Show experience lied fl oin last 71 erk these two did not find talk nee necessary they had iad readied reached that prado grade of ac where long ions silences are arc unmarked A soundless hau balf hour passed I 1 helen felen lay NN ith half shut eyes watch aw Y V afy N r vw ra y J ef C 4 1 A 1 I 1 WN T W WM Z 4 m f t 0 VIA exo arf j A SOUNDLESS PASSED ing the broad flood of sunset light die out ol of the sky sicy bronson w was smoking when the ci cigar ciar ar was quite lone done lie rose deliberately and stood beside her irl in the faint light in her white gown her twenty five fire years rolled back bael cand aej left her in girlhood again helen he said touching a fold of her dress with softly revere reverent no liand she looked up at him with an instants surprise then her eyes fell forgive me ho be said chumbl humbly y 1 I have not seen many women when you came it was like a revelation and now I 1 know that I 1 love you she opened her lips to speak but he stopped lier her 1 1 I know he said harry told me y your our story would you dare trust another man many there was something very childlike in the simplicity of the question she half smiled then all at once the past rushed over her no she said wildly rising to her feet all that has gone by forever you do not know what you are saying a woman ancho who has lived through such huch a degradation of ill treatment and cruelty as I 1 rilio has so utterly mistaken herself and an all tile the meaning of her life has no ariit ri ht to listen to such words as you have spoken 11 they were standing face to face she put out her hands wit with a a helpless air of repelling protest perhaps he misunderstood the posture gesture lie he took them in ia his own and held them firmly and gently slie she did not resist the clasp standing mute mule and miserable perhaps until that hour it had bad never occurred to lier her that any renewal of that story could be possible she had lt apart from all the com coin lot of women that he seemed so bently and completely to ignore i 1 li I tragic facts as her life held beat clown own all lier her piard guard swept away the I 1 that had been the dreary re in inders of her past folly and sin ile he was what that other had been plainsman reared among the influences of an almost lawless community always on the edge of the advancing wave of civilization where the other hall had T awn reckless he was grave and self te ata stained ined lie he knew books better belter than lamy who had lived among them there 1 v l lb a gentleness in his speech that mi im ant something better than mere aai awi i oct ct temper and ami helen was woman enough yet to f feel eel the f ot of his muscular strength the very clasp clap cla p that held her gentle as it was was wab irresistible ii n lie he chose to have it ho bo it t least I 1 love you lie said it at last you know it now with a ion long breath as of relief 1 I have not ny iny bechet to keep and shall never love any one else she smiled again through all her trouble lie ile believed it himself with such mi manifest f faith aith lie ile ic leased her hands she went c to iier her harn hammock mock and lie he to his li t and silence fell a gain again between them harry flarry came back while they were nvere still in their places 11 were ere getting it down fine he said abruptly to bronson ive been over to morgans ve know how many there are ire in the gang and we have de dc ions of th the principal leaders its i r iular ly organized thin thing the leader li a a captain gordon lie hell 11 ll find libin bihn alf captained with a short rope if vie league pets gets hold leold of him wo VC know pr alv well their 11 helen turned 3 what makes malce you involve in such a thing s ne he said haid it i much easier to keep out than to kt A i i suppose you should lose josu lubecka lu becea some night 1 I t like it iut but C 11 marr you yon don t want blood on v ti i and I 1 d lont dont want to 1 li lit I 1 iiii i I 1 lie he said it if il i i i i its their own fault bluj know thu the risks they take helen ta taid i id no more bron on had not spoken at all ile he asked i r tant que tion or two and then the subject dror dropped ped that night every horse woi th taking was stolen from the tryon ti yon ani anci bronson ranch and with nith the rest Il olens Ite becca hut but the third day afterward rebecca was found folind in the inorvia tied before tho the door with ai aa hauda baud omo somo a brid bradlo leand and andulo agthe as the country arford afforded ed and with a card appended captain Gor gordons donti compliments to helen tryon ile ho out ought lit to have said to the lie inc of pine pina gulch harry said with deep disgust perhaps mrs morse is in it too bronson Jj ronson suggested slyly youre quite sure that captain gordon Gordoni isn sn t a friend of yours appearances are arc a against adlist you first the diamond and lie stopped short as the tears rose in helens eyes eyen 1 I mean any thing lie explained humbly to harry afterward whoever supposed you did do you imagine you are ever going goin to under baand what a woman finds to cry about lie he said wrathfully they dont know themselves half the time iut but after nil all it was not helen at whom lie he was storming an extra meeting of the horse thief league was sumin summoned boned no io i results followed and a month wore ivore away peaceably firne did not stand still for helen and helens lover lie he did dia not again refer in n words to that declaration of his but not an hour lour spent in her society did not plead lead ills his cause I 1 he I 1 e took it completely for or granted gr a anted that his love for her was a ti hing ing complete of itself without hope of return perhaps Ier haps that attitude was his strongest trong cst plea something in his patience seemed wonderful to her she coul could d as is soon have built the pyramids blie was one of those positive people to i horn born no halfway half way measure is possible that a i man should ma malce ice such nn an avon avowal as that and then should let tile the days go on in such commonplace cheerful fashion roused 2 a new wondering m interest in her lind gaind little by little unconscious of the ions of feeling her lier whole mental attitude changed S she h c owned now with a shudder that if payne norse were nvere to cross her path for the first time she would probably be rep repelled lied rather than attracted slie had fallen in love with an ideal and the livin living breathing 0 facts did not bear out the f fancy ancy and the next shock was to realize that she had not yet lone done with ideals and to days hero bero was in no wise like yesterdays it gave lier her a dreadful ill feeling of rc in herself that she who for years li 1 lived in a dead calm of exhaustion of emotion should again be allowing herself to dream of sunshine she made amends to herself by never acknowledging that frank bronson li ronson had any thing to to do with such f fancies clearly helen morses days of passive ching were ere over she was silent still but lier her silence was dreamy instead of coldly hopeless lio and most unwonted bursts of petulance stirred the ave even tenor of tile the days what has happened to helen harry asked wonderingly one day well ell any thin thing is better than seeing her go about like a g galvanized alvanize d corpse aste ast as we e did tor for three years but harry was too much absorbed in dc ising schemes whereby captain gordons band might come to grief to heed such small bits of inelo melodrama drama as falling in love hopelessly or otherwise one night it camo came to pass that after one of the brief tremendous storms of wind and rain peculiar liar to the latitude helen answered her brothers hail from the outer darkness and opened the door to find him and one of the herder holding between them a motionless dead weight and recognized the lie white face as frank Bron sons Is lie dead she asked quietly 1 I don t know only stunned lined I 1 fancy set yim sam lee to heating water and riun rummaging nia ing our flannels X A tree fell as we were coming coining through the timber and knocked liim bin out of liis his saddle what i a mercy you are arc not of tile the screaming fainting kind marry harry was giving giring explanations and orders in abort a bort of running accompaniment inc nt that barely barel availed availed his own anxiety helen pale silent and helpful obeyed implicitly when bronson bronon opened his eyes at last nor lier face was the first lie saw as his swimming vision steadied Aca died itself ile he put out his hand and nd she laid hers within it there T here was r good deal in the a act et she was va b not a woman p odieal of such expressions the heavy blue eyes opened with eager inquiry you must be very quiet she said with a smile she did not lot withdraw her hand hancl and with a long sigh of relief lie turned toward her and fell asleep I 1 he was out and about I 1 his 1 business act day though tho gh in nathe mathei ra IL a shaky fashion all day went about with a half guilty halt half happy strain of feeling on oil her heart As tholise tho time came for liis eburn alic he wont went and bood tood before he her i glass for tile first time perhaps in years with a critical and anxious look juk at tile the reflection rel lection therein she I 1 was too pate pale sorrow i i I 1 laid boft her face ip 0 frred olivir trac what had she to ID do xv iv tai dve the fit of self distrust left a tr mor inor in her manner that even harry v no lurd I 1 believe you are living back again lie he said I 1 at this rate helen you I 1 11 1 1 lr a schoolgirl school girl again before you know it her lip lips quivered in a hil I 1 smile lie ile plunged ou on did you ever see any one change so frank no you are arc not living back you vou are going to begin over arnwin aan in my gir cir ana he be stooped and kissed hur her they were not a demon strut ive family the tryons she he flushed flus lied with IN pleased surprise and dinner being P 11 f aa 11 il V 1 I I 1 11 ali r YES YOU wenz rarie ea 11 over he be and bronson rode away in pursuance of some of their horse thief plans they had not gone many minutes when there came the sharp clatter of it a horses hoofs up to the lour door and dronson bronson flun flung himself out of the sa saddle badillo dillo Is it true lie he asked eagerly it is quite true slowly and almost solemnly oh my darling ho hall had her in in ills his arms she felt fell his tears on her face ili his kisses on her lips what have I 1 done clone to deserve such happiness she clung to him then with a little cry 0 frank every thing failed me once if that comes a again main I 1 shall die lie held her close against his breast it shall never come again lie he said softly aly and then in a minute more he was gone all of this out of doors where any one might inight have seen and heard every word but who was there to scein see in that wide green empty world the silence was absolute she stood listening in to the clank of his horse a little before she went back into the house thinking in with a happy smile how the world had changed slie she sat sewing cewin the next day swinging lazily in her low rocker sam kam loc lee was pattering softly about on the bare boards of his kitchen floor the south wind swee sweeping pino through the wide open door tossed her hair about her forehead outside the green and sunny silence seemed rhythmical in its boundlessness A shadow fell across the doorway helen looking up saw a tall man standing there clad in all respects as the other men of the region were alie wide hat the blue flannel shirt wit with its white ornamental stitch ings the jangling jan spurs and high ridin riding boots wae were all common enough but helens heart beat a little faster as he addressed her after the stereotyped fashion are arc the bosses here both are on the range they will not be home before night she had risen to answer him and stood with her hands on the back of her chair a little paler than usual and a growing look of terror in lier her widening eyes ile he had not removed liis his hat anti and his face was heavily lica vily bearded they stood silent for a little space and then lie he bared his head with a sudden geb gesture ture helen dont you know me she neither cried out nor fainted she stared at him with a fixed acted horror borror in lier her face yes she said iu in a dull sort of way you were payne morse were do you take me for a ghost no im all alive you dont ask me to come in no matter cross crossing ing ile threshold ino no matter ive something to say and the best time to say it il lie he crossed the room and closed tine tile door that led to sam sain lees domain she tood watching him with blood bloodless lebs saw face and staring eyes dont look so frightened child there was something of the old musical ring in ills his voice that lind once been in her cors cars AV with ii ther the memory nemory slie shuddered through h nil all her f frame canite no do you hate me as much ns as that facing T her and looking down on her v ith halt balf amused eyes well I 1 was a brute but we had been such fools lie ile paused as it if waiting for her to speak let me look at you you you grown younger and you really ref fly thought me dead acad well I 1 had a narrow chance for it look ile he turned his bib face and showed the track of a bullet across the temple and side of his fice face the officer know better but V t ey let it ga nt V it iliev care to report a buce ul e ei ape still she stood mute auant vou oil speak A inin in azimi might ht think you were wit nut r tu to lam V 1 i ui lit 1 11 ano ln half wins will li pi 1 I i N i i I 1 0 doubt doub alit 01 at fillo it in T knuty youg you I 1 li iiii ii a 0 b L ill ID last ni lit md ot tl lit benefit of talat seene nice thins tor for a man to be looking nt at his own wife too rd id a great igind inand to send a bullet through his boad 1 I die did not hanow lie was as inno cen i I 1 va a h t quite quiteo qui teo no mon 1 ts nt not I 1 in I 1 I 1 if i dirt did do 10 V i 1 ce in ni in heart n pite pile of you IT 1111 I 1 r rial lal hiir fr i 01 apt sti ti ii nit it I 1 I 1 i i I 1 i W 1021 lint I 1 lit in re 10 for toda tod to da d f v to n v wt hv he in ont int 1 I ij did mean that I 1 should be his 11 1 don i i rully the law frees i ig to marry you I 1 sup 1 11 int you see its all I 1 I 1 1 n I imarri I 1 marry with aou ou liv I 1 v py for the first time in cip 1 irs v ar irs piteously 1 I h arve ve r 0 0 o despairing and it in ined ed s if U I 1 might live on forever wares eluo WW res os the baby dcarl with a I 1 little moan A faint quiver crossed his face its good 0 0 thing may be and so you in t marry because I 1 happen to be ive and you dont love me either cither omen are arc queer things if id been uro that he meant hone honest st id have bitont out of tile the way A man cant see sec hn hiis own wife imposed on even if he has gone back on her half dep deprecatingly reca tingly what are you going to do wildly must I 1 po go wit with b you 00 oo with me no thank you I 1 hall get ct away from liere here shortly I 1 biart business her adal and I 1 give you ray my word ward that I 1 did not know you were here when I 1 came but we shall finish rp p shortly now and then ill bo be off and nd look here you shant be fooled n pram t in ill make certain that you are t ad d when I 1 do dd go she had been standing ill all the wh while ile tl II erme close to her ber now cant you give me a kiss stooping his still handsome face toward her 0 rio no no she shrank back shiver r in and I 1 your husband too you took jt it much more coolly the other night avith c itu a cai eless laah laugh well good bi I 1 shant see sec you volt again most lil lii uly cely keep straight helen I 1 know ma irim better than you do lies iles a hand some fellow not much better than I 1 was before I 1 got this beauty mark though and just as likely to be no better sort ahe sank down on oil |