Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1916-10-19

dimmed.
Then there was a white house, his old
home. How strange, yet how real! His
heart beat fast. Had so many. many
1T was, and all seemed magnified.
They carried him in, these ranger
comrades, and laid him down, and lift
ed his head upon pillows. The house
was still, though full of people. Du-
ane's gaze sought the pen door.
Some one 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 and 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
When Duane grew stronger it was a
pleasure to lie by the west window and
watch Uncle Jim white his stick and
listen to his ak The old man was
broken now. He told many interesting
things about people Duane had known
people who had grown up and mar
rled, failed, succeeded, one away, and
died. But it 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-
ane. Uncle Jim was childish now, and
he had a great pride in his nephew. He
wanted to hear of all of Duane's exile.
And If there was one thing more than
another that pleased him it was to talk
about the bullets which Duane carried
in his body.
oI>;,o b,llo4. ,t-,4 n ~, l.. D.
the Tooth time. Five in that last
fore?'
Eyes, uncle" replied Duane.
Five and six. That max II. BY
gum! A mans a man, to carry all that
cad But, Buck, you could carry more.
There's that niger Edwards, right
here in Wellston. He's got a ton of
bullets in him. Doesn't seem to mind
them none. And there's Cole Miller.
I've seen him. Been a bad man in his
day. They say he packs % bullets.
But he's bigger than you-got more
flesh. Funny, wasn't it, 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. 1 saw it, n I
wanted 1t, but Miss Longstreth wouldn't
part with it. Buck, there was a bullet
left in one of Poggin's ms and that
bullet was the same kind as the one
cut out of you. By gum! Boy, it'd
have killed you if 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 she was there
at the west window, a message came
for him. They read it together:
you have ave. the ranger service
to the Lone Sta 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.
Pm glad for MacNelly's sake as well
as the state's," said Duane.
She made no reply to that and
shrank a little.
"The pain Is it any worse today? 2"
she asked, instantly.
mo; it's the same. It will always
be the same. I'm full Of lead, you
know. But I don't mind a little pain"
III ~ IlOOu-Llo Ie6T r.
she whispered. Tell me-"
Yes. 1t haunts me. I'll be well soon
able to go out. Then that-that hell
will come back!"
mo, moi" she said, with emotion.
Some drunken COWBOY, some fool
with a gum, will hunt me out in every
town, wherever l go" he went On, mis-
erably. u Duane! To kill Buck
Duane!"
FLUSH! Don't speak so. Listen. You
remember that day IN Val Verde,
when 1 came to you-plead with you
not to meet Poggin? Oh, that was a
terrible hour for me. But it showed me-
your passion to kill and your love for
me 1 could have saved you then had
I known what l know now. Now /
understand that-that thing which
haunts you. But you'll never have to
draw again. You'll nave to kill
another man, thank God!"
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'll have me with you al
ways" she replied. Because always /
shall be between you and that-that
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 a stronger
woman than she who had plead with
him that fatal day.
"We'l-well be married and leave
Texas" h said, softly, with the red
blood rising rich n dark in her
cheeks.
RAY"
Yes we will, though you're laggard
in asking me. sir"
But, dear-suppose." he replied
huskily. suppose there might be-be
children-a boy. A boy with his
fathers blood!"
II pray God there will be. I do not
fear what you fear. But even so-heI
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 q child. How could she love
!, him-how could she SO bravely face q
future with him? Yet she held him
|. In her 20 twining har hands round
his neck, and pressing close to him
, Her faith and love and beauty-these
she meant to throw between him and
all that terrible past. They were her
power, and she meant to use them al.
He dared not think 81 accepting her