The National tribune., 1892-12-29

to my cabin"
"That day-why, it was the first on which
he was missing-tbe day began the long and
fruitless search for him. How did you know
| he was dead then?n
The mound of freshly-dug earth, and hit
look OF vague terror as she had ridden up to
| him that day, came back to her like flash
and she reeled in the doorway. He started
| forward, his passion strong upon him.
Don't touch me" she gaspod. "Go away!"
and she fled with uncertain step into an inner
room. Then he went home. with lowered head
and darkened eyes. What fool be had been.
She might have guessed it sll from the first
| There seemed no hope for him now, un'
less bis brain could hatch some new device to
satisfy her mind.
That night, as he lay awake, his ear caught
| strange noise. 1t was of the chopPing of q
| spade into the earth, and once or twice he
! heard clinking as of metal upon stone. The
sounds were heard for sometime, and they
were followed by other noises as of The drop
ping of earth. Strange as the sounds were
they did not brighten him. He lay on his
couch and smiled. The light of triumph
| cleaned in his eye.
This will end her suspicion" he said.
Thank God, she does not know that other
| spot. But that she will never know"
He smiled again next morning when he
stood by the mound of newly-disturbed earth,
| diiA saw aDDub III inb piiEtS VI SHibCoS oa'obo'
Her man had been there and had made full in
vestigstion. She could trust China Jim. She
| would believe what he said.
The cowboy was now full of confidence. He
went to Hates house again and again during
| the days that followed, and though he felt that
| be was gaining ground but slowly, still he was
| almost satisfied. The worst of 1t all was that
she kept her distance, and her eyes looked
from the window with searching gaze as be-
fore. Those eyes never relaxed their Wig glance,
though the heart was not in the watching.
DOdd had been poor man, but now there
came to him the news that wealthy relative
in England had died and left him estate of
goodly value. But be must be there by a GER
tain day, or another claimant would snatch the
prize
He hailed the coming of the fortune with a
great Joy. She. too. was poor, and now that
be was to be rich there was the greater lncen-
tive for her to wed him. He mounted his
horse and rode swiftly down the trail to tell
her the news. She was not at home when he
reached the house. China Jim said she had
gone up the Owl Butte trail On her horse. but
she would return before long Dodd saw q
little cloud of dust about mile up the trail,
and, squirting his mustang into hard gallop,
be started to overtake her. As she was riding
rather slowly this was easily done, and ere long
he was by her side.
She greeted him kindly, and while she list
ened to the story of his good fortune her lips
parted in a glad smile, and her big dark eyes
sparkled with a new light. She had looked
bewitchingly fresh and charming when he rode
up, but now she was positively dazzling. &c.
of course, he was led to take up the old strain
again; but when he did so the smile faded and
the eyes saddened. The afternoon sunlight
streained over her dropped head, the dry, gray
earth became the object of her gaze, and the
only answer she made was: You know this
is cruel. How can marry you?"
The reply stuDg him. 1t aroused all his ar
gumentative force. She saw that he was about
to make a strong appeal, and she tried to stay
his hot words They were now off the trail,
and were riding aimlessy over the desert.
"How very warm it u.s." she said; there is
rot a breath of air stirring" She struck Iona
sagebush with her whip scattering the gray
leaves before her. "And what is that2"
She poin ed down the horizon to the right at
q great black cloud that moving swiftly
up, and as they looked they caught the low
growl of the wind as it swept the plain and
raised the dust in great swirling masses.
"a dust Storm" she cried. I'VE must ride
back, or we will lose the trail"
While she spoke the growing increased in
volume. There was war in the air. Louder
and still louder the wind blew its hoarse horn.
Their faces were pelted with small. hot shot
that stung them like pin-pricks. The mus
tangs turned their heads instinctively. No
horse would face the driving sand - not
even bToncho. Dodd thought that he could
see the trail, and they made haste in the direc-
tion which he indicated. but soon the storm
reached out and swallowed them. Then they
could see only few yards ahead, aud finding
the trail became more matter Of chance and
guesswork than of anything else They did
not reach it, though they rode up and down in
the thick of the dust clouds. Soon they were
tired, and paused in the lee of huge mass of
rocks. Dismounting, they crouched in a cor
ner and awaited the abating of the fury of the
storm.
Now he could talk to her. and though the
wind brayed and Missed and seemed to have
the earth itself in its teeth, he went on with
his wild speech.
You say that am cruel to you" he said,
as she crouched closer to the rock and shud-
dered at his words, "but it is you who are
cruel to me. You know have loved you from
the first, aud have reason to think that you
care for me. Now that you are free, why will
you not accept your freedom and come to nef"
Free? You do not know that" she re-
piled. "Can you not have little mercy?"
He saw that his tone and speech had been
too rude. Coupled with the awful sound of
the storm, they had stricken terror to her soul.
Forgive me-" he said. in milder tone; al
know that / am rough, and unworthy of you,
but can yon not stoop and raise me?"
She trembled and made some faint reply, but
the wind caught it and flung it away from
him.
You endured that man for three years you
did not grow wan and pale as some women do
in such life, but all the time you were eating
your heart out. Your spirit was not broken,
though all its fbers were tried. And II have
stood by and suffered as you have suffered. l
have learned lesson. 1t was my fault from
the first, but did not know how much you
were to me until you married that man. You
may not understand me. know you mistrust
me- and yet, | say, have suffered. And now
! plead for my life as much as for yours. Say,
dearest, that you will marry me-"
He looked at her hungriy, awaiting her
word. But she could not force speech He
laid his hand upon hers. His touch seemed to
burn her. for her own hand was icily cold.
She shrank from him aud hid her face.
Now the powers of the air seemed to Telent
their wild passion, and though there were still
great clouds Of dust rising and falling he could
at last see the trail. She raised her head and
saw him looking at IL moodily. Then she
sprang to her feet, and without waiting for
his assistance, flung herself On her horse and
was away, with futtering dress and tossing
hair. He rode after her n hot haste, but she
never turned her head. Suddenly his mustang
stumbled in a burrow and went lame So she
shot far ahead. When he at last reached the
house the storm had ceased, and the sun smiled
again upon the wind-swept sands.
She was sitting at the old place in tho win
dow when he entered, and her eye was rum
iru ha ~