Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-02-02
Copyright. 1908, by
Harper s. Brothers.
All Rights Reserved


you'd understand why 1t amt possible.
/ can't tell you without hurtin' your
feelin's, and I like you too much for
that, Miss Necia. Seems as If I'm al
most a daddy to you, and I've only
knowed you for a few weeks"
60 ahead and tell me; I won't be
offended" insisted the girl. You must
1 don't know much about such things
for I've lived all my life with men like
father and Poleon, and the priests at
the mission, who treat me just like one
Of themselves. But somebody will want
TO marry me some day, 1 suppose, so
ought to know what is wrong with me )"
She flushed up darkly under her brown
cheeks.
The feeling came over Corporal Thorn
as that he had hurt helpless AMI
NAL Of some gentle kind; that he was
bungling his work, and that he was not
of the caliber to go into the social
amenities. He began to perspire, I'M
comfortably, but went on doggeGly:
I'm going to tell you a story, not
because IL applies to Lieutenant Burren,
or because he's in love with you, which
OF course he amt any more than you be
with him"
''Of course" said girl.
but Just to show you what 1 mean.
It was a good long spell ago, when 1 was
at Fort Supply, which was the frontier
in them days like this is now. We freight
ed In from Dodge City with bull teams,
and 1t was sure the fringe of the frontier;
no women-no society-nothin' much ex-
cept fort, a lot Of Injuns, and a few
officials with their wives and families.
Now them kind of places is all right for
married men, but they're tough sleddin
for single ones, and after a while Teller
gets awful careless about himself; he
seems TO go backward and run down
mighty quick when he gets away from
civilization and his people and restau-
rants and such things; he gets plumb
reckless and forgetful of what's what
Well, there was a captain with us, a
young Teller that looked like the lieuten-
ant here, and a good deal the same sort
high-tempered and chivalrous and all that
sort of thing; a West Pointer, too, good
family and all that, and, WHAT'S more,
captain at twenty-five. Now, our head
freighter was married to a squaw or
leastways he had been, but in them days
nobody thought much Of it any more
than they do up here now. and particu-
larly because he'd had a government con-
tract for long while, ran big gang of
men and critters, and had made a lot
of money Likewise he had a girl, who
lived at the fort, and was mighty nice
a year or so OF cactus-trees and mesquite
and buffalo-grass. She was twice as nice
and twice as pretty as the women at the
post, and as for honeywell, her dad
could have bought and sold all the Off
GERS in a lump; but they and their wives
looked down on her, and she didn't mix
with them none whatever. To make It
short, the captain married her. Seemed
like he got disregarded of everything, and
powered him. She'd been courted by every
single man for four hundred miles
around. She was pretty and full of fire,
and they was both of an age to love
hard, so jefferson swore he'd make the
other women take her; but soldierfn' is
a heap different from any other profess
sion, and the army has got it's own tradi-
tons The plan wouldn't work. By-and-by
the captain got tired of trying, and gave
up the attempt-just devoted himself to
her-and then we was transferred, al,
but him. We shifted to a better post, but
Captain Jefferson was changed to an
other company and had to stay at Sup
ply. Gee it was a rotten hole. Influence
had been used, and there he stuck, while
the new officers cut him out completely,
just like the others had done, so l was
told and it drifted on that way for q
long time. him forever maxim an uphill
fight to get his wife recognized and all
ways quittin' loser. His folks back east
was scandalized and froze him cold, call
in him a squaw-man; and the story went
all through the army, till his brother Of
flcers had to treat him cold in order to
keep enough warmth at home to live by,
one thing leading to another till he fl
nally resented it openly. After that he
didn't last long. They made it so un-
pleasant that he quit the service-crowd-
ed him out, that's. all. He was a born
soldier, too, and didn't know nothing else
nor care for nothing else; as fine a man
as l ever served under, but ii soured him
so that a rattlesnake couldn't have lived
with him. He tried to go into some kind
of business after he quit the army,
but he wasn't cut out for it, and
never made good as long as I knew Of
him. The last time l seen him was
down on the border, and he had sure
grown cultus. He had quit the squaw,
who was Twin with a greaser in Tue
SON"
And do you think I'm like that wo-
man?' said Necia, in a queer, strained
voice. She had listened intently to the
corporars story, but he had purposely
avoided her eyes and could not tell how
she was taking it.
mol You're different, but the army
is just the same. 1 told you to show
you how it is out in the states. 1t don't
apply to you, of course"
"Of courser' agreed Necia again. But
what would happen to Lieutenant Burrell
if-if-well, If he should do something
like that? There are many half-breed
girls, 1 dare say, like this other girl, or
like me-"
She did not flush now as before; in
stead, her cheeks were pale.
1T would go a heap worse with him
than it did with Captain Jefferson" said
the corporal, for he's got more ahead
Of him and he comes from better stock.
Why. his family is way up! They re
mighty proud, too, and they wouldn't
stand for his doing such a thing, even
if he wanted to. But he wouldn't try;
he's got too much sense, and loves the
army too we'll for that: No, sir! He'll
go long ways, that boy will, if he's let
alone"
II never thought of myself as an In
dian" said Necia, duly I'm this
| country It's a PERSONS heart that
counts"
That's how It ought to be-" said the
corporal, heartily; land I'm mighty
sorry IL I've hurt you, little girl. I'm
rough old rooster. and 1 never thought
but what you understood all this. Up
| here folks look at it right, but outside
it's mighty different; even yet you don't
half understand"