Show f THE GIRL AT THE HALFWAY HOUSE A S O 0 R Y 0 t T H E P L A I 1 N S BY E HOUGH AUTHOR OF THE STORY OF THE COWBOY 1903 ay iy D york CHAPTER XIII continued the hours grew older at the head of the hall the musicians manifested more signs of their inexorable purpose A sad protesting squeal came from the the violins moaned but vere held firm the worst might be precipitated at any moment but again there was a transfer of the general attention toward the upper end of the hall the door once more opened and there appeared a little group of three persons on whom there was fixed a regard so steadfast and so silent that it might well have been been that they were strangers to all present of the three one was a tall and slender man who carried him self with that ease which itself ancon causes self consciousness in those still some generations back of it upon the arm of this gentleman was a lady also tall thin pale with wide dark eyes which now opened with surprise that was more than halt hock lastly with head up and eyes also wide like those of a stag which some new thing there came a young woman whose presence was such as had never yet been seen in the hotel at astonished as they might have been by the spectacle before them greeted by no welcoming hand ushered to no convenient seat these three faced the long half lit room in the full sense of what might have been called an awk ward situation yet they did not shuffle or cough or talk one with an other or smile in anguish as had others who thus faced the same ordeal the three walked slowly calmly de down into what must have been one of the most singular scenes hitherto witnessed in cheit lives As they reached the head of the social rank where sat mrs mcdermott the wife of the section boss and arbiter elegant larum for all the gen tieman bowed and spoke some few words though obviously to a total stranger a very stiff and suspicious stranger who was too startled to reply the ladles bowed to the wife of the section boss and to the others as they came in turn then the three passed on a few seats apart from and beyond the other occupants of that side of the house there was now much tension and the and suspense could have endured but little longer again the accordion protested and the fiddle wept the cornet uttered a taint note of woe yet once more there was a pause in this time of joy again the door was pushed open not timidly but flung boldly back there stood two figures at the head of the hall and in the place of greatest light of these one was tall and very thin but upright aa a shaft of pine he was clad in dark garments thus much might be said his waistcoat sat high and close at wrist and neck there showed a touch of white and a bit of white appeared protruding at the bosom of his coat his tread was supple and easy as that of a boy of twenty ned me boy he whispered to his companion as they entered I 1 m teelin fine the night and as tor yer self ye re fit for the court st james at a diplomats ball franklin indeed deserved somewhat of the compliment dressed in the full uniform of a captain he looked the picture of the young army officer of ho united states simply easily much as had the little group that am mediately preceded himself and friend franklin passed on up into the hall between the batteries which lined the walls any emergency brings forward its awn remedy the times produce the man each war bringing forth its own generals ene rals its heroes its solvers of great problems none had chosen batter aleigh to the leadership there had een no election for master of ceremonies nor had Batter sleigh yet had alme to fully realize how desperate was ahls strait in which these folk had allen it appeared to him merely that having arrived there was naught else to cause delay at the enter of the room he stopped near p the head of the stern column of womanhood oman hood which held the position on he right as one enterer the hall here Satter sleigh paused making a deep nd sweeping bow and uttered the open speech which had been card that evening indies and gittlemen gintle men he said in ones easily distinguishable at all parts t fie room I 1 m pleased to meet ye 11 this evenin perhaps ye all know latter sleigh and I 1 hope ye 11 all meet ie friend captain franklin at me ide we claim the of ills roof me good friends and we wel ome everybody to the first dance at ladles yer very dutiful ervant it s well ye re lookin mrs mcdermott and nora gyura sure e re charmin the night kittle darl i bow do ye do do ye remember aptakin franklin all of yea pipe p ye right now aln all hands choose yer partners the arrand march sure with jerry s permission thank ye mrs mcdermott and me arm so the sheepish figures of the musi clans now leaned together for a mo ment the violins wailed in sad earch for the accord the assistant in strument ment less tentative all at once the slack shoulders straightened up firmly confidently and then their feet beating in unison upon the floor their faces set stern and relentless the three musicians fell to the work and reeled off the opening bars A sigh went up from the assembly there was a general shuffling of shoes a wide rustling of calico then slow ly as though going to his doom curly arose from out the long line ol 01 the un happy upon his side of the room he crossed the intervening space his limbs below the knees curiously at fectea jerking his feet into half time with the tune he bowed so low be fore the littlest waiter girl that his neck scarf fell forward from his chest and hung before him like a shield may I 1 bev the honor miss kitty he choked out and as the littlest waiter girl rose and took his arm with a vast air of unconcern curly drew a long breath in his seat sam writhed but could not rise nora looked straight in front it was hank peterson who led her forth and who after the oc caslon was over wished he had not done so for his wife sat till the last upon the row seeing this awful thing happen seeing the hand of nora laid upon another s arm sam sat up as one deeply smitten with a hurt then silently unobserved in the confusion he stole away from the fateful scene and betook himself to his stable where he fell violently to currying one of the horses oh kick he exclaimed getting speech in these surroundings kick I 1 deserve it of all the low down d n cowards that ever was horned I 1 sure am the worst but the gall of that feller peterson him ried man when sam left the ballroom remained no person who was able claim acquaintance with the little TV ho now sat under the shadow of s lamp at the lower end of hall and farthest from the door grand march was over and batter sleigh was again walking along line in company with his friend franklin before either could have been paid to have noticed fully these strangers whom no one seemed to know and who sat quite apart and un engaged Batter sleigh master of elonies by natural right and corn fordable for table gentleman at heart spied out hese three and needed but a glance to satisfy himself of their identity sir said Batter sleigh approach ang and bowing as he addressed the stranger I 1 shall make bold to intro buce atiee t Batter sleigh of sir at your service it I 1 am not mis taken sou will be from below toward the next town I 1 bid ye a very good welcome and we shall all hope to see e often sir were none too many here yet and a dintleman gintle man and his family are always welcome among gin tiemen allow me sir to me friend captain franklin captain ned franklin of the th illinois in the late ned me boy colonel ye 11 pardon me not knowin the my name is buford sir said the other as he rose I 1 am very glad to see you gentlemen colonel batter sleigh captain franklin I 1 was so un as to be of the kentucky troops sir in the same unpleasantness t want to introduce my wife gentlemen and my niece miss beauchamp franklin really lost a part ot what the speaker was saying he was gaz ing at this form halt hidden in the shadow a figure with hands drooping 1 with face upturned and just caught barely by one vagrant ray of light which left the massed shades piled strongly about the heavy hair there came upon him at that moment as with a flood tide of memory all the vague longing the restlessness the incertitude ot life which had harried him before he had come to this far land whose swift activity had helped him to forget yet even here he had been unsettled unhappy he had missed he had lacked he knew not what the young woman rose and stood out a pace or two from the shadows she turned her face toward franklin he felt her gaze take in the uniform of blue felt the strode of mental dis like tor the uniform a dislike which he knew existed but which he could not fathom with a strange half shivering gesture the girl advanced half a step and laid her head almost upon the shoulder of the elder woman standing thus for one moment the arms of the two unconsciously en twined as Is sometimes the way with women franklin approached rudeness as he looked at this attitude of the two still puzzling still seeking to solve this troubling problem of attus past there came a shift in the music tue air swept from the merry tune into the minor from which the negro Is never musically free then in a flash frank aln saw it all he saw the picture his heart stopped this music it was the wail of trumpets these steps ordered measured were those of marching men these sounds high comming ling they were the voices of a day gone swiftly vy these two this one this picture it was not here but upon the field of wheat and flowers that he saw it now again that picture of grief so infinitely sad franklin saw and as he gazed eager halt advancing indecision and irresolution dropped from him forever resolved He solved from out the shadows where in it had never in his most intimate self searching taken any actual form he saw the image of that unformulated dream which had haunted his so long and which yas now to haunt him openly and forever the morning after the first official ball in dawned upon another world after the 1 ball was by all the rules of the plains admittedly a town A sun had set and a sun had arisen it was another day to edward franklin the tawdry hotel parlor on the morning after the ball was no mere four square habata alon but a chamber of the stars before him radiant was that which he had vaguely sought this other halt of himself with feet running far to find the missing friend had sought him out through all the years through all the miles through all the spheres this was fate and at this thought his heart glowed his eyes shone bis very stature seemed to increase he not of nature and her ways of attraction he only knew that here waa that other whose hand pathetically sought he had hitherto missed in the darkness of the foregone days now thought he it was all happily con eluded here in this brilliant chamber of delight this irradiant abode this noble hall bedecked with gems and silks and stars and all the warp and woof of his many many days of dreams mr and mrs buford had tor the time excused themselves hy reason of mrs buford s weariness and after the easy ways of that time and place the young people found themselves alone thus it was that mary ellen with a temporary feeling of helplessness found herself face to face with the very man whom she at that time cared least to see to be continued |