The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1898-10-30

g16E & CUuAu ever DC Tep31u. W uAb K1&ub
had he to use one cent Of this money for
any purpose whatever when another
day might be his last?
Winn wished he still had the San
Antonio check instead of these bulky
packages OF greenbacks. They were
now looked up i'm Trott's safe, unbro-
ken, pending action ct department head
quarters on the new schedule sent
thither, based ON the recovery Of some
Of the damaged storeA he thought Of
it all as long before gun Gre that morn
reused him from his Etful sleep and
bade him face his daily, hourly tor
ment. he had risen, and IS he softly
moved about the room. thoughtful for
her, she slept ON placidly ~ a happy
child. acundly as slept the nurse and
the little one In the adjoining room.
Donning his stable dress, he carried
his boots into the hail and down the
creaking stairs and sat there, with soli-
tary candle, at his de6k, wearily jotting
down inexorable hgurea The dawn
came stealing in the eastward window.
From aloft querulous little wall was
uplifted ON the stiffness of the summer
morning. There was no answering hush
Of loving, motherly voice. Laura could
not stand wakeful nights. He tiptced
swiftly up again to rouse the nurse in
case she, too. slept ON, but he heard her
hand heating drowsy time en- the cover
let. ead the soothing "Shoo, shoe,
shoe, - with which she communicated
her own heaviness to her little charge.
Laura had turned uneasily. he saw as
he pceped in at the open doorway, but
again slept soundly. her lovely face
now full turned toward him, balf pill
lowed on the white and rounded arm
he used to kiss with such rapture in the
touch Of his lips. Her white brow was
shaded by the curling wealth of her
soft, shining hair. The white eyelids
drooped their long curving lashes over
the rounded cheeks, family tinged with
the rosy hue of youth and health. The
exquisite lips, warm, delicately nodded,
parted just enough to reveal the white,
even, pea-ly teeth. The snowy, round
ed throat and neck and shoulders were
enhanced in their beauty by the filmy
fabric of her gown, beneath which her
full bosom slowly rose and fell in health
full respiration. How beautiful she was,
how fair picture of almost girlish in
nocence and freedom from all worldly
! dross or care! Even now, in the light
of all the gradual revelation of her shall
low, selfish vanity, the heart Of the
man ycarned over and softened to her.
If he had only realized, if he had
only known 1Eore of the world and life
and duty other than mere soldier obliga-
tion, how different all might have been
What right had he to ask her to be his
wife? She should have welded a man
many years her senior-one fitted to
! guide and direct her, able to lavish
luxury upon her. Il wasn't all her
fault that she had been so thouShtless,
poor girl What else had her mother
been botore her? What else could one
expect of her? Would she miss him? he
wondered. Not long, not long, thank
Godl Beauty such as hers would soon
win for her and baby home and comfort
such as he could never give. That was
all over. Something almost like sob
rose from his heart as he bent and soft
ly touched with his lips the floating
curl above her temple then turned back
to resume his work and reface his trou-
bles. Thank God, MuIlane's pistol
would soon end them all ard save him
from the sin that was in his soul the
day he took his own revolver with him.
She was sleeping still when the morn
ing gun shook the shutter Of her win
, dow and he went forth to meet the sor-
, rows Of another day, as he had met
those Of the past-alOne.
! The air was strangely still, yet the
smoke from the kitchen chimneys back
t of the barracks settled downward about
: the adobe Gaping or drifted aiulesslJ
, along the roof trees. Down in the stream
> bed and over about the low bluffs cf th'
farther shore swallows and ssnGmartin
= were shooting and slanting about thei
I nests in clamorous, complaining gyr2
/ tion. The flag, run up to the topmast a
4 the crack of the gun, hung limp ant
/ lifeless without so much as a flutter
/ Away to the northwest, over the pin
crests of the range, belt of billow.
{ cloud cleaned snow white at their sum
( mits, but frowned dark and ou.Inou
t underneath. Huge masses Of cumulus
{ balloonlike, thrust distended cheeks t
the morning kiss Of the sun, but thes
n were well down to the west. The orien
4 and the zenith skies were fecklesS
D Over at the stables two four mul
y teams were hitching in, and army wag
!, ons we've being laden with tentage
+ luncheon baskets, ice, boxes Of bottles
Q beer, band instruments and the like
d all going ahead to the White Gate
{ while Frazier's bandsmen were to fol
Q low in another as soon as they had fin
ished breakfast. Their duty would b
t to set up the tents, the dancing pavilio
J: and the lunch tables on the level gree
:? in a lovely dell mile within the gate
D and have everything in READINGS
) against the coming of the joyous part
o from the post. 1t was planned to carr
!, the women folk and such men a
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