Daily Arizona silver belt., 1909-04-14

he declared. and there was more ten derness than hunger in his tone now as she looked up at him trustingly from the shelter of his arms Tt would spoil you to grow up." Tt is sc good to be alive and to love you like this!' she continued dreamily, staring into the fire. "I seem to have come out of gloomy house into the
 glory of warm spring day. for my eyes are blinded. and can't see half the beautifuls want to. there are so many about me-"
 'Those are my arms" interjected the
 soldier lightly in m effort to ward off her growing seriousness. i've never been afraid of anything, and yet feel so safe inside them. | Isn't it queeri"
 The young man became conscious of
 a vague discomfort and realized dinly 1 that for hours now he had been smoth-
 ering with words and caresses q some
 thing that had striven with him to b.
 heard. something that instead of dying grew stronger the more utterly
 this innocent maid yielded to him. Il
 was as if he had ridden Impulse with
 rough spurs in fierce desire to els
 tance certain voices and in the fri
 mad gallop had lost them. but now fir
 back heard them calling agnin more strongly every moment. X mans hon. or if old may travel feebly. but Its pursuit is persistent. It was the talk about his people that had raised this
 uneasiness and indecislon. he thought.
 Why had he ever started 1t?
 "The marvellous part of 1t all." con tinued the girl. .'is that 1t will never end. I know I shall love you always. Do you suppose I am really different from other girls?'
 "Everything is different tonight-the whole world" he declared impatiently.
 "I've had big handicap" she said, "but you must help me to overcome 1t. I want to be like your sister"
 He rose and piled more wood upon the fire. What possessed the girl? It was as if she knew each cunning joint of his armor. as If she had realized her peril and had set about the awakening of his conscience deliberately and with n cautious wisdom beyond her years. We'll. she had done 1t. and he swore to himself. Then he melted at the sight of her, crouched there against the shadows, following his every move ment with her soul in her eyes. the nf hnP lips.
 When she beheld him gazing at her she tilted her head sideways daintily. like little bird.
 'Oh. my! What fierce you are all nt oncer'
 Her smile flashed up as If illumined by the leaping blaze. and he crossed quickly, kneeling beside her.
 He piled up great sweet scented couch of springy boughs and fashioned her . pillow out of bundle of smaller ones. around which he wrapped hls khaki coat: then he removed her high laced boots and. taking her tiny feet, one in the palm of either hand. bowed his head over them and kissed them with q sense of her gracious purity and his own unworthiness. He spread one of the biz gray blankets over her and tucked her in while she sighed in delightful languor. locking up at him all the time.
 "I'll sit here beside you for awhile" he said. ''I want to smoke bIt'
 At times a great desire to feel her iii his arms. to have her on his breast. surged over him. for te had lived long apart from women. and the solitude of the night seemed to meek him. He was a strong man, and in bis veins ran the blood of wayward fcrbears who were wont to possess that which they conquered in the lists of love, mingled with which was the blood of spirited southern women who had on occasion loved not wisely, according to Kentucky rrfrnor, but only too we'll. Nevertheless they were honest men and women. If oversentimental, and had transmitted to him heritage of and high sense of honor and i, courage. Her love had placed bar rier between them greater and more than her blood
 He gently withdrew his fingers from her grasp and. seeing the other side of the wiclliup, covered himself over without disturbing her and fell asleep
 It was early dawn when Necia crept to him.
 T dreamed you had gone away" she said, shiverlng violently and drawing close. "Oh. 1t was terrible awaken ing
 ''I was too tired to dream" he said.
 "So had to come and see if you were really here"
 He quickly rekindled the fire, and they made nasty breakfast. Before the warmth of the rising sun had pen etrated the cold air they had climbed the ridge and obtained a wondrous view of broken country. the hills might with the morning rays. the val leys misty and mystical.
 'I wish Stark was not one of Lees party" he said once. He may mis- understand our being together this vuayw .at