The Holly chieftain., 1899-01-13

trees. eiIesce; aud piercing sweet : o
soice OF rescue in the dark distance, the
bugles sounded:
~Attentioni"
1t sent the blood to the hearts Of all
who heard that midnight call. Darcie
thrilled. and was himself again in that
moment Of strong excitement. Faith
broke down like child. and wept. A
word at last had been spoken to which
even anarchy. red-handed. paused TO
listen. That brief order would carry
through the night; it would dy from
camp to camp through the mountain
gorges. and every man who caught but
the echo OF that word would under
stand. Those who will not heed the
voice of law, or soften to the stiller
voice OF kindness, must pause at last
when the bugle sounds:
Attention."
There was no "weddin' in Spokane"
MS Mike had generously predicted; but
there was doctor in Spokane, which
was more to the immediate purpose.
The wedding was some months later.
when the war was over. and the trials
were over, and the technicalities OF the
law had done much to retract the ring
ing lesson which the clcar-voiccd
bugles taught. The mines had resumed;
Mr.. Frederick bingham had resigned"
and was investigating the Keeley cure;
and Darcie Hamilton was sent over as
manager OF the Big Horn. This time he
did stop in New York long enough to
protect his claim to the virgin lode he
had located. under trying circum-
stances, the previous summer in the
Occur d'Alene. (The name of II was not
the Black Dwarf) But the complica-
tions between that early, rash location
and the subsequent patent under law
would make another story. with very
different scene-setting. The family
discussions, in Darcie's opinion, were
far worse than any miners war. He
never knew on which side his best
friend would turn up. His mother,
for instance, was infexibly against
him. while his father. the most positive
of men. was inclined--cspecially after
seeing Faiths picture-to look upon
the young mans adventures in the
Coeur d'Alene as very much what
might have been expected, SO why make
a row about thing that was mistake
all around? Darcie by no means con.
sidered that any of it was n mistake;
but If his father chose to call 1t so. and
to give his consent to his wishes on that
understanding. he was willing to yield
the point, in name. But Faith declined
to go to England. into family that
| gave her SO cold welcome. Therefore
Darcie came to America as manager OF
the Big Horn, and the intrepid young
pair went westward on their conquer
ing way. and left age and opposition be-
hind them. And IL they have disap-
pointed each others high expectations
Of happiness, the fact has not as yet
transpired to the knowledge Of their
relatives.
Faith celebrates in her letters the
wonderful wild flowers OF the Occur
d'AIene. the grandeur Of its mountains,
the softness Of its sudden spring. Other
persons maintain that the spring has
been very late in the Coeur d'Alene this
year. Her aunts wonder II the climate
has changed. Something has changed,
the girl has found her heart Of youth
again. and with It the courage to be
glad. The premature. crushing ex-
periences Of the year before. its shocks
and shameful surprises, have taken
their duo place in relation to larger
experiences and more vital discoveries.
She has parted with one sacred illusion,
but she is fortified against that irrep-
arabic loss by deeper knowledge OF
life and Its inevitable shortcomings.
Greater joy than hers no woman. she
believes. has ever known. She cannot
look to have all the joys, and all the
strengths, Of woman's perilous life OF
the affections.
Her mother she lost before she ever
knew her. A father she never had; he
died the spiritual death before his child
was born. The body OF Frederick Bing-
ham still walks the earth. but his soul
will never be cured by the Keeley or any
other mundane cure; It expired too
long ago. When the will IL dead. the
man is dead. His children can only
mourn him, and pay what respect they
may to the dreary remains.
Darcie has his enemies in the Coeur
d'Alene, but he has also his stanch
friends. Mike u foreman Of the Big
Horn in place Of Peter Banning, de-
posed; and Kitty Tyler, now Kitty Nc
Gowan. makes the surly Big Horn
kitchen realm Of perpetual sunshine.
She is spelling her young mistress for
whosoever her successor may be when
she and Mike 60 TO housekeeping in the
fall.
THE END.