The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1932-10-28
Copyright by william Macleod Raine

ferently of you now. They know
you're not ike that Gitner or Jasper
| Stark"
mo, but I'm still Dave Stone"
.And I'm Ann Clifford, an old maid
sheepherder." She looked down with a
wry little grimace at her dusty khaki
skirt her coffee-brown hands. and her
cactus-torn boots
That's not quite how l think Of
you" he differed.
She looked directly at him, a fain.
color beating beneath the deep tan on
/ the thin face How do you think
| of me?"
Stone measured his words in order
not TO say too much. Il think you're a
mighty fine an handsome young wom-
an, one I'll be grateful TO as long as /
live
But that's alp
"why, | don't reckon / know what
you mean, Miss Ann"
The girl pushed on breathlessly,
afraid her courage might fail you
kissed me once Why did you do that?
Because you were grateful?"
A muscle twitched in his immobile
face IF / did wrong that time"
She brushed that aside impatiently.
who's talking about right or wrong?
Do you-care for me, Dave Stone. or
don't you?"
You know / do"
You're not-just GRATEFUL"
whats the use Of going into thatT'
1.-The use? I'm q grown woman.
hard and tough like the desert. L
know what / want Don't treat me
| Ike a china doll" There was in the
| manner with which she faced him
something Of the lean ferocity Of the
| desert she had mentioned She had
cast aside all feminine coquetry, all
| The allurement of her sex For she
I, knew that unless she broke through his
reserve now he would go away with
the word she hoped for unspoken-
The situation was beyond inesse.
Am / treatin' you like a dolly" he
asked. Il certainly don't aim to do
| that"
do you claim that you're frank
with me-or fair?"
Fair? Yes. ma'am-"
Not in the least fair. Haven't
any right TO help decide about my
own life? You want TO shield me from
what people might say, even at the
expense Of shutting me of from Hv-
ing" She flung toward him little
appealing and rueful smile. why are
you making il so hard for me. Dave
Stone: I don't want TO go all the
way. Or don't you really carer
He felt her beating against and wear
| ing away the hard rock of his resolu-
ton not TO compromise her by involv-
ing her fate with his.
Say / care for you. Would that
make ii right for me TO speak? I'm
Dave Stone. We can't get away from
| that"
Il don't want TO get away from it,
she answered. her eyes meeting his
bravely. %It's Dave Stone want I'm
| tired of fighting. I want to rest. II
is only your stiff pride that stands be-
tween us-that is, if you do care"
Her work-hardened hands moved
ever so slightly toward him. In her
look were gifts of more than friend
ship.
In that long meeting of the eyes the
(, barrier between them was burned
away. He knew, by the clairvoyance
Of love. that nothing else mattered. II
he had been a bad man. he was now
1 ho% 30. IN
terday's seven thousand years. He
was at the sunrise Of a new day. He
had sloughed his past as a forest
creature does its horns.
| So he took her in his arms and told
her, as lovers have since time began,
how wonderful she was and how amaz-
| ing this experience that had come to
him. As she looked at him she won
dered how she could ever have thought
that face impass;ve and those eyes
hard.
An hour later they remembered that
this is a world made up Of more than
two. Slowly they moved toward the
house. A cry startled them. Jnlia was
standing on the porch with Ethel Her
hand pointed up the trail
horse and rider were coming down
ii in a very strange way. The man In
the saddle sagged forward in the seat
Ike a drunkard. He lurched instead
lily from side to side
Julia ran to meet him She stopped
the horse and helped the rider dis
4 mount
Phil she cried
He was pale and haggard and pite-
ously spent. His breath came with
difficulty. On his shirt below the
shoulder was wide deep stain Of
| blood
Ethel looked up white-faced at her
sister and murmured Hes dying"
NO" the boy treasured He closed
his eyes, then with an effort opened
them Ii was to Stone he spoke
wills is I'D therein Horse Thief
park. They've got him cornered-Git-
ner an his crowd"
Stone carried the boy into the house
| and looked TO his hurt Clean wound
in the shoulder. Ought TO be all right
| Hes lost lot Of blood of course, but
he'll make that up fast"