The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-05-12
..yor dare not saw it !" she cried.

mean to do IS TO stick it out right here and
take nv chances at Frayne. There's no
other post where I'd find so many friends
at court if things go wrong.
| "You shall not stay here II L have to buy
YOU to 60" she cried, but she shrank even
as she spoke, as though dreadlng blow,
for. with uplifted hand, he sprang to her
side, then roughly, sayagely, selzed her
slender wrist. :.
"Who are you to pose as a guardian
shall to me2 Do you realize, my love,
that your place in the army is not In Oh
ficers' quarters but Gown yonder in Laun-
dresses Alley? By the Lord! I've mind
But here a dark shadow fell between him
and the slender, writing object of his
brutal rage; an iron grasp was laid in turn
on the hand that so cruelty. crushed the
white wrist. A deep voice, eloquent with
wrath, controlled, yet boiling, seemed to
ring in his ears the two words, ''Let gop
and then, releasing perforce mis- hold on
the shrinking, startled woman, Graice
writhed in furious effort to free himself
from the clinch of Malcolm Leale, and
writhed in vain.
You've the devils own grip" he
savagely Missed through his grinding
teeth.
1--WE grip, my man, that won't loosen
till you are past doing further mischief
here" was the stern, relentless answer
Then, uplifting his voice, Leale shouted
for the corporal of the guard, and at the
instant the cry went echoing over the posts
of six and seven. The sentry still writhed
in impotent rage. Finding his struggles
futile, he once more dashed with his
tongue.
"Don't be too sure of that, captain,
There are some kinds of a hold even your
grip can't loosen"
mo insolencel You go from here to the
| guardhouse, as it is"
Oh the guardhouse and you, tool"
ragged the soldier hurting down his car
bine. IF I'm to spend Christmas in
limbo, I'm cursed If you shall spend it
making love to my" and here, with a
tigerlike bound. his free hand brandishing
glistening knife, he lunged at the officers
throat. A 1.-the form had come leaping
like panther up the path, and even before
Helen's cry had died away, Grow Knife had
| hurled himself between the men, and the
| shining blade was buried out of sight.
There was moment of furious struggle,
and then the sentry lay felled like an OK in
| his tracks, and Leales foot was at his
throat. The knife blood-stained, had
dropped in the snow. The Indian, his
hand pressed to his side, was swaying
slowly back, as the sergeant of the guard,
with brace of men, came running to the
spot.
"Take this man to the guardhouser was
IL
stunned and sodden, to his feet. Then the
captain turned to Crow Knife. "Did that
crazy brute strike you? Are you hurt2'
he asked, in deep concern.
Captain" said the Indian, slowly, 81
believe 1 IN killed"
Leale sprang to support him. Other
men, running to the scene, linked their
hands and made a chair and raised the
poor fellow from the ground. Garry him
gently to the hospital, lads I'll be with
you in a moment" said Leale, and then he
turned to where, trembling, terrified,
Helen Daunton still stood, as though pow
erless to move.
"Helen-Mrs. Daunton First let me
see you home. I ask no confidence, no ex-
PLANTATION, but this is something in which
1 must help you. l have guessed the
truth, have 1 not? That man is your
brother"
"Mv brother, Captain LealeI God pity
me-that man is my husbandr'
For a moment not another word was
spoken. Leale had recoiled, staggered as
though struck mortal blow. Then, in
hoarse whisper, so choked and broken
seemed his voice:
"Your husband! Your husband, Helen?
Oh, my Godi And had thought you free
to be loved, as have learned-as you have
taught me-to love you"
Captain Lealei !" she cried. SIN pity
say you do not believe that. oh, hear mel
in his misery he had averted his face.
"You shall not think me so vile," she went
on, desperately, 81 never knew until to-
day that you had learned to-care for me.
thought all that had gone with my
youthIoh, so long agol | only asked Of
safe, and where by and by, perhaps, l
could forget. have seemed to myself so
old and dull and sad, so different from the
women men love, that never dreamed it
my duty to say l was not free. Oh,
thought you were my friend. Ny heart
thought it dead since that Christmas eve,
four years ago. All, let me tell it to you
and you will understand. Four years ago
this night my little sick baby woke and
walled with pain. That NANNY hus-
band-was in a drunken sleep on the
floor. The baby's cry woke him. He
swore dreadful oath at the little weak,
white thing in my arms and struck it
hard across the mouth. I don't know
what wild words [ said to my husband, but
l told him I would never see him again.
Then I caught my baby to my breast and
1 ran and ran through the cold Christmas
streets, and the stars went out, and the
lights went-eut in the houses, and the little
baby on my breast grew heavier and heav-
Ter, and by and by it was dawn, and, oh.
50 cruelty cold, and II opened the shawl
and saw" Here, overcome by the recol-
IectlOn, the poor woman covered her face
in her hands and burst into wild sobbing.
And then the captain turned. Helen,
Helen, my poor, poor girl HUSH 1 spoke
like brute, but l was hit hard-God knows
was hit hard. was your friend-I am
your friend and will be so the end. It is
late. You must in. Take my cloak, you
are shiyering."
With that he turned and led her to the
angle by the colonel's quarters and there
she looked up one instant into his SORROW
stricken face. do not come further with
me-" she implored. you have been so
good to me, and, bowling to her will, he
let her go, and stood following her swiftly
retreating form with his longing eyes. And
then soft and sweet and clear as though
rising above all surrounding OF crime or
sin or sorrow, there foated on the night
the prolonged notes of the cavalry trum-
pet sounding the soldier lullaby-"Lghts
OUT
Lights out" murmured Leale. Lights
out-ah, God help me-for life and love it
is, indeed, lights out"
Ito be continued.
Copyright 1895