New Britain herald., 1930-10-04


 ture of Sir Arkley Sherrill over the mantelpiece, and the copy of the Blue Boy she had treasured. She was glad she had left them at Casa Blanca. She had felt that they par ticularly belonged in this room; they were a part of all that it had come to mean to her. And immersed in them, she didn't notice at once the tall figure that rose from a seat beside her.
 "Humph," said Uncle Jim. "Hrmphl That new foreman, Dag ger Reckon yew're acquainted"
 She turned, her heart in her throat.
 50 you came back to the oasis" said a deep voice that set all her pulses vibrating.
 "Blaine!'
 Neither of them heard Jim Mar ley chuckling as he gingerly tip toed away.
 "Yew don't need to make any big hurry with dinner. Niko." he re- marked to the little Japanese cook who still fingered in the hall.
 A few days later she was riding with Howard on the range. The horses came to halt, tails flicking idly in the heat. Below, the river was a desultory trickle threading the flats between the wide banks. The only other sign of life ;,,a, itcb pf h1I1za dS soaring high over Mexico. Dagger kneed Desmond closer, and leaned her bead on Blaine's shoulder. Tt might have been yesterday , she said.
 Not for me-" he answered a lit tie grimly.
 She Ialsed her eyes to h,s, and one hand stole up to pat me silvers streak above his temple.
 You went through all kinds of hell. Poor Blaine! But you're real ly not Blaine Howard now. Blaine Howard is dead, and I reckon the hell he had died with him."
 Howard frowned perplexedly.
 It's a queer situation" he con- fessed. Here I am legally dead the woman I was married to legally , remarried to man I'm proud tc : call my friend. I expect my money has been duly distributed to my heirs, and the people l used to know are reconciled to living without me So I'm more than a man without { country - I'm a man without ar identity, unless I choose 10 carry or as Stacey Hawins, who died in my arms and said with his last breath No, there isn't a blighter in the world means anything to me thank God'" , Dagger frowned in her turn.
 "I won't marry Stacey Hawkins, ' she announced. "I don't love him The man I love is Blaine Howard and if he's dead we'll have to try some sort of a miracle to bring him back to life"
 Such as?"
 She laughed lazily, offering hei lips.
 "Is 1t a fair prce?" she asked presently.
 And the pressure of his arms wal enough response. l Steady, Desmond" she managed to gasp. "Oh, darling-one breath!' , And then, illogically: 'I suppose you would have come here anyway I didn't need to go chasing all over the world after the shadow of 8 - memory"
 : I'm not so sure" returned How. , ard "I haven't told yousthis, but ' just when was it you saw Ghulan Buk?"
 , She told him. l Peculiar! It was that night ol the next l met an American aviator - who'd come up from Shanghai tt sell Chang a bunch of old Jennies . We got to talking about the war and he spun a yarn of a girl who't } been standing them all up on thu flying fields at San Antonio, Wh. I asked him more about her I don know but I did. She was you, o 3 course. And I prodded him on. H. !, told me of your marriage, and you = husbands death, Next day l start ed for America. and naturally, s feaded for the ranch"