Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1895-09-06
A DESERT CLAIM.
By NARY s. sTIOKNEY.
roopyrashA IsaA hy }. B. Lippincott Company
CHAPTER XIV.


His face turned impatiently toward
that quarter whence presently the head
light Of q locomotive would rise as q
star against the soft darkness of the
summer night, Paul Brown loitered at
the remote eastern end of that long
platform extending out from the rail
way station at Cheyenne. The great
stone building looked grim and repel-
lent as q prison in the white flood of
the electric light. Few were there to
welcome the coming at this hour of
half past in the morning, while none
were called to speed the parting guest,
since the expected train was the local
from Denver, which here would be at
the end of its route. An empty baggage
truck rumbled noisily across the wood
en- flooring to a position beside the out
or track, the fellow supplying the pro-
pelling forge as though wholly worn out
with the effort, properly adjusting him
self to a seat on its gridiron surface,
his legs drawn up to an angle of which
the apex fairly met his chin, his hands
clasped sustainingly around the knees.
A couple of hotel porters leaned lazily
against q corner Of the building "swap-
ping ies," as they would have express.
ed 1t In the slang which served them
for wit. A man perhaps not overhappy
In anticipation of the arrival which had
robbed him Of good Sleep perhaps, like
Paul Brown, too much absorbed in his
= own thoughts to encourage sociability,
walked by himself in the shadows at
the far end of the platform, while by
the door of the women's room an ex-
press agent, his canvas covered book
olasped tightly under one arm, discuss
ed q question Of local politics with a
burly officer of the law, whose silver
star Of office shone in conspicuous warn
ing to all evil doers.
"Expeotin oomp'ny, Brown" the
crouching fellow on the baggage truck
called out, with sleepy interest, after q
little. But the one addressed never heard
him.
''She Is comingl She is coming!' he
was saying over and over in passionate
recitative to the accompaniment Of his
pulsing heart, keeping his joy alive.
Even with his hand fast closed upon
her telegram in his pocket he could yet
scarce bellows that he was go soon to see
her face again. BE felt that he could
almost murmur blessings now on that
newspaper thunderbolt, erstwhile SO ac-
cursed, which had won for him a prom
ise he could never have dared to pray
for,
: And 30 when Edith Ellery stepped
from the sleeper that night it was Paul
Browns face which looked at her over
the porter's shoulder; it was his hands
which were reached out to clasp hers
In voioeless welcome
lit is you, really you?" she gasped,
incredulously touching his sleeve with
her finger tips "Then it was not true:
You are not
Decidedly not" he laughed, taking
the bag from her nerveless hands with
an air Of proprietorship. ''Will you take
my arm2 It is scarce more than dozen
steps to the hotel, but am obliged to
take it rather slowly on account of my
ankle, which is not yet altogether re-
covered from it's wrench the other day.
hope you don't mind?''~
''But I don't understand, she fall
tered bewilderedly. II thought
"You thought that you might per-
haps find me hanging from lamp
post" he laughed in boyish delight.
II am sorry that you had such fright,
but you must not expect me to be alto
gether sorry, since it has brought you
here"
''Then 1t was not true what the pa
per said?'
'It was, and it wasn't. Artalissa
did give me away to the best of her
ability. She evidently did see me from
the window that night, and she embroid-
cred the tale with envy, hatred, malice
and all unoharitableness. She was load
ed down with circumstantial evidence
She had heard the jingling of my spurs
as I passed the house, the subdued
trampling Of horses and the opening of
the corral gate q moment later. l was
even twisting my quirt in my hands
when I returned, fully three hours later
time enough, you will see, to have
run the stock off to confederate, as
she cleverly suggested. There was al
most nothing to do but to arrest ME aft
or that, though to Tregent it was all a
joke, while your brother understood it
perfectly. I encouraged the fun, partly
to SEQ how far the girl would 60 with
her scheme of vengeance, partly be-
cause I was going back to town and
planned to ride down with Tregent
anyway, and. somewhat with the idea
that were anybody on the place in COM
munication with the thief-one never
knows what systems of underground
telegraphy they have, these fellows
it might put him somewhat off his
guard. It was all a great bluff so fa1
as we were concerned, nothing more.
But the fellow who drove us in from
the ranch improved the opportunity by
getting himself boiling drunk that
night, when he went telling the story
around the saloons, with all sorts Of
boozy embellishments, while that little
carrion crow Of a reporter got hold OF
him, and-well, the joke had rather
lost its point when the papers came in
from Denver this afternoon. But have