The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1893-12-04
CHAPTER nI-Continued.

awake? Tell her TO poke that curly
pate of hers out of tho door. / want
you to know Mr.. Wing, Sergeant Wing,
who has charge of the signal station
here"
F; Almost instantly slender hand, hold
ing little brass hurricane lantern, ap-
peared at the opening, followed by a
sweet, smiling face, while just behind
il peered another, only nifle older and
more serious, yet every whit as pretty.
Wing raised his old felt hat and mentally
cursed the luck that had sent him down
there in his ragged shirt sleeves. Pike,
the cynic, busted himself in getting
the buckets from underneath the stout
spring wagon, and bumped his head
savagely against the trunk laden boot as
he emerged.
Il never dreamed of seeing ladies
tonight, laughed tho sergeant. "It's
the rarest sight in all the world here,
but j remember you well when you
came to Yuma last year. That was
when you were going to school at San
Francisco, believe"
"That was when / was in short
dresses and long face, sergeant"
merrily answered the younger girl. II
hated the idea of going there to school.
Fan, here, was willing enough, but /
had never know anything but Arizona
and Mexico. All j could think Of was
that was leaving home.
'She was soon reconciled, Mr..
Wing" said Miss Harvey there were
some very pleasant people on the steam
err
"Oh, very pleasant for you, Fan, but
what did they care for chit of IA?
You had lovely times, of course"
$50 did you, Ruth, from tho very
day Mr.. Drummond helped you to catch
your dolphin.
"Ahl we were moro than half way to
San Francisco then," protested Miss
Ruth promptly, land nobody had
taken any notice of me whatever up to
that minute"
"Well, Mr.. Drummond made up for
Lost time from that on, /" laughed the
elder sister. Il never told of her, Ned
wasn't / good ?-but Ruth lost her
young heart to cavalry cadet not
year out of the Point"
"Is it our Lieutenant Drummond
who was with your" queried Wing.
"Oh, yes; why, to be sure, he is of
your regiment. He was going back to
testify before some court at the pre-
sidio, and-wasn't madame mean?-
she wouldn't allow him to call ON Ruth
at the school, even when i promised to
play chaperon and insure strict pro-
priety and no flirting"
Ruth Harvey had, with quick move
ment, uplifted little hand to silence
her sister. but the hand dropped,
startled, and the color rushed to her
face Mt Wings next words,
Then you're almost sure to meet the
lieutenant tonight or tomorrow. He's
been scouting the Santa Maria and the
,Christobal and is due along here at this
very moment"
And now Miss Harvey had the field
to herself, for tho younger sister drew
back into the dark depths of the COW
cred wagon and spoke no more. In 10
minutes tho team was rattling down
the eastward slope, and Sergeant Wing
turned with sigh as at last even the
sound Of hoof and wheel had died away.
Slowly he climbed tho steep and
crooked trail to their aerie at the peak.
No sign of jackson yet, no message
from the ranch, no signal fires at Mo-
feno's or beyond.
Yet was ho right in telling Harvey
with such precious freight to push on
across that open plain when there was
even rumors Of Apachos in the air? The
loveliness of those two dark, radiant
faces, the pretty white teeth flashing in
the lantern light, tho soft, silvery, girl
ish voices, the kindly, cordial handclasp
vouchsafed him by the elder as they
rolled away--these were things to stir
the heart of any man long exiled in this
desert land. 1t had been his custom
to spend an hour in chat with his COM
rades before turning in for the night,
but with jackson still away and Pike
still plunged in gloom-with, moreover,
new and stirring emotions TO investi-
gate and analyze--Wing strolled off by
himself, passed around the rocky but
tress at the point and came to tho broad
ledge overlooking the eastward way to
the distant range.
Here a mass of tinder, dry baked by
weeks exposure 10 the burning sum
chime, stood in pyramid of firewood
ready TO burst in flame at first touch
of tho torch. Close at hand were tho
stacks Of reserve fuel. Never light
this until you know the Indians are
raiding west Of the Christobal, were
his orders. But we'll he knew that once
ignited il could be seon for many a
league. Here again he filed his faithful
pipe, and moving a safo distance away
lighted its charge and tossed the match
stump among tho jagged rocks below.
He saw the spark go sailing down.
ward, unwaftod from its course by faint
est breath Of air. Then he heard Pixies
growl or something like it and called
TO him 20 ask IL he heard jackson. No
answer Sure that ho had heard tho