The Harrison times. (Harrison, Boone Co., Ark) 1876-1938, 1897-03-06

Aii oeptempef the unhappy MRS, MOI
ton having gone hopelessly away to
anqther garrison, the lieutenant re-
IolAed his regiment.
In November, giving way ungracious-
ly enough to Anna Trafford's plead
ings. Charming granted her permission
to join him at tn railroad town. She
was very poor. Generally she was con-
slderate and self-saerihcing. Now she
elamored, 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-
eeipt of Channing's letter she was a.
the meeting plaee-alone.
She spent day and two nights in
the mean little depot fotel, very near
ly out of her mips with loneliness
fright and at las an acknowledged
distrust. Then Ghanning's mother ar1
rived, and an officer met them with
an ambulance.
a fever, the mother told her. The doe.
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 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 Channings bed, alone,
when the doctor led the mother and
her young companion in. The lleuten-
ant had been dead twenty minutes.
The dar1-eyed woman did not turn;
she had forgotten everything in all
the world save only Channings face.
When the southern girl dropped down
at the bedside and screamed for her
husband, she started.
rs the poor thing crazy?" she asked
duly of Mrs. Charming.
mo. But sac was not married to
him. Only she was to have been mar
ried at Santa Maria two or three days
ago; l forget when. He sent for her.
That can't be true. because l am
his wife"
Mrs. Charming caught at the bedpost
with her shriveled old hand Mon
sense!" she said.
Indeed, it is true. Aren't you his
mother29 She put her arm tenderly
about the bent shoulders. II thought
you were. You look like him. He and
l 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 Virginan. Yet neither
out of pity-spolze her convictions.
Watching oytr his mother, they sal
in the room Where he had died. and
listened to fhe thud of the soldiers
feet as theykmarched by outside, fol
lowing the yEung officers flag-covered