The Benson signal., 1917-09-08
"What do you mean?"

cartridges, Ono after another, from his
belt, and waited for her to slip them
in the darkness into the empty CYL
inder, to close the breech, and hand
the gun back.
"Now, Man," he said, "you know me.
You may have doubts-they will all
die. You will hear many stories about
me-but you will say: Il put the car
tridges In his revolver with my own
hands, and I know he won't abuse the
means of de!ense I gave him myself
There can never be any real doubts
or misunderstanding between us
again, Man," He waited for her to
speak, but she remained silent.
"You have given me my life, my de-
fense," he continued, passing from a
subject that he perceived was better
left untouched. "Who is nearest and
dearest to you at homer"
'My Uncle Duke"
"Then I never will raise a hand
against your Uncle Duke. And this
man, tonight-this cousin-Gale? Nan,
what is that MANI"
81 hate him."
"Thank God! So do II"
''But he is a cousin
"Then I suppose he must be one Of
NINE"
UNLESS he tries to kill you"
''He won't be very long in trying
that. And now, what about yourself? =?
What have you got to defend yourself
against him, and against every other
drunken man?'
word in De Spain's hand. He felt it,
opened, closed, and gave it back.
'"That's good defender-when it's in
reach. When it's at home it's a poor
one"
''It will never be at home again ex-
cept when 1 am"
''Shall tell you secret?"
"What is it?' asked Nan unsuspect-
ingly.
eve are engaged to be married"
She sprang from him like deer. "It's
a dead secret" he said gravely; ''no-
body knows it yet-not even you"
"You need never talk again like
that if you want to be friends with
me-" she said Indignantly. 81 hate
it."
"Hate 1t if you will; it's so. And
it began when you handed me that
little bit Of lead and brass on the
mountain tonight, to defend your life
and mine."
"I'll hate you if you persecute me
the way Gale does. The moon is
almost up. You must CO."
"You haven't told me-" he persisted,
show you got Away at ALL" They had
walked out of the trees. He looked
reluctantly to the east. "Tell me and
I'll co." he promised.
"After went up to my room wait
ed till the house was all quiet. Then
I started for Calabasas. When I came
back I got up to my room without be-
ing seen, and sat at the window long
time. l waited till all the men stopped
riding past. Then climbed through
the window and down the kitchen roof,
and let myself down to the ground.
Some more men came past, and / hid
on the porch and slipped over to the
horse barns and found a hackamore,
and went down to the corral and hunt
ed around till found this little pinto
--shes the best to ride bareback"
II could ride a razorback-why take
all that trouble for me?'
eff you don't start while you have
chance, you undo everything have
tried to do to avoid a fight"
The wind, stirring softly, set the
aspen leaves quivering. The stars,
chilled in the thin, clear night air,
hung diamondlike in the heavens and
the eastern sky across the distant des-
ert paled for the rising moon. The
two, standing at thu horses head, lis
tened a momen together ir the dark
ness. De Spain, leaning forward, said
something in a low, laughing voice.
Nan made no answer. Then, bending,
he took her hand and, before she could
release it, caught it up to his lips.
For long time after he had gone
she stood. listening for a shot-won-
dering, breathless at moments, wheth-
er he could get past the waiting traps.
De Spain, true to all she had ever
heard of his Indianlike stealth, had
left her side uIsabashed and unafr. i'd
living. laughing, paying bold court to
her even when she stubbornly refused
to be cOurted-and had made himself
in the twinkling of an eye a part of
the silence beyOnd-the silence of the
night, the wind, the stars, the waste
of sand, and of all the mystery that
brooded upon it. She would have well
coined, in her keen suspense, q sound
of some kind, some reminder that he
yet lived and could ye; laugh; none
came.