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diff --git a/42308-8.txt b/42308-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 82e98fc..0000000 --- a/42308-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,12668 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook, Overland Tales, by Josephine Clifford - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - - - - -Title: Overland Tales - - -Author: Josephine Clifford - - - -Release Date: March 11, 2013 [eBook #42308] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK OVERLAND TALES*** - - -E-text prepared by sp1nd, Martin Pettit, and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made -available by Internet Archive (https://archive.org) - - - -Note: Images of the original pages are available through - Internet Archive. See - https://archive.org/details/overlandtales00clifrich - - - - - -OVERLAND TALES - -by - -JOSEPHINE CLIFFORD. - - - - - - - -[Illustration] - -San Francisco: -A. L. Bancroft & Co. -1877. - -Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1877, by -Josephine Clifford, -in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. - -[Illustration: J. FAGAN & SON, STEREOTYPERS, PHILAD'A.] - -COLLINS, PRINTER. - - - - -Dedicated - -TO MY KINDEST - -AND - -_MOST CONSTANT READER_, - -MOTHER. - - - - -PREFACE. - - -In the book I now lay before the reader, I have collected a series of -stories and sketches of journeyings through California, Arizona, and New -Mexico. There is little of fiction, even in the stories; and the -sketches, I flatter myself, are true to life--as I saw it, at the time I -visited the places. - -A number of these stories first appeared in the OVERLAND MONTHLY, but -some of them are new, and have never been published. I bespeak for them -all the attentive perusal and undivided interest of the kind reader. - -THE AUTHOR. - - - - -CONTENTS. - - PAGE -_LA GRACIOSA_, 13 - -_JUANITA_, 53 - -_HETTY'S HEROISM_, 68 - -_A WOMAN'S TREACHERY_, 87 - -_THE GENTLEMAN FROM SISKIYOU_, 101 - -_SOMETHING ABOUT MY PETS_, 119 - -_POKER-JIM_, 137 - -_THE TRAGEDY AT MOHAWK STATION_, 153 - -_LONE LINDEN_, 161 - -_MANUELA_, 188 - -_THE ROMANCE OF GILA BEND_, 204 - -_A LADY IN CAMP_, 219 - -_THE GOLDEN LAMB_, 237 - -_IT OCCURRED AT TUCSON_, 260 - -_A BIT OF "EARLY CALIFORNIA"_, 274 - -_HER NAME WAS SYLVIA_, 282 - -_CROSSING THE ARIZONA DESERTS_, 296 - -_DOWN AMONG THE DEAD LETTERS_, 310 - -_MARCHING WITH A COMMAND_, 321 - -_TO TEXAS, AND BY THE WAY_, 354 - -_MY FIRST EXPERIENCE IN NEW MEXICO_, 367 - - - - -OVERLAND TALES. - - - - -_LA GRACIOSA._ - - -It was a stolid Indian face, at the first casual glance, but lighting up -wonderfully with intelligence and a genial smile, when the little dark -man, with the Spanish bearing, was spoken to. Particularly when -addressed by one of the fairer sex, did a certain native grace of -demeanor, an air of chivalrous gallantry, distinguish him from the more -cold-blooded, though, perhaps, more fluent-spoken, Saxon people -surrounding him. - -Among the many different eyes fixed upon him now and again, in the -crowded railroad-car, was one pair, of dark luminous gray, that dwelt -there longer, and returned oftener, than its owner chose to have the man -of the olive skin know. Still, he must have felt the magnetism of those -eyes; for, conversing with this, disputing with that, and greeting the -third man, he advanced, slowly but surely, to where a female figure, -shrouded in sombre black, sat close by the open window. There was -something touching in the young face that looked from out the heavy -widow's veil, which covered her small hat, and almost completely -enveloped the slender form. The face was transparently pale, the -faintest flush of pink tinging the cheeks when any emotion swayed the -breast; the lips were full, fresh, and cherry-red in color, and the -hair, dark-brown and wavy, was brushed lightly back from the temples. - -The breeze at the open window was quite fresh, for the train in its -flight was nearing the spot where the chill air from the ocean draws -through the Salinos Valley. Vainly the slender fingers tried to move the -obstinate spring that held aloft the upper part of the window. The color -crept faintly into the lady's cheeks, for suddenly a hand, hardly larger -than her's, though looking brown beside it, gently displaced her fingers -and lowered the window without the least trouble. The lady's gloves had -dropped; her handkerchief had fluttered to the floor; a small basket was -displaced; all these things were remedied and attended to by the -Spaniard, who had surely well-earned the thanks she graciously bestowed. - -"Excuse me," he said, with unmistakable Spanish pronunciation; "but you -do not live in our Valley--do you?" - -"This is my first visit," she replied; "but I shall probably live here -for the future." - -"Ah! that makes me so happy," he said, earnestly, laying his hand on his -heart. - -The lady looked at him in silent astonishment. "Perhaps that is the way -of the Spanish people," she said to herself. "At any rate, he has very -fine eyes, and--it may be tedious living in Salinos." - -Half an hour's conversation brought out the fact that a married sister's -house was to be the home of the lady for a while; that the sister did -not know of her coming just to-day, and that her ankle was so badly -sprained that walking was very painful to her. - -From the other side it was shown that his home was in the neighborhood -of the town ("one of those wealthy Spanish rancheros," she thought); -that he was slightly acquainted with her brother-in-law; that he was a -widower, and that his two sons would be at the depôt to receive him. -These sons would bring with them, probably, a light spring-wagon from -the ranch, but could easily be sent back for the comfortable carriage, -if the lady would allow him the pleasure of seeing her safely under her -sister's roof. She said she would accept a seat in the spring-wagon, and -Senor Don Pedro Lopez withdrew, with a deep bow, to look after his -luggage. - -"Poor lady!" he explained to a group of his inquiring friends, "poor -lady! She is deep in mourning, and she has much sorrow in her heart." -And he left them quickly, to assist his _protégé_ with her wraps. Then -the train came to a halt, and Don Pedro's new acquaintance, leaning on -his arm, approached the light vehicle, at either side of which stood the -two sons, bending courteously, in acknowledgment of the lady's greeting. -When Don Pedro himself was about to mount to the seat beside her, she -waved him back, with a charmingly impetuous motion of the hand. "I am -safe enough with your sons," she laughed, pleasantly. "Do you stop at my -brother-in-law's office, pray, and tell him I have come." - -Sister Anna was well pleased to greet the new arrival--"without an -attachment." Her sister Nora's "unhappy marriage" had been a source of -constant trouble and worry to her; and here she came at last--alone. -Brother-in-law Ben soon joined them, and Nora's first evening passed -without her growing seriously lonesome or depressed. Sister Anna, to be -sure, dreaded the following days. Her sister's unhappy marriage, she -confided to her nearest neighbor, had so tried the poor girl's nerves, -that she should not wonder if she sank into a profound melancholy. She -did all she could to make the days pass pleasantly; but what can you do -in a small town when you have neither carriage nor horses? - -Fortunately, Don Pedro came to the rescue. He owned many fine -horses and a number of vehicles--from an airy, open buggy to a -comfortably-cushioned carriage. He made his appearance a day or two -after Nora's arrival, mounted on a prancing black steed, to whose every -step jingled and clashed the heavy silver-mounted trappings, which the -older Spaniards are fond of decking out their horses with. He came -only, like a well-bred man, to inquire after the sprained ankle; but -before he left he had made an engagement to call the very next morning, -with his easiest carriage, to take both ladies out to drive. - -And he appeared, punctual to the minute, sitting stiffly in the -barouche-built carriage, on the front seat beside the driver, who, to -Nora's unpractised eye, seemed a full Indian, though hardly darker than -his master. True, the people of pure Spanish descent did say that this -same master had a slight admixture of Indian blood in his veins, too; -but Don Pedro always denied it. He was from Mexico, he said, but his -parents had come from Spain. However this might be, Nora stood in mute -dismay a moment, when the outfit drew up at the door; and she cast a -questioning glance at her sister, even after they were seated in the -carriage; but Sister Anna's eyes seemed repeating an old admonition to -Nora--"Be patient, poor child; be still." And Nora, passing her hand -across her face, heeded the admonition, gathered courage, and gave -herself up to the perfect enjoyment of the scene and the novelty of the -expedition. - -It was a late spring day--the Valley still verdant with the growing -grain, the mountains mottled with spots of brown where the rain of the -whole winter had failed to make good the ravages of thousands of sheep, -or where, perhaps, a streak of undiscovered mineral lay sleeping in the -earth. Scant groups of trees dotted the Valley at far intervals, ranged -themselves in rows where a little river ran at the foot of the Gabilan, -and stood in lonely grandeur on the highest ridge of the mountain. Where -the mountain sloped it grew covered with redwood, and where the hills -shrank away they left a wide gap for the ocean breeze and the ocean fog -to roll in. - -Across the Valley was another mountain, dark and grand, with flecks of -black growing _chemasal_ in clefts and crevices, and sunny slopes and -green fields lying at its base. And oh! the charm of these mountains. In -the Valley there might be the fog and the chill of the North, but on the -mountains lay the warmth and the dreaminess of the South. - -Keenly the dark eyes of the Spaniard studied the lovely face, flushed, -as it seemed, with the pleasure derived from the drive in the pure air -and the golden sunshine. - -"You like our Valley?" he asked, as eagerly as though she were a -capitalist to whom he intended selling the most worthless portion of his -ranch at the highest possible figure. - -"Not the Valley so much as the mountains," she returned. "We have had -fogs two days out of the week I have spent here, and I fancy I could -escape that if I could get to the top of the mountains." - -"Ah! you like the sunshine and the warm air. You must go farther South -then--far South. I have thought a great deal of going there myself. -There is a beautiful rancho which I can buy--you would like it, I -know,--far down and close by the sea. And the sea is so blue there--just -like the heavens. Oh! you would like it, I know, if you could only see -it," he concluded, enthusiastically, as though this were another ranch -he was trying to sell her. - -But the thought of traffic or gain was very far from his heart just -then, though Don Pedro was known to be an exceptionally good business -man and a close financier. Many of his Spanish compeers looked up to him -with a certain awe on this account. Most of them had parted with their -broad acres, their countless herds, all too easily, to gratify their -taste for lavish display and easy living, with its attendant cost under -the new American _régime_; or had lost them through confiding, with -their generous heart, their guileless nature, to the people whose -thoughts were bent on securing, by usury and knaves' tricks, the -possessions of the very men whose hospitable roof afforded them -shelter. "He can cope with any American," they would say, proudly, -speaking of Don Pedro; and Don Pedro would show his appreciation of the -compliment by exercising his business qualifications towards them, as -well as towards "los Americanos." - -But the haughty Don was well-mannered and agreeable; and after securing -from Nora an indefinite promise that she would some time, when her ankle -got strong, ride his own saddle-horse, he left the ladies safely at -their door and retired, his heart and brain filled with a thousand happy -dreams. He had only once during the ride pointed carelessly across the -valley to where his ranch lay; but Nora had gained no definite idea of -its extent. - -One pleasant afternoon the two sons of Don Pedro stopped at the door. -Their father had encouraged them to call, they said; perhaps the lady -and her sister would bestow upon them the honor of driving out with them -for an hour. Both lads spoke English with elegance and fluency (let the -good fathers of the Santa Clara College alone for that), but among -themselves their mother-tongue still asserted itself; and in their -behavior a touch of the Spanish punctilio distinguished them favorably -from the uncouth flippancy of some of their young American neighbors. - -Nora cheerfully assented, and in a few minutes the whole party was -bowling along,--the eldest brother driving, the younger explaining and -describing the country and its peculiarities. Pablo and Roberto had both -been born on their ranch, though not in the large white house they saw -in the distance. That had been finished only a little while when their -mother died. The _adobe_ which had been their birthplace stood several -miles farther back, and could not be seen from here. - -"It is not on this ranch, then?" queried Nora. - -"Pardon, yes; on this ranch, but several miles nearer the foothills; in -that direction--there." - -"And is the land we are passing over all one ranch?" Nora continued, -persistently. - -"We have been driving over our own land almost since we left town," -replied Pablo, a little proudly. "San Jacinto is one of the largest -ranchos in the county, and the Americans have not yet succeeded in -cutting it up into building-lots and homestead blocks," he added, -laughing a frank, boyish laugh, which seemed to say, "you are as one of -us, and will not take it amiss." - -Sister Anna looked stealthily at Nora, but her eyes, with a strange -light in them, were fixed on the horizon, far off, where they seemed to -read something that made her brow contract and lower a little while, and -then clear off, as, with an effort, she turned to the boy and brought up -some other topic of conversation. But her heart was not in what she -said, and Sister Anna exerted herself to cover the deficiencies that -Nora's drooping spirits left in the entertainment. - -It was sunset when they reached home, and standing on the rose-covered -veranda of the little cottage a moment, Nora looked across to where the -lingering gleams of the sun were kissing the black-looming crown of the -Loma Prieta, with floods of pink and soft violet, and covering all its -base with shades of dark purple and heavy gray. She raised her clasped -hands to the mountain top. - -"How glad, how thankful I could be, if from the wreck and the ruins I -could gather light and warmth enough to cover my past life and its -miseries, as the pink and the purple of the sunset cover the black -dreariness of yon mountain." - -"Come in, Nora, it is getting cold," interrupted Sister Anna; "or the -next thing after having your nerves wrought up so will be a fit of -hysterics." - -"Which, you will say, is one more of the bad effects of Nora's unhappy -marriage." - -If Nora's wilfulness and Nora's unhappy marriage had been ever so -deeply deplored by her, the loss of Sister Anna's love, or Anna's -sisterly kindness, could not be counted among its many bad effects. -Brother-in-law Ben, too, was whole-souled and affectionate; more -practical, and a trifle more far-seeing than Anna; but he never said, "I -told you so." He quietly did all he could to bind up bleeding wounds. - -It soon came to be looked upon as quite a matter of course that Don -Pedro should be seen in his carriage with the two sisters; or, that his -black steed should be led up and down before the cottage door, by one of -his servants, dark of skin, fiery-eyed, and of quiet demeanor, like his -master. Then, again, the sons were seen at the cottage, always -courteous, attentive, and scrupulously polite. If in the privacy of -their most secret communings the "Gringa" was ever spoken of _as_ the -Gringa, it was only in the strictest privacy. Neither to Nora, nor to -any of their servants, did ever look or word betray but that in the fair -young American they saw all that their widowed father desired they -should see. - -The retinue of the Whitehead family consisted of but a single Chinaman, -who was cook, laundress, maid-of-all-work; but during Nora's stay she -was never aware but that she had half-a-dozen slaves to do her bidding, -so careful, yet so delicate was Don Pedro in bestowing his attentions. -He soon hovered about the whole family like one of the _genii_. If Nora -just breathed to herself, "How pleasant the day is--if we only had -carriage and horses"--before the hour was over the Don, with his -carriage, or Don Pedro's boys, or an invitation to ride from the Don, -was at hand. Before she had quite concluded that fruits were not so -abundant or fine in the country as in the city markets, the Don had -contracted a pleasant habit of sending his servants with the choicest of -all his fields and store-houses contained to the little cottage in town. -Fish, fresh from the Bay of Monterey, and game, that plain and mountain -afforded, came in the run of time, quite as a matter of course, to the -kitchen and larder of Don Pedro's dear friend Whitehead. It was not to -be refused. Don Pedro had a hundred points of law that he wished -explained; had so much advice to ask in regard to some tracts of land he -meant to purchase, that Brother-in-law Ben always seemed the one -conferring the greatest favor. - -It was a little singular, too, this friendship of the Don's for Lawyer -Whitehead. As a general thing, the Spanish population of California look -upon our lawyers with distrust, and have a wholesome horror of the law. -Don Pedro, though liberal-minded and enlightened, was not backward in -expressing the contempt he felt for many of our American views and -opinions; but above all he abominated our most popular institution--the -Divorce Court. Not as a Catholic only, was it an abomination to him, he -said. He had often declared to see a divorced woman gave him the same -shuddering sensation that was caused by looking upon a poisonous snake. - -When her ankle had grown quite strong, Don Pedro solicited for Rosa the -honor of carrying Nora for a short ride through the country. And Nora, -mounted high on the shapely animal's back, had seemed in such pleasant -mood when they left her sister's door, that she quite bewildered her -escort by the sudden sharp tone with which she replied to the question -he asked: what feature she admired most in the landscape before them? - -"Those many little lakes," she said. "They have an enticing look of -quiet and rest, and hold out a standing invitation to 'come and get -drowned,' to weary mortals like myself." - -He was too delicate to allow his shocked glance to rise to her face, but -to himself he repeated, "Poor lady! she has much sorrow in her heart," -and aloud he said: - -"You are homesick, Leonora?" How much prettier it seemed to hear the -sonorous voice frame the word "Leonora," than the stiff appellation of -"Mrs. Rutherford," which the Don could hardly ever bring himself to -utter. It was so long, he excused himself, and not the custom of his -country--though, in direct contradiction to the first part of the -excuse, he would slyly smuggle in an addition--Blanca, Graciosa, -Querida--trusting for safety in her lack of acquaintance with the -Spanish tongue. - -"No," she answered honestly to his question, "I have no place to be -homesick for. I am glad to be here; but--" - -"Ah! but you must see the Southern country first," he interrupted, -eagerly. "I am going South this winter to purchase a ranch, on which I -shall make my home. I leave this ranch here to my two boys. Their mother -died here, and the ranch will be theirs. But my ranch in the South will -be very fine; the land is so fair--like a beautiful woman, almost." - -"I shall miss you, if you leave us; particularly through the rainy -winter months," she said. - -"How happy that makes me!" he exclaimed, as once before; and he did now -what had been in his heart to do then--he bent over her hand and kissed -it warmly, heedless of the swarthy Mexican who rode behind his master. - -All through the summer, with its dust and its fog and its glaring sun, -did Don Pedro still find a pleasant hour, early after the fog had risen, -or late after the sun had set, to spend, on horseback or in carriage, -with "the one fair woman" who seemed to fill his whole heart. Sometimes, -when returning from an expedition on which Sister Anna had not -accompanied them, she would greet them on the veranda with uneasy, -furtive eyes; and the Don, blind to everything but his passion for Nora, -still did not observe the impatient answering glance. - -Don Pedro was delicacy and chivalry itself. Bending low over her white -fingers one day, he asked, "And how long was Mr. Rutherford blessed -with the possession of this most sweet hand?" - -"I was married but a year," she answered, with her teeth set, and -quickly drawing back her hand. - -On reaching home she reported to her sister. "Aha," she commented, "he -wants to know how long you have been a widow, and whether it is too soon -to make more decided proposals." - -Then came the early rains, and for Nora fits of passionate crying, -alternating with fits of gloomy depression. Don Pedro was in despair. -Her varying moods did not escape him, and when, to crown all, her ankle, -still weak from the sprain, began to swell with rheumatism, she took no -pains to hide her fretfulness or sadness either from her sister Anna or -the Don. In the midst of the gloom and the rain came Don Pedro one day -to announce that he was about to set out for the South, to conclude the -purchase of the ranch he had so long spoken of. - -"And you are going, too?" she said, lugubriously. - -"I beg you to give me permission to go. I am the slave of Leonora, La -Graciosa, and will return soon. I will not go, if you grant me not -permission; but I beg you let me go for a short time." He had sunk on -his knees by the couch on which she rested, and his eyes flashed fire -into hers for a brief moment; but he conquered himself, and veiled them -under their heavy lashes. "Let me go," he pleaded, humbly, "and give me -permission to return to you, Leonora. In my absence my sons will do all -your bidding. They know the will of their father." - -Nora had extended her hand, and motioned him to a chair beside her -couch, and listened with a smile on her lips to all the arrangements he -had made for her comfort during his absence. - -"Since I have allowed you your own way in everything, I must have mine -in one particular. Of course, you will take a saddle-horse for yourself -besides the spring-wagon. Now you shall not leave Rosa here for me, but -shall take her along for your own use. It is absurd for you to insist -that no one shall use her since I have ridden her; I shall not keep her -here while you are struggling over heavy roads, in the wagon, or on some -other horse." - -It was, perhaps, the longest speech she had ever made to him, and it was -all about himself too, and full of consideration for him--oh! it was -delicious. With fervent gratitude he kissed her hand, called her -Preciosa, Banita, till she declared that he should not say hard things -of her in Spanish any more. He desisted for the time, on her promise -that she would try to be cheerful while he was away, and not get -homesick, unless it were for him; and they became quite gay and sociable -over a cup of tea which Sister Anna brought them into the -sitting-room--so sociable, that Nora said of the Don, after his -departure: - -"If any one were to tell me that a church-steeple could unbend -sufficiently to roll ten-pins of a Sunday afternoon, I should believe it -after this." - -But in a little while the fits of dejection and the fits of crying came -back again. Sister Anna did her best to break them up; she rallied her -on breaking her heart for the absent Don; she tried to interest her in -her surroundings, so that she should see the sungleams that flashed -through the winter's gloom. - -"See this beautiful cala that has just opened in the garden," she would -say, with an abortive attempt at making her believe that her ankle was -strong and well. - -"I cannot get up, miserable creature that I am," came back the dismal -response. - -"Oh, that lovely cloth-of-gold has grown a shoot full half a yard long -since yesterday; come and see." - -"I cannot." - -"Yes, you can; come lean on me. Now, isn't this sunshine delightful for -December?" - -Nora drew a deep breath; after a week's steady rain, the sky was clear -as crystal, and the sun laughed down on hill and valley, blossoming rose -and budding bush. - -"See how the violets are covered with blue, and the honeysuckle has just -reached the farthest end of the porch. Oh, Nora, how can any one be -unhappy with flowers to tend, and a home to keep?" - -"Ah! yes. You are right, sister; but it is your home--not mine." - -Anna laid her arm around her as though to support her. She knew her -sister's proud spirit and yearning heart, and she only whispered, as she -had so often done, "Be patient, poor child; be still." - -But that short, passionate plaint had lightened Nora's heart; after a -week's sunshine the roads were dry enough to ride out once more with Don -Pedro's sons, and when steady rain set in once more after that, she -tried to show her sister that she could take an interest in -"home"--though it was not her own. - -A month had worn away, and as long as the weather permitted the regular -running of the mails, Pablo and Roberto brought greetings from their -father once a week; but when the roads grew impassable, they too were -left without news. Not an iota did they fail of their attention to Nora, -however; whatever dainties the ranch afforded were still laid at her -feet, or rather on her sister's kitchen table; and the roads were never -so bad but that they paid their respects at least twice a week. - -"You have no cause to complain," said Sister Anna. - -"No," replied Nora, with a yawn; "but I wish the Don would come back." - -And he did come back. - -"I am so glad you have come," she said, frankly, meeting him on the -threshold. - -"I can read it in your eyes," he exclaimed, rapturously. "Oh, how happy -that makes me!" And if Sister Anna's head had not appeared behind Nora's -shoulder, there is no telling what might have happened. - -He had brought the spring with him; mountain and valley both had clothed -itself in brightest green, in which the bare brown spots on the Gabilan -Range were really a relief to the satiated eye. In the deep clefts of -the Loma Prieta lay the blackish shade of the _chemasal_, and only one -degree less sombre appeared the foliage of the live-oak against the -tender green of the fresh grass. Again did Nora all day long watch the -sun lying on the mountains--a clear golden haze in the daytime; pink and -violet, and purplish gray in the evening mist. - -"Is it not beautiful?" she asked of Brother-in-law Ben, one evening, as -he came up the street and entered the gate. - -"You are just growing to like our Valley, I see; it is a pity that you -should now be 'borne away to foreign climes.'" - -"And who's to bear me away?" she asked, laughing, as they entered the -house. - -"Let me call Anna," he said; "we will have to hold family council over -this." - -In council he commenced: "Don Pedro has this day requested that I, his -legal adviser, go South with him, to see that all papers are properly -made out, all preliminaries settled, before he fairly takes possession -of his land." - -"Well?" queried Anna. - -"Well, my dear, so much for his counsellor Whitehead. But to his friend -Benjamin's family he has extended an invitation to accompany us on this -trip, presuming that his friend's wife and sister-in-law would be -pleased to see this much-praised Southern country." - -"We'll go, of course," assented Anna, artlessly. - -"Certainly, my dear--of course;" affirmed easy-going Ben. "But, my dear, -I hope you both understand all the bearings of this case." - -Nora's head drooped, and a flush of pain overspread her face, as she -answered, chokingly, "I do." - -"Then, my dear, since Don Pedro has never mentioned Nora's name to me, -except to send message or remembrance, had I not better tell him--" - -"No, no!" cried Nora, in sudden terror. "Oh, please not; leave it all to -me." - -"Certainly, Mrs. Rutherford," he assented, still more slowly; "I am not -the man to meddle with other people's affairs--unasked," he added, -remembering, perhaps, his business and calling. - -"Don't be angry with me, Ben," she pleaded; "you have always been so -kind to me. What should I have done without you two? But you know how I -feel about this--this miserable affair." - -"All right, child," he said, pressing her hand. "I should like to -give you a piece of advice, but my lawyer's instinct tells me that -you will not take it, so that I am compelled to keep my mouth -shut--emphatically." - -They set out on their Southern trip, a grand cavalcade; Don Pedro on a -charger a little taller, a little blacker than Nora's horse; in the -light wagon Anna and her husband, and behind them a heavier wagon -containing all that a leisurely journey through a thinly populated -country made desirable. For attendance they had Domingi, the Don's -favorite servant, two _vaqueros_, and an under-servant, all mounted on -hardy mustangs. Never did picnic party, intent on a day's pleasuring, -leave home in higher spirits. The fresh morning air brought the color to -Nora's cheeks, and her musical laugh rang out through the Valley; and -when they passed one of the little lakes, all placid and glistening in -the bright sun, Nora turned to her companion with a smile: "I don't -think those lakes were meant to drown one's self in, at all; they were -made to cast reflections. See?" and she pointed to herself, graceful and -erect, mirrored in the clear water. - -"Oh, Graciosa," murmured the Spaniard. - -How bright the world looked, to be sure; flowers covered the earth, not -scattered in niggardly manner, as in the older, colder Eastern States, -but covering the ground for miles, showing nothing but a sea of blue, an -ocean of crimson, or a wilderness of yellow. Then came patches where all -shades and colors were mixed; delicate tints of pink and mauve, of pure -white and deep red, and over all floated a fragrance that was never -equalled by garden-flowers or their distilled perfume. - -When twilight fell, and Don Pedro informed them that they would spend -the night under the hospitable roof of his friend, Don Pamfilio -Rodriguez, Nora was almost sorry that, for the complete "romance of the -thing," they could not camp out. - -"We will come to that, too," the Don consoled her, "before the journey -is over. But my friend would never forgive me, if I passed his door and -did not enter." - -"But so many of us," urged Nora, regarding, if the truth must be told, -the small low-roofed _adobe_ house with considerable disfavor. - -"There would be room in my friend's house for my friends and myself, -even though my friend himself should lie across the threshold." - -Nora bowed her head. She knew of the proverbial hospitality of the -Spanish--a hospitality that led them to impoverish themselves for the -sake of becomingly entertaining their guests. - -Of course, only Don Pedro could lift Nora from her horse; but Sister -Anna found herself in the hands of the host, who conducted her, with -the air of a prince escorting a duchess, to the threshold, where his -wife, Donna Carmel, and another aged lady, received them. Conversation -was necessarily limited--neither Don Pamfilio nor Donna Carmel speaking -English, and Brother Ben alone being conversant with Spanish. - -The ladies were shown into a low, clean-swept room, in which a bed, -draped and trimmed with a profusion of Spanish needlework and soft red -calico, took up the most space. Chairs ranged along one wall, and a -gay-colored print of Saint Mary of the Sacred Heart, over the -fire-place, completed the furnishing. Nora pleasantly returned the -salutation of the black-bearded man who entered with coals of fire on a -big garden-spade. Directly after him came a woman, with a shawl over her -head and fire-wood in her arms. She, too, offered the respectful -"_buénos dias_," and she had hardly left when a small girl entered, with -a broken-nosed pitcher containing hot-water, and after her came another -dark-faced man, the _mayordomo_, with a tray of refreshments and -inquiries as to whether the ladies were comfortable. - -Nora dropped her arms by her side. "I have counted four servants -now, and Don Pedro told me particularly that his friend, -Pam--what's-his-name--was very poor." - -"Spanish style," answered Anna, with a shrug of the shoulder. "But it is -very comfortable. How cold it has grown out-doors, and how dark it is. I -wonder if we shall be afraid?" - -"Hush! Don't make me nervous," cried Nora, sharply, shivering with the -sudden terror that sometimes came over her. - -"Be still," said Anna, soothingly; "there is nothing to be afraid of -here." - -After a while they were called to supper, where, to their surprise, they -found quite a little gathering. Neighbors who spoke English had been -summoned to entertain them, and after supper, which was a marvel of -dishes, in which onions, sugar, raisins, and red pepper were softly -blended, and which was served by three more servants, they got up an -_impromptu_ concert, on three guitars, and later an _impromptu_ ball, at -which Nora chiefly danced with the Don. - -In spite of the biting cold next morning, all the male members of last -night's company insisted on escorting our friends over the first few -miles of the road. They came to a stream which they must cross, and of -which Don Pamfilio had warned them, and the Don insisted on Nora's -getting into the wagon with her sister. The _vaqueros_ with their horses -were brought into requisition, and Nora opened her eyes wide when, -dashing up, they fastened their long _riattas_ to the tongue of the -wagon, wound the end of the rope around the horn of the saddle, and with -this improvised four-horse team got up the steep bank on the other side -in the twinkling of an eye. - -Reaching San Luis Obispo directly, they delayed one whole day, as Nora -expressed herself charmed with what she saw of the old mission church, -and what remained of the old mission garden. A group of fig-trees here -and there, a palm-tree sadly out of place, in a dirty, dusty yard, an -agave standing stiff and reserved among its upstart neighbors, the -pea-vine and potato. - -"Oh! it is pitiful," cried Nora, hardly aware of the quotation. "Even -this proud avenue of olives, towering so high above all, has been cut up -and laid out in building-lots." - -"The advance of civilization," Brother Ben informed her; and, in reply, -Nora pointed silently into a yard, where a half-grown palm-tree stood -among heaps of refuse cigar-ends and broken bottles. The house to which -the yard belonged was occupied as a bar-room, and one of its patrons, a -son of Old Erin, to all appearances, lay stretched near the palm, -sleeping off the fumes of the liquor imbibed at the bar. - -They laughed at Nora's illustration, and decided to move from so -untoward a spot that very afternoon, even if they should have to use -their tent and camp out all night. - -More flowers, and brighter they grew as our friend travelled farther -South. On the plain the meadow-lark sang its song in the dew and the -chill of the morning, and high on the mountain, in the still noonday, -the lone cry of the hawk came down from where the bird lived in solitary -grandeur. Wherever our friends went they were made welcome. Not a -Spanish house dare the Don pass without stopping, at least for -refreshments. He had _compadres_ and _comadres_ everywhere, and whether -they approved of his intimate relations with the "Gringas" or not, they -showed always the greatest respect, extended always the most cheerful -hospitality. - -At last they approached Santa Barbara, its white, sun-kissed mission -gleaming below them in the valley as they descended the Santa Inez -Mountains. Stately business houses and lovely country-seats, hidden in -trees and vines--the wide sea guarding all. But they tarried not. Don -Pedro announced that he had promised to make a stay of several weeks at -his particular friend's, Don Enrico del Gada. He was proud to introduce -them to this family, he said. They would become acquainted with true -Castilians--would be witness to how Spanish people lived in the Southern -country; rich people--that is--. They had always been rich, but through -some mismanagement (through the knavery of some American, Nora -interpreted it), they were greatly in danger of losing their whole -estate. A small portion of their rancho had been sold to a company of -land-speculators, and now they were trying to float the title to this -portion over the whole of the Tappa Rancho. - -"Pure Castilian blood," the Don affirmed; "fair of skin, hair lighter -than Nora's tresses, and eyes blue as the sky. Such the male part of the -family. The female portion--mother and daughter--were black-eyed, and -just a trifle darker; but beauties, both. The daughter, Narcissa (Nora -fancied that a sudden twinge distorted the Don's features as he spoke -the name), was lovely and an angel; not very strong, though--a little -weak in the chest." - -All the evening the Del Gadas formed the subject of conversation, so -that it is hardly surprising that morning found Nora arrayed with more -care than usual, if possible, and looking handsome enough to gratify the -heart of the most fastidious lover. - -A two hours' ride brought them to the immediate enclosure of the -comfortable ranch house, and with a sonorous "_buénos dias caballeros!_" -the Don had led his party into the midst of a ring formed by the host, -his son, and other invited guests. Some of them had just dismounted, and -the spurs were still on their boots; some had red silk scarfs tied -gracefully around the hips, and all were handsome, chivalrous, -picturesque-looking men. Don Enrico advanced to assist Anna, while Don -Manuel, his son, strode toward Leonora's horse and had lifted her from -the saddle before Don Pedro could tell what he was about. Such clear -blue eyes as he had! All the sunshine of his native Spain seemed caught -in them; and his hand was so white! Nora's own could hardly vie with it. - -His head was uncovered when he conducted her to the veranda, where the -ladies were assembled. His mother, a beauty still, dark-eyed, -full-throated, and with the haughty look and turn of the head that is -found among the Spanish people; the sister a delicate, slender being, -large-eyed, with hectic roses on her cheeks. Nora detected a strange -glimmer in her eye and a convulsive movement of the lips as she -addressed a question in a low tone to her brother, after the formal -introduction was over. - -"You must excuse my sister," he apologized to Nora, "she speaks no -English. She wanted to know whether you had ridden Rosa. Long ago she -tried to ride the horse, but could not, as she is not strong. When Don -Pedro was here last she wanted to try again; but he would not consent. I -suppose she is astonished at your prowess." - -Nora watched the darkened, uneasy eyes of the girl; she thought she knew -better than the unsuspecting brother what had prompted the question. - -The Del Gada family, their house, their style of living, was all the Don -had claimed for them. The first day or two were devoted mainly to -out-of-door entertainments; the orange-groves, the vineyards, the -almond-plantation on the ranch were visited, and a ride to the mission -of Santa Barbara, whose Moorish bell-towers haunted Nora's brain, was -planned and undertaken. - -The warm light of the spring-day shed a soft glimmer over crumbling -remnants of the monuments that the patient labor of the mission fathers -have left behind them--monuments of rock and stone, shaped by the hands -of the docile aborigines into aqueducts and fountains, reservoirs and -mill-house; monuments, too, of living, thriving trees, swaying gently in -the March wind, many of them laden with promises of a harvest of -luscious apricot or honey-flavored pear. The hands that planted them -have long fallen to dust; the humble _adobe_ that gave shelter to the -patient toiler is empty and in ruins, but the trees he planted flourish, -and bear fruit, year after year; and from the shrine where he once knelt -to worship his new-found Saviour, there echoes still the Ave and the -Vesper-bell, though a different race now offers its devotion. - -A day or two later, winter seemed to have returned in all its fury; the -rain poured ceaselessly, and swelled the creeks till their narrow banks -could hold the flood no longer; the wind tore at the roses, hanging in -clusters of creamy white and dark crimson, on trellises and high-growing -bush, and scattered showers of snow from almond and cherry trees. The -fireplaces in the Del Gada mansion were once more alive and cheerful -with a sparkling fire. It made little difference to the company -assembled at the ranch; it gave Nora and Sister Anna an opportunity of -seeing more of the home-life of the family, and impressed them with the -excellence of the haughty-looking woman at the head of the -establishment. No New England matron could be a more systematic -housekeeper, could be more religiously devoted to the welfare of her -family and servants. "And the romance of it all," Nora often repeated. -Night and morning the far-sounding bell on the little chapel in the -garden called the members of the house to worship; and Donna -Incarnacion, kneeling, surrounded by her family and servants, read in -clear tones the litanies and prayers. Once a week the priest from the -neighboring mission visited the house, and then the large drawing-room -was fitted up with altar and lights and flowers, and neighbors, high and -low, of all degrees, attended worship. - -This, however, did not prevent the family from being as jolly as Spanish -people can well be, in this same drawing-room, when Mass was over, and -"the things cleared away." Of cold or rainy nights the company resorted -to this room, where they had music, conversation, refreshments. But -everything had a dash of romance to Nora's unbounded delight. -Refreshments were brought in on large trays, borne by dusk, dark-clad -women; trays loaded with oranges, pomegranates, figs, the product of the -orchards surrounding the house; and wine, sparkling red and clear amber, -pressed from grapes gathered in the vineyard that crept close up to the -door. It was not only California, but the South, of which Don Pedro had -always spoken with such enthusiasm. - -"And how enthusiastic he does grow sometimes," said Nora one evening, in -the large drawing-room where they were all assembled. - -Manuel, who performed on the piano as well as the flute, had just -finished a piece of music which Nora had taken from her trunk for him to -play, and she had insisted on turning the leaves for him. Don Pedro sat -near, and Nora looking up, had caught his eye. "See the enthusiasm in -his face," she said to Manuel. "How fond all of you Spaniards are of -music." - -"You are mistaken in two points, Donna Leonora," the young man replied. -"Don Pedro is no Spaniard, he is a Mexican; and he has not grown -enthusiastic over the music--he has seen and has been thinking only of -you." - -Nora's cheeks burned at something in Manuel's voice; but a grateful -feeling stole into her heart. To tell the truth, she had felt a pang of -something like jealousy of late, when Narcissa, who, from speaking no -English, was thrown on Don Pedro's hands, seemed to take up more of his -attention than necessary. - -When the weather cleared off, our party began to talk of moving on; Don -Pedro's new possession was only one or two days' journey from here, -below San Buenaventura. There was to be a Rodeo on the Del Gada ranch, -not so much for the purpose of branding young cattle, as to give the -different rancheros an opportunity of selecting their own that might -have strayed into the mountains and found their way into the Del Gada -herds. Nora was for attending the Rodeo; she could hardly form an idea -of what it was; but she was sure, as usual, that it must be something -"highly romantic." - -They were warned that they must get up early in the morning, and seven -o'clock found them already on the ground--a little valley, shut in by -mountains more or less steep. A small creek, made turbulent by the -rains, ran through the valley, where an ocean of stock seemed to roll in -uneasy billows. It was all as romantic as Nora's heart could wish. The -countless herds of cattle gathered together and kept from dispersing by -numbers of _vaqueros_, who darted here and there on their well-trained -horses, leaped ditches, flew up the steep mountain-sides after an -escaping steer, dashed through the foaming torrent to gather one more to -the fold, and seemed so perfectly one with their horse that from here -might have sprung the fable of the old Centaurs. - -Eyes sharper than eagles had these people, master and man alike; out of -the thousands of that moving herd could they single the mighty steer -that bore their brand, or the wild-eyed cow whose yearling calf had not -yet felt the searing-iron. Into the very midst of the seething mass -would a _vaquero_ dart, single out his victim without a moment's halt, -drive the animal to the open space, and throw his lasso with unerring -aim, if a close inspection was desirable--a doubt as to the brand to be -set aside. If a steer proved fractious, two of the Centaurs would divide -the labor; and while one dexterously threw the rope around his horns, -the other's lasso had quickly caught the hind foot, and together they -brought him to the earth, that he had spurned in his strength and pride -but a moment before. - -Manuel himself could not resist the temptation of exhibiting his skill; -and when his father and one of the neighbors--of about fifty miles -away--both claimed a large black bull, almost in the centre of the herd, -he dashed in among the cattle, drove his prey out on a gallop, flung his -lasso around the animal's hind feet, and brought him to the ground as -neatly as any _vaquero_ could have done. - -He saw Nora clap her hands; he saw, too, how every ranchero of the -county had his eyes fixed on her, as she sat proudly, yet so lightly, on -the showy black horse; and sadly he owned to himself that he would risk -life and limb any time, to gain the little hand that wafted him a kiss. -But what was he? A beggar, perhaps, to-morrow, if the suit went against -them. - -Meantime the sun grew hot, and they all dismounted and left the wagons, -and lunch was discussed; the _élite_, Americans and Spaniards alike, -assembling around the Del Gada provision wagon, while the _vaqueros_ -were well satisfied with a chunk of bread, a handful of olives, and a -draught of wine, as they leisurely drove the cattle separated from the -Del Gada herd to their respective territory. - -Then came the parting day. Donna Incarnacion stood on the veranda, as on -the day of their arrival, proudly erect, conscious of herself and the -dignity she must maintain. Beside her stood her daughter, the spots on -her cheeks larger and brighter, but a pained, restless expression in the -eager eyes, and printing itself sharply in the lines about the mouth. -Her mother seemed not to note the girl's evident distress. - -Nora, Mr. and Mrs. Whitehead, and the Don had made their adieux; and -Manuel, mounted and ready to escort them, together with some half dozen -others, turned once more to the veranda to ask his sister some question. -Like a flash the truth broke on him as he caught the eager, straining -glance that followed Don Pedro's form, and with a little passionate cry -he urged his animal close to Nora's side. - -"It is not my heart alone you have left desolate behind you, Leonora. My -sister's, too--oh! my poor Narcissa! Now I know why my mother said that -she would not live to see spring again; now I know why she prays to the -saints for a 'still heart,' night and morning. Oh, Leonora, think no -more of the dagger you have planted in my breast; think of poor -Narcissa, and pray for her as you would for one already dead--for the -love of a Spanish girl is deep and abiding, and cannot be outweighed by -gold and leagues of land and fine clothes." - -It was well that Don Pedro came up; Nora was almost fainting in her -saddle. He did not catch the import of Don Manuel's words, but, if never -before, he recognized in him now a bold and dangerous rival. The -confusion attending a general breaking-up had covered this little -by-scene, and when the party escorting them turned back, it would have -been impossible to discover that one or two hearts throbbed wildly at -the parting words. - -When they rode into San Buenaventura, with its dingy little mission -church fronting on the main street, Nora was not half so much interested -as she had been. They were right in the midst of the mission garden. The -obtrusive frame houses of the fast-crowding American population had been -set up in it; the streets had been laid out through it; the ugly, -brick-built court-house stood away down in the lower part of it, where -the blue ocean washed the shore, and murmured all day of times long past -to the tall-growing palms, that stood desolate and alone. - -It made her sad, she said to the Don, when he expressed his surprise at -her silence, to see the stately olives of a century's growth spread -their great branches over flimsy little shops; to see the neglected -vines trailing their unpruned lengths over rubbish-piled open lots, -which a paper placard announced "for sale." - -When night came, she retired to her up-stairs room at the hotel, put the -light out, and gazed long hours on the placid ocean. - -"Let us get on as soon as possible," said Sister Anna, in confidence, to -her husband the next morning. "This place seems to have a singular -effect on Nora. She says she could not sleep last night, for thinking -whether she had a right to barter herself away, body and soul, truth and -honor, perhaps, for a grand home and a great deal of money." - -So they "got on." Don Pedro was happy to gratify every wish of the -ladies, and very willing to enter upon his own territory, which lay so -near. The earth looked so smiling to Don Pedro when, together with Nora, -a little in advance of the wagons, he crossed the border of his own -domain. All the morning they had passed droves of cattle on the road, -and flocks of sheep, and the _vaqueros_ tending them had still saluted -Don Pedro as their master. Shortly they encountered the _mayordomo_ of -the new ranch, and after a short parley with him, the Don turned to Nora -with an apology for discussing business affairs in an unfamiliar tongue -in her presence. - -"Let us make a compromise," suggested Nora; "do you take me down yonder -to that piece of white pebble-beach, by the gray rock, and you may come -back and talk to all the _vaqueros_ and _mayordomos_ in the land." - -The _mayordomo_ wended his way to where he saw the wagons halting in a -grove, and Nora and the Don pursued their own way. It was quite a -distance before they had reached the exact spot that Nora said she had -meant--they were out of sight of the rest. The ocean, grand and solemn, -lay before them, grassy plains around them, groups of trees and sloping -hills in the near distance, and far off the mountains in their -never-changing rest. - -Lightly Don Pedro sprang to the ground, and detaining Nora one moment in -her saddle, he said, impressively: "Now you set foot upon your own land, -a territory named after you, 'La Graciosa.'" - -Then he lifted her tenderly to the ground, and she sprang lightly away -from him, and lavishly praised the beauty of his new possession. - -"And it is all like this," he continued, "for miles and miles, good and -beautiful, like the one for whom I named it." - -"What a flatterer you are," she said, forced at last to take notice of -the name. He clasped her hand, but she uttered a little shriek, "Oh! -that wicked horse of yours has bitten my poor Rosa." A snort from the -black mare seemed to corroborate the accusation, and Nora had gained -time--to fight her battle out, and make peace with herself. - -"Please get rid of that tiresome _mayordomo_ of yours, and come back to -me. I want to stay here alone with Rosa and decide whether your ranch -has been well named." She could not prevent the kiss he imprinted on her -slender hand, but she drew it back impatiently. - -"You will stay here till I return, Leonora?" he asked, earnestly. - -"Yes, yes," she said, a little fretfully, and waved him off. - -He had made fast her horse to the stump of a scrub-oak, that had lived -its short, mistaken life here close by the sea; and Nora, when the sound -of the other horse's hoofs had died away, stroked the animal's mane -approvingly, and patted her neck. Then she turned and walked slowly -around the abrupt gray crag, and stopped; she was alone at last. She -raised her hand, and looked from under it out on the sunlit sea. The -waves came up with a long, gentle swirl, till the light foam splashed -against the foot of the crag, then receded, leaving a strip of white, -glistening pebble exposed. She watched it silently, then turned her face -to let her eyes sweep the plain, the clumps of trees, and the rolling -hills. - -"'For miles and miles,' he said," she soliloquized, "and that is not all -his fortune. And _he_ has nothing if the suit goes against them. -American cunning matched against Spanish recklessness. But what have I -to do with that boy? All I have wanted and prayed for is a home and an -honored name; it is within my reach now; why should I let an idle dream -stand in my way?" - -She stood where the ocean washed up to her feet, and when she looked -down she thought she saw two deep-blue eyes, wild with suppressed -passion, flashing up from there. She turned, for she thought she heard -behind her, in the sighing of the wind and the shriek of the sea-mews, -the cry of a tortured heart. But she banished these fancies and forced -her thoughts into other channels. She thought of her past life, of the -wish she had had, even as a child, to travel--to see strange lands. She -thought of the Pyramids of Egypt, and that her wish to see them could -now, perhaps, be gratified--in his company. Well, was it not romantic, -after all, to marry the dark-eyed Don, with the haughty bearing and the -enormous wealth? She had a lady friend once, a city acquaintance, who -had married a wealthy Spaniard. But she had been divorced after a year's -time. Divorced! what an ugly sound the word had. Was Don Pedro near? Had -his ear caught the sound? No; thank God, she was alone. - -And then her thoughts strayed again to the old Gada mansion, and the -broken-hearted girl she had left there. "She will die," he had said; and -she fell to wondering whether Father Moreno would anoint those wistful -eyes with the consecrated oil, in her last hour, and mutter that "they -had looked upon unholy things," and touch the little waxen ears "because -they had listened to unchaste speech." What a mockery it seemed, in the -case of the young innocent girl. "When _I_ die--" She stooped suddenly -to dip her hand into the water, and dashed it into her face and over her -hair. "_Mea culpa!_" she murmured, striking her breast, "_mea culpa! mea -maxima culpa!_" - -And once more she pressed her hand across her face, for the gallop of -approaching hoofs fell on her ear, and directly "Leonora!" rang out in -sharp, uneasy tone. - -She answered the call, and Don Pedro, panting, but with a happy smile, -reached out his hand to draw her away from the wet sand. - -"I felt as though I had lost you. What would life be without you, -Graciosa?" - -"You would have my god-child left," she replied, laughing. - -"It would be worthless without the sponsor. I have acquired it for you. -Do you accept it?" - -"With you into the bargain?" she smiled gayly as she said it. She hated -romance and sentimentality all at once, and when the Don kneeled at her -feet to kiss both her hands, she said, with a laugh: - -"There will be but one Graciosa, after all, unless you take me to my -friends and the lunch-basket. I am almost starved." - -"I am your slave," he avowed; "you have but to command." - -He lifted her into the saddle, with trembling hands and beaming eyes. -"Oh, Graciosa! Rightly named," he cried. - -"Meaning me or the ranch?" asked Nora, mischievously; and, with a touch -of the whip, she urged Rosa ahead, and threw a kiss over her shoulder to -the Don. His eyes followed her proudly awhile, ere he spurred his horse -to overtake her, and they joined Sister Anna laughing and happy as she -could wish to see them. - -They camped out that night, as there was no house on that part of the -ranch, though there was one to be erected near the spot where they had -joined Sister Anna, for Nora said she liked the view there. Early next -morning they left camp, expecting to reach Los Angeles before sunset. - -All day the road led along the mountain-chain, in the San Fernando -Valley--a soft, warm day, made to dream and reflect. The clear blue haze -hung, as ever, on the mountain-ridge, and the plain at the foot was -white and odorous with the wild "Forget-me-not" of California. They -looked to Nora as though passionate eyes had been raining tears on them -till the color had been blanched out; and when Don Pedro gathered a -handful and brought them to her, she said, "Don't, please; it hurts me -to see you break them off. Throw them away." - -"How strange you are," he said, but he obeyed, and did not assert his -authority till some hours later, when they reached the crossing of the -Los Angeles River.--Had he not said he would be her slave? - -The river rushed by them muddy and wild, spread far beyond its allotted -limits--an ugly, treacherous-looking piece of water. It was deep, too; -and while Don Pedro was giving orders in regard to arranging the -contents of the baggage wagon, Sister Anna was trying to persuade Nora -to come into their wagon while fording the stream. Nora demurred; but -the Don riding up decided the question at once. - -"You must go in the wagon, Leonora," he announced, with somewhat pompous -authority. "I will not have you exposed to such danger. The river is -wide at present, and your head will get light. Mr. Whitehead and I will -go on horseback, but you must go in the wagon." - -A rebellious gleam shot from Nora's eye, but Sister Anna listened with -flushed face, as to something new, but very pleasant to hear. It proved -an ugly crossing, and while the servants were rearranging the baggage, -the Don strayed a little apart with Nora, and found a seat under a clump -of willows. - -"It _is_ hard to go down into the floods when there is so much of life -and sunshine all around," and with a little nervous shiver she nestled -closer to the Don's side. Impelled by a feeling of tenderness he could -not control, the stately Don threw his arms around the supple form and -pressed the first kiss on her pale lips. - -She shrank from him; had any one seen them? There was no need to spring -up; she knew he would not attempt to repeat the caress. - -The City of the Angels lay before them--a dream realized. - -Whatever there was unlovely about the older, _adobe_ built portion of -the place was toned down by the foliage of waving trees, and warmed into -tropical beauty by the few isolated palms, which some blessed hand set -out long years ago. Our friends did not pass through the heart of the -city, but wended their way to the house of a wealthy Spanish family, -which lay among the gay villas and stately residences of the modern -portion of the city. Large gardens enclosed them, in many cases -surrounded by evergreen hedges of supple willow and bristly osage. Tall -spires arising from a sea of green, and imposing edifices, marked the -places where the Lord could be worshipped in style. The American element -is strong in Los Angeles. - -Senor Don Jose Maria Carillo had been looking for his guests, and met -them with much state and ceremony on the highway, conducting them -grandly to the gate-posts of his garden, where they were received by -Donna Clotilda and a retinue of servants. Even the children, with their -governess, were summoned from the school-room to greet the guests, and -Spanish courtesy and Californian hospitality were never better -exemplified than in the case of our friends. - -"Oh, Annie, only look!" exclaimed Nora, clasping her hands in -admiration, and pointing through the French window at the back of the -double parlors. - -The house was an _adobe_, two stories high, which the father of the -present inmate had built, and of which the son was properly proud. He -would not have it torn down for the world, but it had been modernized to -such an extent as to rival in comfort and elegance any of the newer -American houses, though the Spanish features were still predominant. The -particular feature that had attracted Nora so strongly as to lead her -into making the hasty, unceremonious exclamation, was a _remada_, a kind -of open roof built of heavy timber beams, at the back of the house, and -extending over several hundred feet of the ground. It was covered with -the grape, among whose shading leaves and graceful tendrils the sunlight -glinted in and out, playing in a thousand colors on clustering vines -with bright flowers, that clung to the pillars supporting the roof. -Beyond stretched an orange-grove, where yellow fruit and snowy blossoms -glanced through the glossy leaves. - -"It is beautiful, is it not?" asked a voice at her side. She had stepped -to the open French window, regardless of all etiquette, and Don Pedro -led her across the sill into the covered garden. - -"Your own home shall be like this, Leonora, only finer and grander; you -shall have everything that your heart can wish." - -"You are very good." It was not the conventional phrase with her; she -meant what she said, for her eyes were raised to his, and tears trembled -in the lashes. - -It was a charming retreat. Donna Clotilda spoke English, though none of -the servants did, except a ten-year old Indian girl, who was detailed to -wait on the guests. There was a round of visiting and going through the -city, where every one admired Nora, and looked from her to the little -Don. And Don Pedro was proud and happy, and always sought new -opportunities of passing through the crowded thoroughfares, on foot, on -horseback, or in carriage. - -"My dear," he said, one day, "I would know how handsome you are from -looking at the people who meet us, even though I had never seen your -face." - -"Yes?" said Nora, a little absent and dispirited, as she sometimes was. - -"Yes; one man, standing at the corner there, behind those boxes--you did -not see him--opened his eyes very wide and looked hard at you, and then -pushed his hat back till it fell to the ground. Then he saw me, and felt -ashamed, and turned quick to pick up his hat." - -"What a striking appearance mine must be!" laughed Nora, restored to -good-humor, for the time. - -It has often seemed to me that all Spanish people, of whatever degree, -throughout California, are either related or intimately acquainted with -each other. Thus Nora heard from the Del Gadas occasionally; nay, even -from the Rodriguez, away back in the Salinas Valley, did they hear news -and greeting once. Narcissa del Gada was dying, the Don told her; and -the twinge that had distorted his features when he first mentioned her -name again passed over them. - -But all the time of our friends was not given to pleasuring; many a long -morning did Brother Ben and the Don pass together at the Court-House, -the Hall of Records, and other places where titles are examined and the -records kept. A ranch of twenty or thirty thousand acres is well worth -securing, so that through no loophole can adverse claimant creep, or -sharp-witted land-shark, with older title, spring on the unwary -purchaser. - -In the meantime spring was growing into summer; the sun began to burn -more fierce, and Nora, always fond of out-doors, had made the _remada_ -her special camping-ground. She sat there one morning, after having -declined to go on a shopping expedition with Sister Anna. It had seemed -rather ungracious, too; but Brother Ben had come to the rescue, as -usual, and had taken Nora's place. Now she sat here, pale and listless, -her hands idly folded, her eyes wandering among the shadows of the -orange grove. - -There had been an arrival at the house, she thought, for she heard the -tramp of a horse as it was led around to the stables; but she took no -heed. After a while she heard the noise of one of the long windows -opening, and soon she heard steps behind her. Then a low voice said -"Leonora!" and Manuel, pale and haggard, stood before her. - -All her listlessness vanished in an instant, and she would have flown -into his arms, but for something that seemed to make him unapproachable. - -"Narcissa is dead," he said, monotonously, "and since coming to town I -have learned that I am a beggar; we are all homeless--outcasts." - -"Oh, Manuel!" she cried, laying her hand on his arm, "my poor, poor boy. -Come with me into the open air--this place chokes me. And now tell me -about Narcissa." She drew him out into the sunshine, and back again to -the fragrant shadows of the orange grove. She sought a rustic seat for -them, but he threw himself on the sod beside it. - -"Wrecked and lost and lonely," he groaned, "it is well that Narcissa is -dead; and yet she was our only comfort." - -"Poor Manuel!" she repeated, softly; "my poor boy." Her fingers were -straying among the sunny waves of his hair, and he caught her hand -suddenly, and covered it with a frenzy of kisses. - -"Leonora!" he cried, all the reckless fire of his nation breaking into -flames, "come with me, and we will be happy. You do not love your -wealthy affianced, you love me. Be mine; I will work and toil for you, -and you shall be my queen. Oh, Nora, I love you--I love you--I love -you." - -Poor Nora! why should stern reality be so bitter? "Foolish boy," she -said, disengaging her hand, "you are mad. What if Don Pedro--" - -"Ah, true; I had forgotten--you are an American. Go, then, be happy with -your wealthy husband; Manuel will never cross your path again." - -"Manuel!" she cried, and she stretched out her arms towards the spot -where he had just stood, "come back, for I love you, and you alone." But -a rustling in the willow-hedge only answered to her passionate cry, and -she cowered on the garden-bench, sobbing and moaning out her helpless -grief. - -The rustling in the willow-hedge behind her grew louder, so that even -she was startled by the noise. - -"Ho, Nell!" The words fell on her ears like the crack of doom, her face -grew white to the very lips, and a great horror crept into her eyes. She -turned as if expecting to meet the engulfing jaws of some dread monster, -and her eyes fell upon the form of a man, whose slovenly dress and -bloated features spoke of a life of neglect and dissipation--perhaps -worse. - -"Why, Nell, old girl," he continued, familiarly, "this is a pretty -reception to give your husband. I'm not a ghost; don't be afraid of me." - -"Wretch!" she cried, trembling with fear and excitement. "How dare you -come here? Go at once, or I shall call for help." - -"No, you won't. I'm not afraid. Come, you can get rid of me in a minute. -The truth is, I'm d----d hard up; got into two or three little -unpleasantnesses, and got out only by a scratch. I want to get away from -here--it's unhealthy here for me--but I've got no money. Saw you down -town with that pompous Greaser the other day; know him well; he's got -lots of money; and I thought that, for love and affection, as they say -in the law, and in consideration of our former relations, you might help -me to some of his spare coin." - -"You miserable man," she cried, beside herself, "is it not enough that -you blasted my life's happiness? Must I be dragged down to the very -lowest degradation with you? Oh, Charlie," she added, in changed, -softened tones, "what would your mother say to all this?" - -"And my daddy the parson," he laughed, hoarsely. "Yes, we know all that. -But here, Nell," he went on, while a last glimmer of shame or contrition -passed over his once handsome face, "I don't want to hurt you, my girl; -you've always been a trump, by G----; I am willing you should become the -respected wife of Don Pedro Lopez, but I must have money, or money's -worth. That cluster-diamond on your finger; tell the Greaser you lost -it. Or pull out your purse; I know it is full." - -"Nothing," she said, slowly and determinedly, "nothing shall you have -from me--a woman you have so wronged and deceived--" - -"Stop, Nell; I haven't time to wait for a sermon. Give me what you've -got-- Oh, here's h---- to pay and no pitch hot," he interrupted himself; -"there's the Don, and he's heard it all." - -He spoke true; Don Pedro stood beside them, frozen into a statue. At -last he breathed. - -"Yes, heard all. And I would have made you my wife--you a divorced -woman. Oh, Santa Maria! She divorced of such a man--for I know you, -Randal," he continued, lashing himself into a fury--"horse-thief, -stage-robber, gambler. It was you who killed my friend Mariano Anzar -after robbing him at cards--murderer! You shall not escape me as you -escaped the officers of the law. _Hombres!_ catch the murderer!" he -shouted towards the house, as he made a dart at the man, who turned at -bay, but halted when he saw that the Don was not armed. - -"Stop your infernal shouting and don't touch me," he said, in a low, -threatening voice. But the Don was brave, and his blood was up; he -sprang upon the man, shouting again; they closed and struggled, and when -the man heard footsteps swiftly approaching, he drew back with an -effort, and hissing, "You _would_ have it so, idiot," he raised his -pistol and fired. - -Before the smoke cleared away he had vanished, and the people who came -found Don Pedro stretched on the ground. His life was almost spent, but -his energy had not deserted him. He gave what information and directions -were necessary for the prosecution of his murderer, and Manuel, who was -among the excited throng, threw himself on his horse to head the -fugitive off. The others lifted the wounded man tenderly from the -ground, bore him gently into the house, and frowned with hostile eyes -upon Nora; it had taken possession of their minds at once that, in some -unexplained manner, the Gringa was the cause of all this woe. - -Nora followed them like an automaton; she saw them carry him through -the open door-window into the back parlor, and lay the helpless figure -on a lounge. A messenger had already been despatched for priest and -doctor, and the servants, who were not admitted into the room, lay on -their knees outside. - -Then the priest came, and Nora, in a strange, dazed way, could follow -all his movements after he went into the room. The odor of burning -incense crept faintly through the closed doors, and she wondered -again--did the priest touch the white lips and say, "for they have -uttered blasphemies." The fingers were stiffening, she thought; would -the priest murmur now--"for with their hands do men steal;" the eyelids -were fluttering over the glazed eyes; the cleansing oil was dropped upon -them, for "they had looked upon unholy things." - -She saw it all before her, and heard it, though her eyes were fast -closed, and her ears were muffled, for she had fallen, face down, by one -of the pillars supporting the _remada_, and the thick-growing tropical -vine, with its bright, crimson flowers, had buried her head in its -luxuriant foliage, and seemed raining drops of blood upon the wavy dark -brown hair. - -Thus Manuel found her when he returned from the pursuit of the fugitive. -He raised her head, and looked into large, bewildered eyes. "What is -it?" she asked; "have I been asleep? Oh, is he dead?" - -"The wretched man I followed? Yes; but my hand did not lay him low. The -sheriff and his men had been hunting him; he attempted to swim the river -at the ford; the sheriff fired, and he went down into the flood." - -Nora's eyes had closed again during the recital, and Manuel held a -lifeless form in his arms, when Sister Anna and her husband came at -last. They had heard of the shooting of Don Pedro in the city, and the -carriage they came in bore Nora away to the hotel. Manuel did not -relinquish his precious burden till he laid the drooping form gently on -the bed at the hotel. Then the doctor came, and said brain-fever was -imminent, and the room was darkened, and people went about on tip-toe. -And when the news of the death of Don Pedro Lopez was brought down to -the hotel, Nora was already raving in the wildest delirium of the fever. - - -Weeks have passed, and Nora has declared herself not only well, but able -to return home. Manuel has been an invaluable friend to them all, during -these weeks of trial, and Nora has learned to look for his coming as she -looks for the day and the sunshine. - -To him, too, was allotted the task to impart to Nora what it was thought -necessary for her to know--the death of Don Pedro and the finding of the -body of the other, caught against the stump of an old willow, where the -water had washed it, covered with brush and floating _débris_. But he -had glad news to impart, too; the report of an adverse decision from -Washington on the Del Gada suit had been false, and circulated by the -opposing party in order to secure better terms for withdrawal. - -One morning Nora expressed her wish to leave Los Angeles, and Mr. -Whitehead did not hesitate to gratify her wish. An easy conveyance was -secured, the trunks sent by stage, and a quick journey anticipated. -Manuel went with them only as far as San Buenaventura, he said, for it -was on his way home. But when they got there, he said he must go to -Santa Barbara, and no one objected. At Santa Barbara Nora held out her -hand to him, with a saucy smile: - -"This is the place at which you were to leave us; good-by." - -"Can you tolerate me no longer, Nora?" - -"You said at San Buenaventura you would try my patience only till here. -How long do you want me to tolerate you, then?" - -"As long as I live. Why should we ever part? Be my wife, Nora," and he -drew her close to him, pressing his lips on hers; and she did not shrink -away from him, but threw her arm around his neck, to bend his head down -for another kiss. - -"But you would never have married me--a poor man," he says, bantering. - -"Nor would you have married me--a divorced woman," she returns, -demurely. - - - - -_JUANITA._ - - -"Every man in the settlement started out after him; but he got away, and -was never heard of again." - -I had listened quietly to the end, though my eyes had wandered -impatiently from the face of the man to the region to which he pointed -with his finger. There was nothing to be seen out there but the hot air -vibrating over the torn, sandy plain, and the steep, ragged banks of the -river, without any water in it--as is frequently the case at this season -of the year. The man who had spoken--formerly a soldier, but, after his -discharge from the army, station-keeper at this point--had become so -thoroughly "Arizonified" that he thought he was well housed in this -structure, where the mud-walls rose some six feet from the ground, and -an old tent was hung over a few crooked _manzanita_ branches for a roof. -There was a wide aperture in the wall, answering the purpose of a door; -and a few boards laid on trestles, and filled in with straw, which he -called his bunk. He had raised it on these trestles, partly because the -snakes couldn't creep into the straw so "handy," and partly because the -_coyotes_, breaking down the barricade in the doorway one night, hunting -for his chickens, had brought their noses into unpleasant proximity with -his face while lying on the ground. He had confided these facts to me -early in the morning, shortly after my arrival, continuing his discourse -by a half-apology for his naked feet, to which he pointed with the -ingenuous confession that "he'd run barefooted till his shoes wouldn't -go on no more." He held them up for my inspection, to show that he had -them--the shoes, I mean, not the feet--a pair of No. 14's, entirely -new, army make. - -We had arrived just before daybreak, my escort and I having made a "dry -march"--which would have been too severe on Uncle Sam's mules in the -scorching sun of a June day--during the night. The morning, flashing up -in the East with all the glorious colors that give token of the coming, -overpowering heat, brought with it also the faint, balmy breath of wind -in which to bathe one's limbs before the sun burst forth in its burning -majesty. Phil, the ambulance-driver, and my oracle, said I could wander -off as far as I wanted without fear of Indians; so I had ascended the -steep hill back of the station, and, spying what looked like a graveyard -at the foot of it, on the other side, I had immediately clambered down -in search of new discoveries. I knew that there had formerly been a -military post here: it is just so far from the Mexican border that -fugitives from the law of that country would instinctively fly this way -for refuge; and just near enough the line where the "friendly Indian" -ceases to be a pleasant delusion, to make the presence of a strong -military force at all times necessary for the protection of white -settlers. But there are none; and Uncle Sam, protecting his own property -"on the march" through here as well as possible, allows the citizen and -merchant to protect himself and his goods the best way he can. Why the -camp had been removed, I cannot tell--neither, perhaps, could those who -occupied it--but I am pretty sure they were all very willing to go. I've -never seen the soldier yet that wasn't glad of a change of post and -quarters. - -There were quite a number of graves in this rude burying-ground (I don't -like that name, on the whole; but it seemed just the proper thing to -call this collection of graves), and among them were two that attracted -my attention particularly. The one was a large, high grave, with rather -a pretentious headstone, bearing the inscription: - - - "TO THE MEMORY OF JAMES OWENS, - Who came to his death May 20, 186-." - - -The other seemed smaller, though it was difficult to determine the exact -dimensions, on account of the rocks, bones, and dry brush piled on it. -It is the custom of the Mexicans in passing by a grave to throw on it a -stone, a clump of earth, or a piece of brush or bone, if they have -nothing else, as a mark of respect: so I concluded at once that some one -of that nationality lay buried here. One, too, who had some faithful -friend; for there was a look about the grave that spoke of constant -attention and frequent visits to it. - -On my return, having done justice to the breakfast the station-keeper -had prepared (and for which he had killed one of his chickens, in order -to "entertain me in a lady-like manner," as he said to Phil), I -questioned him about the American whose grave I had seen out there. -Before he could answer, a shadow fell across the doorway, and I half -rose from the ambulance-cushion I was occupying, when I saw an Indian, a -young fellow of about twenty, stand still in front of it, half hiding -the form of an aged crone, on whose back was fastened a small bundle of -fire-wood, such as is laboriously gathered along the beds and banks of -water-courses, in this almost treeless country. The Indian stooped to -lift the load from the woman's back; and she turned to go, without even -having lifted her eyes, either to the ambulance that stood near the -doorway, the soldiers that lounged around it, or myself. The -station-keeper seized an old tin-cup, filled it with coffee, piled the -remains of the breakfast on a tin-plate, and disappeared in the doorway. -Returning, he answered me, at last: - -"The grave you saw was dug for a man that lived here while I was yet a -soldier in the ---- Infantry at this camp. He had brought a Spanish -woman with him, his wife, with whom he lived in one of those houses, -right there, on the bank of the river. He had sold some horses to the -Government, at Drum Barracks, and was sent out here with them; and -seeing that it was quite a settlement, he thought he'd stay. _She_ was a -mighty fine-looking woman--a tall, stoutish figure, with as much pride -as if she had been a duchess. Among the Mexicans in the settlement was a -man who, they said, had been a brigand in Mexico, had broken jail, and -come here, first to hide, and then to live. It warn't long till he began -loafering about Owens' place; and one night, while Owens was standing in -his door, smoking, there was a shot fired from the direction of the -hill, behind this place, and Owens fell dead in his own doorway. There -was no doubt in anybody's mind who the murderer was, for his cabin was -empty, and he could be found nowhere about camp. The soldiers, as well -as the other fellows, were determined to lynch him, and every man in the -settlement started out after him; but he got away, and no one ever heard -of him again." - -"And the woman?" I asked. - -"Oh, nobody could hurt her; and she raved and ranted dreadful for -awhile. But she turned up absent one morning, about a week after we had -put him under the ground, and her husband's watch and money had gone -with her." - -"But," said I, impatiently, "where is the settlement you speak of? I -have not found a trace of it yet." - -"Well, you see, they were _adobe_-houses that they built, and the rains -were very heavy last year, and the Gila commenced washing out this way; -the banks caved in and carried the rubbish away. They hadn't been -occupied for some time; but the house where Owens lived is just right -across there--if you go near the bank you can see where he built a good, -solid chimbley, like they've got at home. The camp used to be down the -flat apiece. I had my house there last year; but it washed away with the -rain: so I built up here, where there's better shelter for my chickens. -They're my only friends, besides Bose, and I've got to be choice of 'em. -I don't see a white face for months, sometimes, since the war is over, -and it keeps me company kinder, to see the places where the houses used -to be." - -"And the other grave--that with the bones and rocks piled on it?" - -The man threw a look toward the doorway, and put his hands in his -pockets. - -"That's Juanita's grave. She was an Indian girl." - -He walked out of the door; and, as I had nothing better to do, I too -stepped out, thinking to go as far to look for the ruins of that -"chimbley" as the blazing sun would permit. The first I saw when I came -out of the doorway was the old Indian woman, sitting on the ground in -the shade of the house, her back against the wall, her knees drawn up, -her elbow resting on them, the doubled fist supporting the face, while -the other hand hung listlessly across them. The face was aged and -wrinkled, the hair a dirty gray, and the eyes seemed set--petrified, I -had almost said--with some great, deep sorrow. Beside her stood the -tin-cup, untouched and unnoticed; the tin-plate had been almost emptied -of its contents; but a drumstick in the hands of the young Indian, and a -suspicious glossiness about his mouth and chin, seemed to mark the road -the chicken had taken. The station-keeper stood by the woman, and said -something to her in a jargon I could not understand; but she took no -more notice of him or what he said than if it were a fly that had buzzed -up to her. She moved neither her eyes nor her head, looking out straight -before her. I walked as far as the banks of the river, failed to -discover the remains of the "chimbley," and turned back to the house. -The station-keeper was not to be seen; the Indian boy paused from his -labors to take a look at me; but the woman seemed to be a thousand miles -away, so little did she take heed of my presence. - -It was nearly noon, and I concluded to pass the rest of the day in -sleep, as we were to leave the station at about ten in the night, when -the moon should be up. The "whole house" had been given up to me, and a -comfortable bed arranged out of mattress and wagon-seats, so that I felt -comparatively safe from prowling vermin, and soon went to sleep. I awoke -only once, late in the afternoon; the station-keeper was saying -something in a loud voice that I could not understand, and, directly, I -saw two pair of dusky feet passing by the space that the blanket, hung -up in the doorway, left near the ground. After awhile I raised the -blanket, and saw the Indians trudging along through the sandy plain, the -woman following the tall, athletic form of the man, the yellow sun -burning fiercely down on their bare heads, scorching the broad, prickly -leaves of the cactus, and withering its delicate, straw-colored, and -deep-crimson flowers. I dropped the curtain, panting for breath: it was -too hot to live while looking out into that glaring sunshine. - -Later, when I could sleep no more, and had made my desert toilet, I -stood in the doorway, and saw the two Indians coming back as in the -morning: the woman with a bundle of fire-wood on her shoulders, the man -walking empty-handed and burdenless before her. I turned to the -station-keeper, and pointing to the bundle she had brought in the -morning, and which lay untouched by the wall, I said, indignantly: - -"It seems to me you need not have sent the poor woman out in the blazing -sun to gather fire-wood, when you had not even used this. You might have -waited till now." - -"She--she would have been somewhere else in the blazing sun; she was -just going--" And he stopped--as he had spoken--in haste, yet with some -confusion. - -I cast a pitying look on the woman, which, however, she heeded no more -than the rose-pink and pale-gold sunset-clouds floating above her, and -then wandered slowly forth toward the hill, which I meant to climb -while the day was going down. - -When I reached the top, the light, flying clouds had grown heavy and -sad, and their rose hue had turned into a dark, sullen red, with tongues -of burning gold shooting through it--the history of Arizona, pictured -fittingly in pools of blood and garbs of fire. But the fire died out, -and a dim gray crept over the angry clouds; and then, slowly, slowly, -the clouds weaved and worked together till they formed a single heavy -bank--black, dark, and impenetrable. - -Just as I turned to retrace my steps, my eyes fell on a group of low -bushes, which would have taken the palm in any collection of those -horribly dead-looking things that ladies call phantom-flowers. So -pitilessly had the sun bleached and whitened the tiny branches, that not -a drop of life or substance seemed left; yet they were perfect, and -phantom-bushes, if ever I saw any. How well they would look on those -graves below, I thought, as I approached to break a twig in remembrance -of the strange sight. But how came the red berries on this one? I -stooped, and picked up--a rosary; the beads of red-stained wood, the -links and crucifix of some white metal, and inscribed on the cross the -words, "_Souvenir de la Mission_." How had it come there? Had ever the -foot of devout Catholic pressed this rocky, thorny ground? Of what -mission was it a gift of love and remembrance? Surely it had not lain -here a hundred years--the gift of love from one of the Spanish _padres_ -of the Arizona Missions to an Indian child of the church! Or had it come -from one of those California Missions, where the priests to this day -read masses to the descendants of the Mission Indians? Yonder, in the -west, with the purplish mists deepening into darkness in its cleft -sides, was the mountain which to-morrow would show us "Montezuma's -face," and here lay the emblem of peace, of devotion to the one living -God. Perhaps the station-keeper could solve the mystery; so I hastened -back through the gloom that was settling on the earth, unbroken by any -sound save the distant yelping of a _coyote_, who had spied me out, and -followed me, as though to see if I were the only one of my kind who had -come to invade his dominion. - -"See what I have found!" I cried exultingly, when barely within speaking -distance of the station-keeper, who stood within the doorway. - -In a moment he was beside me, calling out something in his -Indian-Spanish, which seemed to electrify the woman, who still sat by -the _adobe_ wall. Springing up with the agility of a panther, she was by -my side, pointing eagerly to my hand holding the rosary. - -"What does she want?" I asked, in utter consternation. - -"The rosary; give her the rosary"--the barefooted man was speaking -almost imperiously--"it's hers; she has the best right to it." - -"Gladly," I said; but she had already clutched it, and turned tottering -back to the mud-wall, against which she crouched, as though afraid of -being robbed of her new-found treasure. - -The man turned to me in evident excitement: "And you found it! Where? -She has been hunting for it these years--day after day--in the blazing -sun and streaming rain; and _you_ found it. Well, old Screetah's eyes -are getting blind--she's old--old." - -"But her son might have found it, if he had looked; for I found it just -up on the hill there," I suggested. - -"He's not her son; only an Indian I kept to look after her, kinder; for -she's been brooding and moping till she don't seem to notice nothing no -more. But now she's found it, maybe she'll come round again, or go on to -Sonora, where, she says, her people are." - -"How came she to lose it, then, if it was so precious?" - -"She didn't lose it--but, I forget everything; supper's been waiting -on; if you'll eat hearty, I'll tell you about those beads after a while. -The moon won't rise till after ten, and you've good three hours yet." - -I was so anxious to hear about the beads, that I would not give the man -time to wash dishes; though he insisted on putting away the china cup -and plate, which he kept for State occasions, when he saw my disposition -to let Bose make free with what was on the table--table being a -complimentary term for one of the ambulance-seats. - -In the days when this had been a military post, garrisoned by but one -company of the ---- Infantry, the station-keeper had been an enlisted -man, and the servant of Captain Castleton, commanding the camp and -company. Young, handsome, and generous, the men were devoted to their -captain, though as strict a disciplinarian as ever left the military -school. The little settlement springing up around the camp was chiefly -peopled by Indians and Mexicans, and only two or three Americans. When -Captain Castleton had been here just long enough to get desperately -tired of the wearisome solitude and monotony of camp, and had put in -motion whatever influence his friends had with the authorities at -head-quarters to relieve him of the command of the post and the inactive -life he was leading, an Indian woman and her daughter came into the -settlement one evening, and found ready shelter with the hospitable -Mexicans. That she was an Indian was readily believed; but that the girl -with her belonged to the same people, was not received with any degree -of faith by those who saw her. She was on her way back to Sonora, she -said, to her own people, from whence she had come with her husband, -years ago, along with a pack-train of merchandise, for some point in -Lower California. From there she had gradually drifted, by way of San -Diego, into California, up to Los Angeles, and on to some Mission near -there, where she had lived among the Mission Indians, after her -husband's death, and where Juanita had been taught to read, write, and -sing by the Mission priests. - -At last Screetah had concluded to go back to Sonora, and had drifted -downward again from Los Angeles, to Temescal, to Temacula, to Fort Yuma, -and through the desert, till, finally, some compassionate Mexicans had -carried her and the girl with them through the last waterless stretch to -this place. The girl, with her velvety eyes and delicately turned limbs, -soon became the favorite and the adored of every one in camp and -settlement; and, though that branch of her education to which her mother -pointed with the greatest pride--reading and writing--had never taken -very deep root in the girl's mind, she sang like an angel, and looked -"like one of them pictures where a woman's kneeling down, with a crown -around her head," while she was singing. Indeed, the religious teachings -of the good priests seemed to have sunk deeply into the gentle heart of -Juanita, and her greatest treasure--an object itself almost of -devotion--was a rosary the priest had given her on leaving the Mission. -It had been impressed on her, that "so long as these beads glided -through her fingers, while her lips murmured _Aves_ and _Pater-nosters_, -night and morning, so long were the angels with her. Did the angels take -the rosary from her--which would happen if Juanita forgot the teachings -of the priests, and no longer laid her heart's inmost thoughts before -the Blessed Mother--then would she lose her soul's peace and her hopes -of heaven; and she must guard the sacred beads as she would her own -life." - -There was no point of resemblance between Juanita and the old Indian -woman; and the girl, though warmly attached to her, declared that she -was not her mother, only her nurse or servant. Her mother, she said, had -been a Spanish Doña, and her father a mighty chief of his tribe, whose -head had been displayed on the gate of some Mexican fortress for weeks -after it had been delivered to the Government by some treacherous Indian -of his band. Juanita's personal appearance, the fluency with which she -spoke Spanish, her very name even, seemed to confirm her accounts, dim -and confused as the recollections of her earliest childhood were; -nevertheless, she had "Indian in her," as the man said, for she proved -it before she died. - -But to return to the time of their arrival in camp. Screetah seemed in -no hurry to resume her journey through the burning desert; and, as -Captain Castleton said, he would no doubt have retained her by force -rather than let her drag the poor child through the waterless wastes -into sure destruction. He had given them an old tent after they had been -with their Mexican friends for nearly a week; and when these same -Mexicans left the camp, the two women were given possession of their -house. Here it became a source of never-ending delight to the old Indian -that all the choice things by which she set such store, and which among -her "civilized" Indian friends had been so scarce, as coffee, sugar, and -bacon, were served out to her as though they rained down from the sky. -But to do Screetah justice, the sweetest side of bacon and the biggest -bagful of sugar never gave her half the pleasure that she felt when one -of the soldiers gave to Juanita a lank, ragged pony, which, on a scout, -he had bought, borrowed, or stolen from an Indian at the Maricopa Wells. -Her time was now pretty equally divided between the rosary and the pony, -which, in time, lost its ragged, starved appearance, under her -treatment, and retained only its untamable wildness, and the -unconquerable disposition to throw up its hindlegs when running at full -tilt, as though under apprehension that the simple act of running did -not give an adequate idea of its abilities. At first, Captain Castleton, -highly amused, would call for his horse when he saw Juanita battling -with her vicious steed on the plain near camp, in order to witness the -struggles of "the wild little Indian" near by. But, after awhile, they -would ride forth together, and dash over the level ground or climb up to -the highest point of the hill--Juanita's voice ringing back to the camp -almost as long as she was in sight, chanting some wild anthem, in which -seemed blended the joyous strains of the heavenly band and the wild song -of the savage when he flies like an arrow through his native plains. - -Old Screetah's low-roofed _adobe_ had assumed quite an air of comfort -through the exertions of some good-natured soldiers, and more -particularly through the manifestations of Captain Castleton's favor. -From a passing pack-train, laden with Sonora merchandise, he had bought -the matting that covered the mud-floor; the sun-baked pottery-ware was -Screetah's greatest boast, as it came from the same province--her -birthplace; and the bright-colored Navajo blanket had been bought with -many a pound of bacon and of coffee--articles more precious far in this -country than the shining metal which men risk their lives to find here. -No wonder that the captain passed more of his time in Screetah's hut -than in his white wall-tent, where the sun, he said, blinded him, -beating on the fly all day long; and where the slightest breeze brought -drifts of sand with it. That Juanita seemed to live and breathe only for -him had come to be a matter of course. Among the Mexicans it was -accepted that at a certain phase or change of the moon there had been -some words spoken, or some rite performed, by old Screetah, which, -according to their belief, constituted Indian marriage; and both seemed -happy as the day is long. - -Like a thunderbolt from the clear sky it struck him one day, when the -mail-rider brought official letters advising him of the change that had -been made in his favor. He was directed to proceed at once to Drum -Barracks, there to await further orders! It was, perhaps, the first time -that he experienced the curse of having his most ardent wishes -gratified. For days he wandered about like the shadow of an evil -deed--restless from the certainty of approaching judgment, and fainting -with the knowledge that he was powerless to ward off the coming blow. It -was hard to make Juanita understand the situation, and the necessity of -parting; but when she had once comprehended that she was to be -abandoned--a fate which, to her, meant simply to be thrust out on the -desert and left to die--the Indian blood flowed faster in her veins, and -rose tumultuously against the fair-faced image that her heart had -worshipped. What was life to her with the light and warmth gone out of -it? He was leaving her to die; and die she would. - -When the little cavalcade, ready and equipped for the march, was about -to leave the camp, Juanita was nowhere to be found. For hours the -captain sought her in every nook they had explored together, and called -her by every endearing name his fancy had created for her. Juanita's -pony was gone from his accustomed place, and he knew it would be useless -to await her return. Captain Castleton was not a coward; the searching -glances he sent into every _cañon_ they passed, and among the sparse -trees on their road, were directed by the burning desire to meet the -dearly loved form once more; but they would not have quaked had the -arrow Juanita knew so well to speed, sank into his heart instead. - -Days passed ere Juanita returned; and, though Screetah grovelled at her -feet with entreaties not to leave her again, and the soldiers showed -every possible kindness and attention to the girl, she was seldom seen -among them. Sometimes, at the close of day, she was seen suddenly rising -from some crevice in the hill, where she had clambered and climbed all -day; but oftener she was discovered mounted on her pony, her long, black -hair streaming, her horse in full gallop, as though riding in pursuit of -the setting sun. No word of complaint passed her lips; no one heard her -draw a sigh, or saw her shed a tear; and none dared to speak a word of -comfort. But when Screetah tried to cheer her, one day, she held out her -empty hands, saying, simply, "I have the rosary no more!" Then Screetah -knew that all hope was lost, and she pleaded no more, but broke the -beautiful, sun-baked pottery, tore the matting from the floor, and -crouched by the threshold from noon to night, and night till morning, -waiting quietly for the silent guest that she knew would some day, soon, -enter there with Juanita. - -One day, she came slowly down from the hill and entered the dark -_adobe_, where Screetah sat silent by the door. - -"A little cloud of dust is rising on the horizon," she said to the old -Indian, "and I must prepare;" and Screetah only wailed the death-song of -her race. - -Though Juanita had returned on foot, she had ridden away on the pony the -day before, and the soldiers started out to look for the animal, -thinking it had escaped from her, or had been stolen by some marauding -Indian. But they found the carcass not far from camp--with Juanita's -dagger in the animal's heart. The next day she went to the top of the -hill again, and when night came, she said, "The cloud grows bigger." On -the third day, when Juanita lay stretched on the hard, uncomfortable -bed, denuded of all its gay robes and blankets, a sudden excitement -arose outside, such as the signs of anything approaching camp always -create. A hundred different opinions were expressed as to what and who -it could be. Nearer and nearer came the cloud of dust, and a cry of -surprise went up, as the horse fell from fatigue on the edge of the -camp, and the rider took his way to old Screetah's hut. - -What passed within those dark, low walls--what passionate appeals for -forgiveness, what frantic remorse and bitter self-accusations they -echoed--only Screetah and the dying girl knew. The old Indian was -touched, and tried to plead for him; but Juanita seemed to heed neither -the man's presence nor the woman's entreaties. She died "with her face -to the wall," and the words of forgiveness, which he had staked life and -honor to hear, were never uttered by those firmly-closed lips. - -With the day of Juanita's death commenced the old Indian woman's search -for the rosary, and she tore her hair in desperation when they laid the -girl in her narrow cell before she had found it. Day after day, the -search was continued. Was it not the peace of Juanita's soul she was -seeking to restore? After awhile the camp was broken up, by orders from -district head-quarters, and a forage-station established. Our friend, -whose term of service had expired, was made station-keeper, and, one by -one, the people from the settlement followed the military, till, at -last, only he and old Screetah were left of all the little band that -once had filled the dreary spot with the busy hum of life. - - - - -_HETTY'S HEROISM._ - - -"But, father, you don't really mean to watch the old year out, do you? -It's only a waste of candles, and the boys won't want to get up in the -morning." - -"Mebbee so, mother; but New Year's Eve don't come every day; so let's -have it out." And old man Sutton tipped back his chair, after filling -his pipe, and looked contentedly up at the white ceiling of the "best -room." - -Johnny, the younger son of the family, whistled gleefully, threw more -wood on the blazing pile in the fire-place, and then, resuming his -oft-forbidden occupation of cracking walnuts in the best room, said: - -"Don't the wind howl, though? Just drives the rain. Golly, ain't it nice -here?" - -"You're not to say bad words," broke out his mother, sharply. "Father, -why don't you correct the boy? Such a night as this, too, when--" - -"What's that?" interrupted the oldest son, springing from his seat, and -showing a straight, manly form and clear, deep eyes, as he stood by the -door in a listening attitude. - -"Coyotes, brother Frank; the ghosts don't come round this early, do -they?" laughed the younger. - -"Hush, Johnny! It's some one crying for help--a woman's voice!" - -"Tut, tut! where would a woman come from this time o' night, and not a -house within miles of us?" - -"A woman's voice, I'll stake my head," insisted Frank, after a moment's -silence in the room. - -The mother had laid down her glasses. "Wonder if the boy thinks Lolita -is coming through the storm to watch the old year out with him?" She -laughed as at something that gave her much pleasure, though the rest did -not share her merriment. - -They were all three listening at door and window now, and when Frank -threw the one nearest him quickly open, there came a sound through the -din and fury of the rain-storm that was neither the howling of the wind -nor the yelp of the coyote. - -"Now what do you say?" asked Frank; and he had already passed through an -inner apartment, and in a moment stood on the porch again, swinging a -lantern and peering out into the dark and rain, listening for that cry -of distress. It came in a moment--nearer than they had expected it. - -"Help! help! oh, please come and help!" - -"The d--l!" was old man Sutton's exclamation; not that he really thought -the slender little figure perched on the back of the tall horse was the -personage mentioned--it was only a habit he had of apostrophizing. - -The horse had stopped short and was breathing hard, and the prayer for -help was frantically repeated by the rider. "Come quick, and help the -poor fellow; I've been gone so long from him--oh! _do_ come!" - -"What poor fellow--and where is he?" asked the old man, in bewilderment. - -"The stage-driver--and he's lying near the old Mission, with his leg -broken. The horses shied in the storm and overturned the stage, and I -was the only passenger, and I crept out of it, and the driver couldn't -move any more, and told me to unhitch the horses and come this way for -help, and--oh! _do_ come now!" She ended her harangue, delivered with -flying breath and little attention to rhetoric or inter-punctuation. - -"And you came those nine miles all alone, gal?" asked the old man. - -"Oh, I think I must have come a hundred miles," she replied, with a wild -look at the faces on the porch and in the open doorway; "and it is so -cold!" She drew the dripping garments closer about her, while father and -son consulted together, with their eyes only, for a brief moment. Then -the old man said she must be taken in, and they must get the wagon -ready, and waken Pedro and Martin. - -Without a word Frank gave a lantern to Johnny, lifted the girl from the -horse and carried her into the room, brushing the drenched hair back -from her face, when he sat her down, as he would have done a child's. -But she pleaded excitedly, "Indeed I cannot stay--let me go back, and -you can follow." - -"So you shall go back, my gal," said Mr. Sutton, "as soon as the wagon -is ready. See how she's shivering, mother; get her some hot tea, and -give her your fur sack--for she'll go back with us or die." - -"My fur sack?" repeated the old lady, incredulously; "my best sack--out -in this rain!" - -"Best sack be ----," he shouted, angrily; "I'll throw it in the fire in -a minute!" And the best sack quickly made its appearance, in spite of -the threat of speedy cremation. - -The tea was brought by Johnny, hastily drank, and then the girl repeated -her wish to move on. Frank's own cloak was thrown over "the best fur -sack"--not, I fear, so much from a desire to save this garment as from -the wish to keep the shrinking form in it from shivering so painfully. - -It was New-Year's day--though the light had not yet dawned before the -sufferer was comfortably lodged at the Yedral Ranch, and Hetty, as well -as the Sutton family, slept later into the morning than usual. The sun -had risen as serenely cloudless as though no storm had passed through -the land but yesternight; and Father Sutton, thinking he was the first -one up, was surprised to encounter Hetty with Johnny, her new-found -cavalier. He hailed her in his unceremonious fashion: "I'm glad to see -you up bright and early, gal--make a good farmer's wife some day. Did -you come down this way to live on a ranch?" - -"No, sir; I came to teach school. Your name is among those of the -gentlemen who engaged me." - -"The ----! Are you the new school-marm? Then you're Miss----" - -"Hetty Dunlap is my name." - -He held out both hands. "A happy New-Year to ye, Hetty Dunlap--and happy -it'll be for all of us, I'm thinking; for a gal that's got so much pluck -as you is sure to know something about teachin' school. Here, Johnny, -how d'ye like your teacher?" - -Now, Johnny had drawn back with some slight manifestation of disfavor -when Hetty's true character came to light. But she laid her hand on his -shoulder in her shy yet frank manner, and said quickly: - -"I had already selected Johnny as a sort of assistant disciplinarian. I -am so little that I shall want some one who is tall and strong to give -me countenance;" which at once restored the harmony between them. They -went in to breakfast together, during which meal it was decided by -Father Sutton that Hetty was to live in his family, though "the Price's" -was the place where, until now, the teachers had made their home, being -nearest to the school. - -"But then," said the old man, "if the Rancho Yedral can't afford a -mustang for such a brave little rider every day of the year, then I'll -give it up;" and he slapped his hat on and left the house. - -"Yes," Frank commented rather timidly, "you are brave--a perfect -heroine. And yet you are so very small." She was standing in just the -spot where he had brushed the hair out of her face last night, and -perhaps his words were an apology. - -"True," she assented, "I am small; not much taller than my sister's -oldest girl, and she is only twelve." - -"You have a sister?" - -"Yes, in the city; and she has six children." Her voice was raised a -little, her nut-brown eyes looked into his with an unconscious appeal -for sympathy, and her delicate nostrils quivered as in terror--which the -bare recollection of the little heathens seemed to inspire her with. - -"And did you live at her house?--have you neither father nor mother -living?" - -"Neither. How happy you must be--you have so kind a father and so good a -mother--" - -The "good mother" came in just then, shaking her best sack vigorously, -and lamenting, in pointed words, the "ruination" of this expensive fur -robe--calling a painful blush to Hetty's cheek as well as Frank's. The -young man tried vainly to make it appear a pleasant joke. "Indeed, -mother, you ought to look upon that piece of fur as a handsome -New-Year's gift--you have my promise of a new fur sack as soon as I go -to the city. And isn't my word good for a fur sack?" he asked, -laughingly. - -"Yes," said the good mother. "I know your extravagance well enough; but, -to my notion, you can afford such things better after you've married -Lolita, than before." - -Frank bit his lips angrily, and turned away--but not before Hetty had -seen the hot red that flushed his cheek. - -Toward noon there was loud rejoicing on the porch, and Hetty, looking -from her window, saw Mrs. Sutton welcoming a tall, dark-eyed girl of -about twenty, whose companion--her brother, to all appearance--seemed -several years her senior. - -This girl, Lolita Selden, the daughter of an American father and a -wealthy Spanish mother, was a fair specimen of the large class -represented by her in California. Generous and impulsive, as all her -Spanish half-sisters are, neither her piecemeal education, nor the -foolish indulgence of the mother, had succeeded in making anything of -her but an impetuous, though really kind-hearted woman. In the brother's -darker, heavier face, there was less of candor and sympathy, and his -figure--though he had all the grace and dignity of the Spaniard--was -lacking in height and the breadth of shoulder that made Frank Sutton -look a giant beside him. - -It was some time before our heroine was introduced to the pair; not, -indeed, till dinner was on the table, though Frank had repeatedly hinted -to his mother that Hetty might not feel at liberty to make her -appearance among them without being formally invited--to which he -received the cheering response that "he was always botherin'." - -When they met, it was hard to say whether Hetty was more charmed with -Lolita's stately presence and simple kindness, or Lolita with Hetty's -heroism. The brother, too, seemed lost in admiration of Hetty's heroic -conduct or Hetty's pretty face--a fact which escaped neither Frank nor -his mother, for she commented on it days afterward. "What a chance it -would be for a poor girl like this 'ere one, if she could make a ketch -of young Selden, and he married her!" - -"What! that black-faced Spaniard?" but Frank's generous heart reproached -him even while he spoke, and his mother took advantage of his penitence -and charged him with a message to Lolita, that needed to be delivered -the same day. When, therefore, after school-hours, Frank returned -bringing with him both Hetty and Lolita--the latter was visiting her new -friend at the school-house--the mother was well pleased, and spoke more -kindly than she had yet spoken to the new teacher. - -"Old man" Sutton, too, had many a pleasant word for both young girls; -and altogether Hetty soon realized that home could be home away from her -sister's house and the six plagues it held. - -Spring came into the land, dressing in glossier green the grayish limbs -of the white-oak in the valley, opening with balmy breath the blossoms -of the buckeye by the stream, and covering with gayest flowers the plain -and the hillside; while in some shady nook the laurel stood, shaking its -evergreen leaves in daily wonderment at the dress changes and the -youthful air all nature had put on. The wild rose creeping over the -veranda of the Yedral Ranch shed its perfume through the house, and cast -its bright sheen upon the very roof-tree, a passion-vine, in sombre -contrast, rearing its symbolic blossom cheek to cheek with the rosy -flower-face of the gay child of Castile. - -Long since had the stage-driver left the Yedral Ranch, grateful for kind -treatment received, his head and heart full of a firm conviction on two -points: The first, that there was just one man good enough to be Hetty -Dunlap's husband, and that that man was Frank Sutton: the second, that -there was only one woman good enough to be Frank's wife, and she Hetty -Dunlap. - -He had resumed his old post, and many a pleasant word and startling bit -of news did he call out to Hetty and her friends when they were down by -the "big gate," as he drove by very slowly, so as to enjoy conversation -as long as possible. George was a deal pleasanter when Hetty was there -by herself, or at least without Lolita; and once, when, by chance, Hetty -and Frank were there alone together, he called down, regardless of the -staring passengers in the coach, "That's the way I like to see things; -two's good company, and three's none. Don't see what you want to be -luggin' that Spanish gal round with you for, Frank; she ain't none o' -your'n nohow, and never will be, nuther." - -Before the flush had died on her face, Hetty found her arm drawn -through Frank's, and as they slowly bent their steps homeward, the mind -of each seemed absorbed in the contemplation of some intricate puzzle, -on the solving of which depended their whole future welfare. Then Frank -raised his merry, twinkling eyes and charged her with being hopelessly -enamored of George, the stage-driver, defying her to say that she had -not just then been thinking of him, as he knew by her absent looks. - -"I--I was only looking down that way, and thinking there is no lovelier -spot on earth than Yedral Ranch." She stopped abruptly; what she was -saying now to cover her confusion, she had said a few days ago, from the -fulness of her heart, to Lolita, strolling along this same road; and the -Spanish girl had answered impulsively, "Yes; and you shall always make -your home here when I--" Then she had stopped, crimson in the face, and -Hetty had not urged her to finish the sentence. - -But Frank, with quickly altered tone, asked softly, "Do you like it so -well, Hetty--really and truly? And have you not wanted often to go back -to the city?" - -"To the city?" she repeated, with a little shiver; "no--no!" - -The call of a partridge from behind the nearest _manzanita_ bush warned -them that young Johnny was there, and the next moment he appeared before -them--his mother's ambassador to Hetty. "Would she be kind enough just -for once to help with the cake? His mother had burnt her right hand, and -she could not stir the batter with her left." - -"And could not you have done it 'just for once' as well?" asked Frank, -impatiently; at which question Johnny opened his eyes wide. - -"She didn't ask me," he said; and then they all went silently to the -house. - -To do Mrs. Sutton justice, she was loud in her praises of Hetty's -obliging disposition, and Hetty's proficiency in cake-baking, that -evening at tea; and particularly to Julian Selden, who was there with -his sister, did she untiringly sing Hetty's perfections. This seemed to -have the effect of making the young Spaniard bolder and more desirous of -pushing his suit, for the very next evening they came home from Hetty's -school _a partie carrée_--Lolita, her brother, Hetty and Frank. - -The facts of the case were that, following a suggestion of Frank's, -Johnny, on Julian's second attempt to escort Hetty home, had kept close -by her side during the whole ride, much more to Hetty's delight than -Julian's. In consequence, Julian had been wise enough to bring Lolita -with him; and Frank, though chagrined, was better pleased to find them -both at Hetty's school than one alone. - -Through the spring and far into the summer they met almost daily in this -way; and sometimes, though Mother Sutton's invitations to Lolita and her -brother to "come every day--every day," were loud and vociferous, the -brother and sister would return to their own home after a protracted -ride, leaving Hetty and Frank to find their way back to Yedral Ranch -alone. Hetty thought she could see a cloud on Mrs. Sutton's brow -whenever this happened; and dear as those rides were to her, she avoided -them whenever she could. Unhappily (Frank did not consider it so), while -out alone together one day, Hetty's saddle-girth broke, and though she -sprang quickly to the ground, Frank's nerves were so unstrung, he -declared, that he could not at once repair the damage, but had to -convince himself, by slow degrees, that she really was not hurt or -frightened. Consequently, it was later than usual when they reached -home; and Mother Sutton, darting a quick look to see that the door had -closed behind Frank, who had explained the cause of delay, muttered -something about "cunning minxes, who had neither gratitude nor shame," -and then tramped out of the room, leaving Hetty with cheeks burning and -eyes strangely bright under the tears rising in them. - -Next morning she made much ado over a sprained ankle, which was not so -painful as to keep her at home, but just bad enough to cause her to ride -slowly to school with Johnny and home again before school-hours were -fairly over. I fear that she was a "designing minx," for, if she -managed, by keeping her room to evade Frank's questioning glance and -Mother Sutton's hostile looks, she managed no less to escape an honor -which, according to this good lady's statement, corroborated by Lolita's -more than usual tenderness, Julian Selden had meant to confer upon her. -But she could not stay in her room forever; and Father Sutton dragged -her out of it one day, challenging her to tell the truth ("and shame the -devil"), by acknowledging that something had hurt her beside the -sprained ankle. Had Mrs. Sutton shown no spite openly against "the gal" -before, it broke out now, in little sharp speeches against women "tryin' -to work on the sympathy of foolish young men. Her boys, she knew, -couldn't never be ketched that way by no white-faced--" - -"Will yer be still now!" thundered the old man, taking the pipe from -between his lips and pointing with it to Hetty, who at this moment was -really the white-faced thing the old lady had meant to call her. - -"Johnny," said Hetty, next morning, on their way to school, "I -think--I'll go home when vacation begins, and--" - -"Why, what d'you mean?" asked the boy, startled out of all proper -respect. - -"Just what I say;" and she enumerated her reasons for considering it her -duty to return to her lonely sister and the six pining children; and it -was a matter of doubt whether Johnny's lips quivered more during the -recital, or Hetty's. But when the school-house was reached, Johnny was a -man again; and if he did blubber out loud when he told his elder -brother of it, late in the evening, down by the big gate, nobody but -Frank heard him, and _his_ lips were rather white when next he spoke. - -"You asked me for that Mexican saddle of mine some time ago, Johnny. You -are welcome to it." - -"I don't want no Mexican saddle," replied Johnny, in a surly tone, and -without grammar; but looking into his brother's face, he said, "Thank -you, Frank. I'd say you're 'bully,' only Hetty said it wasn't a nice -word." - -In the course of the week Father Sutton, in his character as such, and -as school director, was made acquainted with Hetty's intention. In both -characters he protested at first, but yielded at last. He walked out -with "the gal" one evening, as though to take her over the ranch for the -last time, and then artfully dodged away when Frank--by the merest -accident--came to join them. Left alone with this young man, Hetty -trembled, as she had learned to tremble under his mother's scowling -looks and half-spoken sentences. He spoke quietly, at first, of her -going away; but her very quietness seemed after a while to set him all -on fire. - -"Hetty," he cried, "are you then so anxious to go--so unwilling to stay, -even for a day, after the school closes? Is there nothing--is there no -one here you regret to leave behind you?" - -Poor little Hetty! How they had praised her for her heroism once. There -was no praise due her then, as she had protested again and again. Now -she was the heroine, when she answered, though with averted face and -smothered voice, "Nothing--no one;" adding, quickly, "you have all been -so kind to me that naturally I shall feel homesick for the Yedral Ranch, -and shall be so glad to see any of you when you come to the city." - -Frank had heard "the tears in her voice," and though he turned from her -abruptly, it was not in anger, as she fancied. - -"Father," he said, a day or two later, "I don't know but I'll take a run -over the mountains, now harvesting is over, and there seems nothing -particular for me to do." - -"Please yourself and you'll please me, Frank," was the answer. "Got any -money? You kin git it when you want it." - -Then there was nothing more said about the journey, and Frank, making no -further preparations, seemed to have forgotten all about it. - -When Hetty was lifted into the little wagon that took herself and trunk -to the big gate, she repeated her hope of sooner or later greeting the -members of the Sutton family in San Francisco. - -"Not soon, I'm afeard, Miss Hetty; me an' father and Johnny never goes -to the city, and as for Frank--I reckon he'll want to git married first, -and bring Lolita 'long with him." - -Martin, who was driving, probably knew the meaning of the fire in the -old man's eye, for he whipped up the horse and drove off, as though -"fearing to miss the stage," as he explained at the turn of the road. - -Altogether, George showed neither as much surprise nor pleasure as Hetty -had faintly expected him to evince. When they reached the first town he -came and stood by the open coach window, after the customary halt, -drawing on his gloves first, and then pointing out, with great -exactitude, where the old _adobe_ tavern had formerly stood, on the -opposite side of the street. - -During this interesting conversation, some tardy passengers came out of -the hotel, with hasty steps, and mounted to the top of the stage with -much hurried scrambling. Then George left Hetty's window, mounted his -throne, and drove on. - -We need not say how Hetty's heart sank with the sinking sun; and only -when George came out of the station-house where they had taken supper, -ready and equipped for the night's drive, did a light rise in her eyes. - -"I thought you stopped at this station," she said, as he again leaned at -her window, while the same hasty steps and confused scrambling on the -top of the stage fell, half unconsciously, on her ear. - -"Well--yes. As a general thing, I do. But me and Dick's changed off -to-night, so't I can see you into the cars to-morrow morning." - -"How tired you will be," she remonstrated. - -"Well--mebbe so. Howsomever, Miss Hetty, you didn't stop to think -whether you'd be tired when you started out to find help for me, last -New-Year's eve." And Hetty blushed, as she always did, when her heroism -was spoken of. - -George's eyes did look heavy the next morning; but he still kept the -lines, lounging up to the coach-window about the time the stage was -ready to start, and always pointing out something of interest on these -occasions. Once, indeed, when she fancied that her ear caught the sound -of a familiar footfall on the porch of the tavern they were about to -leave, he was so anxious she should see the owl just vanishing into the -squirrel-hole, on the opposite side of the road, that he laid his hand -on her arm to insure her quick attention, just as she was about to turn -her head back in the direction of the porch. Then came the usual -climbing and scrambling overhead, and directly George mounted, too, and -drove on. - -The shrill whistle of the locomotive seemed to cut right through Hetty's -heart; and the loneliness she had never felt away down the country, now -suddenly took possession of the girl's soul. No one could have been more -attentive than George; the best seat in the cars was picked out for her; -the daily papers laid beside her, and then--then she was left alone. -George only, of all her down-country friends, had made the unconditional -promise to visit her in San Francisco. She was thinking of this after he -had left her, and she sat watching the cars filling with passengers for -the city--travellers gathered together here from watering-place and -pleasure-resort, from dairy-ranch and cattle-range. Was there another -being among these all as lonely as she? And she turned her face to the -window, and looked steadily over toward the hills, yellow and parched -now, in the late summer--so fresh and green from the winter's rains when -she had last seen them. It looked as if her life, too, were in the "sere -and yellow;" the heavy, throbbing pain that was in her heart and rising -to her throat--would it ever give place again to the bright fancies she -had indulged in when coming this way--oh! how many weeks ago? She tried -to count; but counting the weeks brought the events of each in turn -before her, and she desisted; she must keep a calm face and a clear eye. - -She heard the cry of the fruit-venders outside, and saw their baskets -laden with fruits, tempting and delicious, raised to the car-windows, -where passengers had signified their wish to purchase. Mechanically, her -eyes followed the movements of the young man in front of her. Grapes, -with the dew still on them; apples, with one red cheek, and peaches with -two; plums, larger than either, and far more luscious, were transferred -from the heavy basket into the lap of the lady beside him--evidently his -new-made wife--who said, "Thanks, dear," with such a happy, grateful -smile, that Hetty grew quite envious. She tried to think it was of the -fruit; but pending the decision she laid her head on the back of the -seat in front of her, and before she thought of what she was doing, the -tears were trickling down her cheeks. Then her shoulders began to jerk -quite ridiculously, and she was ready to die of shame, when a light hand -was laid on them, and her name was spoken. - -"Hetty!" the voice said again; but she did not raise her head, only -answering, "Yes," as she would have done in a dream. - -"Hetty!" once more, "see what I have brought you." Apples, and peaches, -and plums--all these things were showered into her lap, and when she -raised her head, she looked at them steadily a moment, and then said, -with a long breath, "Oh, Frank!" before she turned to where he sat. As -she stretched out both hands to meet his, the fruit, now forgotten, fell -plump, plump, to the floor, and rolled all over the cars; and when the -train moved slowly away from the depot a little later, Hetty, looking up -at the lady in front of her, said to herself, that she envied her no -longer--neither the apples nor--. She made a full stop here; perhaps -because of George's sudden appearance, and the hilarity in which he and -Frank indulged. - -"Oh, Miss Hetty!" he laughed; "I couldn't make you see that owl this -morning, could I?" - -"No; but I think I must have been as blind as an owl myself, not to have -seen whom you were hiding," she answered, taking the contagion. - -Again shrieked the locomotive, but not with the "heart-rending" cry of a -while ago; and George, bringing their hands quickly together in his -parting clasp, sprang from the cars and left Frank and Hetty there. - -Loud was the anger of good Mrs. Sutton on discovering that Frank had -accompanied Hetty to San Francisco. In vain Father Sutton disclaimed all -fore-knowledge of the young man's intention, and asserted that Frank had -never mentioned a tour to the city. Mrs. Sutton said she knew the old -man was in league with him. At the end of a week Frank returned without -so much as bringing the fur sack as a peace-offering. In course of time -he reconciled his mother to some extent by again carrying messages to -Lolita, and sometimes bringing Lolita herself in return, just as in -Hetty's time. - -Autumn came; and still, to the determined schemer's dissatisfaction, -Frank had not yet secured the prize she so coveted for him. The season -brought with it many cares as well as pleasures to the ranchero. At a -_rodeo_, looked upon by the young people generally as a pleasant -entertainment, Frank was the admired of many eyes, as his lasso -unfailingly singled out the animal "in demand," among the dense herds -moving in a circle. The horse he rode was full of fire, and more -impetuous, if possible, than his rider; and Lolita, who was among the -guests at the Yedral Ranch, had never thought Frank so handsome and so -well worth winning before. - -To Hetty the white walls and the spacious rooms of the grammar-school, -to which she had returned, seemed a prison and a wilderness in one. Her -sister's house, with the six young Tartars, was more like Bedlam than -ever; but Hetty had grown older and firmer, and she declared, to her -sister's amazement, that unless she could withdraw herself from the mob -unmolested, at her option, she should seek a home with more congenial -associates. The sister opened her eyes wide, as if only now discovering -that Hetty was full-grown; and she assented silently. - -First, after her return, letters from Frank lighted up her life at -intervals. But when the early rains of autumn, after an Indian summer -full of sunny days and glorious memories of vanished springs, turned to -the settled melancholy of "a wet winter," these letters ceased, leaving -in Hetty's existence a blank that nothing else could fill. Christmas -came, with its vacations and merry-makings, and beside the dull, deep -pain in Hetty's heart, there was still the unselfish wish to give others -pleasure, though she herself could never again feel that glad emotion. -From morn to night her deft hands flew, sewing, stitching, -sketching--busy always, yet never for herself. - -It was very near Christmas now--so near that Hetty, eager to have all -things ready for the joyous eve, had sat down to her work without the -usual care for neat appearance. Perhaps it was because her curls were a -little neglected, and her collar was not pinned on with the usual -precision, that her face looked worn this morning; her eyes were -languid, and the flush on her cheeks could not cover the deficiency of -flesh which became painfully visible. - -Thus she sat, stitching, ever stitching. The silent parlor, with its -covered furniture and light carpeting, seemed the right place for ghosts -to flit through, and peer, mayhap, with dull, glazed eyes into the fire, -as Hetty caught herself just now. But she drove back the ghosts--are -they not always our own memories, woven out of unfulfilled wishes, -useless regrets, and profitless remorse?--and hastily resumed her work. -The ringing of the door-bell seemed so much the doing of one of these -ghosts, that she paid no attention to it, but kept on stitching, quietly -stitching. Directly the parlor-door was thrown open, and the Mongolian -servitor, looking with calm indifference on the little streams of muddy -water oozing at every step from the boots of the new-comer, returned to -the kitchen, heedless, to all appearances, of the scream with which -Hetty flew to meet the stranger. - -"George!" she cried, "oh! George!" and she clasped the damp arm of the -man, gotten up on the grizzly-bear pattern, as though there could be no -pleasure greater than this in all the world. - -Though a man, George was wise enough to know that he was not indebted to -his personal attractions for this affectionate greeting; but taking both -her hands in his, he said, "Yes, Miss Hetty, I've come to tell you all -about it." - -At the fall _rodeo_ on the Yedral Ranch, Frank's horse had fallen, -covering its rider with its weighty body. He recovered from a death-like -swoon with wandering mind; and the spine being injured, according to -the doctor's statement, it seemed doubtful that he would ever leave his -bed, except as imbecile or cripple. Reason returning, Frank felt that -his friends' fears of his remaining a cripple were not without -foundation, and a hopeless gloom settled on his spirit. Many a time, -when George had made "fast time" and spent the half-hour gained at -Frank's bed, did Hetty's name rise to his lips; but it was never -pronounced. Only this: looking up out of deep sunken eyes, one day, -quite recently, Frank had said to him, "George, I shall get well, and -not be a cripple. If only--" "It's all right," had been George's answer; -and he had hurried from the house as though charged with the most urgent -commission. - -After an hour's conversation, Hetty had only one question to ask. -Looking up with shy eagerness, she almost said below her breath, "And -Lolita?" - -For answer, George took the flushed face between his hands. -"You've grown mighty thin, Miss Hetty," he simply said. Then he -continued, with great _nonchalance_, "Lolita got stuck after the new -schoolmaster--they've got a man in your place. But come, Miss Hetty, you -'peared to me last New-Year's eve like an angel, in my distress; suppose -you do as much now for Frank Sutton. We can get down there on New-Year's -eve, and give you lots of time to spend Christmas here first. What d'ye -say?" - -No lover could have pleaded more earnestly. All her objections were -overruled, and when at last she said, almost breathlessly, "Oh, but his -_mother_, George!" he answered, with all his honest heart: "It's my firm -belief, Miss Hetty, that you were cut out for a real hero-ine; and a -hero-ine you've got to be to the end of the chapter--which I don't say -but the last trial of your hero-ism will be greater than the first." - -And sure enough, on New-Year's eve, came the rumbling of wheels and the -tramp of horses' hoofs close up to the veranda of the ranch-house on the -Yedral. None of the inmates seemed startled, though none had expected -company. Without a word Father Sutton sprang to the door--alas! that the -old man was swifter of foot now than the young giant of a year -ago--caught the lithe figure that sprang from the stage in his arms and -set her down, as Frank had done, in the middle of the room. But she was -not cold, dripping wet now, only blinded by the light one moment, and -the next on her knees by the lounge, where a pale, haggard man lay -stretched. He half raised himself to catch her in his arms, and for a -wonder did not sink back with the moan that had become so painful to his -father's ears. For once Hetty had cast aside all timidity, and she -looked up brightly into Father Sutton's face, while one arm circled -Frank's neck and the other hand lay unresistingly in his. - -"Hey!" shouted the old man; "now we know whose gal you are; I used to -call you mine once. Mother, get some supper; I reckon she is wellnigh -starved and perished with the cold. Lively, Johnny! bring some more -wood; Hetty'll stay for good, and you'll get time enough to hang 'round -the gal to-morrow." - -And what a bright to-morrow it was! Such a New-Year's day had never -dawned on Yedral Ranch before. Every one seemed to have found a -treasure, even to Mrs. Sutton. Together with Hetty's trunk had come a -large, promising-looking box, and when Father Sutton presented this to -his better-half, she almost screamed-- - -"Oh, I know! it's my new fur sack!" - - - - -_A WOMAN'S TREACHERY._ - - -"How much you resemble Mrs. Arnold!" exclaimed the Doctor's wife, after -an hour's acquaintance, the day we reached Fort ----. It was not the -first time I had heard of my resemblance to this, to me, unknown lady -remarked on. A portion of the regiment of colored troops to which Doctor -Kline belonged, and which we met on their way in to the States, as we -were coming out, had been camped near us one night; and a colored -laundress, who had good-naturedly come over to our tent to take the -place of my girl, who was sick, had broken into the same exclamation on -first beholding me. Captain Arnold belonged to the same regiment, and -was expecting, like all the volunteers then in the Territory, to be -ordered home and mustered out of service, as soon as the body of regular -troops, to which my husband belonged, could be assigned their respective -posts. Their expectations were not to be realized for some time yet; and -when I left the Territory, a year later, a part of these troops were -still on the frontier. - -Fort ---- was not our destination; to reach it, we should be obliged to -pass through, and stop for a day or two at, the very post of which -Captain Arnold had command--which would afford me excellent and ample -opportunity for judging of the asserted likeness between this lady and -myself. I must explain why we were, in a measure, compelled to stop at -Fort Desolation (we will call it so). It was located in the midst of a -desert--the most desolate and inhospitable that can be imagined--in the -heart of an Indian country, and just so far removed from the direct -route across the desert as to make it impracticable to turn in there -with a command, or large number of soldiers; for which reason, troops -crossing here always carried water-barrels filled with them. A small -party, however, such as ours was then, could not with any safety camp -out the one night they must, despite the best ambulance-mules, pass on -the desert. - -With most pardonable curiosity, I endeavored to learn something more of -the woman who was so much like me in appearance; and I began straightway -to question Mrs. Kline about her. The impression of a frank, open -character, which this lady had made on me at first, vanished at once -when she found that Mrs. Arnold was to be made the subject of -conversation between us. - -"Is she pretty?" - -"Yes--quite so." Ahem! and looked like me. But my mother's saying, that -there might be a striking resemblance between a very handsome and a very -plain person, presented itself to my memory like an uninvited guest, and -I concluded not to fall to imagining vain things on so slight a support. - -"What kind of a man is Captain Arnold?" - -"The most good-natured man in the world." - -"Oh!" Something in the manner of her saying this in praise of Captain -Arnold made me think she wanted to say nothing further; so I stopped -questioning. - -We left the Doctor and his wife early the next morning, and reached Fort -Desolation at night-fall. The orderly had preceded us a short distance, -and, when the ambulance stopped at the Captain's quarters, Mrs. Arnold -appeared on the threshold, holding a lantern in her hand. She raised it, -to let the light fall into the ambulance; and as the rays fell on her -own face, I could see that she looked like--a sister I had. The Captain -was absent, inspecting the picket-posts he had established along the -river, and would return by morning, Mrs. Arnold said; and she busied -herself with me in a pleasant, pretty manner. She could not resemble me -in height or figure, I said to myself, for she was smaller and more -delicately made; nor had any one in our family such deep-blue eyes, save -mother--we children had to content ourselves with gray ones. - -The night outside was dark and chilly; but in the Captain's house there -were light and warmth, and it was bright with the fires that burned in -the fireplaces of the different rooms--all opening one into the other. I -was forcibly struck with the difference between the quarters at Fort ----- and Mrs. Arnold's home at Fort Desolation. Comforts (luxuries, in -this country) of all kinds made it attractive: bright carpets were on -the floors here; while at the Doctor's quarters at Fort ----, one was -always reminded of cold feet and centipedes, when looking at the naked -_adobe_ floors. Embroidered covers were spread on the tables and white -coverlets on the beds; while at the Doctor's all these things were made -hideous by hospital-linen and gray blankets. Easy-chairs and lounges, -manufactured from flour-barrels, saw-bucks, and candle-boxes, were made -gorgeous and comfortable with red calico and sheep's-wool; but the -crowning glory of parlor, bed-room, and sitting-room was a dazzling -toilet-set of china--gilt-edged, and sprinkled with delicate bouquets of -moss-roses and foliage. - -"Where _did_ you get it?" I asked, in astonishment--_not_ envy. - -"Isn't it pretty?" she asked, triumphantly. "The Captain's -quartermaster, Lieutenant Rockdale, brought it from Santa Fé for me, and -paid, a mint of money for it, no doubt." - -At the supper-table I saw Lieutenant Rockdale, who commanded the post in -the Captain's absence, being the only officer there besides the Captain; -and, as he messed with them altogether, I need not say that the table -was well supplied with all the delicacies that New York and Baltimore -send out to less highly favored portions of the universe, in tin cans. -Lieutenant Rockdale was a handsome man--a trifle effeminate, perhaps, -with languishing, brown eyes, and a soft voice. He seemed delighted with -our visit, and took my husband off to his own quarters, while Mrs. -Arnold and I looked over pictures of her friends, over albums, and at -all the hundred little curiosities which she had accumulated while in -the Territory. The cares of the household seemed to sit very lightly on -her; a negro woman, Constantia, and a mulatto boy, of twelve or -thirteen, sharing the labor between them. The boy seemed to be a -favorite with Mrs. Arnold, though she tantalized and tormented him, as I -afterwards found she tormented and tantalized every living creature over -which she had the power. - -I had noticed, while Constantia and Fred were clearing off the table, -that she had cut him a slice from a very choice cake, toward which the -child had cast longing looks. Placing it carefully on a plate, when he -had to leave it for a moment to do something his mistress had bidden -him, in the twinkling of an eye she had hidden it; and when the boy -missed it, she expressed her regret at his carelessness, and artfully -led his suspicions toward Constantia. Hearing him whimpering and -sniffling as he went back and forth between dining-room and kitchen, his -childish distress at losing the cake seemed to afford her the same -amusement that a stage-play would, and she laughed till the tears rolled -down her cheeks. Later, he was summoned to replenish the fire; and, -knowing the little darkey's aversion for going out of the house -bare-headed (he had an idea that his cap could prevent the Indian arrows -from penetrating his skull), she hid the cap he had left in the -adjoining room, and then laughed immoderately at his terror on leaving -the house without it. The next morning, she led me out to the stables to -show me her horse--a magnificent, black animal, wild-eyed, with a -restless, fretful air. Crossing the space in front of the house, she -called to a soldier with sergeant-chevrons on his arms--a man with just -enough of negro blood in his veins to stamp him with the curse of his -race. - -"Harry!" she called to him, "Harry, come hold Black for me; I want to -give him a piece of sugar." She opened her hand to let him see the -pieces, and he touched his cap and followed us. He loosened the halter -and led the horse up to us, but the animal started back when he saw Mrs. -Arnold, and would not let her approach him. Harry patted his neck and -soothed him, and Mrs. Arnold holding the sugar up to his view, the horse -came to take it from her hand; but she quickly clutched his lip with her -fingers, and blew into his face till the horse reared and plunged so -that Harry could hold him no longer. Laughing like an imp, she called to -Harry: - -"Get on him and hold him, if you cannot manage him in that way: get on -him anyhow, and let Mrs. ---- see him dance." - -The mulatto's flashing black eyes were bent on her with a singularly -reproachful look; but the next moment he was on the horse's back, the -horse snorting and jumping in a perfectly frantic manner. - -When Mrs. Arnold had sufficiently recovered from her merriment, she -explained that the horse had not been ridden for a month; the last time -she had ridden him he had thrown her--she had pricked him with a pin to -urge him on faster. - -About noon the Captain arrived; and I found him, as Mrs. Kline had -described, "the most good-natured man in the world," and, to all -appearances, loving his wife with the whole of his big heart. He was big -in stature, too, with broad shoulders, pleasant face, and cheerful, -ringing voice. The shaggy dog, who had slunk away from Mrs. Arnold, came -leaping up on his master when he saw him; the horse he had ridden rubbed -his nose against his master's shoulder before turning to go into his -stable, and Constantia and Fred beamed on him with their white teeth and -laughing eyes from the kitchen-door. Later in the afternoon, he asked -what I thought of his quarters, and told me how hard his colored -soldiers had worked to build the really pretty _adobe_ house in strict -accordance with his wishes and directions. But I could not quite decide -whether he was more proud of the house or of the affection his men all -had for him. Then he told me the story of almost every piece of -furniture in the house; and, moving from room to room, we came to where -their bed stood. Resting beside it was his carbine, which the orderly -had brought in. Taking it in his hand to examine it, he pointed it at -his wife's head with the air of a brigand, and uttered, in unearthly -tones: - -"Your money, or your life!" - -With a quick, cat-like spring, she was by the bed, had thrust her hands -under the pillow, and the next instant was holding two Derringers close -to his breast. Throwing back her head, like a heroine in velvet trousers -on the stage, she returned, in the same strain: - -"I can play a hand at that game, too, and go you one better!" - -She laughed as she said it--the laugh that she laughed with her white -teeth clenched--but there was a "glint" in her eye that I had never seen -in a blue eye before. - -When once more on the way, my husband asked me how I liked Mrs. Arnold. -"Very well," said I; "but--," and I did not hesitate to tell him of the -peculiarities I had noticed about her. He himself was charmed with her -sprightliness, so he only responded with, "Pshaw! woman!" after which I -maintained an offended (he said, offensive) silence on the subject. - -Not quite four months later, my husband was recalled to Santa Fé, and we -again crossed the desert, with only three men as escort. I had heard -nothing from either Mrs. Arnold or the Captain in all this time, for our -post was farther out than theirs; indeed, so far out that nothing -belonging to the same military department passed by that way. It was -midsummer, and the dreary hills shutting in Fort Desolation, and running -down toward the river some distance back of the place, were baked hard -and black in the sun; the little stream that had meandered along through -the low inclosure of the fort in winter time was now a mere bed of -slime, and the plateaux, which had been levelled for the purpose of -erecting the Captain's house and the commissary buildings on them, could -not boast of a single spear of grass or any other sign of vegetation. -The Captain's house lay on the highest of these plateaux; lower down, -across the creek, were the quartermaster and commissary buildings (here, -too, were Lieutenant Rockdale's quarters); and to the left, on the other -side of the men's quarters, was the guard-house--part _jacal_, part -tent-cloth. - -How _could_ any one live here and be happy? Black and bald the earth, as -far as the eye could reach; black and dingy the tents and the huts that -strewed the flat; murky and dark the ridge of fog that rose on the -unseen river; murky and silent the clefts in the rocks where the sun -left darkness forever. - -It might have been the fading light of the waning day that cast the -peculiarly sombre shadow on the Captain's house as we drew up to it; but -I thought the same shadow must have fallen on the Captain's face, when -he appeared in the door to greet us. Presently Mrs. Arnold fluttered up -in white muslin and blue ribbons; and both did their best to make us -comfortable. How my husband felt, I don't know; but they did not succeed -in making me feel comfortable. Perhaps the absence of the bright fire -made the rooms look so dark, even after the lights had been brought -in--there was certainly a change. Supper was placed on the table, but I -missed Constantia's round face in the dining-room. In answer to my -question regarding her, I was told she had expressed so strong a desire -to return to the States that she had been sent to Fort ----, there to -await an opportunity to go in. Lieutenant Rockdale's absence I noticed -also. He did not mess with them any more, I was informed. - -My attention was attracted to a conversation between Captain Arnold and -my husband. The guard-house, he told him, was at present occupied by two -individuals who had made their appearance at Fort Desolation several -days ago, and had tried to prevail on the Captain to sell them some of -the government horses, and arms and ammunition, offering liberal -payment, and promising secrecy. They were Americans; but as the number -of American settlers, or white settlers, in this country is so small, it -was easy for the Captain to determine that these were not of them, and -their dress and general appearance led him to suspect that they belonged -to that despicable class of white men who make common cause with the -Indian, in order to rob and plunder, and, if need be, murder, those of -their own race. Of course they had not made these proposals directly and -openly to the Captain--at first representing themselves as members of a -party of miners going to Pinos Altos; but they soon betrayed a -familiarity with the country which only years of roaming through it -could have given them. He had felt it his duty to arrest them at once, -but had handcuffed them only to-day, and meant to send them, under -strong escort, to Fort ----, where their regimental commander was -stationed, as soon as some of the men from the picket-posts could be -called in. - -It was late when we arose from the supper-table, and the Captain and my -husband left us, to go down to the guard-house, while Mrs. Arnold led me -into the room where their bed stood. This room had but one window--of -which window the Captain was very proud. It was a _French_ window, -opening down to the ground. Throwing it open, Mrs. Arnold said: - -"What a beautiful moon we have to-night; let us put out the candle and -enjoy the moonshine"--with which she laughingly extinguished the light, -and drew my chair to the window. - -From where I sat I could just see the men's quarters and the -guard-house, though it might have been difficult from there to see the -window. We had not been seated long when I fancied I heard a noise, as -though of some one stealthily approaching from somewhere in the -direction to which my back was turned; then some one seemed to brush or -scrape against the outside wall of the house, behind me. "What's that?" -I asked in quick alarm. It had not remained a secret to Mrs. Arnold that -I was an unmitigated coward; so she arose, and saying, "How timid you -are!--it is the dog; but I will go and look," she stepped from the low -window to the ground outside, and vanished around the corner of the -house. Some time passed before she returned, and with a little shudder, -sprang to light the candle. - -"How chilly it is getting," she exclaimed; and then continued, "it was -the dog we heard out there. Poor fellow; perhaps the cook had forgotten -him, so I gave him his supper." - -Rising from my seat to close the window on her remark about the cold, I -stepped to the opposite side from where I had been sitting; and there, -crossing the planks that lay over the slimy creek, and going towards the -commissary buildings, was a man whose figure seemed familiar: I could -not be mistaken--it was Lieutenant Rockdale. No doubt the man had a -right to walk in any place he might choose; but, somehow, I could not -help bringing him in connection with "the dog, poor fellow," for whom -Mrs. Arnold had all at once felt such concern. - -Soon the gentlemen returned, and we repaired to the parlor, where a -game of chess quickly made them inaccessible to our conversation. The -game was interrupted by a rap at the front door, and Harry, the sergeant -whom Mrs. Arnold had compelled to mount her black horse that day, -appeared on the threshold. In his face there was a change, too; his eyes -flashed with an unsteady light as he opened the door, and ever and -again, while addressing the Captain--whose thoughts were still half with -the game--his looks wandered over to where Mrs. Arnold sat. We were so -seated that the Captain's back was partly toward her when he turned to -the sergeant; and he could not see the quick gesture of impatience, or -interrogation, that Mrs. Arnold made as she caught the mulatto's eye. -Involuntarily, I glanced toward him--and saw the nod of assent, or -intelligence he gave in return. - -The sergeant had come to report that the prisoners in the guard-house -had suddenly asked to see the Captain: they had disclosures to make to -him. When Captain Arnold returned, his face was flushed. - -"The villains!" he burst out. "They had managed to hide about five -thousand dollars in United States bank-notes about them, when they were -searched for concealed weapons, and they just now offered it to me, if I -would let them escape. Not only that, but from something one of them -said, I have gained the certainty that they are implicated in the -massacre of the party of civilians that passed through here about two -months ago: you remember, the General ordered out a part of K company, -to rescue the one man who was supposed to have been taken prisoner. The -wretches! But I'll go myself, in the morning, to relieve the men from -picket-duty, and select the best from among them to take the scoundrels -to Santa Fé!" - -When about to begin my toilet the next morning, I gave a start of -surprise. Was _that_ what had made the house look so dark and changed? -Before me stood a large tin wash-basin--of the kind that all common -mortals used out here--and the beautiful toilet-set of china, with its -splendors of gilt-edge and moss-roses, had all disappeared--all save the -soap-dish and hot-water pitcher, which were both defective, and looked -as though they had gone through a hard struggle for existence. - -When our ambulance made the ascent of the little steep hill that hides -Fort Desolation from view, I saw three horses led from the stable to the -Captain's house--the Captain's horse and two others. He was as good as -his word, and before another day had passed, the two men penned up in -that tent there would be well on their way to meet justice and -retribution. A solitary guard, with ebony face and bayonet flashing in -the morning sun, was pacing back and forth by the tent; and walking -briskly from the commissary buildings toward the men's quarters, was -Harry, the mulatto sergeant. - -From the first glance I had at Mrs. Kline's face, when we reached Fort -----, I knew that the mystery of the change at Fort Desolation would be -solved here. Constantia was there, and acting as cook in Dr. Kline's -family. She was an excellent cook, and we did ample justice to her skill -at suppertime. The gentlemen leaving the table to smoke their cigars, -Mrs. Kline and I settled down to another cup of tea and _médisance_. -From what Constantia had stated on coming to Fort ----, it would seem -that in some way Captain Arnold's suspicions had been aroused in regard -to the friendship of Lieutenant Rockdale for his wife. About two months -ago, he one day pretended to start off on a tour of inspection to the -picket-posts; but returned, late the same night, by a different road. -Stealing into the house through the kitchen, he had, rather -unceremoniously, entered the bed-room, where he found Lieutenant -Rockdale toasting his bare feet before the fire. Raising his carbine to -shoot the man, Mrs. Arnold had sprung forward, seized his arms and torn -the gun from him. In the confusion that followed, the toilet-set -referred to, and other articles of furniture, were demolished: but -Constantia, who had crept in after the Captain, to prevent mischief, if -possible, gave it as her opinion that Mrs. Arnold "had grit enough for -ten such men as him an' de leftenant." - -"If you did but know the ingratitude of the creature," continued Mrs. -Kline, "and the devotion her husband has always shown her!" And she gave -me a brief sketch of her career: Married to Arnold just at the breaking -out of the war, and of poor parents, she had driven him almost to -distraction by her treatment, when thrown out of employment some time -after. At last he went into the Union forces as substitute--giving every -cent of the few hundred dollars he received to his wife, who spent it on -herself for finery. Later, when for bravery and good conduct he was made -lieutenant in a negro regiment, she joined her husband, and finally came -to the Territory with him. In their regiment, it was well known that he -had always blindly worshipped his wife; and that she had always ruled -him, his purse, and his company, with absolute power. - -Before retiring for the night, we debated the question: Should we remain -the next day at Fort ----, or proceed on our journey? The mules needed -rest, as well as the horses, for the quartermaster could not furnish -fresh mules, which we had rather expected; still, my husband was anxious -to reach Santa Fé as soon as possible--and we left the question of our -departure where it was, to settle it the next morning at breakfast. The -news that came to Fort ----, before the next morning, made us forget our -journey--for that day, at least. Captain Arnold had been murdered! The -big, true-hearted man was lying at Fort Desolation--dead--with his -broken eyes staring up to the heaven that had not had pity on him--his -broad breast pierced with the bullet that a woman's treachery had sped! - -Before daybreak, a detachment of six men had come in from Fort -Desolation to Fort ----, to report to the commander of their regiment -that Captain Arnold had been assassinated, and Sergeant Henry Tulliver -had deserted, taking with him one horse, two revolvers, and a carbine. -Captain Arnold had started out the morning before, with only two men, to -call in the picket-posts. An hour later, the two men had come dashing -back to the fort, stating that they had been attacked, and Captain -Arnold killed, by the two white men who had been confined in the -guard-house. It was ascertained then, for the first time, that the -prisoners had made their escape. A detachment of men was sent out with a -wagon, and the Captain's body brought in--the men, with their black -faces and simple hearts, gathered around it, with tears and -lamentations, heaping curses on the villains who had slain their kind -commander. - -Suddenly a rumor had been spread among them that Harry, the sergeant, -had set the prisoners free; and instantly, a hundred hoarse voices were -shouting the mulatto's name--a hundred hands ready to take the traitor's -life. Vainly Lieutenant Rockdale--who, after the Captain's departure, -had at once repaired to his house--tried to check the confusion, that -was quickly ripening into mutiny: the excitement only increased, and -soon a crowd of black soldiers moved toward the men's quarters, with -anything but peaceful intentions. Perhaps Harry's conscience had warned -him of what would come, for while the mob were searching the quarters, a -lithe figure sprang over the planks across the creek, ran to the stables -below the Captain's house, and the next moment dashed over the road, -mounted on a wild-looking, black horse. - -Could they but have reached him--the infuriated men, who sent yells and -carbine-balls after the fugitive--he would have been sacrificed by them -to the _manes_ of the murdered man; and perhaps this effect had been -calculated on, when the fact of his having liberated the prisoners had -been brought, to their ears. - -"How did it come to their ears?" I asked of the Doctor, under whose care -one of the six men, overcome with fatigue and excitement, had been -placed. It seems that Mrs. Arnold had expressed her conviction of the -sergeant having liberated the prisoners to Lieutenant Rockdale in little -Fred's hearing, and the boy had innocently repeated the tale to the men. - -In the afternoon of the same day, the detail had been made of the men -who brought the news to Fort ----; but when the detachment had been only -an hour or two on the way, they found the trail of the escaped -prisoners. The men could not withstand the temptation to make an effort, -at least, to recapture them. They knew them to be mounted, for the two -horses which Sergeant Tulliver had that morning separated from the herd -were missing; but the trail they followed showed the tracks of _three_ -horses, which led them to suppose that Harry had found the men and -joined them. - -But the trail led farther and farther from the road, and fearing to be -ambushed, they turned back, leaving the man who had been driven from the -companionship of his brethren by a woman's treachery, to become one of -the vultures that prey on their own kind. - - - - -_THE GENTLEMAN FROM SISKIYOU._ - - -In Gilroy, when the sun lies hot and yellow on the roofs of the -frame-built houses and the wide meadows, waving with grain or cropped -short by herds of grazing cattle, the eye turns instinctively to the -mountains, where the dreamy mid-day atmosphere seems to gather coolness -from the dark woods that crown its summit. - -"Over that way lie the Hot Springs," says one or the other, pointing out -the direction to the stranger who comes for the first time to Santa -Clara Valley. - -If he wait till the early train of the Southern Pacific Railroad comes -in from San Francisco, he will see any number of passengers alighting at -the depot, whose dress and belongings speak of a residence in a place -somewhat larger and wealthier than the pretty little town of Gilroy. -After a comfortable dinner at either of the two hotels, carriages, -stages, and buggies are in readiness to convey those in search of either -health or pleasure on to the Springs. - -It is too early in the season yet to feel much inconvenience from the -dust; and the drive through the precincts of what is called Old Gilroy -is a charming trip. The modest but cheerful houses are just within sight -of each other, separated by orchards, grainfields, vineyards; a grove of -white oaks here and there, a single live oak, and clumps of willow and -sycamore, make the landscape as pleasing as any in the country. Nearer -the first rise of the mountain, the view of grainfields, fenced in by -the same dry board fence, would become monotonous were it not for the -ever-fresh, ever-beautiful white oak that stands, sentinel-like, -scattered through the golden fields, its lower branches sometimes hidden -in the full-bearing garbs. - -First we hardly notice that the road ascends; but soon, as the -foot-hills leave an open space, we can see a vast plain lying beneath -us, and then the climb begins in good earnest. "Round and round" the -hill it seems to go--a narrow road cut out of the long-resisting -rock--the wounds which the pick and shovel have made overgrown by -tender, pitying vines, that seek to hide the scars on the face of their -fostering mother. Trees high above us shake their leafy heads, and the -wild doves who have their nests in the green undergrowth, croon sadly -over the invasion of their quiet mountain home. Vain complainings of -tree and bird! When the eyes of man have once lighted on nature in her -wild, fresh beauty, they are never withdrawn, and they spare not the -bird on her nest, nor the tree in its pride. - -Here opens a mountain valley before us, and, nestled in the shadow of -sycamore and alder, a cosy, home-like cot. The peach and grape-vine -cluster by the door; and where a rude tumble-down fence encloses the -fields, the Rose of Castile, the native child of California, creeps -picturesquely over the crumbling rails, and fills the air with its own -matchless fragrance. Bees are drawing honey from geranium and -gilli-pink, and the humming-bird, darting through space like a flash one -moment, hangs the next, with a quivering, rapturous kiss, in the petals -of the sweet-breathed honeysuckle. - -Then the road winds higher, and the hills and rocks above grow steeper, -bearing aloft the laurel tree and manzanite bush, the madrone tree and -the poison ivy. There is not an inch of ground between the wheels of the -stage and the steep declivity; and once in a while a nervous passenger -of the male gender turns away with a shudder, while the female hides her -eyes in her veil or handkerchief, never heeding the sight of the bare, -bald crags, and the pine-covered heights far above and in the dreamy -distance. - -As we enter the heart of the _cañon_, the rocky, vine-clad walls on -either side seem to reassure the nervous passenger and the half-fainting -lady; and the grade being very easy for quite a while, there is no more -lamentation heard till the horses dash full-speed through a laughing, -glittering mountain stream, the head-waters of the Cayote, throwing its -spray merrily in at the open window. Again and again the brook is -crossed, as it makes its quick, flashing way through blackberry clumps -and wild grape-vines, glancing up at sycamore and buckeye tree as it -hastens along. Suddenly the driver strikes one of the shining white -rocks on which the water breaks into foam, and then a general commotion -ensues in the stage, and before the passengers have settled back in -their original places, a soft, sad music seems to float toward us on the -air--the rustling of the gray-green pines that overhang the last rise in -the road, and shade so romantically the white cottages clinging to the -mountain-side, and built on the plateau that is crowned by the hotel and -gardens of the Gilroy Hot Springs. - -The stage halts, and after shaking hands with the dozen friends one is -sure to find, and partaking of the dinner, which is consumed with -ravenous appetite after the drive of two or three hours, it is still -early enough for a walk to the Springs before the balmy moonlit night -sets in. The terrace-like walk, partly cut out, partly filled in on the -steep mountain-side, is overhung by hills rising again on hills; tiny -cottages peering out here, there, and everywhere, from out manzanite, -laurel and pine trees. Beneath, the mountain falls off into a deep, -narrow valley, clothed in luxuriant green, a towering mountain rising on -the other side. - -There are thousands of silver trout in the streams in the valley; there -is an abundance of game in the wild, rugged, but beautiful mountains -back of and above the Springs. As in some cases, however, a horrid, -vicious-looking lamprey-eel has been found on the rod, instead of a -speckled-back trout, so in other cases have brave hunters returned from -the chase with blanched faces and reports of startling sights of huge -bears and California lions, instead of the tamer game they had expected -to bag. - -"But it is delightful here for all that!" is the almost involuntary -exclamation of those who, on some bright June morning make their way -slowly, slowly--drinking their fill of nature, sunshine, and mountain -air--to the bubbling, hissing, seething Springs. - -We hear this same remark just now from the midst of the group of ladies -who are making their way around the gentle curves of the terrace-walk to -the Springs; and as the words come from the lips of one who is to figure -as the heroine of our short but veracious story, we must take a closer -look at her, as she sweeps by, moving along with the rest, yet always a -little apart from them. She is carelessly swinging her hat by the -strings, and the sun, now and again, as they round some curve in the -road, kisses the auburn of her curls into ripples of golden bronze. The -_nonchalance_ expressed in air and carriage was affected, it was said, -and that she always knew what was going on around her, without ever -asking any questions. - -"That gentleman has been devouring you with his eyes this last half -hour. I noticed him up at the house as we were getting ready to -start--and now he is here before us;" and fat, motherly Mrs. Bradshaw -laughed as only such large-framed, large-hearted people can laugh. - -"I hope he finds me more palatable than the beefsteak we had this -morning--it was horribly tough." - -"Are you speaking of the gentleman from Siskiyou?" asked the tall lady -with glasses, who was Miss Kingsley, and popularly supposed to be -getting up a book on "The Resources of California." - -"No, of the beefsteak," quickly replied she of the auburn curls. Mrs. -Bradshaw nudged her very perceptibly, to which admonition she made -answer, _sotto voce_, "I hate old maids and blue-stockings." - -Miss Kingsley had drawn herself up to her stateliest height: "I had -meant to inquire whether Mrs. Bradshaw was alluding to the gentleman -from Siskiyou?" - -"Yes, dear; didn't you see how he kept his eyes fixed on Mrs. Clayton, -before he turned away when he saw us laughing?" - -"I did not observe. My opinion, however, if I may venture to express it, -is that Mrs. Clayton, with all her talent for subjugating mankind, will -hardly succeed in bringing that gentleman to her feet. This piece of -rock, I think, could be inspired with the tender passion just as soon." - -"Oh! did he refuse that valuable information in regard to the resources -of California?" asked Mrs. Clayton, with mingled indignation and -concern. - -Mrs. Bradshaw was bubbling over with laughter, while the rest of the -ladies shared her mirth more or less openly, according to the degree of -friendship entertained for Miss Kingsley. - -When the party rounded the last bend near the spring, a tall, spare man, -conspicuous in a generous expanse of white shirt-bosom, and low, -stiff-brimmed hat, hastily laid down the drinking-cup, and moved out of -sight, making the circuit of the bath-houses in his anxiety to avoid the -advancing column of fair ones. Uncle George was on hand, as usual, -smilingly filling glasses and dippers with the boiling waters, trying -between whiles to answer the numerous questions propounded, mostly in -regard to the retreating form disappearing among the manzanite on the -hillside. - -"It's the gentleman from Siskiyou." The words were addressed to Mrs. -Clayton, who was blowing little puffs of wind into the glass in her -hand, and seemed to have no interest in common with the eager, laughing -crowd about. "He and his pardner are both here; they own placer-mines on -Yreka Flats, and came here because the gentleman's liver is affected. -They're a funny couple--never speak to no ladies, and ain't sociable -like, only among themselves. His pardner--there he is now, going up -after him," pointing to a low-built, square-shouldered man, with black, -bushy eyebrows--"waits on him like a woman, and no two brothers couldn't -be more affectionate. His pardner told me his own self that when they -first came together, eighteen years ago, he got into a row at -Placerville--used to be Hangtown, then--and they were firing into him -thick and fast after he was down, when Mr. Brodie stepped in, picked him -up and carried him to their cabin, and nussed him till he was well -again. You see he limps a little yet; but then Mr. Brodie was the only -doctor he had, and he says it's a wonder to him he has any legs left at -all, he was so riddled with shot." - -Sufficient water having been drank, the ladies wended their way back, -scattering as they approached the hotel building--generally spoken of as -"the house"--which contained parlor, dining and assembly rooms. Some -sought their cottages, others climbed the hill-sides, while still others -visited the little stream rushing along through the green depths that -the stage-road overhung. Some had escorts, others went alone, or formed -groups of three or four; and all gave themselves up to the enjoyment of -that perfect freedom which makes the stay at these California -watering-places a recreation and a holiday. - -As the heat of the sun became more oppressive, the stragglers returned; -and the closed window-blinds of the cottages spoke of an unusually warm -day for the season. This, however, did not forbid the ushering in of the -next day with an extra heavy fog, which dripped from the eaves like -rain, and made more penetrating the wind that came in surly gusts and -rudely swept back the end of the shawl thrown Spanish-fashion over Mrs. -Clayton's shoulder. Her right hand grasped a bottle filled with water -from the Springs; and the left, hidden until now under the shawl, was -bound up in a white cloth. The wind had carried her hat away, too; and -after looking helplessly around, she deposited the bottle on the bench -nearest her, and gave chase to the runaway. But the hat was suddenly -held up before her, and the bottle taken from the bench. It was the -gentleman from Siskiyou, who stammered something she did not understand, -and to which she replied sweetly and plaintively, "Thank you, ever so -much. I am so helpless with that hand. I sprained it some weeks ago, -falling from a carriage, and did not know how bad it was till the -doctors sent me here. I must have hurt it again yesterday; and now I've -got to go about like a cripple." The voice was like a child's; and a -half sob seemed to rise in her throat as she spoke the last words, and a -tell-tale moisture shone in her eyes. - -He had awkwardly set the bottle back on the bench; and when she prepared -to move on, he bent over to seize the bottle and carry it for her. In -his nervousness he did not heed that she, too, was stooping forward; and -only when their heads came in contact did he realize how near he had -stood to her. A deep scarlet overspread his sallow face, while Mrs. -Clayton said, "Oh, will you carry the bottle for me? Thanks. I wanted to -bathe my hand, and was afraid to go more than once through the fog and -wind." - -They reached the cottage, where he deposited the bottle on the -door-steps, and withdrew with a somewhat awkward, but perfectly -chivalrous bow. - -After breakfast, when the ground was still too wet to walk out, Jenny, -sitting in the low rocking-chair by the open door, was startled by -footsteps crunching under the window; and a moment later Mr. Brodie -placed a bottle at her feet. - -"I thought it might be better for your wrist to have the water hot to -bathe it in; that's just from the spring, and I walked fast." In spite -of the unvarnished speech, there was something about the man that made -it plain to her why people involuntarily spoke of him as "the -gentleman," when his partner was always spoken of merely as his partner. - -It was only common politeness that she should allow him to sit on the -door-step, while she immersed the soft, white hand; and the bottle of -hot spring water was repeated, till she declared the ground dry enough -to walk down to the spring with him. Any number of necks were stretched -from parlor-doors and windows, when the shy, bashful gentleman from -Siskiyou was seen escorting Mrs. Clayton; but falling in with a train of -ladies at the Springs, they all walked back together. Mr. Brodie, -unnoticed apparently by Jenny, and uncomfortable among so many of the -"contrary sex," quietly slipped away under the shadow of a clump of -young trees, where he was joined directly by his partner, who had -watched him uneasily all the morning. - -It was a warm, cloudless day, a few weeks later, and Mrs. Clayton had -not joined the picnic party--because, Ben. Brodie said to himself, with -a flutter of his unsophisticated heart, _he_ had felt too unwell in the -morning to go. Going down to the Springs alone, Jenny met his partner, -and asked pleasantly whether Mr. Brodie had yet recovered from his -attack of last night. - -"Thank you, Miss, he's better; but it's my opinion as how he'd get well -much quicker if he left these Springs and went down to 'Frisco for a -spell." - -"But, Mr. Perkins, his liver is affected; and these waters are said to -be very beneficial." - -"Yes, Miss, it _was_ his liver; but I think as how it's in the chist -now; and"--doggedly aside--"mebbee the heart, too; and he'll never be -himself again while he's up here." - -"Oh, you must not see things so black. See, there comes Mr. Brodie now." - -"Yes--" something like an oath was smothered between the bearded lips, -and the shaggy eyebrows were lowered portentously--"so I see. Ben, -didn't I tell yer to stay in the house, and I'd fetch yer the water?" - -Whenever Si Perkins addressed Jenny as "Miss"--which was almost -invariably his custom--it made her think of a short conversation between -Mr. Brodie and herself, soon after their first acquaintance. He had -asked her, with an assumed indifference, but a nervous tremor in his -voice, "And you are a widow, Mrs. Clayton?" upon which she had turned -sharply and said, snappishly, "Would I be away up here all alone if I -had a husband?" It flashed through her mind again, as she saw the -partner's darkened brow and working lips when Mr. Brodie answered, "It's -all right, Si; I wanted to come;" and he laughed a short, confused laugh -that stood for any number of unexpressed sentiments--particularly when -Jenny was by. - -"Shall we walk up toward the garden?" he asked of Jenny. - -"I think there is shade all the way up," she replied, throwing an uneasy -look on Si Perkins's scowling face. "You may light your cigar, if you -feel well enough to smoke." Mr. Brodie turned to his partner to ask for -a match, and the next moment left him standing alone in the sun, as -though he had no more existence for him. - -They halted many times on their way to the garden. It was in an opposite -direction from the Springs; but here as there the road had been partly -cut out on the mountain-side--partly filled in--so that it formed a -terrace overhanging the dense forest-growth in the ravine below, while -on the banks and mountain-tops above grew pines and madrones, the -manzanite shrub and treacherous gloss of the poison-oak making the whole -look like a carefully planted park. The "garden" was a little mountain -valley, taking its name from an enclosed patch, where nothing was grown, -but where the neglected fields were kept fresh and green by the little -rivulet flowing from the cold spring at the foot of an immense sycamore. -Farther on were groups of young oaks, and under these were benches; but -Jenny preferred sitting in the shade of the pines on the clean, sweet -grass. The birds, never molested here, hovered fearlessly about them, -singing and chirping, the blue and yellow butterflies keeping time to -the music. - -For quite a while Mr. Brodie had been watching Jenny's lithe figure -darting hither and thither, trying to take the butterflies prisoners -under her hat; her eyes sparkled, and she shouted merrily whenever she -had secured a prize, which, after a moment's triumph, she always set -free again. - -"Come and sit down," called Mr. Brodie to her, "or you will hurt your -hand again, and all my three weeks' doctoring will be thrown away." - -"It hurts me now," said Jenny, ruefully, "for I struck it against that -tree." - -She held up the offending hand, and he inspected it narrowly, looking up -suddenly into her eyes, as though to read in them an answer to something -he had just thought. But it was hard to read anything there, though -Jenny had the sweetest eyes in the world--laughing and sad by turns, and -of warm liquid light. What their color was, it was hard to determine. -They had been called black, hazel, gray; never blue. Her smile was as -unfathomable as her eyes; and you could read nothing of her life, her -history, her character, from either brow or lip. Her hand alone--it was -the right one--as it rested on the sward beside her, might have told to -one better versed in such reading than Ben Brodie, how, like Theodore -Storm's "Elizabeth," it had, "through many a sleepless night, been -resting on a sore, sick heart." - -He raised the hand tenderly, not understanding its secret, and asked, -stroking it as we do a child's, "What was my partner saying to you as I -came up a while ago?" - -"He wants you to go to San Francisco, away from here. Would you go and -leave me here alone, when you know how lonesome I should be without -you?" - -She heard his low, nervous laugh, as he moved uneasily, and held the -hand tighter; but when she looked up into his face, expecting an answer, -it came in his usual abrupt, or, as Jenny said, "jerky" style. - -"No, of course I wouldn't go. I'll stay as long as you want me to. -I--I--like you--pretty well." - -Jenny's paling cheek blazed up crimson, and she looked fairly aghast as -she repeated mechanically, "'Like you pretty well.' Thank you. _Like_ -me, indeed!" She had drawn away her hand, like a pettish child, and she -muttered, a wicked smile breaking over her face, "I don't believe the -man _could_ love any one if he tried. But I'll find out;" and she turned -again to where he sat, disconsolate at the loss of her hand. - -Her quicker ear caught the crackling of dry twigs before he could speak -again, and a shrill scream burst from her lips. He was on his feet in an -instant, and flung his arms about the trembling form before his eye -could follow the direction of hers. - -"The bear!" she stammered; "the grizzly--there, there!" and the story of -the huge grizzly having been seen in the mountains those last weeks -flashed through his mind. - -"Be still!" he said, as she glided from his arms to the ground; "he -cannot hurt you till he has killed me." He stooped to pick up a fallen -branch, and as he did so his eyes came on a level with a large black -calf, rolling over and over in the tall grass. He flung the stick from -him with a disgusted "Pshaw!" and Jenny dropped her hands from her eyes -when his laugh fell on her ear. She joined in the laugh, though hers -sounded a little hysterical; and then insisted on returning immediately, -and his promise to keep the tragi-comic _intermezzo_ a profound secret. - -Days passed before Jenny would venture out again; and poor Mr. Brodie -wandered about like one lost, dreading to visit the cottage, because of -a sudden indescribable reserve of the fair tenant, yet held as by -invisible hands in the nearest neighborhood of the place. One day, -sitting with blinds closed and a headache, ready for an excuse to all -who should come to tempt her out, Jenny missed the tall form passing -shyly by the door half a dozen times per diem. The next morning she met -Si Perkins--by the merest accident, of course, on her part--coming from -the spring with a bottle of water. - -"Is Mr. Brodie sick?" she asked, quickly. - -"Yes, Miss; he was took bad night before last; but he's better," he -added, anxious to prevent--he hardly knew what. - -"Very well; you may tell Mr. Brodie that I am coming to see him and read -to him this afternoon." She spoke determinedly, almost savagely, as -though she anticipated finding Si Perkins at the door with drawn sword, -ready to dispute the entrance. - -She was shocked to find Mr. Brodie so pale and thin as he lay on the bed -that afternoon; and Si Perkins, in a tone that seemed to accuse her of -being the cause, said, "I told you it was his chist, Miss; he's getting -powerful weak up here in the mountains, and yit he won't go down." - -She was an angel while he was too sick to leave his room, sitting by him -for hours, reading to him in her soft child's voice, and speaking to -him so gently and tenderly that he felt a better, and oh! so much -happier a man when he first walked out beside her again. - -Then there came a day when Ben Brodie stopped at the cottage of his kind -nurse, and with the air of a culprit asked Jenny to come with him, "away -up into the mountains." The light that flashed in her eyes a moment was -quenched by something that looked strangely like a tear, as she turned -to reach for her hat. It was early afternoon, and most people were still -in their cottages, with blinds, and perhaps eyes too, closed. The two -walked slowly, or climbed rather, resting often and looking back to -where they could see the white cottages blinking through the trees. The -wind blew only enough to rustle the pine branches, without stirring the -sobs and wails that lay dormant in those trees. Jays and woodpeckers -went with them, and many a shining flower was broken by the way. At last -Jenny stopped and looked around. - -"Don't let us go farther--who knows but what we may encounter another -bear?" she said roguishly; and he prepared a soft seat for her under the -pines, by pulling handfuls of grass and heaping it up in one place. - -She smiled to herself as she watched him; his awkwardness had left him, -and for the comfort of one whom he only "liked pretty well," he was -taking a great deal of pains, she thought. When she was seated, and had -made him share the grass seat, the restraint suddenly returned, and he -fell to stroking her hand again, and stammered something about her wrist -being better. - -"Yes," she affirmed, "and I mean to return to the city in a day or two." - -He blushed like a girl. "May I go with you?" he asked; and then jumped -at once into the midst of a "declaration"--which had evidently been -gotten by heart--winding up by asking again, "and now may I go with you -to San Francisco, Jenny? and will you marry me?" - -Her eyes had been fixed on the lone bare crag away off across the -valley; and the color in them had changed from light gray to deep black, -and had faded again to a dull heavy gray. - -"You may go to San Francisco, of course, though I shall not see you -there. And 'I like you pretty well,' too; but you must not dare to dream -that I could ever marry you." - -A little linnet in the tree above them had hopped from branch to branch, -and now sat on the lowest, almost facing them. When Jenny's voice, -stone-cold and harsh, had ceased, he broke into a surprised little -chirp, and then uttered quick, sharp notes of reproof or remonstrance. -Jenny understood either the language of the bird, or what the wild, -startled eyes looking into hers said, for the hand that had lain in his -was tightly clinched beside her, telling a tale she would not let her -face repeat. - -When the lamp had been lighted in her cottage that night, she stood -irresolute by the window from where she could see the Brodie-Perkins -habitation. On her way to the dining-room she had come unawares on Si -Perkins instructing a waiter to bring tea to their cottage; and though -she had asked no question, her eyes had rested wistfully on the -partner's stern face. Now she paced the room, her face flushed, her -hands clasped above her aching head, then dropped again idle and -nerveless by her side. - -"It is too late," she said, at last; "and it can never, never be. Then -why make myself wretched over it?" and with a sudden revulsion of -feeling she raised the curtain and looked steadily over to the other -cottage. "It is only the law of reprisals, after all, Ben Brodie! To be -sure _you_ did not break my heart--but--that other man--and--you are all -men." Her voice had died to a whisper; and, drawing writing material -toward her at the table, she was in the midst of her letter before the -vengeful light died out of her eyes. Once she laid her head on her arm -and sobbed bitterly; but she finished the letter, closed and directed -it, and turned down the light so that she could not be seen going from -the cottage. The night air was damp and chilly, and before descending -the three wooden steps that led from the little stoop to the ground, her -unsteady hand sought the dress-pocket to drop her letter in; and then -she drew the shawl and hood close about her. - -She shuddered the next morning, as she threw a last look back into the -room from which her trunk and baggage had already been taken, and she -muttered something about the dreariness of an empty room and an empty -heart. But when her numerous dear friends came to the stage to bid a -last farewell, Jenny's face looked so radiant that many a one turned -with secret envy from the woman to whom life must seem like one -continuous holiday. Si Perkins, with eyebrows drawn deep down, was -attentively studying a newspaper by the open window of the reading-room; -and when Jenny threw a look back from the stage, she fancied that a -trembling hand was working at the blinds of the two partners' cottage; -and the sallow, ghastly face, and wild, startled eyes of yesterday, rose -up reproachfully before her. - -The day dragged slowly on; "from heat to heat" the sun had kissed the -tree-tops with its drowsy warmth, hushing to sleep the countless birds -that make the mountain-side their home. With the cool of evening came -the low breeze that shook the sleepers from repose, and sighed sadly, -sadly through the pines. - -"Has the stage come in?" asked Ben Brodie slowly, as he lay with closed -eyes and feverish brow on his bed in the cottage. - -"Nearly an hour ago," answered Si Perkins, in his growling voice. He had -tried hard to maintain his usual key, but his eyes rested with deep -concern on his friend's face as he spoke. - -"And was there any one in the stage whom you knew?" - -"No one." - -The sick man opened his eyes, and closed them again wearily. His lips -worked spasmodically for an instant; then he asked resolutely, but in an -almost inaudible tone, "Did not _she_ come back, Si? Are you sure? Did -you see all the passengers?" - -"It's no use, Ben; she's gone, and she'll never come back." - -"But, Si"--the quivering lips could hardly frame the words--"have you -been to her cottage? I had not asked you to look, you know; but will you -go to her room now, and see if she has not come back?" - -Without a word Si took his hat, his lips twitching almost as perceptibly -as Ben Brodie's. When he had reached the door the sick man said, "You -are not mad, Si, are you? Have patience with me; I shall be better--so -much better--soon, and then you will forgive me." - -Si turned and held the feverish hand a moment, muttering that he'd go -to--a very hot place if his partner bade him, and then left the room. - -Though he knew the utter folly of such a proceeding, he went to the -vacant cottage, and peered through the open blind into the vacant room. -There was something so death-like and still about the place that he -turned with heavy heart and eyes bent down to the three steps that led -from the stoop to the ground. Something white shimmered up out of the -crevice between the stoop and the first step, and he bent down, saying -to himself, "If it's only a scrap of paper, Ben is spoony enough to want -it, and kiss it mebbee, because it was hers." - -The dampness of the past night had saturated the paper, and drying again -in the sun, a portion of the letter--for such it proved to be--adhered -to the board as Si attempted to draw it out. The letter unfolded itself, -and fluttered lightly before Si's face, who bestowed a blessing on the -"cobweb" paper, and then doggedly sat down to read what was written on -it. His shaggy eyebrows seemed to grow heavier as he read, and his face -turned a livid brown and then red again. When he had finished, he threw -a hasty look over toward their cottage, and crushing the letter in -fierce but silent wrath, he dropped the wad into his pocket and slowly -retraced his steps. - -"She hasn't come?" - -If Ben had moved from his bed during Si's absence, the latter did not -notice any derangement of furniture or bed-clothes, and he now dropped -heavily into a chair beside his friend's bed. - -"When you get well, old fellow, we must go." - -"Where? To San Francisco?" - -"San Francisco be ----. No; to Siskiyou." - -There was no response. The fever had gone down, and Ben lay pale and -still, like a corpse almost, except that his fingers seemed striving to -touch something which evaded his grasp. The wind had grown stronger, and -on it came borne the notes of the grossbeak, who strays down from the -mountain-tops in the evening, and makes those who hear him think of -home, of absent friends, and of all we hold dearest, and all who have -gone from us farthest in this world. - -"How mournfully the wind sings!" said Ben, softly. "It seems like her -voice calling to me. But I will never see her again--. She could not -think of me as I did of her. I would lay down my life for her; but she -could only like me a little. She was too good for me." - -"Ben, Ben! I can't bear to hear you talk so. Oh! that wicked, wicked -woman!" - -"Hush, Si; she was an angel; and when I was sick she taught me to pray." -The gaunt hand that had been raised as if to ward off the harsh words -his partner would say, fell back on his breast, where he laid it across -the other. "Our Father who art in heaven--" The fingers stiffened, and -the heavy lids sank over the weary eyes. - -"Ben, old pard, look at me! Speak to me!" He bent over the motionless -form, and laid his hand caressingly on the wiry black hair. "Don't you -leave me alone in the world." The trembling hand glided down to his -friend's breast and laid itself over the heart. But the heart stood -still; and as he drew back his hand, it touched a cold, smooth object -that fell to the floor. He stooped, and lifted a small vial to the -light, and as he did so a great scalding tear fell on the label, just -where the word "Poison" was traced in large letters. - - -When Si Perkins returned to the Placer Mines, on Yreka Flats, he brought -with him only two articles which he seemed to consider of value. They -were always kept under lock and key. The one was a small vial, with the -word "Poison" on the label, blurred and blotted; the other a letter, -carefully smoothed out, after having been, to all appearances, cruelly -crushed and crumpled. - -The letter ran thus: - - - HOT SPRINGS, June 28. - - "DEAR JIM: I am coming home, and may be in San Francisco even - before this reaches you, unless I should be seized with a notion to - remain in San José, or visit the Warm Springs, or the Mission. My - wrist is not strong yet; and to tell you the truth, only 'the - persecutions of a man' are driving me away from here. I can see you - laugh, and hear you saying, 'At your old tricks, Jenny.' But though - I shall recount the whole affair to you when we meet, I shall not - allow you to laugh at the discomfiture of the gentleman from - Siskiyou. He is so terribly in earnest; and--oh! I remember but too - well the blow you struck my heart when you first told me that you - could never belong to me; that I could never be your lawful wife. - But I don't mean to grow sentimental. You may please issue orders - to Ah Sing and Chy Lun to 'set my house in order,' and look for me - any time between this and the 'glorious Fourth.' - - JENNY." - - - - -_SOMETHING ABOUT MY PETS._ - - -Many a bitter tear they have cost me--the different pets I have had: not -their possession, but their loss, which followed as inevitably as fate, -and as surely as day follows night. As far as my recollection goes back, -my four-footed friends have occupied prominent places in my affections, -and have eventually become the cause of great sorrow. The first doubt I -ever felt of the justice and humanity of the world in general, and my -kinsfolk in particular, was because of the cruel death of my favorite -dog, Arno, who had been given away after my older brother's death, to a -family who had more use and room for a large hunting-dog than my widowed -mother. - -At first, he refused utterly to stay with his new master; but when he -found that the doors of his old home were steadfastly closed against -him, he would lie in wait for me as I went to school; and on my way home -in the afternoon, he would always follow me, drawing back his nose and -fore-paws only in time to prevent their being pinched in by the -sharp-shutting gate, and looking wistfully through the paling with his -big, honest eyes. Perhaps my elders did not understand "dog-language" as -I did; but I knew that Arno fully appreciated the feeling which led me -to throw my arms around his neck and weep bitter, childish tears on his -brown head; and he felt comforted by my sympathy, I am sure, for he -would lick my hands, and wag his long-haired tail with a little joyous -whine, before trotting back to the broad stone steps in front of his new -master's house. But night always found him under my chamber window, -which looked out on a narrow lane, used as a thoroughfare; and here I -could hear his deep-mouthed bark all night long, as he kept fancied -marauders and real dogs from encroaching on our premises and his -self-chosen battle-ground. For he met his death here, at last. - -He had become quite aged; and the other dogs of the neighborhood had -frequently made common cause against him, for blocking up (to them) the -passage in the lane, but had never yet been able to rout him. One night, -however, they attacked him with overpowering numbers, and punished him -so severely that it was found to be necessary, or, at least, merciful, -the next morning, to send a bullet through his head and end his misery. -To me this all seemed terribly cruel, and I cried wildly, and sobbed out -my reproaches against everybody for having left him to lie out in the -street at night, instead of allowing him a safe shelter in the house. I -refused to be comforted, or adopt any other dog in his place; but -bestowed my affection and caresses impartially on all the stray dogs and -horses that happened to cross my path. - -Some time after I was married, a little spotted dog, of no particular -breed, sought shelter from the rain on the basement-steps, one day, and -refused to "tramp" when the shower was over. She was a short-legged, -smooth-haired little thing, with the brightest eyes I ever saw in a -dog's head. Tiny soon became my pet, and amply repaid us for the food -and shelter we had given her. She learned everything, and with such -ease, that I sometimes suspected I had taken into my family one who had -formerly been a public circus performer. She could stand on her hind -legs and beg for an apple or a piece of sugar; she could find and fetch -a hidden handkerchief, glove, or cap; she could jump through a hoop, and -could pick out from among a lot of articles the shawls, comforters, or -hats belonging to myself, or any member of the family. On the approach -of a buggy to the house, she would rush to the window, and if she -recognized it as the captain's, would scratch and whine till I opened -the door for her, in sheer self-defence. Dashing up to the buggy, she -would wag her tail with such vehemence as threatened to upset her little -round body--begging in this way for a glove, or the long buggy-whip, to -drag into the house. - -Tiny also knew the name of the different members of the family, whether -they occupied the same house with us, or only came on visits. If mother -came on a visit, for instance, I could send Tiny from the kitchen with a -key, a paper, or anything she could carry, and on my order, "Give it to -mother," she would carry it to the parlor, or wherever mother might be, -and lay it carefully in her lap, or on the sofa beside her. On the -order, "Kiss the captain," she would immediately dart at that gentleman, -and, if he ever so artfully avoided her little tongue for the time -being, she would watch the first opportunity to climb into his lap, or -jump on to a piece of furniture, to execute the command. - -Soon after Tiny's advent, a young stag-hound was given to the captain, -and him she took under her wing, though in size he could boast of three -times her own volume. Dick, I am very sorry to own, was not so well -treated as Tiny; and I smite my breast even now, and say very -penitently, "_mea culpa_," when I think of how I hurt him, one day. I -was lying on the sofa, half asleep from the heat and the exertion of -cutting the leaves of a new magazine. Presently, Dick approached, and -before I could open my eyes, or ward him off, he had jumped on the sofa -and settled full on my head and face. Angry and half-stifled, I flung -the dog with all my might to the floor, where he set up such a pitiful -crying, that I knew he must be seriously hurt. Jumping up, I saw him, -quite a distance from the sofa, holding up his foreleg, on which his paw -was dangling in a loose, out-of-place manner. Comprehending what I had -done, I carried him into the next room, and poured the basin full of -water, in which I held his paw; and then bound rags on the dislocated -limb, steeping the paw into the water occasionally, to keep down the -swelling till the captain should come. Sorry as I felt for having -inflicted such pain on the poor animal, it was a perfect farce to watch -his proceedings, and I had laughed till my sides ached before the -captain got home. It so happened that mother and one or two other near -friends came in during the course of the day. As soon as any one entered -the room, Dick, who had been allowed to take up his quarters on a -blanket in the sitting-room, would hobble up, hold out his rag-wrapped -paw, and, elevating his nose, would utter heart-rending cries of pain, -thus "passing his hat for a pennyworth of sympathy," as unmistakably as -I have known human beings to do many a time before. Then, with cries and -grimaces, he would induce the beholder to follow him pityingly into the -next room, where he would immerse his foot in the water, as I had made -him do, once or twice. During this performance Tiny would keep close -behind him, and with little sympathetic whines, would echo all his cries -and complainings; and this show was repeated whenever they could get a -fresh spectator. - -At the same time, we had in our possession a horse, which, for sagacity, -kindness, and docility, outshone all the horses I have ever had the -fortune to become acquainted with. Not the most partial admiration of -Kitty's many virtues could lead me into believing her to be beautiful, -though she was by no means an ugly horse. A bright bay, with well-shaped -head, she was too short-bodied, though the long legs seemed to lay claim -to an admixture of English blood. Kitty was a saddle-nag as well as -buggy-horse, and the captain always chose her when he had a fatiguing -ride to take; though, for my part, I should have scorned to be seen -mounted on an ugly, stump-tailed thing like her. - -This is ingratitude, however; I have never had a more devoted friend -than Kitty. She was assigned to the duty of taking me out to "mother's -house," where she was always well pleased to go, for I used to take her -out of the harness and let her run loose under the orchard trees. I have -never met with a horse so expert at picking apples as she was; she never -injured the trees, and seemed always to know exactly which were the best -"eating apples." When the time came to go home, Kitty, like a sensible, -grateful horse, was always on hand; the only trouble was to get her back -into harness again--it generally being just milking-time then, and I -never liked to admit to any of the men that I could not harness a horse -as well as saddle it. So, it often happened that, after I got on the -road, Kitty would stop short and refuse to go a step farther. Whipping -would do no good on such occasions; she would only switch her tail, -stamp her foot impatiently, and turn her head around, as if to say: -"Don't you know that I have good reasons for acting so?" On throwing -down the lines, and examining the harness, I would be sure to find that -some buckle had been left unfastened, or some strap was dragging under -her feet. One day a soldier came to my assistance, and he said it was -the greatest wonder in the world that the horse had not kicked the buggy -to pieces, for I had fastened a buckle on the wrong side, and with every -step she took the buckle had pressed sorely into poor Kitty's flesh. I -could appreciate Kitty's good behavior all the more for having seen her -kick dashboard and shafts to splinters, one day, when the captain drove -her, and some part of the harness gave way. - -The friendship, however, was reciprocal; for many a bucket of cool, -fresh water, many a tea-tray full of oats, and many an apple and lump of -sugar had Kitty received at my hands, when she stopped at the door, or -was taken into the back yard, to await her master's leisure to ride. The -saddle she liked best, for under it she could move about in the yard. -She would follow me like a dog, and tried to make her way into the -basement one day, where I had gone to get some grain for her. I always -kept a sack of oats in the house, as we had no stable, and the horses -were boarded at a stable down town; but Kitty would have gone without -her dinner many a time had it not been for the "private feeds" I gave -her, as the captain's opinion was that horses should not be "pampered -and spoiled." Kitty knew how much I thought of her, and sometimes -presumed on it, too. I have known her--at times, when the captain -brought her into the yard late at night, previously to sending her to -the stable--to set up such a whinnying, stamping, and snorting, that, to -the captain's infinite amusement, I was compelled to leave my bed and -take her a handful of oats or a piece of sugar. And on the street, if I -met the captain mounted on or riding behind Kitty, she would instantly -step on the sidewalk and make a dive for my pocket, to extract the apple -she fancied concealed there. Moreover, she would allow Tiny to climb all -over her back; but Dick she always greeted with a snort, and -occasionally with a kick. - -One day the captain furnished a valuable addition to the "happy family," -without, in the least, intending to do so. It seems that just as he was -leaving the house, he saw an open market-wagon, and on it two forlorn -chickens broiling in the July sun. The man offered to sell him the -chickens, so he bought them, threw them over the fence, and called to -the servant to unfasten the string fettering the feet of the poor -animals. His order was not heard; and I knew nothing of the existence of -the chickens till Tiny's barking attracted my attention. There lay the -two chickens, gasping and panting, and the dogs, like all little -natures, exhibited great delight at being able to worry and distress the -poor, defenceless creatures. I dragged the poor things into the shade, -cut their fetters, and gave them "food and drink." One of the chickens -was a gay-feathered rooster, the other, a plain-looking hen, who -exhibited, however, by far the best sense, in this, that she did not -struggle to get away from me as "fighting Billy" did, but allowed me to -pass my hand over her soft dress, accompanying each stroke with a low -crooning "craw-craw," as though wishing to express her satisfaction with -her present position. When I thought the chickens were both safe and -comfortable in the yard, I went back to my favorite resting-place--a -soft rug, in front of the sitting-room fireplace. The summer was -extraordinarily warm, and I had repeatedly wandered all over the house -in search of the "coolest place," but had always returned to this. Not -far from me was a window, from which the shutters were thrown back -directly after noon, as there was shade then on this side of the house, -and nearly opposite was a door leading to the vine-clad porch. Glad -enough to pass a part of the hot afternoon in a _siesta_, I was -surprised on waking, and stretching out my feet, to push against a soft, -round ball; and the slow "craw-craw" I heard, caused me to start to a -sitting posture. There, sure enough, was chicky, cuddled up close to my -feet, repeating her monotonous song every time I deigned to take notice -of her. I had never believed before that chickens had brains enough to -feel affection or gratitude towards anybody; but I wish to state as an -actual fact that chicky, as long as she was in my possession, never let -a day pass that she did not come fluttering up the low steps to the -porch and visit me in the sitting-room. During my regular _siesta_ she -was always beside me; and if I attempted to close the door against her, -she would fly up to the window and come in that way. Indeed, she wanted -to take up her roost there altogether; and it was only with great -difficulty I could persuade her to remove to the back-yard. - -Fighting Billy proved by no means so companionable as chicky: within the -first week he had fought, single-handed, every rooster in the -neighborhood, and the second week he staggered about the yard with his -"peepers" closed, and showing general marks of severe punishment, from -the effects of which he died, in spite of aught we could do for his -relief. - -But our "happy family" was broken up, after awhile: the captain was -"called to the wars," and, in spite of all I could say, took Kitty with -him, as the "most reliable horse." Kitty never returned; and I spent one -whole day, during the captain's first visit home, in saying: "I told you -so," and crying over Kitty's loss. Next, Tiny was stolen; and Dick went -the way of most all "good dogs"--with our servant-girl's -butcher-beau--at whose house I saw him, shortly after Babette's -marriage, together with sundry lace-collars, table-cloths, and -napkin-rings that had mysteriously left the house about the same time -with her. Chicky disappeared the night before Thanksgiving day: perhaps -they couldn't get any turkey to give thanks for, and contented -themselves with a chicken. - -When the captain next came home, he found nothing but a squirrel--but -this squirrel was the greatest pet I had yet found. I came by it in this -way: two small, ragged boys pulled the bell one day, and, seeing a -little wooden cage in their hands, I went to the door immediately -myself. How the little wretches knew of my silly propensity for -collecting all vagabond, half-starved animals, I don't know; but they -showed me a scraggy little squirrel in the cage, and said, with the -utmost confidence, they wanted to sell it to me. - -"How much do you want for it?" I asked. - -"Two dollars," said the oldest, at a venture, and then opened his eyes -in astonishment, as much at his own audacity as at my silence--which -seemed to imply assent to his extortion. - -You see, I had opened the cage, and bunny had slipped out, scrambled up -on my arm, and lodged himself close around my neck, where he lay with -his little head tucked under my chin. How could I let the little thing -go? So I gave the boy his two dollars, for which he generously offered -to leave the cage, which offer I declined, intending to make a -house-dog of bunny. The sagacity, gentleness, and playfulness of little -Fritz are beyond all description; though his bump of destructiveness, I -must acknowledge, was also very largely developed. He was still young, -and I could keep him on a window-sill quite safely, till I felt sure of -his attachment to me, and his disinclination to make his escape. The -window-sill and the open window remained his favorite post to the end of -his life; though when he grew older, he would occasionally jump from my -bed-room window, in the second story, to the grass and flower-beds -below. He had not been in the house more than a week before he followed -me about like a dog, and took his place close by me at the table, eating -and drinking anything I had a mind to offer him. He drank coffee out of -a cup, and ate the meat I gave him--holding it in his paws, as little -children hold a strip of meat in their hands--nibbling and sucking it, -with great gusto. - -I cannot conceal that the wood work, the furniture, and all the books, -throughout the house, soon displayed ragged edges and torn surfaces; and -mother (who had taken up her abode with us), who punished Fritz for his -depredations sometimes, was held in high disfavor by him, in -consequence. When I was not at home, he would hardly allow her to touch -him, and would hide under the pillows on my bed, at her approach, -barking and scolding with great vehemence. To me he never said an -"unkind word;" on the contrary, I could hardly secure myself from his -caresses. Sometimes I would place him on the top of a tall cupboard, or -high wardrobe, to get him away from under my feet; but the moment I -passed anywhere within reaching-distance, he would fly down on me, and, -settling on my hand, face, or shoulder, would fall to licking my face, -and nibbling at my ears and nose, to assure me of his favor. I fear I -have slapped him more than once for marking my face with his little -sharp claws, when making one of these sudden descents. At night, he -slept under my pillow; and early in the morning he would creep out, -nibble at my eyelids, and switch me with his bushy tail. Without opening -my eyes, I would reach out for a handful of nuts--opened and placed -within reach the night before--and with these he would amuse himself for -a long while, always cleaning his face and paws after disposing of his -first breakfast. With sundown he went to sleep; but, of warm nights, -when I went to bed late, I would carry his little drinking-cup to him, -filled with ice-water. Half asleep, sometimes with his eyes closed, he -would take a long drink; but never once, of all those nights, did he -return to his pillow without first gratefully passing his little tongue -over the hand that held him. That he knew it was my hand, I am quite -certain; for if the captain ever attempted to touch him, in the middle -of the night, when Fritz was ever so sound asleep, he would immediately -start up with a snarl, and snap at the captain's fingers; whereas, if I -thrust my hand under the pillow, in the dead of night, he would lick it, -and rub his nose against it. - -With nothing but a little basket to carry him in, I took him with me for -a journey, on a Mississippi steamer. I left him in the basket, while -looking after my baggage; but when I returned to my state-room, he -suddenly jumped on my head from above, having eaten his way out, through -the lid of the basket, and climbed to the top-berth. The stewardess on -the steamer tried to steal him, when near port, but Fritz had made such -good use of his sharp claws and teeth that she was fain to own: "She had -on'y wanted to _tech_ the lilly bunny--hadn't wanted to hurt'm, 'tall." - -It makes me sad, even now, to think of the closing scene of Fritz's -short, but, let me hope, happy life. Once a lady, the mother of a -terrible little boy, had come to spend the day with us; and I soon -discovered that either Fritz or the little boy must be caged "up and -away." So, pretending to be afraid that the boy might get hurt, but in -reality fearing only for Fritz's welfare, I carried the squirrel up into -the lumber-room, where I brought to him nuts without number, apples, -sugar, crackers, and water to bathe in and drink from. There was a pane -broken out of the window-sash, but this I covered with a piece of -paste-board, and then went down to entertain the lady and her detestable -little boy. Seated at the window, not long after, I saw an urchin come -running around the next corner, and, when barely within speaking -distance, he shouted at the top of his voice: "Say, Missis, they's got -him, 'round here in the cooper-yard, and he's dead--the squirrel!" he -added, in explanation. - -Though by no means in a toilet representing a "street-dress"--in fact, -with only one slipper on--I started off on a run, and never stopped till -my youthful mentor pointed to a circle of men and boys, gathered around -an object lying on the ground. It was Fritz, writhing in the last -agonies of death, while the boys were calling each other's attention to -the contortions of the poor little body. In a moment, I was among them, -had lifted Fritz in my arms, and held him to my face. - -"Who did that?" I asked, with pain and anger struggling in my heart; -"which of you little brutes killed the poor, harmless thing?" - -The little ragamuffin who had led me to the spot, pointed to two boys -making ineffectual attempts to hide a long stick, they were carrying, -behind them. - -"They was a-hitting 'm like fury, and then I runned to tell you; please, -Missis, gimme a dime." - -Poor little Fritz! He knew me, even in the death-struggle; for he passed -his tongue over my hand once more, just before the last convulsive -shudder ran through his body, and his little limbs grew stiff and cold. -I don't feel, in the least, ashamed to own that I cried--cried many -tears--cried bitterly; and I felt dreadfully lonesome when I woke up at -night, and, from the sheer force of habit, put my hand under my pillow -without finding Fritz there. I made a vow then never to have any more -pets; but it was a rash one. - -Some years later, when the war was over, the "theatre of our life" was -to be shifted from the crowded, populous city to the lonely wilds of the -frontier country. When we reached Fort Leavenworth, the quarters in the -barracks were all occupied, and a number of our officers were assigned -quarters in the Attaché Barracks. The captain had decided to purchase a -horse from the government stables, and turn him over to me for -saddle-use, as I did not want to go to our frontier-post without a horse -of my own to depend on. It was in June; and the little square yards in -front of the Attaché Barracks were fresh and sweet with grass and -blossoming red clover. The door of our quarters stood open; the captain -had gone out, and I was startled by a knock on the door-post. Looking -up, I saw the head of an orderly appearing at the door; but, poking over -his head, I saw that of a horse evidently taking a strict inventory of -everything in the room. Of course, I was at the door, and on the horse's -neck, in the course of a very few seconds, for, from the orderly, I soon -understood that the captain had sent the horse for me to look at. -Colonel L----, with his two little girls, came up just then, and, as we -were all going in the same command, the acquisition of a horse for the -march had an interest for all parties. Together, we surrounded and -admired the beautiful white animal; and the two little girls and myself -were soon braiding clover-blossoms into Toby's tail, and trimming his -head and neck with garlands of butter-cups--operations which did not, in -the least, interfere with his good humor, or his appetite for the juicy -grass he was cropping. The captain, it seems, had already tried his -speed and mettle; he was not appraised at at any unreasonable figure, -and so Toby was mine before we took up the line of march for the Plains. - -From the wagon-master I heard, later, that Toby had been captured in -Texas, during the war. He had been raised and trained by a woman who had -followed him around the country for some time, trying to get her pet -back again; but Uncle Sam, no doubt, had the best right to him, and he -was placed in the stables of the Fitting-out Depot. One thing certainly -spoke for the truth of the story: whenever Toby had been let loose and -refused to be tied up again, he would always allow me to come up to him, -when he would turn and throw up his heels at the approach of a man. - -Toby was soon a universal favorite and proved himself worthy of the -preference, though he had one or two tricks about him that were by no -means commendable. First: he was an inveterate thief; and then--at times -when he was not ridden, but led along by the orderly--he had a mean way -of lying back and letting the other horse pull him along, that fairly -exasperated me. His thefts, however, were always carried out in such a -cunning manner that I readily forgave the sin for the sake of the skill. -We had not been long on the march when Toby perpetrated his first -robbery. The captain rode him, and when the command halted for lunch, he -would come up to our ambulance, dismount, and let Toby go perfectly -free--for we had soon found that he would not stray from the command. -Toby learned to know the contents and appliances of lunch-baskets very -soon, particularly as he received his portion from ours regularly every -day. One day, after having dispatched his bread-and-butter and lump of -sugar in the neighborhood of our ambulance, he walked over to Colonel -L----'s, and while Mrs. L---- was leaning out on the other side, -speaking to the colonel, Toby quietly lifted the lunch-basket from her -lap, deposited it on the grass, overturned it, and helped himself to the -contents. Unfortunately for Toby, Mrs. L---- had spread mustard on her -ham-sandwiches, and the sneezing and coughing of the erring horse first -called her attention to his presence, and the absence of her -lunch-basket. - -Not long after, we made camp very early in the day, and the major's -folks came to fill a long-standing promise to take tea with us, and -spend the evening at our tent. The visit passed off very pleasantly, and -an engagement was made to return it at an early day. Toby, who was -prowling about the tent, no doubt overheard the conversation, and felt -it incumbent on him to fill the engagement as soon as possible. -Consequently, he stationed himself near the major's tent-fly the very -next morning, and paid close attention to the preparations going on for -tea; and just as the cook had put the finishing-touch to the table, and -had stepped back to call the family and set the tea and the meats on the -table, Toby gravely walked up, swallowed the butter with one gulp, upset -the sugar-bowl, gobbled up the contents, and proceeded leisurely to -investigate the inside of a tin jelly-can. The soldiers, who had watched -his manoeuvres from a distance, had been too much charmed with the -performance to give warning to the cook; but when he made his -appearance, meat-dish and tea-pot in hand, they gave such a shout as set -the whole camp in an uproar, and Toby was fairly worshipped by the -soldiers from that day out. - -But the faithfulness and patience of the horse, in time of need, made me -forgive him all these tricks. Months later--when still on the march, in -the most desolate wilderness, in the midst of the pathless mountains, -when other horses "gave up the ghost," and were shot at the rate of a -dozen a day--Toby held out, carrying me on his back, day after day, -night after night, till his knees trembled with fatigue and faintness, -and he turned his head and took my foot between his teeth, at last, to -tell me he could carry me no farther! Not once, but a dozen times, has -he repeated this manoeuvre; once, too, when we were coming down a very -steep hill, he planted his forefeet down firmly, turned his head, and -softly bit the foot I held in the stirrup, to tell me that I must -dismount. - -The most singular devotion of one horse to another, I witnessed while -out in New Mexico. The captain found it necessary to draw a saddle-horse -for his own use, and selected one from a number which the volunteers had -left behind. It had been half-starved latterly, and was vicious, more -from ill-treatment than by nature. The first evening when it was brought -to our stable, it kicked the orderly so that he could not attend to the -horses next morning, and the cook had to look after them. I went into -the stable to bring Toby a titbit of some kind, and here found that Copp -(the new horse) was deliberately eating the feed out of Toby's trough. -The cook called my attention to it, and explained that the horse had -done the same thing last night; and on interfering, the orderly had been -viciously kicked by the animal. I reached over to stroke the creature's -mane, but the cook called to me to stop, holding up his arm to show -where the horse had bitten him. I went quickly back into the tent, got a -large piece of bread, and held it out to Copp. In an instant he had -swallowed it, and had fallen back on Toby's feed again, without meeting -with the least opposition from that side. Toby evidently had better -sense, and more charity, than the men had shown; he knew that the horse -was half-starved, and wicked only from hunger. - -If I had never believed before that horses were capable of reasoning, -and remembering kind actions, Copp's behavior toward Toby would have -converted me. Often, when out on timber-cutting or road-making -excursions, I accompanied the captain, and, mounted on Toby, would hold -Copp by the bridle or picket-rope, so as to allow the orderly to -participate in the pleasures of the day. The grass was rich up in the -mountains, and Toby would give many a tug at the bridle to get his head -down where he could crop it; this, however, had been forbidden by the -captain, once for all, and Toby was compelled to hold his head up in the -proper position. Copp, however, was allowed to crop the grass; but he -never ate a mouthful, of which he did not first give Toby half! -Sometimes he would go off as far as the bridle would reach, gather up a -large bunch in his mouth, and then step back to Toby and let him pull -his share of it out from between his teeth. But no other horse dare -approach Toby in Copp's sight. I have seen him jump quite across the -road for the purpose of biting a horse that was rubbing his nose against -Toby's mane in a friendly manner. One day we met a party of disappointed -gold-hunters, who were anxious to dispose of a little, light wagon they -had. The captain bought it, thinking to break Toby and Copp to harness. -Toby took to his new occupation kindly enough, but Copp could only be -made to move in his track when I stood at a distance and called to him. -He would work his way up to me with a wild, frightened air; but the -moment I was out of his sight, neither beating nor coaxing could induce -him to move a step. - -But--dear me--those horses have taken up my thoughts so completely, that -I have almost exhausted this paper without speaking of the other pets I -have had. The horned toad could never make its way into my good graces; -nor the land-turtle, neither, after it had once "shut down" on my dog -Tom's tail. They were both abolished by simply leaving them on the road. -The prairie-dog refused to be tamed, but ran away, the ungrateful -wretch, with collar, chain, and all; a living wonder, no doubt, to his -brethren in the prairie-dog village, through which we were passing at -the time. - -But my mink, Max, was a dear little pet. He was given me by a soldier at -Fort Union, and had been captured on the Pecos River, near Fort Sumner. -He was of a solid, dark-brown color, and the texture of his coat made it -clear at once why a set of mink-furs is so highly prized by the ladies. -His face was anything but intelligent; yet he was as frisky and active -as any young mink need be. It was while we were still on the march, that -Max took his place in the ambulance by me as regularly as day came. When -we made camp in the afternoon, he was allowed to run free, and when it -grew dark, I would step to the tent-door, call "Max! Max!" and -immediately he would come dashing up, uttering sounds half-chuckle, -half-bark, as if he were saying: "Well, well--ain't I coming as fast as -I can?" - -On long days' marches he would lie so still in the ambulance, that I -often put out my hand to feel whether he was beside me; and wherever I -happened to thrust my fingers, his mouth would be wide open to receive -them, and a sharp bite would instantly apprise me of his whereabouts. He -had his faults, too--serious faults--and one of them, I fear, led to his -destruction. Travelling over the plains of New Mexico, in the middle of -summer, is no joking matter, for man or mink, and a supply of fresh, -cool water, after a hot day's march, is not only desirable, but -necessary. But it is not always an easy matter to get water; and I have -known the men to go two or three miles for a bucketful. Getting back to -camp weary and exhausted, they would naturally put the bucket in the -only available place--on the ground; and the next moment, Max, who was -always on hand for his share of it, would suddenly plunge in and swim -"'round and 'round" in pursuit of his tail--choosing to take his drink -of water in this manner, to the great disgust of the tired men. - -Company "B" was still with us at this time, and the tent of the company -commander was pitched not far from ours. Sergeant Brown, of this -company, was in possession of a dozen or two of chickens; and these, I -suspect, were the cause of the mink's death. Like all animals out in the -wilderness, the chickens could be allowed to run free, without ever -straying away from their owner: there was thought to be no danger -lurking near for them; but suddenly one or two were found with their -throats torn open, and the blood sucked from their lifeless bodies. Max -was accused, with the greater show of truth, as the cook of the -lieutenant had caught him the next day rolling away an egg, which he had -purloined from the lieutenant's stock of provisions. The cook, following -Max, discovered that he had already three eggs hidden in the -neighborhood of our tent. I grew alarmed for the safety of my pet, -though I knew that the men of our company would not have harmed a hair -of his brown, bear-like head. - -One night I stepped to the tent-door to call Max; but no Max answered. -The orderly was sent to look through the tents, as Max sometimes stopped -with the men who showed any disposition to play with him--but he could -not be found. I spent an uneasy night, calling "Max! Max!" whenever I -heard the least noise outside the tent. Next morning I got up betimes, -and as soon as I had swallowed my breakfast, went down toward the Rio -Grande. The ground grew broken and rocky near the banks of the river, -and I half thought he might have returned to his native element. I -climbed to a point where I could see the river, and called "Max! Max!" -but heard nothing in answer, save the rolling of a little stone I had -loosened with my foot. "Max! Max!" I called again; but the dull roar of -the water, where it surged lazily against the few exceptional rocks on -the bank, was all I could hear. Going back to camp, I found the tents -struck, the command moving, and the ambulance waiting for me. Wiping the -tears from my face, I climbed in--shaking the blankets for the fiftieth -time to see if Max had not mischievously hidden among them. - -From a conversation I overheard long afterward, I concluded that Max had -fallen a victim to Sergeant Brown's revengeful spirit--in fact, had been -slaughtered in atonement for those assassinated chickens. - - - - -_POKER-JIM._ - - -Two motherless girls, and only a brother a few years older left to -protect them. - -When the father died, the mother had turned the old homestead--for there -_are_ houses in San Francisco fifteen and twenty years old--into a -source of revenue from which she provided for the children. The father -had left nothing save debts--gambling debts--and the fraternity had not -called on the widow to settle these. For her own existence she seemed to -need nothing--absolutely nothing--but the caresses of her children, and -the happiness and contentment mirrored in their eyes. When she died the -girls were old enough, and competent, to look after the house, which the -mother had made a pleasant home to many a "roomer" who had come a -stranger to the city, had been badgered and harassed by flint-eyed, -stony-hearted landladies, and had at last, by some good fortune, found -his way into the precincts of the widow's cozy, quiet walls. The son -had, through the influence of some of the roomers, obtained a position -in a wholesale liquor establishment, where the salary was high, and--the -temptation great. - -That the two young girls should carry on the house just as their dying -mother had left it to them, was something no one in San Francisco would -think of commenting upon. And as the proverbial chivalry of the -Californian would prompt him to suffer inconvenience and loss rather -than to deprive women in any way thrown on his care or his protection, -they missed only their mother's love and presence in the home, which -remained home to them still. After a while the painful truth dawned on -them that their brother was being weaned away from it. His evenings were -now but seldom spent with them in the little sitting-room whose -ivy-mantled bay-window looked out on the garden, where the flower-beds -had moved closer up to the house as the lots became more valuable, and -the orchard had been cut down to a few trees on the grass-plot. - -At first the excuse was, that customers from the country, buying heavily -of the firm, had a right to expect attentions not strictly of a business -nature from him, its chief representative. Then his absence from home -grew more protracted, and often midnight tolled from St. Mary's before -his unsteady feet mounted the door-steps. One night, a lady, attracted -to the balcony by an unusually brilliant moon, when she awoke from her -midnight slumbers, wonderingly saw a carriage drive up to the house -where the two sisters lay in peaceful sleep. She was too far off to see -whether there was a number on the carriage, or what the number was. -Neither could she distinguish the face of the driver, nor that of the -gentleman who assisted another, whom she rightly judged to be Edward -Ashburne, from the carriage into the house. That the face of the one who -supported, or rather carried, young Edward, was deadly white, framed in -by a heavy black beard, was all she could tell. "Poor girls!" she -soliloquized; "better that the boy was dead than turn drunkard, and -gamble, like his father." - -The carriage drove off rapidly after the gentleman--who, as she thought, -had helped Ned to the door and rang the bell--had re-entered it; and -carriage-driver and ghostly-faced gentleman could never be found or -heard of afterward. - -What the neighbor-lady heard still further that same night was, first, -the furious barking, then the doleful howling of the young Newfoundland -dog, which the Misses Ashburne had recently "adopted," and, soon after, -a wild, heart-rending cry. - -"The horrid boy!" she continued, full of sympathy; "is he so beastly -drunk? Could he have struck one of his sisters?" - -Aye, good woman; struck them both a terrible blow, but not with his -hand, for that lay powerless by his side. And the eyes were sightless -that stared vacantly into their own, as they bent over him where he lay -stretched out on the hall-floor--his coat folded under his head, his -latch-key close at hand. Only a painful gasp answered their pitiful -entreaties to "speak once more;" and before the sympathizing inmates of -the stricken house could remove him to his bed, he had breathed his -last. - -"Beaten to a jelly," sententiously remarked one of the men, under his -breath, to another, as they left the chamber to the sisters and the more -intimate friends of the family. - -"Some woman scrape--you can bet on that," was the response. And they -joined the others in their efforts to discover the perpetrators of the -dastard deed. - -But no clue was found, and after a while San Francisco forgot the -sisters and their sorrow; and one day, when the neighbor-lady told her -ever-fresh story to a new-made acquaintance, she added: "And now they -have gone, the poor girls, and nobody knows where." - - -From the balcony of the two-story frame hotel-building a young girl was -watching the sunlight sinking behind the dimly-outlined range of the -Coast Mountains. Perhaps her eyes roved so far away because the -immediate surrounding of the hotel was not attractive; though the -streets devoted to private residences of this little city--to which the -railroad was fast making its way--were pleasing to the eye, and rather -Southern in their features. The orange, ripening in one cluster with the -fragrant blossom, as well as the tall-growing oleander, embowering -cottage alike with mansion, spoke of oppressive weather in the summer, -and promised glorious, balmy days during the short California winter. - -Had the girl, at whose feet a large Newfoundland dog lay sleeping, -stepped to the end of the balcony which ran along the whole length of -the house, she could have followed the course of the Feather River, -which but a short distance away mingled its clear waters with the muddy -waves of the Yuba. But she was evidently not engaged in a study of the -"lay of the land," though her eyes seemed to follow with some interest -the direction of a particular road leading to the hotel. Directly she -spoke to the dog, touching him lightly with her toe: "Cruiser, old dog, -come, wake up, they are coming." - -From out of the cloud of dust rolling up to the hotel emerged hacks and -stages well filled with passengers, whom the railroad had brought from -San Francisco to Yuba City, and who thus continued to this place and -onward. Partly sheltered from sight by the boughs of a tree shading the -balcony, the young girl leaned forward to scan the faces of the people -who left hacks and coaches and hastened into the house to brush and wash -off a little of the biting, yellowish dust clinging to them. It seemed -to be a sort of pastime with the girl and her four-footed companion, -this "seeing the people get in;" for she made remarks and observations -on the looks and manners of people which the dog seemed fully to -understand, for he would reply, sometimes with a wag of his bushy tail, -sometimes with a short, sharp bark, and then again with a long yawn of -_ennui_. Almost the last passenger who alighted was a gentleman whose -large black eyes and raven hair would have thrilled the bosom of any -miss of sixteen--as, indeed, they startled our young friend, although -she might have been two or three years above and beyond that interesting -age. The bough that she had drawn down to screen herself behind, sprang -up with a sudden snap, which caused the upturning of a pale and rather -severe face, from which looked those black eyes with a grave, rather -than sad, expression. A sudden thought or memory--she did not know -which--shot through her brain as her eyes looked down into his; it was -only a flash, but it made her think of her childhood, of her mother--she -hardly knew of what. - -"Cruiser, old dog," she said; but the dog had squeezed his head under -the railing as far as he could get it, as if making a desperate attempt -to get a nearer look at the stranger. When he drew his head back he -raised himself, laid his forepaws on the railing, and looked hard into -the girl's face, with a low, questioning whine. "It's nothing, old boy; -you don't know him. Come, now, we'll see if we can help Julia about the -house." - -Down at the bar, mine host of the "Eagle Exchange" was welcoming his -guests, nerving himself to this task with frequent libations, offered by -the fancy bartender, and paid for by such of his guests as had made the -"Exchange" their stopping-place before, and knew of the landlord's -weakness. Stepping from the bar-room into the reading-room, to look for -any stray guest who might have failed to offer at the shrine, he met the -dark-eyed stranger face to face, and recoiled, either from some sudden -surprise or the effects of deep potations, steadying himself against the -door-frame as he reeled. The stranger, continuing on his way to the -staircase, seemed hardly to notice him, involuntarily turning his head -away as if unwilling to view so fair-looking a specimen of humanity -degrading himself to the level of the brute. - -Later at night we find our young friend, together with her older sister, -in the family sitting-room of the hotel. Annie, the younger, is softly -stroking the sister's hair as though she were the elder, endeavoring to -comfort a fretting, troubled child. No word was spoken until the -husband-landlord entered the room. Julia gave a nervous start, while -Annie touched her gently and soothingly on the shoulder. Mr. Davison -was a great deal soberer than could be expected; and his wife gave a -sigh of relief when she found that he was only maudlin drunk. - -"Ah, there you are, both together again--as affectionate a pair of -sisters as ever I see. Well, well, Julia, girl, maybe I ain't made you -as good a husband as you deserve to have, but I'll see that our little -sister there is well provided for. By-the-by, Annie, when Tom Montrie -comes down from the mountains he'll find good sport: one of the nicest -fellows you ever saw has come down from San Francisco, and I'll try to -get him to spend at least part of the winter with us. Oh, he's on the -sport," in answer to an anxious look from Julia, "but he's a mighty -clever fellow--genteel, and all that sort of thing. Tom's made a pretty -good stake again this summer, I know; and it'll be a good plan to keep -him well entertained while Annie is away teaching the ragged young -one--for I suppose she'll insist on keeping on in that stupid school, -when she might just as well marry Tom at once and set herself and her -poor relations up in the world." - -The girl had listened in silence to this long tirade, a burning spot on -each cheek alone showing that she heard at all what was said. It was -Julia's turn to be elder sister now. - -"Annie," she said, "I forgot to tell Peter that he had better use more -yeast for the muffins he sets to-night; will you please to tell him so -as you go up-stairs?" Drawing her fingers through Annie's curly brown -hair, and looking affectionately into her deep hazel eyes, she kissed -her good-night; and the sister silently departed, followed up-stairs by -Cruiser, who kept watch through the night on his rug outside her door. - -To discover the cause of Mr. Davison's unusual sobriety we must go back -for an hour or two. When night had set in, the stranger from San -Francisco, who had registered his name as J. B. Peyton, was promenading -on the porch in front of the hotel, quietly smoking his Havana and -thoughtfully regarding the stars. Presently the host opened the door of -the reading-room, stepped out on the porch, and closed it behind him -again, as though to keep the chilly autumn air from striking the inmates -of the room. Approaching the stranger, he eyed him as keenly as his -somewhat dimmed vision, aided by the sickly light of a pale young moon, -would permit, and then exclaimed, in a tone intended to be cordial: - -"It's you, by ----, it is! Give us your hand, and tell us how you are -and how the rest of them have fared." - -The stranger, in a voice which, like his eyes, was grave rather than -sad, replied, somewhat stiffly: - -"I am quite well, as you see; whom else you are inquiring for, I don't -know." Then, warming up suddenly, he went on, in a tone of bitter -reproach: "And you have married one of these poor girls? You should not -have done it had I known of it, depend on it." - -"Well, well, wasn't that the best I could do for them?" In his tone -bravado and reason were struggling for the mastery. "To be sure," he -continued, quailing before the flashing eye of his companion, "I have -not had much luck of late; everything seems going against me--I am -almost ruined." - -"You have ruined yourself. Why should _you_ have luck?" He was silent a -moment, busying himself with his cigar; then he continued; "Where is -Celeste? What became of her?" - -"Curse the ungrateful, perjured wretch!" answered the other, grinding -his teeth with sudden rage; "when my luck first turned she went off, -mind you, with a ship-captain, to China. She knew she could never live -where I was. I'd--" - -"Do with her as you did with--" - -"Hush!" whispered the shivering host; "don't speak so loud! Wasn't there -something stirring in the tree there?" And, like Macbeth seeing Banquo's -ghost, he started backward to the well-lit room. - -It is generally accepted that life in California, particularly in -earlier days, was full of excitement and change, every day bringing with -it some horrible occurrence or startling event. Perhaps, at the date of -my story--about 1860--this excitement had somewhat cooled down; or -perhaps it was the life of our young friend only that had flowed along -so evenly while at this place. The "horrible occurrence" of her day was -the ever-recurring period of her brother-in-law's intoxication, -sometimes maudlin, sometimes violent, but always fraught with bitterness -and sorrow to her on account of her gentle, long-suffering sister. The -"startling event" was the coming in of the hacks and coaches from the -railroad terminus, which she watched, half-hidden by the tree, and -together with her almost inseparable companion, Cruiser, just as she had -done that day when Mr. Peyton made his first appearance at this place. -Perhaps her interest in the arrivals was even greater now than it had -been before. Often, when about to turn from her post of observation, a -pair of grave black eyes, upturned from the porch below, seemed asking a -question of her that she vainly puzzled her brain to understand. Once or -twice she had started to go to her sister's room at such times, trying -to frame the question she seemed to read in the stranger's eye. But the -question remained unframed and unanswered; and day after day Annie -taught her little pupils at school, came home and helped Julia about the -house, and in the evening encountered the sphinx that baffled all her -dreamy speculations. - -It had been a matter of displeasure to her brother-in-law for some time -that the arrival of the stage from Laporte was not noticed by Annie with -the same degree of interest as the coming-in of the passengers from the -opposite direction. - -"Tom'll be coming some day," he said, grumblingly, to his wife, "and -that fine sister of yours will take no more notice of his arrival than -if a Chinaman had come!" - -And so it proved. One morning as Annie, followed by Cruiser with the -lunch-basket, was descending the front steps of the hotel porch, Mr. -Davison hastened to block up her road with his portly figure. - -"Annie," he spoke majestically, "how often must I tell you that I cannot -allow my sister-in-law to plod over to that school-house and bother with -those dirty urchins any more? Let them find some one else, for you will -not teach there much longer. Come, Cruiser, give us the basket! Annie'll -stay at home to-day, at least." - -"Don't trouble Cruiser unnecessarily," replied Annie, laughing -pleasantly; "I haven't fallen heir to any fortune of late, that I am -aware of, and until I do, I'm afraid that both I and Cruiser will have -to follow our old vocation." - -"You know that a fortune awaits you, Annie," was the persuasive -response, "if you would only stretch out your hand for it. How will Tom -receive the information, when he gets up this morning, that you have not -paid him the attention to remain home for one day, at least?" - -"I hope you will not conceal from Mr. Montrie that it is a matter of the -utmost indifference to me how he receives the information." - -"Your sister will talk to you about this matter," blustered the man. "A -girl like you to throw away her chances!" - -"I will listen patiently to anything my sister may have to say to me." -And Annie, turning, was almost confronted by Mr. Peyton, coming in from -an early walk. He lifted his hat with something like reverence, and drew -aside to let the girl and her four-footed companion pass. - -She did listen patiently to what her sister said to her that evening in -the little family sitting-room just back of the ladies'-parlor, on the -ground floor. One door of this room opened out on a porch, on the other -side of which rose the blank wall of another apartment, built of frame, -with only one window looking out towards the street, and the door -opposite this window. Between this and the bar-room lay dining-room, -pantry, and kitchen; so that no one from the bar-room, which lay back of -the reading-room, on the other side of the entrance hall, could see this -room with the single door and window. - -In California parlance, "the tiger" was kept in this room. If we could -have looked into this gaily-furnished apartment about the time Annie was -on her way to her room, having left her sister's presence with -tear-stained eyes, we should have beheld Mr. Peyton's pale, clear-cut -face bending over a table, around which a number of men were seated. The -various accoutrements of the game spread out before him, denoted that -this man, with the well-modulated musical voice, with the soft, grave -expression of countenance, with the quiet, gentlemanly bearing, was "the -owner of the tiger." - -The individual occupying the seat just across from Mr. Peyton was his -opposite in every respect. A tall, broad-shouldered mountain-man, whose -rusty beard and careless dress showed that, while "making his stake" in -the mountains, he had bestowed but little attention on his personal -appearance. No one could have disputed his claims to good looks, though -his glittering eyes seemed small, and were certainly too deep-set; and -when he laughed, the long white teeth gave a kind of hyena-look to the -whole face. Large hands, always twitching, and clumsy feet, forever -shuffling, gave him the appearance of a bear restlessly walking the -length of his chain. Altogether, in looks and bearing, he contrasted -unfavorably with Mr. Peyton; the one, smooth and polished as ivory; the -other, rough and uncouth as the grizzly of his mountain home. - -But Mr. Davison, who had softly opened the door, and stood silently -regarding him a moment, seemed fairly in love with Mr. Montrie's broad -shoulders and matted hair--so gently did he touch the one, and stroke -the other, as he whispered into the ample ear something which caused -the small eyes to flicker with satisfaction and delight. Then, moving -around the table to where Mr. Peyton sat, he laid his hand on this -gentleman's shoulder, but much more timidly, though the faro-dealer -looked delicate, almost effeminate, compared to the huge proportions of -the man from the mountains. - -"Jim--" he said, but corrected himself--"Mr. Peyton!" in an audible -whisper, "I don't want you to be hard on that man yonder; he'll soon be -one of the family, you know." - -The information was given with many winks and nods and leers, such as -men in the first stages of intoxication are generally prolific of. - -A single keen glance from the eagle-eyes of the gambler was sent across -to where the man from the mountains sat; but it sank to the depths of -the man's heart, and went searching through every corner. The next -moment Mr. Peyton was deeply engrossed in the "lay-out" before him. - -It was long after midnight before "the tiger" was left to darkness and -solitude in the little room at the rear of the "Eagle Exchange." In the -course of the following morning, when Mr. Davison's brain was pretty -well cleared of the fumes of last night's potations, and before the -early-morning drams had yet materially affected it, he was made uneasy -by the approach of Mr. Peyton, of whom he stood in unaccountable dread. - -"Have a cigar, Henry?" Mr. Peyton extended one of the choice kind he -always smoked himself; and then, by a motion of the hand, commanded the -now thoroughly sobered man into a chair beside his own. The reading-room -was deserted, and the paper Mr. Peyton had picked up was carelessly held -so that the fancy bar-keeper, who was twirling his elegant black -moustache, could not see his lips move. - -"Henry," Mr. Peyton began, without further preliminaries, "if you allow -that man from the mountains to press his attentions on your -sister-in-law against her wishes, I'll break every bone in your body." - -The threat seemed almost ridiculous from the delicate, white-fingered -stranger to this burly, overgrown piece of humanity; yet Mr. Davison did -not consider it so, for he answered, with pleading voice and cringing -manner: - -"But if he is to marry her--" - -"Marry her!" repeated the gambler, while a flash, such as the gate of -hell might emit were it opened for a moment, shot from his eyes; "I -would kill him first; yes, and tell the girl who it was that--" - -"And send them both out on the world again, to work hard for their -bread, as I found them?" - -"Better that a thousand times than that Annie should be made miserable, -like her sister, by being tied to a worthless sot, or a heartless -desperado." - -"You're hard on me, Jim," whined the other. "If the girl marries this -man, a part of his money will go towards paying off my debts, and -setting me straight again in this house. He'll be good to her; and -what's the harm to anybody? You don't want the girl--I know your queer -notions of honor." - -"Hush!" He sprang to his feet, and for the first time his voice -thrilled, and a quick flush darkened his brow. "Not another word; but so -sure as you drive the girl to this step, so sure will I tell her sister -who you are." His figure appeared tall as he moved away, and his -shoulders looked broad and strong as those of the man whom he left -cowering in his chair behind him. - -This interview over, Mr. Peyton seemed utterly oblivious of the -existence of the family at the "Eagle Exchange." Mr. Davison said to -himself, with an inward chuckle, that he had "gotten round Jim before, -in spite of his keen eyes, and was likely to do so again;" while Annie, -still and white, looked like a bird wearied out with being chased, and -ready to fall into the snarer's net. Once or twice, in meeting Mr. -Peyton, it seemed to him that her hazel eyes were raised to his, with a -mute appeal in them; and at such times he lifted his hand hastily to his -forehead, where a heavy strand of the raven hair fell rather low into -it, near the right temple, as if to assure himself of the perfect -arrangement of his hair. - -But in spite of all of Mr. Davison's cunning and contriving, Mr. Montrie -evidently made slow progress in his suit; for his visits to "the tiger" -grew longer and more frequent; and soon it came to be the order of the -day that the afternoons, as well as the nights, were spent in the little -room across the porch. A number of new arrivals from the various -mining-camps in the mountains lent additional interest to the games; and -bets were higher, and sittings longer, day after day. It was impossible -to tell from Mr. Peyton's unchanging face whether luck had been with him -or against him; but Mr. Montrie seemed all of a sudden elated, either -with the winnings he had made off "the tiger," or the success he had met -with in another quarter. Whichever it might be, Mr. Peyton, coming -unexpectedly upon him, as he sat in close consultation with Mr. Davison -one morning, could not have heard the mountain-man's invitation to drink -to his luck, for he passed straight on without heeding the invitation. -Mr. Davison quaked a little before the sharp glance thrown over to him; -"but then," he consoled himself, "d---- it, Jim is such a curious -mortal, and, like as not, he's forgotten all about it; he don't care for -the girl, no how." - -The afternoon saw them again gathered around "the tiger," the man from -the mountains betting with a kind of savage recklessness that boded no -good to those who knew him well. He had not forgotten the slight Mr. -Peyton had put on him in the morning, according to his code of honor, -but was casting about in his mind for some manner in which to express -his indignation. - -"What do you want to be quarrelling to-day for, Tom?" asked a -lately-arrived mountain-friend of him. "I see that gal of your'n this -morning; took a good look at her when she went to school; and, bless my -stars, if you don't know better than to grumble all the while on the -very day when--" - -"Your interest in the game seems to be flagging, gentlemen," came Mr. -Peyton's voice across the table, with a somewhat hasty utterance; "shall -we close?" - -An energetic negative from the rest of the company decided the question; -but Mr. Montrie, determined to play marplot, said: - -"For my part, I'm tired of buckin' agin 'the tiger.' 'Pears to me a game -of poker might be healthy for a change." - -Without losing a word, Mr. Peyton gathered up the faro-kit before him, -and laid cards on the table. Mr. Montrie's friend, a slow-spoken, -easy-going man, called Nimble Bill, was seated at the right of this -gentleman, across from Mr. Peyton's accustomed seat at the table; while -beside Mr. Peyton sat two or three others, who had "come down in the -same batch" with Mr. Montrie's friend. - -The game progressed quietly for some time, Mr. Montrie alone manifesting -uneasiness by frequently consulting his watch and casting longing -glances through the window. - -"Tom, old fellow, I believe you're regularly 'struck' at last," laughed -his friend. "It's mighty nigh time for that school to let out, I know; -so we'll let you off easy, and say no more about it; ha, ha, ha!" and he -turned for approval to the snickering men at the table. - -Just then Mr. Peyton raised his hand quickly to his head, and the light -from the diamond on his finger flashed directly into the man's eyes. - -"By-the-by, that's a mighty fine diamond you've got; I shouldn't mind -getting one to present to Tom's wife when he gets married. Now, what -mought be about the price of one like that, Mr.--what did you say the -gentleman's name was?" and he turned to his friend's working face. - -"'Poker-Jim,' I should say," shouted the angered man, "from the way he's -been handling them cards this afternoon." - -There was a hasty movement among those present; the motion of Mr. -Peyton's hand, as he threw it quickly behind him, was but too well -understood by all, and hurried steps rushed toward the door. When the -smoke had almost cleared away he was almost alone with his victim; only -the friend, against whom the dying man had fallen, was in the room -beside him. But from the outside approached heavy steps, while a shrill -female voice sent shriek after shriek through the house. Mr. Davison's -ashy face appeared at the door: - -"Oh, Jim! what have you done? Let's lay him down here easy, Bill; and -now run for the doctor, quick; and tell the other fellows to keep still, -if they can." - -"Go to your wife, Henry," ordered Mr. Peyton, with extended hand; "the -poor thing is in hysterics." - -A look into the gambler's face told the man he must obey; but in his -perturbation, he did not see the white figure that glided by him into -the room. - -"Why did you do it?" asked the girl, wringing her hands, but looking -into _his_ eyes without a glance at the prostrate body. - -"I had to kill the brute to keep him from marrying you, Annie. How could -I let you fall into his hands--you, the daughter of the woman who -sheltered me and gave me a home, when, a poor deserted boy, I lay -bleeding from a brutal blow on the street. Annie, do you not know me?" -He raised the strand of hair that always lay low on his forehead, and a -deep scar appeared under it. - -"Jimmy!" she cried, between surprise and joy. "But, oh!" she continued, -sadly, "I have found you but to lose you again. You must go, quick, -before they can send the sheriff or the doctor." - -"We must part; yes, and perhaps never meet again on earth. But, ere we -part, I must give your heart another wound. Your brother--it was I -who--" - -"Murdered him!" shrieked the girl. "Cruiser!" she called, wildly; and -the faithful animal, as if knowing the import of the conversation in the -room, threw himself with a fierce, yelping bark against the door. - -"Hold!" and he caught the girl as she sprang to open it. "Hear me out, -while I have yet time to speak. It was I who brought him home, so that -he might sleep quietly in the church-yard, instead of finding a grave at -the bottom of the Bay. Ask Henry who killed him; ask him whether -'Celeste' was worth the blood of the poor boy, and he will not refuse to -tell the truth." - -At the door Cruiser was scratching and whining, accompanying the man's -hurried words with a weird, uncanny music; and now he howled again as he -had howled on the night of poor Ned's death. - -"Farewell, Annie; your sister and that dog will soon be the only friends -you have. I can neither claim you nor protect you. Farewell; be happy if -you can, and--forget me." - -"Never! never!" sobbed the girl. - -A hand, softer even than her own, was passed tenderly through her hair -and over her brow; a single kiss was breathed on her lips, and the next -moment she was alone, the dog, her sole friend, crouching, with every -demonstration of devotion and affection, at her feet. - - - - -_THE TRAGEDY AT MOHAWK STATION._ - - -We called it our noon-camp, though it was really not after ten o'clock -in the morning. Ours was the only ambulance in the "outfit," though -there were some three or four officers besides the captain. The captain -had been ordered to report at head-quarters in San Francisco before -going East, and was travelling through Arizona as fast as Uncle Sam's -mules could carry him, in order to catch the steamer that was to leave -the Pacific coast at the end of the month. It is just a year ago, and -the Pacific Railroad was not yet completed; which accounts for the -captain's haste to reach the steamer. - -When we made noon-camp at the Government forage-station called -Stanwick's Ranch, we had already performed an ordinary day's march; but -we were to accomplish twenty-five miles more before pitching our tent -(literally) at Mohawk Station for the night. These "stations" are not -settlements, but only stopping-places, where Government teamsters draw -forage for their mules, and where water is to be had;--the -station-keepers sometimes seeing no one the whole year round except the -Government and merchant trains passing along _en route_ to Tucson or -other military posts. - -Lunch had been despatched, and I was lounging, with a book in my hand, -on the seat of the ambulance,--one of those uncomfortable affairs called -"dead-carts," with two seats running the entire length of the -vehicle,--when the captain put his head in to say that there was an -American woman at the station. White representatives of my sex are "few -and far between" in Arizona, and I had made up my mind to go into the -house and speak to this one, even before the captain had added: - -"It is the woman from Mohawk Station." - -The captain assisted me out of the ambulance, and we walked toward the -house together. The front room of the flat _adobe_ building was -bar-room, store, office, parlor; the back room was kitchen, dining-room, -bed-room; and here we found "the woman of Mohawk Station." I entered the -back room, at the polite invitation of the station-keeper, with whom the -captain fell into conversation in the store or bar-room. - -The woman was young--not over twenty-five--and had been on the way from -Texas to California, with her husband and an ox-team, when Mr. -Hendricks, the man who kept the forage-station at Mohawk, found them -camped near the house one day, and induced them to stop with him. The -woman took charge of the household, and the man worked at cutting -firewood on the Gila and hauling it up to the house with the -station-keeper's two horses, or at any other job which Mr. Hendricks -might require of him. She had been a healthy, hearty woman when they -left Texas; but laboring through the hot, sandy deserts, suffering often -for water and sometimes for food, had considerably "shaken her," and she -was glad and willing to stop here, where both she and her husband could -earn money, and they wanted for neither water nor food--such as it is in -Arizona. It was hard to believe she had ever been a robust, fearless -woman, as she sat there cowering and shivering, and looking up at me -with eyes that seemed ready to start from their sockets with terror. - -"May I come in?" I asked, uncertain whether to venture closer to the -shrinking form. - -"Yes, yes," she said, breathing hard, and speaking very slowly. "Come -in. It'll do me good. You're the first woman I've seen since--since--" - -"Tell me all about it," I said, sitting down on the edge of the bed, as -familiarly as though I had been her intimate friend for years; "or will -it agitate you and make you sick?" - -"No," she made answer; "I am dying now, and I have often and often -wished I could see some woman and tell her the whole story before I die. -It almost chokes me sometimes because I can't speak about it; and yet I -always, always, think about it. I haven't seen any one but my husband -and the station-keeper these last three weeks--there is so little travel -now. - -"You see, one Saturday afternoon there were two Mexicans came up this -way from Sonora, and stopped at Mohawk Station to camp for the night. It -was a cold, rainy, blustering day, and the men tried to build their fire -against the wall of the house. It was the only way they could shelter -themselves from the wind and rain, as Mr. Hendricks would not allow them -to come into the house. Pretty soon Mr. Hendricks drove them off, though -they pleaded hard to stay; and Colonel B., who had arrived in the -meantime, on his way to Tucson, told Mr. Hendricks that, if he knew -anything about Mexicans, those two would come back to take revenge. -Perhaps Mr. Hendricks himself was afraid of it, as he picketed his two -horses out between the colonel's tent and the house, for fear the -Mexicans might come in the night to drive them off. But they did not -return till Sunday afternoon, when, after considerable wrangling, Mr. -Hendricks engaged them both to work for him. The colonel had pulled up -stakes and had gone on his way to Tucson Sunday morning, so that we were -alone with the Mexicans during the night. But they behaved themselves -like sober, steady men; and the next morning they and my husband went -down to the river, some three miles away, to cut wood, which they were -to haul up with the team later in the day. Have you been at Mohawk -Station, and do you know how the house is built?" she asked, -interrupting herself. - -"We camped there on our way out," I said; "and I remember that an open -corridor runs through the whole length of the house, and some two or -three rooms open into each other on either side." - -"Very well; you remember the kitchen is the last room on the left of the -corridor, while the store-room and bar is the first room to the right. -Back of this is the little room in which Mr. Hendricks's bed stood, just -under the window; and opposite to this room, next to the kitchen, is the -dining-room. - -"It was still early in the day, and I was busy in the kitchen, when I -heard a shot fired in the front part of the house; but as it was nothing -unusual for Mr. Hendricks to fire at rabbits or _coyotes_ from the door -of the bar-room, I thought nothing of it, till I saw the two Mexicans, -some time after, mounted on Mr. Hendricks's horses, riding off over -toward the mountains. When I first saw them, I thought they might be -going to take the horses down to the river; but then, I said to myself, -the Gila don't run along by the mountains. All at once a dreadful -thought flashed through my head, and I began to tremble so that I could -hardly stand on my feet. I crept into the corridor on tip-toe, and went -into the bar-room from the outside. From the bar-room I could look on -Mr. Hendricks's bed. He was lying across the bed, with his head just -under the window. I wanted to wake him up, to tell him that the Mexicans -were making off with his horses, but somehow I was afraid to call out or -to go up to him; so I crept around to the outside of the house till I -got to the window, and then looked in. Oh, dear! oh, dear! I can't -forget the dreadful, stony eyes that glared at me from the bruised and -blood-stained face; and after one look, I turned and ran as fast as I -could. Perhaps I ought to have gone into the house, to see if he were -really dead, or if I could help him or do anything for him; but I could -not. I ran and ran, always in the direction my husband had taken in the -morning. At one time I thought I heard some one running behind me, and -when I turned to look, the slippery sand under foot gave way, and I fell -headlong into a bed of cactus, tearing and scratching my face and hands -and arms; and when I got up again I thought some one was jumping out -from the verde-bushes, but it was only a rabbit running along. Before I -got many steps farther I slipped again, and something rattled and -wriggled right close by me. It was a rattlesnake, on which I had stepped -in my blindness. I ran on until I could not get my breath any more, and -staggered at every step; and just when I thought I must fall down and -die, I saw my husband coming toward me. He was coming home to see what -was keeping the Mexicans so long in bringing the horses down to the -river; and when I could get my breath, I told him what had happened. We -went back together, but I would not go into the house with him; so he -hid me in a thick verde-bush, behind some prickly-pears, and went in -alone. Directly he came back to me. He had found the corpse just as I -had described it. To all appearances, Mr. Hendricks had thrown himself -on the bed for a short nap, as the morning was very warm. The Mexicans -must have crept in on him, shot him with his own revolver, and then -beaten him over the head and face with a short heavy club that was found -on the bed beside him, all smeared with blood. - -"Then my husband said to me: 'Mary, you've got to stay here till I go to -Antelope Peak and bring up Johnson, the station-keeper. You can't go -with me, because it's full twenty-five miles, if not more, and you can't -walk twenty-five steps. But those Mexicans are going to come back while -I am gone--I know they are, because they haven't taken any plunder with -them yet. They'll hide the horses in the mountains, most likely, and -then go down to the river to look for me; and after that they'll come -back here, and they'll look for us high and low.' - -"I knew that what he said was true, every word of it; and the only -thing he could do was to find me a good hiding-place a good ways off -from the house, but still near enough for me to see the house, and the -window where the dead man lay. Well, first I watched David till out of -sight, and then I watched the window, and then I watched and peered and -looked on every side of me, till my eyes grew blind from the glaring sun -and the shining sand. - -"All at once I heard some voices; and I almost went into a fit when I -heard footsteps crunching nearer and nearer in the sand. They were the -Mexicans, sure enough, coming up from the river, and passing within a -few steps of my hiding-place. Both carried heavy cudgels, which they had -brought with them from where they had been cutting wood in the morning. -When they got near the house they stopped talking, and I saw them sneak -up to it, and then vanish around the corner, as though to visit the -kitchen first. A few minutes later I saw them come out of the bar-room, -and, oh, heavens! I saw they were trying to follow my husband's -footprints, that led directly to the verde-bush behind which I was -hiding; but the wind had been blowing, and it seemed hard for them to -follow the trail. Still they came nearer; and the terror and suspense, -and the sickening fear that came over me, when I saw them brandishing -their clubs and bringing them down occasionally on a clump of -verde-bushes, wellnigh took what little sense and breath I had left, and -I verily believe I should have screamed out in very horror, and so -brought their murderous clubs on my head at once, to make an end of my -misery, if I had had strength enough left to raise my voice. But I could -neither move nor utter a sound; I could only strain my eyes to look. -After a while they got tired of searching, and went back to the house, -where they stood at the window a moment to look in on the dead man, as -though to see if he had stirred; then they went in at the bar-room, and -came out directly, loaded with plunder. - -"One of the men carried both Mr. Hendricks's and my husband's rifle, -and the other had buckled on Mr. Hendricks's revolver. They had thrown -aside their _ponchos_, and one had on my husband's best coat, while the -other wore Mr. Hendricks's soldier-overcoat. Even the hat off the dead -man's head they had taken, and also, as was afterwards found, the black -silk handkerchief he had on his neck when they killed him. Again they -took their way over toward the mountains, and then everything around me -was deadly still. Oh, how I wished for a living, breathing thing to -speak to, then! I should not be the poor, half-demented creature that I -am to-day, if only a dog could have looked up at me, with kind, -affectionate gaze. But the half-open eyes of the man seemed staring at -me from the window, and I kept watching it, half thinking that the -dreadful, mangled face would thrust itself out. - -"By and by the _coyotes_, scenting the dead body in the house, came -stealthily from all sides, surrounding the house, and howling louder and -louder when they found that they were not received with their usual -greeting--a dose of powder and ball. At last one of them, bolder or -hungrier than the rest, made a leap to get up to the window; but just as -his fore-paw touched the window-sill something was hurled from the -window, which struck the wolf on the head and stampeded the whole -yelping pack. This was too much; and I must have fainted dead away, for -my husband said that when they found me I was as stiff and cold as the -corpse in the house. What I thought had been hurled from the window was -only a piece of a cracker-box, used as target, and put out of the way on -the broad _adobe_ window-sill, where the paw of the _coyote_ had touched -it and pulled it down over him. I would not go into the house, and as -Mr. Johnson thought it best to give information of what had happened at -Stanwick's Ranch, we all came down here together, and I have been here -ever since. My husband is waiting for a chance to go back to Texas. I -wish we could get back; for I don't want to be buried out here in the -sand, among the _coyotes_ and rattlesnakes, like poor Mr. Hendricks." - -The ambulance had been waiting at the door for me quite a while; so I -thanked the woman for "telling me all about it," and tried to say -something cheering to her. When I turned to leave the room she clutched -at my dress. - -"Stop," she said, nervously; "don't leave me here in the room alone;--I -can't bear to stay alone!" - -She followed me slowly into the bar-room, and when the man there went to -the ambulance to speak to the captain, she crept out after him and stood -in the sun till he returned. - -"The poor woman," said I, compassionately; "how I pity her!" - -"The poor woman," echoed the station-keeper; "those two Greasers have -killed her just as dead as if they had beaten her brains out on the -spot." - -The shades of night were already falling around Mohawk Station when we -reached it. It was quite a pretentious house, built of _adobe_, and -boasting of but one story, of course; but it is not every one in Arizona -who can build a house with four rooms,--if the doors _do_ consist of old -blankets, and the floor and ceiling, like the walls, of mud. - -A discharged soldier kept the station now--a large yellow dog his sole -companion. The man slept on the same bed that had borne Hendricks's -corpse, and the cudgel, with the murdered man's blood dried on it, was -lying at the foot of it. - -"And where is his grave?" I asked. - -The man's eye travelled slowly over the desolate landscape before us. -There were sand, verde, and cactus, on one side of us, and there were -sand, verde, and cactus, on the other. - -"Well, really now, I couldn't tell. You see, I wasn't here when they put -him in the ground, and I haven't thought of his grave since I come. Fact -is, I've got to keep my eyes open for live Greasers and Pache-Indians, -and don't get much time to hunt up dead folks's graves!" - - - - -_LONE LINDEN._ - - -"It is just the place for you; Clara will find it sufficiently romantic, -Miss Barbara can have Snowball and Kickup both with her, and you, dear -friend, will be pleased because the rest of us are." - -The letter was signed "Christine Ernst;" and Mrs. Wardor, when she had -finished reading, continued in her quiet, even tones: - -"What an unaccountable being she is; I thought her cold and unfeeling, -because she dismissed that fine young fellow so unceremoniously, when we -all thought her heart was bound up in him." - -"Ah, me!" sighed Clara, fair of face, blue-eyed, and with feathery curls -of the palest yellow. "How little we know of the sorrow that sits silent -in our neighbor's breast. The sentiment--" - -"Oh, bother sentiment!" broke in Miss Barbara, impetuously, flinging -back the heavy braids of unquestionably red hair that had strayed over -her shoulder. "Daisy, my snowball, imagine, if you can, a large lot, a -meadow, or paddock, or something with grass, for Kickup, you and me! Oh, -won't it be jolly, though?" And seizing the sweet Daisy, a squat, -broad-faced Indian girl, whom Barbara's father, an army contractor, had -picked up somewhere around Fort Yuma, they executed a species of -war-dance that sent chairs, crickets, and bouquet-stands flying, and -caused Mrs. Wardor and her other companion to exchange significant -head-shakings. - -Having suddenly loosed her hold of Daisy in the wildest of the dance, -and sent her spinning into the corner where her head struck the whatnot, -Miss Barbara approached the elder lady, panting, and with deep -contrition. - -"Forgive me, Aunt Wardor; I shan't forget my young-lady manners again -for a whole week. But it did seem such a relief, just the thought of -getting away from this cramped little house, and into the open air -again, that I could not help being rude to Lady Clara." She seized the -slender fingers of the young lady, in spite of the little spasmodic -motion with which they seemed to shrink from the hearty grasp. - -"But, Barbara," urged Mrs. Wardor, somewhat mollified by the -affectionate "Aunt," "when a girl of your age avers that she is a young -lady, how can she constantly forget herself, and act the child and the -romp again." - -A flush passed over the girl's face, a handsome face, full of life and -animation, which a few little freckles seemed really to finish off, as -she turned sharply from both, and seated herself in the most stately -manner at the grand piano, the recent birthday gift of her father. - -Barbara was his only daughter, "and he a widower," who was surprised one -day to find that she was receiving the marked attentions of a young -gentleman matrimonially inclined, at the springs where she was spending -her vacations, with all the assurance and matter-of-course air of a -"grown-up lady," when he had never dreamed but that she was only a -child. He thought to cut the matter short by returning her instantly to -the seminary; but soon learned from the conscientious lady at the head -of the establishment that the young gentleman was persistent in his -devotions, and Miss Barbara as persistent in breaking the rules of the -institution. Then he bethought him of a lady whose calm dignity and -quiet self-possession had always somewhat oppressed him when he had -occasionally met her in his wife's parlors, during that estimable -woman's life time. And recollecting how his wife had honestly lamented -that her daughter could not live under the influences of a cultivated -mind, and the refined manners which she, herself, did not possess, he -went boldly to Mrs. Wardor one day, and proposed that she should take -charge of the self-willed girl, who insisted on being treated with the -consideration due a young lady owning a declared, though forbidden -lover. To Mrs. Wardor the proposition was acceptable; some years before, -true to the "gambling instincts" of an old Californian, her husband had -staked his all on some favorite mining stock, and, after losing, had -taken his chances of striking something better in the next world, by -blowing his brains out when he found himself "on bedrock" in this. Like -a sensible woman, she had given up her elegant establishment without -grieving very much, had secured a smaller house, and thought herself -fortunate in finding a class of boarders who shocked neither her -sensitive nerves nor her fastidious taste. - -Among the very limited number was a young girl who had left the -Fatherland when quite young, and had been educated by an older brother, -since dead. Her love and talent for music, together with what she called -her Deutsche Geduld, had stood her in good stead, and Miss Ernst was now -considered one of the best music teachers on the Coast. - -When Barbara Farnsworth was placed in her charge, Mrs. Wardor felt -justified in restricting the number of her boarders to two, outside of -this young lady--so liberal were the terms Mr. Farnsworth urged upon -her. The one other boarder besides Miss Ernst, was the fair lady with -the golden curls, who had lost mother and husband within the year, but -found an ample fortune at her disposal on the death of the latter. The -mother had been Mrs. Wardor's most cherished friend, and the fittest -place for Lady Clare, as Miss Barbara called her, seemed Mrs. Wardor's -house. Here she had found already domiciled Miss Ernst, who, a few -months later, to the astonishment of everybody, left her home and the -city, in consequence of a quarrel with her betrothed, as he was -supposed to be by people who knew other people's business better than -their own. A close friendship had sprung up between the two young women, -and Clara, it was surmised, was the only one who knew of Miss Ernst's -reasons for the unlooked for departure, just as Miss Ernst was the only -one who knew much, or anything, of Clara Hildreth's "heart-sorrows." - -That she had had such sorrows, no one could doubt who looked into the -large blue eyes, with their melancholy expression, or noticed the droop -of the small, gracefully-poised head. It was not surprising that this -tender, clinging creature should miss the prop and staff afforded by the -resolute yet sympathetic nature of her friend; and when the letter came -suggesting that Mrs. Wardor spend the summer in San Jose, where -Christine could be one of her family again, the idea was seized upon -with avidity by all, and in three days' time, Miss Barbara had convinced -her father, Clara, and Mrs. Wardor, that the place Christine Ernst had -described was just the place for them. - -"Let's go at once," said Miss Barbara, late in the evening, with her -usual precipitation; but Mrs. Wardor quieted her by enumerating the -thousand and one things to be done before the removal could be -effected--first and foremost among which was the task of securing the -house before it could be moved into. - -It was decided that Mrs. Wardor and Clara should go to San Jose on the -next morning's train and return at night, leaving Miss Barbara to the -care of her "Indian maid" and the servants in the house. - -Arrived at the depot in San Jose, they found Christine, whose dark hair, -olive skin, and Roman features utterly belied her purely German descent. -She embraced Clara with the protecting air of an older sister; and -pressing Mrs. Wardor's hand, led them to the carriage awaiting them. - -"You have worked too hard, I fear, Christine," said Mrs. Wardor. "You -look tired and thin." - -"Not tired," was the answer, "but I am among strangers, and have so -missed my home. You know how we Germans cling to people we love." - -"Yes?" Perhaps Mrs. Wardor was thinking of the lover, discarded, among -strangers in a strange land. Clara held her friend's hand, and asked how -far they would have to go--she felt that Christine was pained. - -"Only a short way; but the owner of the place is a queer genius, a -German, like myself, with whom no one can live in peace, they say. But I -know we can, though he insists on occupying a little hut in one corner -of the grounds. Fifty people have wanted the place, but he has never -been in a humor to let it since the last occupant moved out. I mean to -bring the charms of his mother-tongue to bear upon him, though I know it -will make me hoarse for a week, more especially as he is slightly deaf." - -The carriage had stopped at the gate, and the three women made their way -through a well-kept garden to a little shanty they espied at the -farthest end of it. The dwelling-house itself consisted of a one-story -_adobe_, to which had been added, much later, a frame building of two -stories. The _adobe_ part of the building contained kitchen, breakfast -and sitting-room, from which a low bay-window reached out into the -garden, where flowers stole up almost to within the room, and the ivy, -mingling with the bright green of the climbing rose, reached upward to -soften the abrupt joining of the gray _adobe_ with the glaring white of -the frame portion. This, though the more stately part of the building, -had not the home-look of the _adobe_, around the flat roof of which ran -a low railing, making a balcony of it for the service of the new wing. - -"How happy we shall be here," exclaimed Clara, with genuine delight. At -this moment a strange figure, clad in loose garments, and with flowing -gray beard, deep-set eyes, and holding a long pipe in his mouth, came -into sight. Depositing the pipe carefully behind a garden vase, the man -advanced with dignified yet courteous bearing. He looked with the -questioning scrutiny peculiar to people hard of hearing, from one to the -other; but when Christine's words reached his dull ears at last, it was -to fair-faced Clara he turned inquiringly. - -"Wie sagten Sie, Fräulein? Sprechen Sie Deutsch?" - -Christine repeated her question, and he turned slowly toward her. "I -thought it was she who spoke the German," motioning toward Clara; "but I -like your looks, too," he continued, taking Christine's hand into his -with a sudden, fatherly impulse. "And you would come and live in my -house, lady," he said, addressing Mrs. Wardor in his German-English. -"Take care--I say it to you--take care. It is a lonely place, and makes -to be alone in the world every one who lives in it. See me, an old man, -alone--alone. It is a bad spell on the place; it will make you alone, -too." - -The three women exchanged glances. Alone? Whom had they belonging to -them? It was only their friendship for each other that made their -"alone" different from that of the old man before them. - -"And these flowers, so beautiful," he continued, "will you love them, -too? I will nurse them for you; but don't be afraid--the old man will -not be troublesome to you." He had misunderstood the movement among -them; they were only congratulating each other on having accomplished so -easily what Christine had been taught to look upon as a difficult task. -They hastened to assure him how glad they would always be to have him -with them; and he looked wistfully at Clara again, muttering, "Ah, I -thought she was the German." - -"There it is again," said Christine, turning to her; "I never try for a -beau but you coax him away from me with your blue eyes and yellow curls. -I shall act out my character of a dark Spanish beauty some day, and -leave you with a jewel-hilted dagger in your heart for luring my own -true love from his faith to me." - -They followed their guide to the other side of the house, where, near -his own cabin, arose a little knoll or mound, evidently artificial, -though not smoothly finished. A sparse growth of grass covered it, and -on one side there was a ragged depression, as though a tree might have -been torn from the soil at some past time. Just above this stood a -linden tree, lonely enough. There were no other trees on this side of -the house, though pepper, poplar, and cypress trees were distributed -with a good deal of taste through the rest of the grounds. - -"Lone linden," mused Clara; and though the words were spoken low, the -old man seemed to have read it from her lips. - -"The other people have called it so, and it seems right. The only one -left," he said, softly passing his hand over the bark of the tree. "You -would not think how many they were at one time; but they are all dead -and gone. My dear ones all lie buried here." - -"Here?" echoed Clara, touching the mound. - -"No, not the bodies, you know; es ist nur die Erinnerung," he turned to -Christine. She bowed her head silently, and with the deep -"verstandnissvolle" look of her honest eyes she had won the old man's -confidence forever. - -They turned back to the more cheerful part of the garden, trying to -shake off the gloom the linden with its deep shadow had thrown on them, -and Clara railed at her friend for looking solemn as an owl. "Not a line -of poetry have you quoted to-day--not a note have you sung." - -At the same time the old man was saying to Mrs. Wardor, "See, lady, all -these lilies, white as snow. At home, in Germany, they were my mother's -pet flowers, and I am keeping these to be planted on my grave." And -Christine stooping to break three of them, chanted dolefully-- - - - "'Drei Lilien, drei Lilien-- - Die pflanzt mir auf mein Grab.'" - - -"There"--she turned to Clara--"that's music for you." - -Right here, let me confide to the reader Christine's great failing--the -weak point in this strong nature. She had a queer habit of keeping up a -sort of running comment on any conversation that took place in her -presence--any occurrence that came under her observation; comment in the -shape of bits of poetry or song, that she sang softly to herself. But -she _could_ not sing--and that was the great failing. Think of a -music-teacher who could not, if life depended on it, sing a dozen notes -in the same key, but would drop lower and lower, "till her voice fell -clear into the cellar"--according to the girl's own statement. - -Mr. Muldweber seemed loath to part with his prospective tenants, but was -assured that the close of the week would find them at Lone Linden. When -they reached the depot, the train that was to take Mrs. Wardor and Clara -back to the city was ready, and Christine had only just time to -apostrophize Clara's eyes-- - - - "Lebt wohl ihr Augen, ihr schönen blauen," - - -before it started. - -On reaching home, Miss Barbara met them at the threshold, with flaming -cheeks and sparkling eyes. "Such a romp as I have had with Snowball," -she explained; and the Indian girl laughed like an imp of the devil. -Mrs. Wardor chided the young lady for romping, but Clara drew back from -the girl with an uncomfortable feeling. Clara's cheeks boasted but a -delicate pink tinge at best, and to-night, in the glare of the gas, -after the day's fatigue, she looked almost haggard beside the robust, -health-glowing girl. - -"How old are you, Lady Clare?" she asked in the course of the evening. - -"Twenty-two. Why?" - -"Oh, nothing; only when I get to be as old as you are I shall wear black -constantly, just as you do, particularly if I have lost all my color, -too." - -"A wise resolution. I never had your color, though. Neither my face nor -my hair was ever red--nor my mother's, before me. Perhaps she did not -stand over the hot fire as much as your mother did." - -"Yes--I know they say mother 'lived out' as cook when she first came to -California; but then--_she_ didn't have to marry to get a home." - -It was all out now; though the girl sent the shaft almost at random, it -had struck the sore spot. Clara had married for a home. Her mother had -expended her meagre fortune on Clara's education, never doubting that -the girl's loveliness would attract a goodly number of suitors, from -whom the most suitable, that is, the wealthiest, could be chosen. -Whether Clara was less worldly or more romantic--at any rate she lost -her heart to a young man in society, who was considered an ornament of -that society--though it would have puzzled a common mortal to discover -why. His upper lip boasted a full, silken moustache, and he could turn -over the music sheets, standing beside the young lady performing on the -piano, with unequalled grace; he sang a languid tenor, and could fasten -his eyes on a lady with a melting, melancholy look, as if sighing in his -heart, "could I but die for thee." - -It was what he spoke out aloud to Clara, when, after months of intimate -acquaintance, he understood that Clara's mother wanted to see her -daughter "settled." But he didn't die; he only bewailed his fate, his -inability to make her his cherished wife, and lay all the treasures of -the Golden State at her feet. To quote Christine's hard, unsympathetic -opinion, he was "a graceless monkey, a fortune hunter, without ambition -enough to try for a living for himself, let alone for the woman he -professed to adore." Amid tears and protestations of breaking hearts and -darkened lives they parted: Clara to give her hand, at her mother's -entreaties, to a man of great wealth and corresponding age and -respectability--her lover to continue his search for a wife who could -boast of money besides beauty and amiability. - -Miss Barbara's heart was good in the main, and she would not have hurt -Clara as she did had she not been wild with an excitement for which -there seemed no cause. She was heedless, to be sure; and her -temper--well, she had red hair. - -Only three days later, early in the morning, we see them all at the -depot, and comfortably seated in the cars--Mrs. Wardor, Clara, Barbara, -and Daisy--with Kickup aboard the train, but in a different car--Kickup -being only an Indian pony, and the shaggiest kind of one at that. Miss -Barbara and "her maid," as she grandly styled the moon-faced Indian -sometimes, sat behind Mrs. Wardor and Clara--Clara and Barbara each -sitting nearest the window. Clara in deepest black, with the delicate -flush on her face, looked, the most interesting of young widows, and -whenever she raised her dove-like eyes, was sure to encounter the gaze -of the many who stood outside. Just as the sharp click of the -starting-bell rang through the cars, Clara, looking up, caught sight of -a figure that caused her heart to beat full and fast. Yet her face grew -pale as she noted the form of which the words "an elegantly attired -gentleman" would, perhaps, give the best idea. - -He leaned against one of the wooden pillars supporting the depot roof, -with a dejected, melancholy air. Almost involuntarily Clara leaned -forward, but sank back the next moment, her face ablaze, her lips -trembling. The impish laugh of the Indian girl that had struck her so -unpleasantly on the night of her return from San Jose, again fell on her -ear, and Miss Barbara's irrepressible "te-he" mingled with it. Had she -then betrayed her heart's secret to these two foolish, giggling things? -Her cheeks burned with mortification, but in her heart there was a -strange gleam of happiness. He knew, then, that she was free; he had -heard of her leaving the city, and chose this delicate way of intimating -to her that.--Ah! well; she was still in deepest mourning, and must not -think--anything--for a while yet, at least. - -Mrs. Wardor, her mind filled with doubts and misgivings as to whether -she had brought just the things she wanted for the summer in San Jose, -had noticed nothing of the little episode, but catching sight of Clara's -face as they left the cars, she exclaimed, with genuine gladness in her -tone, "Why, Clara, I know this summer in the country will do you good; -your eyes are bright with anticipation!" - -Christine met them at the depot, and as the carriage rolled smoothly -toward their new home, she told them of what other arrangements she had -made with old Mr. Muldweber. He owned a horse of venerable age, which -could be driven by the most timid lady, and the old gentleman was -willing that they should use the horse, but, as of the garden, so he -wanted to take care of the animal, too. This was cheerfully agreed to, -and when she went on to say that she had hired a phæton--really quite a -stylish affair--Miss Barbara almost smothered her with kisses, which -would not have happened, by the by, if there had been any place for -Christine to hide in. - -At the gate stood Mr. Muldweber. "What a funny old man," laughed Miss -Barbara. "A patriarch," said Clara; but Christine declared, with more -than her usual energy, that no one should say anything disrespectful of -or to Mr. Muldweber in her presence. - -With chivalrous bearing he welcomed Mrs. Wardor to her new home, and -his address, delivered with true German earnestness, would have checked -Miss Barbara's mirth, even without Christine's warning; and Christine -herself could only repeat, as she kissed Clara's fair head, "Der Herr -segne Deinen Einzug." - -Then she led her up-stairs, where she had two rooms, opening into each -other, fitted up for Clara and herself, with windows reaching to the -floor leading to the balcony. The other window in Christine's room -looked toward the Coyote Hills, the corresponding window in Clara's room -disclosing a view of the Santa Cruz Mountains. - -"Now tell me what you have on your mind, little one," she said, drawing -Clara down by the window, and looking off toward the cool, deep shadows -of the redwoods on the mountain, she listened to blushing Clara's -recital of the morning's occurrence, while she hummed softly (ending -full three notes lower than she had commenced): - - - "I have gazed into the darkness-- - Seeking in the busy crowd - For a form once--" - - -"Perhaps I have done him wrong after all," she interrupted herself; and -aloud she said, cheerfully: "The name of this place will be changed -before we leave it, I know. But down there is Mr. Muldweber; I mean to -ask him about Lone Linden, and his singular fancy for that tree." She -knew Clara would be happier left alone to dream over the vision of the -morning, and her heart really went out in sympathy to this lonely old -man, who had such a longing, hungry look in his eyes as he stood with -his arm thrown around the lone linden, his other hand shading his eyes -while he peered down the road toward the town. - - - "No one hastens home at twilight, - Waiting for my hand to wave." - - -Christine's dreary singing would hardly have enlivened Mr. Muldweber's -spirits if he had heard it; but it ceased ere she came close up to him. -With his usual gallantry the old man spread his handkerchief on the -grass covering the broken mound for Christine to rest on, and before -darkness had spread over the plain and crept up to the mountain-tops, -she knew more of the old man's history--which was the history of the -linden tree--than she had ever expected to learn. He had learned to love -the girl during the few days that the fitting-up of the house had thrown -them together; and he could speak his mother tongue to her--he never -would have said so much in English. - -When he had left the mining-school at Freiberg in the Fatherland to come -to the great America, he had brought with him from the old _Edelhof_, -where he was born and raised, a handful of seed from the linden trees -that formed his favorite avenue. He meant to build up just such a place -in America, and he carried the linden seed with him through the United -States and then into Mexico, where his knowledge of scientific mining -was of more use at that time. Into Mexico he carried his bride, a young -German girl, whose parents had died on their way out from the -Fatherland, and who died herself of _Heimweh_, in the strange, wild land -to which her husband brought her. But she left him a son, to whom he -gave a new mother, a dark-eyed señorita from Durango. Then he drifted on -toward California, before it was California to us, and settled finally -in the Pueblo of San Jose, near the mission of Santa Clara, after it had -ceased to be a mission. Here he built the old _adobe_--a house quite -pretentious for those times, and he threw up the mound, smooth and -round, and discernible at some distance, and planted the linden seed he -had so carefully hoarded. But he did not sow the seed broadcast; it was -a tree for every member of the family--no more. As the señorita from -Durango had presented him with quite a little herd of Muldwebers, -however, he had begun to entertain hopes of growing something of a -forest in the valley, when the dark eyes of the señorita were closed one -dread night, and never opened again to the light of this world. - -The wealth she had brought him had weighed but little in her husband's -estimation; he had learned to admire her goodness of heart and nobility -of character. It was a heavy blow; but, strange to say, his heart almost -turned from her children at that time and clung again to the child of -his first love, the German girl who had died of being homesick. He grew -intolerant of Spanish, would not even speak English, but shut himself up -with his oldest son to teach him the language he had neglected for so -long. Then died the two sons of his Spanish wife, and, though he mourned -their loss, he drew still closer to his first-born. - -But he had conceived the singular fancy that the spirit of his dead -could not rest while their trees lived; and he cut them down, one by -one, with his own trembling hands, and, weeping, made a fire of their -straight trunks and graceful branches, and buried the ashes deep in the -earth. It was about this time that his German friends, of whom there -were now quite a number in San Jose, began to whisper among themselves -that Mr. Muldweber was getting very queer--eccentric, in fact--if not -worse than eccentric. His son, among the first pupils of Santa Clara -College, was brought home, and pursued his studies as mining engineer -under the guidance of his father, whose intellect and mental equilibrium -seemed perfectly restored, if they had ever been wavering. - -Then death ruthlessly deprived him of the last remaining child of the -Spanish woman--a daughter with eyes as dark as her mother's, and cherry -lips and dimpled cheeks; and he turned from his first-born and only -child now, shunning and avoiding him, as he had neglected all his other -children at one time. The boy, or rather young man--for he had passed -the age of twenty-one--bore his father's whim like the sensible fellow -he was, understanding well the grief, perhaps self-reproach, that was -preying on his parent's heart; and they lived on, apart, though under -the same roof. When he could no longer bear his father's coldness, -amounting almost to aversion, he left home, hoping that absence would -work a change. No letter was ever returned for the kindly-meant missives -sent by him, and when the thought of his father's growing age and -loneliness overcame his pride, and he returned, he found the homestead -let to strangers, and his father established in his little hut, more -unreasonable than ever. - -He tried by kindness to conquer the old man's injustice; but one day he -spoke such hard, cruel words to his son, that pride and manhood rebelled -against the indignity, and he left the old homestead forever, he said, -vowing to live, under a strange name, "where his father should never -hear of him again, living or dead." - -A shiver ran through the old man's frame; the day had gone to rest, and -the wind blew coldly through the branches of the lone tree above them; -but he would not listen to the girl's suggestion, of coming into the -house with her. - -"No!" he said, "I must speak of the wrong I did to the boy right here, -under his tree; he is not dead, I know--the spirit of his mother comes -here sometimes and tells me so. She had such blue eyes--like her that is -with you; but her heart was not strong like yours, either. You see," he -continued, "I was crazy then with grief and loneliness, and -self-reproaches, and I said to him, when he spoke kindly and cheerfully, -that he was the 'laughing heir,' waiting only for me to follow his -brothers, in order to lay claim to the riches that I hoped would be a -curse to him. Ah! I see his white face before me every night, and hear -his last words ringing through my head: 'So shall they be a curse to me -if ever thou seest me again. Leave thy wealth to strangers, old man, -thou hast no longer a son.'" - -He had arisen and stood erect, unconsciously giving a dramatic -representation. The hand he extended had grown firm, but his face -gleamed white and ghastly, through the falling gloom. Then the hand sank -powerless as he complained, "And he will keep his word--though he was so -good--my Rudolph." - -He looked up in sudden astonishment; Christine had laid her hand on his -shoulder and gazed eagerly into his face. "Rudolph," she repeated, and -her hands wrung wildly a moment, dropped by her side in a kind of quiet -despair. But the old man hardly noticed her. He stood on the mound -again, his form bent forward, as if to catch the first glimpse of any -who might be coming up the road, and he shook his head slowly as he -muttered to himself, "Er kommt nicht, er kommt noch immer nicht." -Christine held out her hand to him. "Come, let me lead you," she said; -but the old man did not understand all the words meant. - -Late at night, sitting by the open window, from where she could see his -domicile, she caught herself humming, - - - "'T is said that absence conquers love, - But, oh! believe it not." - - -And she stopped. She _was_ thinking of Rudolph. Yes, but she had fancied -at first that she was "singing out of his father's heart," not her own. -Poor Rudolph! Now she knew what had exiled him from his father's home, -and she, alas! had driven him from the new home he had meant to build -for himself. And she had thought herself right. A bankrupt suicide's -daughter, how could she, a German, with all the deep religious -prejudices of that people burnt into her soul, dream of becoming -anything more than a friend to the man she honored above all others? - -People said she had led him on, had jilted him, and he had left the -country. Could she recall him? And how? Yet she could not leave this -lonely old man to die, as he was surely dying, of the remorse in his -heart and the bitter regrets for his injustice to his son. - -No one, coming upon the family at the Lone Linden the very day after -their advent to the place, would have suspected them of being strangers -there. It was home to them at once. The garden, with its "two ornamental -palms," as Christine called them, its wealth of flowers and sparkling -fountain, lay all day in the laughing sunshine, and the beams that crept -in through the bay-window of the sitting-room played hide-and-seek amid -the ivy trailing its glossy leaves across the opposite wall. It was here -that Christine's piano stood, and as Miss Barbara always sought the more -gayly-furnished parlor as soon as her music-lesson was ended, so Clara -learned to despise that apartment, and spend much of her time in this -room. - -Toward sunset, when shadows grew heavier, and the evening breeze shook -the foliage, the broken mound with its single tree had always a dreary -look about it, and even Clara was moved into saying, "If Mr. Muldweber -should die, I would not dare come to this tree in the evening sun--it -would be haunted, I know. I should see the old gentleman or his wraith -standing there with his arm around the tree, and his other hand shading -his eye. How lonely he looks; is he waiting for any one, I wonder?" - -"Poor old man," said Christine, evasively, and she repeated, - - - "No one hastens home at twilight, - Waiting for my hand to wave." - - -"Stop, or I shall get the blues, too." Clara raised her hands to her -ears in comical despair, and Christine laughed good-naturedly at the -effect of her singing. - -So the pleasant, sunshiny days passed on, with no event more stirring -than an occasional letter from Miss Barbara's father to break the -monotony of life. - -It was Mr. Farnsworth's desire that Miss Barbara should be treated and -looked upon as a child, and it would have gladdened his heart could he -have seen her, in the cool of the morning or late in the afternoon, with -Snowball and Kickup in the enclosed lot called the Meadow, behind the -house. Whether it had ever been the intention of Mr. Farnsworth to have -Miss Barbara use the four-footed thing called Kickup as a saddle-horse -is not known; it is a matter of doubt, however, whether any one had ever -been on its back long enough to discover what was its best gait. To be -sure, Miss Barbara made it a point to require her "maid" to "ride around -the ring;" and she would urge the pony close up to the fence for this -purpose, assist Daisy to mount, and then give a jump to get out of reach -of Kickup's heels, for he had never been known to have more than two -feet on the ground when any one was on his back; indeed, as a general -thing, he never touched the ground again till his burden lay there too. -There was no more danger of injuring Snowball's limbs than the pony's, -and as they were taken both from the same tribe, back in Arizona -somewhere, it is to be presumed that they knew each other. But Miss -Barbara was neither cruel nor a coward. She never failed to reach -Kickup's back, and from there the ground again, sometime during the -day's performance, to Snowball's unbounded delight; and at night she -always complained to Mrs. Wardor that "her pony wasn't fairly broken -yet," "Which is not so surprising as that your bones are unbroken yet," -Christine would say sometimes; for which Miss Barbara would give her a -supercilious look out of her wide-open eyes, as though to say: "What do -you know about it? Your father was never an army contractor." - -About this time Mr. Farnsworth, in his letter to Mrs. Wardor, commenced -to promise a visit he intended making them before the summer was over; -and Mrs. Wardor commenced saying to Barbara, when she proved -particularly unmanageable, "Do try to behave like a lady, so that your -father may see you are no longer a child." And the suggestion always had -the desired effect for the time being; but the sight of Snowball driving -Kickup into the meadow would as regularly upset all her good intentions. - -One day Christine came into Clara's room, with a troubled look on her -face. "What is it?" asked Clara; "is your aged _protégé_ more depressed -than usual this morning? Has he refused to enjoy his long pipe, or has -he regaled you with a longer account than usual of his son--Hans, I -think, you said his name was?" - -Christine laughed in spite of herself. Clara had heard something of Mr. -Muldweber's trouble with his son, and took it for granted that Christine -knew all about it, though she had not the remotest idea of how deeply -she was interested; and one of Clara's fancies was that Mr. Muldweber's -son was a tow-headed youth, and his name was Hans. - -"Mrs. Wardor has had another letter from Mr. Farnsworth," said -Christine. - -"Again threatening a visit? But why should that make you look so -serious? Are you thinking of his displeasure at not finding his Barbara -an Arabella Goddard?" - -"Thank God, I never held out that prospect to him. No--" she continued, -absently; "I don't like his letters, and I fear Mrs. Wardor -misunderstands him--misunderstands him entirely. He inquires very -particularly for Lady Clare in his letters, too." - -"And not for you? Ah! then the cat's out of the bag," she laughed; "you -are jealous of me again." - -"The vanity of some people--" Christine joined in the laugh; but the -troubled look returned to her face as she went on. "That poor old man -troubles me too; he is failing fast, and his son must come soon, or I -fear he will never see him again." - -"Then why not send for him?" asked Clara, innocently; "or does he not -know where to find him?" - -"No," answered Christine, savagely, after a moment's hesitation. - -"Poor old man," sighed Clara; and she was careful after this to meet the -forlorn figure wandering restlessly through the grounds with all the -sweet consideration it was her nature to show those who were in pain or -trouble. - -Still the old man never spoke to her of his Rudolph as he did to -Christine; it was to the brave-hearted German girl he poured out his -long pent-up complaints and lamentations; it was only to her he revealed -how the yearning for his first-born was eating his heart away. Often she -was on the point of telling him all; he would say then, she thought, -that she had acted quite correctly; would commend her for not having -fastened herself with her accursed name upon a blameless man, with fame -and fortune before him. But he would still demand at her hands his -son--his son whom she, more than himself, had made an exile and a -wanderer. - -So the day passed on, and the cloud on the horizon of Lone Linden grew -darker and heavier; but no one saw it gathering save Christine. -Instinctively she felt that their fair Paradise would be destroyed when -the storm should burst, but she knew not how to divert the threatened -deluge. - -When Clara rushed into her arms one day, flushed and breathless, crying, -"Oh, I knew he loved me--I felt that he had never forgotten me," her -heart misgave her--the first harbinger of threatened desolation had -come. With difficulty she prevailed on Clara to tell her calmly what had -occurred, and, triumphant and happy, she explained that Mrs. Wardor had -received a letter from Mr. Farnsworth, to say that at the end of the -week he should visit Lone Linden, bringing with him young Mr. Heraclit -Gupton, nephew of General Gupton, commanding the Department of the -Pacific. - -"Poor, blind Mrs. Wardor," Clara went on to say, "saw nothing in this -but Mr. Farnsworth's desire to entertain a young gentleman whose uncle -had it in his power to award heavy army contracts; indeed, how could she -know that Heraclit Gupton was--was--" - - - "I have lived and loved--but that was to-day; - Go bring me my grave clothes to-morrow." - - -Christine filled up the pause, her voice more dreary and inclined to -"drop into the cellar" than ever. - -Clara looked sobered and disappointed at this unexpected comment, but -attributed it to a sudden recollection of Christine's own "what might -have been." - -"What makes you so sad, Christine? Is Mr. Muldweber really sinking as -fast as Mrs. Wardor thinks?" - -"Sinking fast, child; only the promise that his son shall be brought -here, if among the living, before the moon fades, has kept the old man -alive." - -"Oh! Christine, stay and be glad with me now," pleaded Clara, "the time -for mourning will come soon enough." - -But Christine could not be made to rejoice, and all the comment she made -on the other's enthusiasm was, - - - "Oh! Lady Clara Vere de Vere, - You put strange memories in my head." - - -And Clara flew up-stairs to dream over this broadening flood of sunshine -as she had dreamed over the first faint glinting. - -Had not Miss Barbara been strangely absent-minded about this time, she -must have observed how the color in Clara's cheek grew brighter, and her -eyes held a deeper, richer light. And if any expression so soft as a -"dreamy look" could ever have stolen into this positive young lady's -face, one would certainly have said it was there now, though it vanished -like a dream, too, whenever the Indian girl's impish laugh fell on her -ears. The Indian girl herself seemed to be the only member of the family -that was not more or less _distrait_ after the arrival of Mr. -Farnsworth's last letter, for even Kickup showed resentment at Miss -Barbara's sudden neglect of her "saddle horse." It was only natural that -Mrs. Wardor's mind should be on hospitable cares intent, which accounted -for her being oblivious to a good many things going on around her. - -Saturday had been named by Mr. Farnsworth as the day on which he was to -be expected, and as the members of the family arose from the -breakfast-table that morning, Miss Barbara astonished Mrs. Wardor by a -demand for her mother's diamonds, to wear in honor of her father's -coming. - -"Nonsense, child," said Mrs. Wardor; "what would the young gentleman -coming with your father think, to see a school-girl loaded down with -diamonds? Leave them in my trunk; they are better there. You might take -a notion to have a romp with Kickup before taking them off, and they -would be scattered in the meadow." - -But Miss Barbara was determined to carry her point, and broke out at -last, the rebellious blood rising to her head, "I think I should be -allowed to have them, at any rate; they are _my_ diamonds, and father -promised mother that they should never go to the second wife if he did -marry again." - -Mrs. Wardor's face flushed as red as Barbara's, but Christine's remained -unmoved, calmly marking the notes on a sheet of music, while Clara gave -one startled look, as though she had just made a discovery. - -Early in the afternoon Miss Barbara appeared in the garden, where the -hot sun blazed down on the fiery hair, the burning cheeks, and the -flashing jewels. Her eyes were hardly less sparkling than her diamonds, -and as she threw a searching look down the road and across the plain, -toward the town, they seemed to glitter and glint in all the colors of -the rainbow, just like the stones in her ears and at her throat. Later, -Clara came to the hall-door, but drew back when Barbara came to join -her; the girl's appearance gave her a "scorched" sensation, she said to -Christine, who seemed blind to the shadows that coming events were -casting before them. At least there was neither glad anticipation nor -nervous haste noticeable in her as in the rest, but her heart was very -heavy within her. Nevertheless she chided Clara for having dressed in -black after all, when she had firmly decided to wear white; and she -urged her back into the garden, for she knew her soul was flying across -the road to the city, to meet the form she had dreamed of day and night -since Mr. Farnsworth's announcement. - -The afternoon breeze was gently stirring the fragrant flower heads when -she entered the garden again and approached Miss Barbara, who had taken -up her station by the low picket fence where the ground rose above the -level of the road. Clara, too, sent out a wistful look across the plain. -Perhaps she had sighed, for she felt the girl's eyes on her, and as she -looked up, it came back to her painfully what Barbara had once said -about her lack of color. Could her heart be growing envious of the girl? -She did not ask herself the question, but she felt the impulse to turn -and leave her, and would have done so had not a start and flutter on the -girl's part told her that a vehicle was in sight. - -She did not look down the road; she would not betray her feelings to the -merciless eyes of this red-headed girl; but her own heart beat so that -Barbara's agitation entirely escaped her. She turned toward the house. -She _must_ press her hand to her heart to still the tumultuous beating. -On the balcony stood Christine, an affectionate smile lighting up the -dark features as she threw kisses to her and pointed to the light -carriage now quite near the gate. Then the color came back into Clara's -face, and, with a sudden joyous impulse, she fluttered her handkerchief -in the breeze, and laughed like a glad child reaching out its hand for -a long-coveted toy. Mrs. Wardor came to the door; the carriage stopped -at the gate that minute, and two gentlemen sprang to the ground. - -Just how it all took place, perhaps none of them ever knew--not even -Christine, who had remained on the balcony, a deeply-interested, though -not indelicate, spectator. They lingered in the garden a little while, -and before they entered the house Mr. Farnsworth had pompously announced -to Mrs. Wardor that this was the young gentleman who had so faithfully -and persistently paid court and attention to his daughter Barbara; that -he had at last been touched by his unwavering devotion, and had decided -to make his only child happy--as happy as he himself hoped to be some -day in the not distant future. - -"Bless your soul," he added, in an undertone, to Mrs. Wardor, who had -just had an unaccountable attack of heart-beating, "if I had known that -Barbara's 'young man' was General Gupton's nephew, she should have had -him six months ago, and welcome." He was interrupted by Barbara's asking -permission to go driving with her "young man," and, the father -consenting, they were soon speeding over the road in the light carriage -that had brought the gentlemen. - -At her window up-stairs sat Christine, her hands folded idly in her lap, -her eyes absently following the couple in the carriage. But on the bed, -in her own room, lay Clara, her head buried deep in the pillows, her -slender hands covering the white face, sobbing as if her heart would -break. And through the half-open door came the saddening chant of -Christine: - - - "I have just been learning the lesson of life, - The sad, sad lesson of loving." - - -Could the words but have penetrated to the room below, they might have -been echoed there by another. Mr. Farnsworth was again making an -announcement to Mrs. Wardor--though in a manner not quite so -pompous--indeed, almost hesitating. - -"Yes," he was saying, "my daughter cannot blame me, since I have made -her happy, that I too should look for a suitable companion. When I say -suitable, I mean one better fitted than the first Mrs. Farnsworth to -my--ahem!--to my--more advanced mental attainments. I have for some time -past observed the--ahem!--sweet disposition and--ahem!--amiable -character of your friend and _protégé_--Clara. Good gracious, madam, are -you sick? Can I do anything for you?" - -"No, thanks; only a sudden dizziness that sometimes seizes me in warm -weather;" and, thanks to Mrs. Wardor's self-possession, it was over -directly. As Mr. Farnsworth took it for granted that it was quite -essential for a fine lady to have nerves, and even fainting-fits, he saw -nothing remarkable in Mrs. Wardor's sudden dizziness and pallor. Then -she said Clara was one of the sweetest-tempered women she had ever met -with, but she knew nothing of the state of her heart or affections; he -must lay the case before the lady herself. And here she suddenly -remembered not to have given full directions for supper to the Chinaman -in the kitchen, and left Mr. Farnsworth to his own meditations in the -parlor. Then the sun went down, and Christine, paying no heed to the -sound of carriage-wheels approaching--thinking the happy lovers had -returned--was startled by the sharp ring of the door-bell. She sprang to -her feet; she felt that the bell called to her, and she was at the door -before the servant could reach it. A tall, bearded man stood before her, -who, taking advantage of the girl's being utterly disconcerted, drew her -quickly to his breast. She rested there only a moment. - -"Oh, Rudolph! your father," she said, with a tone of reproach in her -voice. - -"Take me to him, Christine," and Mrs. Wardor, who had drawn her head -back discreetly a moment before, now came fully out of her sitting-room -to welcome Rudolph to his home. - -"All the afternoon you left me by myself," said Mr. Muldweber, -querulously, as Christine softly entered his room. "Ah! if my boy would -only come, he would never let his old father lie here alone," and he -turned his head to the wall so as not to look at Christine. - -"Forgive me," she said; "but poor Clara so needed me. And I have brought -news from your son--from Rudolph. He is coming soon--he will be here--" - -"He is here now!" cried the old man, opening his arms, but turning his -eyes to the ceiling, as though he expected his Rudolph to flutter down -from there in the shape of a seraph or an angel. - -A few hours later Mr. Muldweber's room, which had seemed so lonesome in -the afternoon, was filled to its full capacity. The old man sat in his -easy-chair, holding one hand each of Rudolph and Christine in his own, -and near them were Mrs. Wardor and Clara. Her friend's happiness was a -consolation to her, so much so that she could think, without breaking -into tears, of the trio in the parlor of the other house, talking over -their plans for the future, just as our friends were doing here. - -Mr. Farnsworth intended going back to the city on the morrow, heavily -laden with "The Basket" (the German term for the mitten or the sack), -which Clara had given him. - -In Mr. Muldweber's shanty reigned a soft, subdued happiness, like the -half-sad light of the moon flooding in through the window. - -"It will be Lone Linden no longer," the old man said, "since I have so -large a family. See, I will not crowd you in the big house; I will stop -in my dear little hut. There will be only room enough in the other house -for Rudolph and his wife and her two sisters" (the old man was naturally -gallant), "whose knight I will be till some one worthier and better -shall fill my place. And the red-headed one will go next month?" he -asked, turning to Mrs. Wardor. With a sigh of relief he continued, "And -the black Kobold will go with her I hope, and the four-footed one too. -How they used to break my beautiful white lilies and throw them to that -animal. Ah! you cannot make me believe anything--if that horse were not -possessed by the evil one he never could have eaten those flowers--stem -and all." They could not help laughing, and parted almost merrily. - -But out in the garden, in the tender white moonlight, Rudolph drew -Christine close to his heart and looked searchingly into her eyes. - -"Are you at peace with yourself now, Christine, and satisfied to be -mine--satisfied and happy? Then why are those tears in your eyes?" - -She struggled out of his arms, and passing her hand over her eyes, she -fell irresistibly into her old habit, and sang, soft and low, - - - "Mag auch im Aug' die Thräne stehn-- - Das macht das frohe Wiedersehn." - - - - -_MANUELA._ - - -"Poor Mrs. Kennerly" was more lachrymose than usual to-day; her eyes -paler, her hair more faded. Paul Kennerly, the keen-eyed, robust -counterpart and husband of the lady, was measuring the room with -impatient steps. When her pale-blue eyes shed tears and grew paler, his -flashed fire and grew deeper blue; when her light-yellow hair hung limp -and loose about her eyes, his darker, heavier locks rose obstinately -from his forehead, and were shaken back, now and again, as a lion shakes -his mane. While the profuse tears coursing over his wife's cheeks seemed -to bleach their original pink into vapid whiteness, his own flushed hot -and red with the quick blood mounting into them. - -Yet, Mrs. Kennerly, of whom her friends spoke only with the adjective -"poor" prefixed, was not a martyr; on the contrary, to the unprejudiced -observer, the great tall man, in spite of flashing eye and reddened -cheek, appeared much more in that light and character. - -"Laura, _will_ you stop crying just for two seconds, and listen to what -I have to say?" - -"Oh, my poor sister! my poor sister! Coming home, and unwelcome in her -own dead father's house! unwelcome to her own brother-in-law, at the -house of her poor dead father--oh!" - -Before she had finished her lamentation, Mr. Kennerly had left the room, -shutting the door behind him with a crash, and crossing the corridor -with long, heavy strides. Then his steps resounded on the veranda, where -the June sun threw deepening shadows of the old locusts that stood -sentinel in a half circle on the lawn. Pacing back and forth, with knit -brows and downcast eyes, the wooing beauties of the summer day were lost -on him, as they were without charm or joy to the weak-minded woman -fretting and complaining in her darkened room up-stairs. - -Unnoticed by him was the short sweet grass on the lawn, and the rows of -blossoming lilacs and budding roses that hedged it in on either side, -down to the road; unheeded on his ear fell the gentle murmuring of the -wind in the cluster of poplar, beech, and elm that stood bowing and -swaying by the large old gate. Was it possible that he had ever pushed -through its portals (a wanderer returned to his early home), an -expectant bridegroom, to meet the meek-eyed bride whose phantom only -seemed now to haunt the old-fashioned, hospitable house? Again Paul -Kennerly threw back the hair from his forehead with the lion-like motion -that had grown more abrupt and hasty year after year. Then the footsteps -on the veranda ceased, and soon soft, full chords, such as a master-hand -only could strike on the piano, sounded through the wide corridor, and -floated up to the ears of the self-willed invalid. Louder and stronger -grew the strains; and the woman, in her feebleness, cowered on her -lounge up-stairs, and complained fretfully, "Now he storms again!" while -the man below seemed to have forgotten everything; his own existence, -perhaps--the existence of the woman, surely. - -Yet she was present to the waking dreams he dreamed of his early -youth--they could not be dreamed without her. She had been his playmate, -his _protégé_; as her younger, stronger sister had been his natural -antagonist and aversion. The father had been his guardian. And when Paul -went as sutler and trader to New Mexico, just as Laura was budding into -girlhood, it was tacitly understood that on his return he would claim -her as his betrothed. Years passed, and when old Mr. Taylor felt his end -approaching, he begged Paul to return, and be to his two daughters the -protector that he had been to Paul's helpless childhood. Soon after -Laura's marriage, Mr. Taylor died, firm in the belief that he had made a -happy man of his favorite, Paul. - -Before the mourning year was over, a schoolmate of Paul's, an army -officer, some years his senior, came to spend a month's furlough at the -old Taylor mansion. When he left, he was the willing slave and avowed -suitor of Regina, the queenly younger sister of Laura. If there were no -hearty congratulations from Paul's side, I doubt that either Colonel -Douglass, in his happiness, or Laura, in her self-absorption, felt the -withholding of his kind wishes; and Regina cared very little either for -his favor or his disapproval. - -Even before they were married, Regina knew that after a few short weeks -spent in the home-like, elegant quarters at the arsenal, they must leave -the ease and luxuries of civilization for the wilds of some frontier -country. But Regina was content to reign over the limited number of -hearts to be found in a frontier's camp, as she had reigned over her -train of admirers in the ball-room and at the watering-places; and, to -the delight of her husband, she uttered no word of complaint when an -order from the War Department sent them to an adobe-built fort on the -Rio Pecos, in the most desolate part of all New Mexico. - -"Now, I should like to go with you, Hal," had said his brother-in-law, -when he read him the order; and he raised his head and flung back his -hair, as though he felt the wild, free wind of the Plains tossing it. - -Paul rode back from the arsenal slowly that evening; and the nearer home -he came, the lower drooped his head, the darker grew his brow. At home -he paced the floor uneasily, paying little heed to the feeble whimpering -of his wife, who had been frittering her life away between -camphor-bottles and sentimental novels since Regina had left the house. - -The drawing-room, where the piano stood, and where the windows opened -out on the veranda and the lawn, was his harbor this night, as often -when either his own thoughts or the selfish complainings of his wife -drove him distractedly about the house. But this night there sounded a -single soft strain through his "storming,"--as his wife called it,--and -the strain grew wilder and sweeter, till suddenly lost, as the note of -some clear-voiced, frightened bird is lost in the howling of the -midnight storm. - -Then had come days of calm, during which the piano remained closed, and -he sat meekly under the drivelling talk of his wife, and in the close, -dark atmosphere which alone, she insisted, suited the delicate -complexion of her face and of her mind. - -After that, an occasional letter from his brother-in-law, now at his -station on the Rio Pecos, or an extra twist of the cord matrimonial, -which, since the day of his marriage, seemed literally to encircle his -neck, would set the lion to fuming in his cage; and, with the toss of -his hair from the forehead, would commence the wandering through the -house which always ended with "storming" the piano. - -But the days are passing while we travel back into the past; and one, -not far distant, brings Regina, the unwelcome. Before she had been in -the house many days, she knew from her sister's rambling talk what Paul -had said of her coming before she came--knew that he did not believe -what the colonel had written about the disastrous effects of the New -Mexican climate on his wife's health; but believed, rather, the rumors -that had come to him from all sides, each varying a little from the rest -in detail, but all agreeing in the main. Regina's marble face, and -nervous, transparent fingers, might have confirmed the theory of failing -health; but there was something in the momentary flash of her dark -eyes, as she listened to her sister's quavering voice, that told of -energy or despair, such as woman gains and gathers only from a sudden -calling forth of all her passions and powers for the defence of her -life, her honor, or position, as the case may be. It may have been only -once, in the long past, that this power was called out; but, like the -heat-lightning at the close of a hot, murky day, it throws baleful -gleams on the cloud-darkened horizon of her life forever after. - -"My sternly-virtuous moral brother-in-law," Regina said softly to -herself, seated on a low stool in the room where her cradle had stood, -"would fain drive me from my own father's house, for a fancied injury to -the fair name of the Kennerly-Taylor family. Ah, well! the end of all -days has not come yet." - -Her head sank on her bosom, as she sat watching the shadows of the -tree-clump by the gate, growing longer and deeper in the fading light of -the western sun; and a tear stole into her eye and trickled slowly down -her pure white cheek. Her sister, creeping up to her, and looking into -her face with what affection she was capable of, shed more of her -easy-coming tears. - -"I told him they were slandering you. Papa always said you were too -proud to do a wrong and not acknowledge it. And Paul was always hard on -you, I know; and it's all a lie and slander; for even if you were not my -sister, I could tell, as any one could, from your face, that you are -good and without sin. I know from the stories I have read--they all have -just such pale, faultless faces when they're persecuted; and afterwards -the misunderstanding is cleared up, and they get married. But then, you -_are_ married." She had gotten into deep water now; and thinking, -probably, that her younger, cleverer sister would solve this problem as -she had so many others, Laura picked up her camphor-bottle and returned -to her own room. Regina remained, her "pale, faultless face" turned to -the dying light, a pensive, half-pained, half-sad expression on her lips -and in her eye, looking almost like a saint striving to forgive and -bless her traducers. - -Yet the woman was not without sin; though how much was to be laid at her -door none could tell. - -Out in New Mexico, the rumor ran, at the lonely adobe-built post on the -Rio Pecos, where her husband, the colonel, was stationed, there was also -a post surgeon, a young, handsome man, of fascinating manners, of -unquestioned skill and bravery, and born of an Italian mother, from whom -he had inherited passion, temper, and disposition, together with -Southern eyes and curly, silken hair. His courage had probably come from -his American father; none but such could have a son who, in his -dare-devil bravery, would go so far as to capture and tame a young -panther, and chain him outside his door, to act as watch-dog and -protector. And so great was the love of this animal for his master, that -he was known to leap and roar for joy when seeing him approach after an -absence from home. - -Of course, Regina was expected to visit and admire the panther as a -"natural curiosity;" and her hand, too, it was said, the beast would -lick with every sign of affection and submission. Rumor said, that in -the dead of night, when no one else could approach the doctor's quarters -within a hundred yards, she could pass by and into the doctor's rooms -without hindrance or opposition from Royal, the panther. And, moreover, -rumor went on to say, that whenever the colonel was away on duty, -looking after those troublesome Navajoes and uncertain Apaches, Regina's -white robe was frequently seen flitting past the uncanny keeper of the -doctor's door. - -But there came a day--a night, rather--when Royal, after a short but -terrible conflict with a midnight invader, lay dead on his master's -doorsteps, and over the body strode the invader into the presence of the -young doctor, who, with an almost superhuman effort, tried to shield the -queenly, white-robed form that fell prone to the floor. To be sure, he -received a bullet in his temple; and the dark, silken curls were dank -and stiff with gore when the sun lighted up the low adobe room next -morning. However, he had saved _her_ life; for the colonel became cool -when he saw the destroyer of his peace and honor lying dead at his feet. - -There was no public trial--not even a court-martial. The colonel had -killed the doctor in a duel; but nobody demanded a record of the event, -and the reprimand he received was not by sentence. But he was ordered to -Fort Marcy, near Santa Fé. The colonel had borne off a cut across the -forehead, extending upward till under the hair, in one of the pitched -battles with the Indians; and he was known to suffer from headache and -irritation of the wound to such a degree, at times, that -over-excitement, from anger or other cause, made him almost crazy. He -was an old, valiant, and valued officer; and the War Department, not -supposed to know any uninvestigated matter, would excuse many things in -such a one, even though it could not approve them. - -Then it was that the colonel's wife had returned to the States "for her -health,"--as her husband was particular to write to his brother officers -stationed at the barracks and arsenal near to the western city where his -wife's home was. - -Who can tell how rumor travels? When Regina made her appearance at the -arsenal, the very women who had once been proud of her notice seemed -hardly to remember a passing acquaintance with her; and, stung to the -quick, she had barely strength to control her face and hold high her -head till the door of her carriage had closed on her. She laid back her -head, throbbing and aching, yet filled with a thousand plans for -regaining her position and punishing those who had so humbled her. - -It was one of Paul's restless days; and she heard him "storming" on the -piano as her carriage entered the gateway. With sudden interest she -raised her head, while her face grew animated with some struggling -thought. - -When night had set in, and the broad hall-door was thrown open to admit -the soft breeze and the tender moonlight, Regina, for the first time -since her return to the home of her childhood, approached the piano in -the drawing-room and ran her fingers over the keys. The door stood open, -and from her seat she could see into the hall, and catch a glimpse of -Paul's shadow every time he passed the hall-door in his walk on the -moonlit veranda. Not a muscle of her face moved as she continued in her -play, striking chords and running _roulades_, without any apparent -purpose save that of touching once more the old familiar key-board. -Paul's shadow flitted by, regularly and restlessly, never varying an -inch in his distance from the door as he passed it. Suddenly the chords -melted into a melody low and sweet, yet swelling almost into wildness in -its yearning, longing tenderness. - -Regina listened intently, and--surely Paul could not have paused -suddenly in his walk on the veranda! Directly his footsteps came again, -halting and uncertain, and Regina repeated the air, throwing into it -more intensity, even, than at first. She seemed absorbed in her playing, -though she knew full well when Paul's hesitating footsteps crossed the -threshold, and moved nearer the drawing-room entrance. When he stood in -the door, she looked up, as though unwilling to be disturbed in her -musical meditations. One look at the deathly-pale face, above which the -dark blonde hair rose like a lion's mane, assured her that she would -gain--_had_ gained--her end; and she played on, as though forgetting his -presence in an instant. Presently, a hoarse, unsteady voice reached her -ear: - -"Where did you learn that air? Who taught you the song?" - -She looked up unconcernedly. - -"That air? Do you like it?" - -He nodded his head impatiently. - -"Where did you learn it? Who taught you?" - -"That song? Oh, I learned that in New Mexico." - -He looked at her wildly for a moment, but her gaze was so steady that he -dropped his eyes and moved slowly away. - -Late in the night, when Regina awoke from a sleep sweeter and sounder -than any she had yet enjoyed, she heard Paul's steps in the hall-way, on -his way to bed. - -"You have left me alone all night again," complained his wife, when he -entered the room; "and I have had one of my nervous spells." - -"You keep the room so confoundedly hot and full of camphor that it -smothers me to stay here," was the crusty reply. - -"Would you want me to keep the windows and shutters open, so as to let -the mosquitoes come in and devour us?" - -"Why do you keep the light burning till twelve in the night, then?" - -"But, Paul, I can't read in the dark, can I? And I want some pastime, I -am sure, so sick and feeble as I am," weeping for very pity of herself. - -"Throw those foolish books out of the window; the camphor-bottle, too; -let air and daylight into your room, and you'll soon get well and -strong," he answered, willing to be kind and anxious to hush her -distracting sobs. - -Regina, in her room, breathed a little sigh of satisfaction; for though -she could not hear the conversation, she could guess very nearly what -Paul's reception had been: "Ah! my clever brother-in-law, yours is not a -bed of roses, either;" and with this comforting reflection she dropped -off to sleep. - -Next morning, at the breakfast-table, Regina watched with placid -interest the haggard face of Paul, and the furtive looks he threw over -to where she sat. During the morning his wife was attacked with sick -headache, "from reading those trashy novels," he said; and by night he -was wandering through the house again, groaning in very anguish of -spirit, and flying, at last, to his only refuge, the piano. Through the -loud clanging of the chords there breathed a strain, now and then, of -the song Regina had played; but in a moment it was drowned by the louder -crashes, which almost shook the house, and seemed the outpouring of some -wild spirit in its abject misery. Day followed day, and as the season -advanced, and autumn set in, with stormy days and long, moonless nights, -Paul grew more restless; and one night, when he had wandered through the -house all day--"as though driven by the Fury of Remorse," Regina -said--she went, unobserved, into the drawing-room, from where soon came -the strains of the song that had so agitated Paul. Again his heavy steps -approached the door, and, as he entered the room, Regina said to -herself, "He has grown ten years older since that evening last summer, -and he is ripe for my purpose now." - -"You learned that song in New Mexico?" he asked, trying to speak in his -usual quiet tones. "I suppose it is a popular air among the Mexicans?" - -"Not a common one, though it is a Spanish song;" and she softly sang the -refrain, "_Ela--Manuela!_" - -Had she stabbed him to the heart he could not have turned paler, or -sprung forward quicker, than at the uttering of the words. - -"She taught it you! Tell me quick, for God's sake!" - -He had clutched her arm, and was shaking her without knowing it. - -"Gently, my dear brother-in-law," she said, sneeringly; and he shook the -hair back from his forehead, and regained his self-possession by a -strong effort. - -"You wanted to know who taught me the song? My information has a -price." - -She had folded her hands in her lap, and was looking quietly into his -face. - -"Name it!" he burst out impatiently. - -"It is a high price; but I can give you _all_ the information you may -want in return. Here is a sample." - -She had turned the music-stool on which she was seated, and while he -paced up and down the room to hide his agitation, she continued in the -tone of one holding easy converse with a good friend: - -"I learned this little Spanish song from a very pretty girl in New -Mexico. She said she had once taught it to an American, a tall, handsome -man, with blue eyes and fair face, who must have been in love with her, -I think, for he had always substituted her name, in the refrain, for the -name which the author of the song had put into it. She, too, must have -been fond of this American with blue eyes and dark blonde hair; for, -though not in the least conceited, or aware of her own attractions, she -always sang the refrain with her own name, Manuela, instead of the -original name, Juanita, simply because this American had wished her so -to do. The air is beautiful, I think; and the words are very pretty -too." She turned to the keys again, as though to repeat the air. - -"Stop!" he said hoarsely, arresting her hand; "you will kill me. What is -the price you ask?" - -"The price is high," he groaned, when she had coolly and in unfaltering -tones stated her conditions to him. "But if you promise to keep to your -word, I will do my best." - -"You will succeed, then," she said, holding out her hand, and speaking -almost cordially as they parted for the night. - -When she reached her room she seemed for once to have fallen into Paul's -_rôle_ of Wandering Jew; but her steps were noiseless, though the -thoughts that danced and chased through her brain _would_ come to her -tongue, in quick, triumphant words. - -"My upright, truthful judge and brother-in-law--to bring about a -reconciliation between his best friend, my husband, and his 'erring but -loving wife.'" A haughty look flashed in her eyes: "Regina--and pleading -for forgiveness! Ah, well--even a queen must sometimes stoop to -conquer!" - -The weeks passed slowly on; and, absorbed though Laura was in her -camphor-bottle and her novels, she could not but notice that Paul had -altogether changed in his behavior toward her sister; and she rejoiced -over this in her own fashion: - -"I always told Regina that her innocence would come to light, and she -would triumph over the machinations of her enemies, and get married to -a--But she _is_ married--I forget. Well, it will all come right, and -she'll be ever so happy, I know." - -Poor thing! She could not live to see her so. The camphor-bottle, the -close, dark room, and the Frenchy novels were too much for her; and -before the spring had brought any flowers to strew on her grave, they -had laid her in a darker, closer room than she had yet been in. Her -husband and Regina followed the coffin, dressed in deep mourning; and -Regina's face, as well as Paul's, was paler and sadder by a good many -shades than usual. - -Meanwhile, letters passed frequently between Paul and his friend and -brother-in-law; and one day, when the roses and lilacs that bordered the -lawn were shedding fragrance and beauty together over the old -homestead-grounds, Paul announced to his sister-in-law that he would -accompany her on her journey to New Mexico. - -How the wind of the plains through Paul's hair made it look more than -ever like a lion's mane! and how like the Paul of long ago he looked, -mounted on his fiery black horse! Something like pity for him sometimes -stole into Regina's heart; but she would sneer at herself for the -feeling. "Did he pity me when I came home broken-hearted--repentant?" - -The long hours of their rest--for the colonel had seen to it that his -wife had not to travel in the plebeian stage, but was furnished train -and escort at Fort Leavenworth--she beguiled with telling, bit by bit, -the story of her acquaintance with Manuela, who had found her way to the -fort on the Rio Pecos, one day, where they had been stationed. Regina -had been captivated at once by the girl's gentle face and soft black -eyes; and when, after an acquaintance of some weeks, she surmised that -the girl was looking for the man who had once loved and then, -unaccountably, deserted her, she felt only pity for one who could so -unselfishly and devotedly love any man as to give up home and friends, -and wander through what must seem the wide world to this poor girl, in -search of him. That the man was Paul, she felt quite sure; though she -had never expressed the least suspicion of this to the colonel. - -This much only could Paul learn from his sister-in-law; and that she -knew, even now, where the girl could be found; further than this she -would not say; would not tell him that Manuela had lived in her own -household, half as domestic, half as companion; that she had been -induced to this by the vague hope that while with Americans she might -more easily learn of those who arrived, or returned, from the States to -the Territories; that on leaving Santa Fé she had exacted a promise from -the girl to remain in the colonel's quarters and employ until she should -send her permission to leave her post. - -And so they reached Santa Fé--Paul hopeful and expectant as a young -bridegroom; Regina calm and thoughtful, but trying to look cheerful when -she knew of Paul's eyes resting on her; when unobserved, the dreary, -despairing look crept back into her eyes, and her face, white as marble, -grew rigid as the face of a statue. When the cluster of square, -low-built adobe houses, called Santa Fé, rose up before them, Paul -could hardly restrain his impatience; but he had promised to be guided -in all things by his sister-in-law, and he had now to abide by her -decisions. "It would be painful and embarrassing to have any one, even -her own brother-in-law, present at her first meeting with the colonel," -she said, and therefore requested Paul to remain over night in Santa Fé, -and ride over in the morning to where Fort Marcy lay, on the low rise of -the hills bordering the plain. - -Since Regina so wished it, let the meeting between herself and husband -be entirely private. We will not draw aside the veil till the next -morning, which came up with a blaze of broad, staring sunshine, -promising an unpleasantly hot day. The commanding officer's quarters, -though surrounded by a neat paling-fence, was as bare and innocent of -the least attempt at a garden as all the rest of the quarters were. The -red, hard earth alone stared up at the hard blue sky; outside the -fortress walls, ungainly cactus and stunted mesquit bushes made the -plain look only the more inhospitable and barren. - -The quarters were low, but cool; and as the doorways were only hung with -curtains, the breeze that swept over the plain had free access to every -room in the house. The large sitting-room at the colonel's quarters had -been darkened since early morning, and the heat excluded as much as -possible, for the colonel was threatened with a severe attack of the -torturing headache that sprang from the badly-healed wound in his -forehead. As the sun rose higher, he succumbed to the pain; and as he -threw himself on the wide, low lounge, in intolerable suffering, Regina -stepped lightly to his side, to supply the usual remedies. But a cold -look and colder words drove her back from his couch; and as he called to -Manuela to bathe his head, in gentle, almost tender tones, she for the -first time felt a deadly hatred toward this girl, whom she knew still to -be an angel in virtue and purity. - -Struck to the heart, she left the room, only to throw herself on the -hard floor of the next apartment, where she grovelled in an agony of -anger and pain. Suddenly the sound of horses' hoofs fell on her ear, and -she sprang up with one wild bound, and flew to the door, just in time to -motion Paul, who had already dismounted, into her presence. - -"Now has my time come!" She could hardly restrain herself from crying it -out aloud to the frowning mountain and the arid plain. "Ricardo, thou -shalt be avenged! avenged thou, my poor heart, for the tears and the -blood wrung from thee for many, many bitter days!" - -The light of the sun shining into Paul's eyes, blinded him; and though -he saw the finger laid on her lips, he could not see the dishevelled -hair and bloodshot eyes, and approached her, looking for some glad -surprise. He had donned a Mexican costume, and the little silver bells -on the outside seam of his pantaloons jingled musically at every step; -while the short jacket, showing the pistol-belt under the red sash, set -his figure off to full advantage. - -He spoke laughingly: "You see I have turned Mexican, every inch of me!" -then he caught the wild eyes, with their frenzied look, and he grasped -her hand, exclaiming, "Good God! what has happened?" - -"Happened?" she echoed with a demoniac laugh; "we have been -deceived--outraged--cheated out of our life's happiness--both you and I! -Behold the traitor and the serpent!" - -Drawing aside the curtain that hung in the door-arch between the two -rooms, she beckoned him to approach, and pointed silently to the group -in the next room. Bending over the reclining form of the man on the -lounge stood a girl, whose face, of angel goodness, was turned in -profile to the two intruders at the doorway. The man's eyes were closed; -and as the girl stooped lower, his hand stole softly around her form, -and nestled there, lovingly, tenderly, as though it had found a -long-sought resting-place. Pliant braids of glossy black hair fell far -below the girl's waist; and her eyes were of the almond shape, that we -find in the faces of those descended from the people of Castile. - -In a moment Paul's burning eyes had taken in the picture, and an -inarticulate sound came over his lips. The woman beside him watched him -with the eyes of a tigress; and he never knew--was it _her_ touch that -guided him, or did his own evil passions move his hand from his reeking -brow to the pistol in his belt? There was a sharp report, a shriek and a -groan, and the next minute Paul Kennerly was dashing over the plain, -mounted on his fleet black horse, the wind tossing through his hair, and -raising it from his bare brow, where it reared itself proudly, like the -mane of a lion when he flies from captivity and death. - - - - -_THE ROMANCE OF GILA BEND._ - - -Travelling from Los Angeles to Tucson, you can, if you choose, sleep -under a roof almost every night, providing you have good teams. There -are Government forage stations along the whole route, where travellers -are "taken in" by the station-keepers, though not on Government account. -I do not say that it is pleasant at all these stations, particularly for -a woman, as she will seldom or never meet one of her own sex on the way. -When we left Fort Yuma, Sam, the driver, assured me that I would not see -a white woman's face between there and Tucson. He was mistaken. I met -not only one, but a whole family of them, one after another. - -The day that brought us to Oatman's Flat was murky, dark, and gloomy--a -day in full harmony with the character of the country we were travelling -through. We descended into the Flat by an abrupt fall in the road that -landed us at once among a clump of scraggy, darkling willows, drooping -wearily over a sluggish little creek. In the distance we could see the -white sand of the bed of the Gila, and half-buried in it the ghastly, -water-bleached limbs of the trees that the river had uprooted year after -year in its annual frenzy. We could not go the upper road, on account of -the Gila's having washed out a portion of it, and the lower road seemed -to be regarded by Sam with all the disfavor it deserved. Verde or -grease-wood, as ragged and scraggy as the willows, covered the whole -Flat, except where, towards the centre, a dilapidated shanty stood on a -sandy, cheerless open space. Not far from it were the remains of a -fence, enclosing some six paces of uneven ground, and on the only upper -rail left of the inclosure sat a dismal-looking, solitary crow. - -There was something so repulsively dreary about the whole place that it -made me shudder, and when Sam, pointing to it with his whip, said it was -the spot where the Oatman family had been murdered and lay buried, I was -not in the least surprised. Only one of the whole family had escaped--a -little chap who had crawled away after he had been left for dead, and -brought the white people from the next settlement to the scene of the -massacre. There was nothing to be done but to bury the mutilated -corpses; after this, the place had been deserted and shunned by the few -who lived here, though there had been no more Indian depredations -committed for years past. - -I was glad that the road did not take us very near the shanty, though I -watched it with a strange fascination. Sam, too, had his eyes fixed on -something that might have been the shadow of one of the victims, -flitting by the black gap which had once been the door. The place was so -weird that the ghostly shadow seemed to belong there; it chimed in so -well with the rest, that I accepted it as a part of the uncanny whole. -We had been going along at the usual leisurely gait, but Sam whipped up -the mules all at once, and leaned out of the ambulance to speak to Phil, -who drove the army wagon containing our baggage. The road was good and -solid, so I took no alarm at first; but when the speed was continued, -and the baggage-wagon kept thundering close behind us, I ventured to -ask, "Is there danger from Indians here?" - -"There hain't no Indians been seen around here for more'n three years," -was the answer, which satisfied me at the time. - -When we came to Burke's Station, where we were to pass the night, a -surprise awaited us. The house, a squalid _adobe_, was built in the -style common along the route--an open passage-way with rooms on either -side. The principal room to the left was bar-room and store-room; the -room to the right was reception-room, sitting-room, bed-room, and behind -it was the kitchen. The passage-way was dining-hall. When the tall young -Missourian, mine host, had ushered me into the room, he stepped to the -opening leading to the kitchen and called out: - -"Here, Sis, come and speak to the lady." - -Obedient to the call, a bashful, half-grown girl appeared, wiping her -hands on her apron, and looking up timidly from under her long -eyelashes. I took her by the hand. "How do you, child? How in the world -did you get here, and where is your mother?" I asked. - -Sam and Phil stood in the hall-door nudging each other, until Sam could -restrain himself no longer. - -"Why, that's his wife," pointing to the young Goliah from Missouri, "and -her dad and mam's living in the old shanty down on the Flat. I'll be -derned if they didn't give me the worst scare I had yet--thought they -was Indians, shore!" - -I looked from one to the other. "And how old are you?" I asked the girl. - -"Almost fifteen!" was the answer; and when the men withdrew she told me -about the rest of her family, whom I would probably find along the road. - -Sis was badly dressed; a coarse cotton gown, made with a yoke about an -inch and a half in depth, was drawn up close around her neck, and hung -loosely about her slender, immature form; her naked feet were thrust -into coarse boots, and a large check apron completed her costume. But -there was a shy, daisy-like grace about her that made one forget the -dress and see only the dove-like eyes and half-pensive smile on her -face. Her husband treated her in all things like a child, and she obeyed -him without a murmur or a question. When we left he told us that we -would find Sis's aunt at Kenyon's Station, and charged us to say that -Sis was well, and not the least bit homesick. - -We made Kenyon's Station early in the day, Sam and Phil greatly enjoying -the prospect of seeing another white woman here. She appeared on the -threshold, a brawny, coarse-handed woman of about forty, tidy-looking, -in spite of her bare feet and the short pipe in her mouth. By her side -appeared a shock-headed girl of twelve, with eyes agog and mouth open at -the strange apparition of a civilized-looking white woman. The husband -stood beside the ambulance--six feet and a half in his cowhide boots--a -good-humored smile on his leathery face, and lifted me to the ground as -though I had been a feather. Though the house, like that at Burke's -Station, was only _adobe_, there was an air of homely comfort about it, -inside and out, that made it much more cheerful than the other place. - -Aunt Polly was an excellent housekeeper--as viewed from a Texan -standpoint--and after she had in the most _naïve_ manner satisfied her -curiosity in regard to my looks and general make-up, she commenced -preparations for dinner. Sarah Eliza Jane, sole daughter of the house -and race, stayed by me in the room. Sitting in a low, home-made chair, -she stared steadily at me, sitting on a taller home-made chair, till she -had comprehended that the bits of braid and lace in my lap were to be -manufactured into a collar similar to the one I wore in my dress. When -she learned that the collar was to be for her, she ran out to the -kitchen, shouting for her mother to come and see what I was doing. The -mother's delight was as frank and hearty as the daughter's, and all at -once the secret leaked out that the family was in possession of a fine -American cow. Never speak disparagingly to me of Pikes and Texans. The -least kindness shown to them is returned tenfold, and the smallest -advance of friendliness is met by them half-way. When dinner (or supper) -was placed on the table, there came with it the most delicious butter I -had eaten for many a long day, to say nothing of a glass of buttermilk, -the sweetest I ever tasted. But I must tell you how Aunt Polly made the -butter, in case you should emigrate to Arizona without a patent diamond -churn. The cream was put into a high tin quart cup, and beaten with a -spoon till the butter came--which it did in about fifteen minutes. - -By the time dinner was over we had become quite intimate, and Aunt Polly -having resumed her pipe, gave me a short account of her history since -emigrating from Texas. The two most striking incidents were the loss of -her former husband by a stroke of lightning, about ten months ago, and -the acquisition of her present husband by a stroke of policy, about -three months ago. Though she did not show me the weeds she had worn on -becoming a widow, she exhibited the gorgeous "good clothes" she wore on -again becoming a wife. She stood at a little distance from me and spread -out the second-day dress, so that I could see the whole of the pattern, -consisting of detached bouquets--brilliantly variegated in color and -gigantic in size--scattered over a plain of light sky-blue. The dress -worn for "the occasion" was a gauzy white muslin, which must have had a -delicate effect--if she wore bare feet and a pipe in her mouth with it. -Her husband had proved kind and indulgent. Since their marriage he had -been at Maricopa Wells, and had bought at the store there another -beautiful dress of many colors--which, alas! had run out of his -saddle-bags, after a two hours' hard rain, on his way home. I saw the -dress pattern, and--oh, it was pitiful. - -After this display of good-will and fine clothes on her part, she said -she had a favor to ask of me, too. She pointed to my trunk, and said her -husband was crazy to know whether there was a waterfall in it? He had -read so much about waterfalls in the stray papers that fell into his -hands that he had the greatest curiosity in the world to know what it -was, and to see one with his own eyes. He imagined it to be a kind of -box or bag that ladies wore on their heads to carry their hair in, and, -seeing no foreign matter on my head, he "reckoned that I packed it with -me in my trunk." Aunt Polly had shrewdly guessed it to be a new fashion -of "putting up" the hair; but they both had about as correct an idea of -it as a blind man has of colors. With deep regret I owned that there was -no waterfall in my trunk; but seeing their disappointment, I succeeded, -with the aid of a pair of stockings and a pin-cushion, in putting up my -hair into quite a little Niagara, to the great delight of these -fashion-worshipping people. - -How charming the grove of trees looks, when you draw up under their -shadow at Gila Bend, after days of travel over tedious sand-plains or -through wildernesses of grease-wood and cactus. The whisper of the wind -in the trees, the bark of the dog that ran out to meet us, and the -cackle of the busy hens around the doorway, told us that we should find -good and happy people here. There was the solitary house as usual, but -it seemed more pretentious than those at the other stations. The -passage-way was higher and wider, the rooms more numerous, and finished -with whitewash and good glass windows. At the windows curtains; a -gay-colored counterpane on the bed, and wolf-skins in front of it and -the lounge. - -The station-keeper was a black-bearded, good-looking man, and his name -was George Washington--(I won't give the rest of his name--it's too -long). I knew I should find Sis's elder sister here as Mrs. George W. -----, for she had been married on the same day with her Aunt Polly. The -blue eyes, under long, silken lashes, that met my gaze on the threshold -at Gila Bend were like Sis's, only these were the eyes of a woman; there -were the same pretty movements, too, only there was more of -self-assertion in them. She might have been eighteen; from out of the -muslin dress she wore shone the whitest shoulders that belle ever -exhibited in a ball-room. Her hands and feet were small, and her rich -brown hair, oddly, though not unbecomingly dressed, lay on a forehead -white and pure as that of a child. - -No wonder George W. was proud of his wife, and had tried hard to win as -such the barefooted girl whom he found one day, with her family and some -sorry ox-teams, camped near his house, on their way from Texas to -California. It was quite a large family. There was the girl's mother, -her step-father, her sister, her brother, the aunt, and the aunt's -little girl. Aunt Polly seemed to be the leading man, for to her -belonged the two best ox-teams, one of which was driven by herself, the -other by the girl, Dorinda. She had hired or bought her niece from the -step-father for this purpose, after she had lost her husband by -lightning, and Dora had been faithful to her task, although pretty -nearly worn out crossing the Desert from Maricopa Wells to Gila Bend, -where George W. first found them. After he had taken a deep look into -the girl's eyes, he very disinterestedly invited the whole family to -come into his house--as far as they would go in--to rest there from the -long, hard journey. The family was treated to the best the house -afforded, and the oxen were fed on such hay as they had perhaps never -dreamed of before. - -The Texans were in no hurry to move on, and George W. was in no hurry to -have them go; being a bachelor, he was naturally fond of ladies' -society. Dora, Sis, and the ten-year-old brother soon became warmly -attached to him, and they, with the big dog, Bose, would daily wander -off to the Gila to catch fish. When they got there the two barefooted -girls and the brother would wade into the stream with ever fresh zest, -as they recalled that dreadful drag across the waterless desert. Bose -always went into the water with them, George W. alone remaining on the -bank, fishing-line in hand. - -One day, when Dora had watched the cool, clear water gliding swiftly -over her sun-browned feet in silence, she raised her eyes suddenly from -under the long, shading lashes: - -"Why do you never come into the water? Don't you like to stand in it?" -she asked of George. - -"Come and sit beside me here, and I will tell you!" - -She nestled down beside him, and he called to Bose, who laid his head on -his master's knee and looked knowingly from one to the other. - -"About three years ago, before I had built this house of mine, I lived -in a little shanty, about a mile from the river--just back here. The -summer was very hot. I had suffered much from the sun and the want of -water in crossing the country, and after the man who came out here with -me had gone on to Fort Yuma, I was left entirely alone. When I see you -over your ankles in the water now, I am often tempted to call you back, -only I know that you are young and strong, and I remember but too well -what pleasure there is in it. Besides, you do not remain in it as I did, -for long weary hours every day, standing in the shade of a willow -catching fish for my dinner. There was little else here to eat then, and -I never left off fishing till I was taken with rheumatism, from which I -had suffered years before. I was all alone and could not move, and had -nearly perished for want of water, because I could not walk down to the -river to get it. Nor could I cook anything, because beans require a -great deal of water, and I would have died alone in my shanty, if it had -not been for this dog." (Bose wagged his tail to indicate that he -understood what was being said.) "A dozen times a day Bose would trot -down to the river, dip up a small tin pailful of water, and bring it to -me where I stood or lay. Otherwise the faithful old fellow never left my -side, day or night, and though he would, no doubt, nurse me through -another spell of rheumatism, it would be dreadful to be sick and alone -here after you and your people have left me." - -Dora was stroking the dog's rough coat. "It would be dreadful," she -repeated, absently, a tear rolling from her lashes to her cheek. Her -words and the look in her eyes thrilled the man to his inmost soul. - -"Dora," he said, and arrested the hand travelling over Bose's head; -"Dora, I am old enough to be your father--" - -"Yes," she replied, looking up artlessly--but there was something in his -face that made her eyes drop and the warm blood flush her cheeks. - -When he spoke again it was of something quite different, and after -awhile the conversation turned to her family. Her stepfather did not -always treat her well; he had struck her cruelly once, and her mother -dared not interfere, she knowing his temper but too well. George could -hardly keep from putting his arms about her to shield her from the man's -rough ways, and in his heart he vowed that it should be different if -Dora did but will it so. The stepfather and aunt had spoken of pulling -up stakes soon, but what wonder that Dora was averse to going? - -In the evening George W. proposed to the stepfather that he remain at -the station and "farm it" near the river, while the mother kept house -for them all and served meals to the travelling public of Arizona. From -sheer perverseness the stepfather refused, saying that he wanted to go -on to California, and George W. determined to hasten matters in another -direction. He hovered as much as possible about Dora, who, since the day -by the riverside, had taken Bose into her confidence and affection. -Wherever she went the dog went, too, and his master augured well for -himself from this, though Dora was shy and more distant than when she -first came to Gila Bend. - -One day the Texans commenced gathering up their "tricks" and making -ready to go. Dora's eyes were red, and George W., to cheer her, perhaps, -proposed that she should go with him to where he suspected one of the -hens had made a nest in the bushes by the river bank. When they came -back she seemed even more shy, though she stole up to him in the -twilight, where he stood by the big mesquite tree, and hastily put her -hands into his. He drew her to him quickly, pressed her head to his -breast, and murmured: "Thanks, my little girl!" as he touched her hair -with his lips. An hour later there was clamor and confusion at Gila -Bend. George W. seemed to have caused it all, for to him the aunt -vehemently declared that she _would_ have the girl to drive her ox-team -into California--she had hired her and paid for her; and the step-father -shouted that he had control of the child, and go she should, whether or -no. - -Poor George passed a sleepless night. The picture of Dora, barefooted -and weary, toiling hopelessly through the sand on the desert, was always -before him, and he swore to himself that she should not go from him; -that he would shelter her henceforth from the cruel, burning sun, and -the sharp words and sharper blows of her stepfather. In the morning, -after exacting a promise from the aunt and the stepfather to remain -until he returned, he started out alone on his trusty horse, Bose -running close by his side. When he had left the shelter of the trees, he -halted and looked keenly about him in every direction. A sharp bark from -Bose made him turn toward the river. Swift of foot as the antelope of -the plains, Dora was crossing the stretch of land between the road and -the river, and when she reached the lone horseman waiting for her, a -light bound brought her foot into the stirrup and her flushed face on a -level with his. - -"Thanks, my little girl, I knew you would come," he said, as on the -night before; but this time he held her face between his hands and -looked searchingly into her eyes. "What if they should try to take my -little girl away before I come back--would she go off and leave me?" - -She met his look fearlessly and confidingly. "Tell me what direction you -are going, and I will run away and follow you, if they break up before -your return." - -"Toward Fort Yuma. I shall ride day and night, and return to you in ten -days. Good-bye; keep faith and keep courage." - -"Good-bye!" for the first time the soft, bare arms were laid around his -neck, and the blushing, child-like face half-buried in his full black -beard. "Let me keep Bose here," she called after him, and at a word from -his master, the dog sped after her over the cactus-covered ground. - -At Gila Bend, preparations for departure on George's return were kept on -foot--purposely, it seemed, to keep before Dora's eyes the fact that she -was expected to go with her people when they went. The days passed, one -like the other; there was no event to break the monotony of this -desert-life. Yes, there was a change; but none knew of it nor perceived -it, except, perhaps, Dora's mother. From a thoughtless, easily-guided -girl, Dora was changing into a self-reliant, strong-spirited woman. Her -mother knew of her resolve as well as though she had heard her utter it; -she looked upon her eldest-born with all the greater pride when she -discovered that "the gal had a heap of her dad's grit," as well as his -mild blue eyes. - -When the morning of the tenth day dawned, Dora was up betimes, mending, -with deft fingers, all the little rents she could find, in her thin, -well-worn dress. Never before had she felt that she was poor, or that -she wanted more than the simple gown and the limp sun-bonnet making up -her attire. - -"Moving" had been their permanent state and normal condition as long as -she could think back; and she had known mostly only those who lived in -the same condition. She had never seen town or city; yet, in the -settlements through which they had passed, she had seen enough of -backwoods finery to know that her wardrobe was scantily furnished. At -last, one by one, the tears gathered slowly in her eyes, and she leaned -her head on the edge of the bed where her sister lay still asleep, and -sobbed till Sis woke up and looked at her with wondering eyes. - -In the course of the day, Dora went to the river two or three times, -Bose always close at her heels. Whatever may have been the character of -the mysterious consultations they held, in the afternoon the dog was -missing until near sundown, when he dashed into the station, panting and -with protruding tongue, his tail wagging excitedly while lapping up the -water Dora had filled his basin with. Unobserved she stole away, and -when quite a distance from the house, Bose came tearing through the -cactus after her, "pointing" in the direction from where a light dust -arose. The little cloud came nearer, and soon a horseman could be -discovered in it. A race began between Dora and the dog, and when the -different parties met, Bose was fain to leap up and salute the horse's -face, because the rider was otherwise engaged. When Dora was perched in -front of him, the horse continued the journey in a slow walk, while the -girl looked the question she was too timid to ask. George answered her -look: "Yes, darling, I think your aunt will be satisfied." - -"Then you have brought a man?" Her curiosity had conquered, for she -could see no human being beside themselves. - -"I have." His laugh made her shrink a little--like the _mimosa -sensitiva_, when touched by ever so dainty a finger--and, he added, -soberly, "Two of them. One is the station-keeper at Kenyon's Station. -Their wagon will come into sight directly; but I don't want them to see -my little girl out here with me." - -An hour afterward a heavily laden wagon, drawn by two stout horses, was -rolling into Gila Bend, followed by Mr. George W., mounted on Bess. A -pleasant welcome was extended by all to the new arrivals; even Bose, the -hypocrite, barked and capered and flounced his tail as though he hadn't -greeted his master, two miles down the road, a little while ago. Supper -was served by the mother and aunt--this latter lady being narrowly but -furtively watched by the station-keeper of Kenyon's Station. All -thoughts of business or departure seemed banished for that night. The -aunt and the newly-come station-keeper enjoying their pipe in quiet -harmony, a little apart from the rest, so much taken up with each other -that the second man was left entirely to the family. The next morning -this second man was offered to the aunt by George W. as a substitute for -Dora; but, as the Kenyon's station-keeper had offered himself to her as -a husband, earlier in the day, the substitute was declined. Neither -George nor the second man, however, seemed put out about it. Indeed, -there was something suspicious about the readiness with which he went to -work on the half-finished corral building at the station. The aunt and -the stepfather did not seem to notice this. Only the mother thought her -own thoughts about it. - -Later in the day, when the father and the brother were with the man at -the corral, the aunt with her station-keeper, and Sis thoughtfully kept -employed by her mother, Dora found a chance to steal out to the wagon, -where George was waiting for her. From under the wagon sheet he drew two -or three bundles, which, on being opened, contained what Dora thought -the finest display of dry-goods she had ever seen. Lost in admiration, -her face suddenly fell, and a queer, unexplained sense of something -painful or humiliating jarred on her feelings when several pairs of -ladies' shoes and numerous pairs of stockings made their appearance from -out of one of the bundles. She drew back, hurt and abashed, and when -George asked-- - -"But, Dora, don't you like your finery? I thought you liked pink. Isn't -this dress pretty?" - -She answered confusedly, "I--I didn't know they were for me--and -besides--I can't take them. I know I am a poor--ignorant girl--but--" a -sob finished the sentence as she turned to go to the house. - -But she did not go. I don't know what George W. said to her while he -held her close to him. It was something about his right to buy finery -for his little wife, and the like nonsense, which Dora did not repeat to -Sis when she presented to her a dress of the brightest possible scarlet. - -That night they all sat out under the trees together. There was no more -reserve or secrecy maintained. A dozen papers of the choicest brands of -tobacco and half a dozen bottles of "Colorado river water," from Fort -Yuma, had wonderfully mollified the stepfather. The mother would have -been happy, even without the indigo-blue dress that fell to her share, -and Buddy was radiant in new suspenders and a white store shirt. As soon -as possible a Justice of the Peace was imported from Arizona City, to -which place he was faithfully returned, after having made two happy -couples at Gila Bend. - - -Many months after, on my way back from Tucson, we came quite -unexpectedly, between the latter place and Sacaton, on a new shanty. It -was built of unhewn logs of cottonwood and mesquite trees, the branches, -with their withered foliage, furnishing the roof. A certain cheerful, -home-like air about the place made me surmise the presence of a woman. - -I was not mistaken; for though the only door of the hut was closed, and -I could see no window, a loud but pleasant treble voice rang out -directly: "Dad! Bud! come right h'yere to me. I know that's her comin' -thar--I jist know it is," and a little lithe body rushed out of the door -and up to the ambulance, as though she meant to take wagon, mules, and -all by storm. A rough-looking man came slowly from behind the house, and -Bud, with a selection of dogs at his heels, clambered over a piece of -fence--merely for the sake of climbing, as there was plenty of open -space to cross. - -The delegation insisted on my alighting, which I did in consideration of -Dora's mother being at the head of it. The family had moved back here -from Oatman's Flat, where they had given Sam his Indian scare on our way -out. Once in the house I no longer wondered how she had discovered the -ambulance, with the door closed and no windows in the house. The walls -had not been "chinked," so that between the logs was admitted as much -light and air as the most fastidious could desire. All around were the -signs of busy preparation. It was near Christmas, and they were -expecting company for the holidays--a family moving from Texas to -California had sent word by some vehicle swifter than their ox-teams -that they would be with them by Christmas-day. - -Though the house contained but this one airy room, it was neat and well -kept. Just outside the door there were two Dutch ovens, and this was the -kitchen. Beyond the half-fenced clearing the willows and cottonwoods -grew close by the river, and the mild December sun of Arizona lying on -the rude homestead seemed to give promise of future peace and well-doing -to these who had planted their roof-tree on the banks of the Gila. - -The mother sent her love and a fresh-baked cake by us to her daughter. A -loaf of the same cake was given to me, and I can say that it tasted -better than what I have often eaten at well-set tables, though there was -no cow to furnish milk or butter, and only a few chickens to lay eggs. -At Gila Bend, you remember, they had chickens, too; and when I got out -of the ambulance there some days later, I stopped to admire a brood of -little chicks just out of the shell. - -"How pretty they are," said I, looking up into George W.'s honest face. - -"Ah!" he exclaimed, his eyes lighting up, "but go inside, to Dora." - -He led the way to the room, and there, in a little cradle, lay a sweet, -pretty girl-baby--the first white child, so far as history records, that -was ever born at Gila Bend. - - - - -_A LADY IN CAMP._ - - -Camp "Andrew Jackson," in the southern part of Arizona, had not always -been without that brightest star on the horizon of an army officer's -outpost life, "A lady in camp." If you happened to be of sufficiently -good social standing, and clever fellow enough to be received and -entertained by the officers of the One Hundred and First Cavalry--which -had long garrisoned Camp Andrew Jackson--one or the other of them might -tell you, confidentially, lounging in a quartermaster-made chair under -the _ramáda_ of the sutler-store, as far as he knew it, the story of -this lady. - -Camp Andrew Jackson was a two-company post; and the officers of both -companies, or the number remaining--after a liberal deduction by -detached service, furlough, and sick-list--had congregated one day, -years ago, to discuss the chances of the major's arrival in the course -of the night or the following day. The place of congregating was the -sutler-store, or the _ramáda_ in front of it; time, between "stables" -and "retreat." - -"Don't I tell you," asserted young Grumpet, in his most emphatic manner, -"don't I tell you that when I was in Tucson, the general told me that he -should not be able to let the major have more than five men and a -corporal for escort from Tucson out here; and do you think that Major -Stanford, with that young wife of his--a shining mark for Apache -arrows--would venture on the road, in broad daylight, with this small -number? No, indeed. I tell you he'll start out from Tucson about this -time, reach Davidson's Springs at midnight, and get in here toward -morning in good order and condition." - -"Seems to me I shouldn't be afraid to start out from Tucson, and go -anywhere in broad daylight, with _my_ wife," said old Captain Manson, -the post-commander, grimly. - -An amused expression passed over the faces of the younger officers; -everybody in camp knew, from hearsay, if not from personal observation, -that the captain and his wife lived like "cats and dogs" when they were -together, and that he would probably have let _her_ go out from Tucson -anywhere, in broad daylight and all alone, without the slightest fear or -compunction, had she been in Arizona. - -"For my part," continued Mr. Grumpet, who had been assigned to the One -Hundred and First, and ordered to Arizona immediately after graduating -from West Point, one year ago, "I shall be rejoiced to welcome a lady to -the camp. One grows rusty at these outposts in the course of years, -without the refining influence of ladies' society--without opportunities -of any kind for cultivating and improving one's intellect and manners." - -"The One Hundred and First has always had an excellent library, -embracing books suited to a wide range of capacities and intellect, from -a 'First Reader' to 'Corinne' and the 'Cosmos.' And, as far as -_tournure_ and manners are concerned," continued the gruff captain in a -lower tone, and turning to the post-adjutant beside him, "why, I'm sure -the doctor and I have made Chesterfieldian prodigies of Tom, the pup; -Bruin, the grizzly; and Chatter, the parrot!" - -From the laugh that followed, the junior lieutenant of Company "F" knew -that something had been said to create this merriment at his expense; -but he consoled himself with the thought that "old Manson" felt sore -because Major Stanford would relieve him in the command of the post, and -probably make him (Grumpet) post-adjutant, as he belonged to the -major's company. Left in command of Company "F" by the senior -lieutenant's absence, and officer of the day at the same time, Mr. -Grumpet felt that he had no more time to devote to this class of -mortals; so, bidding them a disdainful "_Adieu_," he proceeded to his -own quarters, where he arranged sash, sabre, and belt to the greatest -advantage on his sprightly person, and then awaited the summons to the -parade-ground. - -Whatever his meditations might have been, as his eyes wandered over the -interminable sand-waste before him, they were interrupted by the -spectacle of a cloud of dust arising in the distance. Quickly returning -to his brother officers, he called their attention to this phenomenon. - -"If it is not a smoke that the Indians are raising for a signal, it must -be the major with his party," was Captain Manson's opinion. - -To Mr. Grumpet's infinite disgust he could not find time to argue this -question with his superior officer, for the arbitrary tones of the bugle -called him to the parade-ground, and when he next found time to -contemplate the landscape, the major's outfit was already in sight and -slowly nearing the camp. - -There is nothing martial in the appearance and progress of a military -"outfit," unless accompanied by a command: the rough, gaunt mules -drawing the dust-covered ambulance or carriage, followed, as the case -may be, by one, two, or three heavy army-wagons; the jaded, worn horses -of the escort, and the tired-looking, travel-stained men forming the -escort, make a decidedly demoralized and demoralizing impression toward -the close of a long journey. - -The two occupants of the elegant travelling-carriage accompanying this -train were in a state of involuntary _déshabillé_, owing to the -sand-storm through which they had passed early that morning, during -which the major's hat and a number of Mrs. Stanford's veils and wraps -had taken to flight. Marcelita alone, seated beside the driver in the -front of the carriage, had sustained no losses; as her _rebozo_, the -only outside garment she possessed, had been so tightly wrapped around -her that the storm had vented its fury in vain on her belongings. - -Marcelita was one of those moon-faced, good-natured Mexican women we -meet with in New Mexico and Arizona. She had probably decided in her own -mind--though it was not very deep--that it was just as easy to smoke her -_cigarritos_ lounging on the floor of the _adobe_ quarters of Camp -Andrew Jackson, earning thereby _dos reales_ per day, and a -never-failing supply of _frijoles con carne_, as it was to perform the -same amount of labor in Tucson, where nothing could be earned by it, and -the supplies of the dainties just mentioned were by no means certain or -unfailing. So Marcelita became Mrs. Stanford's maid. "Tiring-maid," I -should have said; only I am very certain Marcelita would have drawn Mrs. -Stanford's stockings on her arms, and one of the richly embroidered -petticoats _over_ the plainer-made dresses, had the attiring been left -to the taste and judgment of this dusky child of the soil. - -Captain Manson alone greeted the major and his wife when the train drew -up at the commanding officer's quarters, the younger officers discreetly -awaiting the morrow to pay their respects. In accordance with true "army -spirit," Major Stanford's quarters had been furnished with the best Camp -Andrew Jackson could boast of, in the way of household goods and -furniture, when it had become known that he was to bring a young wife to -camp. Not the officers of the army alone possess this knightly spirit; -every soldier in the command is always ready and willing to part with -the best and dearest in his possession, to contribute to the comfort or -pleasure of "the lady in camp." Major Stanford had not been with his -company since the close of the war; still, when the captain courteously -inquired whether there was any particular individual in the company whom -he would prefer to take into his personal service, the major requested -that Holly--who had already been an old soldier, while the major was -cadet at West Point--might be sent him. - -Holly demonstrated his joy at being thus distinguished by his "old -lieutenant;" and on returning to the men's quarters had so much to say -about the beauty, grace, and goodness of the major's wife, that the men -immediately grew enthusiastic, and before tattoo obtained the -sergeant-major's permission to serenade this first lady in Camp Andrew -Jackson, providing a sufficient number of instruments could be found. -And Mrs. Stanford was awakened from her early slumbers by "music," the -first night she spent in this camp. - -There are always a number of tolerable musicians to be found among -almost any body of soldiers. The One Hundred and First had always been -celebrated for the musical talent in the rank and file of its members; -and though the Graces and the Muses had been somewhat neglected of late -years, they threatened now to take possession of every individual man, -with truly alarming fervor. Indeed, Mrs. Stanford's life was made very -pleasant at this dreaded outpost in Arizona--albeit in a little, -cheerless room, with mud walls and mud floor, carpeted half with soldier -blankets half with old tent-cloth. A washstand of painted pine-wood, and -a table of the same material in its native color; a bench to match; one -or two camp-chairs, and a camp-cot with red blanket--representing a -sofa--made up and completed the _ameublement_ of Mrs. Stanford's best -room. But there were red calico curtains at the little windows, and a -bright rug upon the table; and books, and the thousand little -_souvenirs_ and pretty trifles always to be found in a lady's -possession, were drawn out of trunks and boxes, and other hiding-places, -to give the room a civilized aspect. - -Still, it was not pleasant in this close-built room, with the door -shut; and open, the sand and reptiles drifted in promiscuously. It -became one of Marcelita's chief duties, in time, to examine the nooks -and corners of the apartment before closing the door for the night, to -make sure that no intrusive rattlesnake had sought admittance, and to -shake up pillows and blankets before her mistress retired, to see that -neither centipede nor tarantula shared her couch. Otherwise it was -tolerable; even young Grumpet was agreeable, though he had not been made -post-adjutant, but he was Mrs. Stanford's most favored escort in her -rides, and that made up for all other losses and disappointments. - -The country was not altogether a howling wilderness, either; though the -road that passed close by the major's quarters led into the most -desolate, the most Indian-ridden part of all Arizona, still, at a point -where the road made a sudden fall, a narrow path branched off, and ran -immediately into a little valley, where grass and wild flowers were kept -fresh and blooming, by the spring at the foot of the hill. It was an -oasis such as is frequently found in Arizona, more particularly at the -foot of the mountain ranges; and to this spot Mrs. Stanford, accompanied -by the major, Marcelita, or some one of the gentlemen, often bent her -steps, at times when no Indians were apprehended in the vicinity of the -post. The evenings at the garrison were dedicated to quiet games of -whist, or interchange of the various news of the day. On Tuesdays, these -conversations were liveliest; for the mail came in from Tucson on that -day, and letters from the different outposts and the East were received -and discussed. - -One Tuesday there was, among the official papers laid on the -post-commander's desk, an order from Department Head-quarters directing -that provision be made for furnishing quarters to a company of infantry. -Camp Andrew Jackson was to be made a three-company post, on account of -the growing depredations of the hostile tribes of Indians. It was not -until weeks afterward that any speculations were indulged as to what -company, of what regiment, had been assigned to the post; but at the -hospitable board of the major's one evening, after a late tea, it was -the irrepressible Grumpet who proclaimed that he knew to a certainty all -about the matter in question. Company "H" of the Forty-third Infantry -was coming, and had already reached Fort Yuma, _en route_ to Camp Lowell -(Tucson). - -"Then Crabtree is in command of the company; or has Captain Howell been -relieved? He was on detached service in Washington, the last I heard -from him," remarked Major Stanford. But Mr. Grumpet interrupted: - -"There you are wrong, again; Crabtree is not with them at all." - -"Why, how's that?" was asked from all sides; even Mrs. Stanford had -looked up. - -Whenever Grumpet had a good thing he always made the most of it; and it -was irresistibly charming to let Mrs. Stanford see that he knew more -than all the rest put together. - -"Ahem! Mr. Crabtree, senior lieutenant of Company 'H,' Forty-third -Infantry, has exchanged, with the sanction of the War Department, with -Mr. Addison--Charlie Addison, you know--of Company 'D,' Sixty-fifth -Infantry." - -In an "aside" to himself, he continued: "Well, I declare! I've -astonished Mrs. Stanford by my superior knowledge. Why, she's actually -staring at me." - -So she was; or, at least, her eyes were wide open, and her face was pale -as death. - -"Are you sick, Eva, my child?" asked the major; "or do you see anything -that frightens you?" - -"Neither," she answered, passing her hand over her face; "only tired a -little." - -"There," put in the doctor, "I _thought_ Mrs. Stanford had baked those -tarts and prepared the salad, with her own hands, to-day, and now I am -certain of it; and I prescribe that the gentlemen immediately depart -from here, and leave Mrs. Stanford to rest, and her own reflections." - -Her own reflections! They crowded on her fast and unbidden, when left -alone by her husband and the rest of the officers. Marcelita, after -having repeatedly assured her mistress that the house was free from -invading vermin, had settled down on the floor, with her back against -the wall, when she found that Eva paid no heed to what she said. After -awhile she grew bolder, and lighted and smoked _cigarritos_, enjoying -them to her heart's content, while Eva was enjoying "her own -reflections." - -"My dear child, did I stay out late? We all went into the sutler's a -little while, after taps. Did you sit up to wait for me?" asked the -major, kindly, breaking in on Eva's reflections. - -Marcelita had started up out of a sound sleep when the major had first -entered the room, and she rolled into her own little tent now, into her -bed, and back into the arms of the drowsy god, without once thinking of -scorpion or tarantula. - -Weeks passed before any more tidings of the Forty-third were heard; then -they entered Camp Andrew Jackson one day--not with fife and drum, and -colors flying, but silently, quietly; with shoulders stooping under the -load of knapsack and musket--packed all day long through scorching sun -and ankle-deep sand. It was not till Eva saw the line of tents newly -pitched, on the following day, that she knew of the arrival. - -"Yes," said the major, "they have come; but both Captain Howland and -Lieutenant Addison appear very reserved. I don't think either of them -will call till a formal invitation has been extended them. Perhaps we -had better invite them all to dinner some day--that will place them at -their ease to visit here, later." - -Invitations, accordingly, were issued for a certain day; but the Fates -so willed it that the horses of Company "F" were stampeded from the -picket-line by a band of Apaches, during the night preceding; and -Arroyos, the guide, expressed his conviction that he could lead the -troops to the _rancheria_ of these Indians, and recover the horses -taken. Although Major Stanford's position as post-commander would have -justified him in sending some subaltern officer, he preferred to take -charge of the expedition in person, leaving the post in Captain Manson's -hands. - -"You look pale, child," said Major Stanford, bidding Eva farewell, while -the orderly was holding his horse outside. "I am almost glad, on your -account, that the dinner-party could be put off. Your color has been -fading for weeks, and if you do not brighten up soon, I shall have to -send you back home, to your aunt." And tenderly smoothing the glossy -hair back from her face, he kissed it again and again, before vaulting -into the saddle. - -Accompanied by Marcelita alone, Eva, toward evening, set out on her -usual ramble, following the road from which the path branched off, -leading into the valley. At the point where the road falls off toward -Tucson, she stopped before taking the path that led to the spring, and -cast a long, shivering look around her. Wearily her eyes roamed over the -desolate land; wearily they followed the road, with its countless -windings, far into the level country; wearily they watched the flight of -a solitary crow, flapping its wings as it hovered, with a doleful cry, -over the one, single tree on the plain, that held its ragged branches up -to the sky, as though pleading for the dews of heaven to nurture and -expand its stunted growth. An endless, dreary waste--an infinitude of -hopeless, changeless desert--a hard, yellow crust, where the wind had -left it bare from sand, above which the air was still vibrating from the -heat of the day, though the breeze that came with the sunset had -already sprung up; the only verdure an occasional bush of grease-wood, -or mesquite, with never a blade of grass, nor a bunch of weeds, in the -wide spaces between. - -Farther on to her right, she could see the rough, frowning rocks in the -mountain yonder, looking as though evil spirits had piled them there, in -well-arranged confusion, to prevent the children of earth from taking -possession of its steep heights, and its jealously-hidden treasures. - -Grand, and lonely, and desolate looked the mountain, and lonely and -desolate looked the plain, as Eva stood there, her hands folded and -drooping, the light wind tossing her hair, and fluttering and playing in -the folds of her dress. It was the picture of her own life unfolding -before her: lone, and drear, and barren; without change or relief, -without verdure, or blossom, or goodly springs of crystal water; the -arid desert--her life, dragging its slow length along; the frowning -mountain--her duties, and the unavoidable tasks that life imposed on -her. - -With a sigh she turned from both. Before her lay the cool valley, -sheltered from careless eyes, and from the sand and dust of the road and -the country beyond. Very small was the valley of the spring, with its -laughing flowers and shady trees--like the one leaf from the volume of -her memory that was tinted with the color of the rose and the sunbeam. - -"And up the valley came the swell of music on the wind"--bringing back -scenes on which the sun had thrown its glorious parting rays in times -past, when life had seemed bright, and full of promise and inexhaustible -joy. But she brought her face resolutely back to the desert and the -mountain. - -She walked on rapidly toward the spring where Marcelita had spread her -_rebozo_ on the trunk of a fallen tree, before starting out to gather -the flowers that grew in the valley. - -Almost exhausted, Eva had seated herself on the improvised couch, but -was startled by a step beside her. Was it a spirit conjured up by the -flood of memories surging through her breast that stood before her? - -"Eva!" - -"Charlie, oh, Charlie! have you come at last?" But already the spell was -broken. - -"I cannot think why Lieutenant Addison should wish to surprise me here. -Would it not be more fitting to visit our quarters, if he felt -constrained to comply with the etiquette of the garrison?" - -"For God's sake, Eva," he cried, passionately, "listen to me one moment; -grant that I may speak to you once more as Eva--not as the wife of Major -Stanford. Let me hear the truth from your own lips. Eva, I have come -here, to this horrible, horrible country, because I knew you were here. -I came here to see you--to learn from you why you were false to me; why -you spurned my love--the deepest and truest man ever felt for woman--and -then to die." - -He had thrown his cap, marked with the insignia of his rank and calling, -into the grass at his feet; and the last rays of the sun, falling aslant -on his rich, brown hair, made it bright and golden again, as Eva so well -remembered it. - -"False!" she repeated, slowly, as though her tongue refused to frame the -accusation against him; "_you_ were false--not I. Or was it not -deceiving me--to tell me of your love; to promise faith and constancy to -me while carrying on a flirtation--a correspondence with another woman?" - -"You cannot believe that, Eva, any more than I could believe what Abby -Hamilton told me--that you had left your aunt's house without telling me -of it, purposely to avoid me and break every tie between us--till a -package, containing all my letters to you, was handed me the day we -marched from Fort Leavenworth." - -"Those letters had been taken from my desk in my absence. But I had -intrusted Abby with a note for you, when I was called to my sister's -bedside. And, was it not Abby with whom you were seen riding?" - -"Yes--to meet you at Mr. Redpath's farm; and I afterward sent you a -note, through her, to which there came no answer save that package of my -own letters." - -"Why, then, did you go from me? Had you so little faith in me, so little -love for me, that you could make no effort to see me? Was it so great a -task to write me a few, short lines!" - -"Then none of my letters have ever reached you? Oh, Eva, my darling--my -lost one--can you not feel how my heart was wrung, how every drop of -blood was turned into a scorching tear, searing my brain and eating my -life away, when day after day passed, and no tidings came from you? I -was on the point of deserting the command, of bringing ruin and disgrace -on myself, when a brain fever put an end to my misery for the time, and -I was carried to Fort Lyons, as they thought, only to be buried there. -When I returned to Leavenworth on sick-leave, I was told you were gone, -and your aunt took good care not to let me know where to find you. She -had never liked me; but I could forgive her cruelty to me, did not your -wan face and weary eyes tell me that my darling girl has not found the -happiness I should have sacrificed my own to have purchased for her." - -Eva bowed her face in her hands, and deep sobs seemed to rend her very -soul, but no word passed her lips. - -"Then your life has been made a wreck, as well as my own, Eva?" he -continued, wildly, almost fiercely. "Is it right that it should be so: -that we should be robbed of all that makes life sweet and desirable, by -the wicked acts of others? Must we submit? Is it too late--" - -"Too late," echoed Eva; "you forget that I am the wife of another. We -must submit. Do not make the task harder for me than it is, Charlie; -promise never, never to come to me again." - -"I promise," he said, kneeling beside her, and bending over her hand. -"Here at your feet ends my wasted life; for I swear to you that I will -never go back into the world that lies beyond this camp. But if you -believe now that I have been true to you and to my faith, then lay your -hand on my head once again, as you did years ago, before we part -forever." - -"Forever." For an instant the hand he had reverently kissed was laid -lovingly on his soft, wavy hair; then Eva arose, leaving him with his -face buried in the damp grass, and the shades of night fast gathering -around him. - -An orderly with a letter for Mrs. Stanford had been waiting for some -time at the quarters. It was from Major Stanford. - -"You went out with the major this morning, did you not, Tarleton?" she -asked of the man. - -"Yes, madame; and the major sent me back with dispatches for Captain -Manson, and this letter for you." - -The major wrote: "Arroyos' opinion, after closely examining the tracks -of the absconding Indians, is, that we had better wait for -reinforcements before attacking their _rancheria_. Keep Marcelita in -your room. I know how timid you are. If you prefer to have a guard -nearer to your quarters, send your compliments to Captain Manson--he has -my instructions. We shall probably return to-morrow, by sundown. Till -then, 'be of good cheer.'" - -"There are more men to be sent out to-night?" asked Eva of the -gray-headed soldier. She had always shown particular regard for this -man; so he answered more at length than he would have ventured to do -under other circumstances. - -"Yes, madame; and I heard the men say down at the quarters, that the new -lieutenant who came with the infantry was to take charge of the scout." - -"Very well; tell Holly to give you a cup of tea and something to eat. -Say to the major that I shall not be afraid to-night." - -"Thank you, madame." And with a military salute, he retired. - -Her husband's letter lay unheeded on the table, and Eva was still in the -dark when Captain Manson entered the room, some time later. Marcelita -brought candles; and the captain, pointing to the letter, said: - -"The major is very anxious that you should not feel the slightest fear -to-night. I hope you have worded your answer so that he will not have -any uneasiness on your account." - -"I sent word that I should not be afraid." - -"Nevertheless, I shall place a sentinel near your quarters, if I -possibly can. To tell the truth, Major Stanford has ordered out more men -than _I_ should ever have sent away from the post. If Arroyos was not so -confident that _all_ the red devils are engaged in that one direction, I -should have advised the major to leave more men here. But you need have -no fears." - -The sound of the bugle and the tramp of horses interrupted him. - -"The command is going out; they will reach the major some -time during the night. Can't think what on earth brought that -youngster--Addison--out here. Been anxious to go on an Indian scout, -too, ever since he came: he'll cry 'enough' before he gets back, this -time, I'll warrant you. The clang of those cavalry trumpets is horrible, -isn't it; cuts right through your head, don't it?" - -Eva had dropped her hands almost as quickly as she had raised them to -her temples; and with her face shaded from the light, she silently -looked on the cavalcade that passed along under the mellow light of the -new moon. - -She sat there long after the captain had left her; she sat there still -when the early moon had gone down, and Marcelita had closed the door -before resorting to her favorite seat on the floor, with her back -against the wall, from where she watched her mistress with eyes growing -smaller and smaller, till they closed at last. The wind had risen again, -and was blowing fitfully around the corners of the _adobe_ buildings, -causing the sentinel on his lonely beat to draw his cap firmer down on -his head. It was just such a gusty, blustering wind as would make the -cry of the watchful guard appear to come from all sorts of impossible -directions, when "ten o'clock and all is well" was sung out. A dismal -howl, as though hundreds of _coyotes_ were taking up the refrain, -answered the cry; and then the clamoring and yelping always following -the first howl was carried farther and farther away till it died in the -distance. - -Marcelita shook herself in her sleep. "Holy Virgin protect us, they are -the Indians," she muttered, with her eyes closed. - -Eva had drawn her shawl closer around her; but neither the wild night -nor the doleful music had any terror for her; she only felt "her life -was dreary," while listening to "the shrill winds that were up and -away." - -Silence and darkness had once more settled on the camp; but the silence -was suddenly rent by fierce, unearthly sounds: yells and shrieks, such -as only hell, or its legitimate child, the savage Indian, could give -utterance to; shouts of triumph and exultation that made Eva's blood run -cold with horror. Marcelita had started to her feet at the first sound, -and was tearing her hair wildly, as she repeated, in a paroxysm of -terror, "The Indians, the Indians! Oh, saints of heaven, protect us?" -The darkness was broken by little flashes of light, where the sentinels, -some of them already in the death-struggle, were firing their muskets in -warning or in self-defence. A sharp knocking on the door, and voices -outside, brought Eva there. - -"Open, madame, quick: there is no time to be lost"--it was Holly's -voice--"they have attacked the men's quarters first, and we can reach -head-quarters and the adjutant's office from this side. It is the only -safe place; but quick, quick." And between them--the man who had been on -guard near the house and the faithful Holly--they almost dragged Eva -from the room, and hurried her into the darkness outside. - -The elevation to which exalted rank of any kind raises us, is always -more or less isolation from our fellow-beings. Major Stanford's, as -commanding officer's quarters, were some distance from those of the -other officers, and the space that lay between them proved fatal to -Eva's safety. - -Every single verde-bush seemed suddenly alive with yelling demons, when -the little party had fairly left the shelter of the house behind them. - -Holly had no arms, and the other soldier had been lanced through the -body; still Eva pursued her way, and could already distinguish Mr. -Grumpet's voice cheering the small number of men on to resistance, when -a whizzing sound passed close by her ear, and the next moment she found -her arms pinioned to her body by the lariat thrown over her head, and -felt herself dragged rapidly over the ground, till dexter hands caught -and lifted her on the back of a horse. Here she was held as in a vice, -and carried away so swiftly that Marcelita's screams and Holly's -curses--heard for a moment above all the din and confusion of the -impromptu battle-field--soon died away in the distance, as her captor -urged his animal to its utmost speed. - -On dashed the horse; the angry winds tore her hair, and the spiteful -thorns of the mesquite caught her flowing robes, and rudely tore her -flesh till she bled from a thousand little wounds, but not a moan or -murmur escaped her lips. A merciful fit of unconsciousness at last -overtook her; and, when she awoke, she found herself on the ground, her -wrists fettered by sharp thongs, that were cutting deep into the -tender, white flesh. The first faint glimmer of light was breaking in -the East; and Eva could see that quite a number of Indians had met here, -and were evidently in deep consultation on some subject of vast -importance; for even the savage who was cowering close beside her, as -though to watch her, was leaning forward to catch the conversation, with -an intent and absorbed air. - -They had made their way into the mountains, as the Apaches always do -after a successful raid; for the less agile horses of our cavalry cannot -follow their goat-like ponies on paths and trails known only to the -Indians. - -Perhaps Eva was even now lying among the rocks and bowlders that had -looked down on her so frowningly yesterday at sunset; perhaps, even then -had the foe into whose hands she had fallen marked her for his prey, as -he watched and counted--unobserved by the less keen eyes of his "white -brethren"--all the chances for and against the success of a sudden -onslaught. - -From the little flat where they were halting, Eva could catch just one -glimpse of the country at the foot of the mountain; and from it she -could see--though the mist had not yet cleared away--that they must have -ascended to a considerable height. Broken, jagged rocks inclosed them on -all sides; a stunted tree or overgrown cactus, here and there, springing -into sight as the light grew in the east. A heavy dew had fallen, and -Eva was so chilled that she could not have made use of her hands, had -they been unfettered. The watchful Indian had noticed the shiver that -ran through her frame, and his eyes were fixed on her face, to discover -if consciousness had returned. But his eyes wandered from Eva's face -directly, and travelled in the direction of the narrow trail by which -they had come, winding around the wall of rock, behind which the -deliberating savages were seated in a circle, Indian fashion, their -legs crossed. At a little distance could be seen their horses, nibbling -the scant grass the mountain afforded--and one of these, perhaps, had -loosened the little stone that rolled down the side of the mountain. - -So the Indian mounting guard over Eva appeared to think at least, for he -again turned his attention to the proceedings of the council, when -suddenly there came the warning of their sentinel on the rock above -them, and simultaneously the shout of "On them, my men! down with them! -She is here! she is safe!" - -Eva's guard uttered one yell before Lieutenant Addison's ball laid him -in the dust; but a dozen arrows were already aimed at Charlie's heart. - -"Eva!" he cried, "Eva, have courage; I am coming, I am near you!" - -So near that she could see where the arrow had struck his side, and the -blue coat was fast growing purple from the blood that followed where the -arrow in its flight had made that ugly gash. So near that she could -realize how desperate was the struggle between him and the half-naked, -light-footed horde that disputed every step to Eva's side, literally at -the point of the lance. - -But the soldiers were not far behind; and with the strength that comes -only of love or despair, the young man reached Eva's side at last. She -had not fainted--much as my lady readers may upbraid her for this -omission of the proprieties--but held up her poor, fettered hands to him -with a look for which he would have laid down his life a thousand times -over. - -"You are free!" he cried, loosening her fetters with trembling hands; -"you are free! And if I have broken my promise--if I have come to you -again--I have come only to die at your feet." - - - - -_THE GOLDEN LAMB._ - - -"Oh, dear! this is one of her tantrums again!" - -"Well, she _is_ the funniest girl I ever _did_ see." - -"And it is only because I laughed at the way the forlorn old maid, whom -she calls her dressmaker, had hunched that lovely lavender till it looks -like a fright." - -"See how she's jerking it, to make it fit." - -"Hush, girls," broke in the mother; "that is not the way to improve her -disposition. Don't be watching her; look out here at the window; see the -number of sails coming in through the Golden Gate this morning." - -The view from the bay-window in the second story front, which was used -as a sitting-room for the ladies of the family, was certainly very grand -this bright December morning, when the sun, shining from an unclouded -sky, kissed the waters of the bay till they looked as clear as the -heavens above, with millions of little golden stars rippling and -flashing on the blue surface. But far more attractive to the two young -ladies, who pretended to be counting the vessels in sight, was the view -in the back-ground of the room, where a slender, _petite_ figure, with -head half-defiantly thrown back, was noting in the tall pier-glass the -effects of the changes her quick fingers made in the lavender robe, -whose silken folds were sweeping the carpet. The head was crowned with a -glory of the brightest, lightest golden hair, while the eyes, flashing -proudly from under the long silken lashes, were darker than midnight. -Yet the sparkle and the laughter of the noonday sun were in them, when -the cloud, just now resting on the child-like brow, was dispelled by a -kind word or a sympathetic touch. - -"There, Lola--it is perfect now," said Mrs. Wheaton, turning to her -youngest daughter, and thus breaking the seal laid on the lips of her -two older ones. - -Matilda, good-hearted, and really loving her sister, in spite of her -greater beauty and her "strange ways," meant to improve the opportunity. - -"Yes, indeed, Lola; and I've a good mind to let Miss Myrick make up my -olive-green after New-Year's. I really think that if I take as much -pains as you do, and go there twice a day to show her, she will be able -to fit me splendidly. Don't you think so?" - -Lola gave her sister a curious look while she spoke, her face flushed, -and after a disturbed expression had flitted over it the hardly banished -frown seemed ready to come back. "I don't know what Miss Myrick would -want with you twice a day; I don't go there twice a day, I'm sure." - -"Oh, I was only thinking--well, you _are_ the strangest girl." Miss -Matilda would have been offended, probably, had her sister given her -time; but Lola's hands were already gliding over her hair, removing -hair-pins, switches, and other appendages from the elder young lady's -head. - -"Let me show you how I mean to dress your hair on New-Year's eve," said -Lola, and peace was made. To have her hair done up by Lola was always an -object worth attaining--no one else could make Miss Matilda's angular -head appear so well-shaped as she. - -Miss Fanny meanwhile had picked up a book and thrown herself on the -lounge to read, but combs and combing material having been brought in -from an adjoining room she soon became interested in the braids and -twists with which her sister's head was being adorned. During the -progress of the work, she, as well as the mother, threw in suggestions, -or made criticisms with a freedom which sometimes caused the short upper -lip of the fair hair-dresser to be drawn up until the milk-white teeth -shone out from under it, though she responded with the utmost amiability -to the hints thrown out and the advice so lavishly given. The mother had -never allowed an opportunity like this to pass without "improving her -daughters' disposition," as she termed it--striving honestly so to do by -trying the somewhat quick temper of the impulsive, affectionate child. -Because the girl's eyes flashed fire and her lips curled haughtily when -any fancied slight was put upon her, as she thought her shy but loving -advances were repulsed, the family had come to look upon the youngest -born as having a bad disposition, when really a more amiable child than -little Lola had never grown into womanhood. - -"She's an odd one, and always has been ever since they gave her that -outlandish name," the father would say, stroking his slender stock of -reddish-white hair from his forehead till it stood straight up like a -sentinel guarding the bald pate just back of it; "she don't look like -the rest, and don't act like 'em, either, though I spent more money on -her education than both her sisters put together ever cost me." - -What he said about Lola's looks was true; the other two daughters had -inherited from him their water-blue eyes and florid complexions, while -Lola had the eyes of her mother--so far as the color went. But could the -pale, quiet woman ever have known the deep, intense feeling, or the -heartfelt, open joyousness that spoke from her daughter's eyes? Who -could tell? She had come to California in early days a sad-eyed, lonely -woman, and--she had not married her first love. - -Her name Lola owed to the only romantic notion her mother ever had, as -her father said. When the child had grown to be two or three years old, -and Mrs. Wheaton had noted but too often the dreary look that would -creep into her eyes, even at this tender age, she kissed the little one -tenderly one day and murmured, her sad eyes raised to heaven, "Dolores, -he called me, and if he be dead, it will seem like an atonement to give -the name to my pet child." Her husband, blustering and pompous in his -ways--meaning to be commanding and dignified--seldom opposed a wish his -wife decidedly expressed, never stopping to ask reason or motive; and -the Spanish children with whom Lola's nurse came in contact calling her -by this diminutive, the child had grown up rejoicing in her outlandish -name, and an unusually large allowance of good looks. - -In the meantime Matilda's hair has been "done up" and duly admired, and -Miss Fanny, loath to abandon her comfortable position on the lounge, has -just requested Lola to bring for her inspection the list of invitations -made out for the New-Year ball to be given by Mr. and Mrs. Wheaton. - -"Wonder what Angelina Stubbs will wear?" soliloquized Miss Fanny. "And -how she'll make that diamond glitter! Wonder if papa will ever give me -the solitaire he promised me?"--turning to her mother. - -"No doubt of it, if he has promised it," was the quiet reply. - -"Swampoodle was up to three hundred this morning. I should think he -could afford it." Then glancing at the list again, she continued: -"Here's young Somervale's name. I suppose Angelina will be hanging on -his arm all the evening." - -"Charles Somervale?" asked Matilda. "Papa said we ought not to have him -come; he says his salary will no more than pay for the kid gloves and -cravats he's got to buy when he attends gatherings like these, and papa -thinks it is wrong to encourage a poor young man in acquiring a taste -for fashionable society." - -"Poor or not," persisted Miss Fanny, "he's got to come, because he's a -splendid figure in a ball-room, and such a dancer! Poor, indeed! Why, -Angelina Stubbs would take him this moment, and her father would jump at -the chance." - -"I should think he would--to get rid of her domineering," laughed Miss -Matilda. "But our papa isn't a widower, and I doubt that he would give -any man a fortune to have him marry one of his daughters." - -Miss Fanny's face grew crimson with vexation. "You are very disagreeable -sometimes, Matilda. But I don't wonder at your fearing my getting -married before you, seeing that you are the oldest of the family." - -It was now Matilda's turn to get angry, but the mother's quiet, even -voice broke in and calmed the rising storm before the oldest of the -family could frame an answer. The leading question--the dresses to be -worn the night of the ball--was brought up; and when the mother turned -to consult her youngest daughter on some point, she found her no longer -in the room. - -"Where is Lola?" she wondered. - -"Gone to the matinee, probably," yawned Fanny, composing herself for the -further perusal of her novel, "and I should have gone too, if it was not -too much trouble to dress so early in the day. Dear me, don't I pity -Tilly, though!" - -"Why?" asked Mrs. Wheaton, regarding her eldest daughter. - -"She will have to sit up straight all day long with that bunch of hair -on her head. She thinks old Toots is coming to-night, and she wouldn't -for the world lose her elegant _coiffure_ and the chance of looking -pretty in his eyes." - -Before she had finished speaking her eyes were fastened on the book -again, and whatever Tilly replied about not wishing to receive a -solitaire as gift from her father fell unheeded, apparently, on the fair -Fanny's ears. - -It was a mistake about Lola's having gone to the matinee. If we follow -her we shall see her ascending one of the streets in the same quarter of -the city in which the paternal mansion--as the novel-writers have -it--stood, though in a far less fashionable part. Indeed, there was no -fashion about; for a corner-grocery, or a retail fruit-shop occasionally -made its appearance among the ranks of the generally neat houses, each -of which was provided with a flower-covered veranda, or a trim front -yard. One of them boasted of a garden and veranda both--the former set -out with well-tended flowers, the latter almost hidden under creeping -roses and trailing fuchsias. Everything about the place looked prim and -neat; even the China boy, who opened the door for Lola, seemed to have -been infected by the spirit prevailing, and his snowy apron fairly -blinked in the rays of the sun falling through the curtain of the -foliage, thinned by the cold nights of the winter season. - -Miss Myrick was in, sewing by the window, seated in her own chair, so -low that she could not see out into the garden, for fear of being -tempted to waste her time. The parlor was comfortably furnished, -homelike and tidy, though Miss Myrick occupied it most of the time with -her work. She did not often sit in the little room at the back of the -house, which really had a better light--the windows opening to the -ground--because there was another garden there, and Miss Myrick was so -passionately fond of her bright-hued pets that it once happened that the -sewing which had been entrusted to her by a cloaking establishment in -the city was found unfinished and she in the garden when the porter came -to take the garments home. Since that time she had been a great deal -stricter with herself--she never had been strict with anybody else, not -even with Charlie Somervale, when he had been left to her a romping, -frolicking boy of thirteen by his dying mother. - -She was an old maid even then, dreadfully set in her ways, as people -said, and the twelve years which had passed since then had made her no -younger. Her ways, however set, must have been gentle and good, for they -had won the boy back from the almost hopeless despondency into which his -mother's death had thrown him, and she had made of him a man such as -few are met with in our time. His mother had left him nothing, his -father having died in the mines years before, poor and away from his -friends. - -Dying his mother had said to her friend, "Find my brother; he will -provide for the boy for my sake." This, however, Miss Myrick had failed -to do for two reasons: she knew of the whereabouts of the brother only -that he was in the Indies; and had she known more she would not have -prosecuted the search, because--well, Charlie "didn't know exactly, but -he guessed that her mother had intended Miss Myrick for her brother's -wife, but the brother had declined taking stock in that mine." Charlie -was clerk in the bank, and we must forgive him some of his peculiar -expressions on the ground that "he heard nothing but stocks talked from -morning till night." - -As we are aware that the banks close at twelve o'clock on Saturdays, we -need not be surprised to see Charlie coming down the street, on the way -to Aunt Myrick's house, his home. Lola seemed very much surprised, so -much so that her face flushed when he came in at the door, just as she -was about to leave the house. After a few moments' conversation about -"the delightful weather--and this time of the year, too--nearly -Christmas--" Charlie asked permission to escort Miss Wheaton down the -street, which permission was graciously given. - -Though we should like much to remain with Miss Myrick in her cozy little -home, where nothing indicated that the mistress was compelled to earn -her bread with her needle, we have more interest in going with the -handsome young couple, moving along in front of us as if they were -treading on air. Though there is no lack of deference or respect in the -manner with which the young man leans over to whisper something into the -ear of the younger Miss Wheaton, he has yet dropped the formal address -and speech of which he made use at Miss Myrick's gate. - -"Lola," and the little hand on his coat sleeve is surreptitiously -pressed as they turn the corner of a quiet street _not_ leading to the -paternal mansion, "how can I thank my angel for the unspeakable -happiness of this meeting? The bright sun would have been shrouded in -darkness to me if you had broken my heart by disappointing me. A -thousand, thousand thanks for your visit to--my Aunt Myrick's." - -She caught the roguish twinkle in his merry blue eye, and the joyous -laugh that rang out on the air could not have offended Miss Myrick -herself, had she heard the conversation. - -"What pretty speeches," Lola tossed her head mockingly; "did you learn -them from Miss Angelina Stubbs?" and another laugh spoke of the -lightness of heart which finds food for laughter and gladness in all -harmless things. - -"I told her the other day when she joked me about my advancing -bachelorhood" (they were slowly ascending one of the hills overlooking -the bay, and it is impossible to talk fast at such a time, even for a -young man six feet tall, with black moustache and corresponding hair, -and a beautiful young lady leaning on his arm) "that I should have to -wait--till my uncle from the Indies came home; and what do you think she -said?" - -They had come to a little nook high up, where the great bustling city -was almost hidden from sight, and the bay seemed stretching out at their -very feet; the houses below them concealed by the brow of the hill. To -the right, afar off, were peaceful homesteads and gardens filled with -shrubs and trees; and whatever might have been harsh or unromantic in -the view, was toned down by the distance and the softening lights of the -mild winter's sun. - -"Well," asked Lola, seating herself on a little ledge of rock where -Charlie had spread his handkerchief. - -"She intimated, with becomingly downcast eyes, that I might find a -fortune within my grasp any time I chose it. 'Oh, yes,' said I, 'Miss -Angelina, but then, you know, it's always a venture. And besides, I have -made a vow never to dabble in stocks.' She gave me rather a blank look -at first, but thought she wouldn't stop to explain." - -Lola could only reach him with her parasol, and the blow she struck him -could not have been very severe, for they both laughed heartily the next -moment. - -"But I have really heard from my uncle in India--it was a letter sent to -my poor mother--only I did not want to tell Aunt Myrick; she never likes -to hear the name mentioned." - -"Tell me about that story," said Lola, her woman's interest in a woman's -heart-story aroused; "you once said that she had been disappointed." - -"Not she so much as this uncle whom my mother wanted to marry Miss -Myrick. It seems that he was engaged to some other young lady--some -lovely maid--but a hard-hearted wretch of a brother, or cruel, unfeeling -parent interfered--" - -"Don't speak so lightly, Charlie," pleaded Lola, her eyes filling with -tears; "it _is_ bad to have brother or parent come between yourself and -the one you love, is it not?" - -"Why, Lola darling, what has happened? Does your heart fail? Do you -already doubt your love for me, or the strength to assert it?" - -"No, no, Charlie--never fear. It is you or death; you know what I have -said," and her tiny fingers clasped his strong hand. "But you know as -well as I that papa will interfere when he discovers--" - -"That you intend to become a poor man's wife. Lola, you know the law I -have made for you--the only command I would ever lay on you," and his -voice, though tender, was firm, "when you marry me you will be a poor -man's wife, not a rich man's daughter. Not a cent of your father's -money, good and kind man though he be, will ever be brought across my -threshold, even should he be willing to give you the fortune he holds in -store for some wealthy son-in-law. There, my angel, let us have done -with tragedy and care." It was easy to make an excuse for stooping, so -as to touch her fingers with his lips. "Who knows but I shall be a rich -man yet before I claim you? I have been sorely tempted to try my luck in -something new they have just struck." - -"What? After you told Miss Angelina about your vow?" - -"But it is something truly wonderful; I have it from old Bingham -himself. He cannot go into it--at least not under his own name--and -there are only two or three others to be initiated." He was gazing -meditatively at the roof of a house that peeped out from among a clump -of trees below and far to the right of him. "There's the money I laid by -for paying on the house, and Aunt Myrick, I know, has five hundred in -the bank; if I knew I could only double it within the year--" - -"Don't touch anything belonging to Aunt Myrick, or she will instantly -conceive it to be her duty to work still harder, because you might be -unfortunate--and then what would become of the old blind woman and the -paralyzed man, and the sick family back of the grocery, and her old -gouty cat, and the boy with fits--" - -"Hush, hush--I'll not touch a cent belonging to her," vowed Charlie, -with his hands to his ears. - -The sun was sinking low, and after it had been agreed between them just -how many dances Lola was to give to strange gentlemen at the coming -ball, and how many Charlie was to claim, and how often Charlie in turn -was to dance with Miss Angelina, and how often with Fanny and Tilly, the -lovers descended the hill more slowly, if possible, than they had -climbed it, and finally parted within sight of Lola's home. - -There was to be no New Year's party at the Wheaton mansion this year. -"No!" sneered Miss Angelina, "for they disposed of the oldest old maid -at the last, and probably expect to get rid of the second at somebody -else's ball this year." - -I am sure Miss Angelina need not have sneered so, because she tried hard -enough to get old Toots herself. But that is neither here nor there; -Miss Tilly had received a proposal at that New Year's ball, and Miss -Fanny her solitaire--from her father, to be sure; but then that was -better than not to receive any. Old Toots, proud husband of the peerless -Tilly now for many months, was not old at all, and his name wasn't Toots -either. His name was Jacob Udderstrome; and in early days he had been -the proprietor of a milk ranch, and having used a tin trumpet for the -purpose of making known his coming to the more tardy of his customers, -he had been honored with the unromantic appellation without his -particular wish or consent. When the country had become more settled -Jacob sold out, and being possessed of a great deal of natural -shrewdness and a native talent for keeping his mouth shut, he had -doubled and trebled his money by simply buying up real estate and -selling at the right time. - -Fanny was still languishing for the right one; she could never think of -entertaining less than a hundred thousand, when Tilly had gotten at -least three times that amount. Father and mother seldom interfered with -any of their daughters' plans or pleasures, and only once in the course -of the past year had Papa Wheaton been seriously displeased. On this -occasion he had Lola called into the room, and demanded sternly of her -why she had refused the hand and fortune of Hiram Watson? He looked -quite fierce and kept brushing up the ridge of hair on his head stiffer -and stiffer, till at last it stood alone. Then Lola ventured to ask, -"Are you speaking of Mr. Watson the tobacconist?" - -"Tobacconist? To be sure I am; a tobacconist isn't to be sneezed at -when he's got a cool half million to back him." - -"It was not that I spoke of; I have only to say that I could feel -nothing more than respect for him; and I will never marry where I cannot -give my heart with my hand." - -"That's your notion of what's right, is it? What, do you tell me, when -I've spent more money on your education than both your sisters together -ever cost me, that you can't marry a worthy, solid man because he won't -write sentimental love-letters? I tell you--" - -He was talking himself into a rage and turning purple in the face, when -his wife entered, and, like the good, quiet angel she always was, put an -end to the interview and the father's anger with her favorite child. - -Lola told Charlie of the interview, and he thanked her for her devotion, -and strengthened her resolution by such words as only Charlie could -utter--so full of the heart's deep love and the warmth of a rich -chivalrous nature. "On Christmas day, my love," he said, "I shall be -able to step boldly before your father and claim you for my wife. I am -all but a rich man now, thanks to old Bingham's prompting and the -secrecy observed, which has left this thing entirely in our own hands. I -have the field almost to myself, and shall realize within the next three -months such a fortune as I had never dreamed of possessing." - -"Not even if that mythical uncle in the Indies had come home?" - -"Hang the uncle--no--I mean, I believe he is dead, poor fellow. I -answered his letter last year, but never heard from him again, though he -expressed the greatest longing to hear from or see some one who had ever -belonged to him. It was hard to tell him that even mother, his only -sister, was dead." - -"Poor fellow!" - -"Yes, mother used to say that he was heart-broken. Having come into the -world myself after he left it, for the Indies, I can't well remember -him; but I can feel for him now, because I know what I should do if you -could not be mine. I should break into your room at night, steal you, -and take you to the bottom of the sea with me." - -Like a romantic young lady, Lola expressed her entire willingness to -visit such a place with him; and she said it so quietly that Charlie, at -least, believed what she said. - -"Let us talk of life now, not of death," Charles went on. "If I obtain -your father's consent to our union at Christmas, will you become mine on -New-Year's day? I have a queer notion of wanting to celebrate my -marriage--to make it a feast or hold it on a feast day. I believe that -people who have determined to pass their days together should begin -their new married life with the beginning of the year. Will you assist -me in carrying out this romantic idea?" - -She called him an enthusiast, a philosopher, and a thousand other -contradictory names, but the pressure of her hand gave him assurance of -her consent to his wish. - -Christmas brought with it skies as blue and days as radiant as those for -which we sing songs of glory to Italy. The rains of the season so far -had fallen mostly at night, leaving the sun day by day to kiss the brown -hills into fresher green, after he had freed himself from the heavy fogs -of early morning. - -The Wheatons were not a church-going people, though the costliest pew at -one of the largest churches was theirs; and while Mr. Wheaton was never -known to refuse heading a subscription list for any undertaking, the -benevolence of which had been duly proclaimed in the newspapers, Mrs. -Wheaton had taught her daughters to delight in unostentatious charity. -Presuming on her father's fondness for a late dressing-gown and -slippers, on days when the observance of a religious feast or popular -holiday required that he should not be seen on California street, Lola -had intimated to Charlie her opinion as to the time the old gentleman -would probably be in the most "malleable" humor. It was with some -trepidation, nevertheless, that Charlie ascended the steps leading up to -the wide hall-door of the Wheaton mansion, after having spent the -morning in his own room, shutting out Aunt Myrick, Orlando, the cat, the -morning papers, in fact the whole world from his sight. - -It was probably owing to the unusually good humor in which Mr. Wheaton -found himself this morning, that Charlie was requested to walk into the -breakfast-room, where the flying robes adorning Miss Fanny's person were -seen whisking out at the other door, as the young man entered the -pleasant, sun-lighted room. The last glowing coals were falling to -ashes, in a grate, which at this hour of the day seemed an unnecessary -ornament for a California house. - -"Come in, come in, young man. But where are the girls? Tom, go call Miss -Fanny and Miss Lola." - -There was no necessity for calling Miss Lola--she was close at hand, -though becoming suddenly invisible; and as for Miss Fanny, she remained -invisible. She had no notion of taking her hair out of crimps just for -Charlie Somervale, when she expected to meet a far more interesting -person--Crown Point, Gould & Curry, Eureka Con., report said five -hundred thousand dollars--at the Wadsworth reception that night. Had Mr. -Wheaton not taken off his glasses when Charlie came in he might have -noticed an unusual flush on the young man's face; as it was he shook -hands with him so cordially that Charlie's color subsided somewhat, and -his heart beat less loud for a minute. - -I doubt that either the old gentleman or the young one remember just how -the conversation was opened; but in less than fifteen minutes Mr. -Wheaton, with motions something like those of an enraged turkey-gobbler, -and a color darkening face and neck fully equal to the intensest shade -that bird can boast of on its gills, flew to the door, and called on -Lola to make her appearance, in no pleasant tones. Together with Lola, -as though divining the trouble drawing near, came Mrs. Wheaton, though -so noiselessly, through a side-door, that no one observed her at first. - -"Lola," sputtered Mr. Wheaton, "I have spent more money on your -education than both your other sisters together ever cost me; and now -here comes this young fellow and tells me, as coolly as you please, that -you are engaged to him, and the like nonsense. Engaged, indeed; you are -not eighteen yet, and he hasn't got a cent to his name. I thought I had -brought up my children to love me at least, if I cannot compel them to -obedience; and if you, Lola, go off and leave me in my old age--go away -from my house with a beggar--you who have been petted and spoiled; you -on whom I had built the hopes of my declining years, you will never -darken my doors again, but live a beggar and an outcast forever away -from your parents' home." - -Mrs. Wheaton had approached the group, and Charlie turned to her. - -"It is not as a poor man that I claim your daughter for my bride; see, I -am rich--worth a hundred thousand this moment," he drew a package of -papers from his pocket; "and I have the ambition and the power to amass -a fortune, and place your daughter where she will never miss the -comforts and luxuries of her childhood's home." - -He stepped over to where Mr. Wheaton stood listening in incredulous -silence to what the young man said. - -"And may I ask from where this fabulous wealth springs so suddenly?" he -asked, breaking the silence. - -"I own to having tried my luck, against the strict advice and wish of my -employers, in mining speculations. The venture has proved successful. I -say nothing in extenuation of the fault--if fault I have -committed--save that I wanted to offer to Lola a home which should not -be too great a contrast to her father's house. Old Bingham--" - -"Old Bingham," interrupted Mr. Wheaton, purple in the face; "and the -name of the mine?" - -"The Golden Lamp," answered Charlie, proudly, holding up for Mr. -Wheaton's inspection the papers he had drawn from his pocket. - -"Lola!" shouted Mr. Wheaton in his shrillest tones, seizing the girl by -the arm and dragging her away from Charlie's side, as if the young man -had been afflicted with a sudden leprosy, "come to me, my child. He's a -beggar, I tell you--a beggar and worse; for all his friends will turn -from him for his indiscretion. The whole thing is a gull; there isn't -gold enough in the mine to show the color. Here's the paper. Where did -you have your eyes this morning?" - -Charlie stood like one paralyzed; his fingers clutched tighter the roll -of papers in his hand, and he gazed with a strange, bewildered stare -into Lola's eyes, as though trying hard to understand what the dreadful -things he heard meant. Lola seemed to comprehend quicker, and the look -she bent on Charlie was full of tender pity, as she watched the lines -that black, hopeless despair was writing on his face. Mrs. Wheaton had -snatched the paper from her husband's hand and was reading: - -"The chosen few who thought that for once they could fleece the golden -lamb driven quietly into a little corner for their own benefit, have -come out leaving their own wool behind. We are speaking of the Golden -Lamb Mine, which was to have been paraded in the market about the first -of January, to lead astray with its deceptive glitter all who were -foolish enough to believe without seeing. The few shares that had -already been disposed of 'to strictly confidential friends,' by the -shrewd managers of the concern, have gone down from five hundred dollars -to five dollars, at which figure they went begging late in the afternoon -yesterday, no one having confidence in a swindle so promptly and -completely exposed." - -"Lola," it was Charles's voice, but so changed and broken that Mrs. -Wheaton dropped the paper to look into his face. - -Lola sprang to his side, and he groped for her hand as though its -slender strength could uphold the man who but an hour before looked able -to move mountains from their place. Blindness seemed to have fallen on -his eyes, for he repeated the call when the girl stood close beside him. - -"My darling," she murmured, seizing the hand that was still seeking -hers, and, heedless of her mother's presence or her father's wild -gestures, she pressed the icy fingers to her lips, breathing broken -words of love and comfort into Charlie's ear. - -"Lola!" the name again rang through the room; it was her mother's cry, -and the sharp terror in it struck like a knife to the girl's heart, -"your father--quick! Would you kill him? Do you not see--he is dying! -Oh, my child, my child, cast off everything, but do not load your soul -with his death! God help me to guide you." There was something in the -woman's eye that spoke of more than alarm at the symptoms of an -approaching attack, such as she had always feared for the father of her -children. - -She had never loved this man with the absorbing passion of which her -heart was capable; but as she knelt by his side, giving him every aid in -her power in a frenzied, hurried manner, so different from her usual -placid ways, her wide-opened eyes seemed to look back through the -shadows and mists of long, dreary years, and she spoke wildly and -rapidly to her child. - -"Oh, Lola! don't blacken your soul with this crime--I too loaded the -curse on me; I have borne it for years--and all the useless remorse, -the vain, bitter regrets. Give up all you hold dear in life, but do not, -do not try to find your way to happiness over the stricken form of your -father!" - -Lola shook like a reed in the storm, and breaking away from Charlie she -knelt by her mother's side. - -"Father!" she pleaded, "father, speak to me--call me your pet -again--your dearest child; see me--I will never, never leave you, -father, only speak to me once again." - -No one heeded Charlie, and he staggered from the house, muttering -between his clinched teeth: - -"So they will all turn from me--and she was the first." - -Hours passed ere the old man found speech and consciousness again; and -the physician who had been summoned shook his head warningly. "It was a -narrow escape," he said; "careful, old man, careful. What is it the -Bible, or some other good book says--'let not your angry passions rise?' -Who's been vexing you?" - -Lola, his special favorite, whose eyes he had seen opening on the light -of this world, was not present, or her ghastly face might have prevented -him from asking the question. - -Mrs. Wheaton was again the quiet, sad-faced woman, solicitous only for -the comfort and well-doing of the man who had been to her the most -indulgent of husbands. It was hard to say what was passing in her heart; -perhaps the crater had long since burned out, and the silver threads -running through her raven hair was the snow that had gathered on the -cold ashes. For Lola there was neither rest nor sleep, and she insisted -on watching through the night by her father's bedside, though assured -that there was no necessity for keeping watch. - -Early the next morning she went out, not clandestinely, but with a -determined step and an expression in her eye than which nothing could be -more sad and hopeless. She returned after many hours, and though her -eyes had lost none of their dreary expression, there seemed to be some -purpose written in them that could also be traced in the lines drawn -since yesterday about the firmly closed mouth. Her mother, concealed by -the heavy curtains drawn back from the window, watched her gloomily as -she passed through the room gathering up some music that lay scattered -on the piano, as though she meant never to touch its ivory keys again. - -"Ah, me!" she sighed, "she is young to learn the bitter lesson: that -those who have a heart must crush out its love before they can go -through life in peace! Dolores--it seemed like an atonement to call her -so; but would I had not given her the fatal name. God will help her to -forget--as He has given me peace." - -The darkening eyes, straying far out over the waters, seemed for a -moment ready to belie the boast of her lips, so restless and uneasy was -their light; but the discipline of half a lifetime asserted its power, -and she went from the room, calm and self-possessed as ever. - -Little did she dream of the cause of what she deemed Lola's -uncomplaining resignation. The girl had seen her lover, and, unspeakably -wretched as he was, she could say no word to comfort him, but held his -hand in hers, with all the love her heart contained beaming from her -glorious eyes. Only once did he clasp her to his heart in a passionate -embrace: she had sealed the promise to be his, with a kiss. They would -enter on their new life together at the beginning of the year. They -would be wedded to each other on New-Year day--but the priest who -received their vows should be Death, and their marriage-bed the bottom -of the bay. - -Charlie's name was never mentioned in the Wheaton mansion; the events of -Christmas morning seemed banished from the memory of the three people -who had participated in them. There was nothing to indicate that a -change of any kind had taken place or was likely to take place. Once -only in the course of the week Miss Fanny remarked laughingly, that she -thought Lola was preparing to elope, because all her books, dresses, and -trinkets were so neatly packed together. But as no one seemed to join in -Miss Fanny's pleasantry, the young lady betook herself to her usual -pastime--the novel and the lounge. - -During the week the weather changed, and heavy storms swept over land -and sea, stirring to the depths the waters on which Lola gazed for many -a half hour with a kind of stony satisfaction. She had not seen Charlie -since the first day of the week, and she often muttered to herself, "Far -better death than a life without my love." - -At last New-Year's morning dawned clear and bright, like a morning in -early spring. At an early hour the Wheaton mansion became the scene of -great rejoicing. There was a vigorous pull at the bell, and when the -door was opened a robust young fellow made his way very unceremoniously -into the breakfast-room, and a fresh Irish voice with its rich brogue -burst out: - -"Plaize, mam, and it's a splendid b'y; and nurse says I'm not to stay a -minit, but you're to come right aff." - -Mr. Wheaton threatened to go off with joy this time, his face turned so -red. - -"A boy, mother--think of that!" he shouted, forgetting for once in his -life what he deemed his dignity, and for the first time calling his wife -anything but Mrs. Wheaton in the presence of strangers or servants. -"Pat, my boy, here's something to drink his health [Thank'ee, sur;--and -it's a half aigle, shure], but not now; mind you, go right back and stay -there till I come, or I'll skin you alive." - -After this unprecedentedly familiar and jocular speech, he turned Pat -out of doors, kissed his wife frantically and rushed up-stairs to dress, -as though the boy's life and safety depended on his taking immediate -charge of him. In the meantime the door-bell had been rung again, and -Mr. Wheaton stopped when halfway up the stairs, there was something so -frightened and excited in the manner of the lady who entered the -hall-door. - -"Miss Lola is at home, I think," said the servant in answer to her -question; and Mrs. Wheaton, crossing the hall at this moment, turned to -look at the strange woman. - -A little scream, and Miss Myrick--for it was she--asked of Lola, who -stood white and ghostly in the doorway, "Is that your mother, Lola? Oh, -then I understand it all. Poor Charlie? The woman who could--" - -Mrs. Wheaton stepped quickly forward. "Stop, Augusta Myrick; not one -word more before my child." - -Mr. Wheaton had descended the stairs, and sprung to his wife, who seemed -ready to sink, but Lola, unheeding both, clutched Miss Myrick's arm. - -"Charlie?" she gasped. - -"Oh, Lola! he's gone; his room is empty and all his papers have been -stolen or destroyed. My poor, poor boy." - -"Gone--to his death without me! How cruel--but I am coming, Charlie; I -will follow you." - -Her eyes were wandering, and she broke from Miss Myrick's grasp. - -"Hold her," cried Miss Myrick, "hold her. Charlie is dead and she is -crazed. Help!" - -Mr. Wheaton was beside himself, and Mrs. Wheaton flung her arms about -Lola, who was struggling to free herself. At last her father's strong -hands bore her to a sofa in the nearest room, and as he laid her down -the weary eyes closed and the fainting head drooped back. - -"Not dead," he groaned. "Oh, God, not dead!" and as the mother and the -strange woman bent low over the prostrate girl, a tall, manly form broke -into the room, as though led there by an unerring instinct. - -"Oh, my darling," and he knelt beside the sofa, chafing her hands and -kissing her cold brow; "wake up; you are mine, and we will not die, but -live together. Open your eyes, darling; nothing more will part us now. -See, I am rich once more, and no one shall come between us. Look up, -darling. Come back to me." - -Slowly his kisses brought a faint color to her brow and cheek; and when -she opened her eyes and he pressed warm kisses on her lips, there was -none to say him nay. Papa Wheaton was occupied with his handkerchief--he -seemed suffering from a fresh-caught cold, and Mrs. Wheaton stood with -clasped hands watching her daughter's motionless form. - -Miss Myrick alone had noticed the graybearded, sun-burned man who had -come into the house with Charlie. The stranger had gazed silently on -Mrs. Wheaton till a mist gathered in his eyes, and he said softly to -himself, "_Dolorosa!_" Then the name has been a prophecy, and my poor -Annie went through life--Dolores. - -Lola moved at last, and as Charlie lifted her tenderly in his arms, no -one stepped forward to separate them. - -"She is mine now!" he cried exultingly, and he held up to Mr. Wheaton's -view a morning paper. "It was false about the Golden Lamb, and I am -worth a hundred thousand to-day." - -"And besides," the stranger introduced himself with a courteous bow to -Mr. Wheaton, "Charles Somervale is my nephew and will be my heir. I am a -total stranger to you, so I beg to refer you to the house of Daniel -Meyer & Co." - -At the sound of the voice Mrs. Wheaton had hastily scanned his features; -then she staggered against the wall with a look on her face that spoke -so plainly of a life-long sorrow, of a pain for which there is no remedy -on earth, that Miss Myrick, forgetting all the hard feelings she had -shown at first, sprang forward and passed her arm around the falling -woman. - -"The excitement has been too much for her," she said; "leave the room, -all of you, and I will bring her to herself." - -But Mrs. Wheaton's was a strong nature. - -"It is nothing," she said, and she turned slowly to the stranger. "Let -your coming to this house on a New-Year's morning--though you knew not -who its inmates were--be an earnest of your kind feeling for them, and -let us be united in the wish for the happiness of my child and the child -of your dead sister." - -The stranger had advanced and raised Mrs. Wheaton's hand for a moment to -his lips. - -"To-morrow I take ship to return to the far Indies; but my wishes and -prayers shall always be for the happiness of these children, and--the -peace of mind of Annie--my Dolores loved and lost." - -The last words were spoken in a husky whisper, and none saw the tear -that fell on Mrs. Wheaton's ice-cold hand. Her own eyes were dry; and -though she had not lowered them, she _felt_ the tear burning its way -into her very soul. - -Mr. Wheaton's cheery voice roused her. - -"The boy, children--have you all forgotten about the boy? Matilda's son, -sir," shaking Charlie by the hand, "a fine, healthy boy. One of the -family now, Charlie--come and see." - -But who can blame Charlie for declining to go? His uncle had left the -house, and Aunt Myrick had gone with Mrs. Wheaton up-stairs, there to -renew the friendship broken off years ago, because of the lonely man who -was standing at this moment, gazing far out on the restless, -ever-changing sea. - -We could not be indiscreet enough to play eavesdropper after everybody -but Lola and Charlie had left the parlor, but we have it on good -authority that Uncle Barton is to be present at the wedding ceremony -before taking ship again for the far Indies. - - - - -_IT OCCURRED AT TUCSON._ - - -Well, perhaps it isn't much of a place, after you get there, though -harder to describe than many a town of fifty times its size and -importance. But it is the capital of Arizona, and a fair representation -of the whole Territory. Could you be lifted from the midst of -civilization, and "let down" in Tucson over night, you would know at -once what the rest of Arizona is. - -How like a _fata morgana_ it looks when you first see it in this -enchanted atmosphere: the intensely blue sky overhead, the plain about -it covered with sparse grass and fantastic cactus, that hide the sand -and make the earth look verdant; the low, white dome and the picturesque -buildings clustering about it; the _adobe_ garden-walls, with arched -gateways, sometimes whitened, sometimes left in their native mud color, -toned down by age and the glare of the sun; a tall mesquite-tree or a -group of cotton-woods striving heavenward from among the _adobe_ houses; -Saddle Mountain, with its ever-changing tints and its strong lights and -shades in the far distance, and Sugar-loaf or Sentinel Hill to the -immediate left. On the plain between town and the Sugar-loaf, the ruins -of what, in any other country, I should pronounce to have been a -monastery, lift themselves from the fresh, dewy green--venerable, gray, -and stately--some wild vine creeping stealthily in at the frameless -window, and out again at the roofless top. - -Having purposely avoided a close inspection of this spot, for fear of -being compelled to see that the ruins were only coarse mud-walls, -standing in a wilderness of hideous sand and clay, flecked with stiff -bunch-grass, the contemplation of it, with my mind's eye, is one of the -pleasures of memory to me, even at this day. Could I have avoided -passing through the streets of Tucson, perhaps I could think of it, too, -as a charming and delightful place. There are gardens down on our left, -as we come in from this side, that "blossom as the rose," and are -overshadowed by just such beautiful, waving trees as we see in among the -houses yonder; and, from these "indications," we are justified in -supposing that we will find _parterres_ of flowers in the gardens -surrounded by those high walls. But we have forgotten to take into -account that a stream of water flows along those fields; that gardens -don't flourish here without water, and that water in the town can only -be had by digging deep down into the hard ground. - -The _élite_ of the Spanish population pride themselves on their -gardens--flower-beds in the inclosed court-yards; flower-beds raised -some three or four feet from the ground and walled around with -stones--but if the flowers that grow on these elevations are "few and -far between," they make up in color and fragrance what they lack in -numbers. The court-yard is usually flagged, like the best room in the -house, and the whole is kept cool and fresh by continual sprinkling and -irrigating. This, however, is correct only of a very few houses; the -average Mexican, even though his family consist of twenty head, lives in -a single dark _adobe_ room, without window or fireplace--the hard, dry, -yellow clay within a continuation of the hard, dry, yellow clay -without--not divided even by a jealous door. In summer, the family live -inside the house, rolling around on the bare floor, or the straw matting -spread in one corner--careful not to venture into the sun that bakes the -barren ground by their _casa_ harder and harder every day. In winter, -the day is passed on the outside, the different members of the family -shifting their position with the sun--huddling together, flat on the -ground, with their backs against the wall that is warmest from its rays. -What they do for a living, I don't know: could they harvest nectar and -ambrosia, instead of wine and bread, from the land surrounding their -miserable houses, they could not be induced to till it; and, as for -trade or handicraft, they have never flourished in Tucson. The only -thing that swarthy, black-eyed lad there will ever learn, is to lasso -his starved _bronco_, or shoulder his lockless gun, and start out with -the pack-train, just loading for Sonora, in front of the largest store -in town. If he returns from there without losing his scalp, he will -never rest till the last _paso_ has been spent with his _compadres_, at -the _baila_, or the new American bar and billiard saloon at the corner. -Nor will he begrudge his sister, or any other lass to whom he is -attached, the many-colored shawl in the show-window of the American -dry-goods store at the other corner; and, should anything be left then, -he will conscientiously devote it toward promoting the bull-fight that -is to come off next Sunday. - -"Miserable people, a miserable place, and a miserable life!" came from -between the set, white teeth of a little personage at the window of a -house lying on something of an eminence, in the "fashionable" quarter of -the town, as she absently gazed on the fields, bright and alive with the -stir and the sun of this pleasant July afternoon. - -The fact of the house having windows, and the windows being set with -glass, marks it as one of the "aristocratic" houses, though the man who -built it, only two years ago, had come empty-handed and broken in heart -and spirit from scenes of desolation and wretchedness in the Southern -States. If ever a man buried hope, ambition, and life-energy with the -Lost Cause, that man was Oray Granville. Even before the rebellion broke -out, he had lost his all through the North (as he reasoned); for all -that life seemed worth living for, was the woman he had loved. A -wealthy Northern man had led to the altar the queenly form which to him -had been an embodiment of all that is graceful and divine. The form, -life, and soul seemed to have fled from the eyes into which he had gazed -just once after the binding words had been spoken. - -When the war broke out, he was among the first in the field; and, though -fighting for what he deemed his rights, he asked, at the end of each -bloody affray--as did St. Arnaud at the Crimea--"And is there no bullet -for me?" And after each such day did the look he had caught from those -sad, black orbs settle down deeper into the shadows of his own gray -eyes. Returning to the home of his youth once more, before starting out -on his dangerous journey over the plains to Arizona--where he was to -join an older brother--he found domiciled at his father's house his -cousin, a young girl of eighteen. - -In Miss Jenny's eyes, the vague rumor that Cousin Ray had been "crossed -in love" lent an additional charm to his handsome presence, and the -melancholy, half-reserved air that made him almost unapproachable. -Though there was apparently little in common between the world-weary, -disappointed man and the little elfish creature that looked so joyfully -out upon the world with her light-blue eyes, he unconsciously fell under -the influence of her restless, but most cheerful spirit. Not that her -temper was always sunny and even--far from it: but too often her eyes -would flash fire, and the quivering flanks of the fine-chiselled nose -distend and almost flatten in the hot, flushed face. Just so her Cousin -Ray's nostrils were wont to spread when angered or excited--only that -his face would grow white and more marble-like than usual. - -On what ground these two spirits met, I cannot say; but when Oray -Granville finally left his southern home, it was in company with his -wife, Mrs. Jenny. Nor can I recount, at length, how love worked -wonders, and the petted, white-fingered little lady learned to take -thought for the morrow and the comfort of her lord and master; and -though often flying into one of her sudden fits of passion, when a batch -of "sad" bread was the reward for all her pains and patience, or a burn -on her wrist or fingers, she never once breathed a word of regret at -having come with her husband. Her husband never attempted to subdue her -temper or soothe her ruffled feelings; but if, when worn out with the -day's toil (of which he bore his honest share), she crept up beside him, -he had most always a kind word for her; or, if more chary of words than -usual, a soft pressure of the little hand that had stolen into his, told -her that her affection was felt and appreciated. - -Shortly after their arrival in Tucson, he was prostrated by the horrible -fever which this place has in store for most strangers. The _petite_ -frame of the wife resisted the enemy to whom the stalwart man was forced -to yield; and with untiring devotion she watched by him through the long -days and the lonely nights. He needed sleep, the doctor said; and she -crept about like a little mouse. But, hanging over him, and listening to -his low, irregular breathing, such a terror would seize her that, -bending close to his ear, she would plead, "Ray--Cousin Ray--are you -alive? Speak to me, please." Then the heavy eyes would open for a -moment, and she remain quiet, till her fears got the better of her -judgment again. But never a look of reproach came into the weary eyes, -and never a word from the white lips, though his life had nearly been a -forfeit to her loving, but impatient spirit. - -Nor did she once fly into a passion during the long days of his -convalescence; but when he had quite recovered, she proved that she had -not left her temper behind her in the South, where he, according to her -accusation, had left his tongue. There were days in which he seemed to -live only in a dream, so silent were his lips; but the office which had -been bestowed upon him, almost against his will, was ably and faithfully -filled--though a bend of the head or a single terse sentence was given, -where other men would have deemed volumes of speech necessary. It was no -wonder that his wife flew into a rage, when, as sometimes happened, she -had recounted to him the troubles and trials of the day--which were not -few--and found, at the end of an hour's harangue, that he had neither -heard nor understood a word of what she had said, but seemed to waken -from a trance at the little pettish shake she gave his arm. Then she -would accuse him of not loving her, bewail her sad lot, and vow to grow -silent and unloving like himself. After a season of storming on her -part, and utter silence on his, she would creep back to her old place -beside him, to find her kiss returned, and any cunningly devised -question, calculated and shaped toward reconciliation, answered by him, -kindly and calmly as ever. - -One afternoon, while Cousin Ray sat in his office--silent, preoccupied, -and moody as usual--the din and confusion of an extensive dog-fight -disturbed his reveries. A cloud of dust and dogs rolled up to the -office-door, and the next moment the attorney of the Territory stood in -the street, a club in one hand and a "rock" in the other. A few -well-aimed blows soon freed "the under-dog in the fight" from his -half-dozen assailants; and with a half-sneaking, half-confident air, the -little ugly thing--part cur, part _coyote_, with a slight tinge of -sheep-dog--followed his deliverer to the office. When evening came, the -dog shyly, but persistently, followed his newly-elected master home; and -Mrs. Jenny, after first bitterly railing both at her husband and the -dog, proceeded to set supper before them with equal care and -conscientiousness. Next morning she found occasion to anathematize -Arizona in general and Tucson in particular; and, her eye falling on the -new acquisition, she instantly attacked him. - -"Get away with you! Of all things in creation you're the ugliest, and -_your_ name should be Tucson, too." - -And Tucson it was, from that day out. The dog soon learned to understand -Mrs. Jenny as his master did, only he could not be brought to endure her -bursts of temper with the same gentlemanly calmness. His meals were as -well and regularly provided as though he had a well-founded claim to the -best of treatment; and of an evening, when Cousin Ray was absent, he was -left at home, and admitted to the sitting-room, where a small piece of -Mrs. Jenny's dress-skirt was tacitly admitted to be his privilege during -his master's absence. But only during his absence: as soon as his -footstep was heard approaching from the street, Mrs. Jenny seemed -suddenly to discover the dog's proximity, and with a threatening "You -get out!" the dress-skirt was quickly withdrawn, while Tucson, made wise -by experience, would spring to a safe distance, and there flash defiance -at her, with his white teeth and his glittering black eyes. - -Last night, however, the edge of the dress-skirt had been carefully -gathered up from the floor, and Tucson, on growling his dissatisfaction, -had been turned into the cold, open hall, where he met his master with a -little whine when he came home, late, and more moody and buried in -thought than ever. Nevertheless, he stooped to pat the dog's shaggy -head, before entering the room, with a half-drawn sigh. Mrs. Jenny had -well merited the reproach she always flung at her husband, this night, -so silently and noiselessly she moved around the room. Cousin Ray cast -on her just one look--that said more than all the words she had spoken -for years; but she did not heed it, and, with another sigh, at the -remembrance of the letter signed "Margaret," which she had found in his -pocket that morning, he sought the couch where neither sleep nor peace -came to the two. Early the next morning he had gone to the office, but -returned before noon, and mounted his stout _bronco_, being accompanied -by a small number of Americans and an old Mexican guide. - -It was not the first time Mrs. Jenny had helped equip and furnish a -cavalcade of this kind, for a prospecting or mining expedition; and, -unbidden, she brought out her husband's warmest wraps and her best -stores from the larder. For a moment her cheeks blanched, as, from a few -chance words she caught, she was led to believe that the object of the -journey was the finding of the firmly-believed-in Jesuit, or Hidden -Silver-mine. But her husband volunteered no explanation; and she would -show him, for once, that she could refrain from asking questions. As he -approached and bent over her to bid her good-by, the fatal white -envelope that had so angered her yesterday, again gleamed from an inside -pocket; and, hastily drawing back, she spoke sharply in answer to his -cordial words: - -"You need _never_ come back to me with that letter in your pocket. -Never--never!" - -And, passing in through the hall-door, she saw Tucson quenching his -thirst eagerly, as preparing for a long run, at his basin on the floor. -Quick as thought she had caught him up in her arms, and, carrying him to -the door, she flung him with all her force against Cortez, who was just -moving off, with his master on his back. - -"Go along with your master, you ugly brute. _I_ never want to see you -again--never, never!" and the heavy door closed with a loud bang. - -Then she went back to her household duties, never heeding that the sun -had reached the meridian, and never pausing till material and strength -together were thoroughly exhausted. At last, after obstinately brushing -down the curls that would as obstinately spring up again, she drew near -to the window. She never knew how long she stood there; but when the -women by the _acequia_, in the tree-bordered field, away down from the -house, packed the linen they had made a pretence of washing all day, -into their large, round baskets to carry home for the night, Mrs. -Jenny--uttering her verdict on the people and the place--turned sharply -on her heel, and opened the box containing her outdoor garments. Her hat -was soon tied on, and a heavy shawl thrown over her arm, to guard -against the cool of the night that might overtake her. Pleasantly -returning the greeting that all who met her offered, she went unmolested -on her way till she reached the last huts of the Papagoes--who burrow -here, half underground, at a respectable distance from the better class -of Mexicans. From the door of a stray _adobe_, that looked like an -advance-post of rude civilization among these wicker-huts, a female -voice, in the musical language that the roughest of these Mexicans use, -called after her: - -"Holy Virgin, _señora_, are you not afraid of the Apaches?" - -But, like the youth who bore "the banner with the strange device," she -passed on, heedless and silent, to all appearances, but saying, within -her stubborn little heart, "Indians or no Indians, _I'm_ going to Cousin -Will's." - -In less than an hour's time, the barking of dogs fell on her ear, and, -though no trace of fence, orchard, or barn could be seen, she knew that -in and beyond that grove of mesquite-trees lay Cousin Will's -possessions--counted one of the finest farms in the Territory. Directly -she turned from the road into an open space, where a low, solid _adobe_ -house and two or three dilapidated _jacales_ represented a comfortable -farm-house and extensive out-buildings, to the right of which a large -field of waving corn stretched downward to the river. Back of the house -blossomed a little garden, the scarlet geranium covering almost the -whole wall; from the garden the ground fell abruptly to the water, where -a clump of willows and cotton-woods shaded a large cool spring. But the -most surprising feature of this Arizona scene was a spring-house, -which, though built of _adobe_, looked just as natural, and held just as -rich, sweet milk as any spring-house found in the Western States. - -Mrs. Jenny, however, had no time to advance to this spot, even had such -been her intention. The barking of the dogs had called a dozen or two of -swarthy little Cupids from the _jacales_ and other resorts of the -_peones_, who, with a simultaneous shout, had rushed in a body to the -house of the master, announcing the coming of the unexpected visitor. -Cousin Will and his wife--one of those grand, black-eyed women, with the -bearing of a princess, whom we find among the old Spanish families--met -the sister-in-law long before she reached the house. Cousin Will's wife -greeted her sister-in-law cordially as "Juana;" while Mrs. Jenny held to -the more formal "Doña Inez," which she had never yet dropped--perhaps on -account of a fancied likeness between her and Margaret, of whom she had -secretly begged a most minute description from one of the younger -brothers in her uncle's house, at home. - -"Why did Brother Ray let you come out here alone?" asked the older -brother, almost indignantly. - -Doña Inez, who understood English, smiled a good-humored, but expressive -smile; noticing which, Mrs. Jenny supplemented, without the least -resentment: "And, besides, he wasn't at home to try. He started out this -morning with Blake, and Goodwin, and old Pedrillo." - -"To look for the Hidden Mine of the Padres? Oh, the foolish, foolish -boy! Had I known how determined he was to go, I should not have left him -last night. Will he never stop dreaming and chasing after shadows?" - -Cousin Will was full twenty years his brother's senior; and it was, -perhaps, the recollection of the almost fatherly love he had always -shown for the younger brother that made Mrs. Jenny suddenly, when Doña -Inez had left the room, fling her hat on the floor, herself on the -lounge, and give way to the tears that had gathered in her heart all -day. Cousin Will knew her too well to offer a single word of comfort or -consolation; but when her convulsive sobs had ceased at last, he told -her, in answer to her quick, impatient questions, all he knew of the -letter, its contents and consequences. - -In the old archives of Tucson, to which Ray, by virtue of his office, -had access, he thought he had found sufficient proof of the existence of -the old silver ledge, and sufficiently clear advices of its location, to -warrant him in making a search for it. Fully aware of the many dangers -to which any party he might organize for that purpose would be exposed, -he had long hesitated--hesitated, too, partly on account of his wife's -violent opposition, and partly because there were few, whom he would -select, willing to go with him, where hundreds had already perished from -the Indian's arrow and the want of food and water. Three days ago, the -letter from Margaret had found its way to him. She was not long for this -world, she said, and, poor and in distress--abandoned by her husband, -who had been beggared by the war--she pleaded that Ray should care for -the two children she must leave to the cold charity of strangers, if she -died. - -"What will you do about it?" his brother had asked. And then Ray had -unfolded to him what the brother called one of his day-dreams. He would -find the mine, load Jenny with the treasures its discovery would bring, -and send her back to the States, to find Margaret, or the children (if -she were dead), while he remained behind to develop and finally dispose -of the mine, before joining his wife. He knew what Jenny had undergone -in this country, for his sake; he knew how well she loved him, and he -trusted that, with her noble instincts, she would aid him in carrying -out his projects in regard to Margaret and her children--neither of whom -he ever intended to see. - -Since she had once given way to softer feelings, Jenny's better self -arose against the hard, cruel spirit that had prompted her to turn from -all of Ray's attempts at kindly explanation. Bitterly she regretted the -harsh words she had uttered when her eyes first fell on that miserable -letter; and, like serpent's fangs, the words she had called after him on -parting, struck again and again into her own bleeding heart. Restlessly -she tossed on her bed all night--the first to discover the approach of a -band of Apaches, from the uneasy stamping and the frightened wickering -of the mules--she was the only one who insisted that Tucson's bark could -be heard among the gang of _coyotes_ that made night hideous with their -howls. With the first gleam of the coming day she was up; and, in spite -of all her brother-in-law could say, in spite of the suspicious -footprints that marked the ground in the neighborhood of the -mule-_corral_, she started for home, alone and unprotected, as she had -come the night before. - -The gorgeous sunrise had no charm for her; unheeding, her eye passed -over the landscape, that was like the smile of a fair, false woman--soft -and alluring to the eye--a bright mask only, veiling death and -destruction from those who were blinded by it. When near the town, a -small, ragged-looking object came ambling swiftly toward her. - -"What--Tucson?" and then, apostrophizing the dog, who crouched in the -sand at her feet with a pitiful whine: "You mean little deserter! -Couldn't you hold out as long as your master? And I know your master has -not come back yet." Nor _had_ he--though she entered the house with an -insane hope that she might meet the grave eyes peering out from the -gloom of the darkened hall. After another sharp reprimand, she prepared -Tucson's breakfast from a part of her own; and then flew into a passion -and drove the dog from the house, because, instead of tasting a -mouthful, he insisted on dragging her to the door by the dress-skirt, -and barking and howling in turn, when she refused to come. - -Later in the morning, when she had occasion to go "down town" for -something, she recounted how the dog had shrunk from the fatigues of the -prospecting-trip, and had returned to his comfortable quarters at home. -"But I drove him from the house; and I guess he has gone to overtake his -master now--I don't see him around any more." - -He _had_ gone to overtake his master--but not alone. The dog's strange -bearing had excited suspicion--here, where people are always on the -alert for danger and evil of all kinds. Before the sun was well up, a -little band of well-armed citizens was on the trail that Oray Granville -and his friends had travelled but the day before. - -Well for Jenny that her eye never caught the meaning of the looks thrown -on her as she passed through the straggling streets back to her own -home; well for her that the soft-voiced _señoras_, who came to her in -the dusk of the evening, could check the word of sympathy that rose from -the heart to the lip. Ah, me! - -And in Jenny's voice there was a new tone; a new light was in her eye, -and--a new greeting in her heart for Cousin Ray. If he would only come -soon! Of course, he could not return for a day or two; perhaps not for a -week; but when he did come-- - -"Petra," said Jenny, "you must play me Oray's favorite air -to-night"--and she hastened to the corner where the harp of the girl, -who was a pet of Mrs. Jenny's, and Ray's too, was generally kept. - -"No, _señora_--no; not this night," remonstrated the girl. "The wind -howls so dismally--and there is no moon in the sky; and then, you know, -I cannot sing." - -Petra was whimsical, and what she said was true: the wind passed with a -low, sobbing sound through the bare, wide hall, and swept up to the -door, where it shook the lock as with living fingers. - -Mrs. Jenny drew back the curtain and laughed. - -"In our country, people don't like to own that they're moon-struck; but -you are right--the night is black as ink, and--why--there is quite a -company coming up the hill toward us, with lights and torches. Going to -the governor's house, probably; but who can they be?" - -"We can slip out of the back-door, directly, and look over to the house: -then the men cannot say that we have undue curiosity," suggested Anita, -desperately; and Mrs. Jenny dropped the curtain. - -Petra's blanched face drooped low, over a book she had snatched up from -the table; and Anita's hands were clasped in a silent prayer to the Holy -Virgin. But the train came nearer, and--"Hark! they stop here--at this -door--it is Ray--Cousin Ray!" And Jenny was on the threshold--where half -a dozen gloomy, earnest faces met her gaze. - -There was a horse there, too--stamping with a half-frightened motion, -and a low, shivering neigh; and as she sprang forward with a shriek--a -terrified question rising unconsciously to her lips--a dog flew at her -with an angry howl, tearing at her garments, and making frantic efforts -to prevent her touching the motionless form on the back of the horse. - -To Jenny's ear the dog's wild yells spoke terribly plain her own cruel -"Never--never--never!" but among the men there was a hasty murmur that -the beast had gone mad, from running so long without food and water. -There was a flash and a sharp report--Tucson's career had come to a -close. And Jenny lay fainting in the arms of the sobbing women. - - - - -_A BIT OF "EARLY CALIFORNIA."_ - - -That many strange and wonderful things happened in early times in -California, is so trite a saying that I hardly dare repeat it. As my -story, however, is neither harrowing nor sentimental, I hope I may -venture to bring it before the reader. - -Long before the great Overland Railroad was built, there entered one day -one of the largest mercantile establishments in San Francisco a -handsome, athletic man, whose fresh, kindly face showed a record of -barely five-and-twenty years, and whose slender fingers belied the iron -strength with which he could hold and tighten the threads forming the -net into which malefactors are said, sooner or later, always to run. If -he _was_ a detective officer, he had friends, because he had a warm -heart; and in spite of all the dark phases of life that were brought to -his notice every day, he had not learned to disbelieve in the bright -side, or the better instincts of humanity. - -The chief clerk of this establishment was Captain Herbert's (the -detective officer's) most intimate friend, and he had come to bid him -good-bye--perchance to charge him to guard the "fatherless and the -widowed," should the trip on which he was about to start out end -disastrously to him. "Early Californians" realized, better than any -other class of people, the uncertainty of life--particularly with those -who had to cope with the desperadoes of that time; and the captain -intended to start out as usual--with the determination to do or to die. - -"By-the-by," said young Taylor, laughing, to the senior partner of the -firm, studying the morning paper in the counting-room, "Mr. McDonald has -been silent for so long that I think it would be a good job, and an -economical one, to commission the captain to hunt up the junior partner -of this firm, at the same time, and bring him in with the absconding -cattle-agent." - -The old gentleman took off his glasses, and folded the paper. - -"Yes; it's time Harry was home. I'm really getting uneasy about him. -They may have tempted him with the prospect of a whole string of wives -as he passed through Salt Lake--whereas here he can have only one." - -"Give me his _carte-de-visite_, or the color of his hair and eyes, -height, breadth, and weight, and I'll bring him, sure!" laughed the -captain. - -"Thank you kindly, captain; but I don't know whether Mr. McDonald would -appreciate your kind attentions; particularly," continued the old -gentleman, "if enhanced by those little steel bracelets you bring into -requisition sometimes." - -Twenty-four hours later the captain was hurrying, as fast as the -stage-horses could run, to Salt Lake City, where, it was surmised, the -dishonest cattle-agent would be found. A few hours' vigorous hunt -convinced the captain that the object of his search was not -there--circumstances pointing backward to one of the smaller places he -had passed on his journey thither;--and the next stage that left had the -captain for its occupant again. The only other passenger beside the -captain and his one man, was a rather slender, well-built person, who, -like himself and assistant, had both hands full, literally, to keep from -being buried by the sides of bacon with which the stage was filled -almost to overflowing. - -When night set in, the coats of the captain and his man, and the -woollen shirt of their travelling companion, seemed all to have been -made of the same material, thanks to the equalizing gloss which the -tumbling sides of bacon had spread over everything; but they fought the -pork as valiantly as ever true-believing Israelite had done. There was -little rest for them through the night, and no sleep; the treacherous -bacon-sides, that had been closely packed to serve as pillows, would -unexpectedly slip away from under their weary heads; and the bacon -barricades, laboriously built, would descend like an avalanche of blows -and hard knocks, when left unguarded by the drowsy travellers. - -Luckily the bacon was left, the next morning, at a little town where it -was wanted more than in the stage coach; and the captain, who had passed -nothing on the road without casting on it at least half of his keen, -official eye, gathered enough information here to feel confident of -finding his game in one of the little new places springing up on the -mail-line in Nevada. They reached the place next day at nightfall--it -was near the border of California--and the captain saw at a glance that -it would be warm work to cage any of the ill-favored birds who flocked -about this place. Warm work it would have been under any circumstances: -but made more difficult by the fact that the man in question had -absconded from his employers in British Columbia somewhere, had merely -passed through San Francisco with his plunder--some thirty-six thousand -dollars--and could have defied all the law officers in California, if -they came, as the captain did, with only the commission of the -victimized cattle-owner, but without the authority that the existing -relations between British Columbia and the United States made necessary. - -Among the gamblers and roughs loafing about the hotel, the captain's -quick eye had soon lighted on the right man; and after quietly taking -his supper with his companions, he proceeded to arrest him. Of course -there was an outcry and a hubbub among the patrons of this hotel, and -the captain, who knew where his customer came from, gave the guilty man -to understand that lynching a man who was no better than a horse-thief, -was nothing unusual in California and Nevada; but that if he, the -prisoner, would promise to remain quietly up-stairs in the room with the -captain's man, he himself would go back into the bar-room and try to -persuade the people to desist from carrying out any horrible plans they -might have formed. The prisoner seemed to feel weak in the knees; asked -permission to lie down, and sadly but gently extended his hands to the -alluring steel wristlets which the captain persuasively held out. -Returning to the bar-room, the latter singled out the head bully, -approached him confidentially, and whispered that on him he must depend -for assistance in keeping his obstreperous prisoner from breaking away; -that he himself and his assistant were so tired out with a three-nights' -ride and the fruitless chase, that they could hardly keep their eyes -open; and that after seeing the landlord he would return and consult how -they had best manage to keep their man safe. - -From there the captain went straight to the room of the stranger who had -come in the stage with him; to him he told all the circumstances of the -case, and asked for his help. He was not mistaken in the man; and the -stranger at once expressed his determination to aid the side of the law -and the right. Proceeding together to the room of the prisoner, the -captain's assistant was instructed to procure, as secretly as possible, -a conveyance for himself, the stranger, and the prisoner, to the next -town--already in California--some thirty miles away. Then there were -more dark fears expressed concerning mobs and lawless proceedings, and -hints thrown out, suggestive of the contempt in which horse-thieves and -the like were held, and a clump of trees was spoken of, that stood close -by the hotel and had been found convenient for hanging purposes before -this. The stranger was left to guard the prisoner, and the captain made -his way to the bar-room, where he was examined in the most friendly and -patronizing manner, concerning "that little affair;" how much money the -man had taken, whether the captain had yet recovered it, and what he -meant to do next. Not a cent of the money had been recovered as yet, the -captain said (with thirty-five thousand dollars neatly tucked away about -his person), but he hoped that with good help--winking at the most -ill-favored among them--he would get both the man and his money safely -into California. He was not sparing in treats, and had the crowd drink -the health and success of everybody and everything he could think of, -till at last, apparently overpowered with sleep, he beckoned the rowdy -he had spoken to before to one side. Familiarly tapping him on the -shoulder, he said, trustingly: - -"Now, old fellow, remember, I depend on you, should any of these rascals -here make an attempt to assist my man in getting away from me. I'm tired -to death, and if you'd sit up for an hour or two longer, while I take a -short nap, I'd take it as a great kindness. At all events, I shall -handcuff my prisoner and myself together, so that he cannot leave the -bed without my knowledge." - -The man swore a thousand oaths that he'd see the captain out of this, -and then returned to his companions--to plot the release of the thieving -cattle-agent, who, he felt certain, still had the stolen money about -him. Tired out and sleepy, the captain certainly was; and, after -barricading the door with as much noise as possible (having previously -nailed boards across the window with a great deal of hammering), he lay -down, and was soon in a sound sleep. Sometime after midnight he was -aroused by loud, heavy blows on the door. Of course, the captain knew -who was there, and what they wanted, just as well as though each member -of the rowdy delegation had sent in a card with name and object of the -visit engraved thereon. After considerable parleying, and some "bloody" -threats, the barricade was slowly removed, the door opened, and the -captain discovered, admiring a very handsome six-shooter in his hands. -His confidential friend, the bully from the bar-room, was spokesman of -the gang; and, after some hard staring and harder swearing, the truth -dawned on the minds of these worthies, and they withdrew from the room -to search the rest of the house before taking farther measures. - -The captain resumed his broken slumbers, never dreaming that they would -carry proceedings any farther; but next morning, seated on the stage -beside the driver, he saw on the road the wreck of a turn-out, and -grouped about it a number of the would-be liberators of the night -before. They had "raised" a team somewhere, and had started in pursuit -of the fat prize, hoping to outwit and outride justice for once. The -night being dark and their heads very light, they had run full tilt -against a tree in the road, which had the effect of killing one horse, -stunning the other, and scattering the inmates of the wagon -indiscriminately over the ground. Bully No. 1, and two stars of lesser -magnitude, insisted on mounting the stage; and, on arriving at the next -town, the captain, fearing that the local authorities would interfere on -the representation of these men, had his prisoner on the road again -before they had time to take any steps, either legal or illegal. - -The horror of the prisoner can be imagined when he learned that these -terrible men, who were trying to get him out of the captain's hands in -order to mete out justice on their own account, were actually pursuing -him--probably with a rope ready to slip around his neck at the first -opportunity. He earnestly besought his protectors not to abandon him; -for the captain had told him that he had no right to hold him as -prisoner, and should have none until certain formalities had been gone -through with in San Francisco. - -On they flew--without rest--still pursued by the three roughs, who -seemed to have gotten their spunk up when they found that the captain -was determined to escape from them with the man and the money they -wanted so much. At last Sacramento was reached, and with it the highest -pitch of danger. The prisoner was informed that the men were still -following him, and that they would probably make an attempt to take him -on the way from the hotel to the boat that was to carry them to San -Francisco. All this was strictly true. Captain Herbert had only omitted -to mention the fact that there would be among the number of captors a -member of the Sacramento police, to which both the roughs had applied, -setting forth that the man was illegally restrained of his liberty, etc. -The prisoner shook in his boots, and probably wished in his heart that -he was safely back in British Columbia, with the cattle unsold, and his -employer unrobbed. What was to be done? Time was flying, and he _must_ -be gotten on to that boat, or he might never see San Francisco; so -feared the captain as well as his prisoner. - -Again it was the intrepid stranger and travelling companion who came to -the rescue. The captain's plan was "hatched" and carried out in a very -little while. With a pair of handcuffs clasped on his wrists, and his -arms securely tied behind, the obliging stranger was led to the boat by -the hard-hearted captain, who handled this free-will prisoner very -roughly--while the guilty cattle-agent was slinking along with -unfettered hands by the side of the captain's assistant, to whom he -"stuck closer than a brother." Just as the captain was hustling his -prisoner on to the gang-plank, a policeman stepped from the crowd, laid -his hand on the man's shoulder, and, amid the cheering of the roughs and -the angry protestations of the captain, led him to the office of the -nearest justice. The _bonâ fide_ prisoner in the meantime slipped -unnoticed on board, and was taken out of the cold, and kindly cared for -on reaching San Francisco, by the proper authorities, who had been -summoned to meet the boat, by a telegram from the captain. - -An excited crowd had gathered around the door of the office into which -the stranger had been brought. The intense disgust of the roughs can be -better imagined than described when their eyes and ears convinced them, -very much against their will, that their benevolent purposes could not -be carried out, and that _this_ "prisoner at the bar" had never -absconded with anybody's money. They listened in dogged silence to the -man's declaration that, far from being restrained of his liberty, he had -come with the captain "just for fun," and had worn the handcuffs because -they were just an easy fit. - -"And what is your name!" thundered the enraged justice. - -"Henry Fitzpatrick," was the quiet reply, "merchant, from San Francisco. -I fell in with the captain at Salt Lake, where I was stopping on my way -home from the States; and as he's a mighty clever fellow, I thought I'd -go all the way with him. Sorry you detained us, gentlemen--we both had -urgent business in San Francisco." - -He went his way in peace, though the real sinner--the thieving -cattle-agent--had never been in as much danger of coming to harm at the -hands of these men as was this inoffensive person. - -The captain saw no more of him till a day or two after his return to San -Francisco. Entering the store of his friend Taylor, to tell him of his -safe return, he was surprised to see the stranger, Mr. Henry -Fitzpatrick, in the counting-room. The senior partner greeted him with: - -"Well, well, captain, so you brought Harry home with a pair of handcuffs -on, after all! Allow me to introduce my partner, Mr. Henry Fitzpatrick -McDonald." - -"Happy to meet you again, captain. It _was_ fun, wasn't it, though? But -I didn't think it was necessary to give those inquisitive chaps at -Sacramento the benefit of my full name. I did not want them to say, in -case I should ever run for office, that 'McDonald had been led through -the country with a pair of handcuffs on.'" - - - - -_HER NAME WAS SYLVIA._ - - -"San Mateo! Stages for Pescadero and Half-Moon Bay!" shouted the -conductor, and a dozen or two of passengers left the uncomfortably -crowded car. - -Some of them entered the handsome equipages in waiting, to carry them to -luxurious country residences; a few sought their cottage in the suburbs -on foot; others, armed with satchels, shawls, and field-glasses, -clambered into and on the stage. Among these, a young lady--whose glossy -braids and brilliant eyes were not altogether hidden by a light -veil--stood irresolute, when the polite agent addressed her, "Have a -seat outside, Miss--with the driver? Very gentlemanly person, Miss; -ladies mostly like to ride with him." Her indecision was abruptly ended -by the gloved hand of the driver, reaching down without more ado and -drawing her up, with the agent's assistance, gently, but irresistibly, -out of the crowd and confusion below. - -For the first five miles the young girl saw nothing and knew nothing of -what was on or in the stage; her eyes were feasting on the scenery, new -to her, and fascinating in its beauty of park-like forest-strips and -flower-grown dells, where tiny brooks were overhung by tangled brush and -the fresh foliage of maple-tree and laurel-wood. The sunshine of a whole -San Francisco year seemed concentrated in the bright May morning; and -the breeze stirred just enough to turn to the sunlight, now the glossy -green side of the leaves on the live oaks, then the dull, grayish -side--a coquetry of nature making artistic effects. - -At Crystal Springs our friend suddenly became aware that she had thrown -aside her veil, and a deep blush covered her features when she saw a -wonderfully white hand reaching up with a cluster of roses, evidently -meant for her acceptance. The rustling of the trees, the sound of water -splashing, the sight of birds, coming in flocks to drink at the -fountain, had so held her senses captive, that she did not even know how -long they had been stopping at this place; but the bunch of roses, and -the deep blue eyes looking up into hers, recalled her to reality. Had -she not looked into these eyes before? Had not the stage-driver just -such a long, tawny moustache? And was this he, offering the flowers with -all the courtliness and easy self-possession of the gentleman? All these -thoughts flashed through her brain in a second, and she shrank, -momentarily, from what seemed a piece of presumption on the part of the -man. But a glance at the sad eyes, and the barely perceptible play of -sarcasm around the firm-closed lips, induced her to bend forward and -accept the offering, with a grace peculiarly her own. - -Not a word was exchanged after he had remounted his seat; but since her -veil was dropped she noticed that there were others on the outside of -the stage beside herself. There was a female with a brown _barège_ veil, -and a big lunch-basket on the seat back of her, who had been most intent -on studying how the young lady could possibly have fastened on those -heavy braids, that they looked so natural; whereas hers were always -coming apart, and showing the jute inside. And there were the two -tourists--English people probably. They had never disturbed her yet by a -word of conversation. Then her thoughts travelled to the inside of the -stage, and her eyes rested uneasily for a moment on her neighbor, the -driver. Had she only dreamed of the white, well-shaped hand? Large, -heavy gloves were on his fingers, and covered the wrist with a stiff -gauntlet. Just as stiff was the brim of the light-colored hat; and it -was so provokingly put on that nothing was visible from under it but the -end of the long moustache. - -But she was soon lost in thought again, and in contemplation of the -placid blue ocean, that suddenly shone out beyond the low hills, away -off to the right. - -"Das Meer erglänzte weit hinaus--" - -She turned with a start, to see whether she had dreamed this too, or -whether a voice at her elbow had really hummed it--and was just in time -to see the driver gather up the lines of the six horses closer, while he -strove hard to banish the guilty color from his face. - -A stage-driver, who offered her roses with the air of a cavalier of the -_ancien régime_, and sang snatches of German music. It made her more -thoughtful than ever; and when they reached Spanishtown, and had taken -dinner, she had decided on what course to pursue. The driver was on hand -to assist her back to her lofty perch, but she said, with perfect -_sang-froid_: - -"I think I should prefer to ride inside for the rest of the way; the sun -is too hot outside." - -Perhaps she had feared to see an expression of wounded feeling on the -bronzed face, but it was rather a quizzical look that shot from his eyes -as he answered: - -"No sun after this; fog from here out--depend upon it." - -Her face relaxed. "I don't know that I want to be enveloped in a -fog-cloud, either;" but she placed her foot on the wheel, and, without -another word, she was assisted back to her old seat. The ice was broken, -and the fog that soon rolled in on them did more to thaw it away between -them than the sunshine of the morning had been able to do. - -After awhile she told him that she was on her way to visit an uncle and -aunt, who had taken up their residence at Pescadero, and that she meant -to make them many a visit, as she was fond of them, and they petted her -to her heart's content. And she liked the country, too. Then he told her -of the pebbles to be found on the beach near Pescadero, and of the -attractions of the sea-moss, at a point more distant; and he hoped that -he might always have the pleasure of carrying her through the country, -whenever she came this way. - -"Uncle shall surely let you know when I am coming back, so that I may -come with you," she said; "but what is your name?--so that he can find -you out." - -"Jim!" he replied, grimly, pulling his hat far down over his eyes, -apparently indifferent as to the impression his abbreviated appellation -might make on her. Then, with a touch of sarcasm in his voice, he asked, -"And yours?" - -"Stella," she answered simply; and they both laughed, and she fastened -the roses in her hair before they came to the end of their journey, -which had on the whole passed off so pleasantly. - -So pleasantly that Stella reverted to it when in Aunt Sarah's -comfortable sitting-room, where Uncle Herbert was allowed to smoke his -after-dinner cigar. - -"I should like to go back with the same driver; his name is Jim. Do you -know him, uncle?" she continued, with the most innocent face, in which a -sharper eye than Uncle Herbert's would nevertheless have detected a -somewhat heightened color. - -"They have nicknamed him 'The Duke,'" he replied, knocking the ashes off -his cigar with a thoughtful look, "and they say he is quite a character. -Proud and unapproachable, but the best driver on the road, and, so long -as no one interferes or asks questions about himself, perfectly -obliging, and courteous in his manners." - -After the usual round of dissipations, consisting of a sea-bath for the -more venturesome, a visit to the pebble-beach, a more extended tour to -gather sea-moss, Stella was ready to return to San Francisco. To both -aunt and uncle she imparted her design of soon revisiting Pescadero, for -the purpose of exploring the distant hills, with their dark forests, -where the redwood was said to reach a circumference of sixteen feet, -which the wise little lady would not believe till her own eyes had -proved it. The old couple were without children, and nothing could be -more welcome than the niece's prospective visits. - -Stella thought she could see a sudden light flash over the gloomy face -with the sunburnt moustache when she came out of the waiting-room to -mount the stage, for she naturally wished to view in the light of the -morning sun the scenery on which the evening shadows had lain when she -came. Not that she saw much of it, after all; the fog prevented her from -seeing what her veil did not shut out. But the sun breaking through the -fog suddenly and driving it back, the sky became clear, her companion -said, "heaven smiled once more;" and while he spoke he was careful to -manipulate the veil she had dropped, in such a manner that it found its -way into his coat-pocket, from where, he was determined, it was not to -be unearthed till the steeples of San Mateo should come into sight. - -He listened with such an air of interest to Stella's recital of all she -had seen, that it did not strike her till after a long while that she -had really sustained conversation altogether on her side; and when she -grew quite still after this, he made no effort to draw her on or speak -himself. But when they approached the long, steep bridge across the -Toanitas, and rolled along close by the sea, where the waves dashed -against the crags with angry roar, through which there wept and moaned a -bitter grief and sighed a forlorn hope of peace to come, he pushed his -hat back with an impatient motion, and, gazing moodily into the waters, -he muttered: - -"Bleib Du in Deinen Meerestiefen Wahnsinniger Traum." - -"Do you really read Heine in the original?" she asked, quickly. - -"And only a stage-driver," he returned, with the old sarcasm, seeing -that she hesitated. "Yes; I read Heine in German--or did. I read nothing -now. I drive stage." - -There was painful silence; an apology would have made matters worse; but -seeing the grieved expression on her face, he continued, in his gentlest -voice, "You say you are coming this way again in the course of the -season--coming with me--in my stage? You wonder how I came to be -stage-driver; when we are better acquainted, and you think it worth -while to remind me of my promise, I will tell you my story." - -"And forgive me now?" she asked, extending her hand. The glove came off -his right hand, and the fingers that clasped hers were not less white -and soft, but strong they looked--strong as iron. "Thanks," she said; -and he felt, somehow, that she wanted her veil just then, and he -pretended to discover it, by chance, on the seat. - -In the course of the season she came again--more than once--coming -always when she knew she would meet his stage at the San Mateo depot. - -One bright day in October, when, after the drought of the long summer, -the earth had been refreshed by generous autumn showers, Stella again -sat beside him, high up, on the driver's seat. The same azure was in the -sky, the same deep blue on the waters; it was all as it had been the day -she first saw the tangled wildwood by the brook, the spreading live-oak -by the roadside--only, the foliage on the brush had changed its colors -to deep-red and yellow. - -"You once said," began Stella, timidly--for she had learned that his -temper was very uneven--"that if I reminded you of your promise when we -were better acquainted, you would tell me your story." - -He turned and looked steadily into her faltering eyes a moment, then -drew his hat down over his brows, and commenced, without further -preliminaries: - -"Her name was Sylvia--and her eyes were as deep as a well; so deep that -I don't think I ever quite fathomed them. When my mother died, she said -we were both young, and we must not be married until at least a year had -passed over my mother's grave. I was touched with the sympathy she -displayed on this sorrowful occasion; so was my father. I was his only -son, and would undoubtedly fall heir to his wealth--great wealth--after -his death. I had grown up as rich men's only sons generally grow up; had -visited schools, colleges, universities; was called good-looking, a -clever fellow generally, the best driver of a four-in-hand, the best -shot--in short, a great catch for any girl to make. Sylvia told me so -herself often. But, after all, I was only the son, you see, and my -father might live for twenty years longer, and if Sylvia married me, she -married only a prospect--whereas, if she married my father, she was the -wife of a wealthy man at once. I had not been brought up to business -habits, as Sylvia pointed out, and if my father ever became displeased -with me--of which he showed strong symptoms about this time--I should be -thrown on the world with a wife as helpless as myself, and as poor. For -Sylvia, though brought up among aristocratic relatives, was as poor as a -church mouse. What need to make many words? She married my father before -the year was out, and I left home secretly on the morning of their -wedding-day, with never a cent of the riches which had bought my -best-beloved to be my father's bride--never a dollar of all the wealth I -had been taught to look upon as my own. - -"For years I read in every Eastern paper that happened to fall into my -hands the promises of reward to any who might bring tidings of me--dead -or alive--to my father; but I never could tell: Was it his own heart -that urged him to this long continued search, or was it she that felt -some slight compunction at having driven the son from the father's -house? There are officious people everywhere--greedy people--who will do -anything for money. One of these soul-sellers, worming himself into my -confidence when sick and broken from unaccustomed labor, strung together -what might have passed with others for the ravings of a delirious -patient, and wrote my father of my whereabouts and occupation. Before I -had recovered, my father was with me, urging me with much kindness, I -must say, to go with him, if not to his home, at least to the city, -where he proposed to set me up in business for myself, in case I was too -independent to live under his roof. - -"His wife's health, delicate since her marriage, had been so much -benefited by the climate of California that she advocated their -remaining here, and he intended to settle in San Francisco. I thanked -him for all his kindness--I did, indeed; he is a weak old man, but he -had been an over-indulgent father to me in my boyhood, and why should I -harbor an unkind feeling against him? But I would not go with him. He -said I was taking a cruel revenge on him. That is not so, however--or do -you too blame me for being a stage-driver?" He bent down toward her -quickly and raised her face with his hand. There were tears in her eyes, -and his arm stole around her as gently as though he had forgotten about -the six horses he was guiding with his other hand. - -Don't be shocked, reader; there was no one on the outside of the stage -but these two. And supposing even that he had pressed her head to his -breast and kissed her forehead; no one saw it, or made remarks about it, -except the sea waves, and they seemed rippling all over with good nature -and laughter, and rejoicings at the new light in the man's eyes, and the -tears and the smiles in the woman's. - -For a long while neither spoke; but when the stage halted he lifted her -down so tenderly, and she looked up into his face so confidingly, that -words seemed unnecessary between them. Then he went his way, and Stella -knew that she must not expect to see him again till she should be ready -to return to the city; for neither Uncle Herbert nor any one else in the -place had ever succeeded in enticing him to visit their homes. - -But when he assisted Stella into her usual place on the morning of her -departure for San Francisco, his eyes told her that his thoughts had -been with her all the days since relating to her "his story." He had not -encouraged any one else to ride on the outside; and once clear of the -town, he touched Stella's hand with his lips, drew it through his arm -and pressed it, very much, I am afraid, as any ordinary lover might have -done. But when the fog rolled away, he sent out his clear baritone to -greet the sun-kissed ocean, and the burden of his song was once more: - -"Das Meer erglänzte weit hinaus!" - -And the hat was not drawn down over his face when she turned to him, and -his eyes were like the ocean, dark-blue, and a sunny light laughing in -them. - -"It is my farewell to the sea," he said, gayly. "I am never coming back -again. I am going to San Francisco, turn 'gentleman,' put on 'store -clothes,' and enter the ranks of respectable business men." - -She laughed as he straightened himself and put on a severely sober face, -and he relaxed and urged his horses on with a smart cut of the whip, as -though he could not enter the state of a "respectable business man" soon -enough. When they came to Crystal Springs he brought a bunch of red -roses once more, and held them up to her with a roguish smile on his no -longer gloomy face. She took them with a little blush at the remembrance -of his first attempt at gallantry; and when he sat beside her again, he -fastened them with his own hands in her shining braids. They were as -merry as children out for a holiday; and only when they drove up to the -depot at San Mateo did the old gloom come back into his face as he -lifted her from her elevated position. - -"After three days, if in the land of the living, I will come to claim -you for my bride"--what more he said was lost in the din and racket of -the approaching train. - -She saw nothing of him after she had watched the supple figure at the -last moment springing lightly on the platform of the last car. But she -knew he was near and was happy. - -Early the next forenoon, in the counting-room of a mercantile firm on -Front street, sat one of the principals, enjoying his Havana, when the -door was darkened by the shadow of a tall figure standing in it. - -"Jim--old fellow!" he cried, seizing the newcomer by both hands. -"Welcome--thrice welcome! Have you come to stay, vagabond and rover? Say -at once--I read something in your face that tells me you are unbending -at last. Are you in love, my dear boy?--or what hath wrought this -change?" - -"How you do run on, Luke. You have not changed, at least. Yes, I am the -prodigal son, returning to his father to be--set up in business. -And--no--I'm not in love; I have simply learned to worship the dearest, -noblest girl, and will make her mine--or die," he added, in a lower -tone. - -"Why not accept my offer, Jim? The desk at my elbow is always kept -vacant for you. Your father, poor man, is not the only friend you have, -remember." He laid his hand impressively on his friend's arm, and looked -with frank affection into his face. - -Their interview was a lengthy one: friend Luke seemed averse to parting -with his old chum, and the son seemed in no great haste to greet his -father. But as we need not intrude on their first meeting, we can rejoin -father and son as they ascend the broad stairs in front of the family -residence, whither the father has taken his son in the first flush of -happiness. - -"You will love little Willie, I know; he is a brave boy, with long -flaxen ringlets just like my--like his mother." For the first time -something like hesitation came into his speech, and even the son's heart -beat faster for an instant as the door swung open in answer to the old -man's ring. He preceded him through the corridor, threw open a door and -called out, "Jim has come home, my dear; we are going into the library, -and will be ready for lunch after a while." - -She had known of their coming just a moment before they entered; he felt -it, for she had snatched up the boy, and half hid her face in his dress. -Very faded she looked; her cheeks, softly rounded once, were thin, and -the pink and white of her complexion had grown sallow. The "long fair -ringlets," too, were but limp, stringy curls, that hung without grace or -fulness down her back. The eyes, pale blue, though radiant once with -health and happiness, were weak and expressionless--save that a dumb -terror was written in them now. - -A smile, half contemptuous, half pitying, flitted over the young man's -face as he passed through the room, with only a silent bow to the woman. - -When they had vanished she stood like a statue, till the prattling of -the boy on her arm recalled her to herself. - -"He spoke not one word to me," she said, as she put the boy down, "not -one word. Oh, to hear the tone of his voice once more--only once more." -The door was open through which they had passed, and her burning eyes -seemed to pursue the form last vanished through it. She silently rose, -like one in a dream, and walked slowly, slowly along the corridor that -led to the library. - -Little Willie pulled over mamma's willow work-stand first, and then -found harmless amusement in winding a spool of crimson embroidering-silk -around and around the legs of a convenient table. - -What was it that turned his little beating heart and his puny white -face to stone all at once? Was this really a Medusa on which he looked? -The long ringlets seemed serpents, indeed; every one of them instinct -with the wild despair the bitter hatred pictured on the face that looked -so meek and inoffensive but a while ago. "His bride!"--the serpents -hissed it into her ears--"His bride! Never--never. She shall die--and -he? I will murder him with these hands, first. His bride--and I am to be -a friend to her--ha! ha! ha! The dotard." Every one of the serpents -echoed the mad laugh, as the woman threw back her head and clinched her -hands in wild defiance. The child broke out into shrill complaining -cries, and she sprang toward him, seized him and shook him by the -shoulders till his breath failed. But in the midst of her mad fury the -door opened, after a soft knock, and a female servant entered the room. - -"Is Master Willie troublesome?" she asked. "Dear heart; let me take him, -mum." - -"Leave the room instantly, nurse; Master Willie is naughty and will -remain with me." - -Two little arms were stretched out imploringly; but nurse had to -withdraw--with her own opinion of Master Willie's naughtiness, and -"Missus' temper." - -But the furies were banished, and when father and son entered the room -some time after to say that they would take lunch down town, "Sylvia," -as the old man addressed her, came forward quietly, leading the child by -the hand, and spoke words of welcome to him, in his little brother's -name. And she gave him her hand as she said "good-by," to the old man's -unspeakable joy. - -Poor old man! He fondly dreamed the gods were propitiated, the furies -appeased; that the son whom he really loved had been restored to his -rightful place, and would be guardian at some future day to the child -of his old age--the son his idolized young wife had given him. - -Yet he had not strength to battle against the storm that the idolized -young wife called up--the storm that was to sweep from him again the -long-lost, bitterly mourned son. Ah! well; it is not hard to fancy how -she strained every nerve to wrest from another the happiness once within -her own reach. Had she not bartered away her peace when she ruthlessly -deserted the man she loved? And should some other woman be happier than -she? No! Let them all be wrecked together. What cared she? Her husband; -bah! Her child, yes; she strained him to her breast, and bemoaned him, -and caressed him, and said that he was to be robbed by that wicked, -wicked man, who had come to disturb their quiet happiness. That his -unnatural father was about to squander on his undutiful older son, who -had deserted him and disgraced him for years, the fortune she had been -so sparing of--knowing that she would be left alone in the world some -day, with no one to provide for herself and her child. And she would -take her child now--a fresh burst of hysterical grief--right now, and -start out into the cold world to earn her daily bread, or beg, for her -child--for it would come to that, now that this cruel, hard-hearted man -had undertaken to provide for his profligate, vagabond son. - -And the child, little knowing how useful a tool he was in his mother's -hands, wept with her, and would not be comforted by the distracted -father, but clung to his mother's neck, crying, when she made a feint of -leaving the house at the dead of night. Then the old man in his anguish -promised to abandon his "vagabond" son, and was but too happy to have -peace restored to his troubled home at this price. After all, the boy -had lived away from him so many years; had never troubled himself about -him; then why should his father heap all this trouble on his own head -for what might be only a passing whim of the boy's? - -The third day had dawned since the long-lost son's return. Friend Luke -again sat in his counting-room, in company with his early Havana, his -meditations were disturbed by a boy, who was shown in by one of the -clerks. "A note for you, sir," and he had vanished. - -But the young merchant seized his hat when he had glanced at the -contents, and repaired, breathlessly, to his friend's hotel. Cold sweat -stood on his forehead when he knocked at the door, and it was opened by -a stranger. One glance at the bed and at those standing around it was -sufficient. - -"I was his friend," he said, and they respectfully made room for him. - -He touched the cold hand, and gently lifted the cloth that hid the rigid -face. His friend had always been a good shot, and Luke groaned as he -replaced the cloth. - -"Poor girl, poor girl--and I am to break the news to her!" - -The doctor who had been called in, a shock-headed, spectacled German, -looked at him, first from under his glasses, then over them, and at last -through them. "Aha!" he said, with evident satisfaction, catching at -Luke's words, "now we have it. It vas a voman who made dis misfortune, -after all." - -"A woman"--Luke repeated, softly; "yes, but her name was Sylvia." - - - - -_CROSSING THE ARIZONA DESERTS._ - - -HEAD-QUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF CALIFORNIA, } - SAN FRANCISCO, CAL., March 11, 1868.} - -MY DEAR MADAM:--The next steamer for Wilmington is advertised to sail on -the 14th, but as she is not yet in, her departure may be delayed a day -or two. - -I enclose letters to the commanding officers of Drum Barracks and Fort -Yuma, and am, - -My dear Madam, - -Truly yours, - -E. N. PLATT. - - -It was my intention to visit quite a remote part of Arizona; and, -although an officer's wife, having no personal acquaintance with any of -the officers stationed in the Territory, the letters the colonel gave me -to the commanding officers of both these posts, through which I should -have to pass, were very acceptable. As I was quite alone, the commanding -officer of Drum Barracks was particular to give me reliable people for -my long journey. Phil, the driver, was a model, and in many respects a -genius, while the two soldiers--who had been in the hospital when their -comrades had started for Arizona, two months before, and who were sent -by the post commander to protect "Government property" (the -ambulance)--were attentive and good-natured, as soldiers always are. - -With so small an escort, it was possible--nay, expedient--to make the -journey very rapidly. We were unincumbered by tents or baggage--my only -trunk and what provisions we carried were all in the ambulance, which -was drawn by four large mules. I had decided, being alone, to stop at -the forage-stations, whenever we could reach them, expecting to take my -meals there and to find quarters for the night. Luckily, the -quartermaster and Phil had made arrangement and provision to have my -meals cooked by one of the soldiers, in case the "station-fare" should -not agree with me; and my ambulance was of such ample dimensions that it -was easily turned into a sleeping apartment for the night: so that Phil, -who had all the merits and demerits of such places by heart, had only to -give an additional nod of the head to induce me to say to the -station-keeper, who would always invite me to enter his "house" when -Phil drove up to the _corral_, "No, thank you: I can rest very well in -the ambulance." Then there were days' marches to be made when no station -could be reached, so that we were compelled to camp out; and on such -occasions Phil would appear in the full glory of his well-earned -reputation. He boasted that he had brought fully one-half the number of -officers' wives who ever visited Arizona to the Territory himself, and -that he had always made them comfortable. Knowing, of course, before, -whenever we should camp out, he would go to work systematically. His -carbine was always by his side, and early in the morning he would -commence his raid on the game and birds abounding, more or less, -throughout the Territory. Slaying sometimes five or six of the -beautifully crested quails at one shot without moving from his seat, he -would send one of the soldiers to gather up the spoils, and then set the -men, placed one on each side of him, to pick the birds. That this was -thoroughly done he was very sure of, for he watched the operation with a -stern eye. Not the smallest splinter of wood, or anything combustible, -was left ungleaned on the field over which he passed on such a day; -fifty, ay, a hundred times, he would turn to his right-hand man, or to -his left, with the admonition: - -"Miller, we've six birds to cook, and bread to bake, to-night: pick up -that stick." - -Down would jump Miller, trusting to his agility, and the gymnastics he -might have practised in younger days, for safety in vaulting over the -wheels; for never a moment would Phil allow the ambulance to halt while -this wayside gathering was going on. - -I always preferred camping out to "bed and board" at the roadside hotels -of Arizona, for Phil, with all his sagacity, would sometimes go astray -in regard to the eligibility and comfort of the quarters furnished. As, -for instance, at Antelope Peak, where my mentor assured me I should find -a bedstead to place my bedding on, and a room all to myself. I _did_ -find a bedstead; but after the family (consisting of an American -husband, a Spanish wife, sister-in-law, brother-in-law, and three -children) had removed their bed-clothes from it, to make place for mine, -it looked so uninviting that I requested Phil to spread my bed on the -floor. I had a room all to myself, too; but, on retiring to rest, I -found that the whole family--again consisting of husband, wife, -sister-in-law, brother-in-law, and three children--had spread their bed -on the floor of the adjoining room, which, being separated from my -apartment only by an old blanket, coming short of the ground over a -foot, and hung up where the door ought to be, enabled, or rather -compelled me to look straight into the faces of the different members of -this interesting family. As it grew darker, and the danger of being -stared out of countenance passed over, another serious disturbance -presented itself to my senses. All my friends can bear witness to the -fact that I consider Mr. Charles Bergh the greatest public benefactor of -the present age (the woman who founded the hospital for aged and infirm -cats not excepted), and that, with me, it calls forth all the combative -qualities lately discovered to lie dormant in woman's nature, to see any -harmless, helpless animal cruelly treated; but if I could have caught -only half a dozen of the five hundred mice that nibbled at my nose, my -ears, and my feet that night, I should exultingly have dipped them in -camphene, applied a match, and sent them, as warning examples, back to -their tribe. - -Only once after this, toward the close of the journey, did Phil entice -me to sleep under a roof. It was at Blue-water Station; and the man who -kept it turned himself out into the _corral_, and made my bed on the -floor of the only room the house contained. There was no bedstead there, -but the man gave his word that neither were there any mice; so I went to -sleep in perfect faith and security. When I woke up at midnight, I -thought the Indians must have surprised us, scalped me, and left me for -dead. Such a burning, gnawing sensation I experienced on the top of my -head that almost unconsciously I put up my hand to see if they had taken -_all_ my hair. But I brought it down rapidly, for all the horrid, -pinching, stinging bugs and ants that had ensconced themselves in my -hair, during my sleep, suddenly fastened to the intruding fingers, and -clung to them with a tenacity worthy of a better cause. - -But these experiences were not made until I had crossed the greater part -of the Arizona deserts; and I considered them rather as pleasantly -varying the solemn, still monotony of the days passed, one after one, in -a solitude broken only, at long intervals, by those forlorn government -forage-stations. - -The first desert we crossed was still in California--though why -California should feel any desire to claim the wilderness of sand and -rattlesnakes lying between Vallecito Mountain and Fort Yuma, I cannot -see. We had passed over the thriving country around San Bernardino, and -through the verdant valley of San Felipe; and striking the desert just -beyond Vallecito, it seemed like entering Arizona at once. - -Could anything be more hopelessly endless--more discouragingly -boundless--than the sand-waste that lay before us the morning we left -the forage-station of Vallecito! For days before, Phil had been -entertaining me with stories and accounts of travellers who had been -lost in sand-storms on the deserts. Not a breath of air stirred--not a -cloud was to be seen in the sky on this particular morning; -nevertheless, I watched for the signs that precede the springing up of -the wind with a keen eye, as the ambulance rolled slowly and noiselessly -through the deep sand, and I listened attentively to Phil's stories. The -road we followed was but a wagon-track, at best, and I could well -believe that, in ten minutes from the time a storm sprang up, there -would be no trace of the road left. Then commence the blind wanderings, -the frenzied attempts to regain the friendly shelter of the station, on -the part of the inexperienced traveller--ending, but too often, in a -miserable death by famine and starvation. The sand, flying in clouds, -conceals the distant mountains, by which alone he could be piloted; and, -straying off, he finds himself bewildered among piles of sand and -tattered sage-brush, when the storm has blown over. The remains of human -beings found by parties going into the mountains have proved that such -poor wretches must have wandered for days without food, without water, -till they found their death, at last, on the wide, inhospitable plain. -Their death--but not their grave; for the _coyote_, with his jackal -instinct, surely finds the body of the lost one, under the sand-mound -mercifully covering it, and, feasting on the flesh, he leaves the bones -white and bleaching in the pitiless rays of the sun. - -"Phil," said I, interrupting him, "you told me the mules would not get a -drop of water to-day: what is that lake before us, then?" - -He looked up to where I pointed. - -"It is _mirage_, madame. _You_ cannot be deceived by it; I am sure you -must have seen it on the plains, before this." - -"Yes," I said, stoutly, "I have seen _mirage_; but this is water--not -_mirage_." - -"We shall see," said Phil, equally determined to hold his ground. - -But I was sure it could not be _mirage_--it must be water--for did I not -see each of the few scattering bushes of _verde_ and sage that grew on -the border, and farther out, all through the water, reflected in the -clear, slightly undulating flood? The bushes seemed larger here than any -of the stinted vegetation I had yet seen on the desert, and every bush -was clearly reflected in the water; but it was strange that as we -approached the water receded; and if I noted any particular bunch of -sage or weeds, I found that, as we neared, it grew smaller, and I could -no longer see its image in the water. - -Phil was right--it was the _mirage_; and this _Fata Morgana_ of the -plains and deserts of our own country became a most curious and -interesting study to me. I could write a volume on the "dissolving -views" I have seen. Leaving camp one morning, I saw, on turning, that a -narrow strip of short, coarse grass had been suddenly transformed into a -tall, magnificent hedge; and a single, meagre stem of _verde_ would as -suddenly grow into a large, spreading tree. Out of the clouds, on the -horizon, would sometimes loom up, majestically, a tall spire, a heavy -dome, or a vessel under full sail; and changing into one fantastic shape -after another, the picture would slowly fade into vapor at last. Whole -cities have sprung up before my eyes: I could have pointed out which one -of the different cupolas I supposed to be the City Hall, and which -steeple, according to my estimation, belonged to the First Presbyterian -Church; and could have shown the exact locality of the harbor, from the -number of masts I saw across the roofs of the houses yonder. Even Phil -was deceived one morning. I asked him why he stopped the ambulance, and -allowed the mules to rest at so unusual an hour in the day? He pointed -to a mountain I had not noticed before, which stood almost in front of -us, and was steep and bare, of a light clay-color. - -"There ain't a man driving government mules knows this road better'n I -do; but I'll be derned if ever I saw that mountain before." - -He asked the men if they thought it could be _mirage_, but they hooted -at the idea--it was too substantial for that, altogether; it was a -mountain--nothing else. But while we were, all four, so intently gazing -at it, the scene was shifted; the mountain parted, leaving two steep -banks--the space between apparently spanned by a light bridge. - -For days we continued our journey through the desert, making camp -generally near one of the numerous wells indiscriminately scattered -between Vallecito and Fort Yuma. There are Indian Wells, Sacket's Wells, -Seven Wells, Cook's Wells, which, on close inspection, prove to belong -to the dissolving views, of which Arizona possesses such a variety; an -old well-curb or muddy water-hole generally constituting all the claim -these places have to the distinction of being called wells. But no; at -Cook's Wells, we _did_ find a good, clear well of water; nor is this the -only object of interest connected in my mind with the place. The -station-keeper told me that a tribe of friendly Indians, not far from -here, the Deguines, were to celebrate the funeral rites of a departed -warrior the following day. The spirit of the "brave" was to find its way -up to the Happy Hunting Grounds from the funeral-pyre on which the body -was to pass through the process of incremation--this being their mode of -disposing of the remains of deceased friends. A novel spectacle it would -be, no doubt; but I decided not to witness it. I could already see -Castle Dome looming in the distance, and I knew that I should be able to -reach Fort Yuma in the course of the following day. So we left Cook's -Wells early in the morning, and reached the crossing of the Colorado -some time in the forenoon. - -The Colorado river was "up," Phil said; and I was prepared to agree -with him when I saw an expanse of muddy water covering the flat, on the -other side, to a considerable distance. The old scow, or flat-boat, -manned by two dirty-looking Mexicans, had no difficulty in coming up -close to us, where we were waiting on the shore: the difficulty lay in -our getting on the crazy thing without breaking through the rotten -planks. Perhaps the two Mexicans looked so dirty because all their -"clean clothes" were hanging out to dry, on two lines of cowhide, -stretched on either side of the flat-boat, which the wind kept blowing -into the mules' faces, causing them to "back out" twice, after our -_entrée_ to the ferry had been almost effected. There was no railing -around the boat (the four posts from which the clothes-line was -stretched having evidently been erected at the four corners for that -purpose), and, as it was only just large enough to afford standing room -for the ambulance and the men, it was anything but soothing to a woman's -nerves to see the mules rear and plunge every time the wind flapped one -of the articles on the line into the animals' faces. I had remained in -the ambulance, and in my usual corner, but as the shore receded, and an -ocean seemed to stretch out on every side of me, I found it hard to stay -there. I had suggested to Phil, in the first place, to cut down those -miserable clothes-lines, if the Mexicans refused to gather in their -week's washing, but he had quieted me by saying that our men would hold -the mules. However, when the current grew swifter, and the Mexicans -found some difficulty in managing their craft, the men were directed to -take the long poles, of which there was an abundant supply, and help to -steer clear of the logs floating down the river. - -Now came the difficulty; for the refractory mules would not listen to -the "Ho, there, Kate; be still--will you?" with which Phil admonished -the nigh leader, but persisted in rearing every time a piece of "linen" -struck them, till the old scow shook with their furious stamping, and I -grew desperate in my lone corner. "Phil," I cried at last, with the -energy of despair, brandishing an enormous knife I had drawn from the -mess-chest, "unless you come and quiet the mules immediately, I shall -get down, cut the harness, and let them jump into the river!" - -An hour's drive brought us to Fort Yuma, where we rested a day or two, -before resuming our journey. The country here has been described again -and again; its dry, sterile plains and black, burnt-looking hills have -been sufficiently execrated--relieving me of the necessity of adding my -quota. Fort Yuma--grand in its desolateness, white and parched in the -midst of its two embracing rivers--needs but the Dantean inscription on -its gateway to make it resemble the entrance to the regions of the -eternally damned. - -It was by no means my first glimpse of the "noble savage" that I got on -the banks of the Colorado, or I might have been appalled at the sight of -a dozen or two of barely-clothed, filthy-looking Indians, squatted in -rows wherever the sun could burn hottest on their clay-covered heads. -The specimens here seen were different from those that had come under my -observation on the Plains. That Indians can be civilized William Lloyd -Garrison would not doubt, could he but see with what native grace these -dusky belles wear their crinoline. Nor can they be accused of the -extravagance of their white sisters in matters pertaining to toilet and -dress: the crinoline (worn _over_ the short petticoat, constituting -their full and entire wardrobe, aside from it) apparently being the only -article of luxury they indulge in, except paint--and whiskey, when they -can get it. But grandest of all were the men--the warrior-like -Yumas--arrayed in the traditional strip of red flannel, an occasional -cast-off military garment, and the cap of hard-baked mud above alluded -to. I had never seen these before, and thought them very singular as -ornaments; but Phil soon explained their utility in destroying a certain -parasite by which the noble red man is afflicted. During the summer -months he seeks relief in an application of wet mud to the part -besieged--his head. The mud is allowed to bake hard, in the course of -weeks, under the broiling sun; and when quite certain that his enemy has -been slaughtered, he removes the clay until another application becomes -necessary. - -Following the course of the Gila river for some time, we struck the -desert again, beyond Gila Bend. What struck me as very surprising was, -that the desert here did not look like a desert at all: the scattering -_verde_-bushes and growth of cactus hiding the sand from one's eyes, -always just a little distance ahead--the cacti growing so thickly in -some places that, when they are in blossom, their flowers form a mosaic -of brilliant hues. Some of them are very curious--particularly the -"monument cactus," a tall shaft, growing to a height of over thirty -feet, sometimes with arms branching out on either side, more generally a -simple obelisk, covered with thorns from three to four inches long. - -We were now nearing Maricopa Wells and the Pimo villages. Phil was the -pearl of all drivers; and he recounted traditions and legends belonging -to the past of this country that even Prescott might have wished to -hear. Phil had studied the history of the country in his own way, and -had evidently not kept his eyes closed while travelling back and forth -through Arizona. Halting the ambulance one day, he assisted me to alight -near a pile of rocks the most wonderful it was ever my fortune to -behold. He called them Painted Rocks, or Sounding Rocks; and his theory -in regard to them was, that this had been a place where the Indians had -long ago met to perform their religious rites and ceremonies. Rocks of -different sizes--from those not above a foot high, to others that -reached almost to my shoulders--all rounded in shape, were here, in the -midst of the plain, gathered together within a space of twenty or thirty -feet. They were black--whether from the action of the weather merely, or -from some chemical process--and covered on all sides with -representations from the animal world of Arizona and Mexico. The -pictures had been engraved, in a rude manner, on the black ground, and -embraced, in their variety, snakes, lizards, toads; also, four-footed -animals, which I could conscientiously recognize neither as horses nor -antelopes. Were they horses, it would go to prove that these pictures -had been made by roving bands of Indians, any time after the conquest, -as it is held that horses were first brought to this country by Cortez. -Did the pictures represent antelopes, it would almost tempt me to -believe that it was a specimen of the picture-writing of the Aztecs. The -sun was also represented, with its circle of rays, which, in Phil's -estimation, was proof conclusive that the heathens had come here only to -worship, particularly as there was no water in the neighborhood, and -they could not have lived here for any length of time. What the -character of the rocks may be, I am not geologist enough to know; but -when struck they emit a peculiarly clear and ringing sound, like that -produced by striking against a bell or a glass. None of the tribes now -to be found in that part of the country appear to claim any knowledge of -the origin of these rocks. - -If either the Pimos, Maricopas, or Yumas are descendants of the Aztecs, -they have most wofully degenerated. On one point their traditions all -agree: namely, that the three tribes were not always at peace with each -other, as they are now. Long, long ago, when the Pimos were sorely -pressed by the more powerful Yumas, they allied themselves with the -Maricopas; and when they still found themselves in the minority against -the common enemy, and had been almost exterminated, they flew to the -white man for assistance, and never broke the treaty made with him. - -But the shimmer of romance and poetry one would willingly throw around -them, is so rudely dispelled by the sight of these lank, dirty, -half-nude creatures, with faces exhibiting no more intelligence than -(perhaps not so much as) the faces of their lean dogs, or shaggy horses. -Yet, again, I must confess that even these Indians are susceptible of a -high degree of refinement and cultivation. Two of them, mounted on a -horse whose diminutive size allowed their four feet to touch the ground -at every stride, dressed, or rather undressed, in a manner to strike -terror into the soul of any well brought-up female, rode close up to the -ambulance one day, as it passed through the Indian villages, one of them -shouting, "Bully for you!" at the top of his voice, while the other -whipped up the horse at the same time, as though anxious to retreat the -moment their stock of polite learning had been exhausted. - -Meeting at Maricopa Wells with the captain of the infantry stationed at -La Paz, we visited the interior of the Pimo and Maricopa villages -together, on horseback. We rode through the field the Indians cultivate, -and irrigate from the Gila river, by means of _acequias_ dug through -their lands in all directions. Some of their huts on the roadside were -deserted by their owners, who had removed to very airy residences, -constructed of the branches of cotton-wood and willows, growing on the -banks of the Gila, located where they could overlook their possessions -on all sides. As these residences consisted simply of a roof, or shed, -it was no such very hard matter to keep a lookout on every side. That -they do not trust a great deal in each other's honesty, was evident from -the way in which they had fastened the doors of their city residences -when exchanging them for their country-seats: they had firmly walled up -the entrance with _adobe_ mud. However, they are quiet and peaceable, I -am told, unless, by any chance or mischance, they get whiskey--of which -they are as fond as all other Indians. - -In the mountain around which we had passed on the last day's journey -from Gila Bend, is to be seen, plainly and distinctly, the face of a -man, reclining, with his eyes closed as though in sleep. Among the most -beautiful of all the legends told here, is that concerning this face. It -is Montezuma's face, so the Indians believe (even those in Mexico, who -have never seen the image), and he will awaken from his long sleep some -day, will gather all the brave and the faithful around him, raise and -uplift his down-trodden people, and restore to his kingdom the old power -and the old glory--as it was, before the Hidalgos invaded it. So strong -is this belief in some parts of Mexico, that people who passed through -that country years ago, tell me of some localities where fires were kept -constantly burning, in anticipation of Montezuma's early coming. It -looks as though the stern face up there was just a little softened in -its expression, by the deep slumber that holds the eyelids over the -commanding eye; and all nature seems hushed into death-like stillness. -Day after day, year after year, century after century, slumbers the man -up there on the height, and life and vegetation sleep on the arid plains -below--a slumber never disturbed--a sleep never broken; for the -battle-cry of Yuma, Pimo, and Maricopa that once rang at the foot of the -mountain, did not reach Montezuma's ear; and the dying shrieks of the -children of those who came far over the seas to rob him of his sceptre -and crown, fall unheeded on the rocks and the deserts that guard his -sleep. - -Two days more, and Phil pointed out to me, at a distance of some two -miles away, the ruins of the Casas-Grandes, sole remnant of the Seven -Cities the adventurous _Padre_ had so enticingly described to the -Spaniards. I could not induce Phil to allow me a nearer view, as we were -in the Apache country, and had no escort save the two soldiers in the -ambulance with us. From this distance the houses looked to me like any -other good-sized, one-story, _adobe_ buildings; but the material must -have been better prepared, or differently chosen, from that which is now -used in erecting Mexican houses, or it could not have resisted the -ravages of Time so far. - -On we journeyed, not without some dread on my part, and a great many -assurances on the part of Phil that I was a very courageous woman. But -nearing Tucson, where the danger was greatest, we were not always alone. -Mexican trains bound for, or coming from Sonora, sometimes fell in with -us, and I did not despise their company, for I knew that only "in -strength lay safety" for us. Some of these trains consisted of -pack-donkeys only, bearing on their bruised backs the linen and cambrics -which are so beautifully manufactured in Sonora and other Mexican -provinces; others consisted of wagons heavily laden, their drivers armed -to the teeth, and well prepared to defend them against attacks the -Apaches were sure to make on them, sometime and somewhere between Sonora -and Tucson. - -One of these trains belonged to Leopoldo Carillo, a Mexican merchant of -Tucson, who paid his men one hundred and fifty dollars for every Indian -scalp they delivered to him. Phil asked one of the Mexicans, driving a -wagon drawn along by some twelve or sixteen horses, if he had taken any -scalps on the trip. The Mexican nodded his head in silence, and turned -away. The teamster belonging to the next wagon--an American--told us how -the Indians had "jumped them," just after crossing the border, and how -two of them had held the Mexican, just spoken to, at bay, while two -others killed and scalped his younger brother. They all together, some -seven or eight of them, had taken three scalps from the Indians on this -trip; but he was willing to lose his share of the prize-money, the man -said, if the "pesky devils hadn't taken the boy's scalp;" for the -brother, he averred, cried and "took on about it" _just like a white -man_. - - - - -_DOWN AMONG THE DEAD LETTERS._ - - -Strangers visiting Washington, and admiring the style and architecture -of the General Post-Office building, would never know that there are -numbers of ladies seated behind the plate-glass of the second-story -windows. Indeed, few people residing in the capital are really aware in -what part of the building those female clerks are stowed away. I had -passed on every side of the building--morning, noon, and night--but -never had seen anybody that looked like a "female clerk," till I found -myself of their number, one morning; and then I discovered the right -entrance to the Dead Letter Office. It is on F street, so close to the -Ladies' Delivery that any person entering here would be supposed to be -inquiring for a letter at that delivery. There is another entrance on E -street, but it is not much patronized by the ladies until after fifteen -minutes past nine o'clock; for punctually at that time, the door-keeper -is instructed to lock the ladies' door on F street, and those who are -tardy are compelled to go up the gentlemen's staircase, or pass in at -the large public entrance on E street. Crowds of visitors walk through -the building, day after day, but not one of all the ladies employed here -do they see, unless they request to be shown the rooms of the female -_employés_. - -In this department, working hours are from nine o'clock in the morning -till three o'clock in the afternoon. Ladies are not allowed to leave the -office for lunch, nor do they waste much time in discussing the lunch -they may have brought, as it is only in consideration of their industry -and close application that they are allowed to leave the office at -three o'clock, instead of four. - -This Dead Letter Office is one of the most complicated pieces of -machinery in the "ship of state." I will try to explain and elucidate as -much of it as came under my observation. Letters left "uncalled for" at -the different post-offices throughout the country are sent to the Dead -Letter Office, after a certain length of time. Letters not prepaid, or -short-paid, through neglect or ignorance of the writer, also find their -way here; and so do foreign letters, from all parts of Europe, which -have been prepaid only in part, and therefore come here, instead of -reaching their destination. Sometimes mails are robbed, and the -mail-bags hidden or thrown away, but are afterwards searched for, and -their remaining contents brought to this office. Then again, a vessel at -sea, homeward-bound, brings letters from ships meeting it, of sailors -and passengers, who send their letters in firm faith that they will -reach their anxious friends at home; but if our Government happens to -have no treaty or contract with that particular government to which the -writer belongs, of course, the letters cannot be forwarded, but are laid -at rest here. These letters are carefully preserved for a number of -years. They are sometimes called for, and found, a long, long time after -they were written; in fact, only "dead" letters are destroyed. - -Though I wish to speak more particularly of the duties and labor -performed by the ladies employed in this department, I must begin by -saying that all letters pass through the hands of, and are opened by, a -number of gentlemen--clerks in the department--whose room is on the -ground floor of the building. A great number of letters contain money, -valuable papers, and postage stamps. These are sent to the -superintendent's room. Letters without contents are folded, with the -envelope laid inside the letter, tied in bundles, and sent up-stairs -for directing. Money, drafts, and postage-stamps, however, are not the -only articles considered "mailable matter" by the public. One day I -looked over a box filled with such matter, taken from dead letters and -parcels in the opening room, and found in it one half-worn gaiter boot, -two hair-nets, a rag doll-baby, minus the head and one foot, a set of -cheap jewelry, a small-sized frying-pan, two ambrotypes, one pair of -white kid gloves, a nursing-bottle, a tooth-brush, a boot-jack, three -yards of lace, a box of Ayer's pills, a bunch of keys, six nutmegs, a -toddy-stick, and no end of dress samples. This matter is allowed to -accumulate for three months, and is then sold at auction; but a register -is so carefully kept, that the person mailing the doll-baby without -prepaying can follow its progress from the little country town where it -was mailed to the end of its career under the hammer at the Dead Letter -Office, and here can claim the amount it brought at auction. - -Every clerk, male or female, has his or her letter, from A to Z, and -beginning again with A A, when the alphabet "runs out." Before the -ladies take their places at the desk in the morning, the messenger has -already placed there the number of envelopes each lady is expected to -direct in the course of the day; and large baskets filled with bundles -of letters, sent up from the opening room (the bundles marked with the -letter of the clerk through whose hands they have passed), are brought -into the rooms. The envelopes are stamped in one corner with the lady's -letter, in red; so that the ladies are spoken of, by the superintendent -or the messengers, as Miss A, B, C, D--not as Miss Miller, or Mrs. -Smith. Fifty of these envelopes are contained in one package, so that it -is easy to calculate whether any of them are wasted by misdirecting or -blotting. The work looks simple enough, when you see a number of ladies -seated at their desks, writing addresses on envelopes, with the greatest -apparent ease. "And then," as a gushing young lady said to me one day, -"how romantic it must be to listen to the outpourings of love and -affection that these letters must contain in many cases, and the dark -secrets that others disclose." She thought it rather a cruel restraint, -when I told her we were allowed to read only so much of a letter as was -necessary to discover the name of the writer, and to read no part of it, -if the name was signed clearly and distinctly at the end. Let the lady -reader pause a moment and ask herself, "Do I sign my letters so that one -of these clerks could return them from the Dead Letter Office, without -going over the whole of their contents?" By the time you have finished -reading this paper, I hope you will have formed the resolution to sign -your name "in full," and just as it is, to every letter you send by the -mail. Don't sign your name "Saida," when it is really Sarah Jones "in -full;" and if you call your father's brick house on Third street, "Pine -Grove," because there are two dry pine-trees in the front yard, don't -neglect to add "No. 24, Third Street, Cincinnati, Ohio." The greater -number of letters passing through this office are badly written and -uninteresting; many of them so perfectly unintelligible that no human -being can read or return them; not that the greater portion of our -community are uneducated or unintelligent people, but that they are -either reckless or careless. Letters directed with any kind of common -sense are most always sure of reaching their destination without -visiting the Dead Letter Office. Not only do people, in a number of -cases, neglect to prepay their letters, but frequently, letters without -direction or address of any kind are dropped into the letter-boxes. In -writing to individuals residing in the same city with them, people think -it is necessary only to mention the name of the individual; the -"post-office man" is expected to know that the letter is not to go out -of the city. The post-office people are, if not omniscient, at least -very obliging. I have found a letter directed to "Carrolton, in -America," and the letter had been forwarded to, and bore the post-mark -of every Carrolton in the United States before it was sent here. - -The work of the ladies falls under two heads: "Common" and "Special." We -will get the best idea of what "Common" means, in contradistinction to -"Special," by watching Miss A, on "Common" work this morning. Taking one -of the bundles of letters from the basket, she opens it and takes up the -top letter; spreading it on the desk, she finds the envelope inside; it -is directed to "William Smith, Philadelphia, Penn.," and the words -"uncalled for," stamped on the envelope, show why it was sent here. Now, -the signature is to be looked for: it is here--"John Jones;" next, where -was it dated?--"Somerville, Ohio;" but does the post-mark on the -envelope correspond with that? Yes, it is post-marked from where it was -dated; so, "John Jones" will receive his letter back again: his friend, -"W. Smith," may have left Philadelphia, or may have died. "John Jones'" -letter is returned to him in a coarse, brown "P. O. D." envelope, -stamped with the letter A in one corner, and he pays three cents for the -privilege of knowing that his friend "Smith" never received his letter. -The next is a delicate pink affair, dated, "White Rose Bower"--signed, -"Ella;" "only this, and nothing more;" so the letter is hopelessly dead, -and thrown into the paper-basket at Miss A's side. The epistle following -this is signed, "Henry Foster," and could be returned if it had not been -dated at "White Hall" and post-marked "Harrisburg." On looking over the -Post-office Directory, we may or may not find a White Hall in -Pennsylvania, but there is nothing in the letter to show whether "Henry -Foster's" home is in Harrisburg or White Hall; consequently, that letter -is dead, too. Here is one, signed plainly and legibly, but the writer -has omitted to date it from any particular place. From the tone of the -letter, it is plainly to be seen that he lives where the letter was -mailed--but where was it mailed? The post-mark on the envelope is so -indistinct that any lady not employed in the Dead Letter Office would -throw it aside as "unreadable;" but ladies here learn to decipher what -to ordinary mortals would be hieroglyphic, or simply a blank. After -consulting the pages of the Post-office Directory beside her, Miss A -passes the envelope to Miss B. "Can you suggest any post-office in -Indiana beginning with M, ending with L, with about four letters -between?" Miss B scrutinizes the envelope closely. "The post-mark is not -from Ind. (Indiana), it is from Ioa" (Iowa), is her decision. Misses C, -D, and E, at work in the same room, differ in opinion, and at last Miss -A steps across the hall to the room of the lady superintendent, where a -"blue-book" is kept, and, with the assistance of this lady and the book, -Miss A discovers the place in Indiana, directs the letter, and continues -her work. When she has directed fifty letters, she ties them (with both -envelopes--the "P. O. D." and original one--inside each letter) -carefully together, and the messenger carries them into the -folding-room, where other ladies, employed in this branch, fold and seal -them. Of these "Common" letters, every lady is required to direct from -two hundred to three hundred a day--a task by no means easy to -accomplish. - -"Special" work is generally disliked by the ladies, and is of a somewhat -"mixed" character. Letters held for postage--consequently not -"dead"--come under this head. They, too, are sent back to the writer, if -the signature can be found, and the place from which they are dated -corresponds with the post-mark; if not, they are assorted according to -letter and put away into "pigeon-holes," marked with the letter -corresponding. Foreign letters, such as I spoke of before, come under -this head, too. Then there are official letters--in relation to military -and judicial matters--short-paid, and, therefore, brought before this -tribunal. These require minute attention, as three and four documents -are inclosed in one envelope sometimes, making it difficult to discover -who is the proper person to return them to. Again, there are letters -with postage-stamps to be returned, and money letters containing not -over one dollar: those with larger amounts are directed in the -superintendent's room. Ladies directing stamp and money letters keep -account of them in a book, submitted, together with the letters, to the -superintendent, at the close of office hours, every day. Money letters -are marked with red stars, stamp letters with blue. Stamps taken from -dead letters are destroyed by the proper authorities. Then, there is -copying to do--orders and circulars, rules and regulations, to be -transmitted to the different local post-offices; and translations to be -made of communications received from foreign post departments. All this -is "Special" work. A large proportion of the letters passing through the -office are German letters--some French, Italian, Norwegian, and Spanish; -but two German clerks are constantly employed, while one clerk can -easily attend to the letters of all the other different nationalities -together. - -Sometimes it comes to pass that the superintendent visits one room or -the other, with a number of letters in his hand; these have been -misdirected or badly written. The red letter stamped on each letter -guides him to the desk of the lady who has directed it; and very -sensitive is each and every lady to the slightest reproach or reprimand -received, because of the universal kindness and respect with which they -are treated by all the officials with whom they come in contact. - -If the task of poring over these epistles of all kinds, day after day, -is, on the whole, tiresome and wearing, there are certainly many -incidents to relieve the tedium of the occupation. Incidents, I say; -letters, I should say. The deep respect we entertain for a well-known -army officer was justified to me by the insight his own letters gave me -into his character. It is against the rules of the post-office -department to read any part of a letter, unless it is necessary to do so -in order to discover the correct address of the writer; but, as the -general's handwriting is a little hasty and peculiar, and his military -honors and titles were not appended to these letters I speak of, it was -natural that they should be read by the clerks, in order to ascertain -whether they could be returned to the place they were written from. One -of these letters had been written to an old lady (I judged so from the -fact of his inquiring about her son and grand-children) somewhere in the -South, who, it appeared, had entertained the general at her house, one -day during the war, when the general was very much in want of a dinner -to eat. He had not forgotten her kindness and hospitality, though it was -now after the close of the war; but the old lady had probably removed -from the little village to which the letter was directed, or, perhaps, -she had died: so the letter came into our hands, and was returned to the -general. Another was to an old friend of the general's. They had played -together as boys, perhaps, but his friend had not risen to fame and -fortune, like himself; he was giving words to his deep sympathy with a -misfortune or bereavement that had befallen his friend--sympathy -expressed with such tender, true feeling, that we felt as though it were -another bereavement that he should have lost this letter of the -general's. - -The remark was often made among us that the Dead Letter Office afforded -the very best opportunities for making collections of autographs of -celebrated people--only the authorities could not be made to see it in -that light. It was always with a sigh of regret, I must confess, that -letters signed by such names as Bancroft, Whittier, Beecher, Grant, -Greeley, were returned to their rightful owners. The most interesting -accounts of foreign travel were sometimes contained in the dead -letters--accounts more interesting than any book ever published. These -were, as a general thing, written by ladies--and that sealed their doom. -Gentlemen writing letters almost always sign their full name; but a lady -will write a dozen pages, telling her friends all about the Louvre and -the Tuileries, the Escurial and London Tower, in one long letter, and -then sign Kate, or Lillie, at the end, thus precluding all possibility -of having her letter returned, though we know from it that she has -returned to her home in Boston. It is almost incredible what a large -number of letters passing through our hands are "finished off" by that -classically beautiful verse--"My pen is bad, my ink is pale; my love for -you will never fail"--and it is impossible to believe in how many -different ways and styles these touching lines can be written and -spelled, till you find them dished up to you a dozen times a day, in -this office. Eastern people don't appreciate this "pome" as Western -farmers do. Missouri rustics are particularly addicted to it. What the -predilection of the Southern people might have been, I cannot say; it -was just after the close of the war, and their letters were pitiful -enough. Of course there was not a Federal postage-stamp to be had in any -of the Southern States; and no matter how deeply the contents of some of -these letters affected us, we could not forward them to the people they -were addressed to. These letters from the South portrayed so terribly -true the bitter, abject poverty of all classes, at that time, that the -Northerners to whom they were written would not have hesitated to assist -these friends of "better days," could they have received the letters; -but, even had we been allowed to forward them, the chances were -extremely slender that people were still in the same position and -location after the war as before the war. - -Not these letters alone were sad; for sometimes a whole drama could be -read from one or two short letters. One day we found among the dead -letters a note written in a feeble, scrawling hand. It was by a boy, a -prisoner and sick, in one of the penal institutions of New York--sick, -poor fellow! and imploring his mother--oh, so piteously!--to come and -see him. He was in the sick ward, he said, and if he _had_ been wicked, -and had struck at his step-father when he saw him abuse his mother, -would she not come to see him, only once, for all that? She must not let -his step-father prevent her from coming; he was dreaming of his mother -and sister every night, and he knew his mother would come to him; but -she must come soon, for the doctor had said so. Perhaps the letter had -not reached the mother because the step-father had taken her out of the -son's reach; for, in the course of a day or two, we found another letter -addressed to the same woman, by one of the prison officials: the boy, -Charley, had died on such a date--about a week after his letter had been -written--and he had looked and asked for his mother to the last. - -About letters written by German people I have noticed one peculiarity: -they never omit to write the number of the year in some part of the -letter, or on the envelope, outside. Sometimes it is written where the -name of the country or the State should be found on the envelope, so -that the direction would read, "Jacob Schmied, St. Louis, 1865;" or they -write it at the bottom of the letter, instead of signing their name, and -then write their name at the beginning of the letter, as though they -were writing the letter to themselves. Everything is heavy and clumsy -about their letters; they never indulge in joke or sentiment; and -through the negligence of one of the German clerks, the most serious -trouble had almost been brewed in a German brewer's family, at one time. -It happened in this way: - -A substantial German brewer had written to Hans Biersöffel, dunning him -for money, owing on several barrels of _lager_. Hans must have left the -city--at any rate, the letter came to our office, and was returned to -the brewer; but, unfortunately, a very sentimental letter, containing a -copy of some love-sick verses, written by a German lady, and held in the -office as a curiosity for a little while, had (by mistake, of course) -found its way into this letter. The honest Dutchman had meant to return -this piece of property to our office at the first opportunity, and -therefore carried it in his pocket-book, where his wife discovered it, -seized it, and held it over his head, as the sword of Damocles, forever -after--as he could not prove to her satisfaction that the letter and -verses had _not_ been sent to _him_ by the writer. - -At the time I belonged to the corps of dead letter clerks, there were -three rooms fronting on Seventh street, fitted up as offices for the -lady clerks, and one very large room on the other side of the hall. A -straw mat was spread on the stone floor in our room; one office-chair -was furnished for each lady, and desks barely large enough for two -ladies to work at, without elbowing each other; and in one corner, -wash-stand and water. In the large room some twenty ladies were writing, -while four or five folders had their desk in the same room. Of the other -rooms, one was occupied by the lady superintendent, together with whom -were from four to six ladies; the next room also accommodated six -ladies, and the last one, which had the look of a prison, from a high -grating running through it, afforded room for four others. There were -old Post-office Directories, boxes containing printed matter, and such -like valuables, kept behind this grating; and one day, when a party of -sightseers came unasked into our room, the youngest lady there--whose -spirit had not yet been broken by the weight of the responsibilities -resting on her shoulders--explained to the gaping crowd that behind this -grating were kept the silver and household furniture of General -----,--the assistant postmaster--boxed up, while he was recruiting in -the country. This was a twofold revenge, the young lady said to us: it -was punishing the visitors for their inquisitiveness, and "old ----" for -having the grating put up there. Several years have passed since I last -saw the post-office building; the ladies of room No. -- were then -petitioning to have this grating removed. Whether their petition was -granted, I have not learned. - - - - -_MARCHING WITH A COMMAND._ - - -From Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania, we were ordered to Fort -Leavenworth, Kansas, there to join General Sykes' command, then fitting -out for the march across the Plains. General Sykes commanded the Fifth -Infantry, while my husband belonged to the Third Cavalry; but as the -latter regiment was to take up the line of march from Little Rock, -Arkansas, through Texas, the lieutenant, as well as some three or four -other officers of the Third, were well satisfied to be assigned to the -infantry command, and sent in charge of recruits from Washington and -Carlisle, to join General Sykes at Fort Leavenworth. - -The two regiments (Fifth Infantry and Third Cavalry) were to rendezvous -at Fort Union, New Mexico, where General Carleton was to meet the -troops, and assign them to the different forts, camps, and stations in -his department. This was immediately after the close of the war; and -these eight hundred men of the Fifth Infantry and the Third Cavalry, -under Colonel Howe, were the first regulars sent out to the Territories, -from whence they had been called in to do some of the hard fighting when -the rebellion broke out--volunteers and colored troops taking their -place on the frontiers. - -It was early June--the sky radiant, the earth laughing. Birds of the -western prairies warbled their greeting from out the rose-trellises and -sweet-scented flowers of the little enclosures in front of the officers' -quarters, which, surrounding the well kept parade-ground, gave the place -the look of one large bright-blooming garden. For days there had been -at the fort signs and sounds as of a swarm of bees preparing to leave -the hive. The carriage of the general flew back and forth between the -town and the fort; the quartermaster dashed through the corrals, and by -the workshops on his handsome sorrel; females of all shades and colors -were interviewed and interrogated by officers' wives, who meant to -provide themselves with luxuries for the journey; and new faces were -seen and scanned in the mess-room every day. - -The first day out from Fort Leavenworth we made but a few miles; the -general seemed bent only on getting his command away from the barracks, -for, though warned for weeks of the day of starting, there were those -who seemed as little prepared for the march now as they had been two -weeks ago. Well I remember the camp we made that first day--amid grass -so high that we felt and looked like ants moving among the blades--and -the confusion in our own establishment and that of our neighbors. The -advantages of having secured the services of an old army-woman became -apparent at this early stage. Without having at all consulted me, Mrs. -Melville had boiled a ham, and stowed bread, cheese, and sardines, where -she could readily lay hands on the articles, in the mess-chest. Coffee -was quickly cooked, and we could sit down to our meal and invite others -to it, before we had fairly realized the discomforts of a first night in -camp. - -A good woman was Mrs. Melville, but dreadfully tyrannical--domineering -ruthlessly over myself and her husband, and only in awe of the -lieutenant when he insisted on having his own way. They had always -served in the cavalry, and had now again enlisted (I mean the husband, -who drove our carriage, had enlisted) in the Third; and as Melville was -the only cavalry recruit with the command, it had been a matter of some -difficulty to appropriate him and his wife. It was not till the second -day, when we made camp, that I saw how large the command was; and I -remember thinking that it had taken since yesterday for the "tail-end" -of the train of wagons, mules, and horses to leave the corrals and get -into camp. When we left our camping-ground in the morning and returned -to the highway, there was a broad road with deep ruts behind us, and -hundreds of acres of prairie-land made bare and torn up, as though a -city had been swept away, where the day before no sign of human life had -been and the tall grass had waved untouched over the soft, black soil. -Fancy the tramp of eight hundred men, the keen, light-turning wheels of -a dozen or two of carriages, and the heavy, crunching weight of two -hundred army-wagons, drawn each by six stout mules! No wonder the grass -never grew again where General Sykes's command had passed! - -Besides the twelve hundred mules in the wagons, there were some two -hundred head extra, and a number of horses for the officers. All of -these animals had been drawn from the government corrals at Fort -Leavenworth; but I never realized how many there were, till one evening -about four days out from the fort. - -Elsewhere I have spoken of my white horse, Toby, who had so quickly -become domesticated that he _would_ insist on returning to our tent, no -matter how emphatically he was told that he must be turned out, and stay -with the rest of the herd. The mules had been accustomed to follow the -lead of a white "bell-mare" in the corrals; and as Toby was the only -white horse in the outfit, they became greatly attached to him, and -would follow him in his vagaries wherever he led. Unfortunately, when he -took his way back to the camp and to our tent this evening, the herders -were not on the alert as usual, and before they could turn the tide -there was a stampede, and a perfect overflow of mules in the camp. Such -yelling and bellowing as those animals set up, when they found -themselves floundering among the tents, and belabored with clubs, ropes, -and picket-pins by the enraged soldiers, was never heard before nor -since. Even Toby's serenity was disturbed, and he stood half-way in the -tent, trembling, and looking as though he knew that the wagon-master was -making his way to our settlement. Though I could forgive the man's rage, -as he pushed the horse to one side and passed into the tent, neither the -lieutenant nor myself took kindly to his offer to "shoot the horse the -next time he undertook to stampede the herd;" and I held close on to -Toby till the mules were driven back, and the wagon-master's wrath had -cooled. - -Truth to tell, before the next forty-eight hours were over, I was -wellnigh converted to the belief that we had drawn the meanest stock the -government-stables had ever contained. I forgot to say that each of the -officers had been assigned a company of the recruits, and as they -marched with them, we ladies were left in our carriages alone. No sooner -was the command fairly on the road this morning than Molly and Jenny, a -pair of green mules drawing our carriage, fell to jumping and kicking on -a rough piece of ground, and a moment later the carriage was laid prone -on one side, while I quietly clambered out on the other. A chorus of -little screams went up from the rest of the carriages--expressing more -horror, I think, at my getting up without the assistance of the doctor, -who came flying up on his square-headed bay, than at the accident -itself. - -This was not enough of evil for the day. We made camp early (the general -made not over fifteen miles a day when first starting out with the -recruits), and Molly and Jenny, fastened to each other by a light chain -around the neck, followed Toby through the camp, where they had come to -be accepted as standing nuisances. Away up near the general's tent, Toby -must have fancied there was good grazing, for he went there, the two -mules _en train_. What followed I learned from the grinning orderly, who -rapped at our tent soon after, holding the mules by the chain, and -saying that "the general sent his compliments to the lieutenant, and -he'd shoot the mules, and the white horse too, the next time they pulled -the tent-fly down over him." - -I looked stealthily out, and saw Toby in the distance, contemplatively -switching his tail, and half a dozen men at work re-erecting the -general's tent. The story was too good to keep; and the general himself -told how, lying asleep on his cot, under the tent-fly, where it was -cool, he had been waked up by Toby's nose brushing his face. Raising -himself, and hurling one boot and an invective at the horse, he was -surprised at seeing the two mules trying to stare him out of countenance -at the open end of the fly. The other boot was shied at them, but there -was no time to send anything else. The chain fastening the mules -together had become twisted around, the pole holding up the fly, and the -precipitate retreat of the long-eared pair brought the heavy canvas down -on the general's face. - -Would I could end my "tale of woe" right here; but a love of truth -compels me to say that the meanness of that horse seemed endless, and -his capacity for wickedness was such that portions of it fell on Molly -and Jenny, when a particularly rich harvest rewarded his efforts at -deviltry. When Toby came to the tent-door, early next morning, I noticed -a strangely bright polish on his fore-hoofs, and a suspicious greasiness -about his nose and face. Molly and Jenny had greasy streaks running all -over them, and seemed so well fed that I wondered to myself which of the -officers' horses had to suffer last night, and go supperless to bed. -Toby sniffed disdainfully at the bread I offered him, and turned to walk -off very suddenly when he saw Melville coming toward the tent. I must -explain that the tents were always pitched in the same order--the -lieutenant's on one side of us; Captain Newbold's on the other; the -baggage-wagon assigned to each officer drawn up behind the tent; the -mules, of course, turned out with the rest of the herd. Melville -pointed to the wagon behind Captain Newbold's tent, where a knot of men -were gathered, bending to the ground; but he seemed too full for -utterance. Almost instinctively I knew what he wanted to tell me. -Newbold had brought two large jars of butter with him from Leavenworth, -and Toby had encountered them last night, wiping his mouth on Molly and -Jenny when he found the butter not to his taste. Over and above that, he -had hauled six or eight grain-sacks out of the wagon, opened the sacks -with his teeth, and scattered the grain for the two mules to eat. - -I wanted to kill Toby on the spot; for the Newbolds were the best of -neighbors, sharing with us, through the whole of that journey, the milk -their cow (the only one with the whole train) was pleased to give. Not a -word of complaint was heard from the captain or his little wife; but I -did hope honestly that the miserable white horse might die of his extra -feed of butter and oats. - -In the evening Colonel Lane gathered the ladies together, led us to the -top of a hill, and pointed out where Fort Riley lay, like a grand -fortress, with long, white walls, rising on a green eminence. We reached -it next day by night-fall, and though camped several miles outside of -it, there were so many things which we found we actually needed, and -which could only be had at this, the last post of any importance, that -the greater number of officers were constantly to be seen between the -sutler-store and the saddler-shop, the quartermaster's office and the -corrals. - -After a rest of three days, we took up the line of march again through -prairie-land, dotted with farms and broken by forests and streams, -through which (after having crossed the Kansas river at Manhattan, on a -pontoon-bridge, before reaching Fort Riley) the soldiers seemed to think -it rare sport to wade, barefooted, carrying shoes and stockings in their -hands. - -The country grew wilder and more desolate; and passing a farm-house one -day, near which there were buffaloes grazing in the pasture with oxen -and cows, it seemed nothing extraordinary, though, of course, we did not -see the buffalo in his native freedom till some time after. At Ellsworth -(now Fort Harker) we halted again for a day, and then gradually entered -the wilderness. Fort Zarah seems to have grown where it is, only to help -make the country look sadder and more desolate; but the well they have -is splendid. I think so at least, for I was _so_ thirsty when we turned -in there at noon, though we continued the march and did not make camp. -The general seemed to consider the feet of his men fully seasoned by -this time; and they certainly made some hard days' marches before they -reached Fort Union. The days' marches were harder for them than they -were for us, on the whole; though many a time, creeping slowly over the -tediously level ground, did I wish that I could march with them, or help -drive mules, or lead horses--anything rather than sit in the carriage -for hours, the sun beating down in just the same direction, the men in -front moving along in just the same measure. But there was something -grand about it at the same time--a forest of bayonets in front of us, an -endless train of wagons behind us, moving silently through the solemn -wilds; hosts of red-winged black-birds fluttering along with us, the -rarer blue-jay flying haughtily over their heads. - -There was always something to see; the prairie-flowers were so -dazzlingly colored some days, or the rock lay in such odd strata; and in -one place we saw the remains of some rough fortifications built of the -rocks--thrown up hastily, perhaps, one day when the party of brave -emigrants spied "ye noble savage" bearing down on them. In camp -everything looked pleasant and cheerful. The general had traversed the -country more than once, knew every spring on the road, and had the -camping-ground kept so neat that we could have stopped in one place a -good many days without any discomfort. Beyond that, he was courteous and -thoughtful of our comfort, as only a soldier can be; and there was not a -lady "marching with the command" who would not have voted him a -major-general of the United States army, or into the Presidential chair, -if he had preferred it. - -At Fort Dodge, where officers and men burrowed half under ground (at -that time), I had not the least desire to remain. However, a few miles -back, where the river makes the bend, there is a singular grandeur about -the country, with nothing to break the utter loneliness, save the sad, -heavy murmur of the water. And now we are out on the plains again; day -after day we travel over land that lies so level and so still that not a -being but the lark seems living here beside us. How hot and fierce the -sun glares down on the slowly-winding column--a serpent it seems, with -its length outstretched, as it moves over the bare, brown prairie. The -spirit grew oppressed, and the heart fainted in the noon-day sun; the -command to halt was always received with joy; and more than once we had -to make forced marches to reach water. Yet we lost but one man out of -the eight hundred, and he died the day we struck the Arkansas -again--died in the road almost--and we carried him with us to camp; and -at night, when the stars had come out and tear-drops hung in the eyes of -the flowers by the river-bank, they carried him to his lonely grave. I -went to the tent-door when I heard the muffled drums, and stood outside, -in the dark, where I could see the short procession passing. Lanterns -were carried in the train that moved ghostly away from the camp-fires -and the white-looming tents. The grave was not far, and when they had -lowered the coffin I saw the form of a man bowing over it, as though in -prayer, and then the earth was shovelled back. The soldiers returned -with measured tread, and left their comrade on the wide, lone prairie, -with only the Arkansas to sing his dirge. - -I went to sleep with tears in my eyes; but we were to make an early -start in the morning, and before daybreak we were all awake and astir. -Sadness could not live in the heart those early mornings, and I thought -sometimes the general had _reveille_ sounded so early purposely, to show -us how beautiful Nature was at sunrise. - -Sunrise on the plains! Is there anything in music, in painting, in -poetry, that can bring before eyes that have never beheld it, the -passing beauty of such a scene? There are strains in music which bring a -faint shadow of the picture back to me; no art can ever reproduce it. -How balmy the faint breath of wind that seems to lift upward the light, -gray clouds, to make way for the rosy tints creeping athwart the -horizon! Watch the clouds as they rise higher in the heavens; see how -the sun-god has kissed them into blushes as bright as the damask-rose, -sending a flood of yellow light to cover them with greater confusion. -Now they float gently upward till they reach the clear, blue sky, from -where the yellow light has faded; and, watching bevies of other clouds, -still dancing in the light above the first rays of the rising sun, the -color fades from them, and they waft hither and thither--white clouds on -deep blue ground--till the morning breeze bears them away from our -sight. But words are weak and tame; and the yellow-breasted prairie-lark -alone, rising high in the sun-bright air as the day begins, gives fit -expression to her thanks for the glories of creation, in the wordless -song she sings forever. - -We were always far on the day's journey before the sun was fairly up; it -was very early, to be sure, and often as the tents were struck when the -_générale_ was sounded, the families occupying them could be seen -tumbling out, the children only half-dressed; and it happened sometimes -that carriages were left behind, when not ready to fall into line when -the march was beaten. In times of danger from Indians, of course, this -would not have happened; but at that time there was thought to be no -danger, except at night. - -Mrs. Melville had developed into an unmitigated tyrant, and one of her -victims was an Englishman, a raw recruit, who had been given the -lieutenant as servant. His name was either Ackley or Hackley, Ockley or -Hockley. If he insisted it was one, Mrs. Melville said it was the other; -and so completely cowed was he at last that he no longer dared to assert -his right to any name. I often thought it was a national revenge she was -wreaking on the poor fellow (she and her husband had sprung from the -Emerald Isle). He had to do all the work that should have fallen to her -share, and he never had a moment to spare for the lieutenant or myself. -From the first day of starting, I had detected, among the detail of men -sent to pitch our tent, a countryman of mine, a poor Dutchman, the -greenest of his kind. I electrified him one day by speaking German to -him, and ever after his pale, worn face would brighten, and his eyes -light up, when I asked of him any little service or assistance. The -general, knowing me to be a German, allowed the man to wait on us; and -Mohrman was happy as a king when he could fondle Toby, or put our tent -to rights, and fix things comfortably for me in the carriage. He was a -cabinet-maker, and the camp-table he made for us was the envy of the -whole camp. The poor fellow was weak in the chest (something unusual for -one of his nationality), and a big Irish corporal, who was a good enough -fellow otherwise, had always imposed on Mohrman, because he was ignorant -of the language, and could make no complaint to his officer. He -continued to bear with Stebbins's petty persecutions like a saint, till -one morning he made his appearance at the tent-door, with tears in his -eyes, and complained that the corporal had deprived him of the last -thing he had left, coming from the "Fatherland"--his _Gesang-Buch_, -which his mother had given him on the day of confirmation. - -I stepped outside, where Corporal Stebbins with his detail stood, -waiting to strike the tent at the sounding of the _générale_. There was -a lurking grin on the corporal's face, as he approached at my summons. - -"Corporal," said I, "have you Mohrman's book?" - -"Sure, ma'am, and is it his prayer-book the poor b'y wants? Ye see, he -complained yesterday that his knapsack was so heavy that he couldn't -pack me blankets; so I thought I'd carry this for him a while;" and, -amidst a half-suppressed snicker, he solemnly drew forth from his -capacious pocket a big black hymn-book, substantially German-looking, -about ten inches in length by five inches across. - -"I'll take that book," said I, looking severe, and turning very quickly -to hide my face. - -After this Mohrman seemed to have more peace; and we journeyed on -serenely till we reached Fort Lyon, Colorado, the first human habitation -we had laid eyes on for many weeks. Sterile and rock-strewn as the -country is, it was the boast of the post commander that he had as fine a -company-garden as could be seen, twenty miles away from here; to which -his wife added, "the only pity was that the vegetables should always be -dry and wilted before they reached the garrison." - -I was well pleased to think that our destination lay beyond Fort Lyon; -though there were those among the ladies who so dreaded the crossing of -the Arkansas just before us, and the passage of the Raton Mountains -later, that they would have remained here, where no flower could be -coaxed into blossom, rather than have gone on. The Arkansas river was to -be crossed at Bent's old fort, where the overland mail-stage also had -its crossing. The carriages were discreetly sent a mile or two above the -fording-place, for the soldiers--poor fellows--had to swim across, their -clothes, knapsack, and gun in one hand, while with the other they held -to the stout ropes stretched from shore to shore. Not a man of the eight -hundred was lost. There were mounted men in the river, ready to lend a -helping hand at the first cry for aid, and they all crossed safely, -though many, I dare say, in fear and trembling. When the men were over, -the married officers were permitted to join the ladies, and we were -ferried across in the skiff belonging to the stage line, for which -little water-excursion we paid two dollars a head to the Overland Mail -Company. Carriages and wagons were brought over by the wagon-master and -teamsters; and when the whole train was on the other side, we thought we -had spent rather a pleasant day. - -Like sailors scanning the edge of the horizon for land, so the soldiers -had for days been watching the nearer approach of the Spanish Peaks -looming faintly in the distance, and breaking the grand monotone of the -level, changeless plain, verging, where the eye could see no further, -into limitless space. Those who had been out this way before commenced -talking of the "Picketwire," and the beautiful valleys we should see, -and the big onions the Mexicans would bring to the camp to sell. After a -while I discovered that the "Picketwire" was a little river--the -"Purgatoir" or "Purgatory"--along whose banks the Mexican raised -vegetables and fruit, of which I saw specimens, later, in the big onion -spoken of. I had not been in California then, and the onions produced -there, of the size of a large saucer, certainly had a stunning effect on -me. - -I am not prepared to say why the little river was called Purgatory. For -the most part the country was good enough--lovely, even; and sometimes -grand. One or two days seemed rather purgatorial though, come to think -of it. On one occasion we passed through steep, barren hills, strewn all -over with little cylindrical pieces of iron, that looked exactly as -though they had been melted in that place just below purgatory, and -thrown up here to cool. Another day we marched along the bed of a river, -over boulders from three to six feet high; if _we_ did not think it -purgatory, the horses and mules certainly did. But the worst day of all -remained. - -It broke at last--the dreaded day in which the Raton Pass was to be -attempted. The horrors of the Pass, however, must have been less vivid -in the eyes of the general than in the minds of the ladies belonging to -his command; for, contrary to all hopes and expectations, he allowed -none of the married officers to remain with the carriages. It was a -"steep" pass, undeniably. To this day I have not forgotten the sound of -the grating of the wheels on the bare, unmitigated rock, as the carriage -made ascents and descents that were truly miraculous--one wheel pointing -heavenward sometimes, while the other three were wedged in below; -scraping along a rock wall, bounding from rock to rock, with the -pleasant prospect, on the other side, of a launch from a jagged, -well-deep precipice, into eternity. - -The crowning point to our terror, and to the grandeur of the scene, was -a fearfully inclined plane of solid rock, with a frowning bank on one -side, a gaping drop-off on the other, and a dark, heavy wall rising -square in front of us; against which, to all appearances, the mules must -dash their brains out, for neither bit nor brake was of the least avail -on this road. Just where the crash against the wall seemed inevitable, -there was a narrow curve, and the road ran on in spite of the seeming -impossibility. True to the saying, that there is but a step from the -sublime to the ridiculous, I fell to laughing here, so that Melville -turned in surprise to see whether fear and terror had robbed me of my -sober senses; but I had seen in passing, painted on that dreadful wall -of frowning rock, the cabalistic words and signs: "Old Cabin Bitters; -S---- T---- 1860 ---- X----;" and below this, "Brandreth's Vegetable -Pills." - -These horrors past, there lay before us valleys, hills, crags--that -formed as picturesque a landscape as tourist's eye was ever gladdened -by. At the foot of tall, straight pines, crowning the heights and -covering the sloping hill-sides, was a carpet of short, soft grass, out -of which laughed the merriest flower-eyes, and over which nodded the -slenderest stalks, bearing blossoms that seemed exotic in their -intensely bright hues. The balm-laden breath of the wind told enticing -tales of the untrod velvet on the heights above, where the pine-trees -bent and swayed in the passing breeze. We had come upon this all so -unexpectedly that the lieutenant insisted on my mounting Toby to obtain -a better view of the whole country. My saddle was in the wagon -somewhere, and there was no time to hunt it up; but as I had seen Mrs. -Lane start off on the colonel's horse and saddle sometime before, I -clambered on Toby's back at once, into the lieutenant's saddle. By -crossing some little low hills, which the command had to march around, I -found myself pretty soon ahead of the train. Not aware that we were to -pass any place where human beings dwelt, I kept bravely on--feeling all -the more safe from seeing Captain Newbold's cow, with her guardian, just -in front of me. When I saw a rude kind of gateway a little later, I -could not resist the promptings of my curiosity, and quite forgot the -command, which approached just then with beating drums and flying -colors. Had I realized how near they were upon me, I think my native -modesty would have prompted me to let General Sykes, with his command, -pass in front of me; but seeing Captain Newbold's cow march through the -gate, and an avenue of Mexican and Indian faces, I followed the lead, -barely escaping the feet of the drummer-boys, who were close on my -heels. - -It was the residence of an old pioneer--old Wooten--a pioneer in the -boldest sense of the word. In conversation with one of the officers, -when Kit Carson was mentioned, he spoke of him as being a comparative -stranger in these parts, having been in the country only some -twenty-five or thirty years. - -If, in the eyes of the straggling Mexicans gathered around, it was an -honor to ride in front of the command--next after Captain Newbold's -cow--that honor, and the privilege of riding in the lieutenant's saddle, -was dearly paid for before night. Determined not to have the -drummer-boys so close behind me again, I turned aside from the road, -lured on by the magnificent fresh, soft grass before me. Toby seemed -strangely averse to crushing the grass, for he stepped very gingerly, -and made two or three attempts to turn back. Sky-gazing, I urged him on, -till a sudden plunge he made had nearly thrown me out of the slippery -saddle, and for the first time I saw that the fresh, treacherous green -had only covered an ugly quagmire, in which Toby was wildly plunging -about, getting in deeper at every fresh effort to raise himself. The -command had nearly passed; only Colonel Bankhead lingered behind, -picking the rare flowers for his wife--gallant man!--and my wild shouts -caused him to look around. It was a slow job to rescue me; and by the -time I was on dry soil, the colonel's clothing was very much the color -of Toby's legs just then, for the frightened horse would not move a -step, and Colonel Bankhead--I repeat my thanks to him now--had made his -way into the horrible bog at the risk of his life almost. After this I -could let Toby have the reins, and go anywhere--he never got mired -again. But I took to the carriage that day, and never mounted Toby again -till we reached Fort Union, some time later. - -They were building very comfortable quarters at Fort Union when we got -in, but that did us no good. General Sykes had his camping-ground -assigned by General Carleton a mile or two outside the post; and our -place was with the Fifth Infantry, until our regiment should get in. Now -we used to strain our eyes looking for signs of "our regiment;" not that -we were not well enough off where we were, but we used to congregate at -the tent of some officer of the Third, and feel clannish, and speak of -the delight we should feel when "old Howe" got in with the regiment--all -out of sheer contrariness, I suppose. - -One day Melville rushed wildly into the tent, and announced a great dust -arising in the distance. We all rushed out, and a perfect fever took -possession of the camp--cavalry and infantry, officers and men. Tables -and mess-chests were brought out and spread; bottles were uncorked, and -fruit-cans opened; dried-apple pie (a great luxury, I assure you) and -salt pickles, raw sliced onions and raspberry jelly, were joyfully -placed side by side. - -Nearer rolled the dust--slowly--slowly; a snail might have moved faster, -I thought, than this regiment, famed once as the Rifles, and blessed -with the reputation of being very unlike a snail in general character. -Mrs. Melville needed no stimulant to do her best; affection and ambition -prompted her alike--she had served with the Third before, and was now -again of them--and she worked like a beaver to have the table well -spread for the expected guests. The slow, heavy tramp of the approaching -troops shook the earth like far-off thunder; but the dust was so thick -that it was hard to tell where the soldiers left off and the wagons -commenced, while the train moved. At last there came the sudden clanging -of trumpets, so shrill and discordant that I put my hands up to my ears, -and then the command halted near our camp. - -Let no one dream of a band of gay cavaliers riding grandly into the -garrison on prancing steeds, and with flying banners! Alas, for romance -and poetry! Gaunt, ragged-looking men, on bony, rough-coated -horses--sun-burned, dust-covered, travel-worn, man and beast. Was there -nothing left of the old material of the dashing, death-daring Rifles? -Ah, well! These men had seen nothing for long weeks but the red, -sun-heated soil of the Red River country; had drank nothing but the -thick, blood-red water of the river; had eaten nothing but the one dry, -hard cracker, dealt out to them each day; for they had been led wrong by -the guide, had been lost, so that they reached Fort Union long after, -instead of long before, the Fifth Infantry. - -Their camping-ground was assigned them quite a distance from the Fifth, -and we rode over the next day to visit the ladies who had come with the -command. The difference between the two camps struck me all the more -forcibly, I presume, because General Sykes was famed for the order and -precision he enforced; and when we rode up to his tent two days later, -to bid him good-bye (the officers of the Third having received orders to -join their regiment), I exclaimed, in tones of mild despair: - -"Oh, general, can you not come with us, and take command of the Third?" - -He shook his head solemnly, looking over to the cavalry camp. - -"Nothing would give me greater pleasure, madame, than to accede to your -wishes; but really in this instance I must decline. _There are too many -unruly horses for me in that camp._" - -I hope the general meant only what he said; I hope too the Third will -forgive me, when I say that an old soldier in the ranks, a German, once -told me in confidence that every member of that regiment could pass -muster for the Wild Huntsman, so well known in the annals of terror in -German fable-history. - - -II. - -It was a novel court-martial, whose last sitting was held at the dead of -night, between Fort Union and Los Vegas, in New Mexico. Let no one think -that a love of the romantic induced the general commanding to order this -assembling at the "witching hour, when church-yards yawn," but dire -necessity--"the exigencies of the service," as they have it. General -Sykes, who was president of the court, was under orders to take up the -line of march with his infantry, on the day following, for Fort Sumner, -while Colonel Howe, with five companies of cavalry, was to proceed to -Fort Craig; and as General Carleton understood no joking in regard to -orders once issued, and as the board had not been able to finish up the -business brought before it while convened at Fort Union, this midnight -session was agreed upon--the command to separate and march in opposite -directions, as soon as the court adjourned. - -Of the prisoners at the bar, the lieutenant was one, though I have -forgotten for what heinous crime arraigned; doubtless the charges -against him and the other unfortunate wights were very grave and serious -in the eyes of their superior officers, though trivial they might be in -the estimation of civilians. Just as the gray dawn crept up the horizon, -the lieutenant entered the tent, where I was waiting, fully dressed for -the march, knowing that the tents would be struck as soon as the court -was over. - -Slowly the long train arranged itself, and lumberingly it wound its way -out of the camp, entered only at a late hour the evening before. The -blast of the bugle seemed fairly to cut the crisp morning air, and the -horses neighed and stamped, while here and there a mule couple--part of -the six attached to each wagon--would begin frisking and jumping, till -called to order by the blacksnake of the irritable driver. As the -lieutenant was under arrest, he was relieved from duty; and as this -state of things was likely to continue until the proceedings and -findings of the court had been sent to Washington and returned, we set -out with the intention of enjoying the journey as well as was possible -under the circumstances. We were expected to march with the command, but -in the rear of the cavalry, and preceding the army-wagons. The dust, -however, was anything but pleasant here, and as, altogether, Uncle Sam -holds the lines of government somewhat slacker in these frontier -countries, the lieutenant was allowed to take his carriage, the orderly, -and the wagon containing our tent and camp furniture, to the end of the -entire train. In this way we could make a halt, or an excursion into the -neighboring country, whenever we felt inclined, and could catch up again -with the command by the time it went into camp--where I was an object of -envy to the other ladies, whose husbands were not under arrest. - -Toward noon we reached Los Vegas, the first Mexican town I had -seen--Fort Union being but the entrance to New Mexico. The country -around Los Vegas is flat and uninteresting, but by no means barren, -though only a small portion of it is cultivated. A little stream, the -Gallinas, runs by the place, emptying later into the Rio Pecos; but the -Mexicans are not content with this water-course alone--they have dug -irrigating canals, which look again like little streams where grass and -wild flowers have sprung up on the banks. It is the only branch of art -or industry cultivated anywhere in New Mexico--this digging of -irrigating ditches--and in it the Mexicans surely excel. Wherever we see -a patch of green, we may be certain of finding canals on at least two -sides of it; and they can lead the water where a Yankee, with all his -ingenuity, would despair of bringing it. - -The houses of Los Vegas, though looking very much so to me then, are not -so hopelessly Mexican as those I found later along the Rio Grande and -farther in the interior. The houses were one story high, the roofs of -mud, of which material were also mantle-shelves, window-sills, walls and -floors. But the little enclosed fire-places, with overarching mantle, -were smooth and white, as were the walls; and the more pretentious -houses, and where Americans lived, were set with glass. In the houses of -the Mexicans I noticed that a width of red or yellow calico was tacked -smoothly up around the wall, at a distance of three or four feet from -the ground. The use of this drapery is just as incomprehensible to me -as what benefit the trunks derive from being placed on two chairs, while -the members of the family and visitors are requested to be seated on the -floor. But then it is not every New Mexican family that can boast of -having a trunk; and those who have one, and no chairs, build a kind of -platform or pedestal for it to rest on. - -The troops, while we were sight-seeing in Los Vegas, were not allowed to -halt at all, but marched on toward Puertocito, where camp was made. At -Fort Union a new driver had been assigned to our baggage-wagon--a little -monkey-faced old man, Manuel--who had addressed me in Spanish, early -that morning, praying that we should allow him to stop at Los Vegas, -where his wife and his "pretty little girls" were living. I understood -no Spanish, but his eyes looked so beseechingly when his request was -made known to me, that I was glad to tell him we should stop there. The -man was to go with us to the end of our journey, and it might be a long -time till he could see his people again. - -When the lieutenant sent the orderly for Manuel, with directions to move -on and overtake the command, I saw the old man tumbling out of a little -low house near by, his faithful wife and "pretty little girls" tumbling -out after him--half a dozen of the scrawniest, most apish-looking -specimens I ever saw of Spanish or Mexican people. For miles the "pretty -little girls" followed the father and the army-wagon, and wherever we -passed a house on the road, one or more women would come to the -door--large-eyed and sweet-voiced--wishing good-day and good-journey to -old Manuel. As far as my Spanish goes, _Puertocito_ signifies little -gate, or entrance. It should be Grand Gate, so majestically do rocks and -boulders arise from out of green meadows and tree-covered hillocks. - -Large flocks of sheep are herded here, and the whole is said to belong -to a Spanish widow lady, living either in Mexico or Spain. In the course -of my travels through the country, I met with accounts of this or some -other widow, owning fabulous stretches of land, mines, and treasures, so -often that I came to regard this widow-institution as a myth or a -humbug; but the people living here were always very earnest in their -assurances to the contrary. However this might be, it was a beautiful, -romantic spot, such as we came upon time and again in this strange -country. Well do I remember the succession of little narrow valleys on -the route between Fort Union and Santa Fé; the hard, smooth road, the -tall gramma-grass on each side of it, and the shapely-grown evergreens -bordering the lawn-like fields, till lines of taller trees, coming up -close to the road, seemed to divide off one little valley from the -other. Yet never a house did we see the whole of that day, though the -garden for many a one seemed ready planted by kind mother Nature's -hands. The land was but a desert, in spite of the waving grass and the -dark green trees. There was no water to be found for long, long weary -miles. - -Before we had been long on our journey, an unfortunate circumstance -brought us to doubt the honesty of poor old Manuel so seriously that it -had almost resulted disastrously to him. We had made camp not far from -San Jose, a place consisting of two and a half houses, on the Pecos -river. We were to cross the river here; and in the morning, when the -tents were being struck, and we were already seated in the carriage, -waiting for the mules to be harnessed to it, these same mules were -reported missing. The command moved on, of course, leaving our -baggage-wagon, our cook, our orderly, and ourselves, behind; the old -colonel chuckling to himself that as we were in the habit of looking out -for ourselves, we might do so on this occasion too. - -The mules were unharnessed from the wagon at once, Charley mounted on -one, Pinkan on the other, Manuel on the third, and the lieutenant on the -fourth, all starting off in different directions to search for the -truants, while I was left in charge of the other two mules and the rest -of our effects. A long time passed before any of them returned; and when -Charley came back, soon after the lieutenant, he said he had heard from -a Dutchman in San Jose that two mules answering the description had been -seen driven by a Mexican, just at daybreak, over the bridge near the -town; and the supposition now was that Manuel had sold them to some of -his countrymen, always going in gangs through the Territory. Manuel soon -came in, without the mules. When the lieutenant told him of his -suspicions his face fell; and when the vague threat of summary justice -to be executed was added, his shrivelled, monkeyish face grew livid, and -he turned to me trembling, and begging, for the sake of his "pretty -little girls," that I should intercede, and assure the lieutenant that -indeed, _indeed_, he hadn't stolen the mules. I felt sorry for the old -man; but just when things looked darkest for him, Pinkan was seen in the -distance driving up the runaways. - -The reaction of the fright experienced by old Manuel had the effect of -making him drunk when we got to San Jose (perhaps the _aguardiente_ -imbibed at the house of his _compadre_ had something to do with it, -too); and just as I was making my first trial of _chile-con-carne_ in -the low room of the Mexican inn, he came and spread before me, beside -the fiery dish which had already drawn tears from my eyes, papers -certifying that he had rendered good services as teamster in the Mexican -war, under General Zack Taylor, and could be trusted by Americans. If it -was laughable to see the air of pride with which he struck his breast, -declaring in Spanish that he was "a much honorable and brave man," there -was yet a touch of true dignity in the low bow he made while thanking me -for having called him an honest man, while the rest had taken him for a -horse-thief, a _ladrone_ and _picaro_. - -We easily caught up with the command at night, and laid our plans while -in camp for the next few days to come. The troops were not to pass -through Santa Fé, and, though we could have made the detour without the -colonel's knowledge, it was not safe to run into the very jaws of -danger, as General Carleton's headquarters were at Fort Marcy, and he -had probably returned to Santa Fé from Fort Union long before this time, -travelling with only an escort and the best mules in the department. We -had letters to Doctor Steck, "running" a gold-mine about thirty miles -from Santa Fé; and as the command passed near by, we started off into -the mountains where the mine lay. Wild and rugged as the scenery was, it -was not so dreary as I had always fancied every part of the Territory -must be. In some places it seemed as if man had done a great deal to -make the face of nature hideous. Great unseemly holes were dug here, -there, and everywhere--the red, staring earth thrown up, and then left -in disgust at not finding the treasures looked for. The company of which -Doctor Steck was superintendent seemed to have found the treasures, -however, for in their mill half a dozen stamps were viciously crushing -and crunching the rock brought down from the mountains above on -mule-back. - -The doctor is a Pennsylvanian, and he tried to have his ranch look as -much as possible like a Pennsylvania homestead. There were necessarily -slight deviations, more particularly in the furniture of the -dwelling-house, which here consisted mainly of double-barrelled -shot-guns and repeating rifles. These were merely a set-off, I presume, -to the chunks of gold he showed us (the size of a fist), each being a -week's "cleanup." There was quicksilver used in gaining the gold (what I -know about gaining gold is very little), and the doctor turned a stream -of water on the plates under the crushers, and then scraped up the gold -for me to look at. - -I did not learn till months later--though I readily believed it--that -this man could travel alone and unarmed through the midst of the Apache -country; and did he ever miss his road or want assistance, he had but to -make a signal of distress, when the savages would fly to him from their -lurking-places, shelter him, and guide him safely back to his white -brethren. This I learned first from an old Mexican guide at our camp, -who said that the Indians stood in awe of him as a great medicine-man, -and loved him for his uniform kindness to them. - -Santa Fé Mountain behind us, there were no more hills save the -sand-hills, that seem shifting and changing from day to day, so that -very often in the neighborhood of the Rio Grande, the river itself is -followed as a landmark, the land being more unreliable than the water. -The big sand-hill opposite Albuquerque, however, seems to be stationary; -people who had been here twenty years before remembered the location. - -There is something singular about these Mexican towns or cities. You -hear them spoken of as important places, where the law-givers and the -dignitaries of the American _régime_ reside, and where renowned families -of the Spanish period had their homes; where large commercial interests -lie, and where things flourish generally. When you approach them, a -collection of what seem only mud hovels lie scattered before you. You -look for order and regularity of streets, and you find yourself running -up against square mud-piles at every other step; you look for doors and -windows in these structures, and find a narrow opening, reaching to the -ground, on one side, and high up in the wall a little square hole -without glass or shutter. This is the first impression. But you are -compelled to remain at such a place; and as the eye grows to shrink less -from the sight of the hard clay and cheerless sand, you discover the -tips of the pomegranate tree peering curiously over the high mud wall -enclosing a neat _adobe_ with well-cultivated garden. In astonishment -you press your face to the railing of the rude gate, and directly the -soft voice of a dark-faced woman calls to you from within: "Enter, -_señora_; you are welcome!" - -When you leave the garden, where peaches, grapes, and pomegranates have -been showered on you, together with assurances of the kindest feelings -on the part of your hostess, the whole place somehow looks different. -There are streets and lanes which you did not notice before, where the -broad, double doors of the houses stand hospitably open, and the large -square windows, if not provided with sash and glass, are latticed in -fanciful designs, as we see them in old Spanish and Italian paintings. -And there is such a dreamy languor in the air; such a soft tint in the -blue of the heavens; such a wooing, balmy breeze, that seems to float -down from the mountain yonder. There is no necessity for keeping one's -eyes fixed on the sand-hill that hid Albuquerque from us at first. Look -over again to the mountain. Could artist with brush and pencil create -anything more perfect than the gentle rise away off there, over which -houses and vineyards are scattered, and which climbs up steeper and -higher, till the faintest shadow of a passing cloud seems resting on the -blue-green peak? And winding its way slowly from the foot of the -mountain, comes a train of black-eyed, barefooted Pueblo Indian women, -bearing on their heads home-made baskets filled to overflowing with -well-displayed fruit--melons, peaches, grapes--in such perfection, and -with such rich, ripe coloring, as are seldom found away from Mexico. - -Of historical interest, too, there is much in Albuquerque. The daughter -of a Spanish lady belonging to the old family of the Bacas, was married -to an officer in our army, and with her I visited the house of General -Armijo. The younger daughters alone received us, the older married -sister being sick or absent. The house was furnished with elegant -material--the heavy Brussels carpet spread out on the mud floor, -flowers and figures running up and down, just as the carpet had been cut -off at the length of the room, and then rolled back again and cut off at -the other end. The breadths were laid side by side, but not a stitch had -been taken to hold them together. Cushioned chairs were ranged along the -walls of the room, the line broken only where marble-top tables, -what-nots, and a Chickering piano were introduced among them--all set -against the wall without symmetry or taste. On the walls hung pictures, -in embroidery, water-colors, and oil, executed by the young ladies while -in a convent school; but in vain I looked for a picture of General -Armijo among them. It was here at Albuquerque that I saw for the first -time--and alas! the last--Kit Carson, and the less renowned but equally -brave Colonel Pfeiffer. - -Beyond Albuquerque the road lies again over the sand-hills and through -the valleys of the Rio Grande; and we lost our way among the hills one -day, when the command had passed but a short distance in advance of us. -For hours we toiled through the shifting sand, hoping that each mound we -climbed might bring the marching column to our view. Fortunately, -Manuel, with the wagon, had fallen in line with the train that morning, -and only Pinkan, riding the lieutenant's horse and leading mine, was -with us. The lieutenant was driving, and I could see from the way his -eyes wandered over the interminable range of low sand-hills that he was -completely bewildered. All at once we came on a house, which, from a -distance, we had taken to be another sand-pile; and the Mexicans living -here, after treating us to the best their house afforded--eggs, and the -sweet, unsalted goat-milk cheese--piloted us to Los Pinos, where we were -to camp for the night. Here the command crossed the Rio Grande--forded -it, bag and baggage--and the next day remained in camp below Peralta, -where the tents were pitched in a delightful grove of cottonwood trees. - -It has been said that a Mexican is born with a lasso in his hand. The -feat old Manuel performed with his was quite new to me. Wood was so -scarce that not the smallest bit of a dry limb or broken twig could be -found under the trees. The lower branches having been lopped off, and -the soldiers forbidden to cut down any trees, our old Mexican at once -went to work with his rope, throwing it so dexterously over the brittle -limbs that a snap and a crash followed every excursion of the rope. - -We made a flying trip to Peralta the next morning, while the command was -marching in the opposite direction. The place, with its pretty church -and scattered houses, surrounded by walled-in gardens, made quite a -pleasing impression. Then we turned back and joined the command. - -The road now was one continuous level, with hills, uniformly bare and -brown, in the distance. Bare and brown as they look, thousands of goats -are herded on them, and, to judge from the milk and cheese we got on the -road, find pretty good picking till such time as "Lo! the poor Indians" -think proper to drive off the herds for their own use, when they are in -most cases generous enough to leave the herders behind--dead. And the -sun, smiling down so placidly on the river and the little towns lying -near its banks, seems never to heed the death-cry of the helpless _peon_ -or the lonely wayfarer laid low in the dust by the prowling savage, but -goes on lighting up the cloudless sky-dome, and bringing into strong -relief the different features of scenery, life, and customs, that make a -journey through New Mexico resemble a sojourn in the Holy Land. Through -all those towns along the Rio Grande do we see the daughters of the -land, barefooted, their faces half hidden by the oriental-looking -_rebozo_, the earthen _olla_ poised gracefully on the head, going at -eventide to the well for water. Belen, Sabinal, Polvedaro--here are the -low-built houses, the flat roofs, the gray-green olive here and there; -even the wheaten cake, the _tortilla_, is set before the stranger when -he comes. Then this dead, dead silence! The barking of the dogs as we -come through the villages, the drawling sing-song of the children, -calling to each other at the unusual spectacle we present, seem hardly -to break the slumber of the mid-day air. - -So wearying as the one color--clay--grows to the eye! the ground, the -houses, the fence-walls, the bake-ovens, all, all the same color. Even -where there are gardens, with the enclosing wall seems to terminate -vegetation; never a vagabond grass-blade or a straggling vine can find -its way outside. Bake-ovens are an institution and a marked feature in -the landscape; every house has one, and as they are built with a -dome-like top, they are more pleasing to the eye than the houses, and -very often nearly as large. I remember seeing one day a dog and a little -naked child (clothing is considered superfluous on children) mount from -the mud fence to the top of the bake-oven, and from there to the house -roof, with no more difficulty than we would experience in going up a -flight of easy stairs. The bread that the Mexicans bake in these ovens -is the sweetest and whitest that can be found. - -Then came Socarro, where most of the officers spent the day, while the -command went into camp some miles below. An English family kept a very -pleasant house there, whose good cheer the old colonel had not forgotten -from long ago. The garden back of the neatly-built house I thought one -of the loveliest spots on earth; not from the fact alone that it -contained flowers and some few tall trees, but from the view it afforded -of the far-off mountain--probably of the Sierra Maddalena chain, but -called Socarro Mountain here. There was the same dreamy haze that hung -over the mountain near Albuquerque, and the same bluish-green tint that -made it appear wooded to the top. A hot spring takes its rise in the -mountain somewhere, and the tiny stream at my feet seemed hardly cold -yet, though its waters had travelled many miles from its source. - -Fort Craig, though an important military post, is not celebrated for the -beauties or grandeur of the country surrounding. We crossed the Rio -Grande here again--two companies only, the colonel, with the other -three, having been assigned to Fort Craig. Toward the Jornada del Muerto -we journeyed, making camp before entering the desert at Parajo, the Fra -Cristobal of the Texan Santa Fé prisoners who were driven through here -in 1842, on their long, weary journey to the city of Mexico. They had -been captured, or rather tricked into a surrender, near Anton Chico, -and, from Albuquerque down, I traced them all along the Rio Grande. They -had been marched on the opposite side of the river, taking in their way -Sandia, Valencia, Tome, Casa Colorada, and La Joya, crossing the river -at Socarro, and recrossing probably near where Fort Craig now stands. - -Such heart-rending tales as were told us of the sufferings and the -diabolical treatment of these helpless men--mere youths, some of them, -the sight of whom brought out all the native tenderness, the true -charity there is in the heart of every Mexican woman! As in Albuquerque, -the shadow of Governor Armijo--tall and stately, though with something -of a braggart in his carriage, and the glare of a hyena in his eye--was -ever rising before me, so in this wretched place did I seem always to -hear the gentle, pitying "_Pobrecitos!_" of the kind-hearted women, who -brought the last bit of _tornale_, the last scrap of _tortilla_ that -their miserable homes afforded, to these men who were so soon to be -driven like cattle, and shot down like dogs, when their bleeding feet -refused to carry them further on their thorny path. Had the horrible -stretch of ninety-five miles of desert-land now before us not been -christened "Dead Man's Journey" before these unfortunates passed over -it, the baptism of the blood of those wantonly slaughtered there would -have fastened on it that name forever. - -Two companies of United States cavalry are not hastily attacked by ye -noble red man, and we slept peacefully on the Jornada--though close to -our tent, the first night, were two graves, dug for their murdered -comrades years ago by some of the men now in the company. - -A number of wagons had been loaded with water-casks, filled before -entering the Jornada, so that we did not suffer; yet we were all glad -when, on the third day, Fort Seldon was reached. After a rest of two -days, we once more crossed the river, on a ferry-boat moved with a rope, -leaving the other company at Fort Seldon, and proceeding alone, with the -last company, to the farthest out-post of the department. At this place -we disposed of our carriage to the post surgeon, as we were told that -among the mountains in the vicinity of Pinos Altos we should have no use -for it, while the officers of this garrison could make excursions to -Donna Ana, Los Cruces, and even La Messilla, over the level and rather -pleasant country. - -The first day out, a heavy rain-storm came on, and I was glad enough to -leave the saddle and seek shelter in the linen-covered army-wagon, where -Manuel arranged quite a comfortable bed for me--seat it could not be -called. And here let me say that, with bedding and blankets, spread over -boxes and bundles underneath, there is more comfort to be found in one -of these big wagons, where you can recline at full length, than in the -most elegant travelling-carriage, where you have always to maintain the -same position. - -The stretch between Fort Seldon and Fort Cummings proved harder for us -than the Jornada del Muerto. It was reported that large bands of Indians -were hovering round us, and we could make no fires to cook by, but were -hurried on as fast as possible. Many of the horses gave out and had to -be shot; and my poor Toby was sometimes so tired from carrying me over -the rough country, and up and down the rocky hills, that more then once -he stopped and nibbled at my stirrup-foot--asking me in this peculiar -language to dismount. - -The soldiers were better off than we were, for they had their rations of -hard-tack and salt bacon, which needed no cooking; while the dressed -chickens and tender-steaks we had providently brought from Fort Seldon -with us, uncooked, were going to decay in the provision-box, and we -might have gone hungry had not the men divided with us. No one can think -how sweet a bit of bacon tastes with a piece of hard-tack, when offered -by a soldier whose eyes are shining with honest delight at being able to -repay some trifling kindness shown him on the march. - -The rock-strewn mountains of Cook's cañon frowned darkly on us as we -made our way into Fort Cummings. The sable garrison, it is said, never -ventured beyond the high mud walls with less than twenty-five in the -party, were it only to bring a load of wood from the nearest grove of -scanty timber. - -At no post, I am fain to confess, have I seen a larger number of -mementos of Indian hostility than at this fort. And the negroes had all -the more cause to dread attacks from the Indians, as they had been -accosted the first time they went out--a fatigue-party, to cut wood--by -an Indian chief, who told them that he was their brother, and that it -was their duty to come and join his band against their common enemy, the -white man. The black braves refused, returning to the post without their -load of wood; and since that time no fatigue-party ever returned that -did not bring back at least one of their number dead or wounded. - -The last thing we did before leaving this post was to stop at the large -basin of water, Cook's Spring, there to drink, and let the animals -drink, a last draught of the pure, clear flood. How many a heart had -this spring gladdened, when its sight broke on the longing eyes of the -emigrant, before human habitations were ever to be found here! Just at -the foot of the rough, endless mountain, the men who had come under -protection of our train from Fort Cummings pointed out where the two -mail-riders coming from Camp Bayard--our destination--had been ambushed -and killed by the Indians only the week before. I had heard of these two -men while at the Fort, one of whom, a young man hardly twenty, seemed to -have an unusually large number of friends among men of all classes and -grades. When smoking his farewell pipe before mounting his mule for the -trip to Camp Bayard, he said: "Boys, this is my last trip. Mother writes -that she is getting old and feeble; she wants me to come home; so I've -thrown up my contract with Uncle Sam, and I'm going back to Booneville -just as straight as God will let me, when I get back from Bayard. It's -hard work and small pay, anyhow--sixty dollars a month, and your scalp -at the mercy of the red devils every time you come out." The letter was -found in the boy's pocket when the mutilated body was brought in. - -It was no idle fancy when I thought I could see the ground torn up in -one place as from the sudden striking out of horses' hoofs. One of the -men confirmed the idea that it was not far from the place where the body -had been found. The mule had probably taken the first fright just there, -where the rider had evidently received the first arrow, aimed with such -deadly skill that he fell in less than two minutes after it struck him. - -This gloomy spot passed, the country opened far and wide before us; -level and rather monotonous, but with nothing of the parched, sterile -appearance that makes New Mexico so dreaded by most people. Trees were -few and far between; but later, where the Mimbres river rolls its placid -waters by, there are willows, and ash even, as I have heard people -affirm. But I must not forget the hot spring we camped by for an hour -or two, the _Aqua Caliente_ of the Mexicans. A square pond, to approach -which you must clamber up a natural mud wall some two feet high, lay -bubbling and steaming near the shade of some half dozen wide-spreading -trees. That corner of the pond where the water boils out of the earth -had once been tapped, apparently, and the water led to the primitive -bath-tubs, made by digging down into the hard, clayey ground. A -dismantled building showed that the place had at some time been -permanently occupied, which was said to be the case by the Mexican -family living under one of the trees, and who were sojourning here for -the purpose of having life restored to the paralyzed limbs of one of the -children. The people who had lived here were driven off by Indians, but -I have heard since that the place had been rebuilt. - -The second day after leaving Fort Cummings we came in sight of a lovely -valley, enclosed on all sides by low wooded hills, with bold, -picturesque mountains rising to the sky beyond. A clear brook--so clear -that it was rightly baptized Minne-ha-ha--gambolled and leaped and -flashed among the green trees and the white tents they overhung; and in -their midst a flag-staff, at whose head the stars and stripes were -flying, told me that we had reached our journey's end. - - - - -_TO TEXAS, AND BY THE WAY._ - - -I had not seen New Orleans since I was eight years of age, and to Texas -I had never been; so I was well pleased with the prospect of visiting -the southern country. To one coming direct from California, overland by -rail, it seems like entering a different world--a world that has been -lying asleep for half a century--when the great "pan-handle" route is -left to one side, and Louisville once passed. Though we know that the -country was not asleep--only held in fetters by the hideous nightmare, -Civil War--I doubt if the general condition of things would have been in -a more advanced state of prosperity if the old order of affairs had -remained unchanged, as the march of improvement seems naturally to lag -in these languid, dreamy-looking southern lands. - -The line between the North and the South seems very sharply drawn in -more respects than one. We were scarcely well out of Louisville before -delays and stoppages commenced; and though the country was pleasant -enough to look at in the bright, fall days, it was not necessary to stop -from noon till nightfall in one place, to fully enjoy the pleasure. -Another drawback to this pleasure was the reliance we had placed on the -statement of the railroad agent, who told us it was quite unnecessary to -carry a lunch-basket "on this route." Since we had found a lunch-basket, -if not really cumbersome, at least not at all indispensable, from -Sacramento to Omaha, we saw no reason why we should drag it with us -through a civilized country, and consequently suffered the penalty of -believing what a railroad ticket-agent said. In another section of the -same sleeping-car with us was a party who had been wiser than we, and -had brought loads of provisions with them. No wonder: they were -Southerners, and had learned not to depend on the infallibility of their -peculiar institutions. - -The head of the party was a little lady of twenty-five or thirty years, -with pale, colorless face, and perfectly bloodless lips. I should have -gone into all sorts of wild speculations about her--should have fancied -how a sudden, dread fright had chased all the rosy tints from her lips -back to her heart, during some terrible incident of the war; or how the -news, too rashly told, of some near, dear friend stricken down by the -fatal bullet, had curdled the red blood in her veins, and turned it to -ice before it reached her cheeks--had she not been so vigorous and -incessant a scold. Now it was the French waiting-maid to whom she -administered a long, bitter string of cutting rebukes, while the -unfortunate girl was lacing up my lady's boots; next it was her younger -sister--whom she was evidently bringing home from school--whose lips she -made to quiver with her sharp words; and then, for a change, the mulatto -servant was summoned, by the well-scolded waiting-maid, to receive his -portion of the sweets meted out. An ugly thing she was, and so different -from the Southern lady I had met in the hotel at Louisville--one of the -most beautiful women I have ever seen--whose grace nothing could exceed -as she handed me a basket of fruit across the table, when one glance had -told her that I was a stranger and tired out with the heat and travel. - -But, in spite of what I have said, I must confess that I accepted the -sandwiches the little scold sent us, for the supper-station was not -reached till eleven o'clock at night. As the conductor promised us -another good, long rest here, the gentlemen left the ladies in the cars, -and returned after some time, followed by a number of negroes, who -carried a variety of provisions and divers cups of coffee. I thought, -of course, that it was luncheon brought from some house established at -the station for that purpose; but was told that the chicken the mulatto -boy was spreading before us had been abstracted from his massa's -hen-yard, and that the eggs the old negro was selling us had not by any -means grown in his garden. Only the coffee, which was sold at -twenty-five cents a cup, was a legitimate speculation on the part of -some white man (I am sure his forefathers were from the State of Maine), -who went shares with the negro peddling it, and charged him a dollar for -every cup that was broken or carried off on the cars, which accounted -for the sable Argus' reluctance to leave our party till we had all -swallowed the black decoction and returned the cups. - -We were to take dinner at Holly Springs, some time next day; and it -_was_ "some time" before we got there, sure enough. We had picked up an -early breakfast somewhere on the road, and when the dinner-bell rang at -the hotel as the cars stopped, we did not lose much time in making our -way to the dining-room. The door, however, was locked, and we stood -before it like a drove of sheep, some hundred or two people. Through the -window we could see mine host, in shirt-sleeves and with dirty, matted -beard, leisurely surveying the crowd outside; in the yard, and on the -porch near us, stood some barefooted negroes, with dish-cloth and napkin -in hand, staring with all their might at train and passengers, as though -they were lost in speechless wonder that they should really have come. -In the party with us was a Californian, some six feet high, who, though -a Southerner by birth, had lived too long in California to submit -patiently to the delay and inconvenience caused by the "shiftlessness" -of the people hereabouts. - -"Now, you lazy lopers," he called to the darkies, swinging the huge -white-oak stick he carried for a cane, "get inside to your work. And if -that door ain't opened in five seconds from now, I'll break it down with -my stick." - -He drew his watch; and, either because of his determined voice, or his -towering figure, the darkies flew into the kitchen, and the landlord -sprang to open the door, while the crowd gave a hearty cheer for the big -Californian. - -New Orleans seemed familiar to me; I thought I could remember whole -streets there that I had passed through, as a little child, clinging to -the hand of my father--himself an emigrant, and looking on all the -strange things around him with as much wonder as the two little girls he -was leading through the town. How it came back to me! the slave-market, -and the bright-faced mulatto girl, hardly bigger than myself, who so -begged of my father to buy her and take her home with him, so that she -could play with and wait on us. There was nothing shocking to me, I -regret to say, in seeing this laughing, chattering lot of black humanity -exposed for sale, though my good father doubtlessly turned away with a -groan, when he reflected on what he had left behind him, in the old -fatherland, to come to a country where there were liberty and equal -rights for all. I can fancy now what he must have felt when he spoke to -the little woolly-head, in his sharp, accentuated dialect, which his -admirers called "perfect English," as he passed his hand over her cheek -and looked into her face with his great, kind eyes. He said he had -brought his children to a free country, where they could learn to work -for themselves, and carve out their own fortunes; and where they must -learn to govern themselves, and not govern others. - -Day after day, on foot or in carriage, we rambled through the streets, -and I never addressed a single question to the driver or any of the -party, satisfied with what information accidentally fell on my -half-closed ear. I was living over again one of the dreams of my early -days: the dream I had dreamed over again so often, among the snows of -the biting, cold Missouri winter, and on the hot, dusty plains of -Arizona, amid the curses of those famishing with thirst and the groans -of the strong men dying from the fierce stroke of the unrelenting sun. -Passing through the parks and by the marketplaces, I saw again the negro -women, with yellow turbans and white aprons, offering for sale all the -tempting tropical fruits which foreigners so crave, and still dread. And -I thought I saw again the white, untutored hands of my father, as he -laboriously prepared seats for us in the deepest shade of the park, and -dealt out to us the coveted orange and banana. The cool, delicious -fruit, and the picture of flowers and trees in the park; the black, -kindly faces of the negro servants, and the laughing, white-clad -children at play--how often I had seen them again in my dreams on the -desert! - -Canal street looked lonely and deserted, as did the stores and shops -lining either side of the broad, aristocratic street. The material for a -gay, fashionable promenade was all there; only the people were wanting -to make it such. True, there were groups occasionally to be seen at the -counters of the shops, but in most such cases a black, shining face -protruded from under the jaunty little bonnet, perched on a mass of -wool, augmented and enlarged by additional sheep's-wool, dyed black. One -of these groups dispersed suddenly one day, vacating the store with all -the signs of the highest, strongest indignation. The tactless -storekeeper, who had not yet quite comprehended the importance and -standing of these useful members of society, had unwittingly offended an -ancient, black dame. She had asked to see some silks, and the shopkeeper -had very innocently remarked, "Here, aunty, is something very nice for -you." - -"I wish to deform you, sir," replied Aunt Ebony, bridling, "that my name -is Miss Johnson." With this she seized her parasol and marched out of -the store, followed by her whole retinue, rustling their silks, in -highest dudgeon. - -On my way to the ferry, when leaving New Orleans for Texas, I saw -something that roused all the "Southern" feeling in me. Two colored -policemen were bullying a white drayman, near the Custom-house. I must -confess I wanted to jump out, shake them well, take their clubs from -them, and throw them into the Mississippi (the clubs, I mean, not the -precious "niggers"). What my father would have said, could he have seen -it, I don't know; the grass had long grown over his grave, and covered -with pitying mantle the scars that disappointments and a hopeless -struggle to accomplish purposes, aimed all too high, leave on every -heart. - -As the cars carried us away from the city, and gave us glimpses of the -calm water, and the villas, and orange-groves beyond, there came to me, -once more, - - - "The tender grace of a day that is dead." - - -It was just a soft, balmy day as this, years ago, when we lay all day -long in a bayou, where the water was smooth and clear as a mirror, and -the rich grass came down to the water's edge; and through the grove of -orange and magnolia, the golden sunlight sifted down on the white walls -and slender pillars of the planter's cottage. Stalwart negroes sang -their plaintive melodies as they leisurely pursued their occupation, and -birds, brighter in plumage than our cold, German fatherland could ever -show us, were hovering around the field and fluttering among the growing -cotton. - -The graceful villa was still there, and the glassy waters still as -death; but the villa was deserted, and the rose running wild over -magnolia-tree and garden-path; the cotton-field lay waste, and the -negro's cabin was empty, while the shrill cry of the gay-feathered birds -alone broke the silence that had hopelessly settled on the plantation. -Farther on, I saw the cypress-forests and the swamps, and I fancied that -the trees had donned their gray-green shrouds of moss because of the -deep mourning that had come over the land. The numberless little bayous -we crossed were black as night, as though the towering trees and the -tangled greenwood, under which they crawled along, had filled them with -their bitter tears. But the sun shone so brightly overhead, that I shook -off my dark fancies, particularly when my eyes fell on the plump, white -neck and rounded cheeks of the lady in the seat before me. I had noticed -her at the hotel in New Orleans, where I recognized her at once as a -bride, though she had abstained, with singularly good taste, from -wearing any of the articles of dress outwardly marking the character. I -hoped, secretly, that I might become acquainted with her before the -journey ended, for there was something irresistibly charming to me in -her pleasant face and unaffected manner. My wish was soon gratified; for -the very first alligator that came lazily swimming along in the next -bayou so filled her with wonder, that she quickly turned in her seat and -called my attention to it. Soon came another alligator, and another; and -some distance below was a string of huge turtles, ranged, according to -size, on an old log. As something gave way about the engine at this -time, we could make comments on the turtle family at our leisure; and -when the cars moved on again, we felt as though we had known each other -for the last ten years. - -I cannot think of a day's travel I have ever enjoyed better than the -ride from New Orleans to Brashear. The dry, dusty roads and withered -vegetation I had left behind me in California, made the trees and green -undergrowth look so much more pleasant to me. The ugly swamp was hidden -by the bright, often poisonous, flowers it produces; and though the -dilapidated houses and ragged people we saw were not a cheerful relief -to the landscape, it was not so gloomy as it would have been under a -lowering sky or on a barren plain. - -A steamer of the Morgan line, comfortable and pleasant as ever a steamer -can be, carried us to Galveston--a place I had pictured to myself as -much larger and grander. But the hotel--though my room did happen to -look out on the county jail--was well kept; and some of the streets -looked like gardens, from the oleander-trees lining them on either side. -The trees were in full blossom, and they gave a very pleasant appearance -to the houses, in front of which they stood. Some few of these houses -looked like a piece of fairyland: nothing could have been built in -better taste, nothing could be kept in more perfect order. Too many of -them, however, showed the signs of decay and ruin, that speak to us with -the mute pathos of nerveless despair from almost every object in the -South. We planned a ride on the beach for the next day, which we all -enjoyed, in spite of the somewhat fresh breeze that sprung up. The bride -was anxious to gather up and carry home a lot of "relics"--a wish the -bridegroom endeavored to gratify by hunting up on the strand a dead -crab, a piece of ship-timber, and the wreck of a fisherman's net. -Discovering that the driver was a German, I held converse with him in -his native tongue, which had the pleasing effect of his bringing to -light, from under the sand, a lot of pretty shells, which the delighted -little bride carried home with her. - -The following day we started for Houston. Eight o'clock had been -mentioned as the starting hour of the train for that locality, but the -landlord seemed to think we were hurrying unnecessarily when we entered -the carriage at half-past seven. There was no waiting-room at the -starting-point that I could see, and we entered the cars, which stood in -a very quiet part of the town (not that there was the least noise or -bustle in any part of it), and seemed to serve as sitting and -dining-rooms for passengers, who seemed to act generally as if they -expected to stay there for the day. But we left Galveston somewhere -toward noon, and since we were all good-natured people, and had become -pretty well accustomed to the speed of the Southern railroads, we -really, in a measure, enjoyed the trip. The people in the cars--many of -the women with calico sun-bonnets on their heads, and the men in coarse -butternut cloth--reminded me of the Texan emigrants one meets with in -New Mexico and Arizona, where they drag their "weary length" along -through the sandy plains with the same stolid patience the passengers -exhibited here, listlessly counting the heads of cattle that our train -picked up at the different stations on the road. The wide, green plains -looked pleasant enough, but I wanted to stop at the little badly-built -houses, and earnestly advise the inhabitants to plant trees on their -homesteads, as the best means of imparting to them the air of "home," -which they were all so sadly lacking. The cattle roaming through the -country looked gaunt and comfortless--like the people and their -habitations. - -Night crept on apace; and though I have forgotten (if I ever knew) what -the cause of delay happened to be, I know that we did not reach Houston -till some five or six hours later than the train was due. I was -agreeably surprised to find vehicles at the depot, waiting to carry -passengers to the different hotels. Our hotel-carriage was an old -omnibus, with every pane of glass broken out; and the opposition hotel -was represented by a calash, with the top torn off and the dashboard -left out. Still more agreeable was the surprise I met with in the hotel -itself--a large, handsome, well-furnished house, giving evidence in -every department of what it had been in former days. Before the war, the -step of the legislator had resounded in the lofty corridor, and the -planter and statesman had met in the wide halls, bringing with them -life, and wealth, and social enjoyment to the proud little city. Now, -alas! the corridors were cheerless in their desolation, and the grand -parlors looked down coldly on the few people gathered there. The -proprietor had years ago lived in California; and of this he seemed -unreasonably proud, as something that everybody could not accomplish. -His wife was a Southern woman, and had not yet learned to look with -equanimity upon the undeniable fact that her husband was keeping a -hotel. I am sure that she had no reason to deplore the loss of her -husband's wealth and slaves on that account; for both she and her -husband were people who would have been respected in any part of the -world, even if they had _not_ kept hotel. - -In the midst of a hot, sultry day, a fierce norther sprang up, chilling -us to the bone, and causing us to change our original intention of -remaining here for some time. The bride, too, and her husband, were -willing to return to a more civilized country at an early day. Together -we went back, and were greeted at the hotel we had stopped in, and by -people on the steamer, as pleasantly as though we were in the habit of -passing that way at least once a month. At New Orleans we parted, the -new husband and wife returning to St. Louis, while I retraced my steps -to Louisville, _en route_ to New York. - -In the cars I was soon attracted by the appearance of a lady and -gentleman--evidently brother and sister--accompanied by an elderly negro -woman. The gentleman seemed in great distress of mind, and the lady was -trying to speak comfort to his troubled spirits. The negro woman would -gaze longingly out of the window, shading her eyes with her hand, and -then stealthily draw her apron over her cheeks, as though the heat -annoyed her. But I knew she was crying, and the sobs she tried to -repress would sometimes almost choke the honest old negro. The train -went so slow--so slow; and the gentleman paced nervously up and down, -whenever the cars stopped on the way. - -Great sorrow, like great joy, always seeks for sympathy; and in a short -time I knew the agony of the father, who was counting every second that -must pass before he could reach the bedside of his dying child. A -young, strong maiden, she had been sent by the widowed father to a -convent, in the neighborhood of Louisville, there to receive the -excellent training of the sisters of the school. Stricken down suddenly -with some disease, they had immediately informed the father by -telegraph; and he, with his sister, and Phrony, the old nurse of the -girl, had taken the next train that left New Orleans. Both he and his -father had been prominent secessionists, had been wellnigh ruined by the -war, and had hoarded what little they could save from the common wreck, -only for this daughter--and now she was dying. So slowly moved the -train! Hour after hour the brother paced up and down the narrow space in -the cars, while the sister poured into my ears the tale of his hopes and -fears, their wretchedness and their perseverance during the war, and -how, in all they had done and left undone, the best interests of Eugenia -had been consulted and considered. The negro woman had crouched down at -our feet, and was swaying back and forth with the slow motion of the -cars, giving vent to her long pent up grief, and sobbing in bitterness -of heart: "Oh, Miss Anne! Miss Anne! why didn't you let me go with my -chile?" - -To make full the cup of misery, we were informed next morning that our -train would stop just where it was till six o'clock in the evening, when -some other train would come along and carry us on. I don't think that -the colonel (the father) did any swearing, but I fear that some of the -Californians who were of our party did more than their share. Going to -the nearest station, he telegraphed the cause of his delay to the -sisters of the convent, and then waited through the intolerably long -day. At nightfall the train moved on, slowly, slowly, creeping into -Louisville at last, in the dull, cold, dismal day. Snow-flakes were -falling in the gray atmosphere, settling for a moment on the ragged, -shivering trees, ere they fluttered, half dissolved, to the muddy -ground. The wind rose in angry gusts now and again, whirling about the -flakes, and trying to rend the murky clouds asunder, as though jealous -of the drizzling fog that attempted to take possession of the earth. - -Breathlessly the colonel inquired for dispatches at the hotel. Yes; his -child still lived! A buggy was ready, awaiting them at the door, and the -brother and sister drove off, leaving Phrony to take possession of their -rooms. I can never forget the heart-broken look of Phrony when the buggy -vanished from sight. - -"You see," said I, "there was no room in the buggy for you. If they had -waited to engage a carriage, they might have been too late." - -"Yes, Miss," said Phrony, absently, and turned away. - -Toward the close of the day, when already hooded and cloaked for the -onward journey, I was informed that Eugenia was dead: her father had -received but her parting breath. The dispatch was sent for the -information of those who had shown such sympathy for the grief-stricken -father. I stepped over to the colonel's rooms, where I knew Phrony was. -She was sitting on a little trunk by the fire, with her apron over her -head, and her body bent forward. - -"Then you know it, Phrony?" I asked. - -"Yes, yes; knowed it all along, Miss. Hadn't never no one to take care -of her but her old mammy! Oh, my chile! my chile! my little chile! And -she's done gone died, without her mammy! Oh, my chile! my chile!" - -I tried to speak kindly to her, but my sobs choked me. I looked out of -the window, but there was no light there. The snow was falling to the -ground in dogged, sullen silence, and the wind, as though tired out with -long, useless resistance, only moaned fitfully at times, when clamoring -vainly for admission at the closed windows. - -Was it not well with the soul just gone to rest? Was it not better with -her than with us--with me--who must still wander forth again, out into -the snow, and the cold, and the night? - -"Oh, my chile! my chile!" sobbed the woman, so black of face, but true -of heart; "if I could only have died, and gone to heaven, and left you -with Massa Harry! Oh, Miss Anne! Miss Anne! what made you take my chile -away from me?" - -"It is only for a little while that you will be parted from her, -Phrony," I said. - -"Bress de Lord! Yes, I'll soon be with my little chile again. But she's -dead now, and I can't never see her no more. Oh, my chile! my chile!" - -I closed the door softly, for I heard the warning cry of the coachman -who was to take us to the outgoing train. - - - - -_MY FIRST EXPERIENCE IN NEW MEXICO._ - - -On a warm, pleasant afternoon in the latter part of August, 1866, our -command reached the post to which it had been assigned--Fort Bayard, New -Mexico. Our ambulance was driven to the top of a little hill, where I -had leisure to admire the singular beauty of the surrounding country, -while my husband was superintending the pitching of the tent. - -The command to which we belonged was the first body of Regulars that had -been sent across the Plains since the close of the war. Fort Bayard had -been garrisoned by a company of colored troops, who were now under -marching orders, and our soldiers were to build the fort, which, as yet, -existed only in the general's active brain. The Pinos Altos gold mines -were only twelve miles distant from here, and all the other -mines--copper and gold--lying within a range of fifteen miles, had been -prosperously and profitably worked, by Mexicans and Americans; but after -the breaking out of the war, when the troops had been withdrawn from the -Territory, bands of roving, hostile Indians had visited one mine after -another, leaving in their wake mutilated corpses and blackened ruins. -The news of the soldiery coming to this rich mining country was drawing -miners and adventurers from far and near, and Pinos Altos promised to -become a mining district once more. - -Looking around me, I saw a number of officers approaching from where the -One Hundred and Twenty-fifth Infantry was camped. They came to welcome -us to the camp, and I should have liked to receive them "in style;" but -all I could do was to smooth my hair with my hand. The tent was not yet -pitched, and I certainly should not leave the ambulance, for I had -observed hosts of centipedes crawling out from under the rocks that had -been removed to make room for the tent-poles. The officers grouped -themselves around the ambulance, and after congratulating us on our safe -arrival, wondered how I had ever found courage to come to this place. -"Did it not seem an age since I had parted with the last lady, at Fort -Selden?" and "How would I like living here--the only lady in this -wilderness--without quarters, without comforts of any kind?" - -"Oh, I shall do nicely," I said. "I have not slept under a roof since -leaving Fort Leavenworth, five months ago, and all the comforts we are -in want of are commissaries; which of you, gentlemen, is quarter-master, -by the way? I should like to send to the commissary to-day, though it is -after issuing hours." - -"Yes, certainly," said the quarter-master; "but our supply is limited -just now. What do you wish for?" - -"Sugar, coffee, tea," I enumerated; "canned fruit, rice--" - -"Stop! stop!" hurriedly exclaimed the quarter-master; "all in the world -we have in the commissary is soap, salt, and beans. We have taken our -coffee without sugar since the Apaches captured the last train, and we -rather hoped to get commissaries from your train." - -Accustomed as I had become to live on "hard tack" and bacon -occasionally, when it was dangerous to light fires, on account of -"drawing" the Indians, this piece of information did not dampen my -spirits in the least; but at night, while the cook was preparing our -supper of coffee, bacon, and soda-biscuits, the orderly sergeant of the -company made his appearance at the entrance of our tent, and, after the -usual military salute, presented a large tin-pan filled with sugar, and -a bag with coffee. "The men," he said, "had requested that their -rations of coffee and sugar be delivered to the lieutenant's wife, till -the next train should bring fresh supplies." The men had styled me "the -mother of the company;" and this was only one of the many proofs of -good-will and devotion I was constantly receiving, in return for some -little trifling kindnesses I had shown one or the other, while crossing -the plains and deserts of Kansas and New Mexico. A little piece of -linen, to tie up a bruised finger; a cup of vinegar, a lump of white -sugar, to change the taste of the wretched drinking-water, to some poor -invalid, were held in sacred remembrance by these men; and some of them -had risked their lives, in turn, to procure for me a drink of fresh -water, when sick and faint, crossing Jornada del Muerto, that terrible -Journey of Death. - -Our tent looked cozy enough, when finished and furnished. A piece of -brilliant red carpeting was spread on the ground; the bedding was laid -on planks, resting on trestles; the coverlet was a red blanket; the -camp-chairs were covered with bright cloth, and the supper--served on -the lid of the mess-chest--looked clean and inviting. The kitchen, just -back of the tent, was rather a primitive institution: a hole dug into -the ground, two feet long, a foot wide, with two flat, iron bars laid -over it, was all there was to be seen. Two or three mess-pans, a spider, -and a Dutch-oven constituted our kitchen furniture; and with these -limited means, an old soldier will accomplish wonders in the way of -cooking. Before enlisting, one of our servants had been a baker; the -other, a waiter at a hotel; and, between them, they managed the task of -waiting on us very creditably. To be sure, my husband's rank entitled -him to but one servant from the company; but then I was the only lady -with the command, and our company commander was considerate of my -comfort. - -Reveille always comes early; but that first morning in Fort Bayard it -came _very_ early. The knowledge that we had reached "our haven of -rest," after a five months' journey, made me want to sleep. I wished to -feel sure that our tent was not to be struck directly after -breakfast--that the bed would not be rolled up and tumbled into the -army-wagon--that I should not have to creep into the ambulance, and -ride, ride, ride, all that day again. But we had agreed to visit the -great Santa Rita copper mines that day, in company with all the -officers; and Charley was rapping at the tent, to say that breakfast was -almost ready. We started directly after guard-mount: five officers, six -men--who had been detailed as escort--and myself. We were all well -mounted. My own horse, Toby--the swiftest and strongest of them all--was -snow-white, with delicate, slender limbs, and tall, even for a cavalry -horse. The camp was located in a valley, some four miles square; gently -rising hills inclosed it on every side; beyond these, on one side, rose -the San José Mountains, and, in an almost opposite direction, the Pinos -Altos Range. All these hills and mountains were said to contain metal; -copper and gold, and even cinnabar, could be found. And we were now -making our way to the foot-hills, where the officers had promised to -show us some rich leads they had discovered. We dismounted when we had -reached the place; and some of the escort acting as guard against Indian -"surprises," the rest were set to work, with picks and hatchets, to dig -up specimens. They had not long to dig, for every rock they struck -contained copper; and frequently the little specks of gold in it could -be seen with the naked eye. - -But it must not be supposed that these hills were barren, or destitute -of verdure. On the contrary, as far as the eye could reach, even the -highest mountains were covered with grass, scrub-oaks, and cedars; while -in the valley, and on the hills, there was one bright carpet of grass -and wild flowers. The white tents in the valley, with the flag-staff in -the centre, and the flag just moving in the morning breeze, the -dark-green trees shading the tents, the stream of water (called by the -captain Minne-ha-ha) running around the camp--all this looked so -refreshing, so beautiful, after those long day's marches among the -sand-hills of the Rio Grande, and the weary tramps over the burning -deserts we had lately left behind us, that my enthusiasm rose to the -highest pitch. - -"Why don't somebody claim this delightful country?--why don't people in -the army resign, and own mines, and settle down here to live?" I -asked--very irrationally, I am afraid. - -"My dear madam," said the captain, leading me to the edge of the hill, -and pointing downward, where, amid the long, waving grass and bright, -laughing flowers, I discovered the charred logs of what had once been a -miner's cabin, "neither the beauty of the country, nor the wealth of its -minerals, has been overlooked; and hundreds of men have lost their -lives, in trying to wrest from the Indian's grasp what would be a -benefit and blessing to civilization." - -I wanted to go near enough to touch with my hand two graves that were -close by the burnt logs, but the captain refused to let me go. It was -about fifty yards from where the guard was placed; and that, he said, -was almost certain death. He promised, that as soon as the Mexican guide -should return from Fort Craig, he would place him, with a sufficiently -large escort, at my command, to visit the whole of the surrounding -country. The guide--old Cecilio--had lived in this country before it had -come into Uncle Sam's possession; had had many a narrow escape from the -Indians, and knew the history of every mine and shaft in all that -region. Pointing to the San José Mountain Range, the captain said there -was a wagon-road leading along its foot to the Santa Rita mines, but -that he knew of an Indian trail, which would take us there much quicker. -Remounting, we resumed our journey. - -New beauty surprised us every little while: sometimes it was a little -silver rivulet, running over the most beautiful ferns; then a group of -trees and red-berried shrubs; and again, a clump of rare flowers. But -one thing weighed down the spirit like lead, in these wild regions: it -was the death-like, uninterrupted silence that reigned over all. There -was nothing of life to be seen or heard--no bird, no butterfly. The -lizard slipped noiselessly over the rocks at your feet, and the -tarantula gaped at you with wide-open eyes, before retreating to the -shelter of her nest in the ground. But even the carrion-crow, following -wherever human beings lead the way, never left the limits of the camp. - -We had now reached a deep ravine. A shallow creek was running at our -feet; dark, frowning mountains seemed to hem us in on every side; our -horses looked tired, and the captain very unexpectedly announced that he -had lost his way! He said he felt sure that this creek was to be crossed -_somewhere_, but not here where our horses were drinking now. Old -Cecilio had always accompanied him before this, and--and--in short, we -were lost! Just then one of the men rode up to the lieutenant's side, -and said something to him in a low tone. "Where?" asked he. The man -pointed down the creek. The officers dismounted to examine the ground, -and found the fresh tracks of eight or nine Apache Indians. To be sure, -there were eleven men and officers on our side; but our horses were -pretty well worn, and the camp twenty miles away, for aught we knew. The -men looked to their fire-arms, while the officers consulted. If we were -attacked here, the Indians, even if they could not take us, could starve -us out before any party sent out from the fort could find us. Therefore, -to proceed was our only chance. Perhaps, if we could succeed in reaching -the top of the next mountain, we might discover some landmark showing us -our way back to camp. Some one proposed to search again for the trail -to the copper-mine; but the captain told us it was one of the favorite -haunts of the Indians when in this part of the country, and this party -had probably gone there now. At last we moved on, the escort so disposed -that I was covered on every side. The mountain was steep, and covered -with sharp rocks, cactus, and _chaparral_, which appeared to me moving -and peopled with hideous forms. Every moment I expected to hear a savage -yell, and see a shower of arrows flying around our devoted heads. Many a -time a finger was raised and pointed silently, so as not to frighten me, -to some suspicious-looking object; but all remained quiet, and we -reached the summit at last, only to see that we were surrounded by -mountains still higher and steeper than the one we had climbed. Giving -our horses but short breathing-time, we made the next ascent, hoping -then to see our way clear; but again we were disappointed. Never before, -perhaps, had the foot of the white man left its impress on these -solitary heights. There was untold wealth hidden under these sharp -rocks, and in the crevices and clefts that looked so dark and -treacherous in the afternoon sun; but even the mines of Golconda would -have had but little interest for us just then. - -We had now come to a mountain that we must descend some five hundred -feet before we could make the ascent of the next. With trembling legs, -the horses began the steep descent; the first horse stumbled and fell, -and then the men were ordered to dismount and lead their horses. I -wanted to do the same, but was told to remain in the saddle, as I could -not mount quick enough, should the Indians attack us. When the horses -found foothold at last, it was almost impossible to urge them on; so -some of the men volunteered to reconnoitre in different directions, -while the officers remained with me. At last, one of the men, having -reached the summit, telegraphed to us that he had discovered some -friendly post, and made signs how we were to travel round the mountain. -Sundown saw us in camp again, worn out and hungry, but by no means -daunted or discouraged. Santa Rita was to be abandoned until the old -guide returned; but Pinos Altos was to be visited without him, in a day -or two. - -Poor Toby was tired and jaded after this exploit, so he was allowed to -roam through camp, at his "own sweet will," without lariat or -picket-rope; he could always pick out our tent from the rest, and he -came to look into it, one morning, just as the cook had laid a -freshly-baked loaf of bread on the mess-chest to cool. I had been in the -habit of giving Toby a bite of our lunch whenever the command halted, -and I could reach the lunch-basket; he was satisfied with anything I -gave him--a bit of bacon, a piece of "hard-tack," a lump of sugar--and -thinking now, I suppose, that he was being neglected, when I did not -look up from my sewing, he quietly withdrew. The next moment I heard the -men outside shouting, "Thief! you thief!" Stepping to the entrance of -the tent, I saw Toby, the loaf of bread firmly between his teeth, making -his way, at a two-forty gait, across the parade-ground. This made our -bill of fare rather meagre for that day--"slap-jacks" taking the place -of the bread. But, then, we would soon have eggs, the cook said; and he -could do so many things with eggs. Now, these eggs were some that we -expected certain chickens, then _en route_ from Fort Cummings, to lay -for us. An officer there had had some chickens brought up from El Paso, -at great expense and greater trouble; of these, he had promised us three -dozen, and they were now coming to Fort Bayard under escort of ten -cavalrymen. I had made Charley promise, on honor, never to ask to kill -one of these for the table, but to content himself with using the eggs -they would, should, and ought to lay. Toward evening the escort with the -wagon came in sight; all the men rushed down the road to meet it; and -when the box containing the chickens was opened and the flock let loose, -the whole company gave three cheers, and, for days afterward, the men -could be heard, all over camp, crowing like roosters. They never seemed -to get tired of feeding the chickens extra handfuls of corn, religiously -bringing to our kitchen any stray egg a gadding hen had laid in the -company hay. - -The morning was cool and bright, when Copp and Toby, capering and -dancing, as though we had never been lost in the mountains, were led up -to the tent. The escort was already mounted, and every man of the twelve -looked upon this as a holiday. They all had their curiosity to see Pinos -Altos; but the clean gauntlets and white shirts had been donned in honor -of this--to them--great event: escorting the first white lady, an -officer's wife, into Pinos Altos. I can never tire of speaking of the -magnificent scenery in this part of New Mexico. It was not New -Mexico--it was a small piece of the Garden of Eden, thrown in by -Providence, from above, in sheer pity for the Americans, when Uncle Sam -made that Ten Million Purchase, known as the Gadsden. We galloped along -a smooth road, made by the men for hauling fire-wood over, for a mile or -two, till we crossed the Minne-ha-ha, and shortly after struck the Pinos -Altos road. It had been a well travelled road at one time, though the -Indian only had crossed it, in his wanderings, these three or four years -past. Scrub-oak, and shrubs for which I knew no name, by the wayside; -the aloe plant and cactus, _grama_ grass and wild flowers, peeping out -from under fragments of moss-covered rock; here and there a cedar, or -pine, made the impression that we were inspecting extensive -pleasure-grounds; the little stream--Whiskey Creek--that found its -winding way down from Pinos Altos, was bordered by willows, and, though -shallow, afforded us all a cool drink. The road rises almost from the -time of leaving the fort, but so gently at first as to be hardly -noticed. Part of the escort rode before us, for those romantic-looking -hills, springing up here and there on our way, had many a time served -as ambush for the savage hordes that infest all this country; and more -than one grave by the road-side spoke of sudden attack, of sharp -contest, and final defeat. - -An officer alone would have thought it unnecessary to take so large an -escort as ours, but the commanding officer had stipulated that the -lieutenant must not undertake these rides with me unless he took twelve -men. The Indians would risk any number of their braves, he said, to get -an officer's wife into their possession; and then he would have to turn -out his whole command to rescue me. So, to save him this trouble, we -promised to obey orders. - -There was one curious hill, that I never passed without counting from -six to twelve rattlesnakes wriggling up the side of it. This rattlesnake -hill was about half-way between camp and Pinos Altos; and a mile or two -beyond, I saw the first tall pines, from which this region takes its -name. They were giants, in fact; it made me dizzy to look up to the -tallest point I could see, as the tree swayed gently to and fro against -the deep-blue sky. - -Our horses were walking now; the hills grew into mountains, and came -closer around us; the road was hardly a road any more--I doubt that -anything but Indian ponies or pack-trains had ever gone over it, till -the "boys in blue" came here--and the inconsiderate thorns caught and -tore my "best" riding-habit at every step. We could now see the red -earth the miners in this section liked so well to find; they had been -prospecting all along Whiskey Creek, but had gone higher and higher, -till settling in Pinos Altos proper, at last. Up, up, we went, till I -thought we must be nearing the clouds. The air felt sharp and cool, even -in the midday sun, but we had not yet reached the summit. - -At last the advance-guard halted, and one of the men, turning, uttered -an exclamation of wonder and surprise. The Pinos Altos people had cut -down the tall pines as much as possible on this side, because the -Indians had always approached under cover of them when they had made -their attacks on the place; and now, without hindrance or obstruction, -we had a view, such as I have never enjoyed since. All the mountains I -had thought so immensely high lay at our feet, and away beyond them I -could see far into the country--for hundreds of miles, it seemed to me. -To the right of us, we could peer into Old Mexico; the Three -Brothers--three peaks very similar in appearance and close -together--were pointed out to me; and over that way was Janos, they -said--the first town after crossing the border--the place our deserters -and fugitives from justice always tried to reach. Five minutes' ride now -brought us in sight of Pinos Altos--a few straggling shanties, built of -logs, brush, or _adobe_, just as it happened to suit the builder. Beyond -Pinos Altos the world seemed literally shut in, or shut out, by -mountains; there was snow on the highest peaks nine months of the year; -no one had felt inclined to explore them as yet--indeed, it was all -people could do to draw their breath comfortably here, I thought. The -streets in this city had not yet been thoroughly regulated, as some of -the inhabitants had found it convenient to commence mining operations -in, or immediately outside, their houses; and, following a good lead -they had struck, had sometimes continued these operations till some -other miner, with six-shooter in hand, had declared no man had a right -to dig "round his shanty." Some other miner had coaxed the waters of -Whiskey Creek on to his "claim," situated on the other side of town, -having dug for this purpose a ditch some five or six feet deep. Still -another had sunk a shaft twenty feet deep, at his front door, so as to -"hold that mine" for two years. But mining was not confined to the -streets of the city, by any means; companies of five, six, or twenty men -had ventured out as far as their number would permit. It would not have -been a very safe occupation at the best; for even our men, when sent to -cut hay within sight of the fort, had to work with their revolvers -buckled on, and their carbines within reach. How much more, then, did -these men risk, in lonely, out-of-the-way places, where no succor could -reach them--where only the serene sky overhead, and the red demon -inflicting the torture, could hear the last agonized cry that escaped -the blanched lips of his writhing, helpless victim. - -As we approached, the miners laid down their picks, and stared at us. -Here and there a Mexican woman, who had followed the fortunes of her -lord and master into the wilderness, appeared at the door of some -shanty, her head covered with the inevitable _rebozo_; and, taking a -quick survey of our party, would vanish the next moment to communicate -the news of our arrival to her _amigos_ and _compadres_. "Taking" the -ditches, but carefully avoiding the shafts, we came to a house rather -larger and better-appearing than the rest, and were invited by a -mannerly Spaniard to alight and rest in his "house." His wife waited on -us in the pleasantest manner; but the building we had entered consisted -of only one room, which was store, sitting-room, kitchen, and all. The -news of our arrival spread like wild-fire; miners from far and near -hurried to Rodriguez' store; and the place being small, the circle -around us was soon as close as good manners would allow of--and good -manners they all had, Mexicans and Americans. Those who could not find -room inside, were out by the door, patting Toby, examining my -side-saddle, and asking questions of the escort. Señor Rodriguez was in -the habit of weighing the gold the miners found in the course of the -day, and buying it for greenbacks, or exchanging for it such provisions -as he had on hand. A huge, bearded Mexican stepped up to the little -counter now, and emptying his leather bag of its shining contents, -selected the largest piece--the size of a hazel-nut--and presented it -to me, with an air of such genuine honesty, such chivalric grace, that I -felt I could not refuse the gift without wounding the man's feelings. I -could only say, "Thank you," in English; but having accepted this first -offering, I could not refuse to accept from the rest the largest piece -of gold each miner had found that day. The first piece had been the -largest found. - -Taking our departure when the sun was almost hidden behind the -mountains, we could not shake off a nervous feeling as we picked our way -through the labyrinth of rocks, trees, and shrubs, for this was the -favorite hour for Indian attacks. They hardly ever attack a train or -camp after night; their chosen time is just before dark, or early in the -morning, before sunrise; of course, they are not particular as to what -hour of the day they can appropriate your scalp, but they have seldom or -never been known to attack the whites at night. - -We could already see the camp-fires in the distance, when a number of -stealthily moving objects in the road attracted my attention. Toby -snorted as though an Indian were already clutching at the bridle; but a -most discordant yelping, barking, and howling struck my ear just then -like the sweetest of music: a pack of _coyotes_ only had gathered around -us. They followed us all the way to camp, and, surrounding our quarters, -kept up their serenade till broad daylight. A band of equally musical -wild-cats had chosen the infantry camp as the theatre for their -performances; and an occasional roar from one of those long-built, -panther-like animals called California lions taught me that there was -life and animation in Nature here at night, if not in the daytime. - -Old Cecilio having returned during our absence, we started out, the next -morning, after guard-mount, on another exploring expedition. When the -hills, shutting in the valley with the fort, had closed behind us, we -halted for a moment to look down the road by which we had first -approached Fort Bayard. There, before us to the left, lay the San José -Mountain Range, grand and stately, partly covered with cedars, pines, -and firs. Winding along the foot of the range, the eye could follow the -course of the beautiful, silver-clear White Water, bordered by willows, -ash, and poplars. The most fantastic rocks rose abruptly out of the -water, here and there, covered with moss and vines; an aloe plant or -cactus generally adorning the highest point--growing where not a handful -of earth could be seen, from which they might draw life and sustenance. -To the right of us--ah! there was New Mexico, its barren hills, its -monotonous plains, "the trail of the serpent" lying over all; for the -Indians had only lately set fire to the grass, and it had consumed the -scant vegetation. - -An hour's ride brought us in sight of the ruins of the San José copper -mines, on the side of the mountain. It was rather steep climbing to -reach it; but the plateau, on which the works lay, must have been a -quarter of a mile across. Placing sentinels, we inspected the old mill. -Everything was rude and primitive, but huge in dimensions; and the -different _jacals_ that surrounded the _adobe_ building corroborated the -guide's statement that some fifty men had been employed here, "and they -had fought bravely and sold their lives dearly," he said, "the day they -were attacked by the Indians, three or four years ago." - -"A white man," Cecilio continued, "a rebel, had led this band of -Indians, and, adding his knowledge of the habits of the white man to the -cunning of the savages, but few Americans or Mexicans could escape these -fiends. This wretch never erred in the aim he took--a ball through the -neck always sending his victim to his last account--but here, on this -spot, he had found his match. Some American, whose name the guide had -forgotten, had sent a bullet through his traitor's heart, at last; and -the Indians, never resting until the brave man had been laid in the -dust, then left this region, because, possibly, there was nothing more -to destroy." Clearing away the brush and rubbish at our feet, the guide -held up his hand--"And here, _señora_," he said,--pointing to two sunken -graves marked by pieces of smoothed plank,--"here they are buried side -by side: the rebel who led the Indians, and the white man who killed -him." It was nothing uncommon to meet with nameless graves in this -country; but a thrill passed through my heart, as I looked at these two -mounds, where friend and foe slumbered so peacefully, "side by side." - -It was dangerous to tarry long in one spot, the guide reminded us. The -orderly brought Copp and Toby, and we pursued our way through the -laughing, blooming valley. Nuts, grapes, and hops grew wild here; and -peaches, Cecilio said, grew near the Santa Rita mines, but they had been -planted there by the former inhabitants and employés of the mines. The -mines originally belonged to a Spanish lady, to whose ancestors seven -leagues of the country surrounding them had been granted by the Spanish -Government, long before the territory belonged to Uncle Sam. Her -representatives had worked the mines with a force of some two hundred -men, till the Indians had overpowered them, and destroyed the works. The -immense piles of copper-ore, on either side of the road, told us that we -were nearing Santa Rita, at last; and there, just at the point of the -San José Range, lay a large, strongly-built _adobe_ fort. Buildings of -different sizes and kinds lay clustered around this, which appeared to -be furnace and fastness at once. Placing sentinels, we commenced -exploring above ground; under-ground I refused to venture, in my -cowardice. We found works of considerable magnitude; I counted twelve -bellows, in a kind of hall, that must have been sixty feet high, but the -rafters and beams overhead had rotted, and the weight of the mud, with -which all roofs are covered in this country, had borne down the roof, -and half covered an enormous wheel, some forty feet in diameter. -Everything about this wheel that was not wood, was copper; not a vestige -of iron, steel, or stone, was to be seen around here: it was copper, -wood, and _adobe_. But copper was everywhere--copper-ore, so rich that -the veins running through it could be scraped out with a penknife; -copper just smelted; copper beaten into fantastic shapes, as though the -workmen, in their despair, had meant to use these as weapons against the -Indians, when attacked here, years ago. For the same band, with the -white leader, had attacked these works; and Cecilio showed us the dents -the Indian arrows had made in the little wooden door the men had -succeeded in closing, when first attacked. But the families of these men -had lived in the buildings outside the fort; and to rescue wife and -children from death, and worse than death, they had abandoned their -place of safety in the fort, and, with the superintendent leading them, -they had fought the savages bravely, but had been defeated and -slaughtered, at last. Leaving nine men with me, the lieutenant, guide, -and three men descended into the shaft, went some five hundred yards, -and, on their return, reported that everything looked as though deserted -only yesterday. - -Having confidence in old Cecilio, we now took the trail we had missed -the other day, as this would enable us to visit the San José gold mine -on our way back to camp. We could ride only "Indian file," but soon came -to a mountain composed entirely of white flint. Sand and earth, carried -here by the wind, and bearing grass and flowers, could be scraped aside -anywhere, discovering underneath the same semi-transparent rock. Again -we took the narrow trail, which brought us to what appeared to be the -entrance to a cave, in the side of a hill; a wooden cross was fastened -over it, and a road, built entirely by hand, led to the half-consumed -remains of a number of buildings, on the banks of a creek. The guide -and lieutenant entered the mine alone, leaving the men for my -protection, but soon returned, as fallen earth blocked up the passage -near the entrance. - -"But oh, _señora_, the gold taken from this mine was something -wonderful," the guide said, enthusiastically; "and there is still a -whole 'cow-skin' full of it, buried in one of these holes"--pointing to -different shafts we were passing on our way to the burnt cottages. "When -the Indians came here the white men tried to take it with them, but were -so closely pursued that they threw it into one of these places, -intending to come back for it; but all they could do, later, was to bury -their people decently, and the gold is still there--left for some -stranger to find." - -The eyes of the soldiers--gathered around the graves we had dismounted -to see--glittered at the old guide's tale; but the sight of these -lonely, forgotten graves could awaken but one thought in my breast: How -long would it be before another group might bend over our graves and -say, "I wonder who lies buried here!" - - - -***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK OVERLAND TALES*** - - -******* This file should be named 42308-8.txt or 42308-8.zip ******* - - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/4/2/3/0/42308 - - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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