Looking out across the hot,
smoky, arid desert he saw again that scene where he had appealed to
Allison Lee.
The picture was etched out vividly, and again he lived through those
big moments of emotion.
The room full of men--Lee's cold acceptance of fact, his thanks, his
offer, his questions, his refusal--General Lodge's earnest
solicitation--the rapid exchange of passionate words between them--
the query put to Neale and his answer--the sudden appearance of
Allie, shocking his heart with rapture--her sweet, wild words--and
so the end! How vivid now--how like flashes of lightning in his
mind!
"Lee thought I'd killed Stanton," muttered Neale, in intense
perplexity. "But she--she told them Larry did it.... What a strange
idea Lee had--and General Lodge, too. He defended me.... Ah!"
Suddenly Neale drew from his pocket the little leather note-book
that had been Stanton's, and which contained her letter to him. With
trembling hands he opened it. Again this letter was to mean a
revelation.
General Lodge had said his engineer had read aloud only the first of
that message to Neale; and from this Allison Lee and all the
listeners had formed their impressions.
Neale read these first lines.
"No wonder they imagined I killed her!" he exclaimed. "She accuses
me.
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