He swept his heavy eyes across the brown and desolate prairie, and back

to the troubled face of the younger man. "You see, Brant, I feel that

I simply have to carry these despatches through. I have a pride in

giving them to Custer myself, because of the trouble I 've had in

getting them here. But perhaps I may not come back, and in that case

there would n't be any one living to tell her the truth. That thought

has bothered me ever since I pulled out of Cheyenne. It seems to me

that there is going to be a big fight somewhere in these hills before

long. I 've seen a lot of Indians riding north within the last four

days, and they were all bucks, rigged out in war toggery, Sioux and

Cheyennes. Ever since we crossed the Fourche those fellows have been

in evidence, and it's my notion that Custer has a heavier job on his

hands, right at this minute, than he has any conception of. So I want

to leave these private papers with you until I come back. It will

relieve my mind to know they are safe; if I don't come, then I want you

to open them and do whatever you decide is best for the little girl.

You will do that, won't you?"

He handed over a long manila envelope securely sealed, and the younger

man accepted it, noticing that it was unaddressed before depositing it

safely in an inner pocket of his fatigue jacket.

"Certainly, Hampton," he said. "Is that all?"

"All except what I am going to tell you now regarding Murphy. There is

no use my attempting to explain exactly how I chanced to find out all

these things, for they came to me little by little during several

years. I knew Nolan, and I knew your father, and I had reason to doubt

the guilt of the Captain, in spite of the verdict of the jury that

condemned him. In fact, I knew at the time, although it was not in my

power to prove it, that the two principal witnesses against Nolan lied.

I thought I could guess why, but we drifted apart, and finally I lost

all track of every one connected with the affair. Then I happened to

pick up that girl down in the canyon beyond the Bear Water, and pulled

her out alive just because she chanced to be of that sex, and I could

n't stand to see her fall into Indian clutches. I did n't feel any

special interest in her at the time, supposing she belonged to Old

Gillis, but she somehow grew on me--she's that kind, you know; and when

I discovered, purely by accident, that she was Captain Nolan's girl,

but that it all had been kept from her, I just naturally made up my

mind I 'd dig out the truth if I possibly could, for her sake. The

fact is, I began to think a lot about her--not the way you do, you

understand; I'm getting too old for that, and have known too much about

women,--but maybe somewhat as a father might feel. Anyhow, I wanted to

give her a chance, a square deal, so that she would n't be ashamed of

her own name if ever she found out what it was."




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