Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1891-07-30

"Helerr' he said, touching field OF
her dress with softly reverent hand.
She looked up at him with an irstc.r = s
surprise. then her eyes fell.
Forgive ne" he said, hunbly. II
have not seen many women. When YOU
came it was like . revelation. And now
l knew that love you
She opened her lips to speak, bit he
stopped her.
Il lznovr," he said. '.Narry told re
your story. would you dare trust
| another rcan?"
There vas something very childlil1e
in the simplicity of the question. She
half-s1niled. Then all at once the past
rushed over her.
No. she said wildly, rising to her feet
'Au that has gone by forever You do
nos know what You arc sdying-a WON
| an who has lived thT2.1 egll sIch degra-
| dation of ill-treatmc,.t and cruelty as /
who has SO utterly mistaken herself
and all the meaning of her life, has no
| right to listen to such words as you
| have spoken
They were standing face to face. She
put out her hands with Il helpless,
Strengthless air of rcpelling protest.
Perhaps he misunderstood the gesture:
| he took them in his own and held thcm
! firmly and gently. She did not resist
the clasp. standing mute and miserable.
| Perhaps until that hour it had never oc-
CURED to her that any renewal of that
old story could be possible. She had
felt herself set apart from all the COM
mon lot of women. That he seemed so
innoccntly and completely to ignore
such tragic facts as her life held beat
down all her guard, swept away the
landmarks that had been the dreary re-
miHGcrs of her past folly and sin.
He was what that other had been
rlainsman reared among the influences
of an almost lawless community. AL
ways on the edge of the advancing wave
of civilization, where the other had
grown reckless he was grave and self
contained. He knew books better than
many who had lived among them: there
was a gentlencss in his speech that
meant something better than mere
sweet temper; and Helen was woman
enough yet to feel the fascination of his
muscular strength-the very clasp that
held her, gentle as it was, was irresisti-
Bile if he chose to have it so.
''At least, love YOU" he said at last.
''You know it now with n long breath
as of relief. Il have not my secret to
keep; and shall never love any one else"
She smiled again through all her
trouble. He believed it himself with
such manifest faith.
He released her hands. She went
back to her hammock and he to his
blanket, and silence fell again between
them.
Harry came back while they were
still in their places.
''We're getting it down fine" he said,
abruptly, to Bronson. eve been over
to Morgans. We know how many
there are in the gang, and we have de-
scriptions of the principal leaders. It's
a regularly organized thing. The lead
er is Captain Gordon. He'll find him
self captained with a short rope if the
league gets hold of him. We know
pretty well their headquarters"
Helen turned languidly.
What makes you involve yourself in
such thing?" she said. Its so much
easier to keep out than to get out
Suppose you should lose Rebecca
some night?'
llhC )ubs ". IisLII
you don't want blood on your hands"
And l don't want to lose my horses"
he said, doggedlv. eff it comes to that
it's their own fault. They know the
risks they take"
Helen said no more. Bronson had not
spoken at all. He asked an unimpor
tant question or two and then the sub
ject dropped.
That night every horse worth taking
was stolen from the Tryon and Bron-
son ranch, and with the rest Helen's
Rebecca. But the third day afterward
Rebecca was found in the morning tied
before the door with as handsome a
bride and lady's saddle as the country
afforded, and with card appended:
Captain Gordons compliments to
Helen Tryon."
lie ought to have said to the heroine
of Pine Gulch,' Harry said, with deep
disgust.
Perhaps Mrs. Morse is in it, too"
Bronson suggested, slyly. You're
quite sure that Captain Gordon isn't a
friaAd of yours? Appearances are
against you. First the diamond" and
he stopped short as the tears rose in
Iclcl
Il didn't mean any thing" he ex-
planned humbly to Harry afterward.
whoever supposed you did? Do you
imagine you are ever going to under
stand what a woman finds to cry
about?" he said, wrathfully. They
don't know themselves half the time"
But, after all, it was not Helen at
whom he was storming. An extra
meeting of the Horse-Thicf League was
summoned. No results followed, and a
month wore away peaceably.
Time did not stand still for Helen and
Helen's lover. He did not again refer
in words to that declaration of his, but
not al hour spent in her society did not
plead his cause. He took it completely
for granted that his love for her was
thing complete of itself without hope of
return. Perhaps that attitude was his
strongest plea. Something in his pa
tience seemed wonderful to her. She
could as soon have built the pyramids.
She was one of those positive people to
whom no halfway measure is possible.
That man should make such an avow-
al as that, and then should let the days
go on in such commonplace, cheerful,
unmarked fashion, reused a new Won
dering interest in her mind.
Little by little. unconscious of the
gradations of feeling, her whole mental
attitude changed. She owned now with
a shudder that if Payne Morse were to