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diff --git a/old/67145-0.txt b/old/67145-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 0ae2c49..0000000 --- a/old/67145-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,6668 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of Old Ninety-Nine’s Cave, by Elizabeth -H. Gray - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world 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. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: Old Ninety-Nine’s Cave - -Author: Elizabeth H. Gray - -Release Date: January 11, 2022 [eBook #67145] - -Language: English - -Produced by: Stephen Hutcheson and the Online Distributed Proofreading - Team at https://www.pgdp.net - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK OLD NINETY-NINE’S -CAVE *** - - - - - -OLD NINETY-NINE’S CAVE - - - - -CONTENTS - - Page - - Illustrations vii - Introduction ix - Chapter I 1 - Chapter II 11 - Chapter III 26 - Chapter IV 49 - Chapter V 97 - Chapter VI 107 - Chapter VII 116 - Chapter VIII 124 - Chapter IX 157 - Chapter X 164 - Chapter XI 193 - Chapter XII 212 - Chapter XIII 246 - Chapter XIV 270 - - - - -[Illustration: Reuben] - - - - -OLD NINETY-NINE’S CAVE - - BY - ELIZABETH H. GRAY - - [Illustration: Le Succès est un Devoir - CMC Pub. Co. - MCM] - - THE C. M. CLARK PUBLISHING CO. - BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - 1909 - - - - - Copyright, 1909 - by - The C. M. Clark Publishing Co. - Boston, Massachusetts - U. S. A. - - All Rights Reserved - - PRESS OF MURRAY AND EMERY COMPANY - BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - - - - - _DEDICATED - To the loving memory of my Father and in grateful - recognition to my friend J. F. C., whose - encouragement made this book possible._ - - - - -ILLUSTRATIONS - - Reuben _Frontispiece_ - - _Page_ - - Margaret 61 - - Into this den of venomous serpents, only the - hardy dared penetrate 149 - - Tim Watson 170 - - Jack De Vere 194 - - Beyond the hills melting into a pinkish haze 206 - - Canal boats still crept sleepily on 248 - - Sam’s Point 255 - - The Rondout Creek tumbled musically over - the rocks below forming many beautiful - cascades 292 - - The laurels take on a rosier hue in the warm - afterglow 308 - - - - -INTRODUCTION - - -Tourists in the Shawangunk region are unanimous in pronouncing it -one of the most beautiful spots east of the Mississippi, and in some -respects unique on this continent. Mokonk and Minnewaska need no eulogy -from any pen, Sam’s Point tells its own story, while the entire Rondout -Valley has a charm of its own. - -It has been the author’s good fortune to have access to old books and -papers relating to the local tradition of “Old Ninety-Nine.” He is said -to have been the last of the Delawares in the Rondout Valley, and, -excepting his death, on which tradition is silent, the account given is -the one generally told. - -The house of Benny De Puy is still standing and the “very spring from -which old Ninety-Nine drank on his way to and from his cave” yet gushes -out not far from the door. - -The photographs of Sam’s Point and Margaret are by V. T. Wright. That -of Reuben and others used are by A. V. Turner. - -The author feels indebted to “The Four Track News and Travel Magazine” -for courteous permission to reprint parts of two articles by herself -that were published by them. - - - - -Old Ninety-Nine’s Cave - -CHAPTER I - - -The Shawangunk Mountains extend from near the center of Ulster County -to the southwestern corner in an almost unbroken chain. The Catskills -are in the northeastern part and between these two ranges is the -Rondout Valley, which extends from the Delaware to the Hudson River, -averaging in width about three miles. - -Shawangunk is an Indian word meaning “Great Wall,” and the range -separates the Wallkill from this beautiful valley. Here flourish the -trailing arbutus, azalea and laurel, and in July that glory of our -continent--the American rhododendron--is found in perfection. - -History and tradition have added charm to the natural beauty of this -region, and every lake and mountain-pass has its legends. - -Early settlers were Dutch, and French Huguenots who found the -country disputed by different tribes of the Delawares. Those -living in Ulster County were called the Esopus Indians, and their -hunting-grounds embraced the territory between the Highlands on the -south, Tendeyackemick on the north, the Hudson on the east, and the -head waters of the Delaware on the west. They were, however, divided -into clans which generally took the name of the place where they lived: -thus those on the east side of the Shawangunk Mountains were called -“Waconawankongs” and those on the west were called “Wawarsings,” -“Minisinks” and “Mamakatings.” Originally they were a portion of the -Minqua or Delawares, who always claimed a protectorate over them and -with whom they merged when driven westward by the settlements of the -whites. - -In the heart of this valley and nestling close to the base of Point -Wawanda lay Nootwyck, a quaint little village and seemingly part of its -surroundings. Huguenot Street intersected the village, running from -east to west towards the mountain, and extended part way up its side. - -It was in December, 1878, that John De Vere hurried up this street -towards the home whose welcome lights glimmered through the falling -snow; even the gaunt Lombardy poplars which lined the street were -attractive in their soft mantle of white. At the extreme end of the -street he turned into his grounds and ascended to the house by the -winding road which led up to it. Being a scholarly man and an admirer -of the Greek style of architecture, his house had been made to conform -as nearly as possible to it. The broad piazza which extended around -three sides commanded a fine view of the valley. - -Springing up the broad steps, Mr. De Vere was soon in the midst of his -family, who were seated at the supper-table. The family consisted of -his mother, wife, and four children: Jack, a handsome young fellow of -twenty-two; Celeste, a girl of twenty; Eletheer, sixteen; and Cornelia, -six. Reuben and Margaret, the two blacks who served them, were husband -and wife. - -“Ugh!” said Mr. De Vere, “a bitter night and this snow added to what -is already on the ground will make a heavy body of it.” - -“I think the temperature is moderating,” said his mother, “and the snow -will probably turn to rain.” - -“Father,” said Jack, “Mr. Valentine Mills called at the office to-day. -He seemed anxious to see you.” - -“What can he want in the country at this season of the year?” returned -his father. - -“He said something about wishing to purchase your mining claim and -erecting a sanitarium on Point Wawanda; he showed me his plans and I -tell you the structure would be an ornament.” - -“O, don’t sell it!” protested Eletheer, “you know that is to be the -site of my hospital.” - -“John, I don’t like that man’s looks and would have as little dealing -as possible with him.” - -“Why, mother, he seems very much of a gentleman.” - -“Nevertheless, I mistrust him.” - -Mrs. De Vere, or “Granny,” was a woman of positive ideas and, in her -younger days, of great executive ability. A strict Calvinist, she had -accepted the doctrines of her church as ultimate truth beyond which -there was no cause for investigation; these questions had been settled -for all time and those who differed from her were either deluded or -wilfully in error. She never obtruded her religious beliefs on others, -but, when asked, always gave them in a remarkably direct manner, which -precluded all argument. - -After supper she retired early, accompanied by Eletheer whose -self-imposed duty it was to see her comfortably tucked in bed and then -read her to sleep from her beloved Bible. Mr. and Mrs. De Vere went -to the library where a bright fire crackled on the hearth, scenting -the room with birch. Throwing himself on a couch, Mr. De Vere with a -deep sigh said: “You know the mortgage on this place comes due January -first, and probably Mills wants his money. I can’t blame him either for -Nootwyck is dead. One enterprise after another falls through for want -of railway communication. Look at the iron mine, the blast-furnace and -the rolling-mill. They cannot compete with like industries elsewhere -and consequently fail.” - -“This town is bonded for the railroad and we are entitled to have it -extended through to Kingston,” his wife said. - -“The business men of Elmdale do not want this extension, and I fear -they have played a winning game.” - -A loud ring at the door announced the arrival of some one, and who -should Reuben usher in but Mr. Mills himself. - -“Good evening, Mr. Mills,” said Mr. De Vere cordially. “Stormy night.” - -Divesting himself of overcoat and rubbers, Mr. Mills entered the -library and shook hands graciously with both. - -He was tall and spare, of about fifty-five, and his manner was that of -a man of the world; but his unsteady glance never met one’s frankly and -his movements were restless. - -Reuben brought in a tray on which were a plate of crullers and some -cider and while they were sipping it, he replenished the fire. - -“Where did you get that treasure?” inquired Mills after Reuben left the -room. - -“He was a porter in the college at Vicksburg, Mississippi, when I -occupied the Chair of Ancient Languages there. He became enamored of -Mrs. De Vere’s maid, Margaret, and begged me to buy him, which I did.” - -“If not an impertinent question, may I ask what you paid for him?” - -“Certainly. I gave one thousand dollars for him. He is not an ignorant -man, as you can see.” - -“How did he get his education?” - -“I taught him and he still studies every spare moment of his time.” - -“Your life has been an eventful one,” said Mills interestedly. - -“Mrs. De Vere’s has,” her husband returned soberly. “Jack told me that -you were at the office to-day.” - -“Yes, I wanted to see you on some business connected with your mountain -preserve.” - -For some inexplicable reason, Granny at this juncture entered the -room, leaning on Eletheer. Mills sprang to offer her a chair, and as -soon as she was seated Eletheer left the room. - -“A charming family, De Vere,” said Mills. - -“A God-fearing one,” returned Granny, “all except Eletheer have -accepted the Word of God, which is cause for great thankfulness.” - -“God is good. His ways are inscrutable. Let us trust that the remaining -lamb may be received into the fold,” said Mills reverently. - -“She is a good child, but wilfully in error, I fear,” replied the old -lady wiping her glasses. “Cornelia is a true De Vere and even at her -age the family traits are pronounced in her.” Mills moved uneasily. - -“We were discussing Mr. De Vere’s preserve on the mountain back of this -house,” he remarked. “I should like to erect a sanitarium on it.” - -“Eletheer has set her heart on that mining claim, and I think she ought -to have it,” said her grandmother. - -“As a mining claim, it is worthless. Experts say that gold is there but -not in sufficient quantities to pay for mining. Instead of chasing a -phantom, would it not be better to erect an institution where the sick -and suffering may be benefited by the medicinal springs and balsamic -air of these mountains?” Mills replied. - -“That is just what she proposes doing.” - -“But it takes money,” he answered with a sinister smile which no one -saw. “Several charitable New York men are interested in the scheme and -wish to negotiate through me for the purchase.” - -The old lady was momentarily won and Mills, seeing his advantage, -continued: “The company wish to begin operations as soon as possible. -That is what brings me into the country at this season of the year.” - -“Well,” said Mr. De Vere, “there are reasons which must be carefully -weighed before deciding, and I will let you know my decision within a -week.” - -Seeing that Mr. De Vere was determined and that nothing would be -gained by prolonging the interview, Mills was obliged to be content and -soon after left, fully convinced that his mission was accomplished. - - - - -CHAPTER II - - -John de Vere was born on a farm at Greenmeadow, New York. His -grandfather, Benoni De Vere, came from Tarrytown to Greenmeadow in 1796 -and was the first settler there. - -John’s father was a representative of the sturdy men of those stirring -times and his mother was a woman of great strength of character. Nine -children were reared in a veritable wilderness and their destinies were -governed by the restrictions of the times. Six days of the week were -spent in hard labor on the farm and the seventh lived in John’s memory -as a horrible dream. On this day, winter and summer, instead of five -they arose at six o’clock. Milking and breakfast over, the whole family -repaired to the parlor for family prayers, which ceremony lasted an -hour. They then hurried off to church where for two mortal hours the -good dominie preached Calvinism unabridged. Woe to the culprit who -fidgeted or betrayed any lack of interest, and John sat on those hard -seats without moving a muscle until his bones ached. - -Relatives and friends usually dined with them on Sunday and the -children “waited.” After the sermon in all its bearings had been -discussed, the sweetmeats and tea--which appeared on company days--were -sparingly dealt out to the children and they took what else remained on -the table, John inwardly vowing that when he grew up, he would have all -the sweetmeats and tea he wanted. - -Pilgrim’s Progress, Baxter’s Saints Everlasting Rest, Fox’s Book of -Martyrs and the Bible were the only books allowed, and a funereal -atmosphere pervaded everything. When the guests left and the chores -were done, the children went to bed thankful for the Sunday less. - -Naturally a student, John worked hard, saved his money, studied every -spare moment of his time and eventually was graduated with honors -from Union College; then, broken in health, he went South to accept -the Chair of Ancient Languages at Vicksburg College, Vicksburg, -Mississippi, where he met and married Miss Bessie Ragsdale, a beautiful -southern girl and an heiress; meantime pursuing the study of law and -was admitted to the bar of that State two years after his arrival there. - -In the sunny South on the bank of “The Father of Waters,” their life -was a poet’s dream, “Where the sweet magnolia blossoms grew as white as -snow, and they never thought that sorrow, grief nor pain would come.” -True, there were mutterings of war, but none believed they would amount -to anything, and when the firing on Fort Sumpter was heralded abroad -people said it would be a short war. After the secession of Mississippi -and the formal election of Jefferson Davis as President of the Southern -Confederacy, the defeat of Commodore Montgomery at Memphis, its -occupation by the Union forces, and the concentration of forces upon -Vicksburg, they knew then that war in all its horrors was upon them. -This last Confederate stronghold on the Mississippi which had refused -to surrender to Farragut’s fleet was strongly fortified. General -Grant’s attempt to change the channel of the river, leaving Vicksburg -some distance back, had failed, and the people were still confident -until he attacked them from the rear. The railroads were destroyed and -for six weeks the city was cannonaded unceasingly night and day. The -siege of Vicksburg was John De Vere’s last picture of Mississippi; the -city battered to pieces, the streets red with blood, two gallant young -Confederate officers shot dead at his door, his home in ruins. - -Hearing that he was about to be pressed into the Southern Army, he -managed, through the influence of his wife’s family, to get on board -a boat bound for St. Louis, taking what little money he could scrape -together. His wife and children with the faithful Reuben and Margaret -joined him the next morning and they started for the last-named city -where he hoped to earn enough to take him North. - -Will he ever forget that sail up the mighty stream so full of snags and -timber from the far North? That river which has played so important -a part in the destiny of our nation? In 1542, its muddy waters -received the fever-racked body of its discoverer. Down this stream -came Marquette with his devoted Canadian followers in their birch-bark -canoes, “ready to seek new nations towards the South Sea who are still -unknown to us, and to teach them of our God.” LaSalle, Iberville, -Bienville and many others floated before his mental vision. The levees, -which were built before each river plantation by the owners’ slaves, -were simply artificial mud-banks sometimes strengthened by ribs of -timber and sometimes not. These answered very well so long as kept in -repair. An unusual flood, of course, was apt to destroy them, but slave -labor was cheap. Mr. De Vere noted with dismay their present neglected -condition. The largest and most substantial was the one over Yazoo -Pass twelve miles above Vicksburg; but this was in bad shape, and he -pictured the wholesale destruction which would follow the inevitable -spring flood, and the dank pools left by the receding waters, filling -the air with deadly miasma. - -On the fourth day of their journey they reached St. Louis. Mr. McElwee, -a member of the “Christian Commission,” which did such noble work in -the armies, offered them the shelter of his home until work could be -found and they gratefully accepted his offer. He used his influence -and one day Thomas Murphy from a settlement near Lake Crevecœur, about -thirteen miles west of St. Louis, offered Mr. De Vere the position of -teacher in their school at a salary of fifty dollars per month and -the use of a log house belonging to him. Autumn found them installed -in their new quarters. Mrs. De Vere, accustomed to every luxury, yet -accepted her lot uncomplainingly; and with the assistance of Reuben -and Margaret the rude house was made to appear quite home-like. It -consisted of two rooms, a living-room and a sleeping-room. Mr. and Mrs. -De Vere and the children occupied the latter, and all that the bed -would not hold were stored away on the floor. Reuben and Margaret slept -on the floor of the living-room. - -Time passed more quickly than they feared it would. Christmas came -and went, but Mr. De Vere’s step was not so springy as formerly. His -head ached continually and memory failed. All night long he tossed and -moaned but stern duty demanded his services and when morning came he -sought the school-house tired in mind and body. No butter nor milk; -coarse corn bread, sweet potatoes and pork constituted their daily -fare, but no one complained. Coffee at twenty dollars a pound was not -to be thought of and they all declared corn coffee delicious. - -One morning immediately after school was called and the arithmetic -class was on the floor, for no apparent reason, Mr. De Vere dismissed -them. This he did three times in succession, and each time a general -titter went round. Suddenly Elisha Vedder, a great lubberly fellow, -rose to his feet and in a ringing voice said, “Shame, you cowards! -Don’t you see that our teacher is a sick man?” Then going up to Mr. De -Vere, he said: “Mr. De Vere, your wife is not very well and wants you -to come home with me, and George Murphy will bring the doctor”; at the -same time putting on his own and his teacher’s hat. Mr. De Vere leaned -heavily upon him, and when they reached the house he fell on the bed, -too sick to undress. No doctor lived nearer than St. Louis, but George -Murphy on Elisha’s mare was flying like the wind after one, and by -evening, when the doctor arrived, Mr. De Vere was raving in delirium. -After a short examination and a few intelligent questions, Dr. Hoff, -the physician summoned, took Mrs. De Vere aside and said, “I need not -question further, the diagnosis is clear. It is typhoid and about the -end of the second week. An ordinary man would have added to his chances -for recovery by having spent the time in bed. Though a very sick man, I -trust that we may be able to pull him through. Who is to help you?” - -Reuben, who had been stationed near his master’s bed, caught the last -words and exclaimed, “Who but me, Massa?” - -Eyeing him critically, the doctor said: “Ever had any experience in -fevers?” - -“Yes, Massa. Yaller Jack, break bone, intermittent, remittent, -congestive, typhoid, small pox--” - -“I reckon you have then,” returned the doctor. “Where were you raised?” - -“New Orleans, Massa.” - -“Ever worked in the charity hospital there?” - -“Law me, Massa, I has so!” - -Doctor Hoff looked satisfied, and after giving careful directions left, -promising to come the next day. - -Needless to dwell on the anxious weeks to follow. Reuben never left -his post, faithfully recording every symptom even when others would -gladly have relieved him. His black lips were almost constantly moving -in prayer and who shall say that they did not penetrate to the “Throne -of Grace.” At last the change came and when Doctor Hoff paid his next -visit, he grasped those black hands and in a tone of profound respect -said: “Reuben, your master will live and you, not I, have saved his -life.” - -Falling on his knees, Reuben poured forth his soul in an earnest -prayer. Unconsciously, the doctor knelt beside him, bowing his head -on those faithful black shoulders, and the man of science and the -descendant of Ham were one in the presence of their Maker. A silence as -of death followed and then a voice low and sweet, but trembling with -emotion, came from the doorway: - - “On Christ, the solid rock, I stand, - All other ground is sinking sand.” - -The dim morning light, with the stars still twinkling in the heavens, -the rude log house in a strange country,--the picture is not soon -forgotten. - -How the tedious weeks of convalescence were brightened by those honest -people. They could not do enough and blamed themselves for former -neglect. Delicacies from down the river came by the basketful; fruits -from New Orleans, fresh vegetables, tender chickens and everything -which kind hearts could suggest and ingenuity procure. Elisha Vedder -was untiring and his horse always at their disposal. - -Letters from Greenmeadow contained sad news. Mr. De Vere’s brother had -been severely wounded in the battle of Gettysburg and many dear to him -were fighting for their country. His mother could not become reconciled -to the fact that her son had married what she termed a “Creole.” - -It was April now and although Mr. De Vere had not taught school since -February, the kind people of Crevecœur insisted on paying his salary, -and the family were preparing to leave for the North. At Nootwyck, New -York, was a good opening for a lawyer, and Andrew Genung, president of -the savings bank there, had written him urging him to come; and only -too glad to do so, Mr. De Vere answered saying that he would start -in April. Now that the time had come to say good-bye to these more -than friends, his heart failed him. Doctor Hoff and Elisha Vedder had -particularly endeared themselves to him and though neither of them -would accept a cent of remuneration, he exacted a promise that if he -could ever serve them in any way, they would let him know. - -The morning they left, the whole neighborhood assembled to see them -off. Mrs. Murphy had provided a generous lunch-basket and her eyes were -red with weeping. Mr. Murphy clumsily concealed his sorrow and Elisha -Vedder was nowhere to be seen, but Reuben’s diligent search disclosed -him behind the house, shaking with ill-suppressed emotion. - -“Now, Massa ’Lish, don’t give way to idle grief. Jes’ run along and -saddle Jinnie. Massa Murphy wants you to lead the way.” - -Elisha obeyed willingly, and after a tearful parting and promises to -write often, they were off. No one seemed inclined to talk. Nothing -but the rolling Missouri broke the stillness. Their way led along its -banks and in sight of Lake Crevecœur, and the mocking-bird’s voice -was heard imitating first one bird and then another. Just as they were -leaving the lake behind them, Mr. De Vere turned for a last look and -said, “Farewell to Crevecœur! No more does that word to me mean ‘broken -heart,’ but ‘grateful heart.’” - -A little after noon they reached St. Louis where they were met by -Doctor Hoff, and after again and again thanking him for all his -kindness, the De Veres said good-bye to Missouri and soon were speeding -northward. - -Mr. De Vere’s brother-in-law, Peter Brown, met them at a hamlet west -of the Shawangunks which they had crossed by stage from Middleburgh, -bundled them into his great wagon, cracked his whip over his horses’ -heads and in a little over an hour set them down at his home in -Greenmeadow. Oh, that welcome home! Can words describe it? Dear old -mother, with her silver hair, forgot all differences and the welcome -accorded her ‘baby’s’ wife made Bessie feel that she was one of them in -very truth. - -Peter Brown was a generous provider, but to-day his table groaned -under its weight of good things. Such deliciously sweet white bread -and butter, steaming roast chickens, cranberries; and with appetites -whetted by their ride over the hills, the hungry wayfarers did ample -justice to everything. - -Bessie’s sweet ways won the love of all, and when John told that, but -for her, his heart many times would have failed, how she had lost -everything and used all her influence to prevent his being forced into -the Confederate service, their glowing eyes expressed the welcome -addition she was. - -The children were duly admired and all points of resemblance settled. -John De Vere’s mother positively detested negroes, regarding them -as all alike, and as a race of filthy, lying, lazy thieves. This -condition, of course, was due to the system of slavery, but Reuben and -Margaret’s devotion was regarded by her as a special dispensation of -Providence and her heart went out to them. - -Anxious to be up and doing, John De Vere made arrangements to begin -at once in his new field of labor, and another month found them -comfortably settled at Nootwyck. It was a fortunate time. The village -was being boomed by “The Consolidated Iron-Mining Company” which -employed several hundred men. The town had been bonded for the Valley -Railroad and the route surveyed. Prospects were good, for with this -valley opened up to the outside world, its wonderful resources would be -developed. - -But oh, the uncertainty of human plans! Fifteen years had passed; -the iron mine had long since shut down; the coal mine was unsteady -and the Valley Railroad, after tunneling the mountain, penetrated to -Elmdale--a short distance south of Nootwyck--and stopped. People along -the promised line were powerless, and with the apathy born of repeated -disappointments, they submitted to the inevitable. - - - - -CHAPTER III - - -During the night our story opens, the snow turned to rain; a -warm, steady downpour, which continued for three days in a manner -unparalleled in the annals of the town. On the third day, the scene -from the “Laurels,” as the De Vere place had been named, was one of -wholesale destruction. The heavy body of snow which had lain on the -ground had melted and added its water to help swell the streams. The -Rondout Creek was a raging torrent, filled with logs, trees, cakes of -ice and portions of houses. The Delaware and Hudson Canal, from which -the water had been drawn at the close of the previous boating season, -was full of water and now formed part of the creek. In places the -tow-path was completely covered and canal boats, loosened from their -fastenings, drifted over the valley. The flats were one vast expanse -of water, and lock-keepers had fled from their homes along the canal, -thankful to escape with their lives. The roar was tremendous! Gurgling -mountain brooks had been converted into rivers which rushed madly down -to mingle their waters with the seething flood below. - -The De Veres stood on a point of rock which projected out from their -grounds. It was still raining, but from under their umbrellas they -looked sadly on the work of destruction yet in progress. So absorbed -were they that the approach of two gentlemen on horseback was unheeded -until the elder of the two shouted, “Hello, there!” - -They all turned quickly and at Mr. De Vere’s invitation Mr. Andrew -Genung, followed by a young man, dismounted at the gate and joined them. - -Andrew Genung was not generally liked. By many he was considered an -aristocratic bigot. He never forgave an injury, nor forgot a kindness. -A stern, uncompromising man, his life was governed by certain fixed -rules of conduct which, in his estimation, were the only ones. But his -word was as good as his bond, and the friendship which existed between -him and De Vere stood the test of years. - -The young man was presented as his nephew, Hernando Genung, from Nevada. - -Celeste’s brown eyes met his blue ones frankly, but the pink flush of -her cheeks deepened to brilliant red under the unconscious admiration -in his face. Eletheer noted this and the sly wink she gave her sister -made the latter’s face flame. - -Mr. Genung was discussing the freshet: “Only four bridges left between -here and Kingston.” - -“Which ones are they?” Mr. De Vere inquired. - -“The Port Ben bridge, the old covered bridge at Accord, the covered -bridge at High Falls, and the Auchmmody bridge at Rosendale; down at -the coal docks everything is swept away, one iron bridge is intact but -the abutments are injured and a wide channel is dug around one end of -the bridge; one pier has been destroyed at the Honk Falls bridge, but -nothing short of deluge can reach the bridge.” - -“Have you any news from Rosendale?” they asked. - -“There is about a thousand feet of tow-path gone on the feeder level. -The canal bridge and creek bridge with abutments are on the flats. The -water is too high to tell how much damage is done. There are slides and -other damages too numerous to mention. The canal is a total wreck.” - -“Then the Berm[A] is the only road passable to Kingston,” said Mr. De -Vere. “How did you manage to get here?” - - [A] Berm. “The bank of a canal opposite the tow-path.” - -“The road to Wawarsing is in bad condition but we managed to reach -there by going across lots and so on to Port Ben, and from there we -followed the Berm.” - -It was late in the day, and as there was nothing they could do to help, -the party went indoors. Mr. Genung and Hernando were wet to the skin, -and Mrs. De Vere insisted on their clothes being changed; so they -appeared arrayed in suits of Mr. De Vere’s and Jack’s while Reuben -dried and pressed theirs. Genung and De Vere wandered into the library -and seated themselves before the fire where they were soon in earnest -conversation. The latter had mentioned Mills’ offer and his promise to -consider it. - -“I should not sell,” said Mr. Genung with decision. “He will put -up a sanitarium for consumptives, induce others to erect summer -boarding-houses and turn this valley into a summer resort; in the -end, killing all manufactories and leaving our vast mineral resources -undeveloped. Hernando, who has spent nearly all his life among mines, -says the precious metals are here. He found some specimens this morning -which he says contain gold.” - -“But I am afraid not in sufficient quantities for mining,” said Mr. De -Vere resignedly. - -“Those words are Mills’s,” answered Genung hotly. “I believe that man -is a rascal.” - -John De Vere judged others from his own standpoint. Absolutely -incorruptible himself, he would not see wrong in another until -compelled to do so, and Genung’s flat denunciation of Mills annoyed -him, but restraining his annoyance, he said: “I fear Mills is in need -of money.” - -“Let me see, when does your mortgage come due?” said Genung, who always -discussed business matters frankly with De Vere. - -“January first.” - -“I have five thousand dollars which I am anxious to invest, and unless -you are in a position to pay your mortgage, I should like to take it.” - -Although De Vere believed Mills’s intentions honest, he unconsciously -felt a great sense of relief, and thankfully agreed to the transfer. - -“One thing more,” said Genung, “Do not sell your mining claim until -Hernando has prospected on it. He is a mining expert, and if he says -gold is not there in sufficient quantities to pay for mining, I’ll not -object if Mills puts up a pest-house on it.” - -De Vere laughed as he said, “Genung, I value your friendship more than -that of any man living; but I really think you misjudge Mills.” - -Hernando was in the sitting-room with Celeste. She played the guitar -charmingly and her voice was a clear, sweet soprano. One song followed -another and Hernando felt as if vouchsafed a glimpse of Eden. Suddenly -recalling himself, he said: “Pardon my selfishness, you must be tired.” - -“Not a bit,” she replied gaily. “Are you fond of the guitar?” - -“Very, and your singing is a rare treat,” he replied sincerely. “My -life has been spent largely in mining camps, and the music in such -places is not, to say the least, classical.” - -“Have you always lived in Nevada?” - -“Nevada and California.” - -“That includes San Francisco and Chinatown of course?” - -“Of course, but usually ‘California’ means Southern California; the -land of flowers, fruits and perpetual sunshine.” - -“True, but Chinatown must be very interesting.” - -“Five minutes in a Chinese theater would effectively disillusion you, -Miss De Vere. The orchestra is a thing of terror, although I am told -that Chinese music has a scientific theory and recognized scale, but to -the Caucasian ear it is simply beyond belief.” - -“I trust you will appreciate our mountains in summer, though you -probably consider these hills,” laughed Celeste. - -But Hernando was thinking of neither Nevada nor hills. That sweet face, -those great brown eyes were raised to his trustfully, and he forgot his -own name, while a thrill went through him. - -“One always associates Nevada with snowy mountains and balsamy air,” -Celeste continued. - -Glancing out of the window she saw Eletheer in rubber boots and short -skirts with Cornelia on her back, wading through the slush toward the -barn. Celeste looked shocked, but attracted Hernando’s attention -indoors. She was a little late, however, for seeing her expression, he -glanced out just in time to hear Eletheer say, “Hold on tight,” and off -they sped. - -“I trust she will not fall down with the little one,” said Hernando. - -“Eletheer fall!” and Celeste laughed a soft ripple. “She never does -that, and it is impossible to lose her in these mountains. When -Cornelia was not a year old, mother spied her in the very top of an -apple tree sitting in Eletheer’s lap.” - -“Mary Genung told me of their experiences after milkweed greens and -wild flowers. She says your sister is absolutely fearless.” - -“Eletheer is our psychological problem.” - -Hernando looked amused and she added, “To her mind time-honored -institutions are generally wrong.” - -“Marriage, for instance?” - -“Yes. That should be a profession with preliminary examinations as to -fitness.” - -Hernando’s face became a trifle paler as he replied, “They say at -birth nine-tenths of man’s evolution is completed. Your sister has -encountered a weighty problem, and a melancholy one.” - -“Weighty problems require too much effort,” laughed Celeste, “and my -contribution to society must be on purely feminine lines.” - -In the evening, the younger members of the family gathered in the -dining-room. Jack and Hernando cracked walnuts and Celeste read aloud -from a newspaper which had just arrived by stage on the Berm. The paper -contained a vivid account of the flood, and it was listened to with -much interest. - -“Who knows but this freshet may reveal ‘Old Ninety-Nine’s Cave’?” said -Jack with a light laugh. - -“Who is ‘Old Ninety-Nine’?” Hernando asked. - -“Have you not heard the story?” asked Jack in some surprise. - -“No, but I should like to,” replied Hernando. - -“Eletheer remembers, and is full of these old legends; when she returns -from putting Granny to bed, I’ll get her to tell this one.” - -They heard her presently going into the kitchen and as she did not -return, Celeste went into the hall and called her, saying Mr. Hernando -Genung wished her to tell the story of “Old Ninety-Nine.” - -Eletheer came in, having forgotten to remove her gingham apron, and -seemed pleased to repeat the story. - -“Old Ninety-Nine,” Neopakiutic, was a Wawarsing chief and supposed -to have been the sole remnant of the Ninety-ninth Tribe. He was a -great hunter and after the Revolution lived for some years among the -settlers, doing nothing in summer, but hunting and trapping in the -winter. Benny Depuy was a well-known resident of Wawarsing and as he -was a lazy, good soul who loved to fish and hunt and tell stories, he -became a great favorite of “Ninety-Nine,” and one day the Indian told -him that he would show him a sight he would never forget, and one that -he would not show his own brother; that in Benny he had much confidence -and was willing to take him along on his next trip up the mountain. -The two started up the mountain above Port Ben and after travelling -several miles, often over fallen rocks and decayed trees, they came to -the dry channel of a mountain creek. Here Benny was blindfolded and -after going up the bed of the creek for about an hour, as nearly as -he could estimate, the bandage was taken from his eyes and he found -himself at the foot of a high ledge of rocks. The old Indian, who was a -muscular giant, rolled aside a boulder and a passage-way was disclosed -that seemed to run directly under the cliff. The old Indian told Benny -to follow and he went into the passage for a short distance, Benny -holding him by his shirt-sleeves so as not to lose him, for he thought -there was nothing to come of this adventure, but expected to be carried -away by goblins. A short piece of candle was lighted and they found -themselves in a large, vaulted room that seemed cut out from the solid -rock. It looked like the abode of fairies. On the floor were rich and -costly carpets so thickly spread that the heavy boots of the hunters -gave no sound. The sides of the cavern were hung with tapestry. The -cave was lined with beautiful vases and rare things of many kinds. In -one corner of the cave was a large chest which “Ninety-Nine” opened and -told Benny to look in, holding over it the lighted candle. Benny looked -and beheld “heaps upon heaps of gold, silver and precious stones.” -“Ninety-Nine” raked his fingers back and forth through the shining -treasures and finally, after bandaging Benny’s eyes, they started down -the mountain. - -“What became of the Indian?” Hernando inquired. - -“No one knows. He was very old and the people lost sight of him. This -valley is full of Indian legends, and some of them are beautiful,” said -Eletheer. - -“Now, Eletheer,” said Jack, “you recited that so well, let us hear how -well you remember your catechism.” - -Hernando smiled, and said, “The settlers of this valley seem to have -been engaged in constant warfare with the Indians.” - -“Well,” said Eletheer, “in the first place the whites seized their -hunting-grounds and corn-patches. They never purchased the land as -the settlers on the other side of the mountain did. The Indians were -peaceable until the French war, during which one family was massacred. -After that they were still on good terms, but during the Revolution, -the British were at the bottom of all their depredations, telling them -that the settlers had stolen their lands and that they were cowards -not to be avenged. The British offered them a guinea for every white -scalp they obtained and gave them every assistance. If the Indians had -been let alone, they would never have committed the fearful outrages -which they are now charged with. As it was, the Indian hesitated where -the Tories did not; the latter would sneak into the home when the men -were laboring in the fields and plunge his knife into the bosom of a -sleeping infant or a defenseless woman. Can you wonder that the word -Tory is hated by every descendant of the early settlers of this town?” - -“I should think they could have been convicted of Toryism,” Hernando -continued. - -“It was a hard thing to do. They lived out in the woods disguised -as Indians, whom they kept posted in regard to the doings in the -settlements, but pretended to be friends of the whites. Talk of the -treachery of an Indian! He can’t begin where a Tory left off,” said -Eletheer warmly. - -Just then the clock struck eleven, and soon after Mr. De Vere and Mr. -Genung entered the dining-room. - -“Time all honest folks were in bed,” said Mr. De Vere. “What have you -young people been doing all the evening?” - -“I have been listening to some very interesting events in the history -of this town,” Hernando replied. - -“Our ancestors were firm believers in special dispensations of -Providence,” said Mr. De Vere. - -“And their intercession met with favor,” replied Mr. Genung. - -“Strange!” said Hernando musingly, “that no trace of ‘Old -Ninety-Nine’s’ cave has ever been discovered. His history sounds like -a fairy tale.” - -“Which I verily believe it is,” laughed Mr. De Vere. “Aside from those -in the limestone district, there are no true caves in the Shawangunk -Mountains intersected as they are with metalliferous veins.” - -“Do you consider the story of the mine apocryphal?” - -“I regard it as simply a local tradition. Instead of a Captain Kidd or -some other pirate, we, on this side of the mountains, have an equally -romantic hero in ‘Old Ninety-Nine.’ Benny Depuy, however, is well -remembered by some of the old residents of this town, was a weaver -by trade, and had an imagination as vivid as the colors he wove. His -house, a quaint specimen of the architecture of pioneer days when each -home was a veritable fort for protection against Indian outbreak, -is still in a good state of preservation. Benny claims that ‘Old -Ninety-Nine’ frequently stopped there. According to tradition, the -Indian was a “Medicine man”; knew the properties of every medicinal -root and herb and effected some wonderful cures. He is said to have -spoken Spanish, coined Spanish money in his cave, and gone to the West -Indies to dispose of it, where it was believed he had a white wife. But -an Indian, were he ever so friendly to the whites, never divulged the -location of mines. Thirst for revenge is the most deeply seated trait -in the savage breast, and for this reason Benny kept his adventure a -secret for many years. He never visited the cave but that once, and not -long afterward ‘Old Ninety-Nine’ disappeared. Some supposed that he -died of old age, others that in clambering over the dangerous crevices -he had fallen into one of them and been killed. When Benny felt that -all danger from Indian vengeance was passed, he searched repeatedly and -in every direction for the cave but never succeeded in finding it, so -concluded that a fallen rock must have closed its entrance.” And with a -shrug Mr. De Vere turned to reply to a question of Mr. Genung’s. - -Hernando strolled to the window; the night was one of Egyptian -darkness but eastward, up the mountain side and nearly to the summit, -a bright light, like the flame of a candle, burned steadily. To assure -himself that it was no illusion or trick of the imagination, he watched -it carefully for several minutes. “What can it be?” he thought. There -was no possibility of reflection and no smoke. “Perhaps a belated -prospecting party or a signal of distress,” he reasoned, at the same -time opening the window. - -“What now!” called Mr. Genung, stepping beside his nephew. - -“Great Scott!” he exclaimed, with a hasty glance at his watch. “The -‘light’ and ‘twelve o’clock!’ Is it seven years?” - -Simultaneously all rushed forward. Steadily burned the flame while its -observers remained mute. - -“Well, what is it?” Hernando asked with impatience. - -“The ‘light,’” his uncle replied excitedly. - -“Great Heavens! what light? Are you mad?” - -“To be sure, I beg your pardon, Hernando,” Mr. Genung replied. “There -is a saying in this valley that ‘every seven years, a bright light, -like a candle, rises at twelve o’clock at night over the mine, and -disappears in the clouds; but no one that has ever seen it has been -able in daylight to find from where it arose.’ Come to think of it, it -is exactly seven years since we closed out that Shushan deal. It was a -dark night and on my way home I saw the light.” - -“But is it visible every seven years and at twelve o’clock?” Hernando -asked. - -“That is what they all say. I pledge my word on having seen it twice at -that time,” replied his uncle. - -During this dialogue Hernando had not once removed his glance from the -flame which rose clear and steady, from out its ebon surroundings. -No sound but the distant roar from turbulent streams, and a soft -tick! tick! of the great hall clock, broke the stillness. For a full -half hour the watchers waited, and then, as suddenly as it came, the -mysterious light disappeared. - -“There!” said Mr. Genung, slapping his nephew on the shoulder; “can you -beat this out West?” - -The young man’s face wore an amused smile as he replied: “It is, -indeed, singular and, except possibly the elimination of gases, I can -think of no logical explanation. But its having any connection whatever -with ‘Old Ninety-Nine’ strikes me as absurd. What say you, Miss De -Vere?” - -“Well,” she replied, with a tip of her head that reminded one of a -pet canary, and which caused Hernando’s heart to beat unmercifully, -“mystery has no charm for me, and I have never been able to enthuse -over ‘Old Ninety-Nine,’ much to the disgust of your cousin Mary -Genung and Eletheer. He belongs to a half mythical past and what more -natural than that the ‘light,’ occurring as it does with such singular -regularity, should be connected with the old chief? They are equally -elusive.” - -“I supposed love of the mysterious to be a strongly feminine -attribute.” - -“But there are mysteries and mysteries. Have you any sisters, Mr. -Hernando?” - -“No.” - -“No sisters!” she repeated, with mock severity. “Then I fear that your -education has been sadly neglected. Ask Jack what he thinks on the -subject.” - -Hearing his name mentioned, Jack joined them and a lively debate -followed, so that it was after one o’clock before they went to bed, -and two of them, at least, sought their pillows strangely disturbed in -spirit. Hernando tossed restlessly on his soft bed. Try as he would to -banish the vision, Celeste’s sweet face always appeared before him and, -like some half-forgotten emotion revived, his heart beat tumultuously. -A less discerning eye than his could easily see that Celeste was -interested; but why did he find it so difficult to meet those eyes? A -sense of uncongeniality with the atmosphere of this woman, the antitype -of any he had ever known, disturbed. Chinatown interesting! For the -first time in years a red flush of shame surged to his very temples, -and he dimly comprehended that “We are begirt with laws which execute -themselves.” - -Celeste undressed, humming softly to herself. Her bright eyes were -unusually brilliant and the color in her cheeks rivalled the roses in -June. She flitted about the room, carefully folding each garment as it -was removed. - -Presently Eletheer, who was nearly asleep, said impatiently: “Celeste -De Vere, for goodness’ sake put out that light and come to bed. Don’t -you hear the roosters crowing?” - -“In just one minute,” Celeste answered, brushing out her curls. - -Eletheer turned her face towards the wall and soon slept soundly. - -A young girl’s first love is like the bursting of a blossom after a -thunderstorm. It is not yet ready to expand and though for a time the -fragrance may be overpowering, it is soon lost. Celeste never sang in a -minor. Sensitive, intense to a degree, a delicate child, she had always -been tenderly watched over and shielded from every care. She had grown -into a wonderfully beautiful woman who viewed life from its sunny -side. Cultivated in all her tastes, generous to a fault, her purse was -always ready to assist in charitable schemes, but the thought that she -had an active part to play in the great drama of life never occurred -to her. Accustomed all her life to admiration, she accepted it as her -simple due. - -Of course she would marry, all normal girls do, the expected man always -comes, and is intensely interesting. - -“Let me see,” she said with another glance in the mirror. “One -should marry one’s opposite. His eyes are blue, hair golden. Yes, -he is a blond, muscular, rather than massive, and”--putting out the -light--“with nothing mysterious about him.” - - - - -CHAPTER IV - - -The work of repairing the damage caused by the freshet was pushed and -by the end of the week a temporary bridge had been constructed over the -creek and the canal below the house, enabling foot-passengers from the -mountain to cross over to the village. - -Mr. De Vere’s letter declining to sell was forwarded to Mills and the -mortgage transferred to Mr. Genung. The latter was very anxious that -Hernando should prospect on Mr. De Vere’s mining claim so, to satisfy -him, Mr. De Vere agreed to accompany them on an expedition to it as -soon as the weather would permit. Accordingly they started up the -mountain back of the house one morning in the following week. They -followed the path to the maple bush for some distance, then, turning -to the east, climbed over rocks and broken trees to Point Wawanda and -then struck into a gully just behind it. Many rivulets flowed down the -mountain above, but one in particular, after a swift rush from the very -summit, dropped down into the earth under Point Wawanda. Placing his -ear to the earth Hernando could hear a roar as of underground waters -and knew that they must have passed through some cavern or cleft far -down in the mountain. Carefully taking his bearings, they were found -to accord exactly with the description of the marks and locations -described by Benny. Hernando felt assured that somewhere near was the -cave and one of considerable extent. Directly in front of him rose a -cliff over one hundred feet in height. Scaling this, the young man -looked westward towards the Laurels. “Ah,” he said, aloud, holding -his nose at a crevice in the rocks, “one mystery is explained to my -satisfaction: gas. So, ‘no one that has ever seen it has been able in -daylight to find whence it arose,’” he laughed. “If all instances were -as harmless as this one what a delightful place to live in this dreary -old world would be.” He descended to his former position for a closer -inspection of the cliff. - -Suddenly his experienced eye was attracted by a fissure in the rocks -composing the entire eastern side of Wawanda and which ran almost to -the top. Hernando approached it and brushing aside the snow he forced -his body through an opening just large enough to admit it. The crevice -was full of snow but, with much labor, he dug his way along and found -this was the entrance to a second passage-way, which he also entered. -Further progress was barred by a heap of rocks, but these were loose -and, removing them, an almost circular opening was disclosed. He -lighted a candle and crawling on hands and knees finally emerged into a -sort of cave. Long and loud he shouted to the waiting men outside and -at last a faint “Hello” proclaimed that these portly gentlemen were -squeezing their way through, and after a long time they stood beside -Hernando, panting and perspiring. As soon as they recovered their -breath, they proceeded to explore this mysterious cavern. - -“Look here!” said Hernando, who, with a deft stroke of his hammer, had -shivered the rock, disclosing a dull yellow surface. “Gold!” they -exclaimed, looking excitedly into each other’s faces. - -“Yes,” Hernando continued calmly. “The whole inner surface of these -rocks is full of gold. Others have been here before us too. Some one -has struck a pocket, and recently. Look, here is a cavity which seems -to have been dug out.” - -Mills’s offer flashed through De Vere’s mind, but he dismissed the -thought as unworthy, and turned to listen to a sound of rumbling which -seemed to come from the bowels of the earth. Hernando heard it too, -and removing a heap of rubbish from one corner made his way through a -hole, but quickly reappeared saying he had better be secured by a rope -as these underground passages were treacherous. Mr. De Vere threw a -loop about his waist, securely fastened the other end, and held back -the slack in his hand ready to be guided by signals, and Hernando again -disappeared from view down a slanting rock worn smooth by the action -of water that at one time must have flowed over it, but which now -issued from under a slimy boulder some feet lower down at the opposite -side. Sliding and falling alternately he at last landed on a sort of -platform about ten feet wide and running along the brink of a pit -which seemed bottomless. The dim light from his miner’s candle cast -weird shadows on the black rocks over whose sides snake-like streams -crept stealthily down. Hernando shivered and turned to leave the spot, -when his attention was attracted by an object at the further end of -the platform. There lay what appeared to be an image of stone. He -drew nearer, and kneeling down looked long and carefully down at it. -Unmistakably it was the petrified body of an Indian. Those features -could belong to no other race. The eyes and hair, one foot and three -fingers were gone; but otherwise, the body seemed to be in a state -of perfect preservation,--to have been literally turned into stone. -Of course all remnants of clothing had disappeared, though even the -remaining toe and finger-nails were perfect. But the ears! did human -beings ever possess such appendages? The lobes were so elongated as to -nearly rest on the shoulders. - -This man must have been a giant, for the body measured nearly seven -feet. Hernando attempted to roll it over but found this impossible, for -besides its great weight, the image was covered with slime, and during -his efforts one ear was broken off. This Hernando put into his pocket. - -The heavy air oppressed him, and so absorbed had he been in his -examination that he had not noticed how near the edge of the platform -he was, until on attempting to rise his feet slipped from under him. -His cap with the candle rolled down into the pit, and in total darkness -he hung suspended over that yawning abyss. - -Almost overpowered by the heavy air, he had barely strength enough left -to guide the rope which, from the violent jerk it gave, warned those -above of danger. - -Gasping for breath, he was pulled up to where the fresher air soon -revived him and he was then enabled to relate his discovery. - -The enormous petrified ear must undoubtedly have belonged to “Old -Ninety-Nine.” - -Palæontologists assert and prove the petrifying properties of these -mountain streams. Undoubtedly the lower cave had once been the channel -of the stream which now rumbled far below, and nature in the throes of -growing-pains had opened a new channel. - -How “Old Ninety-Nine” came to be there, or met his death, must remain a -mystery, but his cave was at last discovered. - -Completely restored, Hernando hastened to procure assistance in -bringing the body out, and after travelling down the mountain toward -the house for a short distance he met Reuben and a sturdy wood-chopper -by the name of Mike McGavitt, on their way to the woods. To them he -unfolded his plans and they readily consented to assist him. Reuben -volunteered to bring whatever articles were needed. These were -rubbers for all the party, plenty of stout rope and a plank. Reuben -comprehended fully what they were needed for, and in little less than -half an hour returned with the things, and they all hastened back to -the cave, where De Vere and Genung were strolling about the entrance. -Hernando led into the cave followed by the others. Inside, Hernando, -Reuben and Mike divested themselves of their boots and securely -strapping on their feet a pair of rubbers to prevent slipping, were -successfully lowered to the platform on which lay all that was left of -“Old Ninety-Nine.” Mike came last, and as he slid down the incline, -clutching the rope, he called, “Schteady, me byes, schteady!” He crept -along the shelf, averting his eyes from the pit. Next the plank was -lowered, and it required the united efforts of all three to roll the -body upon it. At last it was securely fastened, and Reuben was pulled -up to assist the other two in hauling the body to the surface. “Kape -aninst the wall, mind your noose!” Mike shouted, and though his teeth -chattered with terror, he winked at Hernando and said, “Phat’s the -program, me bye? I’m wid ye phatever it do be, but it’s a howlin’ -boost!” - -They pushed the plank along carefully and were about to signal for a -hoist line when Mike lunged backward and would have fallen over the -precipice but for Hernando’s timely assistance. The plank was not yet -attached to any thing but the rope by which it had been lowered and -Mike’s frantic clutchings sent it over the brink. Down, down, down it -went, crashing against first one side and then another. At last a faint -splash proclaimed that the terrific leap was over and once more “Old -Ninety-Nine’s” body had eluded human gaze. The next discoverer will -find it minus one ear. Learned men will account for this on scientific -principles; they will analyze petrifying fluids and tell us why some -portions of the body are affected and others not; but the fascination -which clings so tenaciously to the memory of “Old Ninety-Nine” will -endure as long as the Shawangunks, and each succeeding generation -will continue to be told that “Every seven years a bright light like -a candle rises at twelve o’clock over the mine and disappears in the -clouds; but no one who has ever seen it has been able by daylight to -find from whence it came.” - -The belief of the Indians that after they had endured their punishment -for sins committed, the Great Spirit would restore to them their -hunting-grounds caused them to keep their mines a secret. “Old -Ninety-Nine” is one no longer, and let us hope that in richer mines and -fairer hunting-grounds than he dreamed of, he is beyond the treachery -of his white brother--beyond injustice and unfair dealing, where his -great Manitou does not offer him the cup of good-will in the form of an -unknown intoxicant as did Henry Hudson when planning the seizure of the -land of his forefathers. - -Hernando signalled for them to be drawn up and the news of the accident -was duly reported. - -“After all,” said Mr. De Vere, “it is better so. His body would simply -have been an object of curiosity. Let the waters which transformed his -flesh into stone receive it again.” - -Mike looked relieved. “Shure, Schquire is after schpakin’ the truth. So -help me, God, niver agin will I schpile the works of God Almighty!” he -said. - -Mr. Genung was inclined to be provoked, but Hernando explained the -exceedingly dangerous position and how fortunate Mike had been to -escape with his life, and somewhat ashamed, he asked what was to be -done next. - -“Put in a blast,” replied Hernando. - -Silently they emerged from the cave and followed Hernando around the -eastern side of Wawanda where the fissure was through which they had -entered. Excavations were begun in earnest and a heavy charge put -in. The report which followed must have startled the good people of -Nootwyck. It tore a great piece out of the eastern side of Wawanda and -when the smoke cleared Hernando was almost beside himself with joy at -the result of the explosion. Like the cave, the whole inner surface was -full of bits of gold and some spongy masses intermixed with leaves of -yellow metal. Hernando picked some of the latter off with the point -of his jack-knife and placing it in Mr. De Vere’s hand, said, in the -tone of a seasoned miner, “You have struck it rich, Mr. De Vere, and -I congratulate you. It may not run far like that, but the chances -are that it will. I never saw anything equal to it. Point Wawanda is -literally filled with gold veins. That is the lode cropping out nearly -to the top.” - -Stepping up to the young man whose eyes beamed with such unselfish -pleasure, Mr. De Vere placed his hands on his shoulders and said: “Will -you accept the position of superintendent of the Hernando Mine?” - -“I will gladly accept the position, but would prefer another name.” - -“What name is more appropriate than the name of its discoverer?” -replied Mr. De Vere warmly. - -“None; but who is the discoverer?” - -[Illustration: Margaret] - -Mr. De Vere was silent for a moment and Hernando continued, “Pardon -me for suggesting, but much as I appreciate your wish to perpetuate -my name, it would give me far more pleasure were it named after ‘Old -Ninety-Nine.’” - -“Old Ninety-Nine it is then!” they all responded with a shout. - -“Ah! Hernando,” said his uncle, “you know paying dirt when you see it. -It is born in you.” - -His disinterested efforts were appreciated. It meant untold wealth -to the owner--wealth expended in helping his fellow-beings--work for -hundreds and hundreds of idle miners, comfort for their families, and -the transformation of the slumbering village below into a great city. - -It was nearly night and the three had eaten nothing since breakfast, so -Mr. De Vere’s invitation to supper was readily accepted. - -The family had grown anxious at their long absence and the tired -prospectors were warmly received. A good bath refreshed them greatly, -and they were ready to do justice to Margaret’s fried chicken and puffy -hot biscuits. - -Mr. Genung was apparently intent on dissecting a chicken leg, but -his mind was thousands of miles away. In far-off Nevada another -scene had been enacted which this one brought anew to his memory. His -younger brother, so like Hernando, had also opened up a mine of untold -richness. He also dreamed of founding a mighty city and leaving behind -him a name which would go down in history. Did his dreams materialize? -How would his name appear on the pages of history, and would the volume -be savory reading? Glancing across the table his eyes met Hernando’s, -full of bitterness. The absolute misery he saw pictured there softened -even the stern features of Andrew Genung. - -Eletheer, who had been a silent witness of this thought transference, -saw the far-away look in Mr. Genung’s eyes and her heart ached with -pity for Hernando. Some great sorrow must be buried in his past, for -nothing less could cause those blue eyes to become suddenly black and -bring that look of mute suffering into them. From that moment, Eletheer -was his sworn friend, and this conclusion once reached was final. -She said nothing, however, but talked gaily of their prospects and -laughingly asked Mr. Genung what he would do for milkweed greens when -the “Island” was all settled. - -“You and Mary must turn your attention to agriculture and cultivate -them,” he replied. - -“Our old camping-grounds will all be spoiled,” she said with mock -gravity. “Hunting arbutus, gathering bittersweet berries and picking -huckleberries will be but a memory.” - -“And you will be a great lady with suitors by the score,” laughed -Celeste. - -“My suitor has long been accepted,” Eletheer returned gravely. - -“Indeed,” said Mr. Genung in some surprise, “if his name is not a -secret I should like to know it.” - -“Mary is in my confidence,” she answered, “and, like me, has chosen her -life-work.” - -Mr. Genung eyed her curiously. His own daughter, just about Eletheer’s -age, was not a girl to have secrets from her parents. - -“This is all nonsense,” Eletheer said hotly. “Mary is fitting herself -for a professorship and I intend to become a trained nurse. Granny and -Reuben are teaching me now.” - -“Well, my dear,” said Mr. Genung, “I trust you both may find a suitable -field for your talents in our own beautiful valley.” - -Hernando’s cheeks were unusually pale, and after supper as they all -followed Mr. De Vere into the library, Granny saw this and remarked on -it, but he only laughed and said he felt perfectly well but a little -tired. - -The mine was discussed in all its bearings, and they decided that -Hernando had better spend the night at Mr. De Vere’s so as to be near -the field of operations in the morning. - -“You look exhausted anyway,” said Mr. De Vere. “Think of the time you -spent in that damp, foul hole after all your exertions in gaining -access to it.” - -Mr. Genung left after making an appointment at Mr. De Vere’s office -the next morning to complete arrangements for working the mine, and -soon after the family retired, but before Granny sought her bed, she -instructed Eletheer in the art of preparing a bowl of boneset tea, and -Hernando obediently promised to swallow it. - -Boneset tea was the old lady’s panacea for all ills; a sneeze, cough, -or wet feet when noticed by her caused the good woman to instantly -brew and force down the throat of the victim a bowl full of this -nauseous draught, and Eletheer, who was her special charge, declared -that she was forming the “boneset habit.” She could not help smiling -as she handed the steaming bowl to Hernando saying, “Prepared strictly -according to directions; one scant handful of the dried herb, being -careful to omit blossoms (which nauseate), one-half pint of water -and two tablespoons of molasses. Steep gradually one hour.” Hernando -received it with a quiet “Thank you,” and swallowed it with seeming -relish; then saying “Good-night,” entered his room and closed the door -behind him. - -Granny, whose room joined Eletheer’s, was awake when the latter tiptoed -in, and the lamp was still burning. Hearing the door pushed softly to, -she called, “Eletheer!” - -“Yes, Granny, I’m coming,” she answered. - -“Did you give Mr. Hernando the boneset tea piping hot?” - -“Yes, Granny.” - -“Did you put a hot brick in the bed?” - -“No Ma’am, you didn’t tell me to, did you?” - -The old lady looked severely at her and then said: “Go straight to the -kitchen this minute and bring the one I told Margaret to put in the -oven. If you intend to be a trained nurse, you must learn to think for -yourself. That poor, motherless boy has taken cold. I wanted to soak -his feet but he wouldn’t let me, and there is nothing like a good sweat -to break up a cold. Tell him to be sure and tuck the covers in.” - -“I will see that he has the brick and attend to him, Granny. You won’t -remain awake any longer, will you?” she said, tucking the covers around -the old lady, after which she started for the kitchen, putting out the -light on her way. - -The kitchen was vacant, but she found the brick and wrapping it in a -little old shawl of Margaret’s hurried up to Hernando’s room. Her light -tap received no response. - -“I’m afraid he is asleep and hate to wake him,” she thought. “What -makes Granny so set anyway! I’ve got to do it or displease her, so here -goes,” and she gave a sounding knock. - -“Come in,” said a faint voice and she opened the door. - -“Who is it?” Hernando called, his teeth chattering. - -“I. Granny told me to bring you this hot brick,” said Eletheer -advancing. - -“She is very kind. Thank you so much,” he managed to say. - -Eletheer handed him the brick, and as he reached for it his hand came -in contact with hers. It was like ice. - -She glanced helplessly around. “If you are to be a trained nurse you -must think for yourself,” rang in her ears. - -“You are shivering with cold,” she said. “Didn’t the boneset tea do you -any good?” - -“I think it will.” - -“Granny will feel dreadfully if I don’t do something,” she thought. -“There, I have it, I’ll go for Reuben!” - -“Reuben!” she whispered at his door, which was always ajar, “I think -Mr. Hernando is sick. The boneset tea didn’t do him any good.” - -“Very well, honey, jes’ yo’ go to bed, I’se comin’,” he answered -cheerily. - -In a few seconds he was beside Hernando, bringing as he invariably did, -relief. Gradually Hernando’s shivering grew less, then finally ceased -altogether and at last he fell asleep only to mutter in delirium which -grew wild and wilder. Hour after hour passed yet that faithful black -figure met every emergency as it came. Again and again were the heated -pillows turned, was the wild call for “water! water!” answered, his -every need anticipated, and time sped for both patient and nurse. - -“Five o’clock,” thought Reuben, as he returned from replenishing the -fire. His charge was asleep; so drawing an easy-chair beside the -bed he settled himself for a nap. One by one each familiar object -in the room fades from sight and he is in a foreign-looking city of -narrow streets, dimly lighted by the soft glow of Chinese lanterns. -The streets are thronged with Celestials weaving back and forth. Even -Reuben is fascinated by the substratum of actual sin around him. It -is a panopticon of strange sights; little rooms in which are huddled -together groups of odd-looking women making shoes; eye and ear doctors -busily operating on meek-faced patrons; unknown fruits and vegetables, -costly wares and curious trinkets; omnipresent female chattels and -moral and physical lepers jostle one another. One peep into an inner -chamber, and with the sickening fumes of opium in his nostrils Reuben -seeks the outer air. But hark! in this fantastic jumble surely he hears -familiar voices. Following the sound through a seemingly endless maze -of dark alleys, he suddenly stops in a small room gaudy with Oriental -hangings. Even in the semi-darkness Reuben sees that there are three -figures; one, that of a young woman, an Oriental, in an attitude of -perfect abandon. She utters no word, but the smile from her eyes causes -Reuben’s to fall in horror. The air clears a little and the two other -figures are visible--Granny and Hernando! The latter’s head is bowed in -shame. Reuben is shocked at the lines of dissipation in his face and to -see how thickly sprinkled with gray is his hair--“Strange!” he thought, -that he had not before noticed it. - -Granny is pleading with him to forsake this den of depravity. Her hand -is clasping his and those old, stern lines have melted into a smile of -ineffable sweetness. The air is heavy and her voice not always audible, -but Reuben hears: - -“Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he -shall receive the crown of life which the Lord hath promised to them -that love him.... - -“But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and -enticed. - -“Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it -is finished, bringeth forth death.” - -“You have had a bad dream, Reuben.” - -The gray light of early morning peeped into the room, filling every -nook and corner with the weirdness of unreality. Reuben looked vaguely -at Hernando, lying quietly with an inscrutable smile on his face. He -raised himself in his chair. Sure enough, there were the lines of -dissipation and gray hairs! “’Deed, Massa, I has so!” he replied, as he -went to replenish the fire. - -“Surely, Reuben, you don’t believe in dreams!” - -“I’se boun’ ter, Massa; didn’t Joseph’s and Pharaoh’s come true?” - -“That is a disputed question. I don’t believe that people now-a-days -dream dreams that have no connection with, or some proportion to their -waking knowledge.” - -“Mebbe so, Massa, but when Massa John was so dreffel sick down in -Missouri, Massa Murphy’s dog howled t’ree times befo’ de do’. I -sho’ly did b’lieve de Good Laud wanted Massa John Lauzee, how I did go -trompin’ troo de grass aftah dat dog! Listen, Massa, aftah a-chasin’ -dat dog laster time, I sat down by Massa John’s bed feelin’ po’ful -sad, an’ I dreampt he was dead an’ I watchin’ in great tribilation of -spirit. I done t’ink de Good Laud didn’t hearken to de moans an’ groans -ob dis po’ niggah. Seemed like I’d go plum ’stracted. My ’tention was -’tracted by a bright an’ shinin’ light an’ outen it came a still, small -voice: ‘Reuben, yo’ Massa will live, an’ yo’, not I, have saved his -life.’ Massa Hernando, dem’s de berry words ob Doctor Hoff when de -fever turned. Yes, Massa, I’se boun’ ter b’leeve dat when de Good Laud -has a message fo’ us, He’ll mebbe give it in a dream.” - -“Reuben!” - -“Yes, Massa.” - -“A drink, please.” - -“Reuben!” there was a quaver in his voice now. - -“Yes, Massa.” - -“Reuben, my friend!” and--Hernando did not ask Reuben his dream. -Hernando stirred uneasily, and presently raised himself on his elbow -only to fall back with a groan. Instantly Reuben was beside him asking -how he felt. - -“First rate when I lie still, but the instant I attempt to get up my -back seems broken.” - -His face indicated that he was anything but well, and his voice sounded -thick. - -“Is yoah throat soah?” Reuben inquired. - -“Not exactly sore. It feels as if it were not a part of my own anatomy.” - -Reuben asked Hernando a few questions, examined his throat and quietly -said he’d better go for a doctor. “But first let me bring yo’ a cup of -coffee,” he added. - -Margaret was in the kitchen, and with her assistance the coffee was -soon ready and, after first making sure that everything was all right, -Reuben closed and locked the door behind him and went to summon the -doctor. - -Before long the doctor came; good, genial Doctor Brinton whom every one -loved. - -“Hello, Young Nevada!” was his breezy greeting. “What new disease have -you introduced into our valley? Reuben, my good fellow, hand me my bag.” - -It was brought. - -“You feel as if you’d been licked, my boy,” he said gaily as he felt -the swollen glands in Hernando’s throat. “Been among the miners lately?” - -“No. Uncle warned me that many were sick with diphtheria.” - -“All the same, you have a suspicious-looking throat, my boy,” replied -the doctor gravely. - -“Do you think it diphtheria?” Hernando inquired anxiously. - -Dr. Brinton looked puzzled. Plainly this was not diphtheria, as during -the night his temperature must undoubtedly have been high. - -“A nasty throat, but what the deuce is the matter with the boy anyway!” -he inwardly commented, then turning to Hernando said, “Your throat -looks uncommonly like it, but your symptoms are not all such. Never -mind though, Reuben here is worth ten doctors, so you are all right.” - -“But the whole family would be infected.” - -“Not by a jug-full! A germ cannot live long under Reuben’s ruthless -destruction.” - -Bidding the latter follow him to the sleigh for some disinfectants, Dr. -Brinton went out, and when beyond hearing, said: “Reuben, my man, all -your skill will be needed if we pull that fellow through. The action -of his heart is decidedly bad. Stimulants, nutritious food and good -nursing will do more than I can. Frankly, I never before saw a case -exactly like this and am not at all sure it is diphtheria.” He then -went in search of Mr. De Vere. - -The latter was shocked, and of course everything in the house was -placed at Dr. Brinton’s disposal. - -“Well,” said the doctor, “an ounce of prevention--you know. This may -be diphtheria, and it may not. In any case it’s best to be on the safe -side. I don’t go much on religion, as you know, so am frank to say that -I think the Lord made a mistake when he put a black body on that white -soul. When ‘Gabriel sounds his trump’ for me I should feel safe with -Reuben to pilot the way.” - -Mr. De Vere’s eyes grew dim. - -“And,” the doctor added, “his word is law in this case. No one but he -goes into that room; nothing comes out but through him.” And Doctor -Brinton drove off singing - - “There is a happy land--” - -It proved indeed a serious case. Hernando’s heart, never very strong, -under the action of this insidious poison and a restless spirit came -very near failing altogether. But once more the eternal vigilance and -conscientious care of Reuben assisted Nature and she conquered, and the -work of repair progressed steadily. Dainty trays tempted the feeble -appetite. Reuben prepared them himself and each one was a surprise. -Somehow he knew just what he liked, to Hernando’s surprise. - -All the family vied with one another in making him comfortable. -Mr. De Vere kept him posted in regard to the mine, the articles of -incorporation, and said that operations were to begin in March. He did -not tell him that they were waiting for him to be ready, but Hernando -guessed it and exerted himself to regain strength as much as he was -allowed. - -One day Mr. De Vere announced that the mythical Valley Railroad was -to materialize. The company had been chartered the week previous in -New York City with Mr. Valentine Mills as treasurer. A contract had -been made with the banking house of Cobb, Hoover and Company of the -last-named city to sell the railroad stock, and the bonds were going -like hot cakes, so the company felt itself warranted in beginning work -at once. - -Mr. De Vere also told him that Elisha Vedder, a young civil engineer -of St. Louis, through his recommendation, was to arrive the following -week and survey the route, which seemed a feasible one, and better in -respect to grades than the company anticipated. The need of the gold -mine had been heralded abroad, and outsiders also were clamoring for -railway facilities. - -Genung was jubilant, and his daily visits to Hernando, now out of -quarantine, only increased that young man’s impatience to be actively -engaged with the others in this great enterprise. - -Granny had long since taken him under her wing. His deference to her -opinions, and old-fashioned chivalry to all women, completely won her. -There existed a strong attachment between them. She would sit by the -hour in his room recounting adventures of pioneer days and her vivid -pictures interested him intensely. She possessed an inexhaustible fund -of them; her memory never deceived, and she regarded the slightest -deviation from the exact truth as criminal. - -“Where is Miss Eletheer?” Hernando inquired of her after she had just -finished a most interesting story. “I have not seen her since dinner.” - -“Call the child by her plain name. She has gone daft over that mine -and very likely is there. Celeste!” she called, “come and sing for -Hernando. He is lonesome.” - -Hernando protested, but the sight of Celeste’s sweet face quieted all -remonstrance. She flitted in gaily with her guitar, and Hernando would -have been an exception to most of his sex had he not bowed in adoration -before this beautiful creature. - -Music had no charm for Granny so she left them to enjoy it by -themselves. - -One tiny slippered foot peeped from under Celeste’s skirts and rested -upon the guitar case, while her slender white fingers wandered dreamily -over the strings. - -“What shall I sing for you,” she asked, “something gay or something -sad?” - -“Anything will please me, only stop before you are tired.” - -“Let me see,” she said with one of her rare smiles. “Hernando is a -Spanish name. Now close your eyes and imagine yourself a wee boy, while -I sing you to sleep.” - -Touching the strings gently, they responded with a rocking motion and -her voice rose and fell in the words of an old Spanish Folk Song: - - “Little shoes are sold at the gateway of Heaven - And to all the tattered little angels are given. - Slumber, my darling, slumber, my darling, - Slumber, my darling do-do, - Dodo--Dodo-- - Ave Maria--Dodo.” - -Many, many times before had Hernando heard it; but now, to the instinct -of motherhood in the breast of all true women were added the exact -intonation and subtle potential moods of the artiste. Hernando’s keen -musical feelings revelled in the liquid notes of the singer’s voice so -perfectly attuned to the throbbing strings. - - “Little shoes are sold at the gateway of Heaven - And to all the tattered little angels are given,” - -sang Celeste. - -Her listener turned and looked at her with her figure silhouetted -against the glowing western sky, not a line of her exquisitely moulded -proportions escaping him. - - “Slumber, my darling Dodo, - Dodo--dodo--” - -From what chamber in his memory does that echo come? What is this -indescribable something that courses like fire through his veins? -With that curious double consciousness which sometimes comes to us -in tense moments, Hernando’s mind is thousands of miles away. From -the tumultuous life of mining camps, he is travelling down, down to -the very seething cauldron of nether life; that pest-house of thought -filled with the “moanings of spirit.” - - “Dodo, dodo - Ave Maria--Dodo,” - -echoed the sweet voice. That awful picture fades away and Hernando sees -a golden-haired child in a snowy crib. Can that cherub be the prophecy -of what has just vanished? No! No! a thousand times no! There sits the -child’s mother beside him. Yes, distinctly the baby voice says: “Sing -me to sleep, mother.” Her great brown eyes soften as only a mother’s -can. She, too, holds a guitar. She, too, is singing: - - “Slumber, my darling dodo, - Dodo--Dodo - Ave Maria--Dodo.” - -“My singing evidently has not what Doctor Brinton would call a -‘soothing effect’ upon you,” Celeste laughed, putting aside her guitar. -“I must devise other means for entertainment. I have it; let me read -your palm.” - -Hernando hesitated but resistance was futile and he held toward her a -shapely white hand. - -She looked at it fixedly for a few seconds while the color came and -went in her perfect face. Twice she essayed to speak, but as quickly -the coral lips closed without a sound. - -“Let me see the right hand.” - -He did so. Another long scrutiny. - -“Well!” he said, “I’ve dabbled a little in palmistry, myself. Let me -help you. Life line broken in both hands at about the age of thirty. -Death by accident. Don’t hesitate. What is my calling?” - -“Of course we don’t believe it,” she said, reassured by his laugh, “but -truly, yours is the hand of an evangelist!” - -“Please tell that to Granny.” - -“Indeed, no! Granny thinks fortune-telling dreadfully wicked.” - -“Still she believes in dreams?” - -“There is something strange about Granny. She really has premonitions. -Much as father taboos everything bordering on the supernatural he -always is guided by her advice on every new undertaking.” - -“Very natural as she is his mother and also a level-headed woman; a -really remarkable one. But please go on. An evangelist--?” - -“Should be,” she corrected; “but something interferes.” - -“Death, probably, as my life line is broken in both hands; then, too, -the ‘good die young.’” - -“It is a curious hand,” she stammered. “I don’t know much about -palmistry anyway.” - -“Shall I ever marry?” the tone was one of genuine interest now. - -“There is a line of marriage but it is slightly curved upward.” - -“And that indicates?” - -“Some obstacle in the way.” - -“My broken life line again, Miss Celeste!” - -“No,” she said. “There is some other reason.” - -“An all-round disappointing hand, I infer,” he laughed. “But come. I’ll -read your hand.” - -He took the frail little member in his own and with difficulty resisted -the impulse to raise it to his lips. - -“A lucky hand,” he begins, “broad and plump at the base as every -woman’s should be; thumb not too large, which also is eminently -correct. Life line long, clear and unbroken; head line indicates that -your life will be guided by good judgment. Heart line”--here Reuben’s -step was heard ascending the stairs and shortly he appeared in the -doorway with Hernando’s supper. - -Celeste had quickly withdrawn her hand and Hernando was a trifle -paler. “Supper!” Celeste exclaimed, as she fluttered out, “is supper -ready?” - -“Yes, Honey!” And Celeste wondered why Reuben’s tone was so tender. - -Seating himself before the window, Reuben unfolded the evening paper to -the locals and was about to begin reading aloud when Hernando seized -the paper and flung it from him. But this mood did not last long and -then a demon took possession of him. What right had that black man to -dictate terms to him, what was the awful occult power which enabled -him to read the very thought of one’s inmost soul and wield that power -with such unerring certainty! He clenched his fists until the nails -cut into the flesh but words refused to come. His good angel seemed to -desert him. Striding across the room, he stood before Reuben, twitching -with passion. “Speak! say something, anything or I’ll go mad!” he said -hoarsely. - -“Dere aint nuthin’ to say, Massa.” - -“What are you going to do?” - -“Nuthin’! Massa.” - -“Then I will!” - -“De good Lawd won’t let yo’, Massa. He allers take ca’e o’ His chillen.” - -“He does, does He?” Hernando sneered. - - “O Thou, who man of baser earth did’st make, - “And ev’n with Paradise devise the snake, - “For all the sins with which the face of man is black’ned - “Man’s forgiveness give--and take.” - -“Can’t say ’bout dat, Massa; but when de good Lawd sends me a message -I’s boun’ ter do His bidden.” And as he arose and faced his questioner -like a great watch-dog at bay, Hernando did not doubt his ability to -do so. He made no reply to Reuben’s last remark; had unconsciously -quailed before such bull-dog ferocity in “gentle, patient Reuben.” -He looked up the mountain side until his gaze rested on the rocks -about “Old Ninety-Nine.” It was one of those magical nights in late -winter when grim Time seems making a final effort to rejuvenate, each -rock and frost-bound tree glittering with gems, while over his hoary -head is flung the soft veil of moonlight. “Nature, they tell us,” he -mused, “is a harmonious expression of divine will, and human nature -is the crowning masterpiece; that her laws are just, and she does not -discriminate between transgressing a physical and a moral one; that -justice is ultimately done; but - - ‘’Tis education moulds the common mind, - Just as the twig is bent the tree’s inclined.’” - -Not yet had he mastered the teaching lately given by an eminent -professor in one of our eastern universities: “While science has in -past years been disclosing to us the evolution of worlds, while it has -been explaining the evolution of life, it is now beginning to tell -us of the evolution of mind. While it has found a sufficient cause -for the evolution of worlds in the physical laws of nature, while it -has found the efficient cause of the evolution of life in the laws -of strife and struggle for existence, it is beginning to recognize -to-day that the only law under which is possible the evolution of -mind and soul is the law which was disclosed two thousand years ago -by the lowly Nazarene--faith, hope and love, and greatest of these is -love.” Had he rightly interpreted the message of this “lowly Nazarene,” -this misdirected creature of circumstances would have seen that -God’s laws are Nature’s laws. As a man sows, so he reaps, not “figs -from thistles,” nor harmony from discord. As Hernando stood here in -the window, a strange peace came over him. Did he suspect that this -renunciation was a pivotal point in his life? Did he faintly discern -that nothing else than law, love was the command, “Work out your own -salvation in fear and trembling,” assured that, as Emerson so truly -said: “There is a guidance for each of us and by lowly listening we -shall hear the right word.” - -Hernando turned to speak to Reuben but he was alone. Sounds from below -indicated that Granny was coming to bed, and soon her feeble footsteps -were heard ascending the stairs. She leaned heavily on her son’s arm -and, on reaching her room, seemed completely exhausted. No stimulant -had ever passed her lips, and now she sternly declined the glass of -wine proffered by Mr. De Vere, saying she had not arrived at the age of -eighty-seven to first taste the cup of poison. - -“But, mother,” her son protested, “you are breathless. Stimulants are -all right in their place. I insist on your taking this.” - -“John!” - -Mr. De Vere beat a hasty retreat and called Eletheer. - -Of late Granny had been steadily but surely failing, her usually severe -manner replaced by one peculiarly gentle, and Eletheer noticed with -delight how softened in Granny’s eyes had become her own many faults. -To-night she looked seriously ill, and after the exertion of disrobing -and preparing for the night was over, she fell back panting on her -pillow. - -Eletheer, really frightened, wanted to send for the doctor, but her -grandmother strenuously objected and requested that some boneset -tea be warmed over. She sipped it in silence and handing Eletheer -the emptied cup said: “Never neglect gathering your yearly supply of -boneset. It is a wonderful bracer. Now see if Hernando would like to -join us during our reading of the portion of the Scripture. They have -company downstairs and the poor boy is all alone.” - -Eletheer obeyed, but her hands shook as she adjusted the easy-chair for -him and he adroitly reached for the well-worn Bible with “What shall we -read, Granny?” - -“You may choose to-night, my boy.” - -He drew a little nearer the bed and opening the book at random began: -“My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations.” - -Eletheer started. That chapter, as familiar as the multiplication -table, somehow sounded different. - -“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men -liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. - -“But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering; for he that wavereth is -like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.” - -Hernando read on to the last verse and then Granny’s feeble voice -joined his: “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is -this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to -keep himself unspotted from the world.” - -He closed and replaced the Bible on the table and rose to say -good-night, when the old lady expressed a wish to speak with him alone -and Eletheer vanished into the hall. “Hernando,” said Granny, when -he had closed the door and was again seated by the bed, “my days are -numbered. Nearly a score more than man’s allotted time has been granted -me and now I am ready to go. I have never discussed doctrinal questions -with you, but blood tells and any one in whose veins flows the good old -blood of the Genungs cannot be without the fold. My boy, I am an old -woman, let me assure you that God is an ever present friend in time of -need, He will never leave nor forsake you.” She waited an instant, -evidently expecting him to speak, but as he did not do so, went on. “I -have noticed Eletheer’s affection for you, have encouraged her to go -to you for instructions on the different questions which I have been -unable to make clear. It has been my aim to thoroughly ground her in -the tenets of the church in which I was reared, and while I cannot -believe the child wilfully in error, she must be deluded. The Bible -from which you read to-night is hers when I need it no longer. Help her -to find the ‘straight and narrow way.’” Her voice sank with weariness -as she ceased speaking and Hernando hastily held a glass of water to -her lips with shaking hand. She drank a few swallows and then asked -for the boneset tea. It was already prepared as the bowl from which -Eletheer had taken some still remained in the hot ashes, and Granny -soon said she felt stronger. - -Hernando knelt beside her. He was breathing heavily and a trembling -old hand felt for his own. How long he knelt there was never quite -clear--it might have been five minutes or it might have been hours. -The beating of his heart was almost choking him. He felt her fingers -tighten their hold. “Granny,” he began huskily, “you are the only -grandmother I have ever known.” - -“Then prove it by believing me loyal.” - -“I do believe it but you would not understand were I to tell you what -is on my heart.” - -“I would try to.” - -“Let us suppose a case, a man whose environment and heredity--on one -side at any rate--are morally debilitating. Alas! He knows the seamy -side of life, has drunk to the full the cup of pleasure and found dregs -at the bottom. Yet he does not realize the depths of degradation into -which he has fallen, is simply doing as others before him have done -and are still doing. Circumstances place him amid totally different -surroundings. He is an honored member of a Christian household, a -household where naught but good abides. One among them is a woman, such -a one as he never believed lived outside of dreams and that man loves -her. Yes, that’s it, loves her! At last he has found what his hungry -heart craves. He forgets the past--God knows he prayed to do so--and -lives only in the present with its promises, playing with temptation. -And, Granny, that woman is your granddaughter, Celeste.” - -An inaudible sob escaped him as he caught for breath. Granny turned and -looked at him, but felt her tongue arrested. - -Poor Granny, she to whom weakness was sin, who, by thought, word or act -had never been known to show the slightest mercy toward a transgressor -of this unwritten moral law! A clock somewhere in the house struck two, -“that magic hour when all time seems to stand still.” The lamp burned -low, flickered and went out. From the deep bed of coals on the hearth, -a spark would now and then flash forth filling the room with shadows. -There were these two souls, one, a weary pilgrim whose struggles with -this world were almost ended and ready to attest, “I have lived, seen -God’s hand through a lifetime, and all was for the best”; the other a -man, a misguided human being brought face to face with himself. Once -again was the “veil of the temple rent” and in the Holy of Holies these -two made sacrifice each for himself. - -Morning found Granny no better, too weak to rise and she tried in vain -to eat her dainty breakfast. Each effort left her exhausted, and almost -discouraged. Eletheer had to be content with seeing her take a few -swallows of coffee. - -Doctor Brinton, who had been summoned early, looked grave but could -only economize the forces of nature and wait. - -Stimulants were flatly refused by the old lady. Pleadings availed -nothing. Deception was impossible and she gradually became weaker and -weaker until at last, with mental faculties clear, her earthly lamp -went out. - -Those who have known the influence for good in a household of a -grandmother like this one will understand how deserted the house -seemed. Religious bigot she may have been, yet she was an honest one -and her example of earnestness of purpose, strict integrity and -staunch friendship may well be emulated. She had tried to do as she -wished to be done by, died as she had lived--an example of the faith -she professed. - -In real life, one’s environment is practical and when what one most -loves is snatched from one, he must still carry on his part in the -round of life. One precious belonging after another of Granny’s was -tenderly put away and though no more would her feeble footstep be heard -about the house, the good seed sown by her had not fallen on barren -soil. - - - - -CHAPTER V - - -By March, all at the mine was in readiness, every vacant house in -Nootwyck rented and many rough ones were in course of construction on -the mountain side. Mills was one of the first to visit the works and -offer congratulations. “Your mine is apparently inexhaustible,” he said -to Mr. De Vere, “and Nootwyck bids fair to fulfill your hopes. Every -foot of ground within ten miles of the mine is staked out in claims -and there is not an idle man in the town. I rejoice with you. God -has answered our prayers, may He indeed grant that this valley shall -blossom as the rose,” and he stroked his beard reverently. - -Mr. De Vere could not conceal a smile as he replied, “Undoubtedly, God -is good, but Hernando Genung has a hand in this job.” - -“His ways are inscrutable, and unworthy means are sometimes used to -accomplish a blessing,” said Mills softly, and De Vere who was looking -toward the village, did not see his look of hatred and revenge. “I fail -to see that application here,” said Mr. De Vere. - -“It is not necessary that you do. Pardon me for even hinting at the -past of one who is deemed worthy to be an instrument for good in the -hands of our Heavenly Father.” - -We always judge others by our own standard. Incapable of baseness -himself, Mr. De Vere never suspected it in others. He was greatly -attached to Hernando, and this imputation on his character nettled him, -but he soon forgot it. - -A large force of men was busy at the smelting and reduction works which -were to be located at the foot of the mountains. Ore could be brought -down in chutes. Work at the coal mines had been resumed, a track to -them was nearly completed and fuel from there could be sent down to the -works at slight expense. - -Hernando’s training and experience among mines pre-eminently fitted -him for the position he now occupied, and work under his intelligent -supervision progressed rapidly, and soon the crushers indicated that -the mills were in operation. - -At last the rails were laid to Nootwyck, and the village was in the -buzz of excitement. From all along the route people assembled to -celebrate the arrival of the incoming train, which was loaded with -prospectors and new inhabitants. Mills was on the train and his -uniformly gracious manner won him the good-will of these honest people. - -The depot, which was to be a handsome structure, was under way, but a -rude shanty answered the purpose now. - -As the train swerved around a curve a shout went up, such as had not -resounded in this peaceful valley since the days when they cheered, -“Taxation of America.” - -Mills sprang to the platform, shaking hands right and left and dilating -upon the future of the valley. He took a carriage for Wawarsing, where -the next section of men was ballasting, and further still, Elisha -Vedder with his skilled assistants was pushing on. - -Elisha Vedder was now a member of the De Vere household, and in the -great handsome fellow, with his hearty manner and big heart, Mr. De -Vere saw simply the development of noble traits shown years ago in -Missouri. Under his skillful management, the road promised to be -completed by fall. Mills’s manner towards him was straight-forward. He -was keen enough to perceive that this great-hearted, honest engineer -would tolerate nothing but the best methods in making the road a -success, and any economical schemes he might propose must be supported -by proof as to their sufficiency. Elisha knew exactly what the cost -of putting this road through would be, and intended that every dollar -of the company’s funds should be honestly expended. Toward Mills his -manner was respectful, but the latter realized that, as one of the -directors, no manipulation of books nor watering of stock would be -tolerated. Then too, he was backed by one of the richest mine owners in -the State, who considered his honor much more precious than all the -treasures of earth combined. - -“Ah!” thought Mills, with a look of malicious triumph, “you discovered -the mine, but those precious jewels are simply the product of Benny -Depuy’s distorted imagination, are they? Hernando Genung, have a care, -that old score is still unsettled. Would you adorn the fair Celeste -with those sparkling gems? She would grace them, but there is a sequel -to this matter.” - -His inspection over, he was about to re-enter his carriage when Vedder -inquired the prospects for running a branch through to connect with the -Ulster and Delaware. - -“Rather dubious,” Mills replied. “All the way up hill, and what is the -country to be opened up worth?” - -“The cost, in my estimation, need not be so great. The route beyond -Honk Falls is a natural grade and one of the most beautiful in the -United States. Its historical interests would attract thousands,” -Vedder replied earnestly. - -“True, Shandaken claims the honor of owning the highest peak of the -Catskills. Slide Mountain has, I believe, an altitude of four thousand -feet. I understand that the view from it is marvelous; that the trees -are so stunted by heavy snows that their flattened branches appear like -a table from which one can look down and off on a vast amphitheater -of rocks, trout streams and picturesque hamlets. But scenery is not a -tangible commodity, and the people regard the project as a wild-cat -scheme.” - -“That section of the country is one of the driest atmospheric belts -in the State and its healthfulness is an accepted fact. This with -its magnificent forests and undoubted mineral deposits would, in my -estimation, warrant running a branch through.” - -“Oh! well, let us complete this one before we agitate that.” And with a -gay laugh he sprang into his carriage and was off for Kingston. - -Hernando and Elisha were mutually attracted toward each other from the -first. One true nature instinctively understands another, and the two -young men were naturally thrown together a great deal. - -At Mrs. De Vere’s earnest solicitation, Hernando shared Elisha’s -room--the one which had been Granny’s. One year of unparalleled -prosperity in this locality had rolled by. The output from the mine -had been such as to stir the hearts of all true miners. Nootwyck would -soon be incorporated as a city, and Mills’s doubts in regard to the -wisdom of a branch to meet the Ulster and Delaware at Big Indian were -unheeded. In fact the road was already under way and the stock sold. -People went wild with excitement. Mills smiled urbanely but said -nothing. Elisha, as chief engineer, was in his element and his work -bespoke intimate acquaintance with and mastery of the intricacies of -railway engineering. - -It was Saturday night in the last of March. The air was full of snow; -that kind which falls in such minute flakes that one is sure of plenty -more in reserve. Elisha and Hernando were squaring the week’s accounts -in their room before going to bed, and they represented two distinct -types. Elisha was strangely nervous. Again and again was the same -column of figures added, but no result followed. Hernando laughed aloud -and said: “Vedder, old man, your method of addition seems to give -unsatisfactory results and your wits are apparently wool-gathering.” - -Elisha threw himself helplessly into a chair but made no reply. - -“Come, out with it, make me your father confessor,” said Hernando with -a look of such genuine interest that Elisha replied: “I meant to have -taken you into my confidence before, but there are some events in one’s -life too sacred to mention.” - -Hernando was looking intently into the fire. “I am grateful for all -confidences,” he answered, “and especially those of a friend.” - -“Have you seen my devotion to Celeste?” - -“I’d be blind if I hadn’t,” returned Hernando quietly. - -“Honestly, Hernando, do you think I am worthy to become the husband of -that angel?” - -“Yes.” - -“Can you wonder that her promise, given to-night, to accept me as such -sends my wits ‘wool-gathering’?” - -Hernando grasped his friend’s hand and wrung it warmly, but in silence. - -“Do you know,” Elisha went on with his eyes on the floor, “I have -sometimes thought that you cared for her and I did not wish to cast a -straw in your way, so waited this long to speak for that reason.” - -“I should never have asked her to be my wife,” said Hernando, in a -voice so unlike his own that Elisha looked quickly into his face, “and -the fact of her having accepted you proves her heart is yours. No, -Vedder, I congratulate you and from the bottom of my heart wish you the -happiness so richly deserved.” - -The ice once broken, Elisha unfolded plan after plan for their future, -little dreaming of the misery thereby inflicted on one who would have -exchanged worlds for the obliteration of one year of his life. - -“I reckon you’ll be taking me into your confidence on a like matter, -some day, eh, Hernando?” Elisha concluded. - -“Never, my friend, there are different roads to happiness.” - -“But you will admit that man alone is but half of himself?” - -“Individually, yes; but collectively man is two-thirds,” he replied -with a laugh. - -“I’ll forgive you, old man, but let me tell you that you will get -bravely over all preconceived opinions on love. It is like faith; must -be experienced to be understood. So good-night and happy dreams.” - - - - -CHAPTER VI - - -In the morning the panorama presented was one of unusual beauty. All -nature was enveloped in snow of the purest white. The flats below were -a dazzling sea in the bright sunlight. The two gaunt pines, through -which the wind had sighed so dismally the night before, now appeared -like white-robed sentinels on guard at the gate. The air was balmy -and the drip, drip, drip of water from the eaves and window-ledges -proclaimed that this vision of fairyland would be a transient one. - -A happy group gathered around the breakfast table. Granny had -instructed Margaret in the art of preparing buckwheat cakes and a -smoking pile of them soon appeared. Her skill in the culinary art was -proverbial. No one could make anything taste quite as Margaret could, -and she was duly proud of her proficiency in this accomplishment. - -“Well,” said Mr. De Vere, “how many of us are going to church to-day?” - -“From the looks of things outside, I infer the congregation will be a -slim one,” said Jack, helping himself to another pancake. - -Just then the soft, sweet warble of a bluebird was heard through the -open window, and looking out, they saw on the limb of an apple tree -this welcome harbinger of spring, singing his plaintively sweet song. -While they listened, his mate flew over his head and alighted near on -a twig with an audacious flirt, but he kept on singing for fully three -minutes, then with a dash of snow they flew away. - -“Truly spring is not far off,” observed Mr. De Vere, “but appearances -indicate that Reuben will need help in shovelling paths.” - -Many hands make light work, and Jack, Hernando and Elisha, armed with -shovels, soon cleared walks to the street, and then turned toward the -barn. Suddenly Jack called out, “Father, there is a flock of your old -friends.” Twenty or thirty little black-capped birds were fluttering -near the back door, calling “chick-a-dee-dee.” Mr. De Vere laughed -heartily, for they brought to mind a picture of his boyhood days; the -old school-house in the woods where every known mode of punishment, -from “toeing the crack” to flogging, was resorted to, making the -woods resound with yells. Then on a Friday afternoon after “spelling -down,” the grim old schoolmaster produced a well-preserved accordion, -tilted his chair against the wall and held his unwilling audience by -“chick-a-dee-dee,” his only tune. - -Reaching the barn, they found Reuben busily engaged skinning a -half-dozen rabbits which had been caught in his traps the night before, -and his mouth watered as he thought of rabbit pot-pie with the white -puffy balls “all afloat in brown gravy.” The rabbits had barked several -young fruit trees and committed depredations which made Reuben vow he -would exterminate the vandals. As the others came up, he exhibited his -trophies and exultantly exclaimed, “Dar now, I reckon I’ve settled dem -tieves.” - -“Are they fat?” inquired Mr. De Vere admiringly. - -“Only jes’ tolabl’, Massa John.” - -In the village, the male element of the population seemed intent on -the one occupation of shovelling his own individual sidewalk. By noon, -a heavy body of snow had sunk under the warm rays of the sun and the -street was running with slush. Nature was preparing to cast off her -winter garments, but in this rugged climate she does so reluctantly. A -raw wind still blew from the snowy north, but the sun was too high to -expect much more cold weather. - -“By the way, Reuben,” called Mr. De Vere, “when have you been at the -maple bush?” - -“Early dis mawnin’, Massa, an’ de sap buckets was jes’ runnin’ plumb -full.” - -Mr. De Vere owned an orchard of about one hundred acres on the side -of the mountain. His mother had bought the land for a mere song after -the timber had all been burned off by forest fires, and had set it -out in sugar maples. This was about twenty-five years ago. They had -been nourished and protected until now they were an object of much -admiration. Mr. De Vere insisted that there was something human in -maples, and it was his rule never to bore them until the proper season -and then in only one place at a time. The good old days of “sugaring -off” were past and his sugar-house was furnished with the most modern -appliances. - -Sunday passed off very quietly. In the evening, Celeste sang and played -for them, and as if by common consent, she and Elisha were left in -undisputed possession of the parlor but not, however, until Jack had -given his sister a knowing look which sent the blood bounding to her -very temples, and she was preparing to follow him when Elisha advanced -quickly to her side, encircling her waist with his great strong arm as -he drew her down beside him on the settee. - -Celeste felt a trifle awed by this great big fellow who idolized the -very ground she trod. Other men had confessed their love for her but -this one was different, and when he said, “Celeste, I love you. Will -you be my wife?” she knew that in that simple declaration was the -fidelity of a lifetime. - -“Celeste,” said Elisha, “I told Hernando of our engagement, and he -wishes us every happiness.” - -“I wonder if he will ever marry.” - -“Probably not,” returned Elisha, “he is one of the few men capable of -purely platonic affection. In his eyes all women are little lower than -angels,” and Elisha smiled. - -“If he ever does marry, his wife will be very happy,” she said, with a -coquettish toss of her head. - -“And will mine be unhappy?” he asked, pressing his lips to the curly -head on his shoulder. - -“That depends,” she said saucily, “entirely on your dutifulness.” - -“Oh, Celeste, I have loved you ever since you were a little miss down -in Missouri,” he said earnestly. “My prospects are good and I see no -reason for deferring our marriage until some remote day in the future. -I feel all the time as if something would snatch you from me. Let our -wedding day be fixed and at an early date.” - -Celeste counted on her fingers but came to no conclusion. - -“Jack goes to Texas in April, why not let part of our wedding journey -be spent in company with him?” said Elisha. - -Jack’s health had failed during the past year. An annoying cough had -caused Doctor Brinton to suggest a trip to the plains of Texas, and he -intended to start during the last week in April. - -Celeste hesitated. To visit Vicksburg and the land of her birth was one -of the dreams of her life, and now to go with dear brother Jack! Her -eyes sparkled, the sweet lips parted and Elisha had won. - -Taking the curly brown head in both his great brown hands, Elisha -looked earnestly into her eyes. His heart was too full for words; and -with a sigh of perfect content she threw her arms around his neck -feeling that under the protection of such love, her way through life -would be guarded from every care. Her own unworthiness, her distorted -views of the real duties of life, overwhelmed her, and her tone was -almost pathetic as she said: - -“Elisha, you have chosen a helpless partner. I see it all now, my blind -selfishness and aimless existence. The grand possibilities of life have -heretofore applied to others, but with your help, I intend to take my -place in the arena and together we will fight our battles.” - -“And win them, my darling,” he said, kissing again and again the warm -red lips so temptingly near his own. - -The thoughtless, pleasure-seeking girl now stood before Elisha -transformed into a glorious woman with an earnest purpose. The scales -had fallen from her eyes now flashing with new brilliancy. Granny’s -words, “No De Vere is a coward,” proved her not an exception. - -If a tiny cloud crossed their horizon just then, it passed unobserved. -In their own radiant happiness, they forgot that there might be misery -for others. - -Infinite Wisdom has so formed man that through the rift in to-morrow’s -cloud, he may catch the brightness of to-day, that strength may be -given him to guide his frail bark along the ever-changing current of -life’s river. He may know that trials come to him with beneficent -purpose, and that no one is given more than he can bear. - -On the grave of perverted aims and impulsive desires, Celeste’s “barren -fig tree is given another season.” - - - - -CHAPTER VII - - -It must be apparent to all that some time previous to the discovery of -“Old Ninety-Nine’s” cave and Mills’s desire to purchase Point Wawanda, -ostensibly for the purpose of erecting on it a sanitarium, the latter -had, with a notorious mining expert, secretly prospected on the mining -claim and also discovered the cave. His was the knife that had dug free -gold from the pocket commented on by Hernando and theirs the hands -which had chipped the rocks disclosing the untold richness of the mine. -The veritable chest described by Benny Depuy was found under a heap of -rocks which appeared to have been washed over it. It, too, seemed to -have petrified. The hinges and bindings had been eaten away by rust -and the lid simply slid off disclosing, as Benny had said, “Heaps upon -heaps of gold, silver and precious stones.” - -Like vultures, the two gloated over their discovery and the spoils -were equally divided between them. Mills’s eyes gleamed and after -the chest had been emptied, he hit it a sounding rap with his hammer -which shattered it into fragments, revealing the secret bottom which -contained a parchment yellow with age. He sprang upon it like a cat and -unfolding the document with shaking hands endeavored to read it. - -It was closely written, apparently in Spanish, and so blurred as to -be utterly illegible, but at the bottom was one of those symbolical -pictures which were used as maps by the Esopus Indians. This -represented a bird before a fissure in a mountain. In her beak was a -lump of metal, apparently, and she was looking down into the crevice -from which evidently had come her treasure. About fifty feet below -and six hundred feet distant, according to their measurements, wound -a small stream, and from a mountain peak to the south issued what -appeared to be smoke. Without doubt this was the “Old Ulster Mine.” - -“See,” said Mills, “a bird is the omen of good luck. This crevice is -very, very deep and evidently the metal has come from the bottom. Look, -here is the head of an Indian. Who knows but that this is the famous -mine of Unapois? It certainly is not this one, for it is much lower -down the mountain side and to the south.” - -“Surely this is the Old Ulster,” replied his companion. “You see, the -location is distinctly that; and true to their racial instincts, the -Indians are guarding their secret against the restoration to them of -the lands of their forefathers.” - -“What a disappointing history that mine has had,” said Mills. - -“I confess my complete ignorance as to that. I simply know the mine -when I see it,” returned the miner. - -“About fifty years ago,” said Mills, “two residents were tramping along -the base of the mountain when they saw a small piece of sulphurate of -lead lodged in a rift near a spot where the old drift is located, but -nothing serious was thought of the matter. Shortly afterward, the -owner conceived the idea of leading the water from the spring, located -at the spot where the old workings were afterwards commenced, to his -house by means of a drain-pipe, and while so engaged discovered further -indications. During the progress of the work, a village lad discovered -a large piece of the ore and took it to the owner who felt so elated -over it that he presented the boy with a cow. The discovery was soon -noised abroad, and coming to the ears of certain New York parties, a -stock company was formed under the title of the Ulster Lead Mining -Company which purchased the land of the owner, and in the following -spring put up machinery and buildings and commenced drifting. They -continued boring with varying success for something over two years when -they suspended for lack of funds. - -“Five years later the company recommenced operations and continued the -work for a period of three years when it was reorganized under the -title of the Union Lead Mining Company, and five thousand dollars were -to liquidate all former claims and further the work. - -“Information in regard to their operations is meager as their president -and superintendent were not from these parts and those living here at -that time have forgotten the particulars. It is known, however, that -during the latter part of the workings attention was wholly directed -to extracting sulphate of copper from its bed of clay and that large -quantities of the material were shipped off for smelting, suitable -works for the operation not having been erected here. The company -ceased operations two years afterward and the works have gradually -decayed, leaving nothing but the little building once used for an -office.” - -“They do not seem to have given a thought to silver,” replied Mills’s -companion. - -“You must remember that the Dutch element prevails in this valley, and -if a Dutchman started in for extracting lead, he would consider all -else in his mine ‘gangue.’ Intentness of purpose is their national -characteristic.” - -But they must be off before daylight. The fragments of the broken chest -were gathered together and the marauders crept stealthily out of the -cave, dropping the broken chest into a deep hole. - -Their horses were impatiently gnawing the saplings to which they had -been tied near the base of the mountain, and mounting, they rode -towards Kerhonkson and thence to Kingston. - -What to do with the jewels, now that they had them, was a question. -Mills was known to be a man in moderate circumstances, and these jewels -were priceless diamonds, rubies and many semi-precious stones, fit -ransom for an emperor. They dare not exhibit them nor dispose of them, -so they must be placed in some safe deposit and that at once. - -Arriving at Kingston, they were shown into a room in a hotel in which -the attentive servant kindled a fire in the wood stove as the air was -chilly. After dinner they sat hugging the stove and talking in low -tones. The mine must be secured, and that as soon as possible, and it -was decided that Mills should begin negotiations with Mr. De Vere at -once and secure a clear title for the mine on his place, and Mills’s -partner should bend his energies toward obtaining Old Ulster. - -“What shall we do with this old document?” Mills inquired, producing -the one found in the cave. - -“Destroy it,” said the other. “No one can read it, and anyway, all we -want to know is clear.” - -Mills reflected, but ended in agreeing that it would only be a source -of anxiety if preserved and, opening the stove door, it, with some -old letters, was consigned to the flames and the blaze which followed -assured them that at least one witness against them had been disposed -of. - -Nothing now remained for them to do but to go on to New York City, -complete arrangements and deposit the gold and jewels in a place of -safety. - -How Mills succeeded with Mr. De Vere is known and when the former’s -accomplice endeavored to secure the title to “Old Ulster,” he learned -that the mine was already in the hands of a new company. - -Mills secretly regretted having consigned the document so hastily -to the flames; and could he have seen it, as Dr. Herschel, the next -occupant of that room in the hotel at Kingston, drew it from the stove, -every letter distinct, he would have known that in that asbestos-like -sheet was a rarer treasure than money or jewels. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - - -The last week in April had arrived and in a few days came Celeste’s -wedding. Hernando was returning from town after a call at his uncle’s -where his cousin Mary Genung was convalescing from typhoid fever. -Eletheer De Vere had been with her and bravely nursed her through. -Everything seemed strangely quiet, only the sound of the crushers -breaking the stillness, and he strolled along so deeply absorbed in -thought that he did not hear a light footstep behind him, and almost -started when his arm was clasped by slim white fingers and a merry -voice said playfully: “There, you naughty boy, I’m completely out of -breath trying to catch up with you.” - -It was Celeste, and she raised her glowing face to his with an -expression of mock severity. - -“I certainly did not hear you, Celeste,” he replied honestly. - -Her hands were full of trailing arbutus which filled the air with its -delicious fragrance. - -“Then I will forgive you,” she said, pinning a cluster of deep pink -blossoms on his coat. - -“What are these beautiful flowers?” he said, smelling of them. - -“For shame!” she exclaimed, “not to be acquainted with trailing -arbutus. The woods are full of it. Whittier calls it the Mayflower, -and says, ‘It was the first flower to greet the Pilgrims after their -fearful winter,’” and with a happy smile she repeated: - - “‘Yet God be praised,’ the Pilgrim said, - Who saw the blossoms peer - Above the brown leaves, dry and dead, - ‘Behold our Mayflower here.’ - - “O sacred flowers of faith and hope, - As sweetly now as then, - Ye bloom on many a birchen slope, - In many a pine-dark glen.” - -“I think I have heard Mary speak of them,” said Hernando, “but I never -saw them before.” - -“How is Mary getting on?” - -“She was down stairs to-day for the first time.” - -“Eletheer really intends to be a nurse,” Celeste said, “but it must -make one become morbid to see so much suffering.” - -“It will never have that effect upon Eletheer,” Hernando said gravely. - -“Eletheer is eccentric. She always selected her associates from among -such queer people. Mary Genung is the only nice girl she cares -anything about.” Here Celeste laughed and continued calmly, “Let me -name a few of her friends: Father Perry, Uncle Mike, the Dugans, every -one of the miners, Pat McGinn, Doctor Brinton and Mary Genung.” - -Hernando could not resist laughing. “Am I not among them?” he said, -sobering instantly. - -“You,” and her laugh was infectious. “She seems to have adopted you. -Some one made a remark about you which she interpreted as disparaging, -and he must have felt uneasy under her sarcasm.” - -“She is very loyal to those she cares for.” - -“And those whom she dislikes know it.” - -Elisha had seen them coming from the piazza and met them at the gate. -How tenderly he drew Celeste’s arm within his own and what a world of -devotion was pictured in his honest face. Hernando watched them go. -Once Celeste looked back. He was smelling the arbutus she had given him. - -Supper had been cleared when they arrived, but Margaret never forgot -the “chillen” and Celeste, followed by Elisha and Hernando, went -immediately to the kitchen. - -Jack’s health was really in such a condition as to excite apprehension, -and an inherited weakness of the lungs predisposed him to pulmonary -troubles. He had been preparing to enter college, but close application -to study had completely broken him down, and he was obliged to give -up the aim of his life, but took the disappointment philosophically -and when the doctor suggested roughing it on the plains of Texas, -arrangements were immediately made to follow his advice. It was now -Tuesday, and Thursday was the day appointed for Celeste’s marriage. -Jack intended going with them on their wedding journey as far as -Vicksburg, then continuing on alone to Texas. All his preparations were -completed and he anticipated the trip with much pleasure. Elisha seemed -like a brother already--indeed all the family received the announcement -of his wish to make Celeste his wife as a foregone conclusion. The -wedding was to be a simple one, no one outside of the family being -invited, and immediately afterward they were to leave for the South. - -Jack’s nature was buoyant. Like Celeste, he viewed life from its sunny -side. Admired, sought after, it is not to be wondered at that his -nobler traits lay dormant. Mrs. De Vere idolized her only boy and in -her estimation he possessed not one fault. Hers were the eyes that -detected the change in Jack, and in his capacious trunk was packed -every comfort for her boy. No one knew of the tears she shed in secret -and Jack only suspected it. He found Eletheer folding heaps of fleecy -garments designed for Celeste’s adornment. They were mysteries to him -and seeing she was in a hurry, he put on his hat and went out. - -The last article stowed away, Eletheer closed the trunk and went down -into the dining-room, and being tired and wishing to be alone, she -closed the door and threw herself into a large easy-chair before the -fire. The night air was chill yet and the fire shed a grateful warmth. -She had been seated some minutes before she became aware that she was -not the only occupant in the room, and turning her eyes toward the deep -eastern window, she saw Hernando seated among the cushions. - -“Pardon me,” she exclaimed with a start, “perhaps I intrude.” - -“From the manner in which the door closed, you will be the one intruded -upon if I remain.” - -“Don’t talk nonsense, Hernando. Your presence is never unwelcome. I am -actually blue and do not wish to infect others.” - -“You would tell me that my stomach is out of order.” - -“Which is undoubtedly true of mine. But in all seriousness, Hernando, -that attack of diphtheria you had last winter has left bad effects. -Your entire countenance is somehow changed and your voice has never -been the same since. For the last three days you have seemed half -asleep. Reuben is really becoming concerned about your condition.” - -“Reuben is a noble fellow but somewhat of an alarmist, I fear,” replied -Hernando. - -“I understand the meaning of the word ‘alarmist’ to be ‘one who -needlessly excites alarm’, which certainly does not apply to Reuben, -and when he says ‘somethin’ is goin’ to happen,’ it invariably does -happen.” - -“What is his latest prediction?” Hernando asked with a light laugh. - -Eletheer could not help smiling in return as she replied: “Nothing in -words, but his actions indicate that some calamity is impending over -this family.” - -“What was it you quoted to me the other day, ‘Nothing can happen -to any man that is not a human accident, nor to an ox which is not -according to the nature of an ox, nor to a vine which is not according -to the nature of a vine, nor to a stone which is not proper to a -stone.’ If then, there happen to each thing both what is usual and -natural, why shouldst thou complain, for the common nature brings -nothing which may not be borne by thee.” - -Eletheer looked very sober and he continued, “Far be it from me to -disparage Reuben, but like all of the colored race he is superstitious. -You must not remain so much indoors. Mary’s illness and the preparation -for this wedding have made you morbid,” he said, shivering slightly. - -“Are you cold?” she asked in some surprise, at the same time poking -the fire vigorously. The blaze which followed illuminated the room, -revealing Hernando in a vain effort to repress a chill. - -“I fear you are ill, Hernando.” - -Reuben here entered with an armful of wood. His observing eye -recognized at a glance the indications of suffering which Hernando -could not conceal, and hastily depositing his burden, he returned in -a few minutes with a glass which he handed to Hernando saying, “Heah, -my boy, drink dis hot toddy. Yo’ bettah keep out of dat mine. Dampness -haint good fo’ rheumatism.” - -Hernando drank the mixture and with Reuben’s assistance went up to his -room. Striking a light, the faithful negro opened the bed and turned to -aid his charge in disrobing. The latter’s face was positively livid. - -“I reckon I gave yo’ a po’ful dose, Massa. Yo’ head is ready to pop,” -said Reuben apologetically. - -“I do not understand it, Reuben. Of late, stimulants, even in -infinitesimal doses, always affect me in this way.” - -“I’d bettah put yo’ feet in good hot watah, it will draw de blood from -yo’ head.” - -Hernando barely retained an upright position during this operation. -He felt literally “dead for sleep.” Reuben kept his own opinion to -himself, mentally determining that the next hot toddy should be less -hastily measured, and he hurried his patient into bed. In less than -five minutes Hernando snored loudly, and Reuben thought best to leave -him alone; so, after tidying the room, he softly closed the door, -chiding himself severely for his supposed carelessness, and returned to -finish the chores. - -Eletheer still waited in the dining-room and after being told that -Hernando would probably be all right in the morning, she retired. Not -so with the faithful Reuben. After attending to the thousand and one -little tasks which he conscientiously and systematically performed, his -pallet was spread by Hernando’s door that he might be ready in case of -need. Several times during the night he stealthily crept to Hernando’s -bedside only to find him in that same heavy sleep. - -“Dat sleep means somefin,” he soliloquized uneasily; and earlier than -usual the kitchen fire was kindled and his part of the daily routine -begun. - -Hernando had not stirred, but he breathed more easily and was bathed in -perspiration. His left arm hung over the edge of the bed and as Reuben -with tender solicitude raised it and was about to replace it under the -cover, the sleeve fell back revealing several small, dry, red spots -which, unlike the adjacent skin, were perfectly dry. Reuben stared. -This struck him as unusual. Here the sleeper moved his head slightly to -the left and just below the right ear were some more of these spots. -These also were perfectly dry. He recollected having heard Hernando -mention being troubled with “blood-boils.” - -“I reckon de hot toddy stirred his blood up, po’ boy. He needs a good -clarin’ out,” Reuben mentally said, but he felt uneasy and as soon -as Mr. De Vere was heard stirring, the former knocked at his door -expressing a wish that Dr. Brinton be summoned. - -“By all means,” Mr. De Vere said. “Do you think his case serious? What -kind of a night did your charge pass?” - -“He done slep’ all night, Massa John, and is sleepin’ hard now. The -po’ful strong toddy might do that, but I ’clare, Massa, I jes’ feel -he’s dreffel sick.” - -“What do you think is the matter?” - -“I jes’ dun know.” - -“Then we will have a physician settle the question,” replied Mr. De -Vere, stepping to the telephone. - -“Dr. Brinton is not well,” the answer came. “Is the call imperative?” - -One glance at Reuben’s face and Mr. De Vere answered, “I am sorry to -learn that the doctor is sick, but fear we must have medical advice at -once. Will he kindly send some one?” - -After a long pause, Dr. Brinton himself answered. Hernando’s symptoms -under Reuben’s dictation were given, and through the ’phone, Dr. -Brinton’s laugh followed by a fit of coughing could be distinctly -heard. Then he said his assistant would be up immediately after -breakfast. - -“Now Reuben, my good man, don’t worry any more about it. You know -he has malaria--at least he occasionally suffers from febrile -attacks--and now undoubtedly has taken cold. Your hot toddy will fix -him, and if it does not, the doctor will do all necessary,” and he -dismissed the subject. - -Massa John’s will was law for Reuben, and though he could not rid -his mind of a feeling of indefinable dread, after another peep into -Hernando’s room he went to assist Margaret in the kitchen. - -Nine o’clock brought, not Dr. Brinton’s assistant, but Dr. Herschel, -a celebrated dermatologist who was stopping in town for the purpose -of investigating the climatic conditions at Shushan and the medicinal -properties of mineral springs there. He alighted deliberately and -turned to survey the prospect. Little rivulets of melting snow danced -musically down the mountain side, the fresh woody smell from dried -leaves was wafted to his nostrils, unconsciously his head was thrown -back to better fill the lungs with this exhilarating air, and he bared -his head as if in deference to the Giver of such blessings. - -Eletheer was watching from an upper window and her heart fluttered as -she thought of meeting this great man face to face. “Just like good Dr. -Brinton,” she said to herself. “None but the best for our family--but -Hernando is worthy of it. I do wonder what is the matter with him -anyway. Reuben seems so worried. Dr. Herschel takes his time. Probably -as his name is made, he does not need to inconvenience himself for the -sake of others.” - -He raised his eyes to the window before which she sat and seeing her, -bowed slightly and advanced slowly toward the house. - -“So this is the great scientist,” she said aloud, disappointment -pictured in every lineament of her face--and indeed any casual observer -would never give him a second thought. Reuben, always a well-bred -servant, could barely restrain his impatience, and without waiting for -the doctor to ring, he opened the door and unceremoniously ushered him -into the library where Mr. De Vere was absorbed in the morning papers. - -“De doctah, Massa,” Reuben announced, immediately ascending to -Hernando’s room. - -“Ah, good morning, Doctor,” said Mr. De Vere extending his hand. -“Glorious weather this. Pray be seated.” He drew a great easy-chair -before the western window which overlooked the city and pointing to -the blue hills among which lay Shushan, remarked: “Like Hernando, you -too are striving for the betterment of suffering humanity, only on -different lines.” - -Dr. Herschel’s glance followed his. His eyes were deep set, but their -color was lost in the brilliancy of the mind which saw through them -more than this world of material facts and threw the light of its -genius into unexplored regions. Without removing his glance, he said -in a low, even-toned voice, “I believe you surveyed out that tract of -land.” - -“Yes, and found it an unsavory job,” Mr. De Vere laughed. - -Dr. Herschel’s countenance wore no answering smile as he replied: -“True, the stench is almost overpowering, but the waters from -‘Stinking Spring,’ particularly, I believe to possess undoubted -curative properties.” - -“I sincerely trust they may, but to me that spot is the most obnoxious -on the globe and the poor unfortunate who laved in that water would be -a martyr indeed.” - -“All of us are more or less,” replied the doctor abruptly, “but time is -passing, shall I see the patient now?” - -Reuben’s quick ear caught the question and almost instantly his black -form appeared in the doorway, and without more ceremony Dr. Herschel -was escorted to Hernando’s room. On the way upstairs he touched Reuben -on the shoulder with, “Have you excluded all but yourself?” - -“Yes, sah.” - -“Why?” - -By this time, they had entered the room and closed the door. - -“Kase, Massa, it mout be ketchin’.” - -“Have you ever before seen a case like this?” - -“Not exac’ly, sah.” - -“How long has he slept like this?” - -Reuben gave a very correct account of Hernando’s condition since the -evening previous--not even omitting the toddy, nor to deplore his own -supposed carelessness. Not a single symptom was forgotten. - -The physical examination over, during which Hernando remained limp, the -doctor again turned to Reuben, “Has he ever spent any time out of the -United States?” - -Reuben did not know, but felt sure that Mr. De Vere would. - -“That is all then, my good fellow. Let your patient sleep. This is -an infectious disease, so be very careful to cleanse your hands with -this”--handing him a prescription. “Use every precaution which an -intelligent nurse should.” He then sought Mr. De Vere who anxiously -awaited his verdict. - -“Well?” the latter questioned. - -Following him into the library, Dr. Herschel expressed a wish that Mr. -Andrew Genung be sent for. - -“We telephoned him early this morning and I am surprised that he is -not here now,” said Mr. De Vere. - -Even as he spoke, that gentleman’s portly figure appeared at the -door and after a short greeting, he dropped into a chair, panting -for breath, but managed to gasp, “Well, Doctor, we are fortunate in -obtaining your service. Is our boy’s condition precarious?” - -“First get your breath,” replied the doctor, “and then my diagnosis -will be materially strengthened if you are able to correctly answer a -few questions.” - -Like all who came within this magnetic man’s influence, the two men -before him, in dread expectancy, instinctively felt themselves in the -presence of one who has conquered his most dangerous enemy, himself, -and as a logical sequence, his trained intelligence would be rightly -directed. Neither of them, though, appreciated the gentle tact by which -their minds were being prepared for the shock awaiting them. After a -short pause, Dr. Herschel asked--“Has your nephew ever passed any time -out of the United States?” - -“No,” replied Mr. Genung in some surprise. - -“Has he ever married?” - -“No.” - -“He was born and reared in Nevada, I believe. Where educated?” - -“San Francisco.” - -“And probably, like too many young men of that age, Chinatown had its -attractions.” - -Mr. Genung’s face became purple with indignation, but his questioner -did not flinch, only a look of divine pity came into his face as the -question was repeated. - -“Pardon me, Dr. Herschel,” Mr. Genung replied, rising and preparing -to leave, “I fail to see the application of that question to my dear -nephew’s present condition.” - -“Very well,” came the deliberate reply, “you are not legally obliged to -answer, neither is your nephew; but as the latter’s medical adviser and -would-be friend, I have a moral right to be enlightened on everything -pertaining to his good. True, the question asked, though a leading -one, is not necessary, for his symptoms are sufficient to expel all -doubt; but when a physician diagnoses a case as one heretofore unknown -in these parts, he naturally likes to substantiate his opinion by all -available evidence.” - -With Mr. Genung, family matters were as strictly kept as the Ten -Commandments, but the doctor’s last remark disturbed him more than he -cared to admit. Twirling his hat nervously, he said--“Supposing it had. -What if, for one brief year, his habits had not been such as a parent -commends--a young man must ‘sow his wild oats’--how could the knowledge -of that fact affect your diagnosis?” - -“Make it absolutely certain. I have traced similar cases to Chinatown. -It is a far too productive soil for the sowing of wild oats. One -sometimes reaps where he has not sown. The disease is leprosy; but, -contrary to the universally accepted belief, a cure has been found.” - -Dead silence, broken only by a sound of labored breathing, followed -this announcement. - -“Yes,” he continued, “‘Old Ninety-Nine’s’ cave contained a rarer -treasure than money and jewels in the form of a proven cure for this -justly dreaded malady.” - -There is no sight more pathetic than a proud man humbled. Mr. Genung, -with all his boastful pride of race and family, told that one in whose -veins his own blood flowed was an outcast, unclean from this loathsome -disease, a leper, while close upon this, conscience whispered, “What -of the poor victim?” felt a compassion for his wayward brother’s only -child suffuse his whole being. Tears coursed down his rugged cheeks and -utterly broken in spirit, he looked appealingly at Dr. Herschel while -his whole frame shook as with ague. - -Mr. De Vere sprang to his assistance and Dr. Herschel administered a -restorative, bidding him lie down for a few minutes, and his order was -obeyed with child-like confidence. - -“Now,” resumed the doctor, when the excitement had somewhat -subsided, “my plan is this: to at once remove our young friend to -Shushan--accommodations there are meager, but this is easily and -quickly remedied, and I, myself, will remain with him until he is fully -under the application of my treatment.” - -“All alone in that detestable wilderness!” Mr. De Vere exclaimed. - -“No, my dear sir, very soon he will be joined by another man (also a -patient), and they can mutually assist each other.” - -“God be merciful!” Mr. Genung moaned. - -“Their home,” the doctor continued, “shall be light, airy and -attractive, the library complete. I assure you that nothing necessary -for their comfort will be omitted. Barren and forbidding as that spot -seems, it contains much that is interesting, and best of all, that for -which the brightest minds of all ages have sought--A CURE FOR LEPROSY!” - -“How long do you think this stupor will last, Doctor?” asked Mr. De -Vere. - -“I cannot say, but asleep or awake, we must make arrangements for -his removal this night. You understand that his isolation is to be -complete?” - -“Not even communication by telephone?” - -“Even that. Were it known that Hernando has leprosy, complications -might arise. Fearful as the disease is, it is not contagious, but it -would be a difficult matter to convince the laity that contagion and -infection are not synonymous. Am I to depend on your co-operation?” - -“Oh, yes,” came the answer in unison. - -“_Reuben_ will collect together his effects”--with an accent on the -name, which both understood--“and prepare him for the trip at about ten -o’clock to-night; I, with a trusty man, will be here with a conveyance -for Shushan.” - -A heavy sigh from Mr. Genung. - -“And now,” said the doctor cheerfully, “devotion is commendable only -when rightly demonstrated. Let me know if he awakes. Good-morning,” and -he was off. - -Even his enemies would have pitied Andrew Genung as he sat there -staring vacantly at first one and then another. Hernando’s coming and -subsequent aid in discovering “Old Ninety-Nine’s” mine he had viewed -in the light of a manifestation of God’s pleasure to smile on this -valley, and that He had chosen one of the good old name “Genung” to be -the means, had made his heart swell with pious pride. Now he could only -pray; “Heavenly Father, have mercy on my poor boy. Forgive him, for he -knew not what he did!” - -Mr. De Vere went upstairs to deliver Dr. Herschel’s verdict to Reuben. -His hand was on the knob of Hernando’s door; but, like a spirit, Reuben -appeared on the threshold and gently but firmly motioned him back -with,--“Yo’ can’t come in hyah, Massa, Massa John!” - -“Reuben!” Mr. De Vere’s tone was one of dignity. - -“Dr. Herschel assures us that this disease is not contagious, nor as -broadly infectious as has been believed.” - -“Drefful sorry to displease yo’, Massa; but odahs am odahs.” - -Mr. De Vere stepped back abashed, not at the gentle rebuke implied -in those words, but before this perfect example of the dignity of -service, unswerving fidelity to conviction, unselfish devotion to -those held dear. - -“Far be it from me to tempt you, Reuben,” Mr. De Vere said humbly. “You -understand that Hernando has leprosy, and that, awake or asleep, you -are to have him ready to be moved to Shushan by ten o’clock to-night.” - -Not a muscle in that black face moved; and fearing he had not -understood, Mr. De Vere repeated--“Leprosy.” - -“Yes, Massa, I s’pected it when the doctah was hyah.” - -A slight noise in Hernando’s room attracted Reuben’s attention and he -quickly entered it, locking the door behind him. - -Eletheer came out of the library where Mr. De Vere had been closeted -with his family for nearly an hour. No outsider will ever know how the -awful truth was told there, but the girl Eletheer came out of that -room a woman. She wandered aimlessly downstairs. Not a cloud dimmed -the intense blue of the heavens, and all nature seemed quivering with -new life. The sunny valley lifted a smiling face but Eletheer saw -only--Shushan. - -[Illustration: Into this den of venomous serpents only the hardy dared -penetrate] - -This extensive tract of land extended from the Rochester line to -the “Low Right.” Portions of it were capable of being converted -into average, tillable land but the greater part was rough, hilly -and barren. This latter condition especially applied to the eastern -portion, which opposed the Shawangunk Mountains: bare, rocky walls -rising in successive steps, brokenly dizzy cliffs over which the -northeasters swept unobstructed, fit abode for the shades of departed -warriors as they had been the scene of many an Indian ambush. True, -there were some shady haunts of gigantic pine, hemlock and chestnut, -but into this den of venomous serpents only the hardy dared penetrate, -and these never more than once. - -In the heart of this amphitheater boiled a spring so offensive as to -have earned the name “Stinking Spring.” The rocks from which it issued -were blackened, denuded of all vegetation, and every living plant -within reach of the fumes withered and died, but here was a paradise -for reptiles which attained prodigious size and thronged in numbers -incredible. - -Old settlers claimed that some sort of connection existed between -Shushan and “Old Ninety-Nine’s” cave, as, when the mysterious “light” -appeared on the mountains, an answering flash rose above Shushan, but -no one attempted an explanation. - -Locally, this spot was regarded with dread, wiseacres declaring it -haunted, and Dr. Herschel’s purchase of the same excited much adverse -criticism, but he was left in undisputed possession. - -Here, for years to come, was Hernando to dwell; and, disfigured beyond -recognition by the “Curse of a God of purity,” he would find his -“Waterloo.” The utter futility of human resistance to natural laws had -received another scientific verification; but oh, how disproportioned -was the punishment to the offense! - -Completely wrapped in thought, Eletheer did not see Dr. Herschel -who just then appeared around a bend in the path, and she started -hysterically at his greeting. - -He had been up at the mine and was making a short cut through the -barnyard to the road where, unnoticed by Eletheer, his horse was still -tied. His practiced eye detected at a glance the traces of tears -which she defiantly repressed and, pointing to a rustic bench, he -said,--“Come, let us sit in the sunlight and see if you are in earnest -about becoming a trained nurse, which Dr. Brinton tells me you have -decided to do.” - -“Yes,” she replied simply, “my grandmother thought I had a real talent -for nursing.” - -Dr. Herschel looked at her fixedly. This was not the first girl whom -he had seen possessed of a “real talent” for nursing, whose heart -“yearned for the sweet joys of ministering to the afflicted”; but in -his experience the majority of these ardent maidens had been quickly -disillusioned. Possibly the girl beside him was different. True, she -knew nothing of the world and all its distractions, but she did not -seem sentimentally inclined. Her behavior during the recent unhappy -occasion was eminently praiseworthy in one of her temperament and years. - -“Then too,” she added, “Reuben says I’ll make a good nurse and he is a -natural nurse.” - -“H’m!” Dr. Herschel had seen “natural nurses” before; but at the -mention of that black man’s name his expression visibly softened; no -fair-minded critic could question his ability. - -“How old are you?” he asked. - -“Seventeen.” - -“Plenty of time in which to consider so serious a question. First get -a good education, and then if you still wish to enter upon that life I -will assist you in doing so. From time immemorial nursing has been the -field of usefulness peculiarly adapted to women. History’s pages are -dotted with the names of heroines in camp, field and plague-stricken -districts, in short, wherever the sick and wounded have needed care -nurses have lived a life of such unselfish devotion as to have earned -the gratitude of millions. We bow our head in reverence to their -memory; but we are approaching a practical age in which science and -mechanics will be the ruling forces. The time is not far distant -when nursing will be a recognized profession, in line with the other -educational branches, and expert training an unquestioned necessity. -The trained nurse of the future must be an open-eyed, earnest woman -with a working hypothesis of a life. She will be keenly alive to the -fact that people of culture and refinement into whose homes she may be -sent, require an approach, at least, to the same qualities in the one -who ministers to their needs. Relations between nurse and patient are -peculiarly close and sacred”;--involuntarily Dr. Herschel looked upward -toward Hernando’s window--“she will be the recipient of confidences, -often enforced, which no true nurse can violate. In short, her -influence in any household is almost unlimited for good--or bad. Any -nurse who chooses this life with either no conception of the magnitude -of the work or from some ulterior motive, must ultimately suffer -defeat. You see, Miss Eletheer,” he continued, “that is largely a -question of business, with a business woman’s responsibilities. A nurse -must be just, loyal and self-sacrificing from an impersonal standpoint, -believe in herself, and have perfect control over her emotions. She -must ‘take things as they are.’” - -Dr. Herschel was a peculiarly gifted man aside from his professional -attainments. A natural critic of human nature, wide experience had -developed this trait into a seemingly occult power. He had also that -tenderness, that charity of the strong for the weak, which constitutes -the true man. - -“Now here is our young friend’s case. Very likely, to you his -punishment seems disproportionate to the offense, and your doubt -is a natural one; but finite minds cannot comprehend the Infinite, -nor in instances like the present one, see justice. Nature does not -specialize,--sin is sin. Sin and punishment spring from the same -root. This is true of all the minor events of life; worrying over -irremediable ills drains one’s nerve force, and seriously impairs -one’s ability for effective work. Up there,” pointing toward Hernando’s -room, “is a pattern well worth the consideration of thinking minds. Are -Reuben’s energies wasted in bewailing the disaster that has overtaken -his charge? No, he is a good business man, using what materials he has -to the best advantage.” - -“What a cold, hard view of so sacred a calling, and one which takes -hold on the basic principles of society,” Eletheer said warmly. - -“Nevertheless a correct one. Relative conditions are necessarily -complex and, to do good work, the woman must be absorbed in the nurse, -and dignify her patient into a case. This means work, hard work, many -times drudgery in a trade--I might say, profession--in a world of -increasing tendency towards scientific skill, a practical age where all -genuine ability will be compensated by an equivalent in dollars and -cents.” - -Eletheer had opened her lips to speak; but at that instant a black -hand raised Hernando’s window, and when it again closed a white flag -fluttered there. - -Without a change of expression Dr. Herschel arose. He held out his hand -to the shrinking girl before him, and in his firm grasp Eletheer gained -her first insight into the philosophy of necessity. - - - - -CHAPTER IX - - -If Dr. Herschel’s courage weakened as he looked into Hernando’s face -his expression did not show it. Duty, once plain, had but one road -for him, and he had the happy faculty of doing a disagreeable one -gracefully. Hernando’s case was simply and truthfully stated to him. -He then related his discovery of “Old Ninety-Nine’s” will in the -stove at Kingston. In the will, no mention was made of gold, money or -jewels, but he bequeathed to his brothers a proven cure for leprosy; -as, in his younger days, he had contracted the disease in the West -Indies. “Extremely chronic as it is,” said the doctor, “he was not -aware of its true nature until in an advanced stage. He speaks of his -body as contorted by dry rot, but painless. This is why he kept hidden -from sight, believing the Great Spirit angry with him. In a dream his -guardian spirit guided him to Shushan to be bitten by a poisonous -snake whose venom was an antidote; but, to perfect a cure, he must take -vapor baths from the boiling waters of ‘Stinking Spring.’[B] He went -to Shushan, allowed himself to be bitten repeatedly by the venomous -serpents there, carried out the directions of his guardian spirit, and -in less than a year, his body became strong. One foot and three fingers -had dropped off.” - - [B] Local tradition accredits the Delawares with some remarkable - cures of skin diseases through such means. Probably this spring - was sulphur. - -For the first time Hernando became interested, but only for an instant. -“What does it matter now?” he said with dull apathy. “I have ruined -this entire family and God knows how many others! all because I was a -blind fool. Venomous snakes and ‘stinking springs’ cure a disease that -has baffled science since creation? A bullet through the heart is the -best antidote for me!” - -“Will you put yourself in my hands?” - -“Would a post mortem on my carcass further the cause of science?” said -Hernando bitterly. - -“Tell me one thing,” Dr. Herschel asked, “have you ever suspected this?” - -“Great God, no! Not this. Don’t think me worse than I am. Had I, -my body would have followed ‘Old Ninety-Nine’s’ rather than bring -destruction on these dear friends.” - -“Listen, young man; on my professional word you have infected no -one. Faith on your part is unnecessary; all I ask of you is to go to -Shushan, take vapor baths, and allow me to inject the prepared venom -until you understand doing these things yourself according to my -directions. Do you consent?” - -“There is but one other alternative.” - -“And that would make you a murderer and me a felon. Do you hope to -pervert Justice or trick her of her dues! Is not one lesson sufficient?” - -Hernando’s brain reeled. His agonized soul cried out in anguish against -the stern Power demanding years of torment in payment for one mistake. -His nervous tension was tremendous, and the swaying power almost beyond -control. - -The doctor left him undisturbed to think it over for a few seconds and -then said kindly: - -“It is quite impossible for our finite minds to comprehend a plan of -which we form an infinitely small part; but the slight glimpse we can -get of the universe, wonderful beyond comprehension, ought to make us -accept our fate gladly--as we must, blindly.” - -After the doctor left, Hernando remained standing, the picture -of abject misery. Leaning his head against the window he said -bitterly,--“And for this I have striven! I, a leper, condemned to cry -‘Unclean, unclean!’” - -A black hand fell lightly on Hernando’s arm and Reuben’s low voice -said: “God am a bery present frien’ in time ob need.” - -“Oh, for your faith!” Hernando moaned. “Religion is a cold word and -means nothing to me.” - -“An’ what am ’ligion, Massa?” - -“I don’t know.” - -“Den let me tell yo’, Massa: ‘Puah ’ligion an’ undefiled befo’ God an’ -de fatha am dis,--to visit de fathaless an’ wida’s in de--in de’s -’fliction an’ to keep hisse’f unspotted f’um de wo’l.’” - -Tears, welcome tears, at last. “Oh, Granny, Granny!” Hernando sobbed. -“Was that night prophetic? Did you foresee this, and can you help me -now as you did then? Intercede with your God for me, for my punishment -is greater than I can bear!” He threw himself on the bed and buried his -face in the pillows. - -Reuben waited until the force of his emotion had spent itself, and -then, taking one of Hernando’s hands in both his own, he repeated the -Lord’s Prayer. - -It may have been the effect of warm human sympathy, or the rich, sweet -cadences of Reuben’s voice that soothed and quieted Hernando; but is it -not reasonable to believe that Reuben, in his absolute self-abnegation, -at-one-ment with his Maker, “transmitted a wireless message” direct -to the Source of all being, and became a perfect “receiver” for the -“wireless current of God’s dynamics,”--received a direct answer to -that prayer? He arose from his knees and returned to complete the -preparations for Hernando’s departure. - -How the weary hours dragged on no one could tell. Sounds of merriment -about the house were hushed and a blight seemed to have fallen on -everything; but like everything else, the day had an end,--sunset, -twilight, darkness; ten o’clock and Dr. Herschel; and the door closed -on Hernando, as all but Dr. Herschel and Reuben believed--forever. - - * * * * * - -All thought of the wedding had been abandoned by Elisha and Celeste; -but, on the morning after Hernando’s departure, Mr. De Vere received a -note from Dr. Herschel telling that Hernando hoped his absence would -make no difference in their arrangements for the wedding, and that they -would accept his congratulations. So the simple ceremony that made -Elisha Vedder and Celeste De Vere husband and wife was performed at the -appointed time and Celeste did not feel disappointed in deferring her -trip to Vicksburg, as Elisha filled the vacancy left by Hernando. - -Though the miners marvelled, not one dared question the grave new -superintendent. It was generally supposed that Hernando and Mr. De -Vere had had some difference which resulted in the former’s dismissal -and the fact of his having gone to live at Shushan made the odds -against him. As he was no more seen, gradually he became in a measure -forgotten, and work at the mine went as usual. - - - - -CHAPTER X - - -Jack started for Texas as planned. He proposed going first to -Fredericksburgh and thence to Squaw Creek where resided George Nelson, -a Texas cattle king, to whom Jack carried a letter of introduction from -Andrew Genung. - -Nothing of special interest occurred to break the monotony of his -journey until reaching Austin, where he intended to remain and rest a -few days before continuing on by stage for Fredericksburgh. - -Mentally and physically tired, he sought his hotel. What was life -worth? Only too well did he know the meaning of this hectic flush. The -events that had happened at his home had fallen like a pall over his -hopeful nature, and though convinced that this change could do no more -than prolong his life, he had undertaken it to please his mother. - -At the hotel where he stopped was a young fellow by the name of -Sevier, from Louisiana. He was having his eyes treated by Dr. Saugree, -the most eminent oculist in Texas, and a bond of common sympathy drew -the young men together. Mutual introductions followed and they became -friends. - -The second day after his arrival Jack felt much better and Sevier -proposed that they visit the Capitol. Jack readily agreed and they were -strolling leisurely in that direction when Sevier called his attention -to a man on the other side of the street. He was clad in a hickory -shirt, coarse baggy trousers, a broad-brimmed felt hat and brogans. - -“A cowboy, I presume,” said Jack. - -“What I first thought,” Sevier answered dryly. “He is president of the -most solid bank in this city. Let me introduce you,” crossing over and -bidding Jack follow. - -“What are you giving me!” said Jack, thinking it a practical joke. - -His new acquaintance was Timothy or “Tim” Watson, who shook hands -warmly with Jack and when he heard the name De Vere, he said: “I must -introduce you to one of your kin; am on my way to the bank now, but if -you’ll go along I’ll attend to some necessary matters there and then -take you to her house which is on the same street. From New York, are -you? I reckon you don’t know a man there by the name of Andrew Genung?” - -Jack’s face beamed with pleasure as he explained how very well indeed -he knew him. - -“Where did you meet him?” he asked Watson in some surprise. - -“In Nevada and Californy, and many’s the jolly good ride we had -together behind Hank Monk in the good old staging days,” replied -Watson, his face aglow at the pleasure of the memory. But they were now -at the bank, and bidding them be seated, he disappeared into an inner -office. - -Jack mentally contrasted him with the other bank presidents of his -acquaintance and unconsciously laughed aloud. - -Sevier, as if divining the cause, said--“There is not in the State of -Texas a man possessed of more good, sound horse-sense than Tim Watson, -nor a more honest financier.” - -“I believe it,” Jack answered. - -The subject of their discussion then appeared with the announcement -that he was ready, and they soon arrived at the home of Miss De Vere, -the aforementioned kinswoman of Jack. - -Like most of the residences of the better class, it was built of native -stone with a broad piazza, or “gallery,” extending around three sides -of the house. Miss De Vere was busily engaged in her flower garden when -Watson espied her, and in a stentorian voice called out,--“Howdy, Miss -De Vere!” - -Miss De Vere was apparently about sixty years of age, and as she -graciously welcomed them, Jack was struck with the resemblance -to his father’s family. Evidently she, too, saw the De Vere -characteristics in Jack, for laying her hands on his shoulders she -said meditatively,--“Strange the tenacity of race. Our type is a -particularly strong one and distinctly perpetuated. John, too, is a -name we cling to. All the De Veres in this country came from one common -stock, and we need not be ashamed of one of our kin.” - -“How about the one up last month for horse-stealing!” said Watson with -a sly wink at Jack. But apparently his question was unheard and she -ushered them into a wide hall extending entirely through the house. - -She noticed sadly another trait in Jack, the tendency to pulmonary -trouble, and her heart warmed toward this newly found kinsman. - -Jack, too, felt greatly drawn towards her and was unconsciously led -to talk about himself, his object in leaving home and his family. She -earnestly pressed him to make his home with her during his stay in -Austin, but as it would now be short and his belongings were at the -hotel, he gratefully declined, promising to do so on his way home. His -intentions were to take the next day’s stage for Fredericksburgh, so, -after a most enjoyable time with Miss De Vere, they left. Jack’s heart -was very tender as he received her good wishes and good-bye. “Truly,” -he thought, “this world is very small,” and, turning, caught Watson -eyeing him keenly. - -“So you knew Andrew Genung?” he said, divining the latter’s glance of -sympathy. - -“You bet I did, and I’ll be doggoned if it don’t make me homesick to -think of them good old days in the Rockies!” - -“Did you know his brother?” - -“Right well. What a good-for-nothing, unlucky devil he was. It aint -good policy to marry among them Greasers. I’ve clean lost sight o’ -their boy. Reckon he’s dead. I’m looking for a man by the name of -‘Bruce,’ in Virginia City, though God Almighty knows if he had a right -to the title. He was a slicker, and buncoed Fred Genung along with -myself. I’m ’biding my time, and if ever again I set eyes on him, one -of us is goin’ to glory ’cross-lots!” - -“But that is a long time ago, and he may either be dead or greatly -changed,” returned Jack. - -“Well,” replied Watson, “it is a good many years ago since he run that -Faro Bank in Virginia City, and I reckon he _is_ changed; but unless -he’s got a bran-new face, I’d know him in Africa. Look-a-here, young -man, no one can ever say that Tim Watson cheated him out of one cent, -and this miserable hound is the only critter that ever got the best of -Tim Watson. I’ll give him a chance to settle and if he don’t--” Here -Watson’s face became purple and Jack hastily changed the subject. - -Tim Watson was a character. His rules of business were inflexible in -their honesty and his character bore the closest scrutiny. Men, women -and children carried their troubles to him and his sympathies were -always with the weaker side. His observant eye discovered something -besides broken health in Jack’s face and he determined to keep an eye -on the young fellow with the sad eyes. - -Arriving at the bank, the young men left Watson there after obtaining -a promise from him that he would spend the evening with them at the -hotel, which they reached just in time for dinner. - -[Illustration: Tim Watson] - -The next morning Watson and Sevier saw Jack depart by the daily stage -for Fredericksburgh, the latter having promised to write immediately -on his arrival there, and climbing into the stage, he waved good-bye, -carrying with him the picture of whole-souled honesty clad in a hickory -shirt. - -The great boot was strapped over the baggage behind, everything stowed -away, and the driver cracked his whip over the horses’ heads as off -they went. The Colorado River was not then bridged and must be forded. -The horses were accustomed to it though, and even when the water -reached their bellies, they still plunged on. Over the old stage road -to Yuma, Arizona, they were going, and were soon climbing the bluffs -west of the Colorado. From Austin, the road is one continuous rise, and -by nightfall they were travelling over a rolling prairie. Jack’s only -companion was a German who neither spoke nor understood one word of -English, but was well armed. His own six-shooter, presented to him by -Watson, was handy and he had been duly warned as to the character of -the country through which they were passing. - -These stages travelled very fast, stopping only at lonely stations for -meals and change of horses. - -It was a little past midnight; the moon had gone down, and the only -sounds audible were the rumble of the coach and the distant howling of -wolves. “Thirteen miles from a human habitation!” thought Jack, and -a feeling akin to fear crept over him. He could not close his eyes -although his companion snored loudly. - -[C]Suddenly the stage came to a dead stop and crack! crack! went one -shot after another. In the darkness and mélee that followed, Jack -crawled out unperceived into a _mesquit_[D] tangle a few yards distant. -The driver and his fellow passenger were summarily dispatched, their -bodies and the stage plundered, and, undoing the fastenings, the -desperadoes rode off with the horses. All this occurred in less time -than is taken in recounting the awful deed. - - [C] Improbable as this incident seems, there are authentic accounts - of similar occurrences that took place in this region at about - the time of this story. - - [D] Mesquit: “Either of two thorny shrubs or small trees of the bean - family found in Texas or California--the larger and better known - is the honey-mesquit, yielding the sweetish algarroba--pods much - used for cattle-fodder.” - -Jack waited for a full quarter of an hour before he dared approach the -stage. Only too well had the desperadoes done their work even in the -darkness. An overpowering sense of dread came over him as he realized -that he was the only remaining passenger and on a lonely plain, -infested with wolves. Even now they were scenting blood, and their -howls were growing nearer. One thing was certain, he must get away -from this spot immediately, but where to? The darkness was so intense -that he could not see two feet before him. But oh, kind Providence! in -wandering about he stumbled against a tree and none too soon for as a -long-drawn howl announced their approach, and the wolves pounced upon -the bodies of his companions, snarling viciously as they tore them limb -from limb, Jack could only be thankful for his own miraculous escape. - -The wolf is a cowardly animal and never attacks a human being by -daylight, nor unless goaded by hunger and sure of his position. They -continued snapping and snarling for a long time. Jack was perched upon -a limb out of all danger, and gradually a certain sense of humor stole -over him. He was a fine whistler and often at home receptions had -entertained guests with selections accompanied by the guitar. Placing -two fingers in his mouth, he emitted a long-drawn whistle and as if by -magic all sounds from below ceased. The experiment having gratified him -beyond all expectation, Jack persevered. One selection followed another -until finally the pack of probably ten wolves could be heard slinking -off through the mesquit bushes. - -Jack laughed softly as he said aloud,--“What would Celeste think of -that for an audience?” - -It was now growing perceptibly lighter. The blossom pole of the -yuccas appeared like an array of bayonets and the heavy odor of the -night-blooming cereus was wafted to him on the cool breezes. Soon the -sun showed its yellow face on the distant horizon, shedding a warm glow -over the prairie already brilliant with flowers whose names he knew -not. The stage road wound like a ribbon over the plain which rose and -fell “like billows on a pulseless ocean.” - -Climbing down, Jack returned to the road and tramped on westward. Oh, -for a drink of water; but nowhere was any to be found! One sink-hole -after another was explored, only to find baked clay instead of the -precious fluid. His throat grew parched as he tramped along under the -burning sun, and each hour seemingly left him no farther on. All day -long he plodded with no water and nothing but berries to eat. - -By nightfall, away to the right and off the road, he espied a column of -smoke rising. “A human habitation of some sort,” he thought, and with -added courage pushed on. - -Distances are very deceptive in this dry, thin air and it was almost -dark when he reached the high pole fence surrounding an inclosure in -which was a log house. He was about to vault the fence when a confusion -of yelps told him that a half-dozen wolfish dogs regarded him as an -intruder. Jack realized that these assailants were really in earnest, -and hastily climbing one of the uprights, he shouted for help. - -A stout German woman appeared in the doorway and, seeing Jack’s -position, she shouted,--“Gerunter, Franz!” “Franz” was evidently the -leader for as he drew back the others followed, and in answer to her -invitation Jack approached the house which was occupied by a German -family named Kurtz. - -“Please give me a drink of water!” Jack said, sinking into a chair -almost exhausted. - -Mrs. Kurtz brought it and he drank greedily. - -“Vat ist name und vo kom’st du?” she inquired in broken English. - -Jack related his encounter with the desperadoes and subsequent -experiences, to which she listened with an indifference -incomprehensible to him. - -“Ya, like Comanche,” she said, busying herself with preparations for -his supper. - -Oh, how good the coffee and fried chicken smelled! Jack could -hardly wait for it to be ready, and when at last Mrs. Kurtz drew a -rush-bottomed chair before the table as a signal that supper was -ready, he went at the food in a manner which brought an expression of -tenderness into even the stolid face of Mrs. Kurtz. Never in his life -had he so enjoyed a meal, and his look of satisfaction attested the -gratitude he felt. - -This family, father, mother and daughter, were ranchers and -descendants of the colony of Germans sent over by Bismarck to found -Fredericksburgh. Mr. Kurtz now counted his sleek cattle by the thousand. - -Jack mentioned his letter to Mr. Nelson of Squaw Creek, and his wish to -go there on the morrow. - -“George Nelson is a friend of mine. His youngest gal and my Elsie is -real thick. Better hold on till Saturday and my gal’ll ride along with -you. She wants to spend Sunday there. My da’ter is doin’ some tradin’ -in town, but she’ll be home to-morrow.” - -It was now Thursday so Jack signified his willingness to do so, -incidentally adding that he would like to buy a horse. - -“Reckon I can suit you,” returned Mr. Kurtz with pardonable pride. - -But Jack was nodding, and he threw himself on a husk bed, oblivious of -everything till noon the next day. - -At dinner, he saw Miss Kurtz, who had ridden in from Fredericksburgh -on her spirited little mustang. Her dancing eyes and brown, healthy -complexion gave evidence of the invigorating atmosphere of the plains -and, though somewhat shy, she was a really attractive girl of about -eighteen years. Her admiration for Jack was poorly concealed and, as -most young men would have done under the circumstances he set about to -make himself agreeable. He described Nootwyck, his family, and gave a -brief sketch of “Old Ninety-Nine’s” cave and the mine. - -“Strange that they found nothing besides the mine!” Miss Kurtz mused. -“Do you think that the old man taken there exaggerated?” - -“No,” replied Jack, “some one had undoubtedly been in the cave -recently, my father thinks, and that the money and jewels were probably -carried off by the finder. All the other rare things seen by Benny must -have long ago disappeared.” - -“It sounds like one of Aladdin’s tales,” she said, deeply interested. - -“We thought it such until the discovery,” Jack replied, “but since then -I am inclined to think that many of the legends of which that valley is -so full may deserve investigation. The Delawares were a noble tribe, -unjustly treated, and degraded by the whites who had only themselves -to blame for the atrocities that occurred in the early history of the -Rondout Valley. The Delaware tongue is the most beautiful of any in the -Indian language as the names in our county testify.” - -Seeing a piano, Jack asked Miss Kurtz to play. She complied, but the -piano was wofully out of tune, and she expressed great regret at her -inability to get a tuner, saying her uncle usually attended to it, but -he had recently been shot. - -“If I had the implements, I could do it for you,” he replied. With a -grateful look, she ran out of the room, returning almost immediately -with a pair of saddle-bags in which was a complete tuner’s outfit. - -“There,” he said, “I’ll soon have your piano in shape.” - -“And while you are about it, I’ll help mother with the work,” she -smiled, leaving the room. - -He had almost finished his task when Mr. Kurtz came in to ask if he -wished to see the horses and, as Jack was still busy, he sat down in -the doorway to wait. - -Jack seated himself before the instrument to try it, running his -fingers lightly up and down the keys. A correct ear told him that -the work was well done and, rising, he followed Mr. Kurtz into an -inclosure where were several horses. - -“There,” said Mr. Kurtz, “I have several as fine specimens of -horseflesh as you ever saw.” - -They were indeed fine animals, but one in particular attracted Jack’s -attention. He pointed out the horse and Mr. Kurtz said, “That’s -Clicker, my woman’s saddle horse.” - -At the sound of his name, Clicker pricked up his ears and whinnied. - -“Your wife’s saddle horse!” Jack repeated in astonishment. - -“Sartin,” returned Mr. Kurtz, and chirruped softly to the animal which -trotted gracefully up to him, rubbing his velvety nose on the old man’s -arm. - -The horse was a light bay, fully sixteen hands high, magnificently -muscled, broad forehead, intelligent eye, gracefully arched neck and -luxuriant mane and tail. - -Jack, a real lover of horses, took in all these good points at a glance -and determined to own him if money could buy. - -They were here joined by Elsie, who threw her arms around Clicker’s -neck, kissing and petting him; then, turning to Jack, she said,--“Is he -not superb?” - -“The most magnificent horse I ever saw, but I should never take him for -a lady’s horse.” - -Elsie laughed as she said,--“Clicker is a gallant. Why, children climb -up his legs while he looks approvingly on, and with a woman on his back -he is simply a lamb. Just mount him if you are a fearless rider and -he’ll behave accordingly.” - -At first, they flatly refused all offers; but Jack’s offer of -seventy-five dollars proved too tempting and the bargain was closed, -Mrs. Kurtz adding the saddle that had belonged to Elsie’s uncle. - -They would receive no pay for Jack’s accommodation, evidently -considering the obligation on their side. Western hospitality is noted -for its breadth, but never before had Jack appreciated the full meaning -of the word and he was greatly affected by the honest simplicity of -these Germans. - -Early Saturday morning Jack and Elsie started for Squaw Creek Valley, -ten miles distant. It received its name from the fact that when the -Comanche warriors went out on their raids, the squaws were left in this -valley on the banks of the stream. - -Clicker’s step was light and springy as a panther’s and his motion so -easy that Jack felt as if in a rocking-chair. Elsie sat on her pony -like the practised horsewoman she was. They were galloping over the -cattle trail which at times was invisible, and they then gave their -horses rein as every foot of the ground was familiar to them. Jack -noticed with admiration how deftly the animals avoided the thorny -mesquit and cacti. - -Herds of sleek cattle grazed on the prairie covered with mesquit -and buffalo grass. The former is the best in the world. It grows -luxuriantly upon the plains of Texas, renews itself early in the -spring, matures early, and throughout the year remains nutritious -as naturally cured hay. Innumerable varieties of cacti blazed their -gorgeous blossoms of yellow, red, pink and white over the expanse, but -no trace of water; for it had now been six months since they had had -any rain, and Jack marvelled at the healthy look of vegetation. “How is -it,” he asked, “that the trees attain such size and look so thrifty?” - -“It is a common saying in these parts that their roots are attached to -the bottom of a subterranean lake which is supposed to underlie this -county,” laughed Miss Kurtz. - -Jack also laughed as he answered, “Then why is not someone enterprising -enough to utilize these everlasting winds in bringing some of the water -to the surface? Honestly, I wonder that you do not irrigate.” - -“One or two have tried it, but the water is very, very deep, and the -scheme is an expensive one.” - -“This soil is a rich, dark alluvium, very productive without rain. What -would it produce with it?” he continued. - -“Prickly pears and all the other varieties of cacti,” Elsie replied -demurely. - -They were now nearing a series of bluffs which gradually arose to an -elevation of about one thousand feet forming a wall, or chain of hills, -which hemmed in Squaw Creek Valley on the east for its entire length -of seventeen miles. Their ascent was gradual, trees grew smaller with -elevation and soon they were picking their way through a tangle of shin -oak, cacti and mesquit bushes. Exhilarated by the pure air, they halted -on the summit and looked down into Squaw Creek Valley. Jack started at -its resemblance to his own dear valley in the North, only the walls -which hemmed in this one would be called hills there. - -At the head, or rather three heads, of the valley, Squaw Creek has -its source in a chain of small lakes of pure spring water; thence it -winds its way through the entire valley and at the extreme northern end -unites its waters with the Onion to form Beaver Creek which empties -into Llano River. The valley itself appears perfectly level and its -walls have a perpendicular height of nearly five hundred feet. The road -into it was at the northern end. - -For several miles they travelled along its summit, then, descending -abruptly into a pass, struck the stage-road for Fredericksburgh and -dismounted to water the horses. As Jack was assisting Elsie to alight, -her watch slipped from her belt and fell to the ground. In stooping to -pick it up, he was struck with its unique workmanship. “May I examine -it?” he asked. “I never saw one like it.” - -“Certainly,” she answered, handing it to him. “It belonged to a Spanish -woman who died at our house. I nursed her and just before her death she -gave me this, saying it was all she had; and this,” opening the back of -the watch, “is a miniature of her only child. She called him Hernando.” - -“My God!” exclaimed Jack, greatly agitated. “Tell me all she said.” - -“She left a package of letters for her boy should his whereabouts ever -be discovered, and I have kept them securely locked. Mother said it was -useless to try to find him.” - -Jack’s eyes were blurred with tears as he looked at the picture; -the same wonderfully blue eyes and golden hair. Even as a boy, the -sensitive mouth showed a downward curve. Jack leaned his head wearily -against Clicker’s neck, as he said: “Miss Kurtz, in befriending this -Spanish woman, you have placed the discoverer of ‘Old Ninety-Nine’ -under a debt of deep gratitude.” - -She looked puzzled and he continued, “This is a picture of Hernando -Genung who located my father’s mine and developed it too. He is a hero -and a martyr and you may well prize his picture.” - -“But I shall send it to him along with the letters,” said Elsie. - -“No,” Jack protested firmly, “wear it always, but give me in writing a -full account of his mother’s time with you and I will forward that and -the letters to my father.” - -Jack’s cheeks were colorless and his wan look made Elsie’s heart ache. -Something more than ordinary grief was back of this, but she dared not -speak and felt greatly relieved when they drew up before Mr. Nelson’s -house. - -It was a one-story adobe building built around a courtyard and around -this ran a piazza onto which a door from each room opened. In front was -a large central door, and opposite this was another leading to a corral -in the rear. The windows were small and placed high. - -They saw Mr. Nelson himself coming by a well-beaten path from the -creek. He had evidently not heard their approach for his glance was -fixed on some object up the stream but on turning an angle he saw -them and a hearty “Howdy!” indicated that Elsie was no stranger. He -shook hands warmly, scanning Jack’s letter as a matter of secondary -consideration. - -Nine of Mr. Nelson’s children were married and settled in homes of -their own and Dora, his remaining one, now approached with her mother. - -Texas hospitality again. The best they had was literally his while -under the protection of their roof and Jack was made to feel that he -conferred a favor in accepting it. - -Dinner was soon ready and seated at that hospitable board, Jack first -tasted the succulent steaks which had heretofore existed only in his -imagination. - -“I reckon that this is your first meal in a ’dobe house,” remarked Dora. - -“The first one I ever entered,” Jack returned, “and it has a distinctly -foreign air.” - -“Well,” said Mr. Nelson, “I spent some time in Mexico and their manner -of building struck me as suitable to this climate. ’Dobe is cheap and -durable.” - -Jack’s head throbbed painfully and he could not conceal his suffering. -The strain he had been under for the past week, with the shock received -that morning, had completely prostrated him, and he was only too glad -to follow Mrs. Nelson’s advice and go to bed. His room was sweet and -inviting, but he sank into bed too ill to appreciate it. - -For two weeks he was confined to his bed and when able to sit up his -eyes fell on a small box, on a stand beside the bed, which Dora said -had been brought by Elsie. - -“Will you kindly hand it to me?” Jack requested. Dora complied and she -was about to leave the room when he protested and she resumed her seat. - -Jack’s hand trembled as he took the box and Dora’s eyes were moist when -he looked in her direction. Was it the attraction of her womanliness -which made him lay before her the awful fate of the one to whom these -letters belonged? Gradually he spoke of himself, his aspirations, his -plans for the future with its seemingly infinite possibilities all -gone now. “There is no use in longer deceiving myself. My future in -this world lies in the past.” His tone was bitter and though evidently -relieved by unburdening his mind, he seemed utterly crushed. - -“Mr. De Vere,” said Dora resolutely, “what you tell me is indeed -terrible. I do not pretend to understand why one endowed with so many -noble qualities should be thus stricken. An orthodox Christian would -tell you that it is the will of God that it should be so and you must -pray for strength to bear it. Never mind that, you have something -more tangible to deal with and that is your own physical condition. -‘Self-preservation is nature’s first law,’ and it is your duty to obey. -Are you doing it? You are utterly cast down, oblivious of the many -blessings around you. The doctor says if your nervous system would -react--which lies in your own power--in this dry, thin air, your lungs -would undoubtedly become restored to a healthy condition. Brooding over -misfortune is sinful. Forgive me if I wound you, but no one excepting -true friends point out our shortcomings.” - -Jack seemed in a quandary as he replied quietly, “Leaving out all -superfluous words, you mean that I am a coward.” - -“Not exactly coward, but you are shirking a grave responsibility.” - -“A shirk, then,” he corrected. “You are very frank, Miss Nelson.” - -But Dora was out of the room by this time, leaving him wholesome food -for reflection. More than anything else, Jack detested a “coward” or -“shirk,” and the thought of his appearing in the guise of one was -not pleasant. It nettled him, but his judgment told him that Dora’s -philosophy was sound, and when the doctor next came, he saw a decided -change for the better in his patient. Soon he was able to go for a -short ride on Clicker, and the doctor exchanged knowing looks with Mrs. -Nelson. - - - - -CHAPTER XI - - -August came and for nine months not a drop of rain had fallen. The -earth looked burned up, and the grass was so dry that in travelling -through it it flew into dust which the wind sent whirling over the -plain. No crop promised to be a good one. The sun beat pitilessly down -on the brown fields and cattle subsisted mainly on mesquit beans that -dangled their long pods in the never-ceasing wind. - -“All in the world this country needs is water,” thought Jack who was -studying irrigation schemes. Water from the streams was impracticable -and he now decided to bore on his tract of one hundred and sixty acres -just northeast of Brockman’s Point, and have his irrigation plant ready -and in operation by the middle of September, superintending the work -himself. But it was well into December before the work was completed, -and he was returning from a final inspection when whom should he meet -but Tim Watson. - -“Howdy there, young Yank!” the latter called out to Jack. - -“Well I declare if it isn’t Mr. Watson!” Jack shouted, bounding forward. - -Watson eyed the brown, healthy specimen of manhood before him -admiringly and remarked on his improved looks. “Your cousin sends her -regards and this,” said Watson, handing Jack a parcel which he opened -immediately. It contained a pair of moccasins, embroidered by Miss De -Vere herself, and an extremely kind letter. - -Jack’s eyes filled with tears of pleasure at the acceptable present and -the spirit that prompted her to make it. - -“She is very kind to take such an interest in a comparative stranger,” -he said with great feeling. - -“She is a De Vere, you know,” Watson answered, slyly punching him. “Is -Nelson about?” When answered affirmatively he continued, “Dora is a -nice girl, now, aint she?” - -[Illustration: Jack De Vere] - -“Certainly,” replied Jack quickly, “a fine character.” - -Watson eyed him closely and then burst into a loud laugh which was so -infectious that Jack joined in without knowing why. Suddenly checking -himself, he said, “What are we laughing at anyway?” - -“You sly dog,” said Watson, “I’ve been there myself, and you needn’t -try to look innocent. She’s a jewel, my boy, and I reckon you’ve done -the right thing.” Then changing his tone, he continued: - -“After you left Austin, I wrote Andrew Genung stating that I had seen -you, and made some inquiries about his brother and what had become of -the boy Hernando. He answered at great length telling me that, as I -knew, his brother Fred had died in a fight at Virginia City. The wife -is probably--God knows where!” Here his voice sank to a whisper, “And -their boy is a leper! Did you know this?” - -“Yes,” replied Jack, “and I know that that poor Spanish woman died a -victim of treachery.” And Jack gave an account of the letters left -with Elsie Kurtz, also of what the Spanish woman told her of how a man -by the name of Bruce poisoned her mind against her husband, and under -the guise of a friend enticed her from home one night; that her husband -overtook them, would not listen to her protestations of innocence, -shot them both, as he supposed, mortally and left. When she came to -herself she was alone and covered with blood. She dragged herself back -to Virginia City feeling sure that her boy Hernando would believe in -his mother’s innocence; but no trace of either him or his father could -be found. Unable to bear the slights and jeers of former companions, -she wandered about until she fell in with a family of Mexicans bound -for southern Texas. They pitied and cared for her and she made her -home with them until about three years ago when she drifted among the -Greasers in this part of the country. - -Watson’s expression during this recital was first one of surprise; this -changed into astonishment, and then a look of such vindictive hatred -that Jack proceeded with difficulty; but when he had concluded, his -listener remarked coolly, “I’ll be doggoned if I aint hungry!” - -“Were you ever North, Mr. Watson?” - -“Never, but I reckon I’ll go some time, perhaps along o’ you when you -take a turn home.” - -“Oh, how delightful! I may go next year.” - -For dinner, they were served with blue cat-fish of which Jack never -seemed to tire, a long, slender fish averaging about one and a half -pounds, and equalling in flavor the northern brook trout. It is very -unlike the mud cat-fish which is coarser in grain and flavor and -sometimes attains a tremendous size; but even from a fifty-pound fish, -the steaks are very good. - -“I do not believe there is a fish in the world equal to our blue -cat-fish,” observed Watson, deftly removing the bones from his mouth. - -“Unless it is our speckled trout,” Jack suggested. - -“There is a peculiar spring on my ranch,” said Watson abruptly; “in -dry weather it is full of water, but in time of rain there aint a drop -in it.” - -“I can beat that,” laughed Jack. “Just back of Sampsonville in the town -of Olive, and nearly at the top of High Point, four thousand feet high, -is a spring called the ‘Tidal Spring’ because, when the tide is in, the -spring overflows, and when it ebbs the water lowers.” - -Jack looked quickly in Watson’s direction. For an instant their eyes -met and the answering glance told that in Ulster County was still -another spring where, in durance vile, was being served what seemed an -unjust term. - -After a long silence, Watson shook himself like a great dog and -turning to Jack said,--“Young man, I reckon you think I’ve come just -in compliment to your irrigation plant, but you’re mighty mistaken if -you do. They’ve made a big strike of gold down in the Llano District. -I’ve always believed there was gold there, for the formation is similar -to that of the well-known mining camps in Colorado. Some years ago -in panning the gravel in the streams and gullies I found colors of -gold. The granite in that section has been crumbling away for ages, -the debris covering the formation. Report is, that in the side of the -gully at the foot of Mt. Fisher, a narrow seam of quartz not more than -an inch wide that shows gold and assays eighty dollars to the ton, has -been discovered.” - -“The very thought of exploiting another vein makes me sick,” said Jack. - -“But,” replied Watson, “already a number of loads of high-grade -selected ore have been taken from the surface trenches and sent on to -the Colorado smelters. The mine is being rapidly developed, and assays -are running up into the thousands. Are you going to let a chance like -that go by?” - -“I want nothing to do with it,” Jack insisted. - -“Further report says,” continued Watson, “that the strike in the Mt. -Fisher Mine is of such a remarkable character, both in richness and -extent of the veins, as to prove beyond a doubt that this belt is as -rich in ore as any in Colorado.” - -Jack remained stolidly indifferent and, really annoyed, Watson said -hotly,--“Reckon you can leave your damned irrigation plant long enough -to ride over there along o’ me in the morning?” - -“I’ll go with pleasure--would really enjoy the ride with you. When do -you propose to start?” - -“Long afore daylight.” - -Nights are always cool enough to sleep under a cover in Texas and the -morning that Watson and Jack started for the mining camp, they found it -necessary to wrap themselves in their blankets. - -During the winter season all ranchmen on starting out for a trip of any -length go prepared to encounter one of those terrible “northers,”[E] -and carry with them a twenty-five pound sack in which are bacon, -biscuits, coffee, a coffeepot and tin cup, a lariat and hobbles -attached to the saddle. - - [E] Norther: “Specifically, a wind blowing over Texas to the Gulf, - following the passage of a low area or cyclone. The contrast in - temperature is generally very marked, as the preceding winds are - warm, moist, southerly ones.”--_Standard Dictionary._ - -Three miles out of the valley where the stage road forked with the one -leading to Fort Minard, Watson and Jack took a north-easterly course -for the Llano District, following an old cattle trail. Almost every -bush and plant in Texas has a thorn and, as they threaded their way -through clumps of parched buffalo grass and weird cactus plants, Jack -appreciated the value of “chaps.”[F] The soil was very dry and every -step of the horses sent clouds of dust whirling; but the air, stirred -by the warm breeze, was delightful, and Jack felt his lungs expand with -a vigor heretofore unknown. That annoying cough had quite disappeared, -and no one would dream of accusing him of being a prey to ill health. -Like a new being, his pulse bounding and mind alert, he galloped over -the plain beside Watson with the keenest enjoyment. - - [F] “Chaps”: leather leggings. - -They were now sixteen miles from Squaw Creek settlement and following -the creek washes of the Llano River. Clicker had shown signs of -uneasiness and occasionally gave an ominous snort. - -“What can be the matter with this horse?” said Jack. “He seems -determined to make for that streak of woods yonder.” - -“Matter enough! He knows a heap more than we do! To the bushes!” Watson -shouted, whirling his horse about. - -Clicker needed no urging. Jack felt those powerful muscles quiver under -him and with one bound the animal cleared the ground ten feet. Like an -arrow he flew and, bending low in the saddle, horse and rider appeared -like a cloud of dust. - -In an incredibly short space of time, the haze in the north had -wholly obscured the heavens and a biting north wind accompanied by -sleet pitilessly drove them back; but twenty minutes brought them to -a position of comparative shelter. The horses discovered a rude shed -into which they dashed and, jumping to the ground, Watson and Jack -endeavored to make their shelter more complete. Evergreen boughs were -piled up around the more exposed parts and as the roof seemed tight, -they congratulated themselves on having found this haven. Next, they -brought in wood and started a fire. - -“We want a powerful sight, my boy. A ‘norther’ means business. When we -do get things here we get ’em hard,” said Watson. - -Nearly all the afternoon they worked with a will, bringing in fuel and -whatever fodder for the horses they could find. - -Fiercer and fiercer the wind blew and the sleet dashed against their -shelter as if determined to gain access. Great trees were torn up by -the roots and the crashing was fearful. Sounds of distress from herds -of cattle huddled together in the woods came to their ears. Cattle seem -to scent these storms, and try to reach a place of safety; but the -weakly ones frequently perish on the plains. - -Jack found an empty kettle, an immense black one, in one corner of -the shed. It was cracked entirely around the bottom and a blow from a -billet of wood knocked the bottom out. This he placed over the fire -leaving a draught-hole in one side and thus the coals were prevented -from being blown about, although their eyes suffered from the smoke. - -Watson deftly sliced some bacon with his jack-knife, the coffee was -soon boiling, and with a relish of a perfect appetite for sauce, they -pronounced their supper “fit for a king.” - -Their stove soon became red-hot and Jack said they roasted on one side -while the other froze. How he pitied the poor animals outside, but it -was better than the open country. - -They decided to divide the night into watches, and as Watson was -already nodding, he consented to turn in first and was soon snoring, -lying with his back to the fire. - -Jack was no coward, but the weirdness of the situation impressed -him and with every sense on the alert, he prepared himself for any -emergency. The fire was kept burning and his rifle ready. - -One o’clock. Suddenly a screech as of some human being in distress -sounded not twenty feet from their shelter. - -Watson sprang up, pistol in hand, and seeing nothing, exclaimed -impatiently, “I aint deaf, that you’ve got to yell like that to wake -me.” - -Jack was about to explain when again that awful screech. - -“A painter, by gosh!” said Watson, himself laughing. “Have I been -asleep?” - -Jack restrained a smile as he answered in the affirmative and Watson -said as he was now awake he’d better get up, so Jack warmed over the -coffee. - -“Jerusalem!” Watson exclaimed, looking at his watch. “One o’clock! Why, -boy, why didn’t you call me before?” - -Jack protested that he was not sleepy but Watson made him turn in. -“Steady your nerves, they’ll get a shock when we reach the mining camp. -Now don’t say I aint told you.” - -Daylight showed nothing but sleet driven by an Arctic wind, and they -had the dreary consolation of knowing that in all probability it would -continue for three days; but Watson was an old frontiersman, full of -stories. - -On the third day the storm visibly lightened. The wind coming in fitful -gusts indicated that its force had been spent, and it finally ceased -altogether, so that on the next day, they resumed their journey. -The trees were so weighted down with ice that many limbs had broken -off, thus impeding progress, and to any but horses accustomed to -this tangled undergrowth rendering it dangerous. Threading their way -cautiously, the open country was finally reached and, after a short -halt, they mounted and rode on to Mt. Fisher, turning a deaf ear to the -moans of distress from injured cattle on their way. On they sped, Mt. -Fisher seemingly not more than a mile distant, and beyond the hills -melting into a pinkish haze. The whole scene was typical of absolute -freedom and Jack was enjoying it to the fullest extent when Watson -suddenly called a halt and, reining his horse beside Clicker, said -earnestly,--“Do you recollect that I warned you of a surprise at the -mining camp?” - -[Illustration: Beyond the hills melting into a pinkish haze] - -“Yes.” - -“Are your nerves steady?” - -“What do you mean?” Jack asked hotly. - -“Just this. You are going to meet two old acquaintances, namely, -Sheriff Smith of Nootwyck and a man you know as Valentine Mills; and my -reason for not telling you before is I knowed you’d wear yourself out -before we got here.” - -“What the deuce is Mills doing here, and how long since you turned -detective?” - -“Well, I aint studied human natur’ all these years for nothing, and -when you told me of Old Ninety-Nine’s mine, something you dropped -carelessly about Valentine Mills set me to thinking, and this ended -in acting, with the result that it is proved beyond a doubt that -Valentine Mills and Robert Bruce are one. I aint particular sharp, -just been doin’ a little missionary job. I haint no time for just -ordinary sinners but when God Almighty blazes a trail straight to a -stomped-down, pusley-mean, miserable coyote like Robert Bruce alias -Valentine Mills and all his other aliases, it’s my bounden duty to -convert him!” - -“Is Sheriff Smith at Mt. Fisher now?” - -“Yes, he is to meet us in that piece of woods yonder,” pointing to the -left. “There he’ll wait. It’s only a few rods from the mine, and you’re -to go on ahead to open the way.” - -“I’ll do it with a right good will,” said Jack in a voice that boded -Mills no good. - -“We’ll be on the watch, and when your right hand goes up, Sheriff -Smith’ll appear on the scene, and at his signal I’ll show up. I reckon -he won’t be proper glad to see me!” Watson chuckled. - -In another half-hour they reached the woods by a trail that concealed -them from view and their low “Hello” was answered by Sheriff Smith, -who anxiously awaited their coming. Like Jack, this was his first -experience in a “norther,” but he had been more fortunate in not having -left Fredericksburgh until that morning. - -Sheriff Smith was a typical mountaineer, tall, muscular and without -an ounce of flesh to spare. No one had ever been hung in Ulster -County--his enemies hinted, much to his regret. - -This morning he was positively affable and, after briefly delivering -many messages to Jack, turned toward Watson inquiringly. - -The latter’s plan seemed a good one, so, leaving his horse, Jack -proceeded at once to the mine. Reaching the shaft, who should spring -lightly from the bucket but Mills himself! Instantly his glance fell -on Jack, he threw his arms around him in an ecstasy of delight, -overwhelming him with solicitous questions. “Oh, my dear boy!” he -said, wiping his eyes, “forgive this emotion. Such unexpected pleasure -completely unnerves me!” - -Jack shook him rudely off, throwing up his right hand as he did so; and -while Mills was still wiping his eyes, Sheriff Smith’s hand was laid on -his shoulder and the words, “You are my prisoner!” quickly dried his -tears. Turning toward the miners who had collected near, he said in an -abused tone,--“Friends, what is the meaning of this?” - -“I’ll explain that,” Sheriff Smith interjected. “Three indictments are -pending against you: abduction, theft and robbery; but at Nootwyck -you’ll get a chance to clear yourself.” - -“Who accuses me of abduction?” Mills asked defiantly. - -“Andrew Genung of Nootwyck,” was the calm reply. - -“Now look here, Smith,” said Mills. “This is a plot concocted in the -brain of that rascally nephew of Andrew Genung. Genung is far too -sensible a man to cause my arrest on some trumped-up charge with no -proof that I committed the deed.” - -“Aint there no proof, Robert Bruce?” and Tim Watson stepped before him. - -Mills’s blood receded from the surface, leaving his countenance a -ghastly green. Dumb with fear, balked at every turn, realizing that his -last card in this desperate game had been played, he fell on his knees -and begged for mercy. - -Not a man present thought him worth a decent kick and all shrank away -from him in abhorrence. - -Quick to see his advantage, Mills sprang past them toward the woods, -like a cat. - -“Halt!” called the sheriff. - -But Mills heeded not, and when the smoke which followed the bullet from -Sheriff Smith’s revolver cleared, it was plain that Mills’s case would -be tried in a higher court than Nootwyck. - - - - -CHAPTER XII - - -Six years have passed by. It is March and we are here at The Laurels -again. - -Can this beautiful city with its population of ninety thousand be -Nootwyck? Electric lights, street railways, stately residences, -handsome public buildings and all modern conveniences. What magic wand -wrought this change? - -Foreign capital has flowed in, Old Ninety-Nine is still rich, and every -Nootwyckian regards “Old Ninety-Nine” himself as the patron saint of -the valley. The mine is worked on the co-operative plan and, thus far, -results have justified the experiment. - -Educational advantages are of the first order. Genung University, -situated on the piece of land known as “The Pines,” is a model -institution ranking with any in the State. The corps of instructors is -composed of eminent men and women and every means is employed to keep -the standing first class. Manufacturing is encouraged. Farmers find a -ready market for produce, thus developing the magnificent agricultural -interests; a railway center, Nootwyck’s prosperity is assured. - -Mr. and Mrs. De Vere seem supremely happy. Jack, now the proud father -of one little girl and three boys, is a prosperous ranchman, and his -letters assure his mother that Dora is simply the best wife that ever a -man had. And the children--! - -Celeste and Elisha live down in the city. Eletheer expects to graduate -from a training school for nurses in New England next year, and -Cornelia has developed into the family beauty. In point of resemblance, -she is all her grandmother could have wished, a De Vere, every inch. -Reuben and Margaret are unchanged. - -Point Wawanda is no more, and where it once towered the shaft-house now -rears its unsightly walls. But what has been lost in the picturesque -has been compensated by material benefit. - -Deep down in the bowels of the earth is an underground city in whose -streets the miners are delving and sending the precious metal to the -surface. - -Something unusual is in the wind at The Laurels. All is excitement and -bustle of preparation for some great event. Again and again are the -rooms inspected to see that everything is all right, the fires are kept -burning that no one may take cold. Four o’clock brings Celeste who, -with Elisha, will be among those to receive Jack and Dora with the -niece and nephews, who are the only grandchildren. - -Celeste is a trifle more matronly, which only enhances her beauty, and -she follows Cornelia about the house, Cornelia feeling that if Celeste -approves there is no cause for criticism. - -Jack is coming home and the telegram said he would reach Nootwyck -to-morrow morning. - -The air had been spring-like all day with occasional flurries of snow, -but by evening the ground was white. As night came on, the flakes fell -faster and faster and by bedtime the storm had girded up its loins and -turned into a raging one. It meant business, for there was no promise -of a lull. A large body of old snow still lay on the ground and by -morning over a foot had been added to it while it was still falling -furiously. The air was filled with great feathery flakes and the way -the snow piled up was amazing. The wind increased every hour and by ten -o’clock great clouds of snow were sent whirling about and piling up so -that it was impossible to see beyond a few feet. - -The De Veres grew anxious. No sound of a locomotive’s whistle since -seven o’clock and now it was noon. - -“They are probably in New York City,” said Mr. De Vere. - -“But the train leaves there at seven o’clock and at that time no one -could have expected this Dakota blizzard,” Mrs. De Vere protested. - -The house, substantial as it was, shook with the fury of the raging -tempest. Long before night, the whole lower floor was in darkness and -the storm unabated. The city below was invisible. All day and night the -storm continued and Monday morning brought no change. - -Reuben managed to keep the way to the woodhouse passable and the fires -burning, although the barn was invisible from the house. His devoutly -religious nature caused him to spend most of his leisure time in prayer -and reading the Bible. - -“Oh, well,” said Margaret, as she deftly fished out the nut-brown -crullers from a skillet of hot fat, “life is a misery an’ I can’t nohow -unde’stan’ it, but I sholy do mean to live as long as I ken. Po’ Massa -Jack an’ dem sweet chillen all undah dis snow!” and her tears flowed -afresh. - -On Wednesday morning the air cleared and by noon the thermometer, which -had registered zero, rose to twenty. The sun coming out melted the -surface, that formed a crust which precluded further drifting. - -Reuben and Mr. De Vere were working their way to the imprisoned -animals in the barn, which seemed an endless task. It was quite dark -when they accomplished it and sounds of distress greeted them when -at last the door was forced open. None of the animals in the barn -were seriously injured and they were quickly attended to; but in -the chicken-house, which was built against the mountain side, every -inmate was found frozen stiff--probably smothered--as the building was -completely covered with snow. - -Hungry as wolves, Mr. De Vere and Reuben returned to the house for -supper, thankful that, excepting the chickens, none of the stock was -injured. The path they had made resembled an alley with the snow piled -up fully six feet at the sides. - -As they neared the kitchen, Margaret’s melodious voice rang out: - - “Dat awful Day, dat drefful Day, - When hebben an’ earth shall pass away. - De’s a l’il’ wheel er-turnin’ in my soul, - De’s a l’il’ wheel er-turnin’ in my soul. - - “Fo’ gates on de no’f, fo’ gates on de souf, - An’ yo’ ken enter in at enny gate. - I-n-n-e-r my s-o-u-l, i-n-n-e-r my s-o-u-l, - De’s a l’il’ wheel er-turnin’ in my soul. - - “In er my s--o--u--l----!” - -“Margaret,” said Mr. De Vere, “is supper nearly ready? We are almost -starved.” - -“Law me, Massa John, been waiten’ dis bressed ouah,” she replied, -bustling into the dining-room. - -“What is your honest opinion of a blizzard, Margaret?” Mr. De Vere -asked a few minutes later, as she appeared at the table with a platter -of hash. - -“De’ jes’ ain’ no sayin’ ’bout dat, Massa John,” she answered with a -toss of her head. “I’se t’inkin’ ’bout dem po’ chillen.” - -Margaret’s philosophy was decidedly original and a source of great -amusement to the family. - -Night came on calm and beautiful, innumerable stars twinkling in the -heavens above. “The Laurels” stood calm and silent in the shadow of -the mountain and from his chamber window Mr. De Vere looked out with -feelings akin to awe. The world seemed dumb, frozen by the hands of -grim winter; Nootwyck a city of giant snowdrifts. A few twinkling -lights indicated that life was still there but the silence was of that -muffled kind which makes one apprehensive. - -“Oh, what untold sufferings this must have caused!” he reflected, tears -starting to his eyes as he glanced in the direction where Shushan lay, -and he thought of the young life among those snow-bound hills, there -being devoured by a relentless foe. What a power for good he might have -been! His very soul recoiled at the thought that one with Hernando’s -fine feelings should be a victim to the most loathsome disease known -and compelled to saturate his poor, disfigured body with the nauseating -fumes of “Stinking Spring.” “Ah, well,” he thought bitterly, “this is -one of the ‘mysteries.’” - -Tired out, he retired early but tossed restlessly all night. - -Thursday’s paper contained a pretty good description of the blizzard -and at breakfast on Friday, Mr. De Vere read it aloud. It ran, “A -genuine sample of the Dakota article, the severest storm ever known -hereabouts. Nootwyck shut off from the outside world for nearly a week. -Factories stopped, schools closed, and business at a standstill. All -railways and highways blockaded. Snowbanks of dimensions heretofore -existing only in the imagination. - -“It won’t do any longer to talk of the snow-storms of ‘auld lang syne.’ -The one of this week has eclipsed all previous records. Even those who, -in the early part of the week, had ‘remembered’ greater storms are now -fain to admit that they were mistaken, as inklings from the outside -world begin to come in showing how complete has been the blockade over -such a wide extent of country. No train since Saturday and here it is -Thursday night, and there are good prospects that the embargo may last -wholly or partially for several days longer. The limits of Nootwyck’s -communication with the world about her up to Wednesday night were -Wawarsing and Leurenkill. Nearly all the remainder of the highways are -still completely blockaded, and it is doubtful if many roads will be -opened up in a week yet. No mails have arrived since Saturday night. In -fact, Nootwyck would be completely isolated from the rest of mankind -were it not for the telegraph and telephone. So far as we can learn, -the same condition of affairs exists generally over the State and New -England. Fears are entertained that there may have been considerable -loss of life attending the storm when the full particulars are made -known.” - -A loud ring at the door interrupted the reading and Reuben returned -from answering the bell, with a telegram from Jack. It brought the -welcome news that he and his family were safe in New York City and that -they would leave for Nootwyck as soon as the tracks were cleared. - -They had barely finished reading the message when another ring called -Reuben to the door. It was none other than Dr. Herschel who wished to -see Mr. De Vere on important business. - -Mr. De Vere’s face blanched when told who the visitor was and he -entered the library with an apprehensive face. - -Dr. Herschel lost none of his dignity as he arose to meet Mr. De Vere -with,--“I wonder if Mr. De Vere will believe in the efficacy of my -treatment when I tell him that Hernando is cured!” - -“Doctor,” said Mr. De Vere, “you are an eminent man, a profoundly -scientific one, and in presuming to still doubt your ability I must -appear pig-headed; but leprosy has been treated and investigated for -ages. Every known drug in the pharmacopœia has been tried, but always -the result has been disappointing. I appreciate your efforts but -can only reiterate that I have no faith in your ability to effect a -permanent cure.” - -The doctor’s expression did not lose one iota of its earnestness as -he replied in a tone so convincing that his listener unconsciously -imbibed some hope. “Listen,” he said, “you are a just man and a good -one. I will not bore you with technical names, nor narrate systems. On -my honor as a gentleman, on my reputation as a physician, backed up by -the proof of microscopical examinations and the expressed concurrence -with me of two of the most eminent dermatologists in the world, I -pronounce Hernando Genung cured.” - -Mr. De Vere grew dizzy and the doctor drew his chair near to wait -until he felt able to hear the rest. “Two of my friends--the gentlemen -mentioned--are snow-bound at Shushan. The road from there to Lock Hill -is broken by oxen and from there I came down on a hand-car. If you -say so, I will return in the same manner and come down with Hernando -and the two physicians, who wish to get back to the city as soon as -possible.” - -“Are the trains running?” - -“Not yet, but they probably will be some time to-day.” At that moment, -the warning whistle of a north-bound train sounded and Dr. Herschel -rushed out of the house. - -“Doctor!” called Mr. De Vere, “do as you suggest by all means!” - -Reuben, too, had heard the whistle and off he started at the doctor’s -heels. Nothing but paths were as yet broken but his strong arms could -carry two of “dem bressed chillen” who he knew were in that train. - -Just as the train was about to stop, Reuben rushed breathlessly up the -station steps. “Suah ’nough, deah young Massa Jack had come, but oh, -how changed!” Rugged as a bear, brown and muscular, but the same “Massa -Jack” as of old. - -“Dora,” said Jack, “this is Reuben, the guardian angel of our family!” - -Dora’s eyes told Reuben that she had heard of him before and, greatly -embarrassed, he took young Elisha and Celeste--one on each arm--and led -the way to The Laurels followed by the others. - -Half way down the yard they were met by Celeste and Cornelia, and Dora -concluded that the De Veres must all be very much alike. - -“So this is Dora of whom I am inclined to be jealous,” said Mrs. De -Vere, giving her a real motherly kiss. - -Dora was dragged into the sitting-room and as she drank the fragrant -hot coffee, which Margaret said was good for frost bites, she felt -that Jack had not over-rated the virtues of his family. She had rather -dreaded meeting them and it had taxed her courage greatly when she -thought of the dignified mother-in-law who must have strong ideas as to -the fitness of any woman to be the wife of her darling boy. But it was -a clear case of mutual respect and before Dora had spent an hour with -her mother-in-law, she was ready to swear to all that Jack had said. - -Celeste and Elisha were now marshalled into the bathroom by “Aunt -Celeste,” while Dora took Jack-the-third under her protection. - -Every nook in the dear old place was revisited by Jack. Lost in -admiration, he was gazing from the windows on the city below when he -was interrupted by his father who, in the excitement of their arrival, -had for the time being neglected to mention Hernando’s restoration. -Mr. De Vere had just told his wife of Dr. Herschel’s verdict and -was now in search of Jack on the same mission. Jack’s experience in -Texas, the land of surprises, had prepared him in a measure for this -overwhelming one. He was speechless for a few moments and then said -quietly, “Dr. Herschel’s reputation is such that he would not make the -statement without proof to substantiate it. I am ready to believe it.” - -“His home-coming must be as happy as lies in our power,” said Mr. De -Vere fervently. “I have telegraphed Eletheer and undoubtedly she will -be home this coming week.” - -“And I will help Margaret in getting his room ready,” said Jack. - -Mrs. De Vere and Margaret were already busy there. The room was open, -the windows flung wide to let in the sunlight and fresh air. Jack -kindled a fire of fragrant birchwood. An odor of sweet clover from -clean linen scented the room. All hands joined in converting the room -into a bower of loveliness. Elisha appeared with an immense bouquet of -roses. These Celeste arranged on the table beside the latest magazine -which Jack had brought from New York. Nothing was left undone and -everything bespoke loving thoughtfulness. - -In the kitchen Margaret was outdoing herself. Only too well did she -remember Hernando’s partiality for certain dishes and Reuben haunted -the city markets. - -It was now five o’clock and the first down train was due at six. All -day long forces of men had been busy clearing the streets so that the -main ones were passable, and promptly at six Reuben reined up at the -station. Mr. De Vere sprang out of the sleigh, tramping impatiently -back and forth. Six-twenty and still no train. What could be the -matter? Mr. De Vere’s nervous strain was beginning to tell, and -although accosted by several of his acquaintances, he did not heed; his -mind was intent on one thing. The perspiration stood in drops on his -forehead and every few seconds he took off his hat to wipe a bald spot -on the top of his head. Suddenly stopping, he called: - -“Reuben, have you seen Mr. Genung to-day?” - -“Yes, Massa, hyah he comes now,” pointing up the street. - -De Vere rushed madly down the steps to meet Genung and grasping the -latter’s hand, whispered: - -“I’m expecting Hernando on the six o’clock train; and cured! Now, for -God’s sake don’t make a fool of yourself!” - -“And I’m here for the same thing you are; but one fool is enough to -amuse this gaping crowd!” Genung gasped with staring eyes. - -At last the welcome whistle sounded and before the train came to a -standstill these two dignified men scrambled up the steps, heedless of -the brakeman’s warning “Wait till the train stops.” - -But a pair of intensely blue eyes had seen it all from the platform and -their owner gave a joyful exclamation as he sprang down to meet them, -shouting,--“Uncle! Mr. De Vere!” and his arms were around both their -necks. - -Dr. Herschel, fearing a scene, hastily introduced Drs. Hinckle and Le -Corr and hustled the three into a sleigh. He then signalled a cab and -motioned Reuben to proceed. “Dear me, these emotional Americans!” he -said, seating himself with the other physicians in the cab. - -“A noble fellow,” remarked Dr. Hinckle. - -“Interesting psychologically,” observed Dr. Le Corr. - -“And personally,” Dr. Herschel continued, who regarded Hernando as his -own handiwork. - -Further conversation was cut short by their arrival at the house. -Surely, if appreciation of honest effort is gratitude, Dr. Herschel -must have been a happy man. The entire family from Mr. De Vere to -Margaret burst into tears of joy. - -Dr. Herschel blew his nose vigorously and, as every one else seemed -to have lost his head, he took the part of host upon himself and -ushered them into the library. Mr. Genung was the first to collect -his scattered senses and, beckoning to Reuben, he said: “My good man, -lead us in prayer.” Reuben obeyed instantly, and every one knelt. For -a few seconds there was profound silence and then Reuben repeated word -for word the ninety-first Psalm. Though each may have interpreted it -differently, every soul in that group _realized_ that God is “friendly.” - -Hernando’s eyes looked bluer than ever under the snow-white curls. The -old hurt look was gone and in its place was one pure and full of loving -compassion for the sufferings of others. The glow of perfect health was -in his cheeks and his frame was vigorous. Mr. Genung hung about him as -one raised from the dead and, as Hernando lovingly stroked those locks, -silvered through sorrow for him, he again and again thanked them all -for their loyal friendship. - -“My life has been spared for some definite purpose and it shall be my -duty to find out what that is,” he concluded. - -Dinner was announced--such a dinner! Here also, Hernando saw evidenced -the same kindly thought, the same endeavor to make him forget that he -had ever been away from them. It was a Thanksgiving dinner in very -truth, and in each one’s heart was a prayer of gratitude. - -The doctors wished to take the ten o’clock train for New York City, -so, after dinner, they, with Mr. De Vere and Mr. Genung, withdrew to -the library and as soon as they were seated, Mr. De Vere said, “Dr. -Herschel, money cannot pay our debt of gratitude. It seems an insult -to mention it in connection with such miraculous skill; but this is a -practical world, and if you will allow us to place at your disposal a -certain sum, it could be used in any way you thought best.” - -“To ‘Old Ninety-Nine,’ not me, is your gratitude due,” Dr. Herschel -replied. - -“And but for you his cure would without doubt be still unknown,” broke -in Mr. Genung. “No, modesty is an estimable trait but, giving ‘Old -Ninety-Nine’ due credit, our indebtness is to you.” - -“‘Old Ninety-Nine’s’ will more than pays me,” returned the doctor in a -tone so decided as to preclude further discussion. “And,” the doctor -continued, “as an ‘immune,’ Hernando’s assistance will be invaluable to -me, should he decide to give it.” - -At this both De Vere and Genung started. “Surely, Doctor, you will not -again part us!” they exclaimed. - -“Not soon at any rate--perhaps never.” - -It was nearly train time and the doctors arose to leave with,--“Just -let us slip off quietly. There has been quite enough excitement in the -family for one day.” - -“But you will not desert us, Doctor?” De Vere protested. - -“No indeed. In the fall I propose going abroad for six months, but my -earnest desire is that our friendly relations continue.” And with a -parting hand-shake they were gone. - -Who can describe Hernando’s feelings as in his own room, so dainty -and wholesome, he sat before the fire on this chill March night? We -are told that in this life perfect happiness is never attained; some -obstacle, some blot interposes just short of realization. But is this -not materialistic philosophy? Some one has said that,--“It is possible -for a man to so conquer the subjective world within himself that he may -rule over the objective, thus bringing himself _en rapport_ with the -harmonious vibrations of nature in a happiness vouchsafed only to those -who understand and obey her laws.” Sweet was his sleep as he lay on the -soft bed that had once been Granny’s, and who can say that she was not -drawn thither by the law of spiritual attraction? - -Saturday was a busy day in town. Reports of the blizzard’s havoc were -harrowing in the extreme. Relief expeditions were sent out to aid the -suffering mountaineers, still imprisoned in the mountains, some in a -starving condition. Several had lost their way in endeavoring to reach -town and had perished. - -All hands joined in the good work and by night the greater part of the -sufferers had been attended to. - -“Anyway,” said Mr. De Vere, “terrible as was this storm, it does not -equal the one they had out West in January. Two hundred and thirty -lives were lost and the drop in the thermometer was one hundred -degrees.” - -“But this one has extended over several States and we do not yet know -how many lives have been lost,” his wife replied. - -It was almost bedtime, the last north-bound train had arrived and no -Eletheer yet; so the family decided that she would not be home before -Monday. Hernando and Jack recalled her old habit of surprising people -and proposed going to meet the train anyway, but had abandoned the idea -and were busy with Reuben at the barn. - -However, on receiving the telegram announcing Jack’s arrival and the -restoration of Hernando, she as quickly as possible obtained permission -to drop out until fall, and both she and Mary Genung--who was taking -a post-graduate course in a New England college--were aboard the -nine-thirty express. Mr. Genung met the train and a long conversation -followed, which accounted for Eletheer’s late arrival home. She had -developed into an independent woman, giving promise of mental breadth, -though inclined to be opinionated; had entered the training school with -rosy-hued visions of reforming the world through kindly ministrations -and well-timed advice; but the probationary month quickly disillusioned -her. The first principle to learn was absolute, unquestioned obedience -to superior officers. Many were the bitter tears shed in secret, but -pride sustained her and she struggled on through hard facts, winning -the respect of all. - -Mr. Genung left her at the gateway and, crunching the snow under her -stout boots, she soon sprang up the steps and into the house. Her -manner was breezy and her greetings were characteristic. She regarded -all demonstration of affection as nonsense, and this was generally -understood. After shaking hands, she looked around inquiringly for Jack -and Hernando. - -“Eat your supper and by the time you have finished, they will be in -from the barn,” said her mother, leading the way into the dining-room. - -“I ate supper at Middleburg but will ask Margaret to get me some -crullers,” and she darted past Mrs. De Vere into the kitchen, shouting, -“Hello, Margaret!” - -“Law me, Honey, how you do skeer a body!” exclaimed the latter. “I -sholy is glad to see yo’,” and she produced the crullers with the -ever-ready coffeepot. - -“How do you like Dora, Margaret?” - -“She’s just lubly. No po’ w’ite trash.” - -“And the children? I’m aunty, you know,” with pride. - -“De bressed angels!” - -“And Jack looks like a cowboy, I fancy.” - -“Law me, Honey--he’s bigger’n yo’ pa”--here her voice became full of -awe--“Massa Hernando, he do look jes’ like St. John.” - -Eletheer finished her lunch in silence and then, throwing a shawl over -her head, started for the barn, where she found them mending a harness. - -So intent were they on their task that her appearance was unnoticed -until she gave Jack a sound slap on the back, at the same time -shouting,--“Hello, everybody!” - -“Good heavens! Eletheer. At your old tricks,” Jack answered, whirling -her around in a jig. - -Hernando burst out laughing but managed to grasp her outstretched hand -as they brushed past him. - -Reuben’s heart was full to overflowing. Once more to see his dear -children gathered together in this world of meetings and partings! But -his feelings always under control, few guessed their depth. - -“Dear old Reuben,” said Eletheer, impulsively flinging her arms around -his neck, “always the same! I have you to thank for many valuable -points. In my daily rounds at the hospital your example is always -before me.” - -“Pshaw, Honey, yo’se gwine to be a scientific nurse,” he replied -overwhelmed with confusion. - -Just here the clock struck eleven and they hurried into the house. Mr. -and Mrs. De Vere had gone to bed but the others still sat before the -library fire. - -“Celeste, sing for us,” said Jack, bringing her guitar. - -She hesitated. - -“Please do. I have heard no music since you sang for me,” Hernando -urged. - -Instantly she took up her guitar though it was some minutes before -she could control her voice, and then, her tones were pathetic; but -gradually the musician conquered and she poured forth her soul in -strains divinely sweet and melting. - -“You have a rare gift in your voice, Celeste,” said Hernando, when she -had put aside her guitar. - -“I believe we all possess some talent,” she returned. - -“So do I,” he answered, “and we will be held responsible for the use we -make of it. I am wondering for what purpose my life has been spared.” - -“An earnest one, I am sure you will make it,” said Eletheer. “Tell us -about your life at Shushan.” - -All but Hernando started at this allusion to that hateful place for, -by common consent, they had avoided mentioning it. He, however, seemed -pleased as he said-- - -“Dr. Herschel’s Chinaman, Wing--my companion at Shushan--is a very -intelligent man. He speaks several languages fluently and his own -perfectly. I studied Chinese under him, also botany and astronomy. Like -myself, he was a leper. Our treatment, of course, consumed some time -and aside from that we made astronomical observations, botanized and -studied. I must show you some rare specimens found among those rocks.” - -“Of what beside baths and hygiene did your treatment consist?” Eletheer -asked. - -“Prepared snake venom, given hypodermically.” - -“Oh, how dreadful!” cried Celeste, whom the very sight of a snake sent -into hysterics. “Were you ever bitten by any of the snakes?” - -“No, immediately after arriving there, I received my first -injection--an infinitesimal amount, of course, and one which produced -no toxic symptoms; but, strange as it may seem to you, none of the -snakes came near our cottage, and though frequently encountered and -provoked in our rambles, they did not retaliate. Wing, my companion, -did not arrive until some days after I did so I was in a measure -prepared for the horrible sight he presented. His rigid forehead, -entirely bare of eyebrows; the knotty, flattened nose; face and hands -completely covered with leprous tubercles; immense ears and peculiar -leper tones--but let us not dwell on this. - -“Dr. Herschel began treating him at once, and after a few days, during -which he taught us his methods, we were left on honor to carry out -orders implicitly, with a promise that he would return in about six -weeks. - -“Neither Wing nor I had one grain of confidence, in fact, we regarded -the whole thing as a _fetish_ which, believed in, would undoubtedly -assist the forces of nature in prolonging our miserable existence; -but the pathology of leprosy shows that to cure, something besides -faith is needed, and that something had never been discovered. But we -persevered conscientiously, and instead of abandoning ourselves to -despair lived mechanically day by day. My rheumatic pains were greatly -benefited by the baths, and Wing’s appetite surely spoke well for the -bracing climate; but otherwise there was no perceptible change on Dr. -Herschel’s first visit to us. - -“Three months passed by, six; surely I felt better than in years; but -poor Wing! even in six months, I could see progress in the ravages of -the disease, but he made no complaint. - -“October, and another visit from Dr. Herschel. He pronounced me better -and my companion worse. Unpacking his bag, the doctor carefully took -out two syringes and, filling both, emptied the contents of one into -Wing’s cheek; then, baring one foot, the contents of the other -instrument were injected into it and Dr. Herschel told him to lie down, -which he did. - -“Really interested, I, too, watched results. - -“‘Eureka!’ Dr. Herschel shouted, springing to the side of Wing who lay -gasping for breath, with every symptom of snake-bite poisoning. - -“‘Thank you, Doctor,’ I said, ‘justice will neither call you a murderer -nor that poor, accursed piece of flesh a felon.’ - -“He made no reply, only with finger on pulse remained immovable. An -hour passed and still Dr. Herschel made no sign. Unable longer to -endure the strain, I said, ‘Is he conscious?’ - -“‘No. Prepare me a hypodermic of strychnine sulphate gr. one-fortieth,’ -handing me the instrument and bottle of tablets. This given, he again -placed his fingers over Wing’s pulse. Wing was fast sinking into a -state of coma and every breath drawn seemed shorter. - -“‘Nitro-glycerine, quick!’ called the doctor. - -“Again the syringe was filled and emptied. All night long we -watched, and morning found poor Wing still alive. For a week he lay -in a comatose condition, cruelly, to my way of thinking, kept alive -by stimulants, and then delirium set in; mild at first, but growing -wilder and wilder. Had I not known his abstemious habits, I should have -pronounced his case delirium tremens. All the terrifying illusions, -delusions and hallucinations were present, snakes, devils, enemies -were after him. Shouts for help brought no assistance and at last, -completely exhausted, he would crouch on the floor, a picture of -abject terror. With the greatest difficulty we managed to force down -sufficient food to keep him alive, each paroxysm leaving him weaker -until finally he lapsed into a low fever that lasted for weeks. Dr. -Herschel never left us. - -“‘Doctor,’ I said to him one day as we stood together by our patient’s -bedside, ‘those tubercles certainly look smaller!’ - -“‘And will look still smaller,’ was his calm reply. - -“I started and took a close look; the feet were without one! My heart -gave a great bound and then seemed to stop. - -“‘There, my boy,’ said Dr. Herschel, ‘calm yourself! ‘Old -Ninety-Nine’s’ cave contained a rarer treasure than money and jewels.’ - -“A tedious convalescence and Wing rose from his bed clean, not a mark -left to indicate that he had ever been a leper. His gratitude knew no -bounds, and with the dawning of the new year, Dr. Herschel pronounced -us both cured. However, for surety, we were to remain indefinitely -at Shushan, now no hardship surely. How different life looked with -an incentive to live; but, knowing the nature of the disease, we -gratefully accepted this respite, and I can truthfully say that the -remaining years there were the happiest of my life.” - -“And in six years you have learned the secret of happiness,” said -Eletheer meditatively. - -“Which is found through obedience to nature’s laws,” Hernando replied. -Then, turning to Jack, he made minute inquiries regarding his mother’s -last illness and death, again and again thanking him for his kindness, -expressing a desire to show some means of appreciation of the part Miss -Kurtz had taken in the vindication of his mother’s character. - -“I reckon you don’t remember Tim Watson, Hernando,” Jack asked. -Hernando replied in the negative, but his manner showed that they would -not long be strangers. - -“Why can’t you go back with us when we return?” - -“I see no reason at present. It would give me great pleasure to do so.” - -“Oh, don’t any one talk of going!” cried Celeste. - -“Except to bed,” Eletheer laughed. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII - - -Every day brought to light some new trait in Hernando’s character. He -seemed absolutely unselfish and always called up the noblest qualities -in others. His interest in the mine was unabated and although Elisha -insisted upon relinquishing the position of superintendent, claiming he -held it only by proxy, Hernando refused so decidedly to accept that he -was obliged to desist. He consented, however, to become his assistant. - -Among Cornelia’s friends was a young Mr. Van Tine. He was a frequent -visitor at the house, nearly always forming one of their excursion -parties; but Cornelia was looked upon by the family as simply a child, -and Mr. Van Tine, whose father was one of the oldest settlers, had been -Cornelia’s school-fellow so he was “George” Van Tine to them all. - -Mr. and Mrs. Van Tine lived on a farm in the outskirts of Nootwyck. -They were devout Methodists and intended that George, their only child, -should be a minister of that denomination. His education was shaped -accordingly till the age of eighteen, when he flatly refused to follow -the ministry as a profession. Prayers that he might be brought to see -the error of his way followed, but he persisted. Next he was taken -from school and set at learning a trade, that of ornamental painting. -This was something tangible and, having artistic taste, he excelled in -it, and his parents became in a manner reconciled. They considered an -education as wholly unnecessary to a business life, as a sinful waste -of time. George was a natural mechanic; as a child his tastes ran in -that direction. When he grew older he expressed a wish to become an -architect but this was tabooed. He, however, submitted a design and, -crude as it was, it showed genuine skill and received considerable -praise. He simply waited his opportunity to perfect his talent. - -Elisha and he were the best of friends. Cornelia had told the former -of George’s disappointment in not being able to receive a thorough -business education and, with characteristic readiness to aid others in -any worthy object, Elisha took him under his own supervision with most -gratifying results. Now, at twenty, George had obtained his parents’ -consent to enter the Institute of Mechanical Arts at Nootwyck, and in -two years he looked forward to the attainment of his long-cherished -ambition. - -June arrived with its sunshine and roses and one ideal morning before -the sun peeped over the mountain, the entire household at The Laurels, -including George Van Tine, started by wagon for Sam’s Point. The dewy -air was fragrant with flowers and birds twittered joyously among the -trees. Deliciously fresh and cool seemed the old Berm which they were -following. Canal boats still crept sleepily on between Honesdale and -Rondout, but the old boating days were almost over and would soon -exist only as a memory of something that had served a good purpose. -Past the path to the ice caves where, in caverns hundreds of feet -deep, nature provides an abundant store of ice at all seasons of the -year. In their vicinity, the mountains seemed to have been rent by some -convulsion of nature that split the solid rocks into chasms from two -to twelve feet wide, about one-half a mile in extent, and perhaps two -hundred feet deep. Geologists say that they are not of volcanic action -but caused by the gradual cooling off of the earth’s surface. - -[Illustration: Canal boats still crept sleepily on] - -Soon the road was steadily up and they halted frequently to rest the -horses and enjoy the view below. Dora had never seen the mountain -laurel, and the mountain sides were literally pink with blossoms. - -“Oh, how beautiful!” she exclaimed, examining a superb bunch that -Hernando had picked for her. “The symbol of victory.” - -“I regret that this is not the ‘Laurus Nobilis,’” Mr. De Vere replied. -“That could not stand our climate. The Indians called this ‘Spoonwood,’ -and utilized the fine-grained knots for making spoons.” - -“Some of the old settlers about here call it ‘Calico Bush,’” Eletheer -laughed. “Is not the name appropriate?” - -“Eletheer knocks the sentiment out of everything,” Jack retorted. “She -will probably tell you, Dora, that the leaves are poisonous, so don’t -eat them.” - -“I’m hungry enough to eat anything,” Dora replied. - -“Score one for Dora,” joined in Cornelia. “I’m thankful that we’re -almost there.” - -Those who have never visited Sam’s Point can have no conception of the -grandeur of these rocks there piled in fantastic shapes. It needs but a -little stretch of the imagination to believe one’s self among mediæval -castles. One almost expects to see some plumed knight appear on the -turret-like walls. - -The trees are scattered, but a balsamy odor fills the air and the -blending of colors makes the scene one of rare beauty. - -They put out their horses and took dinner at an inn near the Point, -and afterward ascended to the airy summit, where, lying down on the -smooth floor of rock which appears like a plaza, they looked out on a -view sublimely beautiful, aptly described by a familiar writer: “On the -south the view is bounded by the mountains of New Jersey; the Highlands -of the Hudson lie to the southeast; with the white sails of sloops and -the smoke of steamers in Newburgh Bay, plainly visible to the naked -eye; the Housatonic Mountains of Connecticut bound the horizon on the -east; the whole line of the Berkshires of Massachusetts and portions -of the Green Mountains of Vermont may be seen to the northeast; while -the Heldebergs on the north, the Catskills and Shandaken Mountains on -the northwest, the Neversink on the west complete a panorama in some -respects unrivalled in America.” Down at their feet lay the historic -valleys of Rondout and Wallkill. - -“How did this bold promontory get its name?” inquired Dora. - -“From an early settler by the name of Samuel Gonsalus,” replied Mr. De -Vere. “The legend runs thus: - -“He was born in the present town of Mamakating, was reared in the midst -of stirring scenes of frontier life and border warfare in which he -afterward took a conspicuous part and was at last laid to rest in an -unassuming grave in the vicinity where occurred the events which have -caused his name to be handed down with some luster in the local annals. -He lived on the west side of the mountain, a locality greatly exposed -to Indian outrage, and his whole life was spent in constant danger. His -knowledge of the woods and his intimate acquaintance with the haunts -and habits of his savage neighbors rendered his service during the -French and Indian War of inestimable value. He possessed many sterling -qualities, not the least among which was an abiding devotion to the -cause of his country. No risk of life was too imminent, no sacrifice of -his personal safety too great to deter him from the discharge of his -duty. - -“When the treacherous Indian neighbor planned a sudden descent on -an unsuspecting settlement, Sam Consawley, as he was called, would -hear rumors of the intended massacre in the air by means known only -to himself, and his first act would be to carry the people warning of -their danger. At other times he would join expeditions against bands -of hostiles. It was on such occasions that he rendered such signal -service. Though not retaining any official recognition, it was known -that his voice and counsel largely controlled in the movements of the -armed bodies with which he was associated, those in command yielding to -his known skill and sagacity. - -“His fame as a hunter and Indian fighter was not confined to the circle -of his friends and associates. The savages both feared and hated him. -Many a painted warrior had he sent to the Happy Hunting-grounds. Many a -time had they lain in wait for him, stimulated both by revenge and by -the proffer of a handsome bounty on his scalp, but he was always too -wary for even the wily Indian. - -“In September, 1753, a scalping party of Indians made a descent into -the country east of the Shawangunks. The warriors were from the -Delaware and had crossed by the old Indian trail leading through the -mountain paths known as ‘The Traps.’ Their depredations in the valley -having alarmed the people, they were returning by this trail, closely -pursued by a large body from the settlements. At the summit of the -mountain, the party surprised Sam who was hunting by himself. - -“As soon as the savages saw him, they gave a warwhoop and started in -pursuit. Now was an opportunity, thought they, to satisfy their thirst -for revenge. Sam was a man of great physical strength and a fleet -runner. Very few of the savages could outstrip him in an even race, but -the Indians were between him and the open country and the only way left -was toward the precipice. He knew all the paths better than did his -pursuers and he had already devised a plan of escape while his enemies -were calculating on effecting his capture, or his throwing himself from -the precipice to avoid a more horrible death at their hands. He ran -directly to the Point and pausing shouted defiance at his pursuers, -and leaped from a cliff over forty feet in height. As he expected, his -fall was broken by a clump of hemlocks into the thick foliage of which -he had directed his jump. He escaped with only a few slight bruises. -The Indians came to the cliff but could see nothing of their enemy, and -supposing him to have been mutilated and killed among the rocks and -being themselves too closely pursued to admit of delay in searching -for a way down to the foot of the ledge, they resumed their flight, -satisfied that they were rid of him. But Sam was not dead as some of -them afterwards found to their sorrow. To commemorate this exploit and -also to bestow some form of recognition of his numerous services, this -precipice was named ‘Sam’s Point.’” - -[Illustration: Sam’s Point] - -Dora shivered as she looked down into the abyss below, into the -veritable clump of hemlocks where Sam landed; but Jack recalled her to -herself: “If we are to take in Lake Maratanza we’d better get a start -on.” - -“Lake Maratanza!” she exclaimed. “Up here among the clouds?” - -“Yes,” he returned, “and it is the least beautiful of four lakes -running along the summit of the mountain,--Maratanza, Awosting, -Minnewaska and Mohonk.” - -A brisk half-mile walk over the pavement-like rocks bordered with -huckleberry bushes and stunted pines brought them to the lake, a -beautiful sheet of pure, soft water whose surface was rippling in the -slight breeze and sparkling with innumerable gems in the brilliant -sunlight. - -Dora was lost in wonder--“Where does the water come from?” - -“Some time ago at a meeting of scientists that very question came up -for discussion but no definite conclusion was arrived at,” said Mr. -De Vere. “In my opinion it comes from drainage. The lake lies in a -depression and on three sides the shores are composed of shelving rock -which slopes toward the lake. These rocks are thickly covered with -moss and bushes and the moss absorbs all moisture falling on it, and, -as the evaporation is slight, it gradually drains into the lake. To -substantiate this, the one shore which is more depressed forms an -outlet for the water after it has risen to a certain height and from -which issues a gurgling brook. In times of drought the water recedes -and the brook ceases to flow.” - -“Maratanza” she mused, “another of your beautiful Indian names.” - -“Yes,” replied Mr. De Vere, “Lake Maratanza was recorded as such in -the old capital of Ulster County over one hundred years ago, and -derived its name from a Delaware squaw who, with her little papoose, -was drifting idly over the surface of the lake in a birch-bark canoe -when the first white man came to its shores. Suddenly her dark-eyed -mate concealed among the bushes near cried out: ‘Maratanza, white man’s -come!’ - - “‘Indian ghosts are all about us, - And ’tis whispered ’mong the pines: - Maratanza’s shade still wanders - O’er the lake in cloudy lines.’” - -“Allow me to present you with the first huckleberries of the season, -Dora,” said Hernando, handing her a sprig of fully ripened berries. -“Shawangunk berries are famous.” - -“Huckleberries? I have never tasted one. They are delicious,” Dora -replied. - -“Just wait till you taste Margaret’s huckleberry cobblers!” said Jack; -“m, m----it makes my mouth water to think of it!” - -But the sun was getting low and even now the shadows were beginning to -creep up the mountains so they reluctantly turned away from the lake. - -Before they arrived at the inn where their conveyances were, the sun -had gone down behind old Neversink, leaving one of those gorgeous June -plays of color seen only in mountainous regions. Slowly the mountains -became purple, then gray in the soft twilight, and gradually faded from -view altogether. Soon the din of active life reached the ear and they -emerged onto the Berm. - -All were greatly affected by the events of the day and each communed -with himself. To Dora, it was the event of her life. She felt lifted -out of the prosaic ruts onto a more exalted plane. - -Margaret had supper waiting for them when they reached home and it was -duly disposed of by the hungry party. Mr. and Mrs. De Vere retired soon -after and thinking her absence would be unnoticed, Eletheer stole away -to her private study and was so deeply absorbed in her work that she -did not hear a light tap on her door. - -“May I come in?” said Hernando. - -“Certainly,” she replied, opening wide the door. - -They sat before the open window and she laid aside her book, turning -cheerily toward him. - -“Eletheer,” he said, “I believe you graduate next year. Does that mean -that your future work is mapped out?” - -“I think so,” she replied earnestly. “The ambition of my life has been -and is to become a trained nurse.” - -“Following one’s vocation should, and does, bring success. Dr. Herschel -feels confident that you are on the right trail and that training will -develop an inherited talent for nursing.” - -“A high compliment truly, and one that I appreciate. Nursing is, -indeed, a sacred calling, a calling that requires rare gifts; but I -sometimes wonder if all nurses fully appreciate its true significance. -It surely does not mean that we have forsaken the world and all its -pleasures for the sweet joy of ministering to the afflicted, in other -words, that the woman is wholly absorbed in the nurse. I see the force -of Dr. Herschel’s argument which is, that nursing is neither an order, -a trade, nor a means of earning a livelihood; but that it must ultimate -in a profession filled almost exclusively by women. Our American -hospitals, though second only to those of England in point of equipment -for the training of nurses, are still imperfect. From a small beginning -actuated by humane motives, of necessity, nursing has assumed vast -proportions. Like all other avenues of human activity, the bad crops -out with the good and many a conscientious nurse suffers for the sins -of one who has crept in. Then, too, expert training is a necessity. -Now a good registration law would materially lessen many existing -evils. Any nurse who has earned the right to affix ‘R. N.’ to her name -would be known as one who had met the requirements of such law and was -legally responsible thereto. - - “‘New occasions teach new duties, - Time makes ancient good uncouth; - We must upward still and onward, - Who would keep abreast of truth.’” - -“True,” replied Hernando, “these are the days of expert training. The -doctor’s assistant must keep his pace but I am sure you will agree -with me that while nineteenth century conditions may teach nurses -‘new duties,’ it behooves them all to remember that their distinctly -feminine attributes, gentleness, tenderness, sympathy, may still be -retained and yet keep ‘abreast of truth.’” - -“Yes, indeed; we might learn a lesson from Reuben. He and his race are -the ‘natural nurses.’” - -“And through the sympathy which nurses only can give, they touch the -chord which even a mother cannot reach. Dr. Herschel’s discovery is the -marvel of the age; but I know that without Reuben’s help, my case would -have been a failure.” - -“Sometimes,” said Eletheer hesitatingly, “I think that Reuben possesses -the ‘sixth sense.’” - -“Reuben is one of those rare characters ‘we read of,’” replied Hernando. - -They heard the back stairway door open, close, and then Reuben’s -measured tread up the back stairs. As he was passing Eletheer’s door on -his evening rounds both she and Hernando called to him to join them. - -“Law me, chillen,” he said with beaming eyes, “I’se po’ful glad to see -you togetha once mo’.” - -“And,” said Eletheer with her old impetuosity, “Hernando feels that but -for you, one of our number would be missing.” - -Reuben looked reprovingly at her, and Hernando added: - -“I do in very truth, my friend. I know that your prayers in my behalf -are answered.” - -“Yes, Massa, an’ I know it too. De good Lord allus ansus ’em. Yo’ know -what de Good Book says,--‘Ask an’ yo’ shall receive.’” - -“I know that,” said Eletheer, “but on one condition only are our -prayers to be answered, and that is an unreasonable one: ‘Believe that -you have received it.’” - -“Ob co’se, Honey; but to my way ob t’inkin’ dat am a bery reasonable -condishun, we hab ‘received it.’ De good Lawd done finished His work. -Yo’ see, Honey, de p’int am jes’ hyah,--we’se sunk in trespass an’ sin, -got blin’ eyes an’ deaf ea’s. What’s de sense in pleadin’ an’ coaxin’ -de good Lawd to give us a lot ob t’ings when we aint usin’ what we’s -got?” - -“Then,” said Eletheer, “when you asked God to cure Hernando, you -honestly and truly believed that He would do it?” - -“Sho’s yo’ bo’n I did, Honey.” - -“I know you did, Reuben, and ‘without a doubt in your heart,’” said -Hernando. - -“Ob co’se; an’ along comes Doctah Herschel!” - -“You blessed old Reuben!” said Eletheer, giving his arm a squeeze. -“I believe you can do anything; but wouldn’t Dr. Herschel have come -anyway?” - -“Dat am ezackly de p’int, Honey. De good Lawd already done His part. -He done gib Doctah Herschel de talent an’ de wisdom to go sperimentin’ -an’ projeckin’ wif dat bery ge’m till he found a cuah in ‘Old -Ninety-Nine’s’ will. Yes, Honey, he was bo’n fo’ dis bery place and de -good Lawd sent him.” - -“You mean, Reuben,” said Hernando, “that our every need is met.” - -“Yes, Massa, when we’se _willin’_!” - -“I agree with you,” Hernando added, “and it is becoming more and -more clear what I have been in training for: Dr. Herschel proposes -founding a hospital for lepers at Hong Kong. It will need intelligent -supervision and my own case, together with a knowledge of Chinese -acquired at Shushan, seems to have fitted me for just that work.” - -“It do look as if yo’d been specially ’lected to dat mission. De -flesh-pots ob Egypt don’t tempt yo’ no mo’; de Red Sea am behin’ yo’ -an’ yo’ ken show dem po’ heathens by pussunel ’sperience dat de desert -an’ mountains am jes’ dis side ob de Promised Lan’; but, Massa,” -here Reuben’s voice vibrated like a deep-toned bell, “de good Lawd -wants His chillen to be happy, to be de’ bery bestest selbes. He done -made ebery_t’ing_ good jes’ a pu’pose fo’ dem to use. De Good Book -says,--‘Happy am de man dat findeth wisdom, an’ de man dat getteth -undastandin’’--‘All huh ways am ways ob pleasantness, an’ all huh paths -am peace.’ Yo’se plumb kuahed now, got back to de fo’cks ob de road -an’ de’s on’y two, de right one an’ de wrong one; an’ onless de one -p’intin’ to Hong Kong ansahs de call f’um de bery bottom ob yo’ hea’t, -onless dat ansah comes so natrel-like dat it don’t take no strainin’ -to go, yo’ won’t fin’ wisdom dat-away an’ it aint de path ob peace.” -After a pause he resumed: “I reckon dat strainin’ am f’um de Debbil. -Hit makes sich a roarin’ in de ea’s dat we can’t heah de ‘still small -voice’ allus a-tellin’ de truf. Yes,” he concluded, “dat’s _strainin’_ -an’ de p’int.” - -Hernando gave an imperceptible start. “Cured.” Yes, he was cured, had -the right to a place beside other men in this world of affairs. A -right good old world it was, too, with its triumphs and defeats, its -joys and its sorrows, its “marryings and giving in marriage!” “Cured!” -What hopes that word awoke in him, thrilling him with a sweetness that -defied analysis. Had the wise man really found wisdom, and were _all_ -her ways “ways of pleasantness and all her paths peace”? Why, oh, why -did this old world of unrest, of human desires still call to him! Had -he not renounced it that he might win a better? Surely it could have no -claims on him now. Yet a wave almost of resentment surged over him at -the thought. - -“Massa!” - -Hernando turned absently toward his questioner and did not notice that -Eletheer’s chair was empty. - -Reuben waited a few seconds and then said softly,--“Massa, we can’t -take de Kingdom of Hebben by sto’m.” - -“You’re right, of course, Reuben,” Hernando answered, giving himself a -mental shake. “I’m afraid I’m a poor soldier anyway.” - -“’Scuse me, Massa, mebbe yo’se done been fightin’ undah de wrong Cap’n; -an’ mebbe agin taint no use fightin’ nohow; jes’ let de Kingdom ob -Hebben take yo’.” - -Hernando leaned slightly nearer, and Reuben went on,--“Now taint no -makin’ b’lieve ’bout dis gibin’ up, like dem po’ sinnahs what hollahs -amen, ’thout takin’ de mo’nah’s bench. Hit’s got ’o be a _willin’_ -sacrifice. We mus’ git right down on our knees an’ hollah f’um de bery -bottom ob de hea’t,--‘Oh, Lawdy, Lawdy, hyah am ebery_t’ing_ I got in -dis wo’l ’thout no stipylations!’ Den we mus’ trus’ de good Lawd an’ be -_glad_ to trabel back to de fo’cks of de road; an’ w’en dis trablin’ -do seem like hit aint neber goin’ to en’, we must ’member de promise: -‘God am a bery present frien’ in time ob need.’” - -Hernando’s face twitched as he looked at Reuben. What did he see? An -old black man? The vision belonged to Hernando alone; he seemed to hear -a clock strike “I! II!” Hear the soft crackle of dying embers on the -hearth in a room filled with shadows, feel a trembling old hand press -his own in sympathy while they two “made sacrifice.” Was his sacrifice -“willing,” was he glad to go to Shushan and _had_ he remembered the -“promise”? And yet in those six years he thought he had “worked out” -his “own salvation,” found the secret of happiness, sounded the -doctrine of trust, drawn the specifications for a useful life in which -the old world had no part. Yes, only _thought_; for that old world kept -calling, calling--and oh it was like sweet music in his ears! - -“Just let the Kingdom of Heaven take you.” - -What else had he been doing for years, Hernando thought. - -“Have you _submitted_ those specifications?” - -The voice sounded so near that Hernando looked quickly at Reuben; but -apparently he had not moved a muscle since his last remark. Whence -came that voice? All else was still; even the rustling leaves outside -seemed to wait like the enchanted fairies, for his answer, while that -relentless question dinned in his ears. - -“Have you _submitted_ those specifications?” - -Yes, had he? Hernando’s tension relaxed somewhat at the admission of -an honest doubt, and the dinning in his ears grew fainter before the -incoming light. Alas! no, the Bar of Justice before whom all plans -must go had not passed on his. The dinning in his ears ceased; and -then something, that Something which comes to each of us when self is -melted into the sincere desire for truth for truth’s sake, flashed upon -him. Only a flash, a glimpse of the real; but Hernando caught it, saw -that _his message had been received_, knew that at the right time, and -in the best way, the call from the very bottom of his heart would be -_answered_. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV - - -If one cloud dimmed the happiness of the De Vere household on the -following morning, it was too small to be seen. Reuben awoke with -the birds and from the chicken yard ominous squawks foretold what -would constitute one item in the bill-of-fare for breakfast. “Molly,” -Cornelia’s Jersey cow, was poking her nose through the bars ready -to contribute a generous supply of rich milk, and soon afterward -Margaret’s “Co, boss!” made her step lightly aside while with shining -pail that worthy woman lowered the bars and entered the barnyard. - -“Oh, Reuben!” she shouted, “what yo’ doin’ to dem chickens? I ’clare to -goodness, yo’ll drive me plumb crazy.” - -“Nebba yo’ min’ dem chickens! Yo’ jes’ pay ’tention to Molly.” - -He appeared just then around the corner of the barn with three headless -chickens, and as his wife’s glance fell on them, she exclaimed, with -uplifted hands,--“Fo’ de lan’ sake, ef yo’ aint done gone an’ killt de -baby’s dominick pullet!” - -Reuben’s crest-fallen countenance softened her heart, however, and she -said no more and was soon on a stool beside Molly. Did she miss old -associates in the sunny South? If so, no one knew it; as with Reuben, -Massa John and Miss Bessie’s world was hers, and had they gone to the -wilds of Siberia, these two faithful servants would have followed and -been content. - -Cornelia’s face sparkling with perfect health just then peeped out of -the kitchen door. She was going “after an appetite,” she declared, and -skipping past Margaret was soon climbing to a point beyond and above -the barn. Reuben’s heart smote him as he thought of the “dominick -pullet,” and he called out to the fast vanishing figure,--“Oh, Miss -Cornelia, don’t yo’ forget Molly’s salt!” - -She threw back a laughing glance and ran her hand into her pocket, a -motion he understood, and disappeared from view. She was passionately -fond of animals and particularly of horses. Reuben often declared, “Dat -chile aint afraid of nuffin on fo’ legs.” She certainly understood -and loved them and was an accomplished horsewoman; but this morning -her visit to the barn was a short one and, turning a sharp angle in -the path, her blue dress fluttered in and out among the bushes as she -wandered away upward. - -Unseen by her, from a projecting rock above, a pair of eyes as blue -as her dress was watching her, as she sprang from rock to rock, every -motion perfect grace. Pausing, she glanced upward and saw Hernando. - -“Well,” she laughed, “what brings you out so early?” - -“‘Great minds run in the same channel,’ doubtless I am hunting for the -same thing you are.” - -“A bath in the morning dew?” - -“You certainly do not need one, and I am looking for a very prosaic -article, known as an ‘appetite.’” - -“I’m pretty well drabbled,” she said demurely, not noticing his look of -admiration. “But come, I’m not like Eletheer, Mr. Gallant, help me to a -seat up there beside you.” - -He was already preparing to do so and, taking off his coat, he spread -it on the rock, which was still damp with dew, and they sat down -together. - -It was not yet seven, the busy city below them had not yet fully -wakened and the air was fresh and sweet. To Hernando, the girl beside -him had always been simply “Cornelia, the baby.” Like Eletheer, he -too had noticed George Van Tine’s marked attentions to her but he had -also noticed that they were not objectionable, and he wondered if she -fully understood the seriousness of marriage. Just now she was looking -intently down among the rocks and bushes and he said gently,--“‘A penny -for your thoughts.’” - -“I’m just wondering if my guineas could have stolen their nest in that -thicket,” she answered, pointing to where her glance had been directed. - -Restraining a laugh, he asked,--“Are they up to that sort of thing?” - -“Up to it? Well I should say so. They deliberately hide them, and are -noted for their bad behavior in that line. Mine have completely eluded -discovery. But I love them, though Eletheer says their cry reminds her -of a rusty pump.” - -What could he say to this child, and how assist Eletheer in her -sisterly efforts in what she believed her duty? As Eletheer said, -Cornelia was indeed gifted with an unusual voice which might bring -fame. She also was “young to make a choice which might be regretted -later.” “But after all,” he thought, “these matters are better let -alone when there is nothing radically wrong, and I see nothing in this -case.” Why break the spell which held her a willing captive? To what -nobler use could her voice be put than bringing sweet sounds into a -good man’s home where, surrounded by husband and children, she would -be shielded from temptation? Surely in that, she could find nothing to -regret. - -He glanced toward the hills among which lay Shushan, where the last -six years of his own life had been spent, and his mind reverted back -to that awful night of his banishment when life seemed a mockery and -annihilation a bliss. Further back still, he sees a kind old face -crowned with silvery hair and tears of pity filling her eyes. “Dear old -granny,” he thought, “your prayer for mercy is answered; and though we -may view things differently, we look in the same direction.” - -The city was stirring now and the busy hum of life had begun. Whistles -from the factories and mills were calling to work. Seven o’clock, and -the distant screech of a locomotive told of the nearing of Ulster -Express. - -“I feel it in my bones that we’ll have company for breakfast,” said -Cornelia, rising and standing on tip-toe to see how many passengers got -off. Cornelia’s “feelings” were a family joke, but Hernando also arose -and looked down the road, more to keep his companion from falling than -from any expectancy of “company for breakfast.” - -The station was in plain sight and as they turned their heads in -that direction, a very singular-looking passenger jumped from the -train, satchel in hand, clearing the steps at a bound. He was clad in -a hickory shirt, blue jean trousers and brogans. On his head was a -broad-brimmed, soft felt hat. Apparently he stopped to question one -of the station men for the latter pointed toward the mountain and he -started up that way. - -“Who on earth can he be!” said Cornelia, clapping her hands in -excitement. - -“He looks and walks like a cowboy,” replied Hernando. “Come, let’s go -down. This time, at least, your presentiment seems a true one.” - -But for Hernando’s restraining hand, she would have jumped from the -rock on which they were sitting; by dint of engineering, however, he -kept her within bounds until they reached the back yard, when she -started for the house on a keen run. Rushing past Margaret, whose hands -were uplifted in disgust, she burst into the dining-room with cheeks -that vied with the roses on the breakfast table. - -----“And this, Mr. Watson, is our daughter Cornelia,” said Mr. De Vere, -laying his hand on her shoulder. - -Like Jack, Cornelia was instantly won. All she saw was those same -honest blue eyes and though his grip made her knuckle-bones ache, she -bore it without flinching. His admiring glance made her cheeks rosier -than ever. - -“Now that you have seen us all, I am aware of an uneasy sensation in -that region of my anatomy known as the stomach, and Margaret’s coffee -smells mighty good. Shall we sample it?” said Jack, and without more -ceremony they sat down to breakfast. - -Contrary to her usual custom, Cornelia remained silent. She glanced -uneasily towards the door and finally, unable longer to keep quiet, -said, “I wonder what keeps Hernando?” - -“Sure enough where is he? How thoughtless we are!” Mrs. De Vere -answered, rising and starting towards the hall. “Ah, here you are, Mr. -Truant,” she laughed, as the door at that moment opened. “Come and meet -an old friend!” - -“An ever friend,” he corrected, advancing toward Watson with extended -hand. - -The latter grasped it with a true Texan grip but his expression of -sympathy gave place to one of amazement as he looked into that pure -face. No marks of resentment or disease there, only an expression of -absolute self-forgetfulness and charity for the weaknesses of others. - -Watson’s vindictive feelings toward Mills faded away. Such were out of -place here and his customary “doggone it” escaped without his knowing -exactly why. - -The bright morning sunlight streamed into the room as if to accentuate -the happy faces around the breakfast-table. Watson, to all but -Margaret, seemed to have simply dropped into his place. Her feelings -were beyond analysis but she confidentially whispered to Reuben as she -returned to the kitchen to get more hot muffins, “He aint no kwolty.” - -Many were the questions to be asked and answered and in consequence, -it was nearly nine o’clock before breakfast was over; then Watson -found himself the center of an admiring group. First of all, he was -buttonholed by Jack and his laugh, hearty as the winds of his own -State, made the walls ring, and all involuntarily joined. - -“You ought to be a very happy man, Mr. De Vere,” he said, addressing -the latter. - -“I am,” Mr. De Vere replied. “Only a few years ago this beautiful -city was a mere hamlet. The wonderful resources of this valley were -undeveloped and no prospect of better conditions.” - -He looked musingly in the direction of the mine. “Hernando came to us -and proved ‘Old Ninety-Nine’ no myth--of course you know the history?” -Mr. De Vere interjected. - -“Yes, and Jack tells me you have in your possession one of his ears, -petrified.” - -“Had,” corrected Mr. De Vere, “but no curious eyes shall scrutinize -what should not be an object of curiosity. Dr. Herschel pronounced it -the ear of a leper, so I destroyed the poor deformed member, and the -statue of ‘Old Ninety-Nine’ soon to be unveiled in Delaware Park, is -such as he must have been in his prime. You must get Hernando to tell -you of his life at Shushan.” - -“Does he speak of it?” Watson inquired aghast. “I’ve been afraid I’d -let something slip. Poor boy, poor boy!” - -“Poor boy, indeed!” Jack retorted. “Why, Watson, he loves to, and the -rugged hills of Shushan are to him the most beautiful spot on earth.” - -“His face haunts me,” said Watson. “Does he ever say anything about -Mills?” - -“Often, and always with compassion.” - -Watson was silent, and just then Cornelia came into the room and -dragged him off to inspect her horse, as Jack had told her of his -reputation as a judge of horseflesh. He went willingly enough, for -his ideas on the subject under discussion were not quite clear, and -he also felt a trifle elated at the prospects of showing off the good -points of a horse to such an attractive listener. They could not have -more than reached the barn, when Mr. Genung was announced. - -Evidently he was in ignorance of Watson’s arrival; had simply “dropped -in” on his way to the mine where, as one of the largest stock-holders, -his influence was felt. Although unpopular with the miners, all -admitted him to be just according to his convictions and his advice -sound. Hernando’s trouble had aged him greatly. His once black hair was -thickly strewn with grey and after the greetings were over, he sank -into a chair quite exhausted. Eletheer slipped unobserved from the room -and shortly returned with a cup of coffee, well knowing Mr. Genung’s -weakness. He accepted it gratefully, saying, “Ah, my dear, you have -chosen the right profession!” - -“If all my duties were to be as pleasant as this, I have certainly -selected an easy one,” she laughed. - -“By the way,” he said, “I am the bearer of a message from Dr. Brinton -to you. He was driving like mad up Lombardy Street, but seeing my -direction, I presume, halted long enough to say that he would like to -have you call at his office this afternoon. Dr. Herschel was with him. -Now,” handing her the empty cup, “I have delivered the message, and you -may refer him to me for recommendation.” - -Conversation drifted into generalities and Eletheer went to help her -mother in household duties. - -Eletheer was not given to presentiments, but the mention of Dr. -Herschel’s name made her shiver. She always thought of him in -connection with that awful night of Hernando’s departure for Shushan -and could barely restrain her excitement at the thought of meeting -him for, in her eyes, he was all-powerful. “Ridiculous,” she thought, -giving herself a mental shake. “I’m a goose to be nervous, and very -likely he is not in any way concerned with Dr. Brinton’s message to me.” - -Her hands and feet kept time with her busy brain and long before noon -no trace of disorder was to be seen. As Mrs. De Vere often lamented, -she was not “like other girls.” Generous to a fault and charitable -toward her friends, yet, like Granny, she would not tolerate weakness -nor a deviation from her standard of right. - -During her grandmother’s lifetime, her religious training was strictly -in accordance with the teachings of the Reformed Dutch Church. The -Bible, including punctuation marks, she had been taught to regard as -a direct revelation from God and her childish doubts were sternly -rebuked. After the old lady’s death, other influences crept in and -association with people of expanded minds created a tumult in her -naturally analytical brain. But the first impression was too deep to be -completely obliterated, and though she could not conscientiously become -a member of the church in whose doctrine she had been so thoroughly -grounded, any imputation that her belief in it was weak was resented -until obliged to admit that it was true, and even then she recoiled -from the thought. Hernando’s troubles stirred the smouldering fires -anew, and later from her experience among suffering humanity at the -training school, where the physicians and surgeons, and in fact the -entire hospital staff, were decidedly unorthodox, she was obliged to -say when asked her belief, “I don’t know.” To try to do right and let -the future take care of itself became her creed and she accepted it, -knowing no better. - -Two o’clock, Dr. Brinton’s office hour, came at last and, in a flutter -of excitement, Eletheer hurried through the busy streets toward his -office. She had not long to wait, for, though the reception-room was -full, on receiving her card Dr. Brinton ushered her into his private -office where who should advance to meet her but Dr. Herschel. Evidently -the appointment was with him for Dr. Brinton had disappeared. - -“What can Dr. Herschel want of me!” Eletheer thought, nervously taking -the nearest seat. Her doubts, however, were soon dispelled; as, -drawing from his pocket a formidable-looking document, Dr. Herschel -said,--“This is ‘Old Ninety-Nine’s’ will--for such it is to all intents -and purposes--written in Spanish as you see. You know its history -but not its entire contents; however, as you are practically in the -profession, a full understanding of the will may have an added interest -as it shows what advances have been made along bacteriological lines -and, I might add, clearly illustrates the influence of mind over matter. - -“After ‘Old Ninety-Nine’s’ cure, he continued to live at Shushan, -making occasional trips to his cave, the whereabouts of which were -sacredly guarded from discovery--indeed this document is so carefully -worded as to give not a hint of its locality. While at Shushan, many -years after having been cured, he had another revelation in the form -of a dream. He must fly to his cave or evil spirits would _obsess_ him -for they were powerful, and after this sickness he might not be able to -resist them.” - -Here the doctor paused and looked searchingly at his listener but, -seeing only an expression of interest on her face, went on,--“The old -chief hastened to his cave, though not with the vigor of youth, only -to find evil spirits in possession. Putting this document--which in -reality is not a will--no Indian ever makes a will--with his other -treasures into the chest he securely locked it and implored the Great -Spirit to lead him to the Happy Hunting-ground. We can trace him no -further, even the events last narrated are merely inferences from -circumstances. We know that he went to the West Indies and I infer -from collateral facts that he had a Spanish wife who suggested and -formulated this document. His sudden and obscure death deprived her of -any knowledge of the fact.” Dr. Herschel carefully folded the document -and, leaning back in his chair, lit a cigar. - -“Was he insane?” Eletheer asked. - -“Insanity is a nice word to define. ‘Old Ninety-Nine’ was not insane, -but died in an hysterical seizure. This would explain finding his body -in that dangerous place.” - -“Then he did not believe himself cured?” Eletheer said. - -“Have you yet taken up the study of the nervous system?” Dr. Herschel -asked, as though what had happened were an every-day occurrence. - -“No, that comes in our second year.” - -“One year on the nervous system! Ten years, a lifetime; and we are -still in an unexplored realm. - -“I wish particularly to point a moral in ‘Old Ninety-Nine’s’ case, -as the symptoms there manifested will be among the most difficult -to treat, particularly in the uneducated. First, because the word -leprosy is crystalized in the human mind into an incurable disease and -having once had it, a patient, unless of unusual intellect, lives in -constant dread of its return--our hospitals for the insane would grow -beautifully less by the elimination of that one element _fear_. Leprosy -is a germ disease; the leper bacillus was discovered in 1874. Thus -heredity is disproven. We know it to be a parasitic disease.” - -“Then children of leprous parents cannot inherit the disease?” - -“No, except a possible predisposition. This does not mean, however, -that I advocate marriage between lepers. If children are born of such -parentage, they ordinarily die young or are a prey to every disease. -The point I wish to illustrate is that nervousness is the worst tyrant -of the day. True, ‘Old Ninety-Nine’ was already an old man; but he -might have lived many years longer only for fear, which, combined with -his racial traits, made a formidable enemy indeed. - -“This is a question of great importance to nurses, one with which -they, more than the physician, will have to contend. A nurse is sent -on a case, possibly diphtheria, one of the most fatal diseases known. -When we discover the germ a cure must follow and, as in any germ -disease, corresponding nervous symptoms follow from destruction of -tissue. Strange!” Dr. Herschel said, looking towards Shushan, “the many -discoveries now being made on the physical plane, yet they do not -unlock the doors to the spiritual realm.” - -“Hernando claims that they do,” said Eletheer. - -This happened to be one of the rare occasions on which Dr. Herschel -laughed; and he did laugh with a right good will. “Yes,” he said with a -twinkle in his eyes, “Hernando explained his philosophy to me at some -length during the last year of his stay at Shushan. As I understand him -he believes that thought, like electricity and magnetism, is a force, -and that it may be intelligently applied in the treatment of disease. -Of course he refers to diseases of nervous origin, such as hysteria and -some allied functional disorders, and in this he is quite right; but, -Miss De Vere, my experience has been on other than metaphysical lines. -As a nurse, yours will be also. This physical body and the material -world it inhabits are our materials to work with and, at this stage of -evolution at least, fate must be reckoned with. Don’t muddle your brain -with these new sciences and cures. Keep on solid ground. - -“Now Hernando is a splendid fellow, an ideal patient, and while -I agree with him that the greater part of human ills are largely -imaginary, and that it is natural for vegetable and animal life to -grow from darkness to light, I am also grateful for the knowledge--and -its results--revealed to us by microscopic vision into the world of -micro-organisms. This is something tangible.” And rising, Dr. Herschel -indicated that the interview was over. - -After Eletheer left, Dr. Herschel walked rapidly back and forth, -stopping occasionally to look out of first one window and then another; -but the objects he saw were visible only to him. One thing he intended -to do and that was to keep this girl in sight. She was possessed of the -qualifications necessary for the making of an ideal nurse--a trifle -visionary, perhaps; but experience would cure that--and it should be -his duty to see that her aspirations in that line were realized as -nearly as lay in his power. Another year at the training school would -do much, and then he would do the rest. - -All unconscious of these plans for her future, the object of them sped -homeward. Turning a corner sharply she almost ran into Mary Genung and -the latter laughingly called,--“Eletheer De Vere, do you mean that as a -cut direct?” - -“Certainly not, Mary, I confess to absent-mindedness. Come along home -with me.” - -“I’ve just been there. Your mother told me that you were at Dr. -Brinton’s and that I might meet you. Let’s go after rhododendrons in -the paper-mill woods. Please don’t refuse.” - -“I’ve no such intention,” laughed Eletheer as she followed her -companion to where, as children, they had spent many, many happy hours -together. How long ago that seemed now--and she listened mechanically -while her friend pointed out critically the architectural beauty of -several newly erected buildings. They were passing the old Reformed -Dutch Church when Mary exclaimed,--“To my mind, no structure in the -city can approach this. In its chaste Corinthian lines, it is indeed a -fitting monument to the religious zeal of our ancestors.” - -“Is it not Emerson who says that all men are at heart religious?” -Eletheer answered. - -Mary made no reply, and they were soon climbing the steep, rocky -incline near the entrance to the woods. It was known as the “Old Honk -Falls’ path.” The day was excessively warm and strangely quiet. The -Rondout creek tumbled musically over the rocks below, forming many -beautiful cascades, and the girls stopped occasionally at some bend in -the stream to watch the myriads of brilliant-hued dragon-flies glinting -through the branches of some fallen tree; but in the oppressive -afternoon heat even the birds seemed seeking a covert. The girls -quickened their steps and soon disappeared into the woods beyond. - -“Oh!” said Mary, as she sank on the carpet of fragrant pine-needles. -“Talk of the ‘murmuring pines and the hemlocks.’ I fail to detect the -slightest motion in these.” - -[Illustration: The Rondout Creek tumbled musically over the rocks below -forming many beautiful cascades] - -“It does seem unusually quiet, and that with the heat makes me -apprehensive. Reuben would say ‘it means sumfin’,’” Eletheer returned, -seating herself beside her companion. - -“Well,” retorted Mary, “if you know a cooler spot, I’ll gladly follow -to it; but did God ever create a more beautiful one?” - -It was, indeed, a spot of rare beauty; such as must have inspired the -cathedral-builders of old; great pines and hemlocks reared their lofty -columns upward to be there crowned with a covering so dense as to admit -scarcely a ray of sunshine. A solemn arcade indeed, whose cleft pillars -were bound with brown withes of wild grape-vine. A brown carpet covered -the floor and in this weird semi-twilight, one almost expected to hear -a solemn Te Deum echo from the crossing branches above. The day was one -of unearthly stillness and there was such a downpour of heat outside -that the very air seemed on fire. Even the scattered clumps of ferns -and jack-in-the-pulpits hung their heads as if in exhaustion. - -“Are you feeling well to-day, Eletheer? You seem so preoccupied.” - -“Physically, yes; but, Mary, I’m actually nervous. Everything looks so -uncanny.” - -“You are accustomed to an out-of-door life and I trust have not made a -mistake in your choice of profession. Hark! Did you hear anything?” - -“There, Mary, you too, are nervous,” said Eletheer, forcing a laugh. -“See!” pointing upward, “nothing but a pair of stray bats.” - -“And a snake coiled among the bushes yonder! Come, Eletheer, let’s go -home. I’m getting the ‘creeps.’” - -“Indeed, let’s do no such thing! It’s the heat combined with this utter -silence that affects us. There goes that snake now!” - -As they looked, a dirty-green snake trailed his lazy length towards the -creek. At the same time, two bats fluttered over it like shadows, until -they, too, melted into the tremulous haze that overhung everything. - -“I was about to add,” Eletheer resumed with a backward glance, “that -Dr. Herschel has been giving me some points on _nerves_. Now is a good -time to put them into practice.” - -“Well,” returned her friend, “if you can stand it I can, and that -reminds me, father and I were talking of Hernando this morning. Now -that he is cured, we hope that he will marry and settle down in a home -of his own. As you know, he is the last male of our name and, unless he -does marry, the name dies with him,” and Miss Genung looked searchingly -at her friend. - -Eletheer smiled as she replied,--“I can’t imagine a woman just like his -wife ought to be. Honestly, now, can you, Mary?” - -“Oh, Eletheer, can’t you trust a life-long friend?” said Mary in a tone -of such genuine feeling that Eletheer was startled. Gradually, however, -the import of her friend’s words dawned upon her and with a troubled -expression she said gently: - -“Mary, we are indeed life-long friends so don’t misunderstand me--you -will, however. Your accusation cannot be met with argument; but there -are men and women who mentally complement each other but to whom -marriage, with its obligations, does not appeal.” - -“I have read of such attachments,” returned Mary dryly,--“but in -my limited experience they invariably end in something deeper than -friendship. No, Eletheer, you may deceive yourself but not others.” - -What could Eletheer say? Experience had taught her the folly of -argument with this sweet little blue-eyed, Dutch-French friend, so she -said coaxingly,--“Never mind that now, dear. Tell me of your proposed -trip abroad next fall.” - -“There is little to tell. I hope, of course, to visit France and -Holland as most of us in this valley are either French, Dutch, or a -mixture of both.” - -“Strange! that two nations of such widely different characteristics -should have so assimilated.” - -The vexed expression had disappeared from Mary’s countenance; she loved -to discuss the early history, and particularly religious, of this -valley, and Eletheer’s interest pleased her. - -“Not necessarily so,” she returned. “They were thrown together by a -common persecution. The first settlements of the town of Wawarsing -were made by Huguenots and Hollanders at Nootwyck and ‘The Corners.’ -The ancestors of the persons who made them had passed through fiery -persecutions for conscience’s sake and had the principles of the early -reformers thoroughly ingrained in their constitutions. In France, -these reformers were called Huguenots, but all the early Protestants -of France and Holland organized churches on similar principles, which -generally were called Reformed Churches. The French have always been -a people of ardent temperament and decided opinions, and religion -expresses the extreme characteristic of a people. - -“Discouraged by fruitless efforts to obtain religious liberty at -home, the Huguenots fled from their native country in great numbers, -estimated at one million of the most industrious, the most intelligent -and the most moral of the French nation, who sought safety in England, -Holland, Prussia, Switzerland and America, taking with them their skill -in the arts and as much of their wealth as could be snatched from the -destroyer, thus impoverishing France and enriching the countries to -which they fled, where they found a most welcome reception. - -“In Holland, the Protestants suffered a continued series of -persecutions under Charles V and Philip II of Spain, beginning in -1523 and lasting to the time when religious liberty was secured under -William of Orange, during which time thousands of the best citizens -of Holland were cruelly murdered and tormented for conscience’s sake. -The Huguenots and Hollanders, thus brought into intimate relationship -by common fate and a like persecution, maintained the closest and -most intimate friendship with one another, worshipping together and -intermarrying.” - -So utterly absorbed were the girls, that neither of them was aware -of a pair of listeners, Tim Watson and Elisha, who were seated just -a few feet distant on a shelving rock that overhung the creek, and -they also had become oblivious of their surroundings. No one noticed -the increasing murkiness of the atmosphere, nor the baleful, ominous -stillness as though nature was in a vindictive mood and preparing to -spring upon her victim. The dull, yellow sun was fast becoming obscured -by a cloud of inky blackness and a gentle sough of the wind through the -tree-tops had increased to a threatening howl. But as Mary raised her -eyes and glanced toward the creek, a roar like the infernal regions -let loose, followed by a vivid flash of lightning, brought the four -into a realization of their danger. Like a deer, Elisha leaped toward -the girls and grasping an arm of each shouted,--“Out of the woods!” -Another terrific flash from the zenith to the horizon was followed by a -distinctly sulphurous glow. The bolt shivered the tree under which they -stood. A blazing ball plowed up the ground at their feet and all three -fell in an insensible heap. - -Watson’s sinewy arms carried the girls tenderly to an adjoining field -and laid them on the soft grass. Returning quickly to Elisha’s -assistance,--“I’ll be doggoned, if they don’t have northers here,” -froze on his lips as he looked at the still form at his feet; for his -practiced eye told him that no human help could avail here. However, -this was no place for examination, so Elisha, too, was carried to a -place beside the girls. - -To any one but this Texan, the scene would have been appalling. The -creek, which so short a time before had rolled peacefully on, now -dashed madly over the rocks, impelled onward by an irresistible -force. Giant trees bent almost double and the air was filled with -flying branches. The noise was frightful. All nature seemed bent on -destruction. Watson calmly applied restoratives and guarded his charges -from new danger. The girls, he knew, would recover as they now showed -signs of returning consciousness; and, though he could discover no -outward sign of injury on Elisha’s person, his heart had ceased to -beat. Stimulants, artificial respiration were employed, but all to no -purpose. - -Eletheer was the first to recover consciousness. She opened her eyes, -looked around in a dazed manner, sat up and took hold of Watson’s arm. -He had interposed his brawny form so that her glance might not first -rest on the now stiffening body of Elisha. - -“Hello, my girl! Just hold up a bit. Miss Genung is coming around all -right. See, she’s squirmin’ now.” - -Eletheer looked. “Yes, Mary was not killed but where is Elisha?” she -asked, now fully herself. - -“Well ye see, my girl, he--well I’ll be doggoned, I reckon God Almighty -knows best!” - -“Is he dead?” - -“Well ye see--” - -“Yes, I see,” she said, pushing him aside and laying her hand over -Elisha’s heart. No pulsation there, and only too well did she recognize -the look that comes but once to the human countenance. She rebuttoned -the shirt, passed her hand over his face, and folded those hands which -had helped in so many ways. - -Watson’s knowledge of the female sex was limited. He knew they were -liable to do various things under circumstances like the present, -and he tried to be prepared, but his voice was very unsteady as he -said,--“I reckon he went mighty quick!” - -“Death must have been instantaneous,” Eletheer reasoned aloud, as she -pushed the damp hair from his temples. - -“Now I do wonder how the other one will act when she comes ’round,” -thought Watson. - -Mary Genung was severely shocked and the united efforts of Watson and -Eletheer only succeeded in bringing a moan of pain from her lips as she -shivered and relapsed into unconsciousness. - -The wind was abating now and Watson asked Eletheer if she would be -afraid to be left alone while he went for help. - -“Of what!” she said. “Please go. You’ll find willing hands at the -paper-mill yonder.” - -Before the sentence was finished he was off and as the distance was not -great, he soon returned with three strong men carrying an improvised -stretcher. Mary still remained unconscious; and tenderly lifting her -and placing her beside Elisha’s still form on the stretcher, the two -were carried to the paper-mill and from there a conveyance took them to -Mr. De Vere’s. - -Dr. Brinton was there when they arrived. He and Reuben placed Elisha -on the bed in his old room. No need for a lengthy examination. A mark -over the heart about the size of a nickel showed where the current had -entered his body. His thread of continuity between now and hereafter -had served its purpose. - -Leaving to Reuben the task of doing all for Elisha’s remains, Dr. -Brinton went below to the library where the family, with Mr. Genung, -had assembled. - -Mary would probably be all right in a few days as consciousness had -already returned. Dr. Brinton said all she needed was good care. - -No one dared ask after Elisha as Watson’s description left no chance -for hope, and Dr. Brinton’s manner confirmed this as he entered the -room. Once again had nature donned her brightest robes and from the -west came streaks of golden light. Mr. De Vere advanced to meet the -doctor and, laying a trembling hand on his arm, said,--“We know it, -Doctor, and we also know that God is good.” - -“In mercy truly has this been done,” Dr. Brinton replied, “the -transition was painless--instantaneous!” But the man, not the -physician, was talking now. No professional sympathy in the tones of -one whose heart was bleeding. Elisha himself only guessed at the depth -of the love that this good man had for him. When he concluded, there -was not a dry eye in the room; even Watson sobbed audibly, and Margaret -stole quietly upstairs to Celeste, her “baby,” who lay as one dead. - -Eletheer opened the door of Mary’s room just as Margaret passed. Her -patient was sleeping, and, throwing her arms around Margaret’s neck, -she whispered through tears which fell thick and fast,--“Oh, Margaret, -and his last act was saving our lives!” Margaret could not speak. -Unlike her husband, she did not accept afflictions meekly and her -heart was full of bitterness now as she thought of her poor stricken -“baby” who had first to hear the dreadful news. “Po’ baby to t’ink dat -dis awful t’ing mus’ happen to yo’ w’en yo’s jes’ stayin’ at de ole -home to be wif Massa Jack!” Margaret threw herself on the floor in an -excess of emotion and, fearing she would wake Mary, Eletheer tapped on -the door of Elisha’s room well knowing Reuben’s soothing influence. He -had finished his sad duties and, true to the time-honored custom, was -“watching.” One quick glance at the face with its look of peace, and, -bidding Reuben go to Margaret and Celeste, she flew back to her charge. - -The news of Elisha’s death had spread like wildfire. Always courteous -and just, no one could criticise had he been so inclined, and his -uniformly gentle bearing, that was a part of himself, won for him a -reverential respect from all the miners. - -The shock caused by Elisha’s death had stirred them deeply; and a -delegation to express sympathy and a desire that they might be of -service waited on the young wife now prostrated with grief, though -providentially under her father’s roof where she had come to stay at -the old home during her brother Jack’s visit North. - -From all over the valley came words of condolence that showed how -deeply Elisha was identified with its material growth; resolutions -of respect from the different orders, and though Elisha’s religious -views were not generally known, regardless of denomination, the pastor -of every church in the city felt that its present sound financial -condition was largely through his instrumentality. - -At the door Watson received all messages. “How different,” he thought, -“is the ending of this life from that of Mills!” He had come North with -bitterness in his heart, and the pity which he was prepared to bestow -on this villain’s victim had long been transferred to Mills himself. -Tim Watson would return to Texas with a broader view of justice. - -Three days later, Elisha Vedder was buried from the Reformed Church. -This beautiful old building had been carefully preserved and the great -concourse of people there gathered to participate in the last sad -rights over Elisha Vedder’s remains saw the edifice still unchanged. -Every seat was taken, and the aisles, vestibule and even the churchyard -were crowded. - -Floral offerings, on account of Elisha’s oft-expressed fondness for the -mountain laurel, were simply great mounds of the green leaves and waxy, -rose-colored blossoms. - -A few friends accompanied Dominie Leyden, pastor of the church, to -The Laurels. There, after a short prayer, the remains, followed by -the miners in a body, were taken to the church where the active -pall-bearers were waiting at the entrance and through the cleared -passage-way, the plain oaken casket was carried up the steps, through -the right aisle into the chancel and laid down before a wall of laurel -blossoms. - -The burial service was very simple. No eulogy--his acts were apparent. -“Nearer My God to Thee,” was sung by the choir. A few well-chosen -words by the officiating clergyman, and the casket was borne to the old -Dutch burying-ground. - - * * * * * - -Again the sun is setting behind Old Neversink. The laurels take on -a rosier hue in the warm afterglow, and we recognize two figures, -Hernando and Celeste, wending their way along the Berm toward The -Laurels. - -“It does seem,” Celeste was saying, “that some evil genius keeps our -family separated. It’s too bad. Just as Jack has decided to come -back to Nootwyck to live, Eletheer makes up her mind to locate in -California. If she shouldn’t like the West and should return home to -practice, Cornelia and George would most likely move off somewhere.” - -“What a home in every sense of the word is George and Cornelia’s!” - -“Yes,” Celeste laughed, “they are as happy as two kittens. The Van -Tines are a good old family and mother is satisfied with the match. By -the way, Cornelia tells me that Mr. Watson is seriously considering -your uncle’s proposal that he come North and be associated with him at -the bank.” - -[Illustration: The laurels take on a rosier hue in the warm afterglow] - -“Yes, and I sincerely trust that he will accept. Uncle’s business cares -are too heavy for him to bear alone; then, too, it would be a good -thing for Watson. A man needs a home. He has a warm welcome awaiting -him at uncle’s and Mary is sighing to be a daughter to him.” - -“Mary is a lovely woman and an accomplished housekeeper; but she seems -to have never fully recovered from that shock.” - -“Does it seem possible that nearly three years have passed -since--he--Watson--” Then with a gulp Hernando added,--“Mary is still -nervous but Watson’s very presence is an antidote for nerves.” - -“He is so steady, so genuine. I can never forget his kindness. Oh, that -awful cloudburst!” Celeste shivered; then, half aloud to herself, she -added,--“Can it be three years since Elisha left us?” - -Instinctively both looked backward toward the paper-mill woods and -there, smiling at them “over their right shoulders,” hung the new moon! - -Now Hernando knew there was nothing “in” seeing the new moon over the -right shoulder. He did not believe that it has any influence whatever -on our lives; but as he looked at that silver crescent smiling on a -troubled world, a peace, such as he had never known, stole over his -senses, and with it came that clear vision which reveals truth, clears -up the mysterious connection between cause and effect, and the long -lines of our destiny. Forgotten was Hernando’s God of tradition and -dogma; the beautiful system of ethics formulated at Shushan was indeed -good--as far as it went; but that same beautiful system _with God in -it_ is religion, is wisdom, and at last Hernando had “found” it. Oh, -the blessed truth! Nothing in this wide universe but God, Good, whose -Being is manifested through us. One God, one “Great First Cause,” and -His effect, man and the universe the effect of God! - -“Just let the Kingdom of Heaven take you”: why struggle for our own -when nothing, “_no thing_,” disputes our claim? All we need do to come -into our full inheritance is prove our identity _as_ legitimate heirs. -Here again, nothing denies the truth. Simple, when we _let_ God show us -how, “so divinely easy that the only wonder is that we have not done -it before!” Like the air and the sky, when we open our “upper eyes,” -Heaven simply _is_; and it is _all_ there is, for God is there. - -Yes, this “straining” _is_ the “point”; always _sending_ messages, -unmindful of the fact that no answer _can_ be “received” by a -“transmitter.” How plain it all was now to Hernando. His prayers of -childhood, youth, manhood, when from the very bottom of his heart, had -all been “received” at the great central office, and here were the -answers “in heaps.” - -Oh, how much easier his life might have been had he been “willing” to -“receive”; but he had kicked “against the goads” and so must learn -obedience through bitter experience. He _had_ worked back to the “forks -of the road” in “fear and trembling.” Unjust as it all had seemed at -the time, he now saw that in no other way could _his_ lesson have been -learned. The stony road of necessity on which no traveller escapes just -toll, was behind him. Before him once more, the road forked. One fork -led to Hong Kong, to mistaken duty with exactions--not obligations. - -On the other fork was the woman he loved, the “helpmeet” he needed, -that other “half” of this man of flesh and blood. He thought over the -last three years; how he had been temporarily filling his friend’s -vacancy at the mine until the way to Hong Kong should open up, little -dreaming that Elisha had only temporarily filled _his_, Hernando’s, -vacancy in Celeste’s heart until he had “proved his claim.” - -How sincerely he had tried to comfort her in her bereavement. What joy -it had given him to watch her dimples returning and hear her merry -laugh once more! He looked at her now, standing in the witching light -of the new moon with her sweet, chaste profile outlined against the -shadow, and then, because it was so “natural-like” and he knew it was -right, he held out his arms to Celeste. The call from the very bottom -of his heart was answered. The message read: “_Not Hong Kong!_” - -By and by they looked toward The Laurels; the evening shadows had crept -up beyond the house, but father and mother, they knew, were sitting on -the piazza waiting for them. There was a light in Eletheer’s room and -anon they caught glimpses of her as she flitted to and fro packing for -her long journey. Margaret’s voice resounded in a familiar hymn from -the kitchen and there, with his lantern, came dear old Reuben from the -barn. How well they knew that no beast, bird nor living thing could -ever look reproachfully into that black face! They saw him stop, turn, -and with the deliberation that characterized everything he did, look at -the new moon over his right shoulder. - -“What did you wish?” Celeste asked, and her voice was as sweet as the -robin’s good-night. - -“I wish,” replied Hernando, “that we may live to be as old as ‘Old -Ninety-Nine,’ as loyal as Granny, as happy together as your father and -mother, and that we may ‘keep’ ourselves as ‘unspotted from the world’ -as Reuben.” - - - - -Transcriber’s Note: - -The Contents has been added by the transcriber. - -Punctuation has been standardised. Spelling and hyphenation have been -retained as they appear in the original publication except as follows: - - Page 256 - of the mountain,--Maratanza, A wasting _changed to_ - of the mountain,--Maratanza, Awosting - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK OLD NINETY-NINE’S CAVE *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law 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. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. 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