The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1912-12-12
CHAPTER VII.
Plans for Escape.

Plans for Escape.
Desperate as he certainly felt their
situation to be, for a moment or two
Hamlin was unable to cast aside the
influence of the girl, or concentrate
his thoughts on some plan for escape.
1t may have been the gentle pressure
of her hand upon his sleeve, but her
voice continued to ring in his ears. He
had never been a woman's man, nor
was he specially interested in this
woman beside him. He had seen her
fairly, with his first appreciative
glance, when he had climbed into the
stage on the preceding day. He had
realized there fully the charm Of her
face, the dark roguish eyes, the clear
skin, the wealth of dark hair. Yet
all this was impersonal; however
pretty she might be, the fact was
nothing to him and never could be.
Knowing who she was, he compre-
hended instantly the social gulf
stretching unbridged between them.
An educated man himself, with family
connections he had long ago ceased
to discuss, he realized his present
position more keenly than he other
wise might. He had enlisted in the
army with no misunderstanding as to
what a private's uniform meant. He
had never heretofore supposed he re-
GREETED any loss in this respect, his
nature apparently satisfied with the
excitement of active frontier service,
yet he vaguely knew there had been
times when he longed for companion
ship with women of the class to
which he had once belonged. For
tunately his border stations offered
little temptation in this respect, and
he had grown to believe that he had
actually forgotten. That afternoon
even-sweetly fair as Miss. Mcdonald
undoubtedly appeared-he had looked
upon her without the throb of pulse,
as he might upon picture. She was
not for him even to admire-she was
Major McDonald's daughter, whom he
had been sent to guard. That was all
then.
Yet he knew that somehow it was
different now-the personal element
had entered unwelcomed, into the
equation. Sitting there in the dark,
Gonzales body crumpled on the floor
at his feet, and Moylan lying stiff and
cold along the back seat, with this
girl grasping his sleeve in trust, she
remained no longer merely the Ma
jor's daughter-she had become her
self. And she did not seem to care
and did not seem to realize that there
were barriers Of rank, which under
other circumstances must SO utterly
separate them. She liked him, and
frankly told him so, not as she would
dismiss an inferior with kindness,
but as though he was an equal, as
though he was gentleman. Some
how the very tone of her voice, the
clinging touch of her hand, sent the
blood pumping through his veins.
Something besides duty inspired
him; he was no longer merely a SOL
der, but had suddenly become trans
formed into man. Years of repres-
out, and he became even as his birth
right made him. molly Mcdonald
Molly Mcdonald" he whispered the
name unconsciously to himself. Then
his eyes caught the distant flicker of
Indian fire, and his teeth locked saw.
agely.
There was something else to do be.
sides dream. Because the girl had
spoken pleasantly was no reason why
he should act the fool. Angry at him.
self, he gripped his faculties, and
faced the situation, aroused, intent.
He must save himself-and her! But
how? What plan promised any pos
sibility of success? He had their sur.
roundings in map before his eyes.
His training had taught him to note
and remember what others would as
naturally neglect. He was soldier
of experience, plainsman by long
training, and even in the fierceness OF
the Indians attack on the stage his
quick glance had completely visual
lied their surroundings. He had not
appreciated this at the time, but now
the topography Of the immediate re.
gion was unrolled before him in de-
tail; yard by yard it reappeared as
though photographed. He. saw the
widely rutted trail, rounding the blun
at the right hundred yards away,
curving sharply down the slope and
then disappearing over the low hill to
the left, slight stream trickling
along Its base. Below, the short buff
falo-grass, sunburned and brittle, ran
to the sandy edge Of the river. which
I flowed silently In . broad, shallow,
yellow Hood beneath the star gleam
Under the protection Of that bank, but
somewhat to the left, where q handful
of stunted cottonwood trees had found
precarious foothold n "a the sand
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