The Hot Springs star. (Hot Spings [Hot Springs], Dakota [Dakota Territory, i.e. S.D.]) 1886-189?, 1892-02-19
who has so utterly mistaken herself
and all the meaning of her life, has no
right to listen to such words as you
have spolSen,n

have spoken"
| They were standing face to face. She
put out her hands with helpless,
strengthless air of repclling protest.
Perhaps he misunderstood the gesture;
he took them in his own and held them
firmly and gently. She did not resist
the clasp, standing mute and miserable.
Perhaps until that hour 1t 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 drea2y re-
mindcrs of her past folly and sin.
He was what that other had been
plains1nan reared among the influences
of an almost lawlcss community. AL
ways on the edge of the advancing wave
of civilization, where the other had
grown reckless he was grave and self
contained. lie knew books Setter than
many who had lived among them; there
was u gcntleness 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 us it was, was irresisti-
bic if he chose to have it so.
eat least, love you." he said ut last.
"Yon know it now," with a long. breath
us of relief, 81 have not Ely secret to
keep; and shall never love any one else"
She smiled again through. all her
trouble. lie believed it himself with
such manifest faith.
| He released her hands. She went
back to hes hammock and lie to his
| blanket, and silence fell again between
i tl,om.
Harry came back while they were
| still in their places.
We're getting it down fine," he said,
abruptly, to Bronson. "I've been over
to Morgan's. We know how many
there are in the gang. and we have de-
scriptions of the principal leaders. It's
| q regularly organized thing. The lead
cr is q Captain Gordon. He'll Gld him
self captained with n short rope if the
league gets hold of him. We know
pretty well their headquarters" 49,:
IIclen turned languidly.
"What makes you involve yourself in
such thing?" she said. Its SO much
easier to keep out than to get OUT
Suppose yon should lose Rebecca
some night?'
81 shouldn't like it. Bu1, d! Harry,
you don't want blood on your hands,
"And don't want to lose my horses"
he said, doggcdlv. "If 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. Hc 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 JIelcn's
Rcbccca. Eus the third day a,sterward
Rcbccca was found in the morning tied
before the door with us handsome
bride and lady's saddle as the country
afforded, and with card appended:
Captain Gordon's compliments to
Helen Tryon."
lie ought to have said to the hc,.oine
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 IL
friend of yours? Appearances are
against you. First the diamond" and
lie stopped short as the tears rose in
Helen's eyes.
ii didn't mean any thing" he cx-
planned humbly to Harry aftcrward.
"Whocvcr supposed you did? Do you
imagine You are ever going to under
sta,d what a woman finds to cry
ssheut?' he said, wrathfully. ''Thcy
don't know themselves lsalf the time"
| But, after all, it was not Helen at
whom he was storning. An extra
meeting of the Horsc-Thicf League was
summoned. No results followed, and q
month wore away pcaccably.
limo did not stand still for Helen and
Hclcn's lover. He did not again refer
i'll words to that declaration of his, but
not an hour spent in her society did not
plead his cause. He took it completely
for granted that his love for her was q
thing complete of itself without hope of
return. Perhaps that attitude was his
strongest plea. Something in his pa
ticncc seemed wonderful to her. She
could as s.s1. have built the pyramids
She was ono of those positive people to
whom no halfway measure is possible.
That man should make such nn avow-
al us that, and then should let the days
go on in such commonplace, cheerful,
unmarked fashion, reused q new Won
dering interest in her mind.
Little by little, unconscious of the
gr;Islations of feeling, her whole mental
attitude changed. She owned now with
shudder that if Payne Morse were to
cross her path for the first time she
would probably be repelled rather than
attracted. She had fallen in love with
an ideal, and the living, breathing facts
did not bear ont the fancy. And the
next shock was to realize that she had
not yet done with ideals, and to-day's
hero was in no wise like yesterdays.
Itgavc her dreadful fceling of un-
reliance in herself. That she, who for
Years he'd lived in dead calm of ancx-
recssrt exhaustion Of emotion. should
again be allowing hcrsc,i to dream Of
sunshine. She rlads amends 20 herself
by never acknowledging that frank
Bronson had any thing to do with such
fancies.
Clearly Helen Morse's days of passive
suffering were over. She was silent
still, but her silence was dreamy, in
stcad Of coldly hopeless. And most I'M
wonted bursts of petulance stirred the
even tenor of the days.