 153 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVI. 
 
 But to return, dear reader, to Arthur and Cora, whom 
 we left in the boat. 
 
 Arthur Rollins dared not think of the fate that was 
 inevitable. The little skiff that Cora was trying with 
 might and main to manage was heading rapidly in the 
 very direction that led to the Indian village. 
 
 A little further and they would be directly in view of 
 the terrible blood-thirsty Sioux, and both Cora and him- 
 self were by far too exhausted to pull the skiff out of 
 the dangerous waters into which they were fast whirling. 
 
 " My God ! what are we to do ? " both cried simul- 
 taneously, looking into the blanched faces of each other. 
 
 Cora's tired, blistered little hands seemed to give out 
 at last, and to refuse utterly to pull another stroke. 
 
 The strong current, which had become swifter and more 
 tremendous in force, seemed to fairly whirl the little 
 skiff, with its helpless, half-fainting occupants, along its 
 treacherous channel on, on, nearing the very shores of 
 their merciless foes. 
 
 Arthur raised himself up, forgetful of his awful pain 
 in the face of the danger that threatened them, and looked 
 at the mad, wild waters ; then seizing the oars, with a 
 superhuman effort he gave a few mighty, dexterous 
 strokes. Another moment, and he had checked the 
 boat's progress, and had averted the imminent danger. 
 
 " Heaven be praised, we are saved ! " breathed Cora. 
 " God intended us to be beyond their reach." 
 
 Arthur's head was bent low on his breast; no sound 
 came from his lips. Cora peered eagerly into his pale 
 face.
 
 154 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 Great Father! he was fast swooning away; the exer- 
 tion had proved too much for him. Would they reach 
 the shore in safety before one or both of them should 
 perish ? was her agonizing thought. 
 
 She realized that Arthur's senses were fast leaving 
 him, that the superhuman effort he had put forth to stop 
 the little skiff had proved too much for him. 
 
 Once again she summoned her remaining strength, 
 reached for the oars, and pulled heroically along the new- 
 found waters that meant freedom for Arthur and her. 
 
 She had no one to tell her if she was pursuing the 
 right course. Every moment seemed an age to her as 
 she plied the oars, the little boat rocking and tossing 
 in its struggles with the relentless white breakers that 
 seemed luring it on to destruction. 
 
 Off in the distance Cora thought she detected a line of 
 trees. She strained her eyes, and putting forth every 
 effort, propelled the skiff toward the far-off shore. 
 
 She felt that she was growing weaker ; a sudden faint- 
 ness seemed stealing over her. She reeled in her seat, 
 and loosened her grasp upon the oars she had been ply- 
 ing; then a merciful unconsciousness stole over her 
 senses, and she knew no more. 
 
 The night wore away and morning dawned, and Cora 
 opened her eyes in a wild, picturesque little cabin. 
 
 As she looked around her in bewilderment, she heard 
 a quick step by her side. 
 
 It was Minnewaska, who was bending over her. 
 
 " Oh, where am I ? " she moaned. " Have they cap- 
 tured me and brought me back among the Indians ? "
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 155 
 
 " Do not excite yourself, my lily," whispered the dusky 
 maid. " You are safe here, and far beyond the reach of 
 those you have made your escape from." 
 
 " Did any of the Indians overtake us ? " she asked. 
 " Where is my lo Arthur where have they taken him 
 to?" 
 
 " Calm yourself, no ill has happened to him. He was 
 almost lifeless, while you had swooned away by his side. 
 I had a great fear after you two had left me that you 
 might not find your way out of our grounds without be- 
 ing captured again. Jed, the young brave who carried me 
 off on his shoulder when they had the fire-light dance, is 
 always ready to serve me. 
 
 ' Take me over to the darkest side of the wooded 
 range ; there the lily- faced captive and her lover are wait- 
 ing to make their way out of our lands to their own far- 
 off home, and to the poor, old father who awaits them,' 
 I asked him. 
 
 " We followed you, unknown to my people, through 
 the woodlands and down to the river-bank, then we 
 started homeward. 
 
 " Before I had gone half the distance, something told 
 me to go back and watch over you, that there was danger 
 ahead. Jed and I followed by the swift waters, and after 
 pushing down stream and reconnoitering in different 
 directions, I saw your little skiff, and I knew by the way 
 it was heading against the stream that you were ex- 
 hausted, and would soon become powerless to guide your 
 bark in the right channel. 
 
 " I kept right on, heading in the same course, and 
 finally you must have lost consciousness entirely, for I 
 saluted you and no one answered my call. 
 
 " Ted did not waste a moment in trying to bring either
 
 156 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 you or him to, but jumped into the boat and rowed with 
 might and main to a place of safety once owned by a 
 friendly fisherman. I followed with my own skiff, came 
 here, tended to him, bound up his wounds, and you are 
 both on the safe road to recovery." 
 
 " Oh, how good you are to me ! " murmured Cora, tears 
 coming to her eyes. " My father will reward you hand- 
 somely if you ever come to our fort ; but do tell me, when 
 are we to start for home ? Is Arthur able to go ? Every 
 hour seems a year to me ! " 
 
 " When your lover has recovered from his wound, then 
 you can both return in safety," Minnewaska answered 
 her. " Jed is taking care of him he is the son of our 
 medicine man and he is getting better rapidly. To- 
 morrow, at the noon hour, Jed will have a swift pony of 
 his own, with soft skins for the young man to sit on, if 
 he is able to go, and my pony will be all ready for you 
 to go with him, so you see we have it all arranged." 
 
 " I am so glad you are with me, Minnewaska," said 
 Cora, gratefully. " I am willing to do everything you 
 may think best, and I know Arthur can never forget your 
 kindness to us both. We will take the trip home to- 
 morrow, if he is able, and my father will handsomely re- 
 ward your heroism. He can not do enough for you if the 
 time ever comes when it is in his power." 
 
 Minnewaska smiled, looked away dreamily, then hur- 
 ried out of the room. 
 
 " I have brought you something to eat," she said, enter- 
 ing the room a little later. " Jed tells me that the young 
 man is fast regaining his strength, and if you are ready 
 to go to-morrow, you can both start on your journey." 
 
 " How very kind of you, my good girl," murmured
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 157 
 
 Cora over and over again ; " it seems to me that day- 
 light will never come." 
 
 Cora ate heartily of the appetizing food which had been 
 prepared for her by Minnewaska. 
 
 At last came the dawn of that eventful day. Jed, who 
 had gone off long before any one was astir, returned just 
 as the dawn was breaking, bringing two fleet, sturdy 
 ponies, with plenty of deer-skins to make the ride com- 
 fortable as could be expected. 
 
 " Get into the saddle, lady fair," said the Indian girl 
 a few minutes later, " and I will help the young gentle- 
 man to mount he is still weak, but seems very cour- 
 ageous." 
 
 Cora lost no time in complying with this order, and in 
 a moment Arthur appeared, looking quite like his old 
 self again, except for the pallor of his face, that still 
 showed suffering. 
 
 They took a kindly leave of the dark-eyed girl who 
 had proved so valuable a friend to them both, and fol- 
 lowing Minnewaska's directions, they put spurs to their 
 horses and soon left the friendly woods and roof that 
 had sheltered them far behind. 
 
 On, on, they rode toward the sloping hills and stretch- 
 ing valleys, their dark figures clearly outlined, with not 
 a tree or a bush to break the monotony. 
 
 They had traveled miles since they had set out, not 
 stopping for rest until their horses began to show un- 
 mistakable signs of being tired. 
 
 A new calamity seemed to threaten them. The animals 
 would soon give out. They had several miles further 
 to go in a circuitous route, as there were one or two 
 Indian villages between them and their destination. 
 
 If by chance any Indians should meet them, neither
 
 158 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 of them had taken the precaution to provide themselves 
 with arms or ammunition. 
 
 There was a possibility of their being obliged to turn 
 the animals adrift if they did not find a place of rest and 
 concealment soon. 
 
 The situation was becoming more alarming, when 
 Arthur's horse suddenly wheeled about in a mad, unre- 
 strained fashion, and darted wildly in the direction of 
 one of the Indian camps they were trying to avoid. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVII. 
 
 It was a nine-days' wonder at Fort Hadley when the 
 news of General Ormsby and Miss Bitterwood's mar- 
 riage was circulated. The ladies of the garrison could 
 think of, talk of nothing else ; and yet they all agreed that 
 it was better for both of them to marry, now that Cora 
 was lost, or perhaps dead, to the idolizing father. 
 
 Early that same evening the ladies and their escorts 
 reached the general's house in goodly numbers, to extend 
 their congratulations to the newly wedded couple. 
 
 When they found themselves alone, the general said, 
 wonderingly : 
 
 " It is a little surprising that Ly Miss Warner did not 
 conquer her chagrin, and drop in to pay us her respects 
 as our other friends have done to-night." 
 
 He saw the color die out of her cheeks at the mention 
 of Lyle's name, while the hand that lay lightly on his arm 
 trembled.
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 159 
 
 " She will come later," she answered, confusedly. " I 
 overheard one of the ladies that was here to-night say as 
 much." 
 
 Before he could make a reply, a messenger came for 
 the old commander, saying that his friend, Lawyer Ridge- 
 wood, was just starting for the East, and would like a 
 personal interview for a few moments. 
 
 " He is just the man I want to see. Tell Lawyer 
 Ridgewood I will be with him directly," was his answer. 
 " Sit down and make yourself comfortable, my dear. 
 I will be back in a short time," were his parting words 
 as he took leave of his wife, and went in search of his 
 friend. 
 
 His few minutes lapsed into one, then two hours ere 
 he returned. 
 
 When she found herself alone, Mrs. Ormsby began to 
 nod; a half hour later and she was fast asleep in her 
 chair. 
 
 " I will not waken her," he thought ; " she needs rest." 
 
 He went to an adjoining room, threw himself down 
 on a sofa, and fell into a deep and troubled sleep. 
 
 The next morning, when they went in to awaken him, 
 they found him cold and lifeless. A doctor was hastily 
 summoned, who pronounced death from heart failure. 
 
 Once more the community of Fort Hadley was shocked 
 at the tragic event that had followed on the heels of 
 General Ormsby 's marriage, and once again they assem- 
 bled and laid him at rest. 
 
 In the intense excitement that prevailed, Mrs. Ormsby 
 talked only of her own situation, and calmly waited for 
 the will to be read. He had had his friend, Lawyer 
 Ridgewood, make a new will the night preceding his
 
 160 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 death, in which he left all his earthly possessions to his 
 wife, Mrs. Ormsby. 
 
 Three days later, the general's widow made active prep- 
 arations to depart for the East. Lyle, who had watched 
 General Orrasby's proceedings with bitter rage in her 
 heart, thought it would be better to fall in with her aunt's 
 ideas, as she was now a widow of great wealth. 
 
 It was quite late the following morning when Lyle ate 
 her breakfast. She had scarcely sat down ere shouts and 
 cheers fell upon her ears. She started to her feet and 
 joined the excited group of men who were making to- 
 ward the entrance of the fort, where the commotion 
 seemed to come from. 
 
 " It can't be true ! " exclaimed Major Raymond's wife, 
 rushing past the crowd in the direction of the gate. 
 
 " Most likely it is a strategy of the Sioux," said an- 
 other. 
 
 Before they had time to conjecture what was amiss, an 
 orderly came rushing past them like a whirlwind. 
 
 " Cora Ormsby, the general's daughter, has been found ! 
 She is at the gates ! " he shouted. 
 
 Wild, hoarse cries of joy broke forth from every 
 throat, as they ran swiftly to the gates to welcome her. 
 
 Far down the road they had heard the ring of her 
 trusty steed's hoofs, then a cloud of dust floated away, 
 and the bright morning beams poured down in radiance 
 upon a form and face they knew full well jt was Cora 
 Ormsby, whom they had given up for dead. 
 
 Wild shouts and screams of rejoicing filled the air; 
 loving hands were uplifted to her, and they carried the 
 girl, half delirious with joy and anxiet , safely in their 
 arms, and stopped when they reached the nearest officer's 
 house.
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 161 
 
 Before she had scarcely regained her breath, she told 
 them of how Arthur Rollins had saved her, that they had 
 made their escape together, and although he was suffer- 
 ing from a severe wound in his shoulder, he had brought 
 her to within a few yards of the fort, returning a short 
 distance to turn the horses homeward, having promised 
 Minnewaska to do so. 
 
 The women smothered hapless Cora with kisses, while 
 the men turned away to conceal the sorrow that they 
 knew would follow when she learned how her home was 
 broken up. 
 
 " My father, please tell him I am here ! Quick ! I 
 can hardly wait to see him ! " and she fairly sprung from 
 her seat in the direction of the door. 
 
 " We were married a few days ago/' said Mrs. 
 Ormsby, stepping up to her, " and he died soon after. 
 All that he had he left to me. You may come to my 
 home later, if you wish," this in a cold, indifferent tone 
 that struck a chill to the girl's aching heart. 
 
 Cora shrunk from her and hid her face in her hands. 
 There had been no sudden cry of surprise, no hysterical 
 outburst of violent weeping. The girl was like one dazed 
 with the shadow of her heavy trials hovering over her. 
 
 There was a momentary hush among those who had 
 gathered around the grief-stricken girl. When her sor- 
 row had subsided in a measure, they bore her to the 
 little sitting-room, where Julia Gordon awaited her. 
 
 A mutual attachment had sprung up between the two 
 girls from that moment, and Cora found in her new 
 friend a worthy champion for the trials that were to 
 darken her near future. 
 
 Mrs. Ormsby lost no time in consoling the girl, but she 
 fairly flew back to her house. She had left Lyle among
 
 162 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 the eager crowd of women who were discussing the 
 strange events that had just happened. She had barely 
 had time to enter the little parlor when an imperative 
 knock resounded at the door. 
 
 "Of course the women sympathize with the girl, and 
 they have brought her back to her father's home," she 
 thought ; " but I will show them that 7 am running this 
 place ! " 
 
 So saying, she opened wide the door, and to her sur 
 prise Captain Lindsay entered. 
 
 " I came to have a talk with you, Mrs. Ormsby," he 
 said. " I have waited until you were more settled in mind 
 and perhaps reconciled to your loss." 
 
 " You are indeed very good to remember me at such 
 a time," she murmured. 
 
 " Now that Cora, the general's daughter, is found," 
 he began, unceremoniously, " you will of course share 
 your roof with her, as well as return to her her rightful 
 inheritance. It is quite lucky that you will have her as a 
 companion, that you will not be left entirely alone." 
 
 " Do not distress yourself about my not being able to 
 settle my affairs," she said, scornfully. " Ly Miss War- 
 ner, I have asked to live with me as my companion, and 
 one girl is plenty to share my roof." 
 
 " That depends who the young girl is," replied Lind- 
 say, undaunted. " Don't you think you take enough in- 
 terest in Miss Warner to be a near relative of hers ? " 
 
 Mrs. Ormsby started. 
 
 " She is as near to me as if she were a relative." 
 
 " Come, now, my good lady, you might as well be 
 candid with me on this subject: is not Miss Warner your 
 daughter ? "
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 163 
 
 " Who told you so ? " she gasped ; then, assuming an 
 air of independence, and mentally concluding that the 
 captain might make Lyle a good husband, she answered 
 confidentially : " How funny it is that you should take 
 such an interest in Miss Warner as to think that." 
 
 " I should really think you would be proud to own 
 her," he replied, gallantly. 
 
 " So I am," she responded. " Yes, I will admit to you 
 what I have never told mortal before she is my daugh- 
 ter. Her father left me a year after I married him, and 
 I was too proud to tell my friends this, so I concealed her 
 identity. Thank you for thinking so highly of of my 
 daughter." 
 
 Captain Lindsay turned his head away; his thoughts 
 were only of Cora Ormsby. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVIII. 
 
 " Captain Lindsay, I have told you all," she said ; " and 
 may I hope in return that you will evince a deeper 
 friendship for my poor, dear daughter than you did before 
 you knew my sad story, which I pray you will never reveal 
 to any one." 
 
 The captain did not answer her, as she had expected 
 he would do, and her keen eyes could not help noticing" 
 the scornful smile that played around his mustached lips 
 when she had asked for his friendship for her daughter. 
 
 " You have indeed been candid with me," he replied,
 
 164 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 " and there may just as well be a mutual understand!^ 
 between both of us here and now." 
 
 Mrs. Ormsby's eyes lighted up with new interest. She 
 bowed, and looked at him a little impatiently as he went 
 on: 
 
 " Do not misjudge me, my dear madame, by thinking 
 I have a deep friendship for your daughter, or that I 
 could ever eare for her more than to entertain that sense 
 of respect and esteem which all women are entitled to. 
 But there is one who is fair to me," he said, " whom I love 
 with all my strength. I would lay down my life for her, 
 and serve her in a moment of danger at any cost in my 
 power. You know very well who the girl is. that holds 
 my heart and soul. There is something on your part 
 that could be done to help me, that would be of mutual 
 advantage, believe me, to both of us." 
 
 " Will you speak a little plainer, Captain Lindsay ? " 
 she said. " I do not quite understand you. I will be a 
 friend to you if I can do you any good." 
 
 " Madame, you are indeed kind," he replied, the words 
 falling slowly from his lips. 
 
 Despite his habitual self-command, his pale cheeks 
 flushed each instant, and the light that sprung into his 
 eyes revealed his thoughts clearer than he could have ex- 
 pressed them. 
 
 There was a moment's pause, and Mrs. Ormsby said, 
 anxiously : 
 
 " I hope that you have not lost your heart, captain, to 
 some spoiled and petted girl, who laughs at a man's 
 affection when she has an army of rivals at her beck and 
 call." 
 
 " Certainly not," said the captain, warmly espousing- 
 the cause of the girl he loved, believing he had a thor-
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 165 
 
 ough knowledge of the world enough to know that she 
 was innocent of such wiles as the lady had pictured. 
 " Now, I have a surprise for you a pleasant one, I hope ; 
 and, do you know, I have the greatest faith that you will 
 help me win this fair girl as my wife if it is possible for 
 you to do so." 
 
 Mrs. Ormsby glanced at him covertly. 
 
 " I don't mind telling you that the young girl who is 
 all the world to me is Miss Cora Ormsby," he said, 
 proudly. 
 
 " You must not, you can not mean it ! " gasped Mrs. 
 Ormsby, realizing in a second what the situation meant 
 to her. " Take care, and do not let your heart go out to 
 her ; it would be dangerous for your future happiness, as 
 time will tell. You haven't the least idea what a time 
 her poor old father had in trying to control her. She's a 
 clever miss, full of ruses, willful, and she would become a 
 terror for you instead of a blessing, as many another girl 
 you might have chosen would prove." 
 
 " You shall not speak of little Cora in that way, not in 
 my presence ! " responded Captain Lindsay, with asperity. 
 " Come what may, refuse me, as perhaps she will, I shall 
 not hear her maligned by man, woman, or child without 
 resenting it to the bitter end. You have proved yourself 
 woman in name only. In the first place, you have shown 
 that you are devoid of pity toward this desolate young 
 orphan. You have wronged her because you believed 
 you had the power to do so, knowing that General 
 Ormsby would never have cut his only child off penniless 
 had he but known she were living." 
 
 Mrs. Ormsby trembled from head to foot, her eyes 
 grew restless and troubled, yet she dared not speak lest 
 she should arouse his ire still further.
 
 166 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 " Have you asked her to come and share the home her 
 father left ? " he demanded. 
 
 " Yes ; I told her she might come here if she pleased to, 
 but she seemed inclined to refuse my offer. What more 
 could I do than that ? " 
 
 " I desire you to go at once and make friends with 
 Cora, and do everything in your power to help my suit 
 along, and you will lose nothing by it." 
 
 " But suppose I refuse or fail, what then ? " 
 
 " That would be the worst thing you could possibly 
 do, for your oum welfare. I would prove a dangerous 
 man if I were foiled in my purpose, especially where my 
 heart, my life itself, as you may say, is involved. It 
 would mean ruin for you a fitting revenge for the fail- 
 ure, I assure you, madam." 
 
 " Stay ! " she called, as the captain was about to turn 
 from her. " It will almost break my heart to consent to 
 to what you ask ; but it is the wisest course. Let us 
 come to an understanding about about what settlement 
 you will want for her. You promised to let me keep what 
 the general bequeathed to me, if I would use my influence 
 and do all in my power to bring you and Cora together ? " 
 
 " Yes," he said, quickly. " Remember that I am in 
 love with the girl for her own sake. She would be just 
 as dear to me if she hadn't a dollar in this wide world. 
 I have plenty for both of us, and I can afford to be very 
 magnanimous to you if you will do everything in your 
 power to help me win the girl place no obstacles in the 
 way. If Cora will consent to marry me, I promise you, 
 here and now, that she shall never touch one penny of the 
 money you speak of, with my knowledge, and I know I am 
 quite able to influence my friends, let alone a wife, if I 
 had one."
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 167 
 
 " Will you keep that promise not to have her touch 
 a dollar of what I have left me, if if I help you win 
 her?" 
 
 The woman's quick, sharp glance seemed to penetrate 
 his very soul, as if her life depended upon his answer. 
 
 " Yes," he repeated, solemnly. " I will take a solemn 
 cath to that effect." 
 
 " I have something else to ask," she said, excitedly. 
 " Will you also promise me, Captain Lindsay, never to 
 reveal to Lyle, or any other living person, that she is 
 my daughter? She is so headstrong and impetuous that 
 the revelation might terminate rashly with her. She must 
 never know it ! Will you promise me this ? " 
 
 Again Captain Lindsay bound himself by another sol- 
 emn oath to comply with her request, and thus the seeds 
 of one of the bitterest tragedies were irrevocably sown. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIX. 
 
 It was four o'clock the clock on the mantel had just 
 struck the hour when the tall form of Captain Lindsay 
 emerged from the Ormsby quarters. 
 
 " As, how happy I will be when I win Cora for my 
 bride ! " he murmured. " I don't care what strategy shall 
 be used; but, as I live, there was something forbidding 
 about madam when, strangely enough, she consented to 
 aid me. I suppose I am overfearful. If I could only 
 pierce the veil that hides the future, I would not feel so 
 oppressed."
 
 168 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 He turned back again to the door, where Mrs. Ormsby 
 still stood looking in an opposite direction. He reached 
 out his hand at parting, and said : 
 
 " I shall come in and see what success you have met 
 with to-morrow at this time. You must not lose a mo- 
 ment in trying. I must see you again soon, and you must 
 be able to tell me something in my favor." 
 
 " I will do my best, captain," she said, her eyes glow- 
 ing with a strange light in them, her voice trembling with 
 suppressed emotion. 
 
 Mrs. Ormsby locked the door of her room, and sat 
 down to think over the strange chain of fate that was 
 fast closing about her. 
 
 " It will not do ! " she said, setting her teeth hard to- 
 gether. " He might mean what he said to-day, and 
 change his mind to-morrow. If the general's daughter 
 once became his bride, it would prove a stab for me 
 loss of fortune ; and Lyle her pride would be brought 
 low into the dust." 
 
 Mrs. Ormsby watched the sun set over the sloping hills, 
 then, hastily donning a long black mantle, a heavy veil 
 concealing her face, she hurried quickly in the direction 
 of a counselor's office. Half an hour later she left it, 
 and returned home with blanched face and eyes swim- 
 ming in tears. 
 
 " I have provided handsomely for my poor darling," 
 she murmured. " The world may say that it is a foolish 
 thing to die that we may leave all to others, but I say it 
 is better so. Now we shall see who will get the Ormsby 
 million. If they attempt to break the will that's just been 
 made, my Lyle will fascinate judge and jurors yes, she 
 will win! I will die easy, even if it is by my own hand,
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 169 
 
 knowing that I have made her happy and independent for 
 life." 
 
 She sat down and wrote page after page the last she 
 was ever to pen to Lyle, who had never given so much 
 as one loving thought to her since her birth directing her 
 minutely, as only one skilled in legal lore could have done, 
 praising her beauty, and urging her on to happiness and 
 to her rights. Then she sealed the letter, and directing 
 it to the girl, placed it on the table where it would be 
 easily found. 
 
 She looked wistfully at the sealed envelope, thinking 
 of the great power it would give her, and how different 
 her own life had been. 
 
 Then she poured the contents of a small vial into a 
 glass and drained its contents. 
 
 Slowly the white lids drooped over the heavy, sunken 
 eyes, the pale lips twitched in mortal pain, and Mrs. 
 Ormsby slept the sleep of death. 
 
 In the tasty little room which Julia Gorgon had fitted 
 up for her girl friend, Cora Ormsby sat gazing wistfully 
 out of the window two days after the tragedy. 
 
 The little figure was peering anxiously up and down 
 the road, scanning each passer-by with an intensity that 
 was pitiful to behold. 
 
 " Oh, why does he not come ? " she cried, aloud. " My 
 heart is surely breaking with the terrible suspense. What 
 can it be that is detaining Arthur so long? They have 
 captured him and taken him back. Perhaps they have 
 killed him ! " 
 
 "Oh, no, no! Please do not excite yourself so," an- 
 swered Julia, throwing her arms soothingly about the lit- 
 tle figure. " Your lover will come back to you safe and
 
 170 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 sound. He may have lost his way stopped somewhere 
 to recover from his wound, and some fine day soon he will 
 be walking in upon your retreat, handsome, noble, and 
 as loving as ever." 
 
 Just at that moment a prancing pony with a tall, fear- 
 less rider in the saddle dashed rapidly up the road and 
 stopped at the cottage where Miss Gordon lived. 
 
 He dismounted and rapped sharply at the door. 
 
 Remembering that her companion had gone out, Cora 
 answered the summons herself. 
 
 " It may be news from Arthur," she thought, her heart 
 beating wildly. 
 
 She drew back with a startled cry as her eyes sud- 
 denly met those of Captain Lindsay. He saw that she 
 had no welcome for him; yet, nothing daunted, he 
 stretched out his hand and clasped her own trembling 
 one. 
 
 " Cora," he cried, " why do you look so frightened ? 
 Are you displeased to see me ? " 
 
 " No," she answered. " I did not know who it was." 
 
 The look of disappointment deepened in her blue eyes 
 as she re-entered the little parlor, and he followed her in 
 silence, with flushed face and flashing eyes. 
 
 " Cora," he said, seating himself opposite her. " I am 
 so sorry for you and all that has happened of late. I 
 said to myself, ' She has lost all that was near and dear 
 to her ; but she still has one friend who would lay down 
 his life for her, though perhaps she does not know it.' '' 
 
 He stopped short, seeing that Cora did not understand 
 him, and gazed into those dreamy, wistful eyes that af- 
 fected him so strangely. 
 
 His face flushed and paled. It seemed to him that Cora
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 171 
 
 must certainly read in every feature that he was in love 
 yes, madly in love with her. 
 
 " Please don't feel so about my misfortunes," she said, 
 looking at him in alarm. " I am trying to live them down, 
 but I don't want any one to lay down a life for me; it 
 would not be right." 
 
 " Yes, it would," he answered ; " for your sake a man 
 might give up all that he holds dear, if you would only 
 give him one little word of recognition, or say that you 
 would learn to think of him some future day." 
 
 " I could not say that; it would be impossible," said 
 Cora, frankly. " I sincerely hope that no one will ask 
 me to do that." 
 
 " I will give you one week from to-day to think it over," 
 he said. 
 
 " My answer is the same now that it would be then," 
 declared the girl. " I can never marry you. If Arthur 
 Rollins does not come back, I will be true to his memory 
 go down to the grave unwedded." 
 
 This was the answer he was obliged to take away with 
 him. But as he passed out of the house, he muttered to 
 himself: 
 
 " Within a week's time you will have changed your 
 mind, my beauty. I know how to bring it about." 
 
 CHAPTER XL. 
 
 When Cora Ormsby found herself alone she went back 
 to her room, flung herself into her low rocker by the
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 window, too excited to think calmly what course she 
 should pursue. 
 
 The hours that followed were wretched ones to her. 
 All night long she did not sleep. 
 
 " Oh, God ! send me some tidings of Arthur I " she mur- 
 mured, brokenly. " What is there left for me now that 
 he has gone ? " 
 
 Even at that moment Captain Lindsay was carrying out 
 a most diabolical plot that was to wreck two human 
 lives and place poor little Cora at his mercy. 
 
 " I will gain her consent to marry me before another 
 week," he repeated, as he left her presence after that un- 
 satisfactory interview. " She loves that miserable 
 Arthur Rollins, and I see that there is but one thing 
 left for me to do in order to win my case, and that is to 
 sow the seeds of distrust in her heart toward him." 
 
 And he fell to planning what was destined to prove a 
 death-blow to poor, trusting little Cora Ormsby. 
 
 He set out early that same evening to a belt of woods 
 where a party of hunters had camped out for several 
 days past. They had left strewn upon the ground large 
 patches of bark from the trees that had served to make 
 fires for the campers-out. 
 
 "A capital idea! That's just what I've been looking 
 for ! " he exclaimed, as he carefully selected a broad, 
 smooth piece of bark from among the remnants strewn 
 around. " When I write a fictitious letter and tell her 
 that another's love has taken her place, and sign the name 
 of Rollins to it, woman-like, her love will turn to hatred 
 for him, and I will console her, and win her for my 
 bride at last. ' It's an ill wind that blows nobody good.' " 
 
 He wheeled around and started homeward, going at 
 once to his room, where he found several old letters from
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 173 
 
 Rollins, which he cleverly made up his mind he could 
 make use of now in imitating the handwriting. 
 
 It was near midnight ere he finished the cruel letter 
 that was to sever two fond hearts most effectually. 
 
 The lines were faintly traced on the smooth piece of 
 bark, which was the method of communication used by 
 the more intelligent Sioux, and read as follows : 
 
 " Sioux CAMP. 
 
 " FRIEND CORA. I think it my duty to write you that 
 there is no longer the love in my heart for you that once 
 existed. I love Minnewaska as I never could have 
 loved you. I trust you will find some one more worthy 
 of you than I was. You are free now to choose whom 
 you will. All is over between us. Forgive and forget. 
 " Yours no longer, 
 
 " ARTHUR ROLLINS." 
 
 Twice Captain Lindsay read it over with very scrutiniz- 
 ing eyes; then, concluding that it was so like Arthur's 
 handwriting that no one on earth could detect it, he care- 
 fully folded it in a bit of brown paper and directed it to 
 Cora. 
 
 " She will never know that Joe, the half-breed, met me 
 the other day and told me of Minnewaska, and of her 
 strange infatuation for young Rollins, which, luckily, I 
 have been able to turn to good account in this instance. 
 I'll not trust this letter in any other hands but my own. 
 I will tell her it was sent into camp a moment before, and 
 believing that it boded good tidings, I hastened to deliver 
 it to her myself." 
 
 Cora's face was pressed close to the window that same 
 evening, as Captain Lindsay hurried up the path that led 
 to the Gordon cottage.
 
 174 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 "Ah! the scouts have been heard from at last; here 
 is one of the messengers," she murmured, as she hurried 
 quickly to the door, with a wistful, questioning expres- 
 sion on her sweet young face. 
 
 " Why, it is you, Captain Lindsay ! Come in ! " she 
 said, repeating the words over and over again. " You 
 have been successful? Tell me, did you find Arthur?" 
 
 " Yes, I have news from him," he faltered, following 
 her into the little sitting-room and taking a seat oppo- 
 site her. " A young warrior dashed up to the gates of 
 the fort only a few moments ago and left this package 
 for General Ormsby's daughter, saying it was from the 
 young man who had brought her to Fort Hadley a few 
 days ago. I took it hastily, and thinking it best not to 
 trust it to a messenger, I came with it without an instant's 
 delay." 
 
 " Oh, how very good of you, Captain Lindsay ! " she 
 said, laughing and half-sobbing for joy in the same 
 breath. 
 
 Her little fingers tore nervously at the outer covering, 
 and as she saw her name in the well-known handwriting, 
 she said, excitedly: 
 
 " It's from Arthur ! I knew he was safe. Heaven 
 guarded him and heard my prayers ! " 
 
 Hastily she scanned the bark with its faintly written 
 lines once, twice then a wild cry broke from her lips. 
 
 She reeled forward, and would have fallen at the feet 
 of the man who had so cruelly blasted all her hopes had 
 not his strong arms upheld the swaying little figure. 
 
 " Oh, God ! " she murmured, brokenly, " deserted, for- 
 saken! I would have sooner doubted the constancy of 
 heaven itself to me ! Read what it says ! " she moaned, 
 pointing to the bark that had fallen to the floor.
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 175 
 
 He picked it up, and with well- feigned surprise in his 
 eyes read it through in silence. 
 
 No tears came to her relief ; the blow was too deep, too 
 vital. 
 
 " You must banish all thoughts of one so false from 
 your life, now and forever, Cora, my poor girl ! " he said 
 in a low, soothing tone. " Think no more of him, but let 
 the rascal see that you are not crushed. Let me guide 
 and befriend you in your troubles. I love you so I can 
 not bear to see you suffer. Live and be happy for my 
 sake. You are all the world to me, little Cora ! " 
 
 " I can not listen to you to-night, Captain Lindsay," 
 she said. " I have passed through so much suffering 
 within the last few minutes that I am .not myself just 
 now. I will put the past all from me, live to learn to 
 forget the false, and commence life anew among my 
 girlhood friends of the East. I was happy, oh, so happy ! 
 until I came out here. I have no one to live for, and my 
 only wish is to go far away." 
 
 " Why do you say you have no one to live for, when 
 my whole heart and soul is yours beyond recall, Cora? 
 No other woman has ever won a word of praise, a sign, 
 or the merest token of love from my lips save your own 
 dear self. Do not spurn an honest heart that loves you 
 because of one you found to be false and cowardly. Cora, 
 when you turn from me, you will blot out all the sunshine 
 from my life. Do not keep me in cruel suspense longer. 
 Give me one word of encouragement. Promise me that 
 some day you will be my wife, little Cora ! " 
 
 To his surprise, she turned and placed her hand in 
 his. 
 
 " Let it be as you wish," she said, indifferently. " It 
 does not matter to me ; nothing matters to me now."
 
 176 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 CHAPTER XLI. 
 
 When Arthur Rollins left Cora, to take the horses back 
 a short distance, as he had promised to do, he expected 
 to return to Fort Hadley in at least half an hour. 
 
 But, alas ! human calculations often fail. 
 
 He rode along joyfully, thinking how thankful he 
 should be to know that Cora and himself were free. By 
 this time his little love had reached the fort in safety, and 
 he would join her in a few hours, at the furthest, he 
 thought. 
 
 How weird and strange the wood looked as he hurried 
 on his way ? So lost was he in his blissful, happy reveries, 
 that he never once noticed where the road diverged, until 
 he came up beside a fire that smouldered redly, causing 
 ruddy reflections to shine through the thick foliage. 
 
 He stopped short as he espied, but a few yards further 
 on, a tent, from which at least a dozen dusky forms 
 emerged. 
 
 His heart beat quickly, and his breath came in short 
 gasps, as he realized the truth of the situation. He had 
 taken the wrong path, and, great God ! it was too late to 
 retrace his steps. He had stumbled upon a party of war- 
 riors. 
 
 In a moment intense excitement prevailed among the 
 dusky tribe, and with strange, savage cries they sur- 
 rounded their helpless victim and tore him from the sad- 
 dle, brandishing their heavy clubs over his head as he 
 lay helpless on the ground. 
 
 There was one dark-browed warrior whose blighting 
 glances fell upon young Rollins, and struck terror to his 
 soul as he recognized him it was Half-breed Joe.
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 177 
 
 His word was law among his swarthy followers. In- 
 stantly the recognition became mutual, and he cried out 
 in quick, excited tones : 
 
 " Spare him a little I have use for him just now. 
 Through him I will find her!" 
 
 He turned to his despairing- captive, swayed back the 
 savage warriors with an imperative gesture, and bid him 
 rise and follow him. 
 
 Arthur obeyed, and soon the two men found them- 
 selves alone within the tent and facing each other. 
 
 A half snarl fell from Joe's lips as he advanced toward 
 him. 
 
 " So you made off with the pretty white lily that I had 
 chosen for my bride when I should return," he said, 
 fiercely. " I swore to be revenged upon you then," he 
 continued, " and Half-breed Joe, as they call me, always 
 keeps his word." 
 
 " I know that my life is in your hands," responded 
 Arthur, huskily, " but I can tell you now, and forever, 
 she will never be your bride. She is plighted to me, and 
 no other man living can ever claim her as his wife ! " 
 
 " I will see that you are bound with heavy thongs, and 
 fare as prisoners do, seeing that you do not favor my 
 plans," he said, menacingly. " Come, braves, tie this 
 man securely ; give him no mercy ; feed him on small ra- 
 tions; there is trouble between us, and it will be war to 
 the knife by and by ! " 
 
 Quickly they sprung forward and obeyed him, binding 
 his arms cruelly to the staples beside him, thrusting a bed 
 of dry leaves at his feet, then, laughing at his misery, 
 departed. 
 
 " Heaven forgive them, I never can ! " he cried, with a
 
 178 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 bitter groan. " No one will ever know what has become 
 of me. They will starve me, and my bones will lie bleach- 
 ing in the sun for many a day before Cora learns what 
 my fate has been. The last word I utter will be her pure, 
 sweet name. Thank God she is saved and safe among 
 those who love her. Would that I could wake and find 
 that this was but a horrible dream, that I have been look- 
 ing into Cora's blue eyes and listening to her sweet voice 
 instead of that fiend's." 
 
 He made a mighty effort to break the heavy thongs 
 that were cutting into his swollen wrists ; but it was use- 
 less; the heavy thongs seemed to cut their way deeper, 
 racking him anew with torture, until he thought he would 
 go mad. 
 
 CHAPTER XLII. 
 
 Arthur Rollins made up his mind, as he lay there in 
 that horrible position, that he must make his escape or he 
 would die. He could endure his captivity no longer. 
 With one mighty effort he wrenched himself free.. 
 
 Oh, the unspeakable joy that came to him when he 
 found that he was no longer bound in captivity! But 
 how should he make his escape without being detected? 
 
 Every moment seemed an age to him. His thoughts 
 were mingled with a feverish excitement of Cora and 
 liberty. 
 
 The first faint streaks of daylight were stealing in 
 through the aperture in the low tent. He went to the door 
 of his prison. It was fastened with many thongs, which
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 179 
 
 he at last succeeded in tearing apart. Then he peered cau- 
 tiously out, looked around him, and saw what his chances 
 were for escape. 
 
 One, two dusky forms were moving about a few yards 
 distant. It would never do to arouse their suspicions, 
 he well knew ; so he went back to the spot which he had 
 just left and waited anxiously for the moccasined Indians 
 to pass along. 
 
 He did not have to wait long, for just at that moment 
 several dusky forms came up to where a lumbering wagon 
 stood, and began piling in deer-skins and the spoils of 
 their last hunting expedition. 
 
 An Indian lad came across the lawn, leading a spirited 
 pony, which he soon hitched to the vehicle. Then he took 
 a seat among the soft pile until all was ready for him 
 to drive off, and pulling his thick cap down over his ears, 
 he began to nod until he had lost himself in slumber. 
 
 Arthur watched the well-filled wagon from his place 
 of concealment with his heart in his eyes. A sudden 
 thought came to him, as daring as it was difficult, and 
 he determined to put it into execution without an instant's 
 delay, if it were in his power and that was to take ad- 
 vantage of the boy's sleeping and crawl quickly under 
 the huge pile of skins that they had arranged to send to 
 the next reservation. 
 
 Watching his opportunity eagerly, Arthur Rollins 
 found a moment when there was no one in sight, in which 
 he crawled hastily into the wagon, the skins covering him 
 from view most effectually. 
 
 Five minutes later the boy started on his way with his 
 burden, and as he left the weather-beaten tents of the 
 Sioux village behind him, jolted along slowly over the 
 narrow, uneven road that led to a belt of forest, Arthur
 
 180 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 rolled away the heavy load that enveloped him, and 
 breathed a fervent prayer of thankfulness. 
 
 For an instant he sat bolt upright in the lumbering 
 wagon, while the boy drove on further and further, leav- 
 ing the village miles behind him. 
 
 Arthur had been revolving in his mind the quickest way 
 to pilot himself to safety and Fort Hadley. The wagon 
 moved altogether too slowly to suit him. They were apt 
 at any moment to be overtaken by a band of roving hunt- 
 ers, while they were proceeding in the direction of another 
 tribe of dusky warriors, who would take his life without 
 an instant's hesitation if they discovered him. Every 
 moment was precious to him now. He must make his 
 escape at once, if he was to avoid greater dangers. 
 
 Suiting the action to the word, he leaped to the side of 
 the wagon and jumped to the ground, calling loudly to 
 the boy to stop. As the lad turned and saw him emerge 
 from the wagon, he gave a quick, frightened scream, and 
 flinging the reins down, he jumped to the ground and fell 
 on his knees in helpless bewilderment, raising his trem- 
 bling hands in mortal dread. 
 
 " It is a ghost ! " the boy thought in alarm, " and he has 
 been pursuing me ever since I left the village." With this 
 belief he took to his heels, and turning his scared face in 
 the opposite direction, started on a swift run, which he 
 kept up until he was fairly exhausted. 
 
 In the meantime, Arthur Rollins made the most of the 
 opportunity afforded him. 
 
 Quickly unharnessing the horse, he laid a fur robe over 
 the animal's back, mounted it, and dashed away, taking 
 the best paved road that he could find, plunging along at 
 break-neck speed through tangled shrubbery, over rough
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 181 
 
 stones and bowlders, with the thought of home and a 
 glad meeting with Cora spurring on his every energy. 
 
 Oh for some sight to guide him to civilization ! 
 
 He had guided the animal further away from the 
 haunts of the Sioux, but at last he became puzzled, as he 
 saw just ahead of him that the route ended in a steep path 
 that led to the water's edge. 
 
 Which way should he go now ? While he was thinking 
 how he should proceed, he was startled by a noise in 
 the underbrush, and turned around and looked in the di- 
 rection from whence the sound came. To his great sur- 
 prise he saw two stalwart Indians sitting on the bank 
 before a fire; they were just finishing their meal, when 
 one of them caught sight of the horse and rider scarcely 
 a dozen yards distant. 
 
 With a mighty yell that resounded through the forest, 
 they jumped to their feet and rushed wildly toward him. 
 
 Quick as a flash, Arthur Rollins jerked his horse's head, 
 and with one mighty effort wheeled him around, lashing 
 him on with might and main, and digging the spurs into 
 his sides until he dashed madly into the stream. 
 
 Arthur Rollins was whirled by the topmost breaker and 
 carried forcibly along, now sinking beneath the breast 
 of some huge wave, now floating with the foam-tossed 
 tide, without volition on his part, the helpless and un- 
 conscious prey of the waves. A long, dark speck sud- 
 denly appeared on the horizon, coming nearer and nearer 
 to the floating figure and the stark-white face. 
 
 Presently it came abreast of the inanimate form, and 
 with a great effort strong hands rescued him from the 
 angry waves, and placed him on the barge of logs that 
 was plying its way in the course he had intended to take. 
 
 After considerable effort, he was restored to con-
 
 182 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 sciousness, though he was too weak and feeble to tell his 
 kind rescuers who he was or his destination. 
 
 They were rough men, but kind of heart; and as they 
 placed Arthur upon the rude bed they had improvised 
 for him, he relapsed into a semi-conscious state again, 
 while the rude barge carried him further and further 
 away from the destination for which he had set out. 
 
 The barge upon which Arthur lay was owned by two 
 men, who were traders, making long trips of hundreds of 
 miles on each expedition without stopping. 
 
 They were bound for a Southern frontier village on 
 this particular occasion, which was far removed from 
 Fort Hadley, and they concluded, after a short consulta- 
 tion, that it would be best to take the young man with 
 them who had been so strangely cast in their midst. 
 
 They did this out of the kindness of their hearts, little 
 dreaming what was to accrue from it. 
 
 If they had aroused him, and asked him about it, his 
 whole after life would have been different; but they 
 thought it best to let him remain there until he should 
 come out of his strange sleep of his own accord. 
 
 CHAPTER XLIII. 
 
 Arthur Rollins was awakened from his troubled sleep 
 long hours after his miraculous rescue by the sound of 
 excited voices near by. 
 
 " Where am I ? " he asked in bewilderment, as he 
 caught sight of the strangers bending over him.
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 183 
 
 " On a barge bound for a distant landing," responded 
 one of the men, shortly. 
 
 " What do you say to joining us if you have no better 
 place to go to ? " asked the other. 
 
 " I am in a great hurry to reach the place where I 
 came from," Arthur answered, eagerly. " I came from 
 Fort Hadley a short time ago, and I am anxious to re- 
 turn there as soon as possible." 
 
 " From Fort Hadley ? " both men echoed. 
 
 " Yes ; I belong there," he answered. 
 
 " That is the place we both started from on this trip. 
 We laid off there, and got pretty well acquainted with the 
 folks at the fort. We had considerable trading to do with 
 the settlers, and left there not three days ago." 
 
 " You left Fort Hadley only three days ago? " echoed 
 Arthur, a world of eagerness in his voice. " Did you 
 know General Ormsby, or or his daughter? She ar- 
 rived home safe, of course, did she not?" this with in- 
 tense wistfulness. 
 
 " I will answer one question at a time, young man," 
 he answered, slowly. " General Ormsby is dead." 
 
 " Dead ? " broke in Arthur, starting up as if he had 
 been dealt a sudden blow. 
 
 " Yes ; and before he died he married an elderly lady 
 who kept house for him; her name was Bitterwood, I 
 heard them say, and she died too." 
 
 " Great God ! " moaned Arthur, wildly, quite believing 
 that he had lost his senses. " And who is Cora living 
 with? The poor darling must be completely overcome 
 with grief. I will pay you a good sum, men, if you will 
 turn this boat back and land me at the nearest point to 
 Fort Hadley. I must go to her at once. Oh, if I had
 
 184 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 only known this before, if I had only been free to go to 
 her ! " his head falling sadly in his hands, his voice husky 
 with emotion. 
 
 " Haven't you heard the news about the general's 
 daughter ? " the other queried, staring hard at the man's 
 dejected face. 
 
 " What news ? " he asked, with feverish impatience. 
 " Be kind enough not to keep me an instant in suspense. 
 Has has anything happened to her ? " 
 
 " Oh, no ; it's a kind er romantic sort of affair. She 
 is like all girls, I suppose. When they find themselves 
 alone in the world, the next thing they have to think of 
 is love and marriage. He's a handsome young man, and 
 she fell straightway in love with him, and the upshot of 
 the matter is they're preparing for a fine wedding, which 
 is to come off soon." 
 
 " This is the first I have heard of it," Arthur answered 
 in a low voice, a distressed look creeping into his heavy 
 eyes. " I can not bear to think of Cora loving another." 
 
 " Why not ? She was all alone in the world. Don't 
 you like to hear about lovers ? " 
 
 " I I never thought of her marrying any one but me. 
 Who who is the man she is to wed ? " he asked, sud- 
 denly, his eyes shining with suppressed excitement. 
 
 " If I remember his name aright, it is Captain Lind- 
 say," was his reply. " She has put all her affairs in his 
 hands, forgotten her sorrow, and, it appears to me, she 
 will make as happy a bride as the sun ever shone upon." 
 
 " The last man in the world for that poor girl to have 
 intrusted her future to my hated rival, and one her 
 father always disliked. It seems like a dream to me," 
 he murmured, under his breath. " And to think she is
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 185 
 
 false to my memory, tired of me so soon, and I believed 
 her as true as Heaven to me, and to the vows that I had 
 supposed were so sacred and were to bring us such hap- 
 piness. Ah ! the bitterness of it ! Better far had I been 
 killed by the savages from whom I have just escaped 
 than to have lived to learn of her heartlessness and per- 
 fidy that another has taken my place before a week has 
 separated us from each other ! " 
 
 Suddenly the thought came to him that perhaps these 
 men might know when the wedding was to take place. 
 He had forgotten, in his excitement, to ask that most im- 
 portant question. 
 
 Two days later, they told him, and it seemed to him 
 in that moment that the very life seemed parting from 
 his body. 
 
 " Two days more ! " Arthur gasped. " There is noth- 
 ing I will not do or give you if you will only turn your 
 barge in the direction that will be nearest for me to reach 
 Fort Hadley. I tnust get there by that time, or I will 
 blow out my brains, as there is nothing more left for 
 me to live for! Can you turn this craft at once if I make 
 it worth your while, my good men? If you but knew that 
 a human life is at stake, in the name of a just God, you 
 would return with me without a moment's delay ! " 
 
 " Impossible ! " they both answered, simultaneously. 
 " We would lose all we possessed in the world if we 
 were not to push on as quickly as we can and get to the 
 place we're bound for." 
 
 Arthur gave a groan of despair. The last hope was 
 gone. He did not pursue the subject any longer, and they 
 both wondered at his strange silence. 
 
 As the gray light of morning ushered in the dawn, one
 
 186 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 of the men woke up, and started in the direction of 
 'Arthur's couch. 
 
 There was no response to his loud call, and his voice 
 echoed out over the waters, startling his companion, who 
 hastened to the spot. 
 
 " Where is he ? He has gone ? " they said to each other 
 in shocked tones; then they instituted a search on the 
 barge, only to find that he was missing, and had left no 
 trace behind him. 
 
 CHAPTER XLIV. 
 
 But to return to Cora, dear reader. Now that she had 
 given her promise to Captain Lindsay that she would be 
 his bride, she would not falter, though it cost her the 
 greatest effort of her life to look the future in the face. 
 
 To bind her promise more securely, Captain Lindsay 
 lost no time in making their engagement known. 
 
 Cora received the congratulations of her friends in a 
 very subdued manner, and more than one whispered to 
 themselves that it was a most unhappy betrothal ; but she 
 was alone in the world, they argued, and it was much bet- 
 ter for her to marry. 
 
 Deeply as the sorrow enshrouded her, Cora could not 
 help but notice that day by day her friend, Julia Gordon, 
 became more depressed. So she made up her mind to 
 question her about it. Perhaps there was some secret 
 sorrow gnawing at her friend's mind.
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 187 
 
 At first Julia denied everything; then she suddenly 
 burst into tears. 
 
 " I may as well tell you the truth, Cora," she said. 
 '*' The day that you marry Captain Lindsay, all happiness 
 will be over for me. For, ah ! how can I tell you ? I love 
 him ! " 
 
 " If that is the case, Julia, I shall never marry him," 
 said Cora. " I would rather die than take any girl's 
 lover from her ! " 
 
 " It was not your fault ! " sobbed Julia ; " you did not 
 know. I kept it from you." 
 
 " But I know it now," returned Cora, firmly. 
 
 " It is too late ! " sobbed Julia. 
 
 " You should have trusted me with your secret be- 
 fore," said Cora, gently. 
 
 " What could it possibly avail ? " 
 
 " You can not always tell. Had I known this, I should 
 never have promised to become his wife; and now that 
 I know it, I shall never be ! " 
 
 " Would you make so great a sacrifice for me, Cora ? " 
 
 " It is no sacrifice, Julia. I have long since regretted 
 my promise to marry him. This shows me a way out 
 of it." 
 
 " But Captain Lindsay, he would not release you." 
 
 " No man can force a girl to say ' yes ' at the altar 
 against her will," she answered ; " and when I give you 
 my word that I will not marry Captain Lindsay, nothing 
 can make me change my mind. You can rest assured that 
 I will not do so." 
 
 Julia caught her hands and kissed them with gratitude 
 too great for words. 
 
 " You are indeed a noble friend," she murmured, ex-
 
 188 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 citedly. " Words fail me in expressing to you what I 
 feel." 
 
 " He trifled with my affections," said Julia, laying her 
 head on Cora's shoulder. " He always sought me out 
 when you were not about, and made professions of love 
 to me. On one occasion he asked me to marry him, but 
 the next evening he laughed me out of it, saying it could 
 only be called a joke. What on earth could I say to that? 
 Luckily, I had not even told my sister. Had I done so, I 
 would have been shamed to death of the result. She 
 would have called him to an account, and he would have 
 backed out before the whole fort." 
 
 " No wonder, if that is the case, you feel badly. He 
 must keep his word and marry you," declared Cora. 
 
 " You mean well enough, but you don't know what 
 you say," sighed Julia. 
 
 " Any man who asks a girl to marry him should be 
 held to it," said Cora, firmly, " even if she has to resort 
 to strategy to cause him to keep his vow." 
 
 " That could not be," sighed Julia. 
 
 " Do you know how it could be done in this case ? " 
 asked Cora, throwing her arms about Julia, and looking 
 eagerly into her face. 
 
 She shook her head disconsolately. 
 
 Cora bent forward and eagerly whispered a few words 
 in her ear. 
 
 Those few words fairly made Julia gasp for breath. 
 
 " It it could not be done," she murmured, faintly. 
 
 "Why not?" asked Cora. 
 
 " Because I I would not have the courage." 
 
 " A woman has the courage to do anything to win the 
 man she loves," said Cora.
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 189 
 
 " That is very true," said Julia. " I I will try it." 
 
 " Spoken like your own brave self ! With such cour- 
 age you can not fail," said Cora. 
 
 A glad light broke over Julia Gordon's face. 
 
 " You are indeed my friend," she murmured. " I will 
 make the attempt, and whatever comes of it Well, I 
 shall not anticipate anything ahead, but wait and see what 
 comes. I tried to keep up, but, ah, Cora, my dear, I 
 am greatly afraid I should have broken down at the last 
 moment ! You are my guardian angel ! " 
 
 For an hour or more Cora and Julia Gordon held a 
 whispered consultation, then the two girls retired to their 
 room, but not to sleep. There was so much which re- 
 quired their attention, it was after midnight when at last 
 they sought their couches. 
 
 CHAPTER XLV. 
 
 When the traders had refused Arthur Rollins' prayer, 
 to land and put him ashore, he lost no more time in use- 
 less pleading. He had made a firm resolve in his own 
 mind, which he only waited the opportunity to put into 
 execution. 
 
 It was night. He stole on deck, looking long and 
 eagerly down into the fathomless water that curled and 
 eddied round the barge, leaving a path of foam behind it. 
 
 In the distance he saw a little tug, and cried out to 
 himself that Hearen had answered his prayer. He waited
 
 190 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 until the boat was nearly opposite him, then with one 
 mad plunge he dived down into the waters. 
 
 He sunk he rose, then with deathless energy he struck 
 out for the passing tug, and with a force born of despera- 
 tion, he grasped the little boat which was being towed by 
 the tug. 
 
 He never knew how he clambered into it. 
 
 It took him long hours to recover himself sufficiently 
 to call out to the men, who were at last moving about the 
 deck. It was daylight by this time. 
 
 To Arthur's great joy, he found on ship-board one of 
 the sutlers who belonged to Fort Hadley. 
 
 The recognition between them was mutual. 
 
 This man, Harris by name, had heard of Cora's loss, 
 also that Arthur Rollins had started out in search of 
 her; how she had returned to Fort Hadley without him, 
 and last, but by no means least, of the marriage that 
 was to be celebrated so soon ; and to come upon Arthur 
 Rollins so suddenly, surprised him. 
 
 He wondered if young Rollins knew of the approach- 
 ing marriage of the late general's beautiful daughter, and 
 that it was to take place that very day ay, at high 
 noon. 
 
 A few words showed him that the young man was 
 painfully aware of the fact. 
 
 " I will do my best," said Harris. " I do not forget 
 that you once helped me in a little affair, and it's a 
 mighty poor rule that won't work both ways. Stay right 
 here, and I will let you know in just no time at all." 
 
 It seemed to Arthur Rollins, as he paced the deck to 
 and fro, that the man would never return. The mo- 
 ments, as they passed by, seemed to lapse into hours ; he
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 191 
 
 did not even have his watch by him to tell him how the 
 time was passing; the awful suspense seemed to take 
 years off his life. When he could endure it no longer, 
 he sought the engineer himself. He found the door se- 
 curely locked. The sign of " No admittance," which 
 glared at him grim, black, and weather-beaten, seemed 
 to hold a horrible significance to him. 
 
 With one mighty effort, Arthur Rollins burst in the 
 door. 
 
 " You must send this boat along ! " he cried. " You 
 are dealing with a desperate man! If fair means will 
 not suffice, then I shall resort to other methods ! " 
 
 Arthur sprung desperately toward the lever, and be- 
 fore either of them could divine his intention, he at- 
 tempted to take the engineer's place, and to man the 
 engine himself. 
 
 Harris was the first to recover his presence of mind. 
 
 " Come with me. You must leave here ! " he said. 
 
 " Go from here leave me at once ! " said Arthur, 
 hoarsely, fairly whirling him away from him; then be- 
 fore he could recover from his surprise, Arthur leaped to 
 his side, and with one mighty stroke from his right 
 arm, he hurled him out through the half -open door- way, 
 shutting it with a heavy thud upon him, while the click 
 of the heavy iron lock told Harris plainly enough that 
 the door was fastened between him and the two men. 
 
 Meanwhile, the tug shot rapidly forward, like a sea- 
 gull skimming over the water. 
 
 Harris realized that something must be done at once. 
 
 Again he tried the oaken door, but he found that it 
 was merely a waste of time. He placed his lips to the 
 key-hole and shouted desperately to Arthur:
 
 192 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 " My God, you will blow up the boat ! In another 
 moment we will be lost! Open the door quick in 
 Heaven's name ! " 
 
 A moment that seemed the length of eternity elapsed, 
 and he heard footsteps from within slowly cross the 
 floor. 
 
 The bolt was shot back, and Arthur Rollins, white as 
 he would ever be in death stood before him. 
 
 But he did not pause an instant to contemplate him. 
 
 Like a flash, Harris sprung past him. He saw the 
 engineer lying motionless upon the floor. 
 
 He could not stop to learn the difficulty just at that 
 moment, but he sprung hurriedly to the engine, and re- 
 versed the lever in the nick of time to avoid a most ter- 
 rible disaster. 
 
 " I don't care what you do now ! " cried Arthur. " See, 
 the flag of Fort Hadley is in sight, and I am just in time 
 to avert the marriage ! That three minutes' leeway meant 
 life to me, Harris. Surely you understand my posi- 
 tion. I I have not hurt him. He interfered with me 
 in my life-work. I had to silence him for the time 
 being. Don't blame me. Hark! what noise is that I 
 hear?" 
 
 " It is the booming of the cannon from Fort Had- 
 ley," said Harris, laying one hand on his arm. " You 
 are too late, Arthur, my boy. Do not take it so hard. 
 It could not be helped. You did all you could." 
 
 " Stop the tug ! " yelled Arthur. " For the love of 
 God, hasten ! " 
 
 " Don't you see that the marriage is over? The bene- 
 diction is to be pronounced as the cannon i fired. The
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 general's daughter is now the wife of Captain Lindsay, 
 Do nothing rash, Arthur. What God hath joined to- 
 gether, let no man put asunder." 
 
 CHAPTER XLVI. 
 
 Cora Ormsby was up with the sun the next morning. 
 This was the beginning of what was known far and 
 near as the day of her wedding with Captain Lindsay. 
 
 Early that very same morning the soldiers and officers 
 of the fort, with their wives and sweethearts, had busied 
 themselves in gathering flowers, and weaving them into 
 bright-hued wreaths to decorate the chapel. When they 
 had finished beautifying the little wooden edifice, they 
 returned to the fort to get themselves ready for the gala 
 occasion, which, with its military honors, was to be one 
 of the most pompous ceremonies that had ever taken 
 place at Fort Hadley. 
 
 Cora had scarcely time to realize what was going on, 
 ere messengers began to arrive at the door of her dwell- 
 ing. Julia answered the summonses, and soon the broad- 
 leaved parlor table was loaded down with bright, dew- 
 sprinkled flowers, garlands, and wreaths, with cards bear- 
 ing the names of Captain Lindsay and other officers, with 
 a line written under each name " Best wishes," " Future 
 happiness," etc. 
 
 These tributes made Cora grow sick at heart, and she 
 turned away from the odorous offerings with a shudder
 
 194 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 of disgust, and crept back to her room, more lonely and 
 desolate than ever. 
 
 Her self-communings were cut short by the entrance 
 of Julia Gordon, who tripped lightly over the threshold, 
 her blue eyes bright as stars, her cheeks flushed, a radiant 
 delight shining in her features. 
 
 " I don't suppose you have allowed yourself an hour's 
 sleep, my dear little Cora," she said, coming up to her 
 and patting the pale cheeks with her warm, soft hands. 
 " Cora, you have made me so happy this day ! " she 
 whispered, joyously. 
 
 " Better say I owe you a debt which I can never in 
 this world hope to repay, Julia," the girl answered, earn- 
 estly. " I suppose the task of dressing must be begun," 
 added Cora. " We have no time to lose, and must help 
 each other as well as we can." 
 
 " I have laid out the bride's and bride-maid's dresses, 
 and everything is ready for us whenever you think it is 
 time to commence dressing," Julia responded, quickly, 
 the light in her eyes deepening, her heart beating faster 
 and faster. 
 
 " I will trust you to arrange everything," replied Cora ; 
 " and I know the marriage will go off as smoothly as can 
 be, and somebody's heart, at least, will be ever so 
 happy." 
 
 CHAPTER XLVIL 
 
 'At the appointed time, Captain Lindsay was in the 
 little parlor of Miss Gordon's house, pacing up and down 
 the room in the utmost impatience.
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 195 
 
 He was expecting Cora and her bride-maid down every 
 moment. It was growing darker each second the very 
 light of heaven seemed blotted out from view. 
 
 He had never been sure that he would win her. He 
 was in dread every hour yes, every moment of his 
 life that something should occur that would prevent 
 Cora from marrying him. 
 
 He had wrung the promise from her lips when she 
 had believed her lover false to her, but she had not 
 given her heart to him ; it belonged to another, although 
 she had pledged herself to wed his rival in a short time. 
 
 "I wonder if Cora will fail me?" he asked himself 
 over again; and, unable to restrain his impatience any 
 longer, he went to the staircase and listened, and he 
 felt relieved as he caught the sound of girlish voices and 
 soft, rippling laughter coming from the rooms over- 
 head. 
 
 At last the murmur of voices ceased. Noiselessly they 
 crept down the stairs and walked into the little parlor, 
 and stood silently in waiting. 
 
 Captain Lindsay walked hurriedly toward them, mur- 
 muring over and over again: 
 
 " I am so glad you have come, my darling bride to be ! 
 It is growing so dark we can hardly see each other. Take 
 my arm, little Cora, love." 
 
 A white-robed figure stepped forward and glided to 
 his side. The dainty dimpled face was not discernible 
 behind the veil of fleecy white that enveloped her fair 
 head. 
 
 Captain Lindsay led the veiled figure up the aisle, 
 quite believing himself the happiest lover in the whole 
 world. The minister took his place in the chancel,
 
 196 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 opened his prayer-book, and the little group took their 
 positions beside the flower-wreathed railing. A mo- 
 mentary hush filled the room; every eye was bent in- 
 tently upon the wedding party. 
 
 The organ, which had pealed forth the sweet strains 
 of a wedding-march, ceased, and the minister com- 
 menced the solemn service. 
 
 The bridegroom's responses were clear and earnest, 
 the bride's so faint that they could scarcely catch the whis- 
 pered words that fell from her lips. Another instant 
 and he pronounced them man and wife. 
 
 Captain Lindsay leaned forward smilingly as she swept 
 the folds of her bridal-veil aside with her graceful white 
 hand. 
 
 As he looked, he drew back with a startled cry that 
 echoed strangely through the old chapel. Like one fas- 
 cinated, he gazed into the half-frightened face that looked 
 into his. It was Julia Gordon whom he had wedded, and 
 not Cora Ormsby! And at the same moment the boom- 
 ing of the cannons was heard without, their deafening 
 sounds resounding far and near. 
 
 CHAPTER XLVIII. 
 
 Captain Lindsay gazed into the face looking up into 
 his own like one aroused from a horrible dream. 
 
 He saw through it all now. The girl standing at his 
 side had taken Cora Ormsby's place, and he had made 
 her his wife. These two girls had laid this daring plot
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 197 
 
 together to outwit him, which they had succeeded in 
 doing most cleverly. 
 
 Captain Lindsay's face would never be whiter in death 
 than it was at that instant. It was distorted with passion, 
 too. 
 
 Immediately the fierce wrath in his nature was stirred 
 to its utmost as it flashed across him how he had been 
 victimized by Cora and Julia Gordon. 
 
 A swift change seemed to come over the girl who 
 stood so silently by his side, which puzzled him despite 
 his intense anger. Whiter and whiter she grew, while 
 the light in her eyes blazed feverishly in their depths. 
 
 He turned his head and looked beyond her. Where was 
 the bride-maid, whom he knew now must have been 
 Cora ? She was nowhere to be seen ; no one had noticed 
 the pale-faced girl, in the intense excitement that pre- 
 vailed, as she glided noiselessly, like a wraith, down the 
 crowded aisle among the panic-stricken crowd. 
 
 When she reached the hall door she paused an instant, 
 and threw a long gray cloak about her which she had left 
 there. Then she sped with lightning-like rapidity along 
 the dusty, winding road by which she had come but a 
 short time before on her strange mission. 
 
 One thought only was uppermost in Cora's mind as 
 she sped swiftly in the direction of the Gordon cottage, 
 and that was, to collect a small parcel of her belongings, 
 don a dark robe, and to start straightway off anywhere, 
 she knew not, cared not, so long as it was away from the 
 fort. 
 
 All this time poor Julia, who had thoughtlessly de- 
 ceived handsome Captain Lindsay into that strange mar- 
 riage, remained unconscious of what was transpiring 
 around her.
 
 198 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 A guilty pang of deep remorse had shot through her 
 heart when she saw the sudden change from indifference 
 to hatred which her newly wedded husband showed for 
 her. 
 
 A wild excitement took possession of her when she 
 heard him hurl fierce maledictions and direful threats 
 at her, showing no p^ns of relenting, granting her no 
 mercy. 
 
 She reached out her hands imploringly to him, uttering 
 pitiful, broken cries, and falling down on her knees lowly, 
 beseechingly before him. 
 
 She might as well have knelt before a statue. 
 
 " You are still acting a clever part," he hissed, in a 
 hard, unnatural voice ; " but it is my turn now to see that 
 justice is done, and that you meet your just reward, 
 woman! You shall suffer more than you have made me 
 suffer! There is no punishment that will be too great 
 for you to bear. 
 
 " You knew all the love in my heart was given to an- 
 other, yet you forced yourself into a marriage with me. 
 How dared you deal me such a blow ? Any one else but 
 me would have crushed your false life out. How came 
 you to risk my anger ? " 
 
 " You are so cruel to me that it is a wonder God does 
 not strike you dead ! " she moaned. " No matter how 
 much I plead my great love for you, you turn a deaf 
 ear. You love her best. You taught me to love you 
 once, and this is what it has cost you."
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 199 
 
 CHAPTER XLIX. 
 
 Who shall picture the feelings of Arthur Rollins, as 
 he sprung from the gang-plank and rushed madly up the 
 narrow path that led to the fort? He found the people 
 in the fort in the greatest of excitement. 
 
 What did it mean the white, scared faces and the 
 terror in the eyes of the women and children? 
 
 While he paused a moment for breath, he heard the 
 whole story of the marriage how it had turned out that 
 the two girls had changed places at the very altar; that 
 it was Julia Gordon who had wedded Captain Lindsay, 
 and his terrible rage when he discovered how he had 
 been duped, and of Cora's sudden flight. 
 
 As he listened in breathless amazement, quick as a flash 
 the thought came to him that all the trouble he had un- 
 dergone had been at the instigation of Captain Lindsay. 
 
 It had been done to separate him from Cora. 
 
 He could have cried aloud in thankfulness in joy to 
 Heaven that Cora was not wedded to his rival. 
 
 Where could she have gone? Life must have been un- 
 endurable to her to have fled from the people at the 
 fort. 
 
 There was no tie that bound her, now that the old 
 general had passed away. But where could she have 
 gone? His judgment told him that she must have gone 
 back to the East ; there was no other place toward which 
 she could have turned her steps. 
 
 He made up his mind to follow her at once. 
 
 He took one of the ponies picketed close at hand, and 
 stole away.
 
 200 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 He well knew that if he should rush to headquarters 
 and apply for leave of absence to Captain Lindsay, his 
 superior officer, that he would be refused, as he dared 
 not stand the chance of being refused. He well knew 
 that he would be shot down on sight, as a deserter, if 
 they were to find him. Even for all that, he must take 
 his chances, come what might, with one hope, that of 
 finding Cora, to buoy him up. 
 
 A day and a night he traveled incessantly. He had 
 heard from a trapper whom he met that the stage-coach 
 on the overland route had passed that point but a short 
 time before, and that among the passengers he had no- 
 ticed a young and very beautiful girl, whose hair was as 
 golden as the sunshine and whose eyes were as blue as 
 forget-me-nots. 
 
 " It is she ! " he muttered to himself. 
 
 " I could not help but notice her," continued the trap- 
 per ; " for the young man who was with her paid her 
 such devoted attention." 
 
 " The young man who was with her ? " he gasped. 
 " Are you sure you have not made a mistake ? " 
 
 The trapper shook his head. 
 
 " I was in love once myself," he answered, " when I 
 was young, and I have a tender place in my heart for 
 lovers. I could not help but watch the young fellow, he 
 seemed so very fond of the girl beside him." 
 
 Arthur's hands fell nervously to his side. 
 
 " Was he an officer, or one of the soldiers of the 
 f ort ? " he inquired, breathlessly. 
 
 " He was dressed in citizen's clothes, but he had a 
 very superior way with him. I think, perhaps, he might 
 have been an officer a captain, or something like that." 
 
 Arthur paused. If this was the case, should he pur-
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 201 
 
 sue Cora any further? She was going to the far East 
 with never a thought of leaving him behind. If he should 
 pursue her and overtake her, what should he say if he 
 found her with some lover by her side? 
 
 There was but one thing to do, and that was to push 
 onward. He dared not return ; he had burned his bridges 
 behind him. He had lost heart and hope. There was 
 nothing now to look forward to but escape. 
 
 It hurt him to be known as a deserter; but there was 
 no help for it under the circumstances. They could court- 
 martial him, put him to death, if they liked, for an offense 
 of that kind. Yes, he must go on. 
 
 It was with a. very sore heart that Arthur Rollins pur- 
 sued his way. Another day and he was within some 
 fifty miles of the stage-coach. 
 
 Once more he turned his horse in the direction of the 
 main road. It was night by this time, and, tired out with 
 the journey of the day, he sought rest for a little while in 
 the cool shadow of the trees. 
 
 Tethering his horse to a stake, he threw himself down 
 in the long green grass. He did not mean to lose himself 
 in sleep, for time was precious to him if he would over- 
 take the stage-coach. An hour would give him all the 
 rest he needed. 
 
 He had scarcely flung himself down under the trees 
 ere he heard the sound of the tramping of horses' feet. 
 It was a welcome sound to Arthur, for companionship 
 in the vast wilderness would be a boon. 
 
 He was about to call out, when the sentence that fell 
 upon his ears held him spell-bound. 
 
 " How far do you think the stage-coach has got by 
 this time? " said a gruff voice.
 
 202 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 " Not more than twenty-five miles or so," returned his 
 companion. 
 
 Whereupon three or four more voices broke in, so that 
 Arthur judged there must at least be half a dozen men 
 in the party. 
 
 " It will be a pretty rich haul ! " exclaimed the first 
 speaker, with a chuckle. " I have had a good description 
 of the people it is carrying, and we shall have an easy 
 time surrounding it and getting whatever valuables there 
 may be in the crowd. I'll divide up evenly with you, boys, 
 in all save sharing the pretty blue-eyed girl. If she is a 
 little beauty, like what they've all described her, I shall 
 want her for myself. She might do worse than become 
 a bandit's bride, eh, boys ? It will be very easy to abduct 
 her, and there will be no one to tell what has become 
 of her, and she will soon be forgotten. Of course, she 
 is not traveling alone ; but whoever is with her, we'll set- 
 tle his hash very quick. We may as well rest here until 
 daylight; we've been on this trail for two days now/- 
 To-morrow we'll see fun, as they say this is the richest 
 load that the stage-coach has carried for many a day. 
 Three or four of the passengers carry belts of gold 
 about them. It is always best to attack a stage-coach 
 at night; we have a better chance of escaping to the 
 woods. We will travel all day and overtake it in the 
 mountain-pass. We shall have them literally at our 
 mercy there." 
 
 They arranged their plan of attack minutely, little 
 dreaming of the terrified ears into which they were pour- 
 ing their terrible secret. 
 
 Having discussed the matter at length, the men 
 stretched themselves upon the ground, and they soon 
 fell into a deep sleep.
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 203 
 
 Arthur had crept as close to them as he dared. He 
 was afraid that the loud beating of his heart must be 
 heard by them. 
 
 There was but one thing for him to do to mount 
 his horse with all haste, tired though the animal was, 
 overtake the stage-coach, inform the passengers of what 
 he had heard, and warn them of the peril which was 
 awaiting them. 
 
 But how could he reach his horse ? The stake to which 
 he was securely tethered was on the other side of the 
 sleeping men. Perhaps they had left one of their num- 
 ber acting as sentinel; the road-agents, as they called 
 themselves, usually took that precaution. He could easily 
 slip away on foot; but without a horse he could never 
 expect to cover the distance before day-break. 
 
 He must have his horse or, better still, one of theirs. 
 They had said that their animals were fresh. He could 
 readily believe that from the way they pawed the ground 
 and pranced about impatiently. Yes, one of their horses 
 would be best, if he could secure it. 
 
 Fortune favored him. Just as he was wondering how 
 he could best secure one of their steeds, a horse broke 
 away. He heard a muttered curse from one of the men. 
 
 " That devilish horse is loose again ! He won't go far. 
 Let him canter round to his heart's content; I'll not get 
 up and chase round after him, I'll warrant!" 
 
 The horse careened around so wildly that in a mo- 
 ment's time every one was awake, much to Arthur's 
 terror. 
 
 But they were a lazy set, these bandits. Each one 
 made up his mind that it was the other's place to get the 
 horse.
 
 204 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 After considerable quarreling and bickering, they all 
 settled down to sleep again, and Arthur breathed more 
 freely. 
 
 He waited some few moments longer to assure him- 
 self that they were all thoroughly asleep again, then he 
 stole silently forth to the spot where the horse was graz- 
 ing. If the animal made a fuss at his approach, all would 
 be lost. He dared not speak to the horse to assure him 
 as he approached. It was a moment fraught with such 
 terrible danger that even Arthur's face blanched. If the 
 horse betrayed his presence, all was indeed lost. He 
 could only breathe a silent prayer to Heaven as he cau- 
 tiously approached. 
 
 Nearer, nearer he went. Would the animal betray him ? 
 
 Trembling like an aspen leaf, he stretched out his hand 
 toward the horse. 
 
 Another instant of suspense. Would he turn from 
 him and plunge into the deep wood, or would he re- 
 main docile? 
 
 He tried to whisper a word, but no sound fell from 
 his lips. The horse raised his head, and with one bound 
 plunged into the forest with a loud neigh of alarm. 
 
 CHAPTER L. 
 
 For a moment Arthur Rollins' blood stood still in his 
 veins ; he felt that he was discovered by the road agents. 
 
 To his great surprise, not one of them stirred. If they 
 heard the animal they must surely have thought that
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 205 
 
 he was simply careering about in play at finding himself 
 free. 
 
 'Arthur resolved upon a bold step; he must have the 
 horse. There was but one way, and that was to go after 
 him, follow him into the thicket, and capture him. 
 
 Suiting the action to the thought, he stole cautiously 
 forward through the interlacing trees. Twice he was 
 so near the animal that his outstretched hand almost 
 grasped the bridle, and as often the horse eluded him. 
 
 Desperate at the loss of time, Arthur dashed forward 
 and made a lunge for the horse, catching him firmly by 
 the mane. At first the animal began to rear, as if ex- 
 pecting a beating, but when he patted him on the neck and 
 whispered a few low, soothing words, he became docile 
 enough. With cautious steps he led him to the clearing. 
 The road agents had not taken their saddles from their 
 horses, and he was thankful for that. 
 
 Vaulting into the saddle, and giving the animal a sharp 
 cut with the switch he carried, he was off like an arrow 
 from a bow. He would have to take his chances upon 
 their hearing the galloping roofs, he told himself, with 
 white set lips. 
 
 As he struck across the sandy plain he discovered 
 that the horse wore no shoes, his hoofs making little or 
 no sound on the soft earth. 
 
 Mile after mile he traveled until the horse began to 
 show signs of exhaustion, and yet he was some ten miles 
 from the stage-coach. 
 
 He had no ammunition with him ; he did* not even 
 have a revolver with which to protect himself. 
 
 His only safety lay in reaching the stage-coach at all 
 hazards. The sun rose; it had climbed an hour high in 
 the heavens. Ever and anon he glanced backward. He
 
 806 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 could see for miles over the plains. There was no human 
 being in sight; and not even a bird's wing swept the 
 horizon. But as he watched, suddenly he became aware 
 of a cloud of dust in the distance. He knew full well 
 what it foretold the road agents were close upon the 
 trail. 
 
 The horse was beginning to lag so painfully, that Ar- 
 thur told himself he could make quicker time on foot. 
 His heart ached with compassion for the poor beast who 
 had served him so nobly. 
 
 Very quietly he dismounted, and throwing off the 
 bridle, set him free, and bounded along over the sandy 
 waste on foot. 
 
 He was an expert athlete. The first mile he made with 
 great ease and rapidity; but by the time he had gained 
 half of the second mile, the driver of the stage-coach 
 ahead seemed to whip up his horses. 
 
 In vain he waved his handkerchief and shouted to at- 
 tract attention; his voice could not penetrate the dis- 
 tance; with the increased speed of the stage-coach, his 
 exhausted condition was beginning to tell upon him. 
 
 To his intense surprise, the horse which he had aban- 
 doned soon came galloping up to him ; the few moments' 
 rest seemed to have worked wonders. 
 
 Arthur welcomed him with a cry of delight, and sprung 
 upon his back. Another mile, and just as the horse 
 reeled under him, Arthur came alongside of the stage- 
 coach. 
 
 His suspicions were quite correct ; the road agents had 
 discovered their loss at day-break, and with a volley of 
 oaths, had set about to look for the missing horse. 
 
 Then they came across the animal, tethered to a tree, 
 which Arthur had ridden from Fort Hadley.
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 207 
 
 They knew the animal at once. An exclamation of 
 surprise broke from their lips, and many conjectures as 
 to where the rider could be were indulged in. 
 
 Each one agreed to the fact that the man from Fort 
 Hadley, whoever he might be, had encamped in the belt 
 of woods in which they had taken refuge the night be- 
 fore, had heard all their plans, and had gone ahead to 
 alarm the occupants of the stage-coach. 
 
 Imprecations loud and deep fell from every lip. 
 
 With one accord, they agreed that the only thing to 
 do was to follow in hot pursuit; time was everything 
 to them. 
 
 They soon discovered the footprints, and a yell of rage 
 followed. 
 
 " It is as we thought," declared the ringleader ; " the 
 man has made straight for the stage-coach route ! " 
 
 As soon as they reached the level plain, one of the 
 road agents produced a spy-glass, and raised it to his 
 eyes. 
 
 " Aha ! " he cried, " we were quite right in our sur- 
 mise, boys! There he is, galloping off on our horse 
 Toby, for all he's worth ! " 
 
 Half a dozen rifles were brought into position for fir- 
 ing at once. 
 
 "Xo; save your ammunition, boys; you'll need it a 
 little later," returned the ringleader, turning to his men. 
 " He's riding my horse Toby, and I don't want it shot 
 down, otherwise we'd riddle him with bullets ! " 
 
 Fortune favored Arthur. For a few moments' time, 
 while the road agents were holding this conversation, 
 they could see that he was slowly but surely distancing 
 them. 
 
 " He has seen us ! " exclaimed one.
 
 208 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 " I have an idea," interposed the leader. " It will not 
 be wise for us to attack the stage-coach to-day. We will 
 wait two or three days, follow it, and make the attack 
 later. It will be just the same to us whether we strike 
 them at the mountain-pass, or whether we wait until they 
 reach the other side, and surround them in the forest 
 after nightfall." 
 
 To this course of procedure they unanimously agreed. 
 
 Drawing rein beneath a clump of trees, they dis- 
 mounted, grimly watching the stage-coach as it lumbered 
 up the steep incline. 
 
 CHAPTER LI. 
 
 Arthur Rollins struggled on, urging the lagging steed 
 forward, until panting and stumbling in the roadside, 
 he found that he could go no further. 
 
 The time had come at last when he would have to pur- 
 sue the remainder of his journey alone. Brave though 
 he was, he felt himself in no condition to go the dis- 
 tance on foot; yet, panting with fatigue, he released the 
 horse and pressed onward, nerving himself to face death, 
 if need be, for Cora's sweet sake. 
 
 " My only hope, my inward prayer, is to reach my 
 darling in time to save her," he muttered to himself, re- 
 doubling his efforts. " It is no matter what becomes 
 of me after that." 
 
 Heaven must have aided the almost frantic lover in
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 209 
 
 his superhuman efforts to save Cora, whom he loved so 
 fondly. 
 
 Slowly and patiently he toiled along, trembling with 
 anxiety and weakness. 
 
 The long suspended color drifted back to his white 
 face as he saw, just beyond the turn in the road, the lum- 
 bering, commodious stage-coach, which had come to a 
 standstill scarcely a dozen rods ahead. 
 
 He turned into a barren field and cut across it, his 
 lagging steps clearing the winding stretch of country. 
 
 As he passed the fork of the road his strength gave 
 out. He could go no further. A mighty cry broke from 
 his swollen purple lips. He threw up his hands, reeled, 
 then fell like one dead in his tracks. 
 
 The road near by was filled with dust, and when the 
 dense clouds had cleared away some one within the 
 vehicle, who had heard his cry, discovered him and told 
 the others. 
 
 Several of the passengers quickly descended and started 
 to his assistance. They found the handsome, desperate 
 face of the traveler white and haggard from long ex- 
 posure. One man had a flask of brandy in his breast- 
 pocket. This was used freely in restoring him to con- 
 sciousness. After a short time their labor and patience 
 were rewarded. The light of reason began to return to 
 him. He opened his eyes and looked at those bending 
 over him, murmuring to them to help him to rise. 
 
 They raised him to his feet and half carried him to the 
 stage-coach near by, urging him to take a little needed 
 rest before attempting to talk with them. And as they 
 arranged outside a soft seat of fur skins for him, they 
 little knew how much they owed to this young man's un- 
 wearied patience.
 
 210 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 When he had recovered sufficiently he leaned forward 
 and gathered the people around him, saying: 
 
 " I am glad it has turned out so well. I have been able 
 to save you, thank God ! " 
 
 " You are a stranger in our midst ; kindly speak a lit- 
 tle plainer so that we may understand you," answered 
 one of the party. 
 
 " If I had not got here as soon as I have you would 
 all have perished," he said, faintly. 
 
 A sudden fear blanched the men's cheeks, and they 
 closed about him eagerly, plying him with questions 
 which were not unmingled with suspicion. 
 
 " I am exhausted, but I will tell you what brought me 
 here, my fellow-men," he went on, hoarsely, interestedly. 
 " I must first go back to when this stage-coach left the 
 fort. I arrived at that place in search of friends I had 
 left, a few hours after your departure, secured a horse, 
 and set out to overtake you, and to take passage on the 
 coach, if possible. But my horse gave out, and darkness 
 overtook me, forcing me to rest under shelter of the 
 wood until dawn. 
 
 " As I lay there I heard the approach of a number of 
 men with their horses, and I knew that they were intend- 
 ing to camp very near the place I had chosen to pass the 
 night. 
 
 " At first I determined to mingle with them and tide 
 over a tedious hour or two, but as they broke into con- 
 versation I listened, first in surprise, and afterward in 
 horror, knowing full well that they were unaware of my 
 presence. 
 
 " They unfolded one of the most diabolical plots to 
 wreck the lives of human beings that it has ever been 
 my lot to hear."
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 211 
 
 The men looked from one to the other, fairlj holding 
 their breath, while the women, who had remained in the 
 coach, which was a few yards off, wondered at the little 
 group, and still more so at the deep anxiety that was 
 unmistakably depicted upon their half-averted faces. 
 
 " I soon found out that they were an organized band 
 of plunderers, calling themselves ' road agents.' I learned 
 that they were on the trail of this stage-coach, which they 
 believed was carrying a large number of valuable express 
 packages; that they were bent upon plunder, and even 
 the taking of life, they declared, should not hinder their 
 wicked purpose. 
 
 They listened like men who were dumbfounded; then, 
 realizing the awful danger from which he had sared them, 
 they grasped his hands and wrung them in grateful ac- 
 knowledgment too deep for words. 
 
 " How can we ever hope to repay you? " one of them 
 found voice to say. " We owe our lives to yo. Let us 
 all enter the coach, and rejoice that you hare saved us." 
 
 " Not now," interposed Arthur, firmly. " We have 
 no time to lose. At any hour they may be pon us, and 
 attack the coach. We must act, men, before it is too 
 late. Marshal your forces and get ready your arms and 
 ammunition. Each man must be brave of heart for the 
 sake of yonder loved ones, whose lives and bonor are 
 now in our hands ! " 
 
 Arthur Rollins' commanding voice rang out eloquently, 
 moving his hearers to prompt action. Guns, pistols, and 
 sabers were soon put in readiness, while with one ac- 
 cord the men besought Arthur to be their leader in the 
 impending conflict. 
 
 Arthur did not enter the coach, but hurriedly arranged 
 every precaution for defense, first stationing guards at
 
 212 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 all points where a raid would be imminent ; next burning 
 the long grass for a considerable distance around the 
 stage-coach ; then he unchained the dogs, that would scent 
 the enemy afar off; and, last of all, he sent one of the 
 party to warn the helpless women of the danger that 
 threatened them. 
 
 Darker about them grew the shadows of night ; not a 
 star was visible in the heavens, while a stillness which 
 seemed to bode evil hovered round the anxious watchers. 
 
 Arthur's suspicions were well founded ; for scarcely 
 had the midnight hour passed when the sound of horses' 
 hoofs filled the air. 
 
 Instantly the alarm was given, and the little band of 
 defenders clutched their weapons and stood ready to 
 face death unflinchingly. 
 
 On came the road agents, making no effort to conceal 
 themselves, until at last they were in full view of the 
 passengers. 
 
 " Lay down your arms and surrender, or die! " shouted 
 the robbers, fiercely. 
 
 " Never ! " came the defiant cry from a dozen sturdy 
 throats. 
 
 Then commenced one of the most fearful scenes of 
 carnage that field had ever known. The air was filled 
 with bullets and smoke, mingled with the groans of the 
 fallen bandits, and the cries of a few of the coach pas- 
 sengers who were wounded, but not seriously enough to 
 prevent their doing their duty. 
 
 Arthur Rollins was in the thickest of the fight. The 
 ammunition of his party seemed to be giving out at last. 
 What would become of them in that event? 
 
 Suddenly, in the midst of this new fear, a half dozen
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 213 
 
 trappers rushed to their aid. They had heard the firing, 
 and had hastened to their assistance. 
 
 Another horror awaited the brave little band, however. 
 Several of the foremost bandits threw their lighted 
 torches upon the canvas-covered stage-coach, and a 
 mighty blaze started up which threatened to destroy it, 
 with all it contained! 
 
 CHAPTER LII. 
 
 In a moment the wildest and most intense excitement 
 prevailed. The lighted torches caught at the varnished 
 top of the stage-coach, in an instant of time it had ignited, 
 and the terrified occupants found themselves bound in by 
 a wall of living flame. 
 
 They were paralyzed with horror, and seemed incapa- 
 ble of action. 
 
 Suddenly through the blinding fire a man's form ap- 
 peared, seized Cora quickly in his arms, and darted 
 through the smoke again. A moment later the rescuers 
 had succeeded in tearing off the top of the vehicle, and 
 the occupants were saved. Strong arms quickly cleared 
 the fragments of fire, scattering them right and left, Ar- 
 thur superintending the work. In ten minutes' time all 
 danger was over. The fire had been extinguished, the 
 road agents had been vanquished. 
 
 By this time the two ladies remaining in the wagon be- 
 gan to call for Cora.
 
 OOKA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 " Is she not here ? " asked Arthur Rollins, looking 
 blankly at the lady inquiring for her. 
 
 " You took her out of the coach," said the lady. 
 
 " I ? " cried Arthur, in bewilderment ; " why, what can 
 you mean ? " 
 
 " In the excitement, when the flames were thickest, did 
 you not rush in through the smoke and fire, grasp her 
 in your arms, and bear her off to safety ? " 
 
 "No!" he cried in a voice of anguish; adding in a 
 tone that was hardly human : " One of the road agents 
 must have abducted her ! " 
 
 The cry went from lip to lip; every face paled. 
 
 " Quick to horse ! " cried Arthur. " We must over- 
 take them! We will kill every man of them unless they 
 deliver her to us! If a single hair of her head has been 
 hurt, we will show them no mercy ! " he cried, leaping 
 on his steed and putting spurs to him. 
 
 Away they rushed through the darkness in the direc- 
 tion the bandits had taken. The stage-driver and his 
 passengers were obliged to pursue their journey without 
 knowing the fate of sweet little Cora, or that of the 
 brave young man who had saved their lives, and who 
 had gone back into the very jaws of death with the six 
 hardy trappers who consented to join him, and who had 
 aided them in their time of need. 
 
 As they moved away from the scene, they sent up a 
 prayer to Heaven to aid them in their search. 
 
 The old stage-driver saw the ladies kneel and heard 
 their prayer, and he shook his head. 
 
 After riding mile upon mile without even the slightest 
 clew of the road agents, one of the trappers drew rein. 
 
 "This is folly it is useless to follow up this pursuit,
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 215 
 
 when every step we take we are probably going miles 
 away." 
 
 " If you wish to desert me, I will go my way alone," 
 said Arthur, wheeling about in his saddle. 
 
 The trappers held a few moments' conversation con- 
 sulting with each other. 
 
 " We shall have to let you go on your way," said the 
 leader of the little band ; " we are obliged to get to the 
 fort. We have saved the passengers of the stage-coach 
 by responding quickly when they called upon us for help. 
 We can not lose more time than we have already lost. 
 Three days or three weeks might be spent in running the 
 bandits down. In all probability we are not strong 
 enough to overpower them. We advise you not to risk 
 your own life in what seems to us the maddest of adven- 
 tures. Farewell, young man." 
 
 " Farewell ! " said Arthur, bravely. " No doubt you 
 mean well by your advice, but it can not be. I will not 
 give it up without without finding the girl, if it is in 
 human power ! " 
 
 It was all speculation on his part as to which way the 
 road agents had gone with Cora. There were no foot- 
 prints on the sand to guide him. 
 
 As the trappers had said, it was certainly madness for 
 him to go on without having some idea as to whether 
 he was right or wrong. Cora was in desperate need of 
 his aid ; he must not waste any time. 
 
 Turning his horse about, he retraced his steps until 
 he overtook the trappers. 
 
 " I have been thinking your advice over, gentlemen," 
 he said, " and have concluded you are right. I can not 
 find the young lady unless you aid me. Whatever you 
 think is the wisest plan, I will submit to."
 
 216 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 " You have come to a very proper decision," they all 
 agreed. " We were talking the matter over after you 
 left us, and we all concluded that we would not give up 
 the search if we could find the least possible trail to work 
 on." 
 
 Arthur grasped their extended hands in thankfulness. 
 
 " Together we stand, divided we fall," he murmured. 
 " I will trust to you to aid me to lay out a plan without 
 delay that will prove successful." 
 
 " There is not very much use in undertaking anything 
 until daylight to-morrow," said one of the men. " I have 
 an idea mind, I call it an idea. I will lay it before you 
 and see what you think of it, boys. Years ago I knew 
 the leader of the road agents. I knew his habits, I knew 
 his ways of life. I am sure it is he who has kidnapped 
 beautiful little Cora Ormsby. He would not be likely to 
 take her to the rendezvous where his rude followers 
 await him, but to a certain traders' post, where he thinks 
 his true character is not known. He would make up 
 some kind of a plausible tale say that the girl was his 
 sweetheart, has now become insane, or something like 
 that. He would actually make them believe him if he 
 could. I should look there for him first." 
 
 "If that is the case, I think you are quite right," de- 
 clared Arthur. " Search had better be made there first. 
 We will go there, one at a time, and invent a suitable 
 excuse to gain access to the place." 
 
 " Not so," returned the other. " I think we had bet- 
 ter go direct to the post and tell them why we wish to 
 remain. The traders are our friends." 
 
 Arthur readily acquiesced to this. 
 
 "Of course it is mere supposition on my part that he
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 217 
 
 has taken her there. We can only hope that we are on the 
 right trail." 
 
 They rode on in silence, mile after mile. Suddenly 
 an exclamation broke from Arthur's lips. 
 
 " Look ! " he cried, pointing to some tracks in the 
 sand. " I think we have struck the trail at last." 
 
 " Sure enough ! " echoed one of the others. " These 
 tracks were certainly made by the horse of one of the 
 fleeing road agents. Their horses are never shod. He 
 uas not gone to the trading post of which I spoke, I see. 
 He has gone directly across the plains. In that case we 
 can overtake him without much difficulty." 
 
 Arthur'r face flushed with hope. Without another 
 word, ec.ch man wheeled his horse quickly about, and 
 away they flew over the plains without an instant's loss 
 of time. 
 
 c " Aha ! " at length cried one of the men ; " unless I am 
 very much mistaken, I see them in the distance." 
 
 The men put spurs to their horses and followed in hot 
 pursuit, the dark object ahead of them faintly outlined 
 against the horizon. 
 
 As the moments flew by they noticed with satisfaction 
 that they were gaining upon the road agent. They were 
 now so near that they could easily discern the figure of 
 the man. He held the girl before him on the saddle. 
 
 "I feel just like shooting him down!" cried Arthur, 
 huskily. " What do you say, gentlemen ? " 
 
 " That it would be very unwise," replied one. " The 
 bullet might miss its mark and strike the young lady 
 whom you wish to save." 
 
 " Yes, yes," murmured Arthur ; " you are right. I 
 dare not risk it." 
 
 At length the clatter of their horses' hoofs fell upon
 
 218 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 the ears of the fleeing bandit. He turned in his saddle 
 and looked over his shoulder, and a mocking laugh fell 
 from his lips. He drew rein and waited until they were 
 within hearing distance, when he cried: 
 
 " Advance another step at your peril ! If you do, I will 
 shoot the girl ! " 
 
 CHAPTER LIII. 
 
 The threat which the bandit made fairly paralyzed 
 Arthur for a moment. He knew that he was dealing with 
 a desperate character, and he dared not risk the conse- 
 quences. 
 
 The road agent saw his advantage and followed it up. 
 
 " Turn, every one of you ! " he cried. " Advance a 
 step nearer, and I will send a bullet through the girl's 
 heart." 
 
 A hoarse cry broke from Arthur's lips. 
 
 God ! what should he do ? He dared not imperil Cora's 
 life, and yet he could not retreat. 
 
 In an instant an idea occurred to Arthur. Why not 
 beat the road agent by strategy. 
 
 " I'll use the very means that the road agents have done 
 when they made their attack on the stage-coach." 
 
 " We will surround the man," whispered his compan- 
 ion ; " each one of us will separate and ride off, and all 
 meet at last together in a circle round him." 
 
 " The very thing! " returned one of the trappers. " Ory* 
 would imagine you were an old scout, to think of such a 
 ruse."
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 219 
 
 " You are going to stand by me, boys ? " he said, husk- 
 ily, riding between them, and laying a hand on each arm. 
 
 " Oh, yes," they said, " we will stand by you to the 
 death, if need be." 
 
 An expression of great relief crossed his features. 
 
 " It is likely that he will change his route quickly," 
 said one of the men, pointing to the retreating road agent. 
 
 At that instant the report of a fire-arm fell distinctly 
 upon their ears. Wheeling their horses about, they saw 
 a dark object fall from the horse. 
 
 " The fiend has killed her ! " shrieked Arthur, standing 
 up in his saddle. " She has fallen ! He has put spurs to 
 his horse ! " 
 
 Before any one could prevent him, he drew his rifle, 
 and a bullet went flying after the swiftly disappearing 
 road agent who was seated on his horse. 
 
 " I think I have hit him \ " cried Arthur, " though he 
 still rides on." 
 
 As the trappers rode up to the fallen figure, they fairly 
 caught their breath in wonder. It was the road agent, 
 and not the girl who was lying there. 
 
 " My revolver went off accidentally," he moaned, " and 
 I am done for at last. I had the girl strapped on in front. 
 My horse is running away, and he will dash her to pieces 
 ere consciousness returns, and she be able to manage 
 him. Quick! after her, some of you, if you would save 
 her!" 
 
 Arthur needed no second bidding. Given free rein, 
 they all knew that the horse would return to the camp 
 of the road agents, taking with him his helpless victim, 
 who was powerless to extricate herself from the thongs 
 which bound her.
 
 220 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 This was a new terror to the trappers. They must 
 bend every energy to overtake the horse and its rider. 
 
 The faster they rode the faster the horse on ahead 
 galloped. It seemed impossible to overtake the horse, 
 which was certainly a good one of its kind. 
 
 There was but one course left to shout to Cora, trust- 
 ing to Heaven that she would hear and recognize his 
 voice. 
 
 This he did, but it was useless useless. The wind 
 was in the opposite direction, and carried the sound 
 of his voice away from her. He was in despair. There 
 was yet one thing left for him to do, and that was to shoot 
 down the horse. He raised his hand, but it was unsteady, 
 and he dared not pull the trigger. 
 
 " Hold ! " shouted the trappers, lustily, as they over- 
 took him. " Do not fire ! We have something better to 
 propose." 
 
 " In God's name, speak quickly ! " cried Arthur, 
 hoarsely. " Every instant imperils both her and us." 
 
 " The girl can not hear your cries. She has swooned 
 almost any one could tell that." 
 
 Each moment the situation was becoming more des- 
 perate. 
 
 " Whatever is done must be done at once ! " shouted 
 one of the trappers to Arthur. " Fire at the horse, and 
 take the chances. The young lady had better be dead 
 than fall into the hands of the merciless men who form 
 that band. Three minutes more of that gait and she 
 will be in their midst. They outnumber us ten to one. 
 We will all be captured. Shoot down the horse, I say ! " 
 
 Without another word, Arthur a second time raised 
 his rifle in his trembling hand. He tried to utter a prayer, 
 but the words died on his lips. He took aim and fired.
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 221 
 
 When the smoke cleared away a shout rose from his 
 companions. The horse had fallen. If the girl was not 
 injured by the fall all would be well. 
 
 At that moment, from an opposite direction, they saw 
 a cloud of dust. They had been too late ; the road agents 
 had heard the commotion from their camp, and had 
 started out to investigate the matter. They would reach 
 the girl before they could gain her side, that was clearly 
 apparent. 
 
 " The man riding ahead is a desperate character," mut- 
 tered one of the trappers. " I know him well. He is a 
 brother of one of your captains back there at Fort Had- 
 ley; his name is Lindsay." 
 
 "One of the road agents is a brother of Lindsay?" 
 cried Arthur, aghast. " Which is he ? Cora Ormsby 
 must never fall into his hands. I would kill both her and 
 myself first. He would capture her. He knows that his 
 brother loves her ? " 
 
 It seemed to Arthur that the bitterness of this last 
 blow was more than he could bear. His hand trembled so 
 violently that he could not hold the reins, and they fell 
 from his grasp upon the animal's neck. 
 
 It was a lucky movement; for the horse, freed from 
 the restraint of the bit, seemed to gather himself together 
 again, and sprung forward, fairly leaping over the 
 ground. 
 
 Thus Arthur and the road agent, with the others at 
 their heels, reached Cora's side at the self-same moment. 
 
 " Stop ! " thundered Arthur, as the bandit leaped from 
 his saddle. " Attempt to touch that girl, and I fire! " 
 
 The road agent had quickly grasped the situation. He 
 knew that his brother had gone to overtake the stage- 
 coach. When his horse came back with the girl strapped
 
 222 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 to the saddle, he argued to himself that there was cer- 
 tainly something amiss. The girl must be taken prisoner 
 at all hazards, as well as the trappers who were so fool- 
 hardy as to force their way into their retreat. 
 
 With a mocking laugh, he raised his rifle. 
 
 " Every man of you draw rein ! " he cried. 
 
 As he uttered the words, a score or more of the ban- 
 dits burst into view from the rear. 
 
 " You want to show fight, eh ? " continued the road 
 agent, addressing Arthur. " Well, we'll see what can be 
 done to accommodate you." 
 
 At the same moment he discharged the contents of his 
 rifle full at Arthur. 
 
 With a cry and groan the hapless young man reeled 
 and fell from his saddle, the blood flowing from a wound 
 in his side. 
 
 As it was useless for them to remain and give battle, 
 the trappers did the wisest thing they could do under 
 the circumstances they beat a hasty retreat, the road 
 agents following them, yelling like demons. 
 
 It was fully a week afterward ere Arthur opened his 
 eyes to a knowledge of what was transpiring around 
 him. 
 
 To his great amazement, he found himself face to face 
 with Captain Lindsay. 
 
 " So you won't die for pure spite, eh ? " cried the cap- 
 tain, ironically. " Well, I might have helped you ' shuf- 
 fle off this mortal coil ' during the last two days ; but I 
 concluded to let you live and be a witness of what is tak- 
 ing place. 
 
 " I see through the whole thing. You took Cora 
 Ormsby from me at the very altar, and you both boarded 
 a stage-coach together, a few miles further on. I sent
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 223 
 
 word to my brother, and he planned a raid on the coach. 
 How you escaped him in the darkness no one will ever 
 know save yourself. I came on to take possession of the 
 beautiful little Cora. 
 
 " You thought you would play me a nice trick by 
 forcing me into a marriage with another girl. Ah ! you 
 may look amazed, if you like, pretending you do no{ 
 know anything about it ; but you can not deceive me. 
 
 " I could have put you out of the way while you were 
 unconscious, but I concluded to have a better revenge, 
 !As soon as you are sufficiently recovered to leave this 
 room, you shall .be forced to witness my marriage with 
 Cora, whom I have, safe and sound, under this very 
 roof. I snap my fingers at the other marriage. I shall 
 marry Cora and take her far away from this place." 
 
 CHAPTER LIV. 
 
 Arthur Rollins repressed the groan that rose to his 
 lips. He would not let his enemy see how the words 
 cut him to the very heart. He would marry Cora, in 
 spite of all that's what Captain Lindsay had said ; and 
 Arthur knew that he would keep his vow if it was within 
 human power. 
 
 " I always thought you were a fiend incarnate," he 
 said, huskily ; " now I know it ! " 
 
 Let us return to Cora when she was a passenger on 
 the stage-coach in that never-to-be-forgotten hour. 
 
 Amid the handful of fighting defenders that surrounded
 
 224 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 the stage-coach, Cora's strained eyes fell upon one who 
 was commanding the heroic little band. She saw that he 
 was making superhuman efforts to baffle the enemy and 
 bring safety to the imperiled ones, even at the cost of his 
 own life. 
 
 Her face grew deathly pale at sight of the familiar 
 form, and a swift light flashed into the eyes that were 
 scanning the young soldier so closely. 
 
 "Oh, Arthur, it is you!" she moaned, wildly " you 
 have come to protect me in this deadly peril ! " 
 
 The firing of the enemy and the discharge of an- 
 swering bullets drowned her voice with its piteous cries. 
 
 " They are coming rapidly close to Arthur ! " she 
 screamed, wringing her hands, and tottering to the edge 
 of the coach in awful despair. " He must not risk his 
 Hfe; he must retreat! I could not live if they killed 
 him ! " 
 
 A shiver ran over her slight frame as she saw them 
 fling their torches on the stage-coach, then turn and 
 beat a retreat, with the brave men firing volleys of shot 
 in the direction which they had fled. 
 
 " Arthur, come, you have saved us ! " she cried out, 
 brokenly. 
 
 The next instant she had made her way unobserved 
 out of the rear of the coach, and was crouching upon the 
 ground, groping along slowly in the direction where she 
 had last seen Arthur's form. 
 
 Cora closed her eyes for an instant to shut out the 
 sight of the leaping flames. 
 
 Like one in a dream, she attempted to breast the fiery 
 sea and plunge to Arthur's side, but she found herself 
 imprisoned in a wall of flame. 
 
 One moment, one brief moment more of suspense, and
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 225 
 
 then a step sounded near by. Some one had seen her 
 peril and had come to her rescue before it was too late. 
 Some one was by her side the short, stout figure of a 
 man, with a dark slouch hat drawn over his face, con- 
 cealing his features. He wrapped a shawl about her. 
 'A pair of stout arms held her closely, and she felt herself 
 borne swiftly away in an opposite direction from the 
 burning stage-coach further and further away into the 
 night and the darkness. 
 
 He mounted a horse which was in waiting, and, de- 
 spite her frantic efforts to free herself, they traveled fur- 
 ther away from the exciting scene, on through the heart 
 of the forest, finally emerging into a well-traversed road 
 that led to the nearest traders' post. 
 
 As soon as she could tear off the shawl that enveloped 
 her head, she cried out to stop, her little hands tugging 
 desperately at the reins. 
 
 The bandit paid no heed to her tearful entreaties to 
 stop, but urged the steed onward, cursing and warning 
 the girl to desist. And thus the first hour passed that 
 followed the thrilling scene. 
 
 Maddened and terrified by the awful peril that sur- 
 rounded her, Cora made one more desperate effort to 
 release herself. 
 
 In an unguarded moment the poor girl sprung forward, 
 and attempted to leap to the ground over which they were 
 swiftly flying. 
 
 The bandit realized that she was slipping from him, 
 and in an instant of time a new resolve came to him. 
 
 It was net safe to run any further risk. He must 
 secure the girl more firmly or perhaps lose her. 
 
 There was rot an instant to be lost, he told himself. 
 
 " We will halt here, my young lady," he said, mock-
 
 226 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 ingly, " and I will arrange your mode of travel a little 
 differently." 
 
 " Take me to my home," she pleaded, " and I will 
 never cease to thank you, and forgive your cowardly act." 
 
 " I have had too much trouble in securing you to do 
 so foolish a thing," he answered, firmly. 
 
 " There is only one motive, my pretty young lady," 
 he answered, with a poor attempt at chivalry. " Your 
 face has moved my heart with its fatal beauty, until I 
 longed to capture you. My sole object is to make you 
 my bride, which I intend to do just as soon as we reach 
 yon trading post, which is not two miles distant. If you 
 consent to marry me without making an unpleasant scene, 
 you will be glad in the end. You will have all the love 
 and riches which a bandit can give you. There is good 
 blood running through my veins. I am the only brother 
 of Captain Lindsay, now stationed at Fort Hadley." 
 
 " How cruel and wicked you are to snatch me from 
 my friends, and from one whom I love better than my 
 own life. Nothing you can say or do will ever make 
 me become your wife. I would die on the rack first. If 
 there is one spark of human feeling or of pity in your 
 heart, I beg that you will release me. You will find me 
 unflinching in my hatred toward you. I will never live to 
 be your bride, mark my words. I despise you, your face 
 is an insult to me ; even your voice I loath beyond words, 
 for your cowardice." 
 
 As they galloped along, and came in sight of the post 
 at length, Cora tried to scream, to cry out. Her ashen 
 lips parted, but no sound came from them. The faintness 
 of death seemed to envelop her; she felt that she could 
 hold out no longer; merciful unconsciousness was fast 
 stealing over her.
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 When she opened her eyes to what was going on around 
 her, she found herself resting upon a coucfc, with Captain 
 Lindsay sitting by smoking a cigar. 
 
 " I wish you a very good-day, Miss Ormsby," he said, 
 as she started to her feet with a low cry. "After play- 
 ing that very nice little trick upon me, you fled from me 
 with your lover's connivance ; but you see I have captured 
 you after all You are at my mercy, and furthermore, 
 your handsome Mr. Rollins, too, is at my mercy, a pris- 
 oner in this camp. I have just left him, after informing 
 him that he is soon to witness my marriage with you. 
 The agony on his face was a glorious revenge to me, for 
 he loves you. He cried out that death would be easier 
 for him to bear than that." 
 
 He was startled and amazed to hear Cora exclaim: 
 be praised ! Arthur loves me still ! " 
 
 CHAPTER LV. 
 
 He left the tent; but there was a look o his face as 
 he turned away that haunted Cora. 
 
 Where was she ? she wondered, struggling weakly upon 
 her elbow. She knew that she was in the hands of the 
 road agents ; but she must make her escape. 
 
 Surely the people in the stage-coach would soon miss 
 her, band together, and make a search for her. But 
 'Arthur, her brave and noble defender, who had done his 
 best to save her and the stage-coach passengers, ah! 
 where was he?
 
 228 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 Was it indeed true that he had fallen a victim to them ? 
 She would not believe that they had captured him until 
 the last moment. 
 
 While she was pondering over the matter, there was a 
 slight commotion outside the tent. 
 
 " You can not come in ! " cried Cora. " Stay out ! " 
 
 " I am sorry to disobey a lady's commands," returned 
 Captain Lindsay's voice from without, " but in this case 
 it can not be helped." 
 
 He swept back the folds of canvas that served as a 
 door-way, and entered the tent. Cora's eyes dilated with 
 anger ; she was white to the lips. 
 
 How dared he intrude like this? She felt the inse- 
 curity of her position, and was filled with a nameless 
 terror. 
 
 " I want you to come to the door of the tent," he said. 
 " There is a sight here that may possibly interest you." 
 
 " Nothing could interest me ! " exclaimed the girl, 
 haughtily. 
 
 " Suspend your opinion until you have seen," he ex- 
 claimed, fairly dragging her out of the tent. " Look! " 
 he cried, exultantly, turning her sharply about. " I told 
 you that I could show you something that would perhaps 
 make you change your opinion in regard to your mar- 
 rying me." 
 
 One glance, and it seemed to Cora that the blood had 
 left her body. Scarcely a dozen rods from where she 
 stood she beheld Arthur Rollins. 
 
 Yes, it was Arthur, bound firmly to a tree with heavy 
 thongs, and but a few feet from him were two men 
 with their rifles pointed directly at his heart. 
 
 " Hush ! Do not scream or cry out," commanded Cap- 
 tain Lindsay ; " if you do, they will fire on the instant.
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 229 
 
 Otherwise, they will await my command. One word 
 from you will save Arthur Rollins' life; refuse, and his 
 life shall pay the forfeit. You have but five minutes to 
 make up your mind. If you say, ' Yes,' the ceremony will 
 be performed here and now ; if you say ' No/ I will 
 simply give the order to fire, and I shall force you to wit- 
 ness it." 
 
 " Oh, no, no, no ! " cried the girl ; " you could not be 
 so inhuman ! You will not force me to do anything like 
 that!" 
 
 " I do not wish you to witness it ; it will be your own 
 desire if you do. You can save him if you will, or exe- 
 cute him if you desire. It all rests with you, my dear 
 girl." 
 
 It seemed to Cora that she was dying. Had this man 
 no mercy, no pity? 
 
 He took out a cigar and lighted it, flung away the 
 burned-out match, then, with a nonchalance which drove 
 her to desperation, he took out his watch. 
 
 Her eyes followed the movement with a pent-up agony 
 that was too great for words. 
 
 She tried to cry out, but her lips made no sound. She 
 seemed to realize that time was passing. 
 
 One, two, three minutes sped by on lightning wings 
 four minutes! Oh, death in life! Was there anything 
 more pitiful to bear than the awful suspense the horri- 
 ble torture which was killing her by degrees? 
 
 " One-half minute more," said Captain Lindsay, delib- 
 erately ; " if you have anything to say, say it quickly." 
 
 " Save him oh, save him, at any cost ! " screamed 
 Cora, wildly. " I I will marry you, you inhuman tor- 
 turer, if that will buy him life ! " 
 
 " Lower your weapons, gentlemen ; the captive is res-
 
 230 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 pited," called Captain Lindsay, in an authoritative voice. 
 " He owes his life to you, my dear Cora," he said. " He 
 should thank Heaven for sending him in his hour of 
 need so valiant a friend as you proved yourself to be. 
 You know the remainder of the proviso and that is, 
 that you marry me on the spot." 
 
 Cora tried to utter a single word, but all utterance 
 failed her entirely. 
 
 For his sake she would endure everything. 
 
 Another gaze, that seemed to carry her soul with it, 
 and she turned away, Captain Lindsay escorting her 
 back to the tent. 
 
 " One hour from now," he said, as she passed within. 
 "Does that suit you, Cora?" 
 
 " Go away ! " she cried out, haughtily. " Why are 
 you pacing up and down before the tent? " 
 
 " My object should certainly be apparent to you," he 
 answered, calmly. " On the other occasion when you 
 were to have wedded me you played a most cruel prank 
 upon me. If you want anything, call me." 
 
 Captain Lindsay threw himself down full length, and 
 gave himself up to brilliant plans for the future. 
 
 He never could tell afterward just how it came about 
 his head sunk lower on his arm, his eyes drooped, the 
 world seemed to fade slowly from him, and one of the 
 men who was passing by a few moments later noticed 
 that Captain Lindsay was sound asleep. 
 
 Arthur Rollins saw it, too, from the tree to which he 
 was bound. 
 
 Ah, if he could but rescue Cora! The very thought 
 seemed to rend his soul from his body. The man who 
 stood a few feet from him, watching him intently, 
 broke the awful stillness at length by saying:
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 231 
 
 " I feel sorry for you, young fellow. It's a mighty 
 hard thing to be tied to a tree and watch the ceremony 
 which makes the girl you love the wife of another man, 
 being powerless to help it." 
 
 " Yes, it is more terrible than death," said Arthur. 
 Strong man as he was, his lips quivered, and the tears 
 he could not well restrain came to his eyes. " Is there 
 not some way that you could help me to escape," whis- 
 pered Arthur, " and and aid me to take that young girl 
 with me?" 
 
 The man shook his head. 
 
 " I would not dare do it ! " he exclaimed. " My own 
 life would pay the penalty if I did. But 1*11 tell you 
 what I'll do." 
 
 CHAPTER LVI. 
 
 Arthur Rollins leaned forward with breathless in- 
 tensity. 
 
 " I will tell you what I can do to help you," said the 
 man ; " I can assist that young girl in leaving that tent, 
 if that will be any good, as she could walk right over 
 Captain Lindsay's body, and he'd never know it, he sleeps 
 so soundly. The only trouble is, that the rest of the 
 men would know it. You see, I don't like this kind of 
 business, stranger. I was pressed into this business by 
 the road agents, because I was useful to them. I mean 
 to break away at the earliest opportunity." 
 
 " Help her, and Heaven will reward you ! " cried f Ar-
 
 232 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 thur. " If I knew that that sweet young girl was out 
 of danger, I can tell you that it would matter little what 
 became of me. Why, I would give a hundred lives, if I 
 had them, to save her, she is so dear to me ! " 
 
 A moment later the young road agent had circled the 
 ground all unnoticed by his companions, until he found 
 himself in the rear of the tent which Captain Lindsay 
 was guarding. 
 
 Dropping quickly upon his hands and knees, he raised 
 one little corner of the tent, whispering at the same time 
 in a low, shrill voice : 
 
 " Hush ! Do not cry out, Miss Ormsby ; I am your 
 friend ! " 
 
 Cora watched the brown hand in terror too great for 
 words. 
 
 What did it mean? Was this a friend or foe who 
 cautioned her not to cry out? She was surrounded by 
 so many foes that she distrusted every one around her. 
 
 " I would like to have you come closer, please. I have 
 a message to give you from Mr. Arthur Rollins. I am 
 his friend and yours you may believe me. Have no 
 fear, lady. You must come nearer, that I may whisper 
 my message," he went on. " Remember that I will do 
 you no harm." 
 
 Slowly, with a palpitating heart, Cora crept toward 
 the opening, fairly holding her breath in terror. 
 
 " Take this bundle," went on the same voice from the 
 outside, " and array yourself in these clothes ; they are 
 mine. When you are ready, call me ; but remember that 
 every moment is precious." 
 
 Ten minutes, and the answer came back: 
 
 " I I have done as you directed me."
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 233 
 
 'A sharp knife quickly pierced the canvas of the tent, 
 and the next instant an aperture was made that was large 
 enough to admit of her passing through it. 
 
 " Good ! " cried the young man when his eyes fell on 
 her " you look so much like one or two of the boys who 
 often come here, that you will have no difficulty in pass- 
 ing as one or other of them." 
 
 " But, Arthur," cried Cora, in dismay, " what has be- 
 come of him? Where is he? Have you already helped 
 him to get away from these terrible people? " 
 
 " I I dare not ! " murmured the young man, repeating 
 the words. " If I did, my life would pay the forfeit." 
 
 " Then I will share his fate," cried Cora. " Oh, sir, if 
 you would be kind to us two, let us both die in each 
 other's arms and end all our misery." 
 
 He shook his head. 
 
 " Go ! " he exclaimed, " while there is an opportunity 
 for you to gain your freedom; make the most of it, I 
 say ! " 
 
 At that same moment Cora's eyes fell upon Arthur, 
 who was still bound securely to the tree. 
 
 Quick as thought an idea came to her. Like a flash 
 she caught up the knife which the young man had used 
 to make the opening in the tent, and in a trice she was 
 at Arthur's side, and the cruel thongs were severed. 
 
 The young road agent fairly gasped for breath as he 
 saw Arthur leap to the girl's side. 
 
 They would surely tie him to the stake in Rollins' 
 place, and in less time than it takes to tell it, his body 
 would be riddled with bullets. 
 
 He did not take an instant longer to consider his posi- 
 tion; he dared not make an outcry, and he would not 
 if he could.
 
 234 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 There was but one course to pursue, and that was 
 to accept Arthur Rollins' proposition to flee with them. 
 
 Before they could remonstrate with him, he hurried 
 back to the tent which Cora had so lately quitted. 
 
 " Do you think he will prove false ? " cried Cora, in 
 much fear. 
 
 " We must not trust him ; he may prove treacherous. 
 That is our safest plan. If our fears are without founda- 
 tion, so much the better." 
 
 At last they were among the tall trees that hid them 
 quite out of sight. Then, and not until then, did Arthur 
 dare catch Cora in his arms and kiss her ay, madly 
 kiss the blue eyes, golden hair, and red, quivering lips. 
 
 " Thank God, we are out of their clutches ! " he cried. 
 " But we are not safe yet. We will have to run for our 
 lives, my darling Cora ! " 
 
 CHAPTER LVII. 
 
 Captain Lindsay's deep sleep lasted for tvro hours. It 
 seemed to those who passed by that it was the sleep of 
 exhaustion; yet no one dared awaken him, as he had al- 
 ways given strict orders to that effect. His companions 
 laughed and chatted loudly as they sauntered past him, 
 and stopped at the spot where he lay, muttering inco- 
 herent words. Finally he woke with a start, sat up, and 
 looked around him. 
 
 " What a horrible dream I had ! " he said, rubbing his 
 brow and looking curiously about him. " I am not a man
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 235 
 
 to be haunted by presentiments of any kind, but some- 
 how there is a feeling of impending evil which I can not 
 shake off." 
 
 With a convulsive shudder the captain rose to his feet, 
 and peered anxiously toward the tent where he had left 
 Cora. One, two hours had elapsed, and she was, perhaps, 
 ready and waiting for the eventful ceremony to take 
 place, no doubt, wondering at his strange absence, and 
 thinking that perhaps he was not going to put in an ap- 
 pearance, after all. 
 
 Noiselessly he walked past the entrance of the little 
 tent. There was no sound from within nothing to tell 
 him that she was awaiting the bridegroom to be. 
 
 Wondering as to what course he had better pursue, he 
 drew near the entrance of the tent, one corner of which 
 was flung back. 
 
 He could see the folds of her dress, which hung over 
 a chair, where she had evidently laid it, and the thought 
 occurred to him that the girl had in all probability grown 
 tired of her monotonous surroundings, and had thrown 
 herself down on the little couch that had been impro- 
 vised for her comfort, and that she was enjoying the 
 sleep of forgetfulness. 
 
 He made up his mind that he would not disturb her for 
 at least a little while longer. One hour more or less 
 would not matter. 
 
 How long he paced up and down before the tent, the 
 impatient captain never remembered afterward. 
 
 A young boy who served in the capacity of waiter and 
 messenger came up to him, and touching his hat re- 
 spectfully, stood awaiting orders. 
 
 "Jamie," said the captain, displaying more good- 
 humor than he had shown toward the youth for a long
 
 236 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 time, " I want you to take along your best manners, and 
 stop at the young lady's tent yonder and call out in your 
 blandest voice : ' The captain sends his compliments to 
 you, miss, and begs that you will tell him if there is any- 
 thing that he can do for you, and how long before you 
 wish the ceremony performed.' Don't forget anything; 
 remember every word, you young rascal ! " 
 
 Thus admonished, the lad started off to do his bidding. 
 He called at the tent softly, then louder and louder, and 
 received no response. 
 
 Scarcely daring to come back to his master without 
 a reply of some kind, he took the liberty upon himself 
 of thrusting his head in through the aperture that had 
 been made in the canvas. 
 
 One quick, penetrating glance, and the situation was 
 clear to him. The occupant of the place had gone, leav- 
 ing a dress near the door. 
 
 Slowly he made his way back to where his master was 
 awaiting him, and stood hesitatingly before him, ner- 
 vously twirling his hat in his hand. 
 
 " Well, you are back again almost before I expected 
 you. Of course she sent me a pleasant answer, the sweet 
 girl ! " said the captain, cheerily, a broad smile lighting 
 up his stern face. 
 
 " Nuthin' of the sort, sir. That's too good news, 
 cap'n." 
 
 " Eh ? Stop meddling so familiarly with my affairs, 
 or I'll see that you are put where you belong, I say. 
 Come, what did she say? Out with it, without any of 
 your ' hems ' or ' haws.' " 
 
 " There's trouble o' some sort in thar, cap'n," he went 
 on, glibly. " I hollered and hollered to the young miss 
 I thought was in yonder. Finally suthin' tempted me to
 
 CORA, THE PZT OF THE REGIMENT. 237 
 
 jes' poke my head in at a rent I foun' had been made 
 back of the tent." 
 
 " Well well ; go on what then ? " thundered the of- 
 ficer as he caught the boy's shoulder and held it in a 
 painful grip. 
 
 A look of uneasiness overspread the youth's features, 
 and for an instant he dared not answer, lest he should 
 arouse the wrath of the irate captain. 
 
 Finally he summoned up courage to proceed, and went 
 on agitatedly: 
 
 " I peered all around, and there wasn't a solitary living 
 person inside that tent. Nuffin but jes' a dress lying 
 thar near the door. You can see that for yourself, cap'n." 
 
 In a trice the captain made a spring into the tent. 
 One glance showed him the truth. Cora Ormsby was not 
 there. For the second time she had outwitted him, and 
 with a savage cry of rage he turned toward the place 
 where he had left Arthur Rollins. He, too, was gone, 
 and that, too, from beneath his very eyes. 
 
 The shout which he uttered gathered all the road 
 agents around him. 
 
 " These people have both given me the slip ! " he cried. 
 " Quick ! to horse, and overtake them, for they will have 
 every member of the garrison around us in no time." 
 
 Suddenly it dawned upon them that they were refusing 
 to take orders from him. For the first time since they 
 had been banded together there were signs of mutiny 
 among the men. 
 
 " Are you so blind, men, that you can not see your 
 own danger?" he cried. 
 
 " We see danger ahead if we follow where you lead! " 
 they cried out, doggedly. " All you want is to follow 
 up the girl, no matter about us ! "
 
 838 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 " This is not a time for you to get up such nonsensical 
 notions ! " he cried. " Every man to horse, and keep 
 those two from getting to Fort Hadley at all hazards." 
 
 As before, not a man moved. 
 
 " Then I will undertake it myself ! " he cried, springing 
 into the saddle with a fierce determination of overtaking 
 thern. 
 
 " We will not trust you to leave us ! " cried one, grasp- 
 ing the bridle of his horse. 
 
 " Dare you detain me ? " he cried. 
 
 " It looks a little bit like it, doesn't it ? " he cried. 
 
 Quick as a lash he drew a revolver from his pocket and 
 shot the man dead, then dug his spurs into the animal's 
 side. 
 
 He fairly mowed his way through their midst. 
 
 The animal he had chosen was a fiery one, and his 
 frantic plunges and mad leaps threatened to unseat him. 
 
 A moment later he was lost to sight. He followed in 
 the direction which the fugitives must have taken. 
 
 There were two shots left in his rifle. Rather than 
 have them escape him now, he would not hesitate to shoot 
 them both down. 
 
 A cry of triumph broke from his lips, as, looking ahead, 
 he beheld them ascending the hill not far away. 
 
 But instead of two forms there were three, as near 
 as he could make out. 
 
 The sudden confusion which the sight of the dark 
 forms brought to him came very near causing him to 
 change the dark plot of vengeance which he had formed 
 
 in his mind. 
 
 " It can not be that I am mistaken. This is the only 
 route that they could possibly have taken to gain the
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 239 
 
 fort, which they would soon be able to do if left to them- 
 selves. But I must not lose time in idle conjectures; I 
 will redouble my horse's speed, and in a short time over- 
 take them. Yet, what I shall do with those two men 
 whom I should make prisoners of, baffles my judgment 
 completely. If I could overpower them, bind and gag 
 them, then return with Cora to camp, those unruly fel- 
 lows might come to my rescue and bring them back to 
 our retreat again. I shall stand no fooling this time 
 when I have them safe as prisoners, but I will see that 
 they are shot down as traitors are punished ! " he mut- 
 tered to himself. 
 
 " Now is my time," thought Captain Lindsay, a fiend- 
 ish smile playing about his lips. He raised his rifle to his 
 shoulder and took aim at Arthur. But oh ! unlucky shot, 
 to his horror he saw that his aim had gone wide of the 
 mark; the slim figure threw up its arms and fell face 
 downward. 
 
 CHAPTER LVIII. 
 
 With a great cry, Arthur Rollins faced about. 
 
 " Who fired that shot? " he cried. 
 
 " I I think I am done for ! " cried the young road 
 agent, for it was he who had received the shot instead 
 of Cora. " They are on our trail; do the best you can to" 
 escape them. My prayers, if they avail anything, will be 
 with you. Ah ! it is Captain Lindsay ! " he cried in the 
 same breath. " I knew it ; but the men are not with
 
 240 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 him," he added, faintly ; " he is alone. Here, take my re- 
 volver and rifle, young man ; you may need them." 
 
 Those were the most sorrowful words he ever uttered. 
 His head fell forward, and there was a smile on his lips, 
 and they knew that all would soon be over with him. 
 
 " Go your way, and never mind me," he whispered. 
 " You could do nothing for me, and time is precious, with 
 those rascals on your track. Go ! Leave me ! " 
 
 Realizing that he was beyond human skill, and that 
 loitering there only meant danger to themselves, Cora 
 and Arthur pushed onward ; but they had scarcely taken 
 a dozen steps forward ere another report rang out on 
 the air, so near to Arthur that he could hear the whiz 
 of the bullet as it flew past his cheek. 
 
 Cora could utter no word. She had seen so much of 
 danger that she was becoming inured to it. But it seemed 
 to her that she had reached the height of human happi- 
 ness, being with Arthur for those brief moments. Her 
 energy had worked wonders for her. His very presence, 
 too, seemed to exhilarate her, his words of encourage- 
 ment to keep her from falling by the way-side. 
 
 " We are within two miles of the nearest fort, Cora/' 
 he said to her, " and when once there our troubles will 
 soon be over. Do you think you have strength enough 
 to reach it?" 
 
 " Yes," she answered. " Where thou leadest I can 
 follow." 
 
 At that moment they espied a group of horsemen 
 coming down upon them. One glance, and a cry of joy 
 broke from Arthur's lips. 
 
 " Thank God ! it is some of the cavalry from Fort 
 Hadley. Heaven be praised, we are saved ! "
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 241 
 
 This proved to be the case, and Cora's intense joy 
 knew no bounds. 
 
 Drawing his handkerchief from his breast-pocket, Ar- 
 thur waved it vigorously. Cora sat down upon a fallen 
 log, and, woman-like, sobbed as though her heart would 
 break now that the worst danger seemed over. 
 
 A moment more and the cavalry had reached their 
 side. To find Arthur Rollins there, and Cora Ormsby, 
 the old general's daughter by his side, in male attire, 
 fairly took their breath away. 
 
 Before Arthur could explain the situation, Captain 
 Lindsay, fairly covered with dust, rushed up. 
 
 " Hold, men ! " he shouted, dashing into the midst of 
 the cavalry. " I have tracked down Arthur Rollins, the 
 deserter. It was he who abducted our old general's 
 lovely daughter. I command you to shoot him down 
 on the spot, as we always shoot down deserters ! " 
 
 "No, no!" cried Cora; "it is false! Listen to me: 
 Mr. Arthur Rollins has saved me from that traitor yon- 
 tier," pointing to Lindsay. 
 
 " Gentlemen," broke in the captain, " I may as well 
 tell the truth still further. Not only has that miserable 
 deserter yonder abducted the girl whom we all loved at 
 the fort, but he has succeeded in hypnotizing her as well. 
 Death is too good for him. You all know that she was 
 to be my bride, and what happened. Do not hesitate in 
 obeying the orders of your commanding officer. Shoot 
 him down as you would the veriest reptile by the road- 
 side, as you swore to do when you took the oath of the 
 army. To arms ! Ready ! " 
 
 And then, to Cora's great surprise and terror, every 
 man slowly raised his rifle, and pointed it directly at 
 Arthur Rollins.
 
 242 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 " For God's sake, wait ! " pleaded Cora Ormsby, falling 
 before them, and raising her white hands supplicatingly 
 to Heaven. " Stop! on your life I beg! " screamed the 
 girl, as the men waited for the order to aim. 
 
 " Do not mind her ! " reiterated the irate captain. " I 
 tell you, follow my instructions at once ! " This without 
 paying the least regard to the supplicating figure of the 
 girl who was making such frantic efforts to save the life 
 of her lover. 
 
 Waving her away, the leader of the troop signified 
 his intention to his men to carry out the captain's orders, 
 and open fire upon young Rollins without delay. 
 
 There was a fixed look upon the men's faces which 
 could not for a moment be misinterpreted ; and Cora read 
 determination in their eyes, which roused the poor girl 
 to the highest pitch of action, that became almost one 
 of frenzy. 
 
 Once again she gathered her scattered senses, and 
 quick as the dart of a meteor, Cora threw herself, with 
 a mighty bound, in front of Arthur Rollins just as the 
 click of the triggers were resounding. 
 
 In less time than it takes to tell it, they had each com- 
 prehended the awful peril in which she had thrown her- 
 self, and the bullets that had been intended for Arthur 
 Rollins were discharged over his head. 
 
 " Thank God ! " murmured the girl, hysterically. " I 
 I have saved him ! " 
 
 Captain Lindsay jumped forward with tigerish agility. 
 
 " Fire again ! " he cried, seizing the girl by the arm 
 and thrusting her aside. 
 
 " Gentlemen ! " cried Arthur Rollins, pale as death, 
 *' let me have your attention for one brief moment. Re-
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMBJM. 343 
 
 member that I once led you on to victory ; remember that 
 I faced the deadly arrows in advance of you. I did not 
 fear death then; I am the same man to-day. I do not 
 fear death. But I do wish justice. I I ask you, as a 
 man among men, to take me before the proper tribunal 
 at Fort Hadley, and let me stand trial, and I promise 
 you that I will abide by the decision rendered. No mat- 
 ter what this man charges me with, let me prove my in- 
 nocence, or stand by the consequences ! " 
 
 " That is only fair ! " cried the men in chorus. " Let 
 us give him a chance to prove his innocence, especially 
 as there is a doubt in our minds ! " 
 
 " Agreed ! agreed ! " cried every man. 
 
 As Captain Lindsay listened, his face grew Mrid with 
 rage. 
 
 He saw what the outcome of it would be that he 
 would stand no show when the truth was known. He re- 
 solved at once upon a bold piece of strategy. 
 
 " I am perfectly willing, men, that he should be taken 
 back to Fort Hadley and placed on trial," he said, much 
 to the surprise of Arthur Rollins and the other men. 
 
 " Fall in line ! " said the commander of the troops. 
 
 Each soldier obeyed the order. No one noticed that 
 Captain Lindsay himself fell back, taking his position 
 directly behind Arthur Rollins. 
 
 There was a wicked gleam in his eyes that might have 
 warned them of approaching danger had they but seen it ; 
 but there was nothing to tell them of what was to hap- 
 pen Jn the near future. 
 
 A mile or even more the party traveled in silence. 
 Two of the soldiers had offered their horses to the gen- 
 eral's daughter and her companion, while Captain Lind-
 
 244 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 say had mounted the extra horse, which they generally 
 took with them in case of emergency. 
 
 Every step he journeyed Captain Lindsay was busy 
 thinking over a plan which he had laid out to accomplish 
 his diabolical purpose at the first opportunity that pre- 
 sented itself. 
 
 Cora had kept up her courage until now by a super- 
 human effort; but at last an oppression stole over her 
 which she could not shake off. 
 
 She wished that Captain Lindsay would ride in front 
 of them ; she would not feel quite so uneasy then. 
 
 She whispered her fears to Arthur, but he quickly 
 reassured her that she had nothing to fear he would 
 not dare prove treacherous. But with a woman's instinct, 
 Cora did not feel at all sure of this. 
 
 " He will bear watching," she thought, quite nervously. 
 
 Once or twice, when she had turned round unex- 
 pectedly, she noticed that Captain Lindsay was watching 
 Arthur with a terrible gleam in his eyes. 
 
 He made the attempt to shoot Arthur once before, and 
 she had saved him. She felt that he would resort to 
 some other treachery the first chance that he should find. 
 
 Cora had been so persistent in openly declaring that 
 there was impending danger hovering round her lover, 
 that she had not, in her excitement, taken the precaution 
 to whisper in a low voice, so that none but Arthur him- 
 self would hear her. 
 
 A young soldier who was riding along on the other 
 side of the general's daughter heard the words as they 
 fell from the lips of the frightened girl, although he 
 had not intended to play the part of eavesdropper in the 
 lovers' conversation.
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 245 
 
 He was startled by the earnestness of her appeal to him, 
 and he made up his mind that he would keep a strict 
 lookout for any danger that might menace them. 
 
 He had not long to wait. He soon observed Catpain 
 Lindsay's eyes slowly but stealthily cover Arthur Rollins. 
 
 Quick as a flash he put himself between them, pre- 
 tending that it was his horse's careerings. He met Cap- 
 tain Lindsay's eye, and in that instant the captain knew 
 that his plan was well known to this man, and that he 
 would frustrate it if he possibly could. 
 
 That Arthur Rollins should never reach Fort Had- 
 ley, he was determined. 
 
 It maddened him, too, to see how Cora clung to his 
 rival, not so much as deigning to notice him by so much 
 as a glance. He saw then and there that the girl was 
 as good as lost to him, and realizing this, he grew des- 
 perate. 
 
 The soldier continued to ride directly between him 
 and Arthur, but there was no one between him and Cora. 
 A terrible thought came to him. Should he let the girl 
 live to marry his rival ? No ! a thousand times no ! The 
 very thought was gall and wormwood to him. 
 
 There was but one alternative to end her life and his 
 own then and there. Yes, he would do it. 
 
 He raised his rifle, took deliberate aim at Cora, and 
 fired!
 
 246 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 CHAPTER LIX. 
 
 There was a shout and a cry simultaneously with the 
 report from Captain Lindsay's rifle. It was not Cora 
 that fell, it was the gallant young soldier who sprung for- 
 ward just in time to save her, receiving in his own breast 
 the death-dealing bullet that had been intended for the 
 young girl. 
 
 In a moment the greatest excitement prevailed among 
 the soldiers. A dozen strong pairs of hands grasped 
 him. Ere he could pull the trigger to fire the second shot, 
 he was surrounded and fairly dragged from his horse 
 amid the greatest confusion. 
 
 Cora and Arthur were so startled that they could not 
 speak. They could only look at each other with terror- 
 stricken eyes. 
 
 " Do not fear," said one of the soldiers, " he shall not 
 have an opportunity to hurt you, miss. He realizes that" 
 
 There was the greatest excitement at Fort Hadley 
 when the party arrived there. 
 
 The astonishment of every one at seeing Captain Lind- 
 say a prisoner, and handcuffed, knew no bounds. 
 
 Captain Lindsay saw that he was in a terrible predica- 
 ment, and he made up his mind that he must do some- 
 thing to help himself before their fury reached the high- 
 est pitch. 
 
 " Hold, comrades ! I have been wronged by yonder 
 man ! " he cried out, hoarsely. " I am the one who has 
 just need to complain, Heaven above knows ! " 
 
 It was the talk of the whole fort for the next few 
 hours.
 
 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 247" 
 
 Secretly every one believed Arthur to be in the right 
 and Captain Lindsay in the wrong. 
 
 Lyle Warner was overjoyed at seeing Arthur Rollins' 
 face again, but her deep hatred of Cora knew no bounds. 
 
 She could have raised her white hands and slain her 
 then and there. 
 
 As Captain Lindsay was being led away, his glance 
 fell upon Joe, the half-breed, standing back, almost hid- 
 den among the group, watching what was taking place. 
 
 He made a rapid sign to him. The man only nodded; 
 but they seemed to understand each other plainly, and 
 the dark frown cleared from Captain Lindsay's face, and 
 in its place a gleam of triumph which he tried hard 
 to conceal. 
 
 The half-breed watched carefully to see what disposi- 
 tion was made of Captain Lindsay. 
 
 " I will liberate him in good time," he said to himself. 
 " He shall gain possession of the girl for me, and when 
 that is done I shall take her from him." 
 
 It did not take Captain Lindsay long to realize how 
 affairs were turning. If he could only keep the inquiry 
 up until dusk, perhaps Joe, the half-breed, would be 
 there. And then ah ! well, something so startling would 
 happen, that the men who sat there waiting to convict 
 him would wish they had never been born. 
 
 At that very moment he caught sight of the half- 
 breed, and he could scarcely restrain his look of triumph. 
 
 Again that look, accompanied by a nod, which told 
 the captain that all was ready for carrying out their 
 plans. 
 
 The next instant a terrible cry rang through the fort. 
 
 " To arms ! Every man ! The Indians are upon us ! "
 
 248 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 The committee who were in charge of the case were 
 fairly paralyzed for a moment. 
 
 " Let me lead you on to victory or death 1 " cried Ar- 
 thur Rollins, springing to his feet. 
 
 Suddenly there was the report of a rifle, and the next 
 instant, without a moan or cry, Captain Lindsay, who was 
 seated just in front of Arthur, fell to the floor. 
 
 Half-breed Joe, for it was his work, uttered a cry of 
 terror. In his excitement he had killed the wrong man, 
 then turned and fled. 
 
 CHAPTER LX. 
 
 Upon Captain Lindsay's person was found the proof 
 of his guilt in the shape of letters to be sent to his brother, 
 the road agent, informing him just what time the stages 
 were expected to pass a certain point, and if they car- 
 ried valuables or not. Getting rid of such a dangerous 
 person was the occasion of much rejoicing at the fort, 
 where Captain Lindsay had never been liked by his 
 brother officers. 
 
 There was only one person who did not rejoice at the 
 termination of affairs, and that was Lyle Warner. 
 
 The news that Arthur and Cora were to be wedded, 
 was more bitter than death to her, for she still loved 
 'Arthur Rollins loved him as only a girl like Lyle can 
 love with aii me mad strength of her heart. She could
 
 COfcA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 249 
 
 not witness the marriage ; she had set her mind upon its 
 not taking place. 
 
 On the day which was to see Cora his bride she sud- 
 denly disappeared. When search was made for her, 
 they found the body of beautiful Lyle in the creek a few 
 rods from the fort. 
 
 At first they thought it an accident, but a slip of paper 
 found in her pocket told its own story. It contained but 
 a few words, in which she left all her property, which 
 her Aunt Bitterwood had bequeathed her, to Arthur. 
 
 At first he refused to accept it; but when they all 
 assured him that he was in duty bound to do so for 
 Cora's sake, that it was General Ormsby's property any- 
 how, and that it would be cruel to deprive his only daugh- 
 ter of her rights, he had no choice but to accept. 
 
 At this juncture a large sealed packet arrived from 
 Washington, directed to Arthur Rollins. Opening it with 
 much curiosity, Arthur found that it was a commission 
 which had been bestowed upon him for his bravery in 
 leading the men to victory in the great Indian outbreak, 
 the account of which had startled the whole country a 
 short time before. He took it to Cora and laid it in her 
 hands. 
 
 " Shall I accept, darling? " he whispered. " You know 
 what it means a life of peril and hardship. With you 
 by my side I could face anything." 
 
 Cora nestled closer to her broad-shouldered soldier- 
 lover. 
 
 " Do not accept the commission, Arthur," she said. 
 " Let us get back to civilization ; I have had enough of 
 life on the frontier." 
 
 That was how Arthur happened to refuse the com- 
 mission.
 
 250 CORA, THE PET OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 A week later their marriage took place. It was the 
 happiest event that had ever occurred at Fort Hadley, 
 and they talked about it for many and many a day after- 
 ward how lovely the bride looked, and how brave and 
 gallant the bridegroom appeared ; how devoted they were 
 to each other; what a happy life they would be sure to 
 lead. Every member of the fort banded together and 
 shook their hands, wishing them Godspeed. 
 
 With the marriage of our hero and heroine, we must 
 conclude our narrative, for what more pleasing finale 
 can a story have than the love which ends in marriage 
 and happiness at last? 
 
 THE END.
 
 THE A. and L SERIES 
 
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 by the foremost writers not only of today but of 
 the last decade. 
 
 These books are bound in cloth. 
 The covers are attractive. 
 Each book costs only TWENTY -FIVE 
 CENTS. 
 
 Among the writers whose works are offered 
 at this POPULAR PRICE are such men and 
 women as Rider Haggard, Guy Boothby, 
 Charles Garvice, Marie Corelli, Agusta Evans 
 Laura Jean Libbey, and many others whose 
 names are only a little less dear to the hearts 
 of the reading public who like to read real books, 
 written about real people, who have real experi- 
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 The A. and L. Series Popular Cloth Bound 
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 If you wish to read entertaining, fascinating 
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 SERIES. 
 
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 The A. and L. SERIES will contain, among 
 others, the following stories by 
 
 GUY BOOTHBY 
 The Kidnapped President 
 
 A Prince of Swindlers 
 The Mystery of the Clasped Hands 
 
 H. RIDER HAGGARD 
 
 Cleopatra 
 King Solomon's Mines 
 
 She 
 
 The Witches' Head 
 The World's Desire 
 
 LOUIS TRACY 
 
 The Jewel of Death 
 A Japanese Revenge 
 
 FRED M. WHITE 
 Mystery of the Crimson Blind 
 
 J. PHILLIPS OPPENHEIM 
 
 Mysterious Mr. Sabin
 
 MAX PEMBERTON 
 The Shadow on the Sea 
 
 F. DUBOISGOBEY 
 
 The Severed Hand 
 
 LAURA JEAN LIBBEY 
 Kidnapped at the Altar 
 Gladiola's Two Lovers 
 
 A Bride for a Day 
 
 AiCta's Terrible Secret 
 
 The Romance of Enola 
 
 A Handsome Engineer's Flirtation 
 
 Was She Sweetheart or Wife 
 
 Delia's Handsome Lover 
 
 Flora Garland's Courtship 
 
 My Sweetheart Idabell 
 
 Pretty Madcap Dorothy 
 
 The Loan of a Lover 
 
 A Fatal Elopement 
 
 The Girl He Forsook 
 
 Which Loved Her Best 
 
 A Dangerous Flirtation 
 
 Garnetta, the Silver King's Daughter 
 
 Flora Temple 
 
 Pretty Rose Hall 
 
 Cora, the Pet of the Regiment 
 
 Jolly Sally Pendleton
 
 MARIE CORELLI 
 
 Vendetta 
 A Romance of Two Worlds 
 
 CHARLES GARVICE 
 
 She Loved Him 
 
 The Marquis 
 A Wasted Love 
 
 Her Ransom 
 
 AUGUSTA EVANS 
 
 St. Elmo 
 
 Inez 
 
 MRS. SOUTHWORTH 
 
 Ishmael 
 
 Self-Raised 
 
 The Missing Bride 
 
 India 
 
 CHARLOTTE M. BRAEME 
 
 Thorns and Orange Blossoms 
 
 A Dark Marriage Morn 
 
 Dora Thome
 
 2 WEEK L(>AN 
 MAY 12
 
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