The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1913-10-25
CHAPTER VII.
Plans for Escape.
W A.o.rrcluRo q ca

Desperate as he certainly felt their
situation to be. for a moment or two
Hamlin was unable to cast aside the
his thoughts on some plan for escape.
II 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 . woman's man, nor
was he specially interested In this
woman beside him. He had seen her
fairly, with his first appreciatite
glance, whom 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 q 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
jors 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 80 utterly
separate them. She liked him, ant
frankly told him 30, not as she would
dismiss an inferior with kindness
but as though he was an equal, al
though he was a gentleman. Some
how the very tone of her voice, the
clinging touch of her hand, sent thu
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 a man. Years of repres
sion, of iron discipline. were blotte'
out, and he became even as his birth
right made him. molly Mcdonald,
Molly Mcdonald" he whispered tn,
name unconsciously to himself. Thel
his eyes caught the distant flicker o
Indian fire, and his teeth locked saw
! agely.
There was something else to do be
sides dream. Because the girl ha
spoken pleasantly was no reason VIII
he should act the fool. Angry at hin
self, he gripped his faculties, an
faced the situation, aroused, intent
He must save himself-and her! Blu
how? What plan promised any pos
, sibility of success? He had their SUI
roundings in a map before his eyei
His training had taught him to not
and remember what others would a
naturally neglect. He was q soldle
1 of experience, a plainsnan by Ion
training, and even In the fierceness {
, the Indians attack on the stage hi
4 quick glance had completely visua
, lied their surroundings. He had nc
I appreciated this at the time, but no
the topography of the immediate r.
4 gion was unrolled before him in d
: tail; yard by yard 1t reappeared q
though photographed. He saw til
v widely rutted trail, rounding the blu
: at the right hundred yards ava,
I curving sharply down the slope an
then disappearing over the low hill
d the left, a slight stream tricklin
h along its base. Below, the short bu
4 falo-grass, sunburned and brittle, ra
n to the sandy edge of the river, whic
/ flowed silently in a broad, shallo,
a yellow flood beneath the star CLEAR
q Under the protection of that bank, bl
/" somewhat to the left, where handf
E. Of stunted cottonwood trees had four
a precarious foothold in the san
o cleaned the solitary Indian fir
n About its embers, no doubt, squattC
q the chiefs and older warriors, feas
!. ing and taking council, while h
!. younger bucks lay, rifles In han
4 along the night-enshrouded sloI
n their cruel, vengeful eyes seeking
h distinguish the outlines Of the Goa,
apainet tha hIaalr curtain nP the hin