Side by side through the still white light of the full moon they rode home, in each heart the glow of the wonder and joy of Love\'s first revelation. Words were an intrusion. The eyes of the soul were seeing now the hidden things of life.

The gleam of the lights at the Fort brought them sharply out of dreamland into the world of fact.

"You must see my father to-night, dear," she said eagerly.

"Must I, to-night?"

"It\'s best."

"I\'d rather face a hundred Red Men in war paint."

A merry laugh was her answer as she leaned close:

"Don\'t be silly, he likes you."

"But he loves you."

"Of course, and for that reason my happiness will be his."

"God knows, I hope so," was the doleful response. "But if I must, I must. I\'ll see him."

A quick kiss in the friendly shadows and she was gone.

He walked alone an hour after supper, screwing up his courage to the point of bearding the Colonel in his den. He fumbled the door-bell at last, his heart in his throat.

Old Rough and Ready was not inclined to help him in his embarrassment. Never had he seen the lines of his strong jaw harder or more set than when he grunted:

"Sit down, sir. Don\'t stand there staring. I\'m not on inspection."

The perspiration started on his forehead and he moistened his dry lips.

"I beg your pardon, Colonel. I was a little flustered. I\'ve—a—something—on—my mind—"

"Out with it!"

"I—I—I\'m in love with Miss Sarah."

"You don\'t say?"

"Y-yes, sir."

"Well, it\'s no news to me. The whole family have been enjoying the affair for some time. I suppose you\'re asking—or think you\'re asking—for my daughter\'s hand in marriage?"

"That\'s it—yes, sir—exactly."

"I guessed as much. I\'m glad to tell you, young man, that I\'ve always had the kindliest feelings for you personally—"

"Thank you, sir—"

"And the warmest admiration for your talents as an officer. You\'re a good soldier. You have brains. You have executive ability. You\'re a leader of men. You\'ll go far in your profession—"

"Thank you, sir—"

"And that\'s why I don\'t like you as a son-in-law."

"W—Wha—"

"I love my daughter, and I want her to be happy in a real home with a real husband and children by her side. A soldier\'s life is a dog\'s life. I\'ve pitied the poor girl who gave up her home for me. Many a bitter tear has she shed over my absence, in torturing dread of the next letter from the frontier—"

He paused and sprang to his feet:

"A hundred times I\'ve sworn no daughter of mine should ever marry a soldier! The better the soldier, the more reason she should not marry him—"

"But, sir—"

"There\'s no \'but\' about it!" the Colonel thundered. "You\'re asking me to let you murder my girl, that\'s all—but it\'s life. I\'ll have to give my consent and wish you good luck, long life, and all the happiness you can get out of a soldier\'s lot."

The Colonel extended his hand and the Lieutenant grasped it with grateful eagerness.

The days that followed were red lettered in the calendar of life.

And then it came—a crash of thunder out of the clear sky—the thing he had somehow felt and dreaded.

A petty court-martial was called to adjust a question of army discipline. The court was composed of Z. Taylor, Colonel Commanding, Major Thomas F. Smith, a fiery-tempered gay officer of the old army, Lieutenant Jefferson Davis, and the new Second Lieutenant who had just arrived from the Jefferson Barracks at St. Louis.

The army regulations required that each officer sitting in court-martial should be in............