The Advocate and news., 1899-02-15

how fatr o picture OF almost girlish in
nOcenos and freedom from all worldly
dross or carel Even now, in the light
Of all the gradual revelation of her shall
low, selfish vanity, the heart Of the
man yearned over and softened to her.
II he had only realized, If he had
only known moro Of che 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 o 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 thoughtless,
poor girl What else had her mother
been before her? that else could one
expect Of her? Would she miss him9 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 a 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-
blea Thank God, Mullane's pistol
would soon end them all and 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
Of the barracks settled downward about
the adobe capping or drifted aimlessly
along the roof trees. Down in the stream
bed and over about the low bluffs Of the
farther shore swallows and sandmartins
were shooting and slanting about their
nests in clamorous, complaining gyra-
tion. The flag, run up to the topmast at
the crack Of the gun, hung limp and
lifeless, without so much as q flutter.
Away to the northwest, over the pine
crests Of the range, a belt Of billowy
cloud cleaned snow white at their sum-
mits, but frowned dark and ominous
underneath. Huge masses Of cumuluS
balloonlike, thrust distended cheeks to
the morning kiss Of the sun, but these
were we'll down to the west. The orient
and the zenith skies were 1ecklesa
Over at the stables two four mule
teams were hitohing in, and army wag
0ns were being laden with tentage,
luncheon baskets, ice, boxes Of bottled
beer, band instruments and the like,
all going ahead to the White Gate,
while Frazier's bandsmen were to fol-
low in another as soon as they had I'm.
ished breakfast. Their duty would be
TO set up the tents, the dancing pavilion
and the lunch tables on the level green
in lovely dell a mile within the gates
and bsvs everything in readiness
against the coming Of the joyous party
from the post. It was planned to carry
the women folk and such men as
couldn't ride in the available ambu-
lanCes and spring wagons, while the
cavaliers would Canter along on horse
back. They would lunch at /, dance,
tish and flirt through the afternoon
hours, have supplementary bite and
beer toward o'clock and drive home
ward before dark. Captain Barclay
as the guest of HONOR" said Mrs. Fra
Aier, would go with her and 'Manda in
her own vehicle, q venerable surrey.
The colonel would drive, and Miss
Frazier, now withdrawn by maternal
order from the supposed competition,
In oRder that 'Manda's charms might
concentrate, was hidden to ride Winn
had no thought Of going. Mrs. Frazier
had no thought that it would be posi-
BILE for him or Laura to go, the latter
being reported i'll in bed, and therefore
had found it easier to comply with the
Colonel's dictum that they must be in.
vited, and she did it by dropping in