The girl nodded and said, “Now remember, don’t break her heart by being worse.”

“Oh, how sweet and lovely of her!  I’ll get well now, sure.”

“That’s a nice way to treat your old nurse.”

Smilingly he held out his hand and said, “You are almost as pretty and good as she is, but you aren’t mother.”  Then he added in strong sympathy, “Forgive me.  You haven’t any, have you?  You don’t know about this mother love.”

“I know enough about it to have the heartache for its lack.  Now you must save your strength till she comes.  Good-by.”

From that hour he steadily gained, banishing the look of anxiety from his mother’s face.  Mrs. Whately sighed as she saw how her niece’s heart warmed toward the stranger, and how strong an attachment was growing between them.  “Louise is drifting away from us all,” she thought, “yet I cannot see that she encourages Captain Maynard.”

A genuine friendship had also grown between the girl and Captain Hanfield, the Federal officer, and she was heartily sorry when he told her that he would be sent to the railroad town the next day.  “My wound isn’t doing well and I seem to be running down,” he explained.  “Dr. Borden has been able to keep me thus far, but I must go to-morrow.  Perhaps it’s best.  He is trying to get me paroled.  If I could only get home to my wife and children I’d rally fast enough.  I’m all run down and this climate is enervating to me.”

She tried to hearten him by kind, hopeful words, and he listened to her with a wistful look on his handsome face.  “How I’d like you to meet my little girl!” he said.  “Won’t I make her blue eyes open when I tell her about you!”

Another bond of union between them was the captain’s acquaintance with Scoville, and he soon observed that she listened very patiently and attentively when he spoke of the brave scout’s exploits.  “I declare,” he had said, laughing, “I keep forgetting that you are a Southern girl and that you may not enjoy hearing of the successes of so active an enemy.”

“Lieutenant Scoville is not a personal enemy,” she had replied guardedly.  “He showed us all very great kindness, me especially.  I wish that both you and he were on our side.”

“Well, as you say down here, I reckon we are on your side any way,” had been the captain’s smiling reply.

She spoke to Surgeon Ackley promptly about the prospects of a parole, but he said, “Impossible, Miss Baron.  The question would at once arise, ‘If granted to Hanfield, why not to others?’ I reckon Borden has been trying to rally his friend by hopes even when knowing them baseless.”

This proved to be the case, and the following day brought the young girl a strange and very sad experience.  Dr. Borden appeared at breakfast looking troubled and perplexed.  Miss Lou immediately inquired about the captain.  The doctor shook his head saying, “He isn’t so well.  I’d like to speak with you by and by.”