The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1912-03-13

Tnere were curious glances and
strange speculations in that little
company as they saw her sitting her
James Armstrong had passed them at
gallop, he had waved his hand as
he dashed by and had smiled at them,
hope giving him certain assurance,
although his confidence was scarcely
warranted by the facts.
His demeanor was not in consonance
with Ends somewhat grave and some
what troubled present aspect. She
threw off her preoccupation instantly
and easily, however, and joined read.
lily enough in the merry conversation
of the way.
Mr.. Robert Maitland, as Armstrong
has said, had known him from a boy.
There were things in his career of
which Maitland did not and could not
approve, but they were of the past, he
reflected, and Armstrong was after
all a pretty good sort. Mr. Maitland s
standards were not at all those of his
Philadelphia brother, but they were
very high. His experiences of men
had been different; he thought that
Armstrong, having certainly by this
time reached years of discretion, could
be safely entrusted with the precious
treasure of the young girl who had
been committed to his care, and for
whom his affection grew as his knowl-
edge of and acquaintanceship with her
increased.
AS for Mrs. Maitland and the two
girls and the youngster, they were
Armstrong; devoted friends. They
knew nothing about his past, indeed
there were things In 1t of which Matt
land himself was ignorant, and which
had they been known to him might
have caused him to withhold even his
| tentative acquiescence in the possibili-
ties.
Most of these things were known
| to old Kirkby, who with mastery
skill, amusing nonchalance and amaz-
ing profanity, albeit most of 1t under
his breath lest he shock the ladies,
| fooled along the four nervous, excited
bronchos that drew the big supply
| wagon. Kirkby was Maitland's oldest
and most valued friend. He had been
the latter's deputy sheriff, he had
been a cowboy and a lumberman, a
| mighty hunter and a successful miner,
and now, although he had acquired a
| reasonable competence, and had nice
little wife and pleasant home in the
mountain village at the entrance to
the canon, he drove stage for pleas
| ure rather than for profit. He had
given over his daily twenty-five mile
jaunt from Morrison to Troutdale to
| other hands for short space that he
| might spend a little time with his old
| friend and the family who were all
| greatly attached to him On this outing.
| Enid Maitland, girl of a kind that
| Kirkby had never seen before, had
won the old mans heart during the
weeks spent on the Maitland ranch.
| not think that Mr.. James Armstrong
| merited that which he evidently SO
! overwhelmingly desired. Kirkby was
well along in years, but he was quite
| capable of playing a mans game for
all that, and he intended to play it In
this instance.
Nobody scanned Enid Maitland's
face more closely than he, sitting
bumped up on the front seat of the
| wagon, one.foot on the high break, his
head sunk almost to the level of his
knee, his long whip in his hand. his
keen and somewhat fierce brown eyes
taking In every detail OF what was go
ing on about him. Indeed there was
but little that came before him that
old kirkby did not see.
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