The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1917-05-03
"yyhat do you meanT"

used against your own except to pro-
tect my life.e And If you have any
among them whose life ought TO come
ahead of mine-name him, or them,
now. Do as tell you-load the gum"
He took hold of her hands and, in
spite of her refusal. made her do his
will. He guided her hand To draw the
cartridges, on after another, from his
belt, and waited for her to slip tnem
in the darkness into the empty cyl
inder. 10 close the breech. and hand
the gun back.
"Now, Nan" he said, you know me.
You may have doubts-they will all
die. You will hear many stories about
me-but you WI say: 4 put the car
tridges In his revolver with my own
hands, and know he won't abuse the
means of defense ! gave him myself
There can never be any real doubts
or misunderstanding between us
ngain, Nan" He waited for her to
speak, but she remained silent.
you have given me my life, my de-
fense," he continued, passing from n
subject that he perceived was better
left untouched. "Who is nearest and
dearest Ia you ct homer
"My Uncle Duke"
"Then ! never will raise hand
against your Uncle Duke. And this
man, tonight-this cousin-Gale? Nan,
what is that manT
II hate him."
"Thank Godl So do I!",
''But he Is q cousin"
"Then / suppose he must be one of
mine"
Unless he tries TO kill you
"lle won't be very long in trying
that. And now, what about yourself?
What have you got to defend yourself
agQinst him, and against every other
drunken man?"
She laid her own pistol without n
word in De Spain's hand. He felt it,
opened, closed, and gave it back.
THAT'S good defender-when ~, in
reach. When it's at home it's r0or
one"
'lt will never be at home again ex-
cept when / am"
shall tell you secret?"
"What is III" asked Nan unsuspect-
ingly.
I'VE are engaged TO be married."
She sprang from him like deer. IT'S
dead secret" he said gravely; mo
body knows II 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 It II you will; it's so. And
II began when you handed me that
little bit of lead and brass on the
mountain tonight, to defend your life
and nine"
'Tll hate you II you persecute me
the way Gale does. The moon is
almost up. You must CO."
'You haven't told me-" he persisted,
"how 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
l started for Calabasas. When l came
back got up to my room without be-
Ing seen, and sat at the window a long
time. j waited till all the men stopped
riding past. Then i 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 harms and found hackamore,
and went down TO the corral and hunt
ed around till found this little pinto
she's the best to ride bareback"
II could ride n razorback-why take
all that trouble for me?"
'lf you don't start while you have
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 thu horses head, lis
tened n momen together ir 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 long time after he had gone
she stood, listening for 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 unabashed and unafraid-
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 n 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 1t. She would have well
1 Ia. q.