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oo0rtGHr xx err Acsftrumc gro.
with "yluT'un til you bave eome other
protector."
She accepted his proffered arm, feel
ins the constraint in his tone, the
formality In his manner, most keenly.
An older woman might have resented
it, but it only served to sadden and
embarrass her. He began speaking of
the quiet beauty of the night, but she
had no thought of what he was saying.
"Lieut. Brant," she said, at last,
"you do not ask me who the man is."
"Certainly not. Miss Naida; It Is
none of my business."
"I think, perhaps. It might be; the
knowledge might help you to under
stand. It is Dob Hampton."
He stared at her. "The gambler?
No wonder, then, your meeting Is
clandestine."
She replied Indignantly, her lips
trembling. "He Is not a gambler; he
is a miner, over in the Dlack Range.
He has not touched a card in two
years."
"Oh. reformed has he? And are
you the instrument that has worked
such a miracle?"
Her eyes fell. "I don't know, but I
hope so." Thea she glanced up again,
wondering at his continued silence
"Don't you understand yet?"
"Only that you are secretly meeting
a man of the worst reputation, cne
known the length and breadth of this
border as a gambler and fighter."
"Yes; but but don't you know who
I am?"
He smiled grimly, wondering what
possible difference that could make.
"Certainly; you are Miss Naida Hern
don." "I? Fou have not known? Lieut.
Brant I am Naida Gillls."
He stopped still, again facing her.
"Naida Gillis? Do you mean old Gillis'
girl? Is It possible you are the same
we rescued on the prairie two years
ago?"
She bowed her head. "Yes; do you
understand now why I trust this Bob
Hampton?"
"I perhaps might comprehend why
you should feel grateful to him. but
not why you should thus consent to
meet with him clandestinely."
He could not see the deep flush upon
her cheeks, but he was not deaf to the
pitiful falter in her voice.
"Because he has been good and true
to nie," she explained, frankly, "bet
ter than anybody else in all the world.
I don't care what you say, you and
those others who do not know him,
but I believe in him; I think he is a
man. They won't let me see him. the
Herndons, nor permit him to come to
the house. He has not been in Glen
caid for two years, until yesterday.
The Indian rising has driven all the
miners out from the Black Range, and
he came down here for no other pur
pose than to get a glimpse of me, and
learn how I wai getting on. I I saw
Lim over at the hotel just for a mo
ment Mrs. Guffy handed me a note
and I I had only just left him when I
encountered you at the door. I wanted
to see him again, to talk with him
longer, but I couldn't manage to get
away from you. and I didn't know
what to do. There, I've told it all; do
you really think I am so very bad, be
cause because I like Bob Hampton?"
He stood a moment completely non
plussed, yet compelled to answer.
"I certainly have no right to ques
tion your motives," he said, at last,
"and I believe yeur purposes to be
above reproach. I wish 1 might give
the same credit to this man Hampton.
But, Miss Naida, the world does not
often consent to JuJge us by our own
estimation of right and wrong; it pre
fers to place its own interpretation on
acts, and thus often condemns the in
nocent. Others might not see this as
I do. nor have such unquestioning faith
in you."
"I know," she admitted, stubbornly,
"but I wanted to see him ; I have been
so lonely for him, and this was the
only possible way."
Brant felt a wave of uncontrolable
sympathy sweep across him, even
while he was beginning to hate this
man, who, he felt, had stolen a pas
sage into the innocent heart of a girl
not half his age, one knowing little of
the ways of the world.
"May I walk beside you until you
meet him?" he asked.
"You will not quarrel?"
"No; at least not through any fault
of mine."
A few steps in the moonlight and
she again took his arm, although they
scarcely spoke. At the bridge she
withdrew her hand and uttered a pecu
liar call, and Hampton stepped forth
from the concealing bushes, his head
bare, his hat in his hand.
"I scarcely thought it could be you,"
he said, seemingly not altogether sat
isfied, "as you were accompanied by
another."
The younger man took a single step
forward, his uniform showing in the
moonlight. "Miss Gillis will inform
you later why I arja here." he said,
striving to speak civilly. "You and I,
however, have met before I am Lieut.
Brant, of the Seventh cavalry."
Hampton bowed, his manner some
what stiff and formal, his face impen
etrable. "I should have left Miss Gillis pre-
t
Mil I
vious to her meeting with youT' "Brant
continued, "but I desired to request
the privilege of calling upon you to
morrow for a brief interview."
"With pleasure."
"Shall it be at ten?"
"The hour is perfectly satisfactory.
You will find me at the hotel."
"You place me under obligations,"
said Brant, and turned toward the
wondering girl. "I will now say good
night. Miss Gillis. and I promise to re
member only the pleasant events of
this evening."
Their hands met for an Instant of
warm pressure, and then the two. left
behind stood motionless and watched
him striding along the moonlit road.
CHAPTER XVII.
The Verge of a Quarrel.
Brant's mind was a chaos of con
flicting emotions, but a single abiding
conviction never once left him he re
tained implicit faith in her. and he
purposed to fight this matter out with
Hampton. Even in that crucial hour,
had any one ventured to suggest that
he was in love with Naida, he would
merely have laughed, serenely confi
dent that nothing more than gentle
manly interest swayed his conduct.
Nevertheless, he manifested an un
reasonable dislike for Hampton. He
had never before felt thus toward this
person; indeed, he had possessed a
strong man's natural admiration for
the other's physical power and cool,
determined courage. He now sincere
ly feared Hampton's power over the
Innocent mind of the girl, imagining
his Influence to be much stronger
than it really wts, and he sought after
some suitable means for overcoming
it. He alone, among those who might
be considered as her true friends,
knew of her secret infatuation, and
upon him, alone, therefore, rested the
burden of her release. It was his
heart that drove him into such a de
cision, although he conceived it then
to be the reasoning of the brain.
And so she was Naida Gillis, poor
old Gillis' little girl! He stopped sud
denly in the road, striving to realize
the thought. He had never dreamed
of such a consummation, and it stag
gered him. What was there in com
mon between that outcast, and this
well-groomed, frankly spoken young
woman? Yet, whoever she was or had
been, the remembrance of her could
not be conjured out of his brain. He
might look back with repugnance upon
those others, those misty phantoms of
the past, but the vision of his mind,
his ever-changeable divinity of the
vine shadows, would not become ob
scured, nor grow less fascinating.
Suddenly there occurred to him a rec
ollection of Silent Murphy, and hjs
strange, unguarded remark. What
could the fellow have meant? Was
there indeed some secret in the life
history of this young girl? some
story of shame, perhaps? If so, did
Hampton know about it?
Already daylight rested white and
solemn over the silent valley, and only
a short distance away lay the spot
where the crippled scout had made
his solitary camp. Almost without vo
lition the young officer turned that
way, crossed the stream by means of
the log. and clambered up the bank.
But it was clear at a glance that Mur
phy had deserted the spot. Convinced
of this. Brant retraced his steps to
ward the camp of his own troop, now
already astir with the duties of early
morning. Just in front of Ma tent
he encountered his first sergeant.
"Watson," he questioned, as the lat
ter saluted and stood at attention,
"do you know a man called Silent
Murphy?"
"The scout? Yes, sir; knew him as
long ago as when he was corporal in
your father's troop. He was reduced
to the ranks for striking an officer."
Brant wheeled in astonishment.
"Was he ever a soldier in the Sev
enth?" "He was that, for two enlistments,
and a mighty tough one; but he was
always quick enough for a fight in
field or garrison."
"Has he shown himself here at the
camp?"
"No, sir; didn't know he was any
where around. He and I were never
very good friends, sir."
The lieutenant remained silent for
several moments, endeavoring to per
fect some feasible plan.
"Dispatch an order to the telegraph
office," he finally commanded, "to in
quire if this man Murphy receives
any messages there, and if they know
where he Is stopping. Send an intel
ligent man and have him discover all
the facts he can. When he" returns
bring him in to me."
He had enjoyed a bath and a shave,
and was yet lingering over his cof
fee, when the two soldiers entered
with their report. The sergeant step
ped aside, and the orderly, a tall, boy
ish looking fellow with a pugnacious
chin, saluted stiffly.
"Well, Bane," and the officer eyed
his trim appearance with manifest ap
proval, "what did you succeed in learn
ing?" "The operator said this yere Mur
phy Jiad never bin thar hjmself, sir.
bul there wus several messages come
fer him. One got here this mornln'."
"What becomes of them?"
"They're called fer by another fel
ler, sir."
"Oh, they are! Who?"
"Red Slavin $us the name he give
me of thet other buck."
When the two had disappeared.
Brant sat back thinking rapidly. There
was a mystery here, and such actions
must have a cause. Something eith
er in or about Glencaid was com
pelling Murphy to keep out of sight
but what? Who? Brant was un
able to get it out of his head that
all this secrecy centered around Naida.
Perhaps Hampton knew; at least he
might possess some additional scrap
of Information which would help to
solve the problem. He looked at his
watch, and ordered his horse to be
saddled.
It did not seem quite so simple now,
this projected interview with Hamp
ton, as it had appeared the night be
fore. In the clear light of day, he
began to realize the weakness of his
position, the fact that he possessed
not the smallest right to speak on be
half of Naida Gillis. Nevertheless, the
die was cast, and perhaps, provided an
open quarrel could be avoided, the
meeting might result in good to all
concerned.
Hampton welcomed him with dis
tant but marked courtesy, having evi
dently thought out his own imme
diate plan of action, and schooled him
self accordingly. Standing there, the
bright light streaming over them from
the open windows, they presented two
widely contrasting personalities, yet
each exhibited in figure and face the
evidences of hard training and iron
discipline. Hampton was clothed in
black, standing straight as an arrow,
his shoulders squared, his head held
proudly erect, while his cool gray
eyes studied the face of the other as
he had been accustomed to surrey
his opponents at the card table. Brant
looked the picture of a soldier on
duty, trim, well built, erect, his reso
lute blue eyes never flinching from
the steady gaze bent upon him, his
bronzed young face grave from the
seriousness of his mission. In both
minds the same thought lingered
the vague wonder how much the oth
er knew. The elder man. however, re
tained a better self-control and was
first to break the silence.
"Miss Gillis Informed me of your
kindness to her last evening," he
said, quietly, "and in her behalf I
sincerely thank you. Permit me to
offer you a chair."
Brant accepted it and sat down,
feeling the calm tone of proprietorship
in the words of the other as if they
had been a blow. His face flushed,
yet he spoke firmly. "Possibly I mis
construe your meaning," he said, with
some bluntness, determined to reach
the gist of the matter at once. "Did
Miss Gillis authorize you to thank me
for these courtesies?"
Hampton smiled with provoking
calmness, holding an unlighted cigar
between his fingers. "Why, really,
as to that I do not remember. I
merely mentioned it as expressing the
natural gratitude of us both."
"You speak as if you possessed full
authority to express her mind as well
as your own."
The other bowed gravely, his face
impassive. "My words quite naturally
bear some such construction."
The officer hesitated, feeling more
doubtful than ever regarding his own
position. Chagrined, disarmed. he
felt like a prisoner standing bound
before his mocking captor. "Then I
fear my mission here is useless."
"Entirely so, if you come for the
purpose I suspect," said Hampton, sit
ting erect in his chair, and speaking
with more rapid utterance. "To lec
ture me on morality, and demand my
yielding up all influence over this girl
such a mission is assuredly a fail
ure. I have listened with some de
gree of calmness in this room already
to one such address, and surrendered
to its reasoning. But permit me to
say quite plainly, Lieut. Brant, that
you are not the person from whom I
will quietly listen to another."
"I had very little expectation that
you would."
"You should have had still less, and
remained away entirely. However,
now that you are here, and the sub
ject broached. It becomes my turn
to say something, and to say it clear
ly. It seems to me you would ex
hibit far better taste and discrimina
tion if from now on you would cease
forcing your attentions upon Miss Gil
lis." Brant leaped to his feet, but the
other never deigned to alter his posi
tion. "Forcing my attentions!" exclaimed
the officer. "God's mercy, man! do
you realize what you are saying? I
have forced no attentions upon Miss
Gillis."
"My reference was rather to future
possibilities. Young blood is prov
erbially hot, and I thought it wise to
warn you in time."
Brant stared into that imperturbed
face, and somehow the very sight of :
its calm, inflexible resolve served to
clear his own brain. He felt that this !
cool, self-controlled man was speak
ing with authority.
"Wait just a moment," he said at
last. "I wish this made perfectly clear,
and for all time. I met Miss Gillis
first through pure accident. She im
pressed me strongly then, and I con
fess I have since grown more deeply
interested in her personality. I have
reasons to suppose my presence not
altogether distasteful to her, and she
has certainly shown that she reposes
confidence in me. Not until late last
night did I ever suspect she was the
same girl whom we picked up with
you out on the desert. It came to
me from her own lips and was a total
surprise. She revealed her identity
in order to Justify ier proposed clan
destine meeting with you."
"And hence you request this pleas
ant conference," broke in Hampton,
cooily, "to inform me, from your calm j
eminence of respectability, that I was
no fit companion for such a young and
innocent person, and to warn me that
you were prepared to act as her pro
tector." Brant slightly inclined his head.
"I may have had something of that
nature in my mind."
"Well. Lieut. Brant," and the older
man rose to his feet, his eyes still
smiling, "some might be impolite
enough to say that it was the con
ception of a cad, but whatever it was.
the tables have unexpectedly turned.
Without further reference to my own
personal interests in the young lady,
which are, however, considerable,
there remain other weighty reasons
that I am not at liberty to discus?,
which make it simply impossible for
you to sustain any relationship to
Miss Gillis other than that of ordinary
social friendship."
"You you claim the right "
"I distinctly claim the right, for
the reason that I possess the rght, and
no one has ever yet known me to
relinquish a hold once fairly gained.
Lieut. Brant, if I am any judge of
faces, you are a fighting man by na
ture as well as profession, but there
Is no opportunity .for your doing any
fighting here. This matter is irre
vocab!y settled Naida Gillis is not
for you."
Brant was breathing hard. "Do you
mean to Insinuate that there is an un
derstanding, an engagement between
you?" he faltered, scarcely knowing
how best to resent such utterance.
"You may place your own construc
tion upon what I have said," was the
quiet answer. "The special relations
existing between Miss Gillis and my
self chance to be no business of yours.
However, I will consent to say this
I do enjoy a relationship to her that
gives me complete authority to say
what I have said to you. I regret hav
ing been obliged by your persistence
to speak with such plainness, but this
konwledge should prove sufficient to
control the actions of a gentleman."
For a moment the soldier did not
answer, his emotions far too strong to
permit of calm utterance, his lips
tightly shut. He felt utterly defeat
ed. "Your language is sufficiently ex-
"Naida Gillis Is Not for You.'
plicit," he acknowledged at last. "I
ask pardon for my unwarranted intru
sion." At the door he paused and glanced
back towird that motionless figure yet
standing with one hand grasping the
back of the chair.
"Before I go, permit me to ask a
single question," he said, frankly. "I
was a friend of old Ben Gillis, and
he was a friend of my father before
me. . Have you any reason to suspect
that he wos not Naida Gillis' father?"
Hampton took one hasty step for
ward. "What do you mean?" he ex
claimed fiercely, his eyes two coals of
fire.
Brant felt that the other's display of
irritation gave him an unexpected ad
vantage. "Nothing that need awaken angei,
I am sure. Something caused me to
harbor the suspicion, and I naturally
supposed you would know about it.
Indeed, I wondered if some such
knowledge might not account for your
very deep interest in keeping her so
entirely to yourself."
Hampton's fingers twitchcJ a
nervousness altogether unusual to the
man, yet when he spoke his voice was
like steel. "Your suspicions are high
ly interesting, and your cowardly In
sinuations base. However, if, as I
suppose, your purpose is to provoke
a quarrel, you will find me quite ready
to accommodate you."
An instant they stood thus, eye to
eye. Suddenly Brant's memory veer
ed to the girl whose name would be
smirched by any blow struck between
them, and he forced back the hasty
retort burning upon his lips.
"You may be, Mr. Hampton," he
said, standing like a statue, his back
to the door, "but I am not. As you
say, fighting is my trade, yet I have
never sought a personal quarrel. Nor
is there any cause here, as my only
purpose in asking the question was
to forewarn you, and her through
you, that such a suggestion had been
openly made in my hearing. I pre
sume it was a lie, and wished to be
able to brand it so."
"By whom?"
"A fellow known as Silent Murphy,
a government scout."
"I have heard of him. Where is
he?"
"He claimed to be here waiting or
ders from Custer. He had camp up
the creek two days ago, but is keep
ing well out of sight for some reason.
Telegrams have been received for
him at the office, but another man
has called for them."
"Who?"
"Red Slavin."
"The cur!." sajd Hampton. '1 reck-
t9 I 5
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A. L. COLEMAN, J. C. COLEMAN, Plattsmoutti, Neb.
Special Agent for the Middle-west,
Enlarging Your Business
If you are in
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THF BANK OF CASS COUNTY
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We are agents for Electropodes, and the
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'PHONE riattsmouth No. 22.
PLATTSMOUTH, NEBRASKA
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