The Montgomery tribune. (Montgomery City, Mo.) 1892-1910, 1908-04-17
cHAPETR XVII (continued).

last. Il wish this made perfectly clear.
and for all time. l met Miss Gillis
first through pure accident. She i'm
pressed me strongly then, and / con-
fess l have since grown more deeply
interested in her personality. l have
reasons to suppose my presence not
altogether distasteful to her, and she
has certainly shown that she reposes
az pres gu o'luemou e lsnr lEBA..
confidence in me. Not until late last
might did / ever suspect she was the
same girl whom we picked up with
you out on the desert. 1t came to
me from her own lips and was a total
surprise. She revealed her identity
in order to justify her proposed clan
destine meeting with you"
And hence you request this pleas.
ant conference" broke in Hampton,
coolly, ito inform me, from your calm
eminence of responsibility, that 1 was
no fit companion for such a young and
innocent person, and to warn me that
you were prepared to act as her pro-
t%ector."
Brant slightly inclined his head.
Il may have had something of that
nature in my mind"
well, Lieut.. Brant," and the older
man rose to his feet, his eyes still
smiling, some might be impolite
enough to say that it was the con-
ception of a cad, but whatever 1t was,
the tables have Unexpectedly turned.
Without further reference to my own
personal interests in the young lady.
which are, however, considerable,
there remain other weighty reasons
that l am not at liberty to discuss,
which make 1t simply impossible for
you TO sustain any relationship to
Miss ellis other than that of ordinary
social friendship"
"You-you claim the right"
81 distinctly claim the right, for
the reason that l possess the right, and
no one has ever yet known me to
r%elinquish a hold once fairly gained.
Lieut.. Brant, if l am any judge Of
faces, you are a fighting man by ma
ture a. we'll as profession, but there
is no opportunity for your doing any
fighting here. This matter is IRE.
vocably gettled-Naida ellis is not
for you."
Brant was breathing hard. "Do you
mean to insinuate that there is an un.
derstanding, an engagement between
your" he faltered, scarcely knowing
how best to resent such utterance.
you may place your own construc.
ton upon what l have said," was the
quiet answer. "The special relations
existing between Miss ellis and my.
self chance to be no business of yours.
However, l will consent to say this
l do enjoy a relationship to her that
gives me complete authority to say
what have said to you. I regret hav.
ing been obliged by your persistence
to speak with such plainness, but this
Knowledge should prove sufficient to
control the actions of a gentleman"
For moment the soldier did not
answer, his emotions far too strong to
permit Of calm u~tterance, his lips
tightly shut. He felt utterly defeat.
ed. Your language is sufficiently ex.
plicit," he acknowledged at last. 81
ask pardon for my unwarranted intru'
sion."s
At the door he paused and glanced
back toward that motionless figure YET
standing with one hand grasping the
back of the chair.
Before l go. permit me to ask
single question:" he said, frankly. az
was a friend of old Ben ellis, and
he was a friend of my father before
me. Have you any reason to suspect
that he was not Nadia ellis father?'
Hampton took one hasty step for
ward What DO you mean?" he ex
claimed 6ercely, his eyes two Goals Of
dfx