The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1905-12-20

| 'ouutttti Wltu Ule Settlcncut OF an
estate.
| The precipltancy of this latest turn
Of events bewildered Judith; but vet a
little whlle-a matter of weeks and
days-and her friendship with Hamil-
ton had been of that pleasantly lndefi.
mite estate situated somewhere ON the
borderland OF romance. kingdom
where there Ia no law but the mutual
interest of the wayfarers Judith and
Peter had been pltifully new at the
game Of life when the gods vouchsafed
them the epuivocal blessing of propin-
| guilty. Judith was but lately come
| from the convent at Santa fe ana
Hamilton from the university. whose
honors awaited him little In the trailing
OF cattle over the range or In the sweat
and tumult OF the branding pen. IL
was n strange election of opportunity
for man who had been class poet and
had rather consplcuously avoided ath-
letics during his entire college course.
In pursuing fortune westward Hamil.
ton did not lack for chronlclers. who
would not have missed a good story
for the want of an authentic dramatic
Interpretation of his plans. His uncle,
said they. who had put him through
college. was disposed to let him sink
or swim by his own efforts. or. again
he had quarreled with this same omnip.
otent uncle and walked from his pres
cnce with no prospects but those with
in grasp of his own hand Again. he
had taken the negative of u fair lady
more TO heart than two and twenty IL
in the habit of taking negatives Peter
made no condolences. lie went west
to punch cows for the Wctmorc out
fit. lie was a distant connection OF the
Wctmores through his mothers side
of the family
Judlth's convent upbrlnging had con
ferrcd on her the doubtful advantage
of gentlewoman's tastes and bearing.
making of her therefore. an alien in
her fathers house When Mrs. At.
kins, who was responsible for her edu-
cation, realized the equi, ocal good of
these things and saw, moreover, that
the girl had grown to he u beauty. she
offered to adopt her. but Judith, with
the pltlful hcrosm OF youth that un.
derstands little of what II Is renounc-
Ing, thought herself strong enough To
hold together family uncertain of
purpose as quicksilver.
In those tragic days of reimbursement
came Peter Hamilton. as strange to the
bald conditions of frontier life as the
girl herself. From the beginning there
had been between them the barrier of
circumstance. Hamilton was poor
Judith the manstay Of household
whose thrlftlessness had become
proverb. He came of family that
numbered II signer of the Declaration
of Independence, famous chief JUS
tlce and the dean OF great university.
Judith was uncertain of her right to
the very name she bore And yet they
were young. he a man, she n woman
eternal fountain OF interest preco-
clous sense of the fitness of things was
the compass that enabled Peter to steer
through the deep waters I'm the years
that followed But the girl paid the
penalty of her great heart In that
troublous sea of friendship she was
soon adrift without rudder, sail or
compass.
Judith was now eight and twenty.
and a sculptor would have found
hundred statues In her Long of limb,
deep bosomed, youth and health radi-
ated from her as sparks fly upward.
In sunlight her black hair had the blu
ish iridescence of ripe plum. The
eyes were deep and questioning-the
eyes of young seraph whose wings
had not yet brushed the far distant
heights of paradise. And yet In this
wilderness that was furnishing for wo-
mans love and tears and laughter by
perversity Of fate she walked alone.
She was true daughter of the des.
ert the child OF stark, unloveiy cir
cumstance. No well bred romance OF
book and bells and churchly benedlc-
ton had ushered her into being Her
maternal grandfather had been the ia
nous Sioux chief, Flying Hawk; her
grandmother white woman who
knew no word OF her peoples tongue
nor yet her name or race. The Indians
found the white baby sleeping by her
dead mother after the massacre OF an
emigrant train. They took her with
them, and she grew up Ia the Black
Hills country, white skinned Sioux.
had slain her people She accepted her
squaw's portion uncomplalningly --
shaved cheerfully al squaws work
while her brave made war on the
whites, hunted and smoked She rear
ed her half breed children in the leg
ends OF their fathers people and died
withered crone, cursing the pale
faces who had robbed the Sioux OF the
buffalo and their hunting ground.