Roanoke Rapids herald. [volume] (Roanoke Rapids, N.C.) 1914-192?, 1917-04-13
! G NAN Of g
MUSIC MOUNTAIN
Byfrdnk Il. Spedrmdn
Author Of Whispering Smith
Author Of Whispering Smith

lcorrid0ls, prncticaliy al OF them men
lneyer gathered In sunny corners or al
1.-The tables In the dining room without
IDe SPANS name coming In some way
1 Into the talk, to be followed with vary
/ Hing circumstantlnl accounts Of what
;really he'd happened that day at Gala.
,baSas.
II And with all the known escapadc'
IN which he had figured, exhausted ns
topics, by long windcd commentators,
more or less hazy stories Of his earlier
experiences Mt Medicine Bend IN the
company of Whispering Smith were
dragged into the talk. one GONZALES
cent stage.guard nj the hospital told
story one night at supper about MN
that chilled Nan again with strange
fears for she knew it to be true. He
had had it from McAlpn himself, so
the guard said, that De SPANS father
had long ago been shot down from Am.
bush by Il cattleman and that Henry
de SPIN had sworn to find that man
and kill him. And it was limited pref
~ strongly that De Spain had informa-
ton when he consented to come to
Sleepy Cat that the assassin still lived,
and lived somewhere around the head
Of the sinks.
On that very evening 1t CHANGED the
doctor came late. When he walked IN
he asked her If she knew II was From
tier day, and reminded her that just
year ago she had shot against Henry
de Spain and beaten the most danger.
Gus man and the deadliest shot on the
mountain divide In her rifle match.
How he had grown in the imnclna-
ton Of Sleepy Cut and Music noun
tain she said to herself-while the
doctor talked to her uncle-slnce that
day yeur ago Then he was no more
than an unknown and discounted
marksman from Medicine Bend, beaten
by mountain girl-now the most
ulked.of man in the high country And
the suspicion would sometimes obtrndc
itself with pride into her mind, that
She who never mentioned his name
when ii was discussed before her,
really knew and understood him bet
ter than any of those that talked so
much-that she had at least one great
secret with him alone.
When leaving, the doctor wished 10
send over from his Office medicine for
her uncle. Nan offered TO go with him.
but the doctor said II was pretty late
and Main street pretty noisy-he pre-
ferred to find messenger. When
there came Il rap on the half-open door,
she went forward TO take the medicine
from the messenger and saw, standing
before her In the hall, De Spain.
She shrank back as II struck. She
tried TO speak Her tongue refused lis
office. De Spain held package out
Ia his hand. Doctor Torpy asked me
to give you this
Doctor Torpy2 What Is III"
81 really don't know--I suppose II
is medicine She heard her uncle turn
in his bed at the sound of voices
Thinking only that he must not at any
cost see De Spain, Nan stepped quick
~ into the hall and faced the messen-
ger. 81 was over at the Doctors Of
flee Just now continued her visitor
evenly; "he asked me 10 bring this
down for your uncle She took the
package with an incoherent acknowl-
cdguent, Without letting her eyes
meet his she was conscious Of how
fresh and clean and strong he looked,
dressed In liyelier manner than
usuul--a partly cowboy effect with
broader hat and gayer tie thnn he
ordinarily affected De Spain kept on
speaking: 1.-THE telephone girl In the
office downstairs told me to come right
up. How is your unclel'
She regarded him wonderlngly. ale
has good deal of pain, she answered
quietly.
"Too bad he should have been hurt
In such way Are you pretty well.
NanT She thanked him.
"Stay here good deal, do your I'll
bet you don't know what day this isy'
Nan looked up the corridor but she
answered to the point: You'd lose"
ITS our anniversary" She darted
n look Of indignant disclaimer at him.
But in doing SO she met his eyes.