Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-07-02

eve all seen himr shrieked the other chill
dren, huddling about us.
| 'The men rushed to the bank of the creek and
| soon came back laughing.
"'Let up on that chin music kids, it's nuthin'
but an old Indian skeleton. He must bin
buried years ago and the earth has wore away,
leavin his bones a settin' life-like agin the
bank. Here's q lot of trinkets he had on, and
Dad emptied handful Of gewgaws into my
lap;
''The little girl set up and began to poke them
about, and q bit Of sparkling blue caught my
eye. picked II up, and for the second time
that day my heart was in my mouth. Push
ing the child aside sprang to my feet
but before could finish the sentence the tread of
horses feet and a CHEEKY Hello, boys, broke in
upon me.
For an instant I stood in petri6ed silence,
the sapphire ring sparkling in the palm Of my
oufstretohed hand, as its owner, NAL Delmar, Q
little older and much handsomer than had
known him. rode up and dismounted.
Are you not deadT gasped hoarsely at
"'My dear sir, do I present the appearance Of
an astral body?' he returned as he busted him.
self with his bride rein, then turning he said
heartliy: Just introduce me to some of those
appetzing victuals and Ill convince YOU
"Just then he caught sight of me. His rudy
face grew white and he put out his hand to
Il
would handle.
by the gods, it's Gracer he shouted. when
! did not vanish from his presence, and, catch
ing me in a fervid embrace, he began O regular
war dance. The amazed people thought the
major had been suddenly bereft Of his senses
ana that they had unawares been entertaining o
pair OF lunatics. The women fed to safe dis
lance and the men managed to get grip on
the major which sobered him up.
las l sank faint and white into the wagon
seat became conscious that l held the sap
phire ring in grasp that made my hand ache
"'Where in tine name of heaven did you And
that, he shouted excitedly. Il lost it nearly
eight years ago when 1 was wounded, not
twenty feet from this spot
Before could answer twenty curious peo-
pie were engaged in reciting the laws adyen-
lures and the major concluded tina, the Indian
thief must have lost his life the day he got the
ring and been buried on the spot where he
Explanations were in order just then, and it
was historical crowd from that time on.
Even that wonderful dinner was almost forgot
ten as the major and pieced our stories to-
gether. The women laughed and cried over
me, and the men shook my hand then both
alternating hand shakes with the major till we
were all exhausted.
lone year Of the majors life from the time
| he was wounded was blank, and he never
learned what interviewed. One day, recover
ing from illness caused by a blow on the head
from q bucket in a shaft he was astounded to
find that he had been for month working in
silver mine In Colorado, coming from nobody
knew where. The months back of that were
blank.
HE at once communicated with the COM
mandant at Fort Riley, and began to pick up
the tangled thread Of life. There seemed to be
little for him to live for. His parents and sister
were dead and had disappeared. After the
FIR pp1n ,o1l \ ~, H.
and though he spent a year abroad his search
was hopeless He returned to the west and
with his brother-in-law bought the Kansas
ranch. A year later the brother-in-law died
and left his daughter to the majors care, and
SO the uneventful years went by for both Of US
up to that day.
"We were married there on the historic
ground by an itinerant preacher, who, like N.Y.
self, was waiting the fall Of Wild Cat creek.
The ma jor insisted and had no desire to post
pone it. For in all the wide world had not a
soul to consult, and had had eight years to
consider the step.
There were no bridesmaids, and no best
man. but overhead q canopy, our impro-
vised flag, stretched from tree to tree, and the
marshal, prouder than ever, stood beside us
staff of broomsticks to which it had been trans
ferred. My wedding ring was the sapphire
with the flag, my parting gifts to Maj. Delmar,
who had said they would always remind him Of
my true blue eyes and sunny hair
"NO wedding bells ever sounded sweeter than
the anvil chorus salute, with Winchester ,ac-
| compartment, which punctuated the preachers
closing prayer. The cowboys, in their exuber-
ant glee over the boss happiness, burned
enough powder to protect Washington from
British invasion. Yes, love the Fourth Of
July noise, and the major and always feel as
! though the whole nation was celebrating our
marriage anniversary"
Just then. with siz, set piece went off,
Across the waving folds of the flag was the name
''Grace" in sapphire blue.
"Grace and Graceland forever" shouted
somebody enthusiastically, and up through the
star-gemmed night went the brave hurrahs,
almost drowned by the fusilade Of rockets,
| cannon crackers, pin wheels and bursting
bombs. ISABEL WoRRELL BALL,