The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1911-03-30

With a mothers instinct she had
OWNED at once the reason for the
visit, though no warning thought
crossed the mind of the girl who
placed a chair for their visitor with
a heartiness which was real-was
not this the white man she had
saved from death in the snow a year
ago? Her heart was soft towards
the life she had kept in the world.
She smiled at him, all the anger
gone from her eyes, and there was
almost touch of tender anxiety
in her voice as she said
What brought you out in this
blizzard? 1t wasn't safe. 1t doesn't
seem possible you got here from the
Portage"
The huge ranchman and auction
eer laughed cheerily. Once lost,
twice get there" he said, with a
quizzical toss of the head, thinking
he had said good thing. It's a
year ago to the very day that L was
lost out baok"-he jerked a thumb
over his shoulder-"and YOU picked
me up and brought me In; and what
was | to do but come out on the an.
niversary and say Thank you" Ia
fixed up all year to come to you.
and wasn't to be stopped, cause
it was like the day we first met, old
Coldmaker hitting the world with
his whips of frost. and shaking his
ragged blankets of snow over the
wild West.
Just such a day" said the Indian
woman after a pause, as Pauline re-
manned silent, placing little bottle
of cordial before their visitor, with
which he presently regaled himself,
raising his glass with an impressive
air
Many happy returns TO us both"
he said, and threw the liquor down
his throat, smacked his lips, and
drew his hand down his great mus
tache and beard like some vast an
imal washing its face with its paw.
Smiling, and yet wholly i'll at ease,
he looked at the two women and
nodded his head encouragingly, but
whether the encouragement was for
himself or for them he could not
have told.
His last words, however, had alter
ed the situation. The girl had caught
a suggestion in them which startled
her. This rough, white plainsman
was come to make love to her, and
to say-what? He was at once awk-
ward and confident, afraid of her, of
her refinement, grace, beauty and ed
ucation, and yet confident in the
advantage of his position, white
man bending to a half-breed girl. He
was not conscious of the condescen-
sion and majesty OF his demeanor,
but it was there, and his untutored
words and ways must make it all
too apparent to the girl. The revela-
ton of the moment made her at once
triumphant and humiliated, This
white man had come to make love
to her, that was apparent; but that
he, ungrammatical, crude and rough,
should think he had but to put out
his hand, and she in whom every
subtle emotion and influence had del
icate response, whose words and
ways were as far removed from his
as day from night, would fly to him,
brought the flush of Indignation tc
her cheek. But she responded TO his
toast with a pleasant nod, and said.
But if you will keep coming in
such wild storms, there will not be
many anniversaries
She laughed, and poured out an
other glass of liquer for him.
We'll, now. praps you're right,
and so the only thing to do is not
to keep coming, but to stay right
where you are"
The Indian woman could not see
her daughters face, which was turn
ed to the fire, but she herself smiled
at John Alloway and nodded her head
approvingly. Here was the cure for
her own trouble and loneliness. Paul
inc and she, who lived in different
worlds, and yet were tied to each
other by circumstances they could
not control, would each work out
her own destiny after her own ma
ture, since John Alloway had come
a-wooing. She would go back on the
Warais, and Pauline would remain at
the Portage, a white woman with
her white man. She would go back
to the smoky fires in the huddled
lodges; to the venison stew and the
snake dance; to the feasts of the
Medicine Men, and the long sleeps in