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Show Molly McDonald fey. A TALE Ol HIE FRONTIER fWMktutiorof "Keith c jSSSfflt DoubT: JMLadyofifc SilllSlllfft South V c(c.cfc. y ( Wk 31' J&.B3rac& . v J I .fVj Lfi CnnvcirtHT 1918 BY A-CrTClURQ ft CO. gtsn now against his legs aslia moved. ' Tho bottom was Boft, yet his feot did not sink deeply, although It was rath, er difficult wading. Howovcr, tho clay gavo him more confidence than sand underfoot, and there was less depth ol 'Tell Me, Are You Hurt" water oven than ho had anticipated. He was wet only to tho thighs whon he tolled up on to tho low spit of sand, and put tho girl down a moment to catch a fresh breath and examine tho broador stretch of water ahead. They could seo both shores now, that which they lind Just left, a blac. lumping, dim outline. Except for tho lapping of tho water at their feet, all was deathly Btlll. Even tho Indian fire had died out, and It was hard to concelvo that savages were hidden behind that ! black veil, and that they two woro actually fleeing for their HveB. To tho girl it was like somo dreadful delirium of sloop, but the man felt tho full struggle. Thcro was a star well down In the bouth ho choso to guide by, but boyond that ho muBt trust to good fortune. for-tune. Without a word ho lifted her again to his shoulder, and pushed on. Tho water ran deeper, shelving off rapidly, until it rose well abovo his waist, and with sufficient current sol that ho was compelled to lean against it to maintain balance, scarcely venturing ven-turing forward a foot at u tlmo. Onco ho stumbled over somo obstruction, barely averting a fall; ho felt tho swift clutch of hor fingers at his throat, tho quick adjustment of her body, but her lips gavo no utterance of alarm. His groping feet touched tho edgo of a hole, and ho turned, facing fac-ing tho current, tracing his wny carefully care-fully until ho found a passago on bolld bottom. A bit of driftwood swirled down out of tho night; a water-soaked I limb, striking against him before it was oven Been, bruised ono arm, and I then dodced past like a wild thing, leaving n glitter of foam behind. Tho sand-dunes grow darker, more distinct, dis-tinct, tho water began to grow shal-, shal-, low, tho bottom changing from mud to i Bnnd. Ho slipped nnd staggered, in tho uncertain footing, his breath coming com-ing In quicker gasps, yet with no cessation cess-ation of effort. Onco ho felt tho dread-I dread-I ed suck about his ankles, and broko Into a reckless run, splashing straight i forward, falling nt tho water's edge, , yet not beforo tho girl was resting Eafely on tho soft sand. Strong as Hamlin was, his muscles trained by Btronuous out-door llfo, ho lay thcro for a moment utterly help- less, inoro exhausted from tho nervous ' Btrain Indeed, than tho physical exor-I exor-I tlon. Ho had realized fully the desperate des-perate naturo of that passago, expecting expect-ing every stop to bo engulfed, nnd tho I reaction, tho knowledge that they had actually attained tho shoro safely, loft htm weak as a child, hardly able to I comiirohend tho fact. The girl was upon her feot first, nlarmcd nnd bo-ticltous, bo-ticltous, bonding down to touch him with hor hand "Sorgennt, you nro not hurt?" sho questioned. "Tell mo ou nro not hurt?" "Oh, no," dragging himself up tho bank, yet panting as ho endeavored to speak cheerfully. "Only that waa n rather hard pull, tho last of It, and I nm short of breath. I shall bo all right in a moment." Thoro was a sand duna Just boyond, and ho seated himself and l&uncd ngalnst It. I "I am beginning to breatho oaslor already," ho explained. "Sit down horo, MUa McDonald. Wo nro safe enough now In thla darknoss." i "You art) nil wet, eonklng wet." "That Is nothing! tho sand Is warm 1 vot from yosterday'B nun, and my 1 clothes will dry fast enough. It Is bo-I bo-I ginning to grow light In tho east. Tho faces of both turned in that direction di-rection Uiuro appenred t!.- first twilight twi-light approach of dawn. Already I wore visible tho dark lines of tho opposite op-posite shoro, across tho gleam of wa-tor, wa-tor, nnd bojond nppfarcd thn dim out-lino out-lino of tho higher bluffs. Tho Blnpu bo-tweon bo-tweon rivor nnd hill, how over, remained re-mained In impenetrable darkness. Tho minds of both fugitives roverted to tho nmo scono tho wrecKca stago with Its dead passengers within, its savago watchers without She lifted her head, and the soft light reflected on her face. "I I thank God wo are not over thoro now," Bho said faltorlngly. "Yes," he admitted. "They will bo creeping in closor; they will not wait much longer. Hard as I havo worked, I can't rcallzo yot that wo nro out of thoso tolls." "You did not expect to succeed?" "No; frankly I did not; nil I could do wbb hope take tho ono chance left. Tho slightest accident meant bo-trayal. bo-trayal. I am ashamed of being bo weak Just now, but it was the Btrain. You see," ho explained carefully, "I'vo been scouting through hostllo Indian country mostly day and night for nearly near-ly a woak, and then this thing happened. hap-pened. No matter how Iron a man la his nerve goes back on him after a while." "I know." "It wasn't myself," ho went on dog- J gedly, "but It was tho knowledge of having to tako caro of you. That was ! whnt mado mo worry; that, nnd knowing know-ing a singlo misstep, the slightest nolso, would bring thoso devils on us, where I couldn't light, where thoro wns Just one thing I could do." Thoro was silence, her hands pressed to hor face, her eyes fixed on him. Then Bho questioned him soberly. "You mean, kill mo?" "Sure," ho nnswered simply, without with-out looking around; "I would havo had to do It Just as though jou wcro a sister of mine." Her hands reached out and clasped his, and ho glanced asldo at her face, seeing it clearly. "I I thought you would," she said, her xolco trembling. "I I was golug to ask you onco beforo I was hurt, but but I couldn't, and somehow I trusted you from tho first, whon you got In." Sho hesitated, and then asked: "How did jou know I wns Molly McDonald? You never uBkcd." Tho Sergeant's eyes smiled, turning away from her faco to stare out across tho river. "Iiecausa I bad neon our picture." "My picture? Hut you told us you woro from Fort Union?" "Yes; that is my station, only I had been sent to tho cantonment on tho Cimarron witli dispatches. Your father fa-ther was In command thcro, and worried wor-ried half to death about ou. Ho could not leavo the post, and tho dnly officer 1 remaining thoro with him wns n disabled dis-abled cavalry captain. Every man ho could trust was out on scouting service. serv-ice. Ho took a chnnco on mo. Mayba ho liked my looks, I don't lyiow; moro probably, ho Judged I wouldn't bo n sergeant and entrusted with thoso dispatches dis-patches I'd Just brought In, if I wasn't considered trustworthy. Anyhow I had barely fallen nBlcop whon tho orderly called mo, and that was what was wanted thnt I ride north and head Mill off." "But you wero not obliged to go?" "No; I was not under your father's orders. I doubt it I would hae consented con-sented If I hadn't been shown your picture. I couldn't very well refuso then." Sho sat with hands clasped together, togeth-er, her eyes shadowed by long lashes. "I should havo thought thcro would havo been somo soldiers thcro his own mon." "Thoro woro," dryly, "but tho army just now is recruited out of pretty tough material. To bo In tho ranks la almost a confession of good-for-noth-ingness. You aro an officer's daughter daugh-ter and undei stand this to bo truo." "Yes," sho answered doubtfully. "I havo been brought up thinking so; I only, of course, thero nro exceptions." j "No doubt, and I hope 1 nm nlready counted ono." "You know jou nro. My father trusted jou, and so do I." "I havo wondorcd somotimos," ho said musingly, watching her faco bare ly vlslblo In tho dawn, "whether those of your class actually considered us as being really human, as nnythlng moro valuable than moro food for powder. pow-der. I camo Into tho jegular army at tho closo of tho war from tho volunteer volun-teer sorvlco. I wns accustomod to discipline dis-cipline nnd nil that, nnd know my place, nut I novor suspected thon that a prlvato soldier was considered ti dog. Yet that was tho first lesson I was compelled to learn. It has boon pretty hard Bomotlmcs to hold In, for tl ero wns a timo when I had Bomo so-ol.tl so-ol.tl Btandlng and could resent an insult." in-sult." Sho was looking straight at him, surprised at tho bitterness In his olco. 'They cniry it altogether too fjr," sho said. "I hao often thought that - rrostly tho oung olucers, tho West rointoia and ot 5011 know thnt tho majority of enlisted, men nro well, drnggod from tho slums. My father Bays It has boon Icrosfllblo to recruit a good clas3 Blnco tho war closed, that tho right kind had all tho nrmy they wanted " "Which Is truo enough, but thoro aro good men nevertheless, nnd overy I coinmandex knoB. It, A lUUa consld- orato treatment would make thrm b" tor still." Sho shook hor head qurstloni'iigly. "I do not know," sho admitted. "I supposo thoro nro two lowpolnts You woro In tho oluntoers, jou said Why did you enlist In tho regulars?" "Largely because I liked Koldlorlng, or thought I did. I know there would bo plentj of fighting out here, nnd, I believed rtrhnnrrment " "You moan to u commission?" "Yes. You see, I did not understand thon tho Impossibility, tho groat gulf fixed. I dreamed that good fortuno might glvo mo something to do worth whllo." "And fato has boon unkind?" "In a way, ycB," and ho laughed rathor grimlj'. "I had my chance twloo; honorablo montlon, and all thnt. hut thnt onilait tl Tin. la tin bridge across tho chasm. An enlisted man is not hold lit for nny higher petition; pe-tition; If that was not sufficient to bar me, tho fact that 1 had fought for tho South would." "You woro in tho Confederate army? You must hao been very joung." "Oh, no; little moro than n boj of course, but bo woro tho majority of my comrades. I was In my senior college year whon tho war broko out. Dut, Miss McDonald, this will novor dol Seo how light it is growing. Thero, thoy havo begun firing nlready. Wo must get back out of sight behind tho sand dunes " CHAPTER X. The Ripening of Acquaintance. Thoy neoded to retlro but n few steps to bo entirely concealed, yet so situated as to command a view ncroBS tho muddy stream. Tho sun had not risen abovo the horizon, but tho gray dawn gave misty rovealmont of tho Bluggtsh-flowlng river, tho brown slope opposite, and tho darker shadow of bluffs bojond. The popping of thoso dlBtant guns had ceased by the tlmo thoy attained holr now position, nnd they could distinguish tho Indians mere black dots against tho brown slope Advancing In a semicircle toward to-ward tho silent ttngo Eidontly thoy wcro puzzled, fearful of somo trickery, for occasionally a gun would crack viciously, tho brown smoka plainly visible, tho adanclng savages halting to observe tho effect. Then a bright colored blanket was waved aloft as though In slgnnl, and tho entire body, converging toward tho deserted conch, leaped forward with a wild yell, which echoed faintly across tho water. Tho girl hid her faco In tho sand, with a halfBtllled sob, but tho Sergeant Ser-geant watched grimlj", his oyea barely above the ridge. What would they do 'when they discoered the dead bodies? when tin j realized thnt others hnd eluded their igllanco during thu night? 'Would thoy ho nhlo to traco them, or would his ruso succeed? Of ron 1 so their savago cunning would track them as far as tho river thero was no way In which lie could havo successfully concealed the trail nindo down tho gullj1, or tho murks left on tho sandy bank Hut would they lmug-tno lmug-tno he had ilnrcd to cross tho broad stream butdenod with tho girl, confronting con-fronting almost certain death In tho quicksand? Would thoy not bolloo rather that ho had waded along tho water's edgo headed west, hoping thus to cscapo to the bluffs, whoro Bomo hiding placo might bu found? Even it thoy suspected a crossing, would any warriors among thom ho reckless enough to follow? Would thoy not bo moro apt to bellovo that both fugitives had been Bucked down into tho treacherous treach-erous stream? Almost breathless Hamlin Ham-lin watched, these thoughts coursing through his mind, rc.ill?ing tho dead-I dead-I ty trap in which they were caught, if .ho Indians suspected thu truth and essayed tho passage. Behind them was sand, ridgo nfter ridge, as for as tho ojo could discern, and overy stop they took In flight would leavo its plain trail. And now tho tOBt waa at hand. Ho saw them crowd aDouttho coach, leaping and yelling with fury; watched thorn jerk optm tho door, nnd drag forth tho two dead bodies, dancing about them, llko so many demons, brandishing their guns. A moniont they woro bunched thus, their wild j-elling shrill with triumph; then somo among them broko away, bonding low as thej circled in against tho bluff. Thoy know nlready that thero had I been others In tho stage, others who ,had escaped. Tiny wero Beklng tho 1 trail Suddenly ono straightened up gesticulating, and tho otnors rushed ' toward him thoy had found the 'sign'" Thoy woro silent now, thoso main trailers, two of them on hands and knejs. Only back whoro tho bodies lay somo remained jelling and dancing furlouBlj'. Thon they also, in rcsponso to a shout and tho wavo of a m,Hi Jim He 8nw the Crowd About the Coach Leaping and Yelling With Fury. blnnkctcd arm, scatttercd, runnlr.' west toward tho gul'y. There was no hesitancy now; somo savago Instinct Boemod to toll thom where the fugl thes had go no. Thoy dragged tho dead wnrrior from tho ditch, screaming savagely sav-agely at tho discovery. A dozen scrambled for tho rlvor bank, others rnn for tho pony herd, whllo ono or two remained besldo tho dead warrior Even at that dlstanco Hamlin could distinguish lloman Noso, nnd tell whnt woro his ordors by every gesture of his arm Tho Sergeant grasped tho girl's hand, his own oyoB bnrcly nbovo tho Band rldgo, his lips whispering back. "No, don't movo; I'll tell you oery. thing Thu Btngo has been gutted and et on Are. Now the ore com'ng with tho ponies. Most 01 tin ni ue dlr"ct-,y dlr"ct-,y opposite studjliig tho merits we left on tho sand of the bank. Yob, thoy look across here, but tho chief is sure mi linvo gone tho othor way; ho l.i waving his hnud up tho rhor now, and talking. Now ho Is getting on his hurso; thoro nro ten or twelve of them. Ono follow Is pointing across hue, bjt no ono agrees with 111 111 ' Now Roman Noso Is giving 01 tiers Hoar that jell I Thoy 're off now, rid Ing up stream, lashing their ironies ln to n run All of them' No; quite n bunch aro going back to tho coach. I don't bellovo they nro. going to hnng around hero long, though, for they nro drhlng In all their ponies." "Hut won't thoso othors como back whon they discover wo havo not go no up tho river?" "I wIbIi I could nnswor thnt," ho replied re-plied earnestly. "Hut It nil depends on whnt thoso devils know of tho whereabouts of troops Thoy nro North- oru Indians, and must havo broken ,' through tho scouting details sont out ' from Wallaco and Dodgo. Somo of the J boys nro bound to bo nfter them, nnd ' thoro is moro chnnco for them to got back safely along the mountains than -In tho othor direction. 1 don't sup-1 1 posu un Indlnn In the bunch was ever j south of tho Arkansns. Walt! Thoso j fellows aro golug to movo now; going for good, too thoy nro taking tho dead Indians with tlirm I They woro llttlo moro thnn blnck 1 dots at that dlstanco, yet tlio sun was up by this tlmo nnd his 1 1 m vision could distinguish every movement. "Creep up hero, nnd jou can seo also," ho said quietly. "Thoy nro far enough away now so that It Is safo." Thcro was a moment of broathlcss quiet, tho two fugitives peering cnu-tiouBly cnu-tiouBly over tho sand ridge. To tho girl It was a confuBlon of figures rushing rush-ing back and forth about tho Binoklng rulnB of tho Btngo; occasionally a faint yell echoed ncross tho river, nnd Bho could distinguish n savago on his pony gesticulating as ho rodo back and forth. Hut tho Sergeant comprehended compre-hended tho sccno. His ejes met hers and read hor bow lldorment. I "Thoy nro going all right, and In a huriy. It's plain enough thoy nro nfrald to stay thero any longer See, they rro lushing bodlca on to tho ponl"i. Ah, that Is what I wanted to bo suro nbout that follow Is heading west on tho trail; now tho others nro movinc." "Then you nro nuro Itomnn Noso will not return? Thnt thnt wo aro Bafo?" "Yes; I wouldn't hcsltato to go back ns soon as tho laBt of them disappear over tho ridge," pointing up tho rlvor. "Thoy know thoy hnd to go thnt way; lloman Noso and his band hoped wo'd taken that direction, nnd hurried on ahead to catch us if ho could. Thoy aro afraid to stay nbout horo nny longer. long-er. Look how thoy nro liBhirig tlioso ponies, thero, tho last of thom aro lo. Ing" They lay thtro In tho sand, already becoming warm under tho rajs of tho sun, trying to nssuro themselves that all danger of discovery had vanished. Ihero wns no movement on tho opposite oppo-site Bhoro, only tho bluo spiral of smoko curling up against tho bluff, marking whoro tho stage hnd stood About this, outlined upon tho brown , grass, appeared darker patches representing rep-resenting dead ponies and tho bodi s of Moylan and Gonzales, whero tiny h id been tumbled, scalped and other-wiso other-wiso mutilated. Down by tho river a wounded pony tried to follow tho ills-appearing ills-appearing cavalcado, but foil, giving vent to one bcream of agony. Then nit was silent, motionless, tho Inst straggler strag-gler clubbing his horso pltilcBtily a3 ho vanished ovor tho rldgo Hamlin sat up. his ejes smiling. "Wo nro tho ucky oncB, Miss McDonald," Mc-Donald," ho said, his mnnnor unconsciously uncon-sciously moro formnl now thnt tho dangor had passed nnd a swift realization realiza-tion of who his companion wns recurring recur-ring to his mind. "Something must havo frlghtoncd thom." Ho shaded his oyos, staring at tho bluffa opposite "Hut, thoro Is nothing in sight from hero. Well, tho best thing wo can do 1b to cat breakfast May I havo tho , haversack, and seo what It is stocked J with?" "Certainly not. Thoro Is bo llttlo I I can do, I do not proposo yielding any prerogative" And sho drow her 1 head through tho strap, letting tho leather bag fall to tho Band. "I nm afraid thero is no cloth horo. Would you daro light a flro?" "Hardly, oven If wo had fuel," ho answered, watching her with interest.1 Sho glanced up Into his faco, hor! cheeks reddening. ' Why don't you want mo to do this?" 'How do you know I object? Indeed, ' it is qulto pleasant to be waited uron. j Only, jou see, it Is very unusual for an officer's daughter to take such good are of 1111 enlisted man." "Hut I nm not thinking of that at nil. You this Is dlfforent." "For tho momont, perhaps," junt a slight bltterncBU In his tone, "and I shg lid onjoy it whllo I can " 1 (To bo contlnuod) |