Daily Arizona silver belt., 1909-04-11
"Nerer mind T Go. rye nearo noth-

ing but mining all my life"
 Tn the third place. l don't think l
 have the right. for I'm soldier. I'm
 working for Uncle Sam. and don't
 believe ought to take up mining
 claims. I'm not sure there is anything
 to prevent it, but neither am I sure 1t
 would be quite the square thing. Are
 your
 1 "Why, of course it's all right" said sNecia. her eager face clouding with
 the look of a hurt child If you don't
 do 1t somebody else will"
 But the lieutenant shook his head.
 Maybe Pm foolish, but can't see my way clear, much as would like to-"
 "0h, dear: oh. dearr' she exclaimed
 brokenly. ''I do so want to go. want you to be rich, and want tosbe rich
 myself. want to be fine lady and go outside and live like other girls. Why, it means heaven to girl like
 mey' Her eyes were wet with the
 sudden dashing of her hopes, and her
 chin quivered in q sweet, girlish way
 that made the youth almost surrender
 on the instant.
 "We couldn't possibly oyertake them if we tried" he said, as if willing to treat with his conscience.
 ''No. but we could beat them in. I
 know where Lee is working, for I
 went up last winter with Constantine and his dog team oyer q short cut by
 way of Black Bear creek. You see, his creek makes great bend to the south
 ward and heads back toward the riv- CT. so by crossing the divide at the source of. Black Bear you drop into it few miles above his cabin"
 While she made this appeal Burrell fought with himself. There were req sons why he longed to take this trip
 more than he had longed for anything since boybood. These men of Flam- beau had disregarded him and insisted on treating him with contemptuous distrust despite his repeated friendly overtures, wherefore he was hungry to beat them at their own game, hun gry to thrust himself ahead of them and compel them to reckon with him as an equal. preferring state of open ennlity If necessary to this condition of indifferent toleration. Moreover, he knew that Necia was coveted by half of them, and if he spent night in the woods alone with her it would stir them up a bit. he fancied. By heaven. that would make them sit up and mo- tice him! DCt. then, it might work a wrong upou her. And yet would it? He was not Sa sure that it would. She had come to him, sl,e was old enough to know her mind. and she was but half breed girl. after all, who doubtless was not so simple as she seemed. Otll- CT men had 10 such scruples in this or any other land. and yet the young man hesitated until, encouraged by his si- lence, the girl came forward and spoke again impuisively:
 Don't be silly, Mir. Burrell. Come! Please come with me, won't your'
 She took him by the edges of his coat and drew him to her coaxingly. It may have been partly the spirit of revolt that had been growing in him all day, or it may have been wholly the sense of her there beside him. warm and pleading, but something caused a great wave to surge up through his veins. caused him 10 take her in his arms. flercely kissing her | upturncd face again and again, crying | softly, deep down fin his throat:
 Yes. yes, yes! You little witch. I'll | go anywhere with you! Anywhere! | Anywhere!" The impulse was blind | and ungovernable. and it grew as his | lips met hers. while, strangely enough. | she made no resistance, yielding her self quietly til he found her arms wound softly about his neck and her lace ncstling close to his. Neither of | them knew how long they stood thus blended together. but soon he grew conscious of the beating of her heart against his breast as she lay there like | little futtering bird and felt the throhbing of his own heart swaying him. Her arms. her lips and her whole body clung 10 his in sweet surren- der ard vel there was nothing im- modest or unn.aidenly about it, for his strength aud ardor had lifted her and irawn her to him as on the sweep of a great wave.
 She drew her face free and hid 1t against his neck, breathing softly and with shy tinidity,. as if the sound of he words she whispered half fright med her.
 "l love you. love you, Meade"
 It may happen that man will spend nontbs in friendly and charming inti- macy with woman and never feel the 'foience or tenderness of passion Jill here comes n psychic moment or q 'bysical touch that suddenly inwraps hem like Il flame So it was with 'urrell. The sweet burden of this girl n his arms, the sense of her yielding lps. the warmth of her caresslng ! ands, momentarily unleashed leap ng pack of mad desires. and 1t was s he who finally drew herself away to ] emind him smilingly that he was l 'asting time. My lips will be here when those