Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1895-07-05

stirred h foliage, 1t woye marvellous
figures in trefoil and tracery for fancy
to play with as with those made by
flames in a CRATE. Now it was the lines
Of a Gothic window, seen in an old
cathedral almost forgotten, and COW,
on grander scale, the design of deli
cate drawn-work recalled from my
lady's chamber.
Leighton was there, mantilla beside
him. I could only half see the re-
vealed oval of the face, but the figure
was slight and pretty, for I caught its
graceful outline later when they
passed me.
Next evening, OF a bale, Leighton
presented me to Panchita. Together
they were d~ancing-he and this pretty
animal, with eyes for him alone. In
the desert SO rapid is loves kindling,
so quick and full its fame, no charred
or half burned brands are here left on
loves. altar. 1t is consumed, and what
survives must spring, ph9nix-like,
from fire or else descend from heaven.
After the danza ended, Leighton
was standing in shirt.sleeves near
Panchita, with the collar of his Jersey
open at the throat--a trick of his that
made me suspect that he had seen
service in the navy. As he leaned over
her, Panchita's eye caught sight of the
locket chain, and he removed the
locket, opened it, and handed it to
her; this time not indifferently, but
with all the pride of priced conquest.
l was watching Panchita closely as
she gazed fascinated by the portrait,
and / saw her tremble. Only as / read
her face then by what I now know, can
l tell how well it expressed all that
hopeless sense of loss which comes
with the abandonment of things loved
or desired. For an instant her eyes
showed the rage q child sometimes
feels for an inanimate object, when
that object has hurt it And / thought
she would break the locket; then the
woman conquered, and she smiled as
she returned it.
From that moment her abandon
ment toward leighton was complete /:
her gayety and grace became exquisite,
while a look from him would lead her.
"Oh, you Eastern dervish of hearts I"
l exclaimed to myself, as Panchita left
him and skipped to get q handful Of
~cascarones and then returned, crush
ing the pretty tinsel spangles in a
shower over his brown head and throat.
She fitted about him with the grace
of a bird, and her eyes never left him.
She was becoming intoxicated with her
own movements; her cheeks were
flushed with bright fever spots, and
her eyes shone like stars. On and on
they danced, seeing only each other,
and she looked as if she could dance
forever.
At length Leighton proposed they
go, and she obeyed his wish as if
hypnotized or impelled to do it; and,
ignoring her duenna, they left to-
gether.
The next week / ruled Leighton's
official epitaph il the l. Troop records
thus: Deserted from hunting pass
August IS, 1885,"
You see, the case was an awkward
one. The night of the bale he had
been stabbed in the park. / found his
body there, and my comrades were
about to string up Morales, Panchita's
local admirer, for the stabbing, when
1 stopped them.
"Hold on, boys" L said "remem-
Der l promised the lieutenant no com
p~lications.
So Leighton became officially a "de.
s~erter," and / kept my word.
Besides, / doubt if stringing up
would have been fair to Morales, for
when l found Leighton's body, the
locket was lying on the ground beside
it. The clasp was open and the portrait
blood-stained and mutilated, as if by
the point Of o dagger.
/ think Leighton half knew what he
was doing when he Haunted that por-
trait at Panchita-he was q careless
chap, and loved danger IN @ way to
win any woman's heart. But you see
it was his first affair in this land, and
he was mistaken in their temper.
How could / let his record remain
go? Well, what could / do? Besides,
Leighton was not his right name, as I
found out afterward when reading his
home letters to get his relatives ad-
dress. His name was Jack Langhorn,
and that locket the rascal showed me
contained a portrait Of his youngest
sister. / found that out in writing to
his family, whom / toldthat Langhorn
was killed by the Apaches in the fight
at Chirachuca Fass-that occurred two
weeks before his death.
Three years later Jacks sister anne
to the States, where / met her in Col
orado, the year after l left the service
and made the strike at Hardua Hala-
She is Mrs. Marlin now, and you met
her at dinner. But remember, she
knows only half the story of her por-
trait, and Jack Langhorn was killed
by the Apaches. Let us join the ladies.
&C. Overton, in Argonaut.