The soldier made an attempt to rise.
"Lie there, you brute," the man cried, hotly, and the drunken fellow obeyed.
"Nice-a-hic-way to treat a-hic-man that's protecting-a-hic-the-a-hic-honor-a-hic, the honor of——" he muttered.
But the gentleman turned to the woman, and Jean, trembling with fear and indignation, with crimson cheeks and flashing eyes, looked a second time into the face of the gentlemanly liquor dealer.
"I am so glad you came!" she gasped, and held out her hand to him.
As they turned to his buggy the gentleman cast a glance back at the prostrate soldier, who had crawled behind a bush to sleep until removed to the guardhouse.
"Such creatures are a disgrace to a civilized government," he exclaimed, with ill-concealed wrath.
"Our government is a disgrace to itself," she added. "It creates such creatures by a legal process, and yonder is the factory," and she pointed in the direction of the canteen.
"Canteen beer—canteen beer," she began again, with warmth, but stopped, for she knew that she was very much excited and that she might not speak wisely.