Mexico Missouri message., 1917-04-12

AOu may nave hpublH my wan tAA
die. You will hear many stories about
me-but you will say: 4 put the car
tridges in his revolver with my own
hands, and I know he won't abuse the
means of defense 1 gave him myself
| There can never be any real doubts
or misunderstanding between us
again, Nan" He waited for her to
speak, but she remained silent.
"You have given me my life, my de-
fense," he continued, passing from q
subject that he perceived was better
left untouched. "Who is nearest and
dearest to you at homer"
my Uncle Duke"
"Then l never will raise q hand
against your Uncle Duke. And this
man, tonight-this cousin-Gale2 Nan,
what is that MANI"
81 hate him."
"Thank God! So do II"
"But he is n cousin"
"Then / suppose he must be one of
mine"
"Unless he tries to kill you"
HE won't be very long in trying
that. And now, what about yourself2
What have you got to defend yourself
against him, and against every other
drunken manW
She laid her own pistol without a
word in De SPANS 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."
ut will never be at home again ex-
cept when / am"
"Shall 1 tell you q secrets"
"What is it?" asked Nan unsuspect-
ingly.
ave are engaged to be married"
She sprang from him like deer. 'It's
n dead secret" he said gravely; mo
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. II hate
it."
"Hate 1t If you will !; it's so. And
1t began when you handed me that
little bit of lead and brass on the
mountain tonight, to defend your life
and mine."
"Tll hate you if you prosecute 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. "TelI 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 came
back got up to my room without be-
Ing seen, and sat at the window long
time. waited till all the men stopped
riding past. Then 1 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 hackamore,
and went down to the corral and hunt
ed around till 1 found this little pinto
she's the best to ride bareback"
II could ride razorback-why take
all that trouble for mep
IF you don't start while you have
a chance, you undo everything / have
tried to do to avoid 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 tho horses head, lis
| tened a momen together If the dark
ness. De Spain, leaning forward, said
something in low, laughing voice.
| Nan made no answer. Then, bending,
he took her hand and, before she could
release 1t, caught 1t up to his lips.
|
| For a long time after he had gone
she stood, listening for q shot-won-
dering, GREATNESS at moments, Wheth-
j er he could get past the waiting traps.
De Spain, true to all she had ever
heard of his Indlanlike stealth, had
= left her side unabashed and unafraid-
f living, laughing, paying bold court to
q her even when she stubbOrnly refused
to be cOurted-and had made himself
a in the twinkling of an eye a part Of
the silence beyond-the silence Of the
It night, the wind, the stars, the waste
e of sand, and of all the mystery thai
@ brooded upon it. She would have wei
coined, in her keen suspense, a sounC
It of some kind, some reminder that h,
+" yet lived and could yet laugh; non,
Is came.
Day was breaking wheD the nigh