San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1897-03-28

edged that she has the letters and says
that if we men will go into the hut
she'll get them for me-"
He rose at once. 81 told my father
not to drag her in, ;" he muttered sadly.
Il don't care about myself, Mr.. Gordon,
but can't you keep her out of it? She's
as innocent of any real wrong as the
day she was born"
9TH do everything in my power, 1
promised. Then he and Hance went into
the cabin, and walked back to the Gull
prit.
Miss Cullen, said gravely, "you
have those letters and must give them
to me"
But told YOU she began.
To spare her a second untruth I inter
rupted her by saying, II trapped your
brother into acknowledging that you
have them.
"You must have misunderstood
him." she said calmly, cor else he
didn't know that the arrangement was
changed. "
Her steadiness rather shook my con-
viction, but said, You must give me
those letters or 1 must search you"
"You never wouldp' she cried, rising
and looking me i'll the face.
On impulse L tried big bluff. I took
hold of the lapel of her waist, intending
to undo one button. l let go in fright
when 1 found there was no button-only
an awful complication Of hooks or some
other feminine method for keeping
things together-and l grew red and
trembled, thinking what might have
happened had 1, by bad luck, made any
thing come undone. If Miss Cullen had
been noticing me, she would have seen
a terribly scared man.
But she wasn't, luckily, for the mo-
ment my hand touched her, and before
she could realize that snatched it
away, she collapsed on the rock and
burst into tears "Oh, ohl'' she sobbed.
II begged papa not to, but he insisted
they were safest with me. I'll give them
toyou if you II only go away and not
Her tears made her inarticulate, and,
without waiting for more, ran into
the hut, feeling as near like a murderer
as guiltless man could.
Lord Rallies was swearing over his
trousers by this time and was offering
the cowboy and Hance money to recover
them. When they told him this was i'm
possible, he tried to get them to sell or
hire pair, but they didn't like the idea
of riding into camp minus those essen
tials any better than he did. While l
waited they settled the difficulty by
strapping blanket round him, and, by
splitting it up the middle and using
plenty Of cord, they rugged him ont aft
er a fashion, but l think if he could
have seen himself he would have waited
till it was dark enough to creep into
camp unnOticed.
Before long Miss Cullen called, and
when / went to her she handed me,
without a word, three letters. AS she
did so she crimsoned violently and look
ed down i'll her modification. was so
sorry for her that, though moment be-
fore had been Judging her harshly, 1
now couldn't help saying:
"Our positions have been so difficult
Miss Cullen, that don think we either
of us are quite responsible for our ac-
tons.
She said nothing, and, after pause,
/ continued:
II hope you'll think as leniently of
my conduct as you can, for 1 can't tell
you how grieved 1 am to have panied
you"
Cullen joined us at this point, and
knowing that every moment we remain
ed would be distressing to his sister ]
said we would start up the trail
hadn't the heart to offer to help her
mount and after Frederic has put her
up we fell into single file behind Hance,
Lord Rallies coming last.
AS soon as we were started 1 took q
look at the three letters. They were all
addressed to Theodore E. Camp Esq,
Ash Forks, A. T., one of the directors
of the K. and A. and also Of the Great
Southern. For the first time things be,
gan to clear up to me. When the trail
broadened enough to permit it, pushed
my mule up alongside of Cullen anc
asked:
1.-THE letters contain proxies for the
K. and A. election next Friday?"
He nodded his head. The Missouri
Western and the Great Southern art
fighting for control" he explained
land we should have won but for three
blocks of eastern stock that had prom
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