“Who shot that man?”
“I did, sir—”
“So?”
“Virginia Holland’s my sister—”
The Colonel touched his mustache and looked the youngster over with admiration.
“A boy alone defies a victorious army. I like you. I want you in our ranks—”
He paused thoughtfully as Mrs. Holland and Marya crept close, clinging to each other in dumb misery. Zonia slipped close to Billy—
“My darling boy!” his mother moaned.
“It’s all right, mother,” he called cheerfully—“What’s the odds? They shot John Vassar’s father and mine an hour ago—”