egarded Garrison with a pair of very steady gray eyes.
Beautiful eyes they were; and, as she pulled off her gauntlet and bent
down a slim hand from the saddle, he looked up into them. It seemed as
if he looked into them for ages. Where had he seen them before? In a
dream? And her name was Desha. Where had he heard that name? Memory was
struggling furiously to tear away the curtain that hid the past.

"I'm right glad to see you," said the girl, finally, a slow blush coming
to the tan of her cheek. She slowly drew away her hand, as, apparently,
Garrison had appropriated it forever.

"The honor is mine," returned Garrison mechanically, as he replaced his
hat. Where had he heard that throaty voice?

CHAPTER V.

ALSO A READY-MADE HUSBAND.

A week had passed--a week of new life for Garrison, such as he had never
dreamed of living. Even in the heyday of his fame, forgotten by him,
unlimited wealth had never brought the peace and content of Calvert
House. It seemed as if his niche had long been vacant in the household,
awaiting his occupancy, and at times he had difficulty in realizing that
he had won it through deception, not by right of blood.

The prognostications of the eminent lawyer, Mr. Snark, to the effect
that everything would be surprisingly easy, were fully realized. To the
major and his wife the birthmark of the spur was convincing proof; and,
if more were needed, the thorough coaching of Snark was sufficient.

More than that, a week had not passed before it was made patently
apparent to Garrison, much to his surprise and no little dismay, that he
was liked for himself alone. The major was a father to him, Mrs. Calvert
a mother in every sense of the word. He had seen Sue Desha twice since
his "home-coming," for the Calvert and Desha estates joined.

Old Colonel Desha had eyed Garrison somewhat queerly on being first
introduced, but he had a poor memory for faces, and was unable to
connect the newly discovered nephew of his neighbor and friend with
little Billy Garrison, the one-time premiere jockey, whom he had
frequently seen ride.

The week's stay at Calvert House had already begun to show its
beneficial effect upon Garrison. The regular living, clean air, together
with the services of the family doctor, were fighting the consumption
germs with no little success. For it had not taken the keen eye of the
major nor the loving one of the wife very long to discover that the
tuberculosis germ was clutchin