Show TH lift E M LE OF THE plaine OF my LADY of V itta by DrAnn mrm copyright A C mcclurg A co SYNOPSIS jack keith a virginian now a bor il r plainsman Is looking for fop roaming war artlas artl ot of savages tie ile sees a team t full 11 kallop gallop pursued by men on pontes ponies when X kelter catir reaches tho the wagon the raid ra have massacred two men and le de arted ile he searches the victims finding impera aper and a locket with a homans womans por portrait ira t keith Is arrested at carson city harg d with the murder his accuser b be e ing a ruffian nani named d black bart A negro neero companion om panion in his cell named neb tella tell him film that ihal he knew the keiths in virginia neb il Ys ys one of at the murdered men was john i blay ne Y the other gen den willis walto waite forma er my a confederate officer the plainsman MIU nb ab escape and later the fugitives come com upon a cabin and find its 0 occupant c c a n to be OB it young girl whom keith ilsk thinks he ha saw aw at carson city the girl explains that she lie is ig in search of a brother who lied had deserted from the army and that a mr air haw clawley ley ind indwell ed her to come to the cabla 1 while hile he aaret her brother itaw y appears and ac keith ith in hiding recognizes 8 clitu as an black hart dart there Is a ter r if battle in the darkened room in which keith la Is victor horses are appropriated and the girl who says gays that her name Is hope joins in the escape keith ex plains explains his film situation and the fugitives ma make k e lor for hiort larned lamed where the alil to Is left with ulu hie hutel landlady land landlady ladr miss hope tells tella that she he Is the daug daughter for of general wall ballf keith and neb dri drift it I 1 into nto sheridan where keith meets an all old friend dr Fairba fairbarn ln reith keith meets the brother ot of ilove hopa walt W tt 4 gar and andy the he assumed name of lored ired wll loughry lough by and becomes convinced that black uart bart has some soine plot involving thu the two liepe learns that gen walte waite who was thought murdered murder rd Is at sheridan and goes there ro where she be la Is mist mistaken aken for christie marlaire the tie carson city singer keith meets the real christie maclaire Macl alre und and finds that black bart has convinced her ber that there Is a mystery in n her life which he Is going to turn to her advantage i the plain sinan tells tella hopu hope wait wah of heir resemblance to christie Macl Maci alro alre they decide that fred willoughby may hold the key to the ahe situation kelt keith finds willoughby shot dead hope hopa la is told of the death of her brother keith falls to learn lear n what w hat black uart dart has hs mada nade to christie maclaire Macl Alaci alre hope 1199 ue zesta LIStS that in order 1 to learn the secret he must briefly impersonate the stage singer dr fairbain Is in love with christie maclaire and keith induces him to detain liar her from the stage staga while hope got goes to the tha theater where she meets black hart dart who thus thua deceived tells tello hope that general beneral walte waite has suspected his p plans a ns and that they must fly I 1 lope hope great greatly y alarmed demurs general genera I 1 I 1 walte V it e appears and says dlack bart has stolen papers from hint him re regarding garding an inheritance keith ice I 1 tit Is anfor informed ed that christie Macl alres real name Is phyllis ga gale christie e and that ane Is the halt half sister ot of hope the latter has been carried away by dlack black uart dart and hla him gang CHAPTER continued 1 I 1 did christie boti you bet bald Id ld broke in the delighted doctor every nervo nerve tingling id a cleaned out that whole gang it if only said bald so eo but I 1 reckon now it was be better tte r to let them tell all they knew it was waa uke like a thinder thunder storm clearing the tha atmosphere mo sphere oh it was indeed now I 1 know who who I 1 am ohp I 1 ami that simply glorious sit down doctor fairbain baan there in the big chair where I 1 can see your face I 1 want to talk talk talk I 1 want to ask questions a thousand questions but it do any good to ash them ot of you would jt it you dont know anything about my family do you not very ve vouch aniau lam binm afraid only on ty that you have got an almighty pretty half sister admitted the man emphatically and old walte waite possesses the tha vilest temper ever given a numan hu being ties iles no blood kin to you thou irb abiu fc gat G d heart of pure pura gold old walte waite 1 i why ive seen him cry like a baby over one ot or his men that ROI got hurt alave you known him then for a long while ever ellice the spring of 61 1 I was brigaded with him all through h the war and had bad to cut a bullet or so BO abt of his hide before it ended it if there was ever a fight willis walte waite was sure pure to get his share ile he could swear some then but hes bes improved since and 1 reckon breckon now he could likely claim the championship I 1 did did you yell know my mother also and christie leaned forward for her eyes eyed suddenly grown misty 1 t even the slightest memory of her the doctors heart was tender and ho he was swift to respond reaching forth and grasping the hand nearest him ile e had made love before yet somehow this was different he felt hall half afraid of this woman and it was wa a new sensation altogether and not unpleasant 1 I saw 6 her often enough in those days but it not since she was frequent ly ay iy in camp a very sweet faced worn wom oin in you have her eyes and hair as I 1 remember walte waite ought to have rec you at first sight fly by cleav tins that was what phat made me so infernally fer naly nally mad the mulish obstinacy of bf the the old tool 1001 your mother used to come to the hospital tent too ose oae of the best nurses I 1 ever I 1 thought she was a beauty then but ashes some older by this time he paused regretfully you see ee im no spring chicken myself iler her eyes were upon his facet lac 1 s light fight flush showing in either cheek and she made no effort to withdraw her imprisoned hand you are lust just a nice age with firm convIct conviction lon boys are tiresome and I 1 think a little gray in the hair Is ie an improvement oh ob you IM agine I 1 any this just to please you I 1 tave rave a way a thought so since well since bince I 1 grew up besides fleshy meu men generally eti wally loot loo TOWE because they ore re iw w good natured perham per H how ow I 1 i kl in you doctora dochier Doc lier it the gray hatra hairs I 1 mind elther either he be admitted hesitatingly but im too darned bald headed oh I 1 aint so 80 old for I 1 was only thirty five when tho the war broke out I 1 was so thin then I 1 could hardly cast a shadow ive changed some since casting his hla eyes admiringly downward and got quite a figure I 1 was waa forty three last month that old just right ive been afraid you looked on me as being an old fogy 1 I should say not indignantly why should you ever think that well there were so many young follows fellows hanging banging about who T oh keith and hawley awley II and that bunch of officers from the tort fort you never had any time to give me sho she laughed again her fingers tightening in their clasp on hla his hand band why how foolish hawley la Is older than you ere are and I 1 was only playing with keith surely you must know that now and as to the officers they were just tun fun you see in my profession one has to be awfully nice to everybody dut but you really caro care tor for haw flaw icy he insisted bluntly probing for facts wl I 1 0 ry v 4 Z 15 r 4 ou r ww what I 1 bican that I 1 love you ile he ha be interested me the girl hesitatingly her eyes darkening with sudden budden anger ile ho lied and I 1 believed him film I 1 would have believed any one who came with such a story oh dr and 11 and slie she clung citing to him now aage eagerly aly abu y b it cannot realize how hungry I 1 have been for what he brought me I 1 want wanted BO to knew the truth of 0 my birth oh I 1 hated this affel she oung flung her disengaged band into inlo the air with a gesture expressive ot of disgust 1 I 1 was crazy to get away from it that was what made tho the man look good to mo me he be he promised so much you will believe me wont you oh ob you must I 1 am going to make you I 1 am a singer in music balls I 1 was brought up to that life from a girl and of course I 1 know what you western men think of us as an a class hawley showed it in his bis whole manner toward me and aid I 1 resented it just tor that deep down to n my heart I 1 hated him I 1 know knew it now cow now that I 1 really understand his purpose but some same way when I 1 was with him he be seemed to fascinate me to make roe me do just as he be willed out but you have never been that way you you have acted as though I 1 wait waa somebody somebody nice ard and not just a music hall singer perhaps its ita aust your way and maybe deep down you dont im any better than the other do but but I 1 want you to think I 1 am and I 1 am going to tell you the truth and you must believe me 1 I am a good girl great godl god I 1 of course you are he be blurted oct dont you suppose I 1 know that what has been bothering ahe me lassie lahale why id fought fough tany bany buck Asue a aoe ered at you WPM I 1 w wanted to ihnow know was ghether or not you reilly cared tot for any of those duffers can you tell me that christie she sha lifted her eyes to his bis face her lips parted 1 I can answer anything you ask and you dp not care for thorn them no lie ile drew hla his breath sharply his bis round face rosy then you have got to listen to me tor for im deadly in earnest da rnest im an old rough bald headed beaded tool fool that dont know much about women I 1 never thought before id ever want to but you can bet on one thing thine im square anybody in this town will tell you im square tell you that whatever I 1 says goes ive never run around aruch with women somehow I 1 never exactly liked the kind ive come up tip against and maybe they feet feel any particular interest in me I 1 nut cut much shine as aa a ladles ladies man but I 1 reckon now its only because the right one happened along she is here now though all right and I 1 knew it the very first time I 1 set sec eyes on her oh you roped and tied me all right the first throw maybe I 1 did get you and that hait sister mixed up a bit but just the same you were thu tha one I 1 really wanted hopes elopes all right ashes a mighty fine girl but you are the one for me ma christie could you gould could you care tor for such a duffer as I 1 am iter her lips were smiling and tie so were her eyes but it was a pleading smile 1 1 I I dont think it would be so very bard she abo admitted not if you really wanted mo me to you know what I 1 mean that I 1 love you wish you to be my wife 1 1 I supposed that was it that that you wanted me yes yea and and you wll will love her head bead dropped slowly so slowly he bo did not realize realta the significance of the action until her lips alpa touched his hand band 1 1 I do she said you are the best roan man in the world fairbain could not move colad not seem to realize what it all meant the outcome fact been so sudden so surprising tint that all power of expression deserted him in bewilderment he lifted her face d looked into her eyes perhaps she with wilh the ans swift intuition of a clever woman the mans perplexity for instantly she led ed lla its mind toot to other ber things fiat at us not talk ut our ourselves solves an imore tonight there Is so much I 1 ajah fah to know so much that ought to bo be done she sprang to her bar rest feet chy achy it la is almost shameful for its to artay here happy while others tire are in such trouble have they discovered tits covered hope no we scouted scoured the tha whole town end and found no trace now they are outside on the prairie but there can be liftee butla chance of their picking up a trail rall before daylight and 11 Kaw awley ley anig aila has ha vanished also without alft abt they are together whitt what do kyou you suppose ho bo can want of her how HO rio do you imagine he ever got her to go with him sho she that sort of a girl she shook her head shivering a tittle little ile he must have mistaken her for me perhaps has not even yet discovered hla his mistake dut but what it all means or gowhe how he gained her consent to go with him I 1 cannot conceive she stood with hands bands clasped staring out of the window thero there Is a little light showing already she exclaimed pointing see yonder oh I 1 trust truet they will find her alive and unhurt that man I 1 believe Is capable ot of any crime hut but you be of some help holat why should you remain here with me I 1 am in no danger you really wish me to go christie not that way not that way and she turned impulsively with hands outs outstretched t fetched retched ret ched of course I 1 want you hero here with me but I 1 want you to help bring hope back ile he drew her to him supremely happy now every feeling of embarrassment lost in complete certainty of possession se s 0 and I 1 will he said solemnly wherever they may have gone I 1 shall follow I 1 am going now dear and when I 1 como come back be glad to see me shall I 1 her eyes uplifted to hla tit own and swimming in tears 1 I will be ba the happiest girl in all the world I 1 reckon oh what a night this has haa beant what a wonderful nighal it has given me a name mame a mother and ana the mau I 1 love he kissed her not in passion but in simple tenderness and as ho he turned away she bhe sank upon her knees at the window with head bowed upon the gill bill at the door ire he paused and looked back find and she turned and smiled at him then he be went out and she knelt there silently gazing forth into tho the dawn her eyes blurred with tears facing a new day and a new ufa life TO DE BE CONTINUED |