The copper era and Morenci leader., 1912-02-16

 she preferred what was said between them should not reach the ears of the negro, yet somehow, for the moment they made no adequate impression on him. Like famished wolf he began on the coarse fare. and for ten min utes hardly lifted his head Then his eyes chanced to meet hers across the narrow table, and instantly the gen. tleman reawoke to life.
 q have been a perfect brute,' he ac- knowledge frankly, with no thought except for myself Hunger was my master, and I ask your forgiveness, Miss Maclaire."
 Her eyes smiled.
 q am so very glad to have any one here-any one-in whom I feel even little confdence-that nothing else greatly matters. Can you both eat, and listen?"
 Keith nodded, his eyes full of inter est searching her face.
 whoever I may be, MT. Keith, and really that seems only of small i'm portance, I came to Fort Larned seek ing some trace of my only brother, whom we last heard from there, where he had fallen into evil companionship. On the stage trip I was fortunate enough to form an acquaintance with a man who told me he knew where l | could meet Fred, but that the boy was | hiding because of some trouble he had lately gotten into, and that l should have to proceed very carefully so as not to lead the officers to dis cover his whereabouts. This gentle | man was engaged in some business at | Carson City, but he employed a man to bring me to this place, and prom ised to get Fred, and meet me here the following day. There must have been some failure in the plans, for I have been here entirely alone now for three days. It has been very lonesome, and and Eve been 8 little frightened. Perhaps I ought not to have come. and am not certain what kind of place this is I was so afraid when you came, but am not afraid now"
 You have no need to be-" he said soberly, impressed by the innocent candor of the girl, and feeling thank full that he was present to aid her. T could not wrong one of the South"
 My father always told me I could trust Southern gentleman under any circumstances. MT. Hawley was from my own State, and knew many of our old friends. That was why I felt such unusual confidence in him, although he was but a travelling acquaintance.
 MT. Hawley?"
 "The gentleman whom I met on the stage
 "Oh, yes; you said he was in busi- ness in Carson City, but don't seem to remember any one of that name"
 He was not there permanently; only to complete some business deal"
 And your brother? may possibly have known him."
 She hesitated an instant, her eyes dropping, until completely shaded by the long lashes.
 "He-he was rather a wild boy, and ran away from home to enlist in the army. But he got into bad set. and and deserted. That was part of the trouble which caused him to hide. He enlisted under the name of Fred VII
 loughby. MT. Hawley told me this
 much, but am afraid he did not tell
 me all.''
 And he said you would meet him
 here?'
 Keith gazed about the bare sur
 roundings wonderingly. What was
 this place, hidden away in the midst
 of the desert, isolated in spot where
 not even Indians roamed. Could it be
 a secret rendezvous of crime. the headquarters of desperadoes, of cat tie rustlers of the highwaymen of the
 Sante Fe Trail-a point to which they could ride when hard pressed, cer- tain of hiding here in safety? He be- gan to suspect this, but, if so, who then was this Hawley. and with what object had he sent this girl here? | Every way he turned was to confrons | mystery, to face a new puzzle. What | I ever she might be-even the music
 hall singer he believed-she had been | inveigled here innocent1y enough l Even now she possessed only the most 4 vague suspicion that she had been de 4 ! ceived The center of the whole plot if there was plot. must be Hawley 1 sYes," she replied, ne said that this | was one of the stations of a big ranof l on which Fred was employed, and tha | he would certainly be here within | day or two"
 Il You met Hawley on the stag' coachf How did you become acqua1nt | edf''
 we were alone for nearly lift! ., miles," her voice faltering slightly
 "and-and he called me what you did.
 Christie Maclafre?" # "Yes; he-he seemed to think h. 7 knew me, and I needed help so mucl d that I let him believe so. l though g. it could do no harm, and then. whe B. I found he actually knew Fred, didn s think of anything else, only how fol D. tunate I was to thus meet him. Surel d something serious must have happeI n ed, or he would have been here befor D. this Do you-do you suppose ther l- Is anything wrong?"