The Clio messenger., 1921-05-12

halted him with a question.
"How long you been In the army.
Peter"
Twenty-Five years"
Sand with the Sixth cavalry7"
Fifteen"
'Did you ever know sergeant
named Calkins?"
JEFF Calkins; he was my first top
after / joined; he left the service
bout ten years ago. There was
shootin' scrape or somethin' down at
Harker. Sorter ugly story, though I've
forgotten just what il was all about
now. Calkins got out o. that all right,
but when his enlistment was up he
quit; he didn't get on good with the
men. Do you know whatever become
Of the oil duffer?"
"He was buried here yesterday
killed himself; left a daughter bout
nineteen"
"The hi he did! jeff Calkins new
er was married; not before he left the
army. anyhow. l know because i
bunked with him nearly two years an
he told me lot about himself. He
wasn't no lady's man at all. Say,
what the devil is goin' on here?"
There's been a wedding" Shelby
started to explain, but the outflowing
throng cut his sentence in two, and
the startled soldier. stepping back to
get out Of the way, was instantly
swept aside, while the gang poured
forth between, separating the two
completely. The bridegroom found
himself once more the center of fer
vent congratulations and only escaped
by pushing a passage down the steps
TO where his outfit waited for depar-
ture. Some moments later she joined
him, accompanied by her bodyguard,
wearing a long duster which almost
reached the ground and SETTLING
cap pulled down over her smooth hair.
He silently helped her into the seat
of the blackboard. Joining her grimly
and gathering up the reins in his fin
gers.
"Now, then" he called, "a couple
Of you unite those brutes and jump.
They're bad starters"
The broncos amply justified his pre-
diction and the party went tearing
down the main street, pursued by yells
of enjoyment and cat-howls of deri-
sion, Shelby struggling with the reins
In an endeavor to keep the maddened
brutes Off the sidewalks.
However, the steep ascent of the
bluff brought the plunging animals to
their senses and by the time they
had surmounted the ridge and struck
the prairie trail leading across the
upland they were willing enough to
slow down to the swift trot they were
accustomed to take on long journeys.
Shelby loosened his grasp on the leath-
er and rested back In the seat, ven-
turing side glance at his companion.
She was still gripping the iron rail
for safety, but evidently felt no fear.
"Mean devil, that bronco" said Shell
by. feeling the necessity of speech
and flecking his whip lash at the buck
skin, whose evil eye was peering mali
ciously backward, "worst horse / ever
owned. The Kid back there seems
him try his luck when we get out to
the ranch. got some outlaws there"
She turned her head and glanced
behind through the cloud of dust.
"Who is he? One Of your men?"
"Well, I just hired him down at
Ponca. Seems to be a mighty good
rider. His name is Macklin, but ev-
erybody calls him Kid"
Somehow l don't just like him."
"Oh, he's harmless enough"
Perhaps so, but I have that feeling
about him just the same"
Shelby made no answer and they
rode OH In silence through the circling
dust. He felt awkward and embar-
rassed, unable to think of anything
to say to keep up conversation and in
tensely conscious Of the peculiar situa-
tion In which they found themselves
Occasionally he stole a surreptitious
glance aside at her, but her eyes were
averted as though In avoidance, gaz-
ing out over the dull vista. To Shelby
this quietness on her part, this half
turning from him seemed particularly
ominous. She was doubtless sorry al
ready at her choice; this drear expanse
which they rode was more than she
expected to encounter-she was dread
ing already an approach to the Cot
tonwood. He had been fool to even
dream that he could ever satisfy her
In such surroundings. Well, 1t was
not too late to turn back. He would
talk with her and learn the truth.
He drove steadily forward, en-
deavoring to formulate some pleasant
opening sentence, his mind inevitably
drifting back to that late conversa-
tion with Shaunessy and the doubts 1t
had awakened. Ought he to permit
her to become exposed to a possible
Indian attack Was II not plainly
his duty to explain fully the exact
situation? And then that other mat
ter relative to Old Calkins7 Surely II
was her place to make that clear?
He Strengthened up, clearing his
voice, and she glanced about, dis
turbed from revery by his action.
"How dismal It all is" she said,