"I'll end this folly to-day," was the Colonel's firm announcement. "I'm not so sure," Elena warned. "I'll show you!" She came close and laid her hand on the Colonel's arm. "Will you promise me one thing, Guardie?" she asked, tenderly. The anger faded from the strong face, and his voice sank low. "I'm afraid I've never been able to refuse you anything, child. It's on your account, I think, I'm most angry with Norman to-day." "You promise?" she repeated. "Yes, what is it?" he said, bending to kiss her smooth, white forehead. "Promise to put all anger out of your heart and talk to Norman as a father, not as an enemy--won't you?" "An enemy?" the Colonel slowly asked. "Yes. I thought you were going to strike him once. It would have been horrible. I never could have forgiven you for that. You've always been my hero, Guardie--I never saw you give way to anger before. I don't like it. You'll talk to him lovingly and tenderly as a father, won't you?" "Yes, dear, for your sake, I will," he answered. "Then I'll tell him to come. I asked him to wait outside until I saw you." She turned and quickly left the room. In a moment Norman entered and stood facing his father. The Colonel flushed with anger at sight of the insolence with which the younger man calmly surveyed him. "Well, sir," the father said, at length, "have you nothing to say to me after what has occurred to-day?" "I was under the impression that you had something to say to me," was the cool answer. By an effort of will the older man crushed back an angry retort, smiled, and said: "Sit down, please--I've a good deal to say to you." Norman threw himself lazily into a chair, and continued to watch his father with a curious expression of half-amused contempt. The Colonel stood in silence, evidently struggling with his emotions, and feeling for the right word with which to begin. Norman anticipated him. "Honestly, now, Governor, just between us, don't you think you were a little bit absurd to-day?" "Absurd?" his father broke in with rising accent. "Just a little childish about a piece of red, white, and blue cloth?" "Perhaps so, my boy," was the answer. "Just about as absurd as you were over the red rag you lifted in its place. Why did you do it?" "On the impulse of the moment, to express my feeling of contempt for war, and my faith in my fellow man." "Exactly. So I acted on the impulse of the moment to express my contempt for that crowd of fools and fanatics--my loyalty and faith in my country." "I can't understand how a man of your age, poise and pride, culture and power, could be so foolish. A sixteen-year-old school-boy on the Fourth of July, yes! But you----"