Bob Hampton of Placer

"You speak as if you possessed full authority to express her mind as

well as your own."

The other bowed gravely, his face impassive. "My words would quite

naturally bear some such construction."

The officer hesitated, feeling more doubtful than ever regarding his

own position. Chagrined, disarmed, he felt like a prisoner standing

bound before his mocking captor. "Then I fear my mission here is

useless."

"Entirely so, if you come for the purpose I suspect," said Hampton,

sitting erect in his chair, and speaking with more rapid utterance.

"To lecture me on morality, and demand my yielding up all influence

over this girl,--such a mission is assured of failure. I have listened

with some degree of calmness in this room already to one such address,

and surrendered to its reasoning. But permit me to say quite plainly,

Lieutenant Brant, that you are not the person from whom I will quietly

listen to another."

"I had very little expectation that you would."

"You should have had still less, and remained away entirely. However,

now that you are here, and the subject broached, it becomes my turn to

say something, and to say it clearly. It seems to me you would exhibit

far better taste and discrimination if from now on you would cease

forcing your attentions upon Miss Gillis."

Brant leaped to his feet, but the other never deigned to alter his

position.

"Forcing my attentions!" exclaimed the officer. "God's mercy, man! do

you realize what you are saying? I have forced no attentions upon Miss

Gillis."

"My reference was rather to future possibilities. Young blood is

proverbially hot, and I thought it wise to warn you in time."

Brant stared into that imperturbable face, and somehow the very sight

of its calm, inflexible resolve served to clear his own brain. He felt

that this cool, self-controlled man was speaking with authority.

"Wait just a moment," he said, at last. "I wish this made perfectly

clear, and for all time. I met Miss Gillis first through pure

accident. She impressed me strongly then, and I confess I have since

grown more deeply interested in her personality. I have reasons to

suppose my presence not altogether distasteful to her, and she has

certainly shown that she reposed confidence in me. Not until late last

night did I even suspect she was the same girl whom we picked up with

you out on the desert. It came to me from her own lips and was a total

surprise. She revealed her identity in order to justify her proposed

clandestine meeting with you."