Gloucester County Democrat., 1912-06-27

Every well, then. Belknap asked me
for permission to try his chance long
ago-before | came west to Laramie.
assigned him to bring her through to
me. He was distracted at his failure
to do so. He has been out with parties
all the summer searching for you both
and has not been back at Laramie
more than ten days. oh, we all knew
why you did not come back to the set
Elements. When we came in he guess
ed all that you know. He knew that
all the world would talk. And, like a
man. he asked the right to silence all
that talk forever"
"And she agreed? Ellen Meriwether
accepted him on such terms?"
"It is arranged" said he, not an
swering me directly, land it removes
at once all necessity for any other ar
rangement- AS for you, you disappear
1t will be announced all through the
army that she and Lieutenant Belknap
were married at Leavenworth before
they started west and that it was they
two and not you and my daughter who
were lost"
"And Belknap was content to do
this?r | mused He would do this
after Ellen told him that she loved
me-"
s'Stop" thundered Colonel Meriweth-
er. Il have told you all that is neces-
eary. will add that he said to me.
like the gentleman he is. that in case
my daughter asked it he would marry
her and leave her at once. until she
of her own free will asked him to re-
turn. There is abundant opportunity
for swift changes in the army. What
seems to you absurd will work out in
perfectly practical fashion"
YES" said l. ''in fashion perfectly
practical for the ruin of her life. You
may leave mine out of the question:
Il do, sir" was his icy reply. "She
told you to your face. and in my hear
ing. that you had deceived her, that
you must CO."
YES" ! said, duly, 81 did deceive
her. and there is no punishment on
earth great enough to give me for that
Except to have no word from her!''
You are to go at once. put it
beyond you to understand Belknap's
conduct in this matter"
He is a gentleman" 1 said, "and
at to love her l think none of us
needs praise or blame for that
He choked up. she's my girl" he
said. Yes. all my boys in the army
love her-there isn't one of them that
wouldn't be proud to marry her on any
terms she would lay down. And there
isn't man in the army. married or
single, that wouldn't challenge you if
you breathed a word of what has gone
between you and her."
1t seemed to me so unspeakably sad,
so incredible, that one should be so
unbelieyably underestimated.
Now, finally" resumed Colonel Meri-
wether. after time, ceasing his walk
ing up and down, 81 must close up
what remains between you and me.
My daughter said to me that you want
ed to see me on some business matter.
OF course you had some reason for
coming out here"
''That was my only reason for COM
ing" rejoined. 81 wanted to see you
upon an important business matter l
was sent here by the last message my
father gave any one-by the last words
he spoke in his life. He told me !
should come to YOU
We'll, well, If you have any favor
to ask Of me out with it, and let us
end it all at one sitting"
g 'sSir," said. 81 would see you
damned forever before / would ask
crust or a cup Of water of you, though
! were starving and burning l have
heard enough"
"Orderlyp' he called out. s'Show this
man to the gate"
1t was at last borne in upon me that
i must leave without any word from
Ellen. She was hedged about by all
the stern and cold machinery of an
army post, out of whose calculations
was left as much as though belonged
to a different world. / cannot express
what this meant for me- For weeks
now, for months, indeed, we two had
been together each hour of the day.
] had come to expect her greeting in
the morning, to turn to her thousand
times in the day with some query or
answer. / had made no plan from
which she was absent. had come to
accept myself with her as fit part Of
an appointed and happy scheme. Now,
In a twinkling, all that had been sub
verted.
1t was thus that /, dulled, bereft; !,
having lived, now dead; l, late free,
now bound again, turned away sullen-
" and began my journey back to the
life had known before met her.
AS passed east by the Denver stage
j met hurrying throngs always coming
westward, a wavelike migration Of
population now even denser than it
had been the preceding spring. They