The Lamar register., 1922-12-06

bullet. Cameron stood erect, mo
tionless, as men sometimes stand mo
mentarlly when shot straight through
the heart In an instant, when
thoughts resurged like binding flashes
OF lightning through his mind he was
a swaying quivering. terror-strtcken
man. He mumbled something hoarse-
Iy and backed into the shadow. But
he need not have feared discovery.
however surely his agitation might
have betrayed him. Warren sat brood
Ing over the campfire, obllvious OF his
comrade, absorbed in the past
Cameron swiftly walked away in
the gloom. with the blood drumming
thick In his ears whispering over and
over:
"Merciful Cd, Nell was his dsugh.
teri"
As thought and feeling multiplied,
Cameron was overwhelmed Beyond
belief. indeed was II that out of the
millions OF men In the world two who
had never seen each other could have
been driven into the desert by memory
Of the same woman. II brought the
past so close. IL showed Cameron
how Inevitably all his spiritual life
was governed by what had happened
long ago, That which made life sig.
nlhcant TO him was n wandering In
silent places where no eye could see
him with his secret. Some fateful
chance had thrown him with the ia
Their OF the girl he had wrecked. II
was incomprehensible: IL was terrible.
II was the one thing OF all possible
that both father and lover would have
found uncomfortable
Something within him cried out TO
him to reveal his Identity. Warren
would kill him but II was not fear of
death that put Cameron on the rack
He had faced death too often TO be
afraid. II was the thought of adding
torture to this long-suffering man. All
at once Cameron swore that he would
not augment warren's trouble. or let
him stain his hands with blood. He
would tell the truth OF Nelis sad story
and his own and make what amends
he could.
Then Camerons thought shifted
somewhere beyond the din horizon
line In those past lonely hours by
the campfire his fancy had tortured
him with pictures OF Nell. But his
remorseful and cruel fancy had lied
to him Nell bad struggled upward
out OF menHcinC depths. She had re
constructed broken life. And now
she was fighting for the name and
happiness % her child. Little Nell
Cameron experienced a shuddering
ripple In m his being-the physical
rack OF an emotion born OF a new and
strange consciousness. He felt that
II had been given him TO help Warren
with his burden.
He returned 10 camp trying to
evolve plan. All night he lay
awake thinking.
In the morning. when Warren
brought the burro~ 10 camp and begnn
preparations for the usual packing.
Cameron broke silence
''Pardner your story last night made
me think. want TO tell you some.
thing about myself In my younger
days-lt seems long now. YET It's not
so many years. was wild. / wronged
the sweetest and lOvelieSt girl | ever
knew. went away not dreaming that
any disgrace might come to her Along
about that time | fell into terrible
moods changed-T learned I really
loved her. Then came letter |
should have gotten months before. II
told OF her trouble-importuned me to
hurry to save her. Half frantic with
shame and fenr, I got a marriage Ger.
tiflcate and rushed back to her town.
She was gone-had been gone for
weeks, and her disgrace was known.
Friends warned me to keep out Of
reach of her father I tralled her
found her. married her. But too
latei She would not live with
me. She left me- followed her west.
nut never found her"
Warren leaned forward little and
looked into Cameron's eyes. as II
searching there for the repentance
that might make him less deserving OF
a mans scorn.
Cameron met the gaze unfiInchingly.
and again began to speak:
You know. Of course. how men out
here sometimes lose old names. old
Identities. 1t won't surprise you much
10 learn my name isn't really Cam
,rsa. as eacs told you"