You have proved yourself a man
of no honor. I stigmatize you now as a coward."
There seemed no tinder left in my spirit to flame at this spark. "You
speak freely to your prisoner, Colonel Meriwether," I said, slowly, at
length. "There is time yet for many risks--chances for many things. But
now I think you owe it to me to tell me how this matter was arranged."
"Very well, then. Belknap asked me for permission to try his chance long
ago--before I came west to Laramie. I assigned him to bring her through
to me. He was distracted at his failure to do so. He has been out with
parties all the summer, searching for you both, and has not been back
at Laramie more than ten days. Oh, we all knew why you did not come back
to the settlements. When we came in he guessed all that you know. He
knew that all the world would talk. And like a man he asked the right to
silence all that talk forever."
"And she agreed? Ellen Meriwether accepted him on such terms?"
"It is arranged," said he, not answering me directly, "and it removes at
once all necessity for any other arrangement. As for you, you disappear.
It will be announced all through the Army that she and Lieutenant
Belknap were married at Leavenworth before they started West, and that
it was they two, and not you and my daughter, who were lost.
Pages:
291
292
293
294
295
296
297
298
299
300
301
302
303
304
305
306
307
308
309
310
311
312
313
314
315