The Dickinson press., 1897-02-13

anu LuSTS US married.
In September the unhappy Mrs. Nor
ton, having gone hopelessly away to
another garrison, the lieutenant re.
Joined his regiment.
In November, giving way ungracious.
ly enough to Anna Traftords plead.
ings, Claiming granted her permission
to join him at tn railroad town. She
was very poor. Generally she was con-
siderate and self-sacrificing. Now she
clamored, and would not be quieted
until a mortgage was raised on the
wretched little house that was all in
the world her mother and crippled sis
ter owned. She bought her ticket with
the money. and ten days after the re-
ceipt Of Channing's letter she was at
the meeting place-alone.
She spent day and two nights in
the mean little depot hotel. very near
ly out Of her mind with loneliness,
fright, and at last an acknowledged
distrust. Then Channing's mother ar
rived, and an officer met them with
an ambulance.
fever. the mother told her. The doc
tor had telegraphed for her, without
her sons knowledge, the day after the
girl had left the village. Then Anna
reproached herself for her suspicious
with unreasoning bitterness.
The drive to the post took two days.
1t was a horrible experience for the
officer. The road stretched on, on and
on, across desert and bad lands, where
even the greasewood and mesquite
were burned by the terrible sun. The
The beautiful daughter of Col. Ross
was standing by Channing's bed, alone,
when the doctor led the mother and
her young companion in. The lieuten-
ant had been dead twenty minutes.
The dark-eyed woman did not turn;
she had forgotten everything in all
the world save only Channing's face.
When the southern girl dropped down
at the bedside and screamed for her
husband, she started.
"Is the poor thing crazy?" she asked
duly of Mrs. Claiming.
"No. But she was not married to
him. Only she was to have been mar
ried at Santa Maria two or three days
ago; forget when. He sent for her. !"
THAT can't be true, because l am
his wife,"
Mrs. Claiming caught at the bedpost
with her shriveled old hand. "Non-
sense" she said.
Indeed, it is true. Aren't you his
mother?" She put her arm tenderly
about the bent shoulders. II thought
you were. You look like him. He and
were married last night at midnight,
when they told us he was going to die. -
"Anna! Come away, Anna! You've
no right there. Get up. This girls his
wife. He didn't love you. He married
her. He married her-last night"
1t was cruel, but Mrs. Claiming had
gone mad.
For five years afterward Col. Ross
cared for the insane mother of his
daughters husband-even when his
daughter was dead.
But until Claiming was buried in
the graveyard on the hill. where the
coyotes dug up the mounds at night,
and the prairie-dogs barked shrilly,
and the snakes glided along the dry,
baked earth into their holes-until he
was buried there, the two women staid
by her. Their trust in the dead man
never faltered. The girl believed he
had been ensnared on his death-bed;
the wife that he had never loved the
childish, pretty Virginian. Yet neither
out of pity-spoke her convictions.
Watching over his mother, they sat
in the room where he had died, and
listened to the thud of the soldiers
feet as they marched by outside, fol-
lowing the young officers fag-covered
coffin. Then there was a long, long
silence. They were wide apart-the
wife, with her beautiful head in her
hands; the girl, looking straight at
the wall; the old woman. muttering
and scratching at her gown with her
crooked fingers.
At last came the sound of far-off
volley of musketry. The girl jumped
up. whats that?'
1.-THE firing over his grave.''
In moment it came again. The
girl stood swaying, the wife sat with
her head still bowed. It was no new
sound to her.
A pause-then the last volley. The
girl fell, and the woman, lifting her
head, stared stupidity at the pretty,
dead face, at the fixed, childish eyes,
that still looked hurt; while the moth.
er muttered in the corner and taps
shrilled from the bugle over the grave
Of the man they had loved.-San Fran.
cisco Argonaut.
The new magazine rifle adonted nv