Benton of the Royal Mounted Part 37

Dazedly the girl stared for a moment at the imploring face of the man she loved, her misery-benumbed brain failing at first to grasp the significance of his impa.s.sioned appeal. Then a quick, joyful light of comprehension dilated her great weary eyes, and with an unsteady movement she arose from her seat on the stone and swayed towards him, sobbing in her throat. The next minute her round arms were about his neck, her eager lips sought his-and they were quite alone.

Long he held the overstrung girl in his arms, kissing and soothing her with every endearment that a man's love can command in such ecstasies; smoothing her glorious hair and pressing his cheek to hers with whispered, broken words of affection until she became calmer, and her happy tears ceased.

Then, gently, he told her the news of his changed fortunes and, drawing forth the lawyer's letter, bade the astonished girl read its contents.

"And now, my dear, I want you to read this, too," he said. "You have the right to."

And reverently he handed her the letter of his old dead benefactor, silently watching her face as she perused its contents. He saw the light gradually fade from her eyes, which commenced to fill with tears. Her lips quivered and she began to sob again softly, as she read on, rocking herself to and fro and making no attempt to hide her emotion. Presently she ended the missive and looked across at her lover with glistening eyes.

"Oh! ... the poor old fellow ... that poor old soldier ... oh! this is _too_ pitiful for anything!... How he must have suffered when he lost her-waiting patiently all those years!..."

She continued to gaze silently at him awhile. Then suddenly, with her wet eyes blazing with her great love, she leaned forward and flung her arms around his neck again with pa.s.sionate abandon, still clutching the letters.

"Fwas ut for money ye waithed, ye foolish man?" she cried, relapsing into her soft Hibernian brogue as she patted his shoulder caressingly.

"Och, glory be! but 'tis glad I am ye didn't tell me-or show me thim letthers till-till afther!... 'Tis little ye must know av th' heart av a woman loike me!... Och, me bhoy! me bhoy! ... a pauper I'd have married ye ... an' loved ye still ... for yersilf alane!"

For answer, Ellis tipped her head back on his arm and kissed her fondly.

"Aye!... I guess you would!" he returned, with a grim chuckle. "And then p'r'aps both of us 'ud have been sorry forever after!... No, my dear!

... when Poverty knocks on the door, Love 'beats it' out of the window!... I've seen too many of these 'Love in a shack' businesses ...

everything's all hunkadory at first ... but it don't last.... You and I've worked long enough for the powers that be.... Now that's all changed.... You shall never know sorrow or worry again-if I can help it, Mary, my girl!"

Cheek to cheek, they were silent awhile, gazing dreamily across at the distant "Rockies." Then he continued quietly. "First thing I must get my discharge from the Force. I'll forward an application to 'purchase'

tomorrow! Special case ... under the circ.u.mstances, I think the O.C.'ll recommend it all right, though as a rule he's dead against this 'purchasing' business ... don't know but what he isn't about right, too ... anyway, 'Isch ga bibble!'... I'll work it somehow within a month.

Then we'll hit for Europe, Mary. A downright good long easy-going trip ... taking our time and lazying around in all the beautiful old places we've read or heard about, and never seen.... Rome, Venice, and some of those old Moorish places in Spain. Then when we're tired of them and want some amus.e.m.e.nt and change of scene we'll go to Paris, or London-see all the best plays and hear all the best singers. Later we'll go on down through the Mediterranean to the north coast of Africa, and see Tunis and Algiers and Cairo. By and by, when we're tired of running around, we'll 'beat it' for this country again and settle down on a place of our own. It won't be a 'rawnch,' like the Honorable Percy's, either....

Guess I know how to run one as it _should_ be run. I know of a peach of a place-sou'west of here-right on the Elbow ... pretty place, too-bush all round it and all kinds of good feed range and shelter. It's an ideal place for either horses or cattle-horses especially. Belongs to old J.

G. Robinson. He's getting on in years now and wants to quit the game. I know he'd sell out to me-I know him well. It's the open range and the foothills of 'Sunny Alberta' for me and you, Mary dear-somewhere in the West, anyway ... where we can look across at the 'Rockies'-like we're doing now. We'd never be happy anywhere else. Of course ... you won't be cooped up on this precious ranch-in-perspective _all_ the year round ...

neither of us, for that matter. It won't be necessary, for I'm going to try and get Barney Gallagher to come to me as my manager. I fancy I can fix things with him."

The girl, smiling at his enthusiasm with a little happy e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.i.o.n, shook him impulsively.

"Oh, let's wake up!" she cried. "Are we only dreaming? ... are you _sure_ this isn't only just a beautiful dream, from which we'll wake up presently? I can't realize it's all true, yet!"

He tilted her chin up and gazed into the glorious hazel eyes lovingly.

"No, my dear," he murmured, the hard lines of his somber face softened into an expression of dreamy, quiet peace. "It's no dream this time. I'm done with my hopeless, empty dreams now! I'm a poor man no longer! Oh, Mary, my girl! My great big splendid-looking wife-to-be! ... how I surely do love you! Promise me you're going to be very, very happy now, and give me another kiss! We'll have to be getting back. I don't want to be getting into Mrs. T's bad books again," he added, grinning. "She gave me orders ... very peremptory orders ... but I think I can report that I've carried 'em out! Now give that kiss!"

What a wonderful change-spiritually and physically-a little love can effect! Gone were all poor Mary's dark shadows, pallor, and weary despondency. Once again her laughing long-lashed hazel eyes shone with the happy lights of yore. Locked in each other's arms, for the time being, in a rose-tinted world of their own and completely oblivious to their surroundings, they happened to sway up against Johnny who, turning his head, with a mildly inquiring eye, tucked up his nigh fetlock and nibbled at them for sugar, nickering softly the while.

And Mary's horse, down on the flat below, whinnied back a responsive "All's Well."

Footnote:

GLOSSARY

_Aasvogel_-(_Dutch Taal_) A species of South African vulture.

(_Carrion._)

_Allemachtig_-(_Dutch Taal_) Almighty!

_Adios_-(_Spanish_) Good-by!

_Dekho_-(_Hindustani_) Look.

_Disselboom_-(_Dutch Taal_) Wagon-tongue.

_Dopper_-(_Dutch Taal_) A term generally applied to the Boers in S. A.

_Doed_-(_Dutch Taal_) Dead.

_Dorp_-(_Dutch Taal_) A small town.

_Drink hael_-(_Dutch Taal_) Signifying "Drink hearty!"

_Dronk_-(_Dutch Taal_) Drunk.

_Eyck! Eyck! Azi-wan-n! Ari-tsemah! Hamba-ke!_-(_Kaffir expressions, urging on horse, oxen, or mule_) Literally-"Get up there! Go on!"

_Inspanning_-(_Dutch Taal_) Harnessing up horse, oxen, or mule teams.

_Indaba_-(_Zulu_) Talk, language.

_I Korner_-(_Dutch Taal_) An expression of incredulity, "understand!"

_Intombi_-(_Zulu_) Young woman.

_Isch Ga Bibble!_-(_Yiddish_) "I should worry!"

_Ja_-(_Dutch Taal_) Yes!

_Kinders_-(_Dutch Taal_) Children.

_Kopje_-(_Dutch Taal_) Small hill, or b.u.t.te.

_Krantzes_-(_Dutch Taal_) Rocky precipices.

_Laager_-(_Dutch Taal_) Camp, abode.

_Leugenaar_-(_Dutch Taal_) Liar.

_Meerkat_-(_Dutch Taal_) A species of animal like a gigantic gopher which burrows on the veldt.

_Myjnheer_-(_Dutch_) Mr.