The citizen., 1913-04-04

local disturbance and would end as
/ suddenly as begun Then, when
realization finally came, it was al
ready too late to stop the girl She
would be already on her long journey.
/ what could he do? What immediate
! steps could he hope to take for her
/ protection? Ordinarily he would not
nave hesitated. but now a decision
was not so easily made Of his com
mand scarcely thirty men remained
at Devere, mere infantry guard, to-
/ gether with a small squad CT cavalry
men, retained for courier service. His
/ only remaining commissioned officer
| at the post was the partially disabled
cavalry captain. acting temporarily as
adlutant. because incapacitated for
taking the field. He had waited until
the last possible moment. trusting
that a Shift in conditions might bring
back some available officer. Now he
had TO choose between his duty as
commander and as father. Further
delay was impossible.
Devere was a fort merely by cour.
tesy. In reality it consisted only of
a small stockade hastily built of cot
| tonwood timber, surrounding in partial
protection a half dozen shacks and
one fairly decent log house. The
situation was upon a slight elevation
| overlooking the ford, some low bluffs,
bare of timber but green with June
| grass to the northward. while in ev-
| cry other direction extended an in
terminable sand-desert. ever shifting
beneath wind blasts, presenting as
| desolate a scene as eye could witness.
| The yellow food of the river, still
! swollen by melting mountain snow,
was hundred feet from the stockade
| gate, and on its bank stood the log
cavalry stables Below, a scant half
mile away, were the only trees visible,
a scraggly grove of cottonwoods.
while down the face of the bluff and
| across the fiat ran the slender rib
bon of trail Monotonous, unchang.
ing, it was desolate picture to watch
day after day in the hot summer.
In the gloom following an early
supper the two officers sat together
in the single room of the cabin,
candle sputtering on the table behind
them, smoking silently or moodily dis
cussing the situation. Mcdonald was
forid and heavily built, his gray mus
tache hanging heavily over a firm
mouth, while the Captain was OF an
ether type, tall, with dark eyes and
hair The latter by chance opened
! the important topic.
BY the way, major" he said care
lessly, Il guess it is just as well you
stopped your daughter from coming
out to this hole. Lord, but it would
be an awful place for woman"
But | didn't" returned the other
moodily 81 put it off too long"
Put it off Good heavens, man.
didn't you write when you spoke about
doing so? Do you actually mean the
girl is coming-here?'
Mcdonald groaned.
That is exactly what mean,
Travers. Damme, | haven't thought
of anything else for week. Oh. |
know now | was an old fool even to
conceive of such trip, but when
wrote her had no conception of
what it was going to be like out here.
| There was not rumor of Indian
trouble a month ago, and when the
/ tribes did break out 1t was too late
for me to get word back east. The
fact is. | am in the devil Of fix
without even an officer whom | can
send to meet her or turn her back.
If | should go myself it would mean
court-martial
Travers stared into the darkness
/ through the open door. sucking at his
pipe.
by George. you are in a pickle,
he acknowledged slowly. Il supposed
she had been headed of long ago.
Haven't heard you mention the mat
ter since We first got here. Where
do you suppose the lass is by now?
Near as can tel. she would leave
Ripley the 18th"
"Humph! Then starting tonight.
good rider might intercept her at
Fort Dodge She would be in no dan
ger travelling alone for that distance.
The regular stages are running yet,
| SUPPOSE"
Yes; so far as l know"
Under guard?"
only from the Caches to Fort
Union; there has been no trouble
along the lower Arkansas yet. The
troops from Dodge are scouting the
country north, and we are supposed
to keep things clear of hostiles down
this way"
Supposed to-yes; but we can't
patrol five hundred miles of desert
with hundred men, most OF them
dcugh-boys. The devils can break
through any time they get ready
yeu know that. At this minute there
isn't a mile of safe country between
Dodge and Union. If she was my
daughter"
you'd do what?" broke in McDon-
aid, jumping to his feet I'D give my
life to know what to dol"
"Why, I'd sent somebody to meet
her-to turn her back if that was pos
sible. Peyton would look after her
there at Ripley until you could ar
range"
"That's easy enough to say, Travers,
but tell me who is there to send? DO
YOU chance to know an enlisted man
out wonder who would do-whom you
would trust to take care Of a young