"Nothing?"
"Nothing! I"ll quit the army. I"ll give up the Service, and my people, too. I"ll put everything back of me, and we"ll start out anew--just you and I."
"Wait a moment," she said, retreating a little from his eager, out-stretched arms. "Why do you need to do all that?"
"Never mind why; it"s as good as done. You wouldn"t understand--"
"But I think I do understand now. Do I really mean all that to you?"
"Yes, and more!"
"Listen to me," said the girl, quietly. "I want you to talk slowly so I may not misunderstand. If you--marry me, must you forego all those great things you speak of--your profession, your family, your future?"
"Don"t let"s talk about it, Necia; I"ve got you, and--"
"Please answer me," she urged. "I thought I understood, but I"m afraid I don"t. I thought it was my being a breed that stood in the way--"
"There"s nothing in the way--"
"--that I wasn"t good enough. I knew I could overcome that; I knew I could make myself grow to your level, but I didn"t think my blood would fetter you and make this difference. I suppose I am putting it awkwardly, because I"m not sure that I quite understand it myself yet.
Things seem different now, somehow, than they did before."
"Nonsense!" exclaimed the soldier. "If they don"t bother me, Necia, why should you worry?"
"Would you really have to give up your family--your sister? Would those people you are so proud of and who are so proud of you--would they cut you off?"
"There is no question of cutting off. I have no inheritance coming; I don"t want any. I don"t want anything except you, dear."
"Won"t you tell me?" she persisted. "You see, I am dull at these things."
"Well, what if they do?" he conceded. "You more than make it up to me--you outweigh a thousand families."
"And would your marriage to a--a--to me destroy your army career?"
"Well, it will really be much easier for both of us if I resign from the Service," he finally admitted. "In fact, I"ve decided to do so at once."
"No, no! You mustn"t do that. To-night you think I am worth the price, but a day will come--"
He leaned forward and caught her hands in his.
"--Meade, I can"t let you do it."
"I"d like to see you help yourself," he said, banteringly.
"I can and I will. You must not marry me, Meade--it"s not right--it can"t be." She suddenly realized what this renunciation would mean, and began to shiver. To think of losing him now, after he had come to her freely--it would be very hard! But to her, too, there had come the revelation that love means sacrifice, and she knew now that she loved her soldier too well to let her shadow darken his bright future, too well to ruin him.
"It will be over before you know it," she heard him saying, in a lame attempt at levity. "Father Barnum is an expert, and the operation won"t occupy him ten minutes."
"Meade, you must listen to me now," she said, so earnestly that it sobered him. "Do you think a girl could be happy if she knew a good man had spoiled his life for her? I would rather die now than let you do such a thing. I couldn"t bear to see myself a drag on you. Oh, I know it would be wonderful, this happiness of ours, for a time, and then--"
She was finding it more and more difficult to continue. "A prisoner grows to hate the chains that bind him; when that day came for you, I should hate myself. No, no! Believe me, it can"t be. You"re not of my people, and I"m not of yours."
At that moment they heard the voices of the trader and his squaw outside, approaching the house. The girl"s breath caught in her throat, she flung herself recklessly upon her lover"s breast and threw her arms around his neck in an agony of farewell.
"Meade! Meade! my soldier!" she sobbed, "kiss me good-bye for the last time!"
"No," he said roughly.
But she dragged his face down to her burning lips.
"Now you must go," she said, tearing herself away, "and, for my sake, don"t see me again."
"I will! I will! I"ll ask your father for you to-night."
"No, no! Don"t; please don"t! Wait till--till to-morrow--till I say the word! Promise me! On your love, promise!"
Her eyes held such a painful entreaty that he nodded acquiescence as the door opened and her father and Alluna entered.
CHAPTER XIII
STARK TAKES A HAND IN THE GAME
The old man greeted the Lieutenant affably, but as his glance fell on his daughter he stopped stock-still on the threshold.
"I told you never to wear that dress again," he said, in a dry, harsh voice.
The girl made no answer, for her heart was breaking, but turned and went into her room. Burrell had an irresistible desire to tell Gale that he wanted his daughter for his wife; it would be an unwonted pleasure to startle this iron-gray old man and the shawled and shambling mummy of red, with the unwinking eyes that always reminded him of two ox-heart cherries; but he had given Necia his promise. So he descended to the exchange of ordinary topics, and inquired for news of the creek.
"Necia"s ground is getting better every hour," the trader said.
"Yesterday they found a sixty-dollar pan."
"Have you struck pay on yours?"
"No; Poleon and I seem to hold bad hands. Some of his laymen are quitting work. They"ve cross-cut in half a dozen places and can"t find a color."
"But surely they haven"t fully prospected his claims yet; there must be plenty of room for a pay-streak somewhere, mustn"t there?"
"It looks like he had drawn three blanks," said Gale, "although we can"t tell for sure. They"re breaking most as bad for me, too; but I"ve got a new hunch, and I"m running up a dreen to catch bed-rock along the left rim. I"ve got twenty men at work, and I"ll know before long. You heard about Runnion, of course?"
"Yes; the usual story--the bad men get the good mines, and the good ones get the hungry spots. Well, I might have been one of the unfortunates if I had staked for myself; but I hardly think so, I"m pretty lucky." He laughingly bade them good-night, content with himself and at peace with the world.
Gale went to Necia"s door and called her, but when she appeared he was unprepared for the tragic face with which she greeted him.
"Daughter," he said, "don"t feel bad over what I said; I didn"t mean to be cross with you, but--I don"t like that dress."
"Were you cross with me, daddy?" she said, dully. "I didn"t hear. What did you say?"