Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1897-11-18
TIE OLD SILVER TRAIL.
BY MARY E. STICKNEY.
copyright 1896. by J. B. Lippineott Col
CHAPTER ".


The road below the Mascot mine, al
ways wet in places from seeping
springs. had been badly quilted by the
rain, but Dorothy had no care for safe
ty as she blindly dashed down the steep
chill. She felt altogether shaken and I'M
snerved by this fortuitous reviviscence
Sof an adventure which had fingered in
her memory as a cherished bit of ro-
nance.
AS she had truthfully told him in
the hurry and perturbation of the
worlds fair encounter she had had
hardly a thought to spare for the
looks of the young fellow whom
chance had sent to play a knight
ly part; still less had there been OPP
portunity to learn his name or aught
else about him, beyond the patent facts
that he had been charmingly jealous in
her service and that his manner had
been precisely what the manner of
gentleman should be under such circum-
stances, deferential and wholly unpre
Stunning. That she should ever meet
him again she was altogether too prac-
teal to imagine; but the picture of
him which had remained with her, for
the very vagueness of its outlines, had
always had strong hold upon her fancy.
In the extravaganza of youths delight
in adventure, she had liked to magnify
the romance of the episode by endowing
the hero with every grace, until uncon-
sciously to herself he had developed to
an ideal, altogether transcending the
common run of men.
And now in a moment the fair god
was rudely topp1ed to earth He was
Harvey Neil, an unprincipled adven-
turer, who by misrepresentation and
fraud and by clever play upon the falli-
bility of the law would strive to despoii
his neighbor. He had dared to accuse
her father of stealing fortune out of
the Mascot mine; he would brand him
as a common thief, simply to attain his
own Ubiquitous ends. "a regular bunco
game" her father had tersely charac-
terized the suit which had been brought
against him. a bunco game! and de-
vised by him who had been idea1ized in
her mind as n very Cheyalier Bayard,
without fear and without reproach.
Youth resents so fiercely it's disillu-
sionments! She could have wept angry
tears for the sense of loss, of cruel griev-
ance, in this ruthless shattering of her
ideal.
She had nearly reached that point
far down the hill where the road lead
ing up to the Grubstake branched away
to the cast in an acute angle, when her
eyes fell upon the handkerchief still
bound about her wrist. With n little
inarticulate exclamation she brought
the horse to an abrupt stop, while, hur-
riedly undoing the damp folds, she
no hoy
mitted TO herself that she expected to
see him glued to the spot where she
had left him, absorbed in sentimental
contemplation of her back; but her i'll
humor was not little augmented by
the fact that he had wholly vanished
from sight, while nobody appeared
whom she could call to her assistance.
Acting upon the first impulse. she
turned to go back up the hill, but with
a second thought she stopped again,
perpleScdly studying the situation.
One small cabin, somewhat apart from
the other buildings of the mine. she in
stinctivcly settled upon as Neil's pri-
vate quarters; and she was half disposed
to ride up to the door forthwith and
boldly tender him this bit of his equip
ment, OF which she so keenly lopged to
be rid; but with reflection appeared
dozen reasons why she should not do
that, not the least of which was her
nervous dread of again encountering
Neil himself. She must return the
handkerchief by some messenger. she
decided. with sharp dislike for the very
sight of it, thrusting it down into her
saddle pocket, as she turned back again
to the Grubstale road.
Col. Meredith was standing Just with
in the shaft4house door with the SUPER
intendent of the mine as Dorothy rode
up. both so much occupied with their
conversation that for the moment Meth
er looked up. There was something in
her fathers attitude which suggested
to the girls mind that he must have
very lately arrived himself, and with
the thought she found herself glancing
back down the road with a little start
of apprehension as she reflected how
near he might have been to seeing her
ride down the hill on the other side
tn company with Harvey Neil. She had
rad no distinct thought of conceaIing
that circumstance till this moment:
but now of a sudden it appeared clear
that 1T might be far more conducive
to her peace of mind to keep to herself
the of that afternoon.