The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1895-05-02

1
vate who had done her favor. She
treated oil alike, and came to be looked
upon as treasure which all might ad-
mire but none need ever hope to pos
sess-a devoted child whose father 50
filed every nook of her pure heart that
there was no room there for another.
| One lovely morning in the month Of
| September, 1906, while returning from
a gallop down the valley of the Rio
Grande, Miss Sanford rode up a gulch
onto the mesa about a mile below the
| fort AS she came out upon the higher
| ground she observed young soldier
sitting upon rock near the trnil busily
engaged In sketching. She wns her
| self clever artist and passionately
| fond of drawing from nature, and her
| interest In the soldier was at once
| aroused. He had not noticed her APP
proach, so deeply interested wus he In
his work, and she refined in her pony
few yards distant from where he sat to
study him. There was a pleased ex-
preston on her face when she noted
that he was a handsome young man
with a frank, honest face, neat and
| tidy in dress, and wearing an air of in
tellectual Refinement which seemed
sadly out of place in one whose los was
cast among the rough soldiers Of the
ranks. 1t must bc remembered that /
write of the days Just following the
close of our great civil wnr, when the
ranks Of the regular army on the
! frontier were made up of rough, Hitter
| ate men largely fished from the slums
of the eastern cities, many of them
having fed TO the west and buried
themselves in the army under assumed
names to escape the consequences of
crime. Alice Sanford had never dreamed
| the barracks of the private soldiers
| sheltered man of artistic tastes, and
the spectacle presented of q soldier
| welding the pencil of the artist was
to her o revelation.
The soldier becoming aware of her
presence glanced up from his work,
and, noting that it was the daughter
of the commanding officer who had ap-
preached him, quickly arose TO his feet,
removed his cap and silently waited
for her TO address him should she de-
sire TO do so.
II am sorry l disturbed you," she
] said. viii you permit me to look ut
the sketch you are mnlsing?"
ut is Us yet for from complete" he
quietly responded, ''nnd fear you may
not be nble to form an intelligent idea
of what its appearance will be when
the details are filled In. began 1t but
an hour ago"
He handed her the picture, and she
sat for some moments closely studying
it, occasionally casting her eyes dcross
the intervening desert TO the Fra Girls
tobcl range.
You have chosen q beautiful study"
she finally said. "In my eyes the Fra
Cristobcl is the most attractive of all
the ranges which surround u.s.
Il experience great pleasure In
sketching it, he replied. This will
be my third sketch of the range, and l
seem 10 never tire Of tracing its bold
outlines and copying its rugged details
Of rock and pine
Returning the picture, with o
simple thank you" she rode home
ward. She allowed her pony to walk
slowly along the trail and did not oven
chide him for stopping occasionally to
snatch n mouthful of grass Us he loitered
along, SO busy were her thoughts with
the humble private soldier whom she
had just left She had seen in the yet
crude sketch the work of master
hand, and she wondered why 1t was
that one so gifted should be wearing
the uniform and performing the duties
of a soldier. His manner was that OF
the polished gentleman, his speech re-
fined and pleasing, and his general de-
meanor Yves widely different from that
of any Of the other soldiers with whom
she had been brought in contact What
could O man of his attainments be do
ing in the ranks of the army? The
question flashed through her brain, but
no reply followed in its wake. A frown
swept over her face, but as quickly
vanished ut rebulSing thought
20, no, not crime" she unused.
"Those clear eyes of his mirrored O
clear soul. He must not be cllssed
with those who lurk in the shadow of
enlistment TO escape the searching
eye of justice There Is romance
strcwn along his trail of life. There
must be. Perhaps 1t was IN affair of