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" mail is going asliore, lieutenant. So hand over your letters, if you have any."

It was the adjutant's assistant, who was making the round of the transport, previous to his departure for the Nagasaki post-office. He already had one bag full of letters, and was now picking up a second.

"All right. I'll have a letter for you in a few minutes," responded Gilbert. "I just want to make sure that I put everything in this that I wanted."

"Writing to your best girl, eh?" laughed the other officer. "Well, send her lots of kisses."

"I haven't got that far yet, Peters," responded the young lieutenant, with a laugh equally hearty. "This is a strictly business letter."

"Is that so? Seems to me we are pretty far away from home to do any business except that of fighting."