Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-04-28
CHAPTER XX.
Gale Persists.

Gale Persists.
When within an hour De Spain
joined Nan, tense with suspense and
anxiety, at the hospital, she tried
hard to read his news on his face.
Have you seen him." she asked
eagerly. De Spain nodded. What
does he say?'
Nothing very reasonable"
wouldn't. Tell me all about il
Henry-everything.
She listened keenly to each word.
De Spain gave her a pretty accurate
recital of the interview, and Mans
apprehension grew with her hearing
of it.
conviction. Il know him better than
| you know him. What shall we do?"
De Spain took both her hands. He
held them against his breast and
stood looking into her eyes. When
he regarded her in such a way her
doubts and fears seemed mean and
trivial. He spoke only one word,
but there was a world of confidence
in his tone: stick
She arched her brows as she re-
turned his gaze, and with a little
troubled laugh drew closer. Stick,
Man." he repeated. 1T will come out
all right"
She paused a moment. How can
you know"
Il know because it's got to. !
talked it all over with my best
friend in Medicine Bend, the other
day"
"Who, Henry?"
whispering Smith. He laughed at
your uncle's opposing us. He said if
your uncle only knew it, it's the best
thTng that could happen for him.
And he said if all the marriages op-
posed by old folks had been stopped,
there wouldn't be young folks enough
left to milk the cows"
Henry, what is this report about
the Calabasas barns burning?
THE old Number One barn is
gone and some of the old stages. We
didn't lose any horses, and the other
barns are all right. Some of our
Calabasas or gap friends, probably.
No matter, We'll get them all round
ed up after n while, Nan. Then,
some fine day, were going to get
married."
De Spain rode that night to Gala
basas to look into the story of the
fire.
McAlpin, swathed in bandages,
made no bones about accusing the
common enemy. No witnesses could
be found to throw any more light on
the inquiry than the barn boss him.
self And De Spain made only a pre-
tense of formal investigation. If
he had had any doubts about the
origin of the fire they would have
been resolved by an anonymous
scrawl, sent through the mail,
promising more IL he didn't get out
of the country.
But instead of getting out of the
country, De Spain continued as a
matter of energetic policy to get
into it. He rode the deserts strip
ped, so to say, for action and walk
ed the streets of Sleepy Cat well
coming every chance to meet men
from Music mountain or the sinks.
1t was on Nan that the real hard
ships of the situation fell, and Nan
who had to bear them alone and
almost unaided.
Duke came home a day or two
later without word for Nan. con-
cerning his encounter with De Spain.
He was shorter in the grain than
ever, crustier to everyone than she
had ever known him-and toward
Nan herself fiercely resentful. Sas-
soon was in his company a great
deal, and Nan knew of old that
Sassoon was a bad symptom. Gale,
too, came often, and the three were
much together. In some way, Nan
felt that she herself, was in part
the subject of their talks, but no
information concerning them could
she ever get.
One morning she sat on the porch
sewing when Gale rode up. He asked
for her uncle. Bonita told him
Duke had gone to Calabasas. Gale
announced he was bound for Gala
basas himself, and dismounted near
Nan, professedly to cinch his
saddle. He fused with the straps
for minute, trying to engage Nan
in the interval, without success. in
conversation. Look here, Man." he
said at length, studlous1y amiable,
don't you think you're pretty hard
on me. lately?"
mo, I don't" she answered. eff
Uncle Duke didn't make me, I'D
never look at you, or speak to you
or live in the same mountains with
you"