The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1897-03-20

Poor little girl! Come away, then.
"If you will just take me home and
tell Dan u She stepped, losing the
thread CT her words, for Claiming was
approaching.
Captain Lytton offered her his arm.
"Come quickly, he said.
"Just wait n minute, please-just till
I tell Mr. Claiming | can stay for our
dance"
She had flushed up, and her eyes were
brilliant. She put out her hand to Chan
ming, drew it back and again stretched
it forth cCnfGsedly.
He took it and pressed it-yes, she
was sure he pressed it almost. "The
third you promised me, wasn't it?'
"Yes, | think So" she answered.
Captain Lytton turned on his heel
end walked away.
At the end Of the third dance, while
they strolled together up and down the
line, Charming experimental to see how
far she would go. To his CONSERVATION,
he found that she would stop at nothing
short of b~lazoning her infatuation from
the house tops. A scandal was not what
Charming wanted. He was very gentle
with her, but she wept and said all man
ner of foolish things, until Captain Lyt-
ton came upon them and took her home.
Very soon after this the lieutenant
went on to visit his mother. She was q
Virginian of the conventional poor but
proud order, and she lived on what had
once been the kitchen garden of the
family estate. Quite as often as not she
was on the point of hunger, when there
was no demand for the needlewQrk of
her quivering old fingers. Her son did
not contribute to her support. "AII Of
my beggarly pay and more, too, goes to
keep up appearances. My regiment is
great on esprit de corps. I'd like awful
ly well to help you, mother, but I must
hold up my end of the row. l am a
Chanting" And she loved him all she
better.
While he was with her in the sum-
mer Of 1885 through sheer lack Of ex-
element he became enamored of a GER
tain Anna Trafford. He asked her to
marry him, quite the last thing he would
have expected himself to do--and she,
bCIiS SCliiBItt0J0 luc1IIttbtli1 COIloCItStt
without even a decent amount of hest
tation. 1t was arranged that in the late
fall she should join Claiming at the
town nearest his post and there be mar
ried.
In September, the unhappy Mrs. Nor
ton having gone hopelessly away to an
other garrison, the lieutenant rejOined
his regiment. He mentioned the fact of
his engagement to 10 Ole, but proceeded
promptly to lure on another woman, a
girl Of gorgeous beauty, a hot blooded
brunette, with the eyes Of q Jael, the
brow of a Madonna, and a sensitive,
well made mouth. She was the only
daughter Of Colonel Ross, mothGrless
and betrothed to one Lieutenant Haw-
thorne, who had loved her since they
had been babies making mud pies to-
gether on the sun blasted parade ground
of Camp Thomas. She broke her en-
gagement, and she broke young Haw-
thCTne's heart. But her own turn was to
come.
In November, giving way ungracious-
~ enough to Anna 1rat1ord's ~pleadings,
Charming granted her permission to
join him at the railroad town. She was
very poor. Generally she was consider
ate and self sacrificing. Now she clam
ored and would not be quieted until a
mortgage was raised on the wretehed
little house that was all in the world
her mother and crippled sister owned.
She bought her ticket with the money,
and ten days after the receipt of Chan
ning's letter she was at the meeting
p~lace-alone.
She spent a day and two nights in
the mean little depot hotel, very nearly
out of her mind with Loneliness, fright
and at last an acknowledged distrust,
Then Channing's mother arrived, and
an officer met them with an ambulance.
Charming was dying Of a fever, the
mother told her. The doctor Lad tele-
graphed for her without her sons knowl.
edge the day after the girl had left the
village. Then Anna %reproached herself
for her suspicious with unreasoning bit,
terness.
The drive to the post took two days.
1t was a horrible experience for the Off,
Ger. The rOad stretched on, on, OH,
uCIUSS bCScIt anu buu IdlluSS NLtlG GNSI
the greasewood and mesquite was burn.
ed by the terrible sun. The old woman
sank from the dust and the heat into al
almost senseless state. The girl, being
young and strong and alive, fought will
the strangling dust, gasped, twisted hel
small hands and bit into her lips in &
perfectly silent struggle. Sometimes, al
the lieutenant sat opposite them, BIZ
wished that they would cry or make
some sound.
The beautiful daughter Of Colone,
Ross was standing by Channing's bee
alone when the doctor led the mother
and her young companion in. The lieu
tenant had been dead 90 minutes. TIT
dark eyed woman did not turn. She ha(
forgotten everything in all the worlt
gave only Channing's face. When thu
southern girl dropped down at the bed
side and screamed for her husband, sht
started.
us the poor thing crazy" she asked
duly of Mrs. Charming.
"No. But she was not narried tt
him. Only she was to have blen mar
ried at Santa Maria two or thee day
ago-I forget when. He sent 1Cr her. ,
"That can't be true, because l am hi
+ wife"
Mrs. Claiming caught TT the bedpos
with her shriveled old hand. "Non
{ sensel' she said.
"Indeed it is true, Aren't you hi
GAs