The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1916-10-19

him; and through his cold being, his
weary mind. passed a change. His sight
dimmed.
Then there was a white house, his old
home. How strange, yet how real! His
heart beat fast. Had so many, many
years passed. Familiar yet how strange
1t was, and all seemed magnified.
comrades, and laid him down, and lift
ed his head upon pillows. The house
was still. though full of people. Du-y
ane's gaze sought the open door.
Some n entered-a tall girl in
white, with dark, wet eyes and a light
upon her face. She was leading an old
lady. gray haired. austere faced. SOM
Der and sad. His mother! She was
feeble. but she walked erect. She was
pale. shaking, yet maintained her dig
nifty.
The some one in white uttered a low
cry n knelt by Duane's bed. His
mother flung wide her arms with a
strange gesture.
This man! They've not brought back
my boy. This mans his father! Where
is my son? My son-oh. my son!"
When Duane grew stronger 1t was a
pleasure to lie by the west window and
watch Uncle Jim whittle his stick and
listen to his talk. The old man. was
broken now. He told many interesting
things about people Duane had known
rice, failed, succeeded. gone away, and
died. But 1t was hard to keep Uncle
Jim off the subject OF guns. outlaws,
fights. He could not seem to divine
how mention of these things hurt Du-
nne. Uncle Jim was childish now, and
he had q great pride In his nephew. He
wanted to hear Of all OF Duane's exile.
A n1 Flf thAnA MN 1n> fLNn~ nnrA khnn
another that pleased him 1t was to talk
about the bullets which Duane carried
in his body.
Five bullets, amt it?" he asked, for
the Tooth time. Five In that last
scrap! BY gum! And you had six be-
fore2"
Yes. uncle" replied Duane.
Five and six. That makes II. BY
gum! A mans a man, to carry all that
lead. But, Buck, you could carry more.
There's that niger Edwards, right
here In Wellston. He's got q ton Of
bullets In him. Doesn't seem to mind
them one And there's Cole Miller.
I've seen him. Been a bad man In his
day. They say he packs 20 bullets.
But he's bigger than you-got more
flesh. Funny, wasn't 1t. Buck.
about the doctor only bein' able to cut
one bullet out Of you-that one in your
breast bone? 1t was a Al caliber, an
unusual cartridge. / saw 1t, and 1
wanted 1t, but Miss Longstreth wouldn't
part with 1t. Buck, there was a bullet
left In n of Poggin's guns, n that
bullet was the same kind as the n
cut out of you. BY gum! Boy, it'd
have killed you IL It'd stayed there"
1T would indeed, uncle" replied
Duane, and the old, haunting, somber
mood returned.
But Duane was not often at the mer-
cy of childish old hero worshiping I'm
Gle Jim. Miss Longstreth was the only
person who seemed to divine Duane's
gloomy mood, and when she was with
him she warded off all suggestion.
One afternoon, while h vas there
at the west window, a message came
for him. They read 1t together:
you have saved the ranger service
to the Lone Star state.-MacNelly."
Ray knelt beside him at the window,
and he believed she meant to speak then
Of the thing they had Stunned. Her
face was still white, but sweeter now,
warm with rich life beneath the mar
BILE; and her dark eyes were still In
tent, still haunted by shadows, but no
longer tragic. H.
I'm glad for MacNelly's sake as well
as the states" said Duane.
She made no reply to that and
seemed to be thinking deeply. Duane
shrank a little. n
'"The pain Is 1t any worse today? 2"
she asked, instantly.
mo; it's the same. 1t win always
be the same. I'm full OF lead. you
know. But I don't mind q little pain"
"Then-it's the old mood-the fear?"
she whispered. Tell me-"
"Yes. 1t haunts me. I'll be well soon
able to go out: Then that-that he'll
will come back!"
mo, mol" she said, with emotion.
Some drunken cowboy, some fool
with q gun, will hunt me out In every
town, wherever ! CO." he went on, mis-
erably. Buck Duane! To kill Buck
Duane!"
Hush! Don't speak SO. Listen. You
remember that day IN Val Verde.
when I came to you-plead with you
not to meet Poggin? Oh, that was q
terrible hour for ne. But 1t showed mo
the truth. / saw the struggle between
your passion to XIII ard your love for
me. / could have saved you then had
I known what I know now. Now I
understand that-that thing which
haunts you. But you'll never have 10
draw again. You'll never have to kill
another man, thank Godi"
Like a drowning man he would have
grasped at straws. but he could not
voice his passionate query.
She put tender arms around his neck.
Because you'n have me with you al
ways" she replied. Because always I
shall be between you and that-thst
terrible thing"
It seemed with the spoken thought
absolute assurance of her power came
to her. Duane realized instantly that
he was In the arms OF q stronger
oma than she who had plead with
him that fatal day.
"We'll-wen be married and leave
Texas she said, softly. with the red
blood rising rich and dark In her
cheeks.
"Rayl" .r
Yes we will though you're laggard
I'm asking me. sir"
"But dear-suppose." he replied
huskily. suppose there might be-be
children-a boy. A boy with his
fathers blood" ~
81 pray God there will be. I do not
fear what you fear. But v % so-he'n
be half my blood.
Duane felt the storm rise and break
In him. And his terror was that Of
Joy quelling fear. This shining glory
of love In this woman's eyes made him
weak as a child. How could she love
hfm-how could abe ao hra vely faCa n