We declared we must have some clean towels for the next day, so we tried to rinse out, in the cold, hard water of the well, those which we had with us, and, as it was now nightfall and there was no fire inside this apparently deserted ranch, the two Lieutenants stood and held the wet towels before the camp-fire until they were dry.
Mrs.Bailey and I, too tired to move, sat and watched them and had each our own thoughts.

She was an army girl and perhaps had seen such things before, but it was a situation that did not seem quite in keeping with my ideas of the fitness of things in general, and with the uniform in particular.

The uniform, associated in my mind with brilliant functions, guard-mount, parades and full-dress weddings--the uniform, in fact, that I adored.

As I sat, gazing at them, they both turned around, and, realizing how almost ludicrous they looked, they began to laugh.
Whereupon we all four laughed and Jack said: "Nice work for United States officers! hey, Bailey ?" "It might be worse," sighed the handsome, blond-haired Bailey.
Thirty miles the next day, over a good road, brought us to Walker's ranch, on the site of old Camp Supply.

This ranch was habitable in a way, and the owner said we might use the bedrooms; but the wild-cats about the place were so numerous and so troublesome in the night, that we could not sleep.