Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1908-01-25
cHAPErR XVI tcontinued.

last. Il wish this made perfectly clear,
and for all time. l met Miss ellis
first through pure accident. She i'm
pressed me strongly then, and I con-
fess 1 have since grown more deeply
interested in her personality. 1 have
reasons to suppose my presence not
altogether distasteful to her, and she
has certainly shown that she reposes
ag pres gu ,.'lu9mom lsnr lIBM.,
confidence in me. Not until late last
night did 1 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 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, ''to inform me, from your calm
eminence of responsibility, that I was
no fit companion for such a young and
innocent person, and to warn me that
you were prepared to act as her pro-
tector.''
Brant slightly inclined his head
Il may have had something of that
nature in my mind"
We'll, 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 it 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 I am not at liberty to discuss,
which make it simply impossible for
you to sustain any relationship to
social friendship
"You-you claim the right
81 distinctly claim the right, for
the reason that possess the right, and
no one has ever yet known me to
relinquish a hold once fairly gained.
! Lieut.. Brant, if I am any Judge of
| faces, you are fighting man by ma
ture as we'll as profession, but there
is no opportunity for your doing any
| fighting here. This matter is ire
vocably settled-Naida ellis is not
| for YOU
Brant was breathing hard. do you
| mean to insinuate that there is an I'M
| Outstanding, an engagement between
your" he faltered, scarcely knowing
how best to resent such utterance
You may place your own construc-
ton upon what have said," was the
| quiet answer. 1.-The special relations
| existing between Miss ellis and my
self chance to be no business of yours.
| However, / will consent to say this
1 do enjoy relationship to her that
| gives me complete authority to say
what have said to you 1 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 I"
| For moment the soldier did not
| answer, his emotions far too strong to
| permit of calm utterance, his lips
| tightly shut. He felt utterly defeat
ed Your language is sufficiently ex-
plicit," he acknowledged at last. q
ask pardon for my unwarranted intru-
| sion
| At the door he paused and glanced
back toward that motionless figure yet
| standing with one hand grasping the
back of the chair.
Before / go, permit me to ask a
single question: he said, frankly. 81
| 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 fiercely, his eyes two Goals OF
| fire.