Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1891-04-10
HIS LAST CHANCE.

the officers OF INC 'oi' NC va" Sven "
.-rrvine ratheg longer at the wine than
=. mod of the service really demanded,
last night. as was the custom, cards
ia formed part Of the entertainment.
.. ros not loser in cash, but he was in
-, rasrect. He had kept himself rea-
sn.blv clean from the baser things in
rs, M he came here; but the velvet of
W.. Point suffered abrasion when it
the wolf skin Of the frontier. Things
~.,a more primitive. Men spoke and
.sorgbt farther away from that social
b,Drman's whip which keeps us all in
.,dsr The lieutenant felt abased, and
rondered, as he slowly dressed himself.
hoU he could thread the way ont of this
I.bvrnth; how he could stand up clean
,monp-not apart from-the comrades
- his new life. And there was even
.o,oething more than that. He did not
,are TO transform the army into draw
/ mo room. but he cherished lively hope
that a time might come when he could
i move that other heights were better
/ tbap this round Of cynicisIn, revel and
routine
The mail coach had driven from Deep
Strings this morning, arriving before he
srose. thus avoiding the heat Of the day,
and when the lieutenant returned from
breakfast he found letter On his table.
4 II was only one o. il4..-.5 ldssives, but it
4 was the one letter of them all to him
Maud Coventry was a good correspond
ent She wrote such delightfully."- long
letters There wasn't much of news or
philosophy in them, but one rose from
the reading with consciousness Of hay
ing been for nearly an hour in her pres
ence A perfect reserve pervaded every
line. and yet one felt the soft, warm in
auence Of anguid. blonde woman; the
incense of Difference paid by rare crea-
ture weak and willing to be led, rose to
the brain Of a man not given to under
estimating himself She was rich, too.
All these things revolved themselves,
rather than were revolved, in his mind
as be sat on the cool porch in the rising
day and studied the familiar pictures in
fort and valley
But his heart would come back from
al these wanderings after lofty things
and fl itself right here in the smoke Of
the Sierras He had met Kate Bent
ley. He had walked with her and talked
with her, had danced with her and
bad sounded the welcome depths Of
strong goodfellowship. She was the
anhthesis of Maud Coventry. She was
dark, with cheeks of wine and lips of
red she was strong, resourceful, com
posed He felt drawn to her like iron to
magnet She complemented where
be was deficient. She was equipped
sbundantly with those qualities that had
been denied him
Marriage to good woman was I'M
doubtedly the one sure way to quit the
bad and invite to the good without get
ing out Of step with the forces at the
f0rt-and before he knew it the heuten-
ant had said almost inaudibly:
Yes, marriage; but to which one of
them; Then he recovered his poise
with laugh at the arrogance, and did
them both the grace to confess that he
mad no reason to know that either one
would have him.
Ana here came Kate Bentley right at
. une when she should stay away. No
oouot the lieutenant would have come
nom his reverie just as he had from
many one before. These early morn
ING retormations following a night of
excess are ropes of sand, and few men
are bound long by their folds. Here
came Nate Bentley with an Indian boy
attendant sitting her pony like queen
ana relnlng up so gracefully that the
eSa'aIry officer paid mental honors to her
horsemanship
one sat there in the saddle as he came
p0"n to the road and stood talking to
lsf' The girl seemed a very bundle of
s.ectHcity this morning. Her look. her
, So'S' her actions that caressed him
s-lOu9h three yards of space, and then
. leS "iIcMns departure-al blent in an
.l.a that cleared his brain and
=. ,t' i- along his nerves to the very tips
Of his fingers.
.. W. uo'ng to a wedding, is she:" he unused .
T. , us walked back to the porch. Cad. .
h.. "0IiG nhe to so to a wedding with
s ss.' '1lnk. He was erect and full of .
S iG,ee. The brief meeting had shocked
N.1.l-.
T, lH'9 clearer vision and deeper breath.
rt ue bentleys We're the one family
, s-s'e ladies' Of the fort could visit on
sth1 s % equality, Judge Bentley, the
pIn'' 'I' uad come there ten years before,
f, .a-o', as soon as the fort gave protection
sst .,t 'Ie rayages of indians, and had
ms ,G.isneo stock ranch, which was
WIS., ',e INN very wealthy man. His
,b;a ~ while mourning the loss of many
bo has sie had appreciated in her former
a. 49, sun Kept the social atmosphere
,;r,,1, Nef quite at its best. Kate con-
And 'l her studies in an eastern school,
H.; /" uen she came at length to her Cali
-, r,Iia nome she fell at once into the
S SS'e ~ u the ladies of the garrison. She
rrass = CTS without number of all de-
Ser - s.. ion the yaquero who conquered
MIN. ' 1s widest horses to the very
sps,nS ', WIettanti at the fort. But she
ycnne the model of all heart whole
soss;i, women, and, while the farthest
remove from coquette, was
mir ~. "iu allegiance from all and to in
.Ce eaeh with respectful regard.
.ensr ing 10 wedding" unused the lieu
,bs ~ AGAIN, and he fell to thinking of
,bs NO. ,.I ol a home she would keep. Was
Nv ~ ~ letter after all, for an army Off
yent ,-ali mat passive luxuriance in Co
/ mn.S ! mansion; Surely he felt for her
III ~ ~ stronger attraction. The very
naron ou' her seemed tingling with an