INTRODUCTI ON.

BY J. M . BELLEW .

AN American gen tleman lately addressed a letter to on e

of ou r Lon don papers, assurin g the En glish peoplethat his coun trymen properly appreciated the differen cebetween Lon gfellow an d Bret H arte. I n the same way itmight be said that En glishmen similarly recogn ise the differen ce between “ Paradise Lost ” an d H ud ibras or

,to

come to ou r own times,between Macaulay an d Dicken s ;

between Richelieu ” an d Lon don A ssuran ce.”To say this, is simply platitude . Bu t it is impossible toavoid suspectin g that the American writer had been an n oyedwith some disparagin g remarks upon a style of Tran satlan ticliterature n ow in vogue, of which Mr. Bret H arte is at thepresen t t ime the Represen tative Man ; an d mean t u s toun derstan d that such authors were properly d eprecia ted .

Let us hope this is n ot true, bu t that, on the con trary,the

immen se popularity which Mr. Bret H arte’s prose an d poetryhave so quickly attain ed, an d the exten sive sale they haveAnjoyed , are a sure testimon y that he is as fully valued byhis own coun trymen as by the British public

,amon g whom

his books have been received with such marked favour.

W ere the short in troduction with which this volume isprefixed to be chan ged in its character an d purpose

,an d to

be moulded in to an Essay,a very pretty an d fittin g dis cus~

a

iv INTRODUCTION.

sion might be raised as to what is the proper appreciation tobe meted ou t to serious an d humorous or satirical writers.W e should then be led—or misled

,more probably—in to

dogmatics—ab ovo u squ e ad mala— u pon the relative valueof Tragedy an d Comedy.That is n ot on ly outside ou r purpose, bu t we believe that,had the pen of Macaulay himself been driven over so

temptin g a theme, the brillian t essayist wou ld n ot havein fluen ced or altered public opin ion on e jot upon a matterregardin g which there has been sin gu lar un an imity of sen timen t from the distan t times when Aristophan es wrote hiscomedy of the “ Frogs ” to ridicule the tragic writers, an d

the “satirical rogue ” H orace addressed his Maecen as

Qu amqu am riden tem dicere verumQuid vetat ?

I n fact , human n ature likes to be amused ; likes to bein structed while amused ; an d likes bein g amused whenin structed. W ith an in tuitive in stin ct which an tedates allreason in g on the subj ect, human n atu re has had a keenperception of the fact, ever sin ce the days when Simon idestaught it Satire

,that moralities may be as stron gly en forced

an d as deeply en graven on the min d,v ices as keen ly cau

terized , an d follies as in cisively exposed by the burn in gWords of the Satirist

,an d the tren chan t blade of the

Humourist,as by the pen tametrical gravity of an Epic

,or

the pon derous sublimity of Paradise—either Lost or

Regain ed .H orace clen ches this idea. (An d what better testimon y

can there be to the reception or perception of its truth, thanin the fact that every grammar- school boy

,an d every

who has enjoyed a decen t classical education , in stin ctgoes back to his H orace for a good an d tellin g lin e wheWan ts to poin t a moral, or to shoot folly as itshaft tipped with Wit 1 )

INTRODUCTIONThere is a strikin g passage by Addison to the same effectso strikin g, in deed, that it may be well, by way of apposition , to quote the Roman an d the En glishman

Ridicu lnm acri

Fortin s et meliu s mag n as plerumqu e sceat res,I lliscripta quibu s commdia prised viris est

H oc staban t,hoc su n t imitan di

Amon g the writers of an tiqu ity there are n on e whoin struct us more Open ly in the man n ers of their respectivetimes in which they lived

,than those who have employed

themselves in Satire,un der what dress soever it may appear '

as there are n o other authors whose provin ce it is to en ter sodirectly in to the ways of men

, an d set their miscarriages inso stron g a light.”I t is n o great stretch of imagin ation to suppose that,when

Addison was speakin g of the writers of an tiquity,” he alsohad lately been to his H orace

,an d was givin g him an airin g

for the ben efit of Queen A n n e’s lieges,with a free tran sla

tion of illi scripta quibus comoedia prisca .”W e do n ot imagin e that American n ature is so very differen t

from common human ity elsewhere. “ I f you prick us, do wen ot bleed ? I f you tickle us , do we n ot laugh l ” Bret H artehas t ickled the American s

,an d they have laughed . H e has

tickled us too,an d we have laughed heartily : an d heartily

welcomed him at ou r firesides,because we recogn ise gen uin e

humour in his writin g,an d the rin g of sterlin g metal in

dis Satire . Does this mean that either ou r brothers acrossh e ocean or we ourselves have lost a proper apprecia

~

ion for ou r or their great Poets,Authors

,an d Moralists ’!

3an n ot they an d we love the sweet an d ever gen tle Lon gellow,

the n ervous Lowell,an d Bryan t

,an d Edgar Poe, an d

l. W . W atson , an d Thomas B u chan an Read (men whose!c etry is as familiar in En glan d as in America) , withoutBret H arte bein g taken down a peg ?

vi INTRODUCTION.

On his own grou n d , '

an d in his own way, Bret H arte willhold his own , an d take his proper ran k. To be sure, Comedyalways has given

,an d always will give

,the pas to Tragedy.

W ith a gracious courtesy Comedy holds Open the door in theflat (0 . P practicable) , an d sweetlywhispers, Y ou first, asthey make their exits ; bu t d epen d upon it the merry jadekn ows well that hers is the last face the audien ce see, thesun shin e of her smile the last impression on their min ds.So, without in the smallest d egree takin g away from the

merit an d the status of American poets, an d givin g the paswhere it is due, let us hope it will n ot be con sidered flattreason to suggest that there may be person s who con sideran d whose opin ion s have a right to con sideration—that theH eathen Chin ee an d “Lan guage from Tru thful James ’discover to us a gen ius that is worthy of high appreciationan d the said person s possibly might prefer on a solitary n ightto keep compan y with Bret H arte

,an d ask

Are thin gswhat they seem,

Or is vision s abou t ?

I s ou r civilization a failu re ?

Or is the Cau casian played ou t ?rather than with the mystic (might we say spiritu alist 2) ihis “H ome by H orror haun ted

,

”

Then methou ght the air grew d en ser, perfumed from an u n seen cen ser

Swu n g by Seraphimwhosefoot-falls tin kled on the tufted floor.

An d the Raven , n ever flittin g , still is sittin g , still is sittin gOn the pallid bu st ofPallas ju st above my chamber door.

Certes, these thin gs are matters of taste . NicodemDumps was n ever happy bu t when he was miserable ;there are those who prefer an d en joy with relish a feasBlair’s Grav e

,

”an d the “An atomy of Melan choly

INTRODUCTION vii

let u s hope that such dwellers amon g the tombs are for themost part on ly those blighted bein gs who are the victims oflove or in digestion .

W e kn ow also that there are person s to whom a j oke is

n o joke; just as there are others who san ctimon iously professto con sider laughin g profan e. Men have been seen withsolemn visages

,n ot a muscle moved, when Mr. Farren played

Lord Ogleby, an d Mrs. Glover Mrs . Malaprop ! W hat can

he said of such people ? On ly this : they are n ot worthsayin g anythin g about because if they are gen u in e in theirghastly gravity we pity them,

if they are acting we despisethem. The poor sufferer of shattered in tellect at B ethlehem ,

or the Ban bury Sain t ” of 1 872 , would n ot be precisely themen with whom we should stop to discuss the merits of ahumourist.That Bret H arte has made his mark as a humourist is an

admitted fact. W hat ran k he will ultimately take amon gthe literary men of America it would be premature at thistime to con j ecture. The Burleigh shak e of the head an d

prophetic ken are a form of wisdom with which the n umskulls of din n er-tables easily in vest themselves . An d

,besides,

prophecy is fashionable . Prophets write books revealin gmore surprisin g

,fin d gapin g crowds

Prophets forecast the doom of

State an d coun try,an d silen ce all remon stran ce

t with “Mark my words,sir

,you will see

an d polemical prophet sits,like St . Simon Sty

pillar above the heads of all men,an d can n ever

to accoun t . Bu t the literary prophet may beched an d attacked. Some years ago (in a celebratedin a well-kn own magazin e) , he assu red the Britishthat Charles Dicken s “wen t up like a rocket, an d

come down like the stick.” The stick has n ot comean d happily yet awhile remain s suspen ded in mid air.

preten tious

viii INTRODUCTION.

n on sen se. Maybe some of the wise men of the East, incriticizin g the author of the Far W est, would write himdown amon g literary pyrotechn ists. Ten n yson

,in his Son n et

to his Frien d , writesShoot in to the dark

Arrows of lightnin gs . I will stan d an d mark .

To stan d an d mark the career of a man like Bret H arte,however

,is wiser than utterin g prophecies. H e is still a

youn g man,full of promise

,with vigour an d acute observa

tion : an d such a man may do great thin gs in the lin e ofauthorshipwhich he has made so peculiarly his own . Doubtless he has on e dan ger of which to beware. The humouristis apt to be accredited with n o higher power or mission thanto be fu n n y. True

,it is on ly stupid folk who would thin k

so : b u t as stupidity happen s to exercise an immen se socialascen dan cy

,an d is emin en tly respectable

,its verdicts are n ot

to be despised. Bret H arte must plead guilty to the crimeof fu n

,an d it is a very serious thin g for a man to begin life

by bein g fun n y. No on e who has read his already publishedworks would for an in stan t suppose that humour is all theman has in him . H e possesses descriptive powers of a highorder. H e can portray men , places, scen es, with a vividn essthat makes u s feel person ally acquain ted with them.

over, he can move ou r feelin gs,an d excite the te

emotion s in ou r breasts. Such talen ts are preciousbe committed to the use of an y on e man

,an d we are

rised in expectin g that they shall be usedtheir possessor an d to the satisfaction of his readers. I t

true that, with all the v ivid n ess an d power displayed in B rH arte’s sketches amon g the Sierras of Californ ia

,we a

familiarized with a style of life which is rude,

often what a parlou r-boarder Miss would destremely vulgar.

”Bu t this is the outcome of

INTRODUC’

TI OIV. ix

an d thin gs as they are, fidelity of description bein g its chiefvalue

,so in Bret H arte’s sketches

,while in dividu als are dis

gu ised un der the forms of fiction,we feel that his hold upon

ou r atten tion rests upon the fact that he is un rollin g beforeu s a pan orama whose tru thfuln ess we should recogn ise wereit ou r lot to travel amon g the same scen es an d come in con

tact with the same characters .Little is as yet kn own in En glan d of the man Bret H arte.Nothin g could possibly be more agreeably d isappoin tin gmore un like the n otion of the man which the min d’s eye wouldcon ceive

,picturin g him from his books

,an d from the associa

tion s of his life,—than is his portrait . A sin gularly han dsome,

refin ed set of features has Bret H arte large,beamin g

,dark

eyes ; n ose sharply an d classically ou t ; small mouth ; lon gflowin g moustache an d whisker. Erase the n ame from thepicture, an d submit it to a physiogn omist for an opin ion ,an d he would certain ly declare the livin g man to be anhabitu é of the salon s of Belgrav ia, or a loun ger in the baywin dow of the Guards’ Club. Judgin g from ou r au thor’sappearan ce

,an y on e would suppose it far more probable that

hedated his letters from St. James’s Square than from SanFran cisco.

Bret H arte,who is said to be of Dutch descen t, was born

in 1 837 at A lban y,New Y ork. His father was a school

master, an d d ied while his son was still a boy. The

widowed mother was left in poor circumstan ces, an d as soonas her son was able to work, he sought to earn his dailybread in a store at New Y ork. W hen seven teen years ofage he left the big city for Californ ia, takin g his motherwithhim. From San Fran cisco he trudged on foot to the min esof Son ora

,an d there

,fallin g back upon his father’s callin g in

life,became a schoolmaster. The min es of Son ora are pro

bably to most En glish ears what would be mathemat icallydescribed as an “ un kn own quan tity.” Speakin g geographi

INTRODUCTION.

cally, Son ora is a good step down South from San Fran

c isco,an d a provin ce of Mexico . I t is a hilly

,arid coun try,

un in vitin g to a pedagogu e, bu t attractive to drovers an d horsedealers

,bein g famed for its cattle.

H ere Bret H arte was thrown in con tact with that min in gcommun ity of the Far W est which has provided so muchpabulum for his brain

,an d thus made the readin g world

in debted to his pen for in troducin g it to a rough,primitive

class of people,livin g a life full of passion

,earn estn ess

,hot

pursuit of gain,shadowed by lawlessn ess

,crime

,an d wild

folly b u t a people, n evertheless, in whom the dark shadowsare n ot un common ly relieved by bright lin es of light

,an d in

whom touches of love,of ten dern ess

,an d of truth

,give u s

assuran ce that all is n ot worthless an d degraded. The pictures which Bret H arte has drawn of this life are startlin glypowerful. He n ot on ly makes us familiar with a n ew phaseof existen ce, b u t with his pen he sketches pictures which aren othin g less than Salvator Rosa u pon paper. W ith a breadthof effect like the great I talian ’s

,his figures seem actually to

leap from the can vas.Schoolin g at Son ora does n ot appear to have an swered.

Aban don in g the attempt to train the youn g ideas of theson s

,Bret H arte con sorted n ext with their fathers

,an d

tried the min es ; bu t they did n ot prove min es of wealthto him , an d within a short time he devoted himself to thedouble, double toil an d trouble of composition—that is to

say, became both composer an d compositor. Eureka ! H e

hadfou n d it a t last—his callin g. I n the n ewspaper office ofEureka he followed the craft of a compositor an d it is saidthat his earliest familiaritywith type was acquired in sett in gup articles an d essavs of his own

,con tributed to the pages of

the Eu reka n ewspaper. H ere was the first gleam of hiscomin g success. The sable curtain of un certain ty an d wan tbegan to lift , an d the dawn of a bright fu tthe blankn ess of the dark—that dreary

INTRODUCTION. xi

through which so man y of ou r greatest an d brightest in tellects have had to wrestle

,like the Patriarch at Pen iel,

perhaps little thinkin g, while their sin ews shran k in the greaten coun ter

,that the darkn ess on ly cloaked from view on e who

was tryin g an d provin g them but to give his blessin g when“ the day breaketh.”Bret H arte must have risen rapidlyin the con fiden ce of theproprietor of the Eu reka Journ al, for durin g the absen ce of itseditor he was left in charge. This led to an in ciden t

,at the

momen t sufficien tly perplexin g an d un fortun ate,which was

the direc tmean s of con du ctin g him to better fortun e elsewhere .The n orthern portion of the provin ce of Son ora is called Pimeria, an d in habited by the Pimas n ation of I n dian s . Betweenthe I n dian s an d the “pale-face ” of Eureka, the chief citizen s,traders

,an d magn ates of the town , that trustfuln ess an d

brotherly love did n ot existwhich forges swords in to prun in ghooks an d allures lambs to cubiculary con fiden ces with lion s .I n poin t of fact, a foray was con cocted an d executed withstrategical n eatn ess an d precision , en din g in a massacre ofthe I n dian s, which would have don e hon our to W illiam I I I .

an d his chivalric‘ tr00ps at Glen coe . Bret H arte seems tohave made a most un pardon able mistake for an editor. H e

did n ot appreciate the sign s of the times but with plain n essan d blun tn ess (which may possibly have don e hon our to hisheart, but said very little for his judgmen t an d his head)den oun ced the rascally proceedin g in un complimen tary epithets of Saxon vigour . Such mistaken an d ill-regu latedsympathies as B ret H arte exhibited ren dered him offen siveto the patriots of Eureka ; so he retraced his steps to SanFran cisco , an d resumin g there the occupat ion of a compositor,he pursued it steadily un til he was appoin ted editor of the

Gold en Era .

His n ext attempt was to establish a paper of his own,in

conjun ction with Mr. W elby,un der the n ame of The Ca li

fornian . Commercially,this paper proved a failure, b u t

xii INTRODUCTION.

a literary ven ture its n umbers are of value,because

it was in them that Mr. H arte first exhibited that stren gthof satire an d humour which have sin ce made himfamous .On the production of the Overlan d Mon thly, B ret H arte

was selected for the editorship. A more fittin g appoin tmen tcould n ot have been made. Of this magazin e it may trulybe said that Bret H arte made it. I ts pages have given himwide en ough berth ; an d throughout we feel his editorialpresen ce an d gu idan ce quite as emphatically as CharlesD icken s’s con trol was traceable in the pages of All theYear Rou n d , or Thackeray’s in the early n umbers of the

The production of the “ Luck of Roarin g Camp in the

Overlan d Mon thly set that j ourn al on its legs. The diffi

cu lties which beset every youthful journ al strugglin g ‘for’

recogn ition van ished at on ce,an d from that t ime to the

presen t Bret H arte’s career has been on e of un in terruptedsuccess. I t is on ly n ecessary to add that in 1 869 Messrs.Fields

,Osgood, an d Co .,

the American publishers,brought

ou t a volume of collected pieces,con tain in g the “Luck of

Roarin g Camp,

”the “Outcasts of Poker Flat,” “Miggles

,

”

Mliss,”&c .,

which have sin ce been made familiar to us inan En glish ed ition by Mr H otten . The same may be saidof the “ H eathen Chin ee, the Sen sation Novels

,

” “ Eastan d W est

,

”an d “ Stories of the Sierras .”

Before closin g these in troductory remarks,it may be

fittin g,an d certain ly to Bret H arte it is d u e

,to remin d the

reader that the authors of comic or satirical writin gsn ot men to be regarded as tumblin g like clown s

,or grin n

through horse- collars like buffoon s. W hen the

at the din n er-party pertly said to Theodore H oo

Mr. H ook, mamma wan ts to kn ow whbe fun n y

,

”it on ly said what a great

adult boobies—thin k . The professed F

INTRODUCTION. xiiinever altogether fools. Ken t had pen etration en ough

,in

listen in g to the excellen t j ests of K in g Lear’s bitin g critic,to exclaim

,

“This is n ot altogether fool,my Lord .” So let

it be remembered that he who wields the sword glitterin gwith fu n an d humour

,carries in his grasp a two- edged

weapon,on e edge of which can an d will cu t with a sharp

n ess that makes the flesh quiver. Biographical diction arieswill tell us tru ly that Thomas H ood was a humourist

,bu t

there are few amon gst us who would like, or like to deserve ,to be groun d to dust by such crushin g fu n as the Ode to

Rae‘

W ilson .

” Moreover,the same pen that wrote “Miss

Kilman segg an d her Precious Leg ,” wrote also the Bridgeof Sighs,” the “ Son g of the Shir t

,

” “ W e watch’

d her

breathin g through the Night , an d Love thy Mother,little on e. W here is the poet that would n ot be proud tohave written such poetry as this So

,in his place an d lin e

,

let Bret H arte be esteemed. W e owe him than ks for havin g made us acquain ted with a class of men , an d pourtrayedsubtle poin ts of character an d life

,amon g the Sierras

,of

which we previously kn ew n othin g. A n d in this revelationwhat a rich variety of in dividualism has he presen ted !Tears of laughter an d tears of emotion roll down ou r cheeks :humour

,pathos

,passion

,an d sarcasm succeed on e an other

in his stories but throughout them all we feel con scious ofa person al reality.Though we read in form of fiction the stories of the “Ou t

casts of Poker Flat,

an d “ Miggles,

”an d “ H igh—W ater

Mark,

”we n ever doubt that these men an d women are

stu dies drawn from life—experien ces of Bret H arte’s Californian career— an d that he could show us the exact spotwhere Mary’s Ark , was built on Dedlow Marsh, an d thecottage in which the devoted Miggles sustain ed the helplessJim.

I f it were n ecessary, several pages might be filled in givin gextracts from Bret H arte’s works to show his powers of

xiv INTRODUCTION.

scen e—pain tin g,an d also the pathos of which he is mast er.

Let the two followin g passages serve as illustration s“ I t was n oon when the body of Ten n essee was d elivered in to the

han d s of his partn er. As the cart drew u p to the fatal tree, we n oticed

that it con tain ed a rou gh oblon g box,—apparen tly made from a section

of sluicin g—an d half filled with bark an d the tassels ofpin e. The cart

was fu rther d ecorated with slips of willow, an d made fragran t with

bu ck eye-blossoms . W hen the body was d eposited in the box, Ten n es

~

see’

s Partn er d rew over it a piece of tarred can vas,an d gravely mou n t

in g the n arrow seat in fron t, with his feet u pon the shafts, u rg ed the

little don k ey forward . The equipage moved slowly on, at that decorou s

pace which was habitu al with“ Jen n y

”even u n der less solemn cir

c umstan ces . The men—half-cu riou sly, half-jestin gly, bu t all good

hu mou redly— strolled alon g beside the cart ; some in advan ce, some a

little in the rear of the homely catafalqu e. B u t, whether from the

n arrowin g of the road or some presen t sen se of d ecorum,as the cart

passed on the company fell to the rear in couples, k eepin g step, an dotherwise assumin g the extern al show of a formal procession . Jack

Folin sbee, who had at the ou tset played a fu n eral march in d umb show

upon an imagin ary trombon e, d esisted , from a lack of sympathy an dappreciation

— n ot havin g, perhaps, you r tru e humou rist’

s capacity to becon ten t with the enjoymen t of his own fu n .

Theway led throu gh Grizzly Canon— by this time clothed in fu n eral

d rapery an d shadows . The red -woods, bu ryin g their moccason ed feet

in the red soil, stood in I n dian file alon g the track , trailin g an u n cou th

ben ediction from their b en din g bou ghs u pon the passin g bier. A hare,

su rprised in to helpless in activity, sat u pright an d pu lsatin g in the fern s

by the road sid e as the cortejqeWen t by. Squirrels hasten ed to gain a secu re

ou tlook from higher bou ghs an d the blu e-jays, spreadin g their win gs,flu ttered before them lik e ou trid ers, u n til the ou tskirts of San dy Bar

were reached , an d the solitary cabin of Ten n essee’

s Partn er.“ Viewed u n der more favou rable circumstan ces, it wou ld n ot have

been a cheerfu l place. The u n pictu resqu e site,the ru de an d u n lovely

ou tlin es, the u n savou ry d etails, which distin gu ish the n est-buildin g of

the California min er, were all here,with the d rearin ess of d ecay super

added . A few paces from the cabin there was a rou gh en closu re,which

,

in the brief d ays of Ten n essee’

s Partn er’

s matrimonial felicity, had been

u sed as a gard en , bu t was n ow overgrown with fern . As we approached

it, we were su rprised to fi n d that what we had taken for a recent

attempt at cu ltivation was the broken soil abou t an open grave“The cart was halted before the en closu re ; an d rejectin g the offers

INTRODUCTION. xv

of assistan ce with the same air or simple self-relian ce he had displayedthrou ghou t, Ten n essee

’

s Partn er lifted the rou gh coffin on his back ,

an d deposited it u n aided , within the shallow grave. He then n aileddown the board which served as a lid ; an d mou n tin g the little mou n dof earth beside it, took ofi his hat , an d slowlymopped his face with hishan dk erchief. This the crowd felt was a prelimin ary to speech ; an d

they disposed themselves variou sly on stumps an d bou lders, an d sat

expectan t .

“ ‘W hen a man ,

’

began Ten n essee’

s Partn er, slowly, ‘has been ru n n in g

free all day, what’s the n atu ral thin g for him to do ? W hy, to come

home. An d if he ain’

t in a con dition to go home, what can his best

frien d do ? Why, brin g him home ! An d here’

s Ten n essee has been

ru n nin g free , an d we brin gs him home from his wan d erin g .

’H e pau sed ,

an d pick ed u p a fragmen t of qu artz, rubbed it thou ghtfu lly on his

sleeve , an d wen t on :‘It ain

’

t the first time that I’

ve pack ed him on

my back as you see’

d me n ow. It ain’

t the first time that I brou ghthim to this yer cabin when he cou ldn

’

t help himself it ain’

t the firsttime that I an d “Jen n y

”have waited for him on yon hill, an d picked

him up an d so fetched him home, when he cou ld n ’t speak , an d did n ’

t

kn owme. An d n ow that it’

s the last time, why he pau sed, an d

rubbed the qu artz g en tly on his sleeve you see it’s sort of rou gh on his

pardn er. An d n ow, g en tlemen ,

’ he ad ded , abru ptly, pickin g u p hislon g-han d led shovel, the fu n’

ls over an d my than k s. an d Ten n essee’

s

than ks to you ,for you r

Not less vivid is the en tire story of Miggles, but thereis a beauty an d a pathetic ten dern ess about the love an ddevotion of the woman who wou ld be ashamed to let thetravellers by the Pion eer Stage Compan y catch a glimpse ofher real n ature, which could hardly hav e been written byan y other man of ou r gen eration save on e, an d he n ow liesat rest amon g his peers at W estmin ster

0 for the tou ch of a vanished han d ,

An d the sou n d of a voice that is still.The folk s abou t here are very kin d ,’ said Miggles, after a pau se,

comin g a little in to the light again ,

‘The men from the fork u sed to

han g arou n d here, u n til they fou n d they wasn’

t wan ted , an d the women

are kin d—an d don ’

t call. I was pretty lon ely u n til I pick ed u pJoaquin

in thewood s yon der on e day,when he wasn’

t so high, an d tau ght himt)

xvi INTRODUCTI OIV.

beg forhis din n er ; an d then thar’

s Polly—that’s the magpie—she k n ows

n o en d of trick s , an d mak es it qu ite sociable of even in g s with her talk ,an d so I d on

’

t feel like as I was the on ly livin g bein g abou t the ran ch.

An d Jim here,’

said Miggles, with her old lau gh again , an d comin g ou t

qu ite in to the firelight,‘Jim—why, boys, you wou ld admire to see how

mu ch he k n ows for a man lik e him. Sometimes I brin g him flowers,

an d he look s at’emju st as n atu ral as if he k n ew ’

em ; an d times, when

we’

re sittin g alon e, I read him those thin gs on the wall . W hy, Lord ,’

says Miggles, with her fran k lau gh, I ’ve read him that whole sid e of

the hou se this win ter. There n ever was su ch a man for readin g as

Jim.

’

Why,’

ask ed the Ju dge, do you n ot marry this man to whom you

have d evoted you r you thfu l life ?’

W ell, you see,’

said Miggles ,‘itwou ld be playin g it rather low down

on Jim,to take advan tage of his bein g so helpless. An d then , too, if

wewere man an d wife,n ow, we

’

d both kn owthat I was bou n d to dowhat

1 do n ow ofmy own accord .

’

“ ‘B u t you are you n g yet an d attractiveIt

’

s gettin g late,’

said Miggles, gravely, an d you’

d better all tu rn

in . Good -n ight, boys an d,throwin g the blan k et over herhead ,Miggleslaid herself d own besid e Jim’

s chair, her head pillowed on the low stool

that held his feet, an d spok e n o more. The fi re slowly faded from the

hearth ; we each sou ght ou r blan kets in silen ce ; an d presen tly there

was n o sou n d in the lon g room bu t the patterin g of the rain upon the

roof, an d the heavy breathin g of the sleepers.

“ I twas n early morn in g when I awoke from a trou bled d ream. The

storm had passed , the stars were shinin g , an d throu gh the shu tterless

win dow the fu ll moon , liftin g itself over the solemn pin es withou t,looked in to the room. I t tou ched the lon ely fig u re in the chairwith

an in finite compassion , an d seemed to baptize with a shin in g flood the

lowly head of the woman whose hair, as in the sweet old story, bathed

the feet of him she loved .

”

I t is a great pleasure, an d a small labour of love,for on e

who kn ows him n ot,an d whose lin es in life lie so far apart

from his that probably he may n ever kn ow him,to offer

these few lin es of respect an d regard to Bret H arte. I t isimpossible for an y on e who is familiar with the works ofsuch distin guished an d d istin ctive authors asW ashin gton I rvin g. H awthorn e an d Emers

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Dr. Macleod liked to see a man , an d had a warm place in his heart

for soldiers an d sailors. H e wou ld sin g his own war-son g , Dost thou

remember,’to a company of old soldiers ; an d

‘The Old Lieu ten an t

an d his Son an d Billy B u tton s show how sympathetically he cou ldlimn old salts. An absu rd report, by the by, has been spread that the

latter story was plagiarised from Bret Harte, the fact bein g that,

althou gh on ly recen tly repu blished in a book , Billy Bu tton s appeared

in a Christmas n umber of Good W ord s,’ lon g before the pu blication

of The Lu ck of Roaring Camp.—Con temporary Review.

CHARLES DICKENS AND BRET HARTE.

Not man ymon ths before my frien d’

s death,he had sen t me

sketches by a you n g American writer far away in California, TheOu tcasts of Poker Flat,

’an d an other

,]in which he had fou n d su chsu kNe strok es of character as he had n ot anywhere else in late yearsdiscovered the man n er resemblin g himself, bu t the matter fresh to ad egree that had su rprised him the pain tin g in all respects mas terly,an d the wild ru de thin g pain ted a quitewon derfu l reality. I haverarely kn own himmore hon estly moved .

”

Forster’

c l ife of Dicken s,”Vol. I.

CONTENTS.

INTRODUCTION. By J. M. BELLEw

AUTHOR’

S PREFACE.

SKETCHES

THE LUCK or ROARINO CAMP .

THE OUTCASTS or POKER FLAT

MI GGLES

TENNESSEE’

S PARTNER .

THE IDYL OF RED GULCII

H IGH -W ATER MARK

A LONELY R IDE

THE MAN or No ACCOUNT

STORIES

MLISS .

THE R IGHT EYE OF TI IE COMMANDER

NOTES BY FLOOD AND FIELD

BOHEMIAN PAPERSTHE MISSION DOLORES

JOIIN C II INAMAN .

FROM A BACK W INDOW

BOONDER

CONTENTS. xxi

SKETCHES—con tin u ed .

A BOYS’

DOG

How S INTA CLAUS CAME To SIMPSON’

S EAR

SURPRISING ADVENTURES OF MASTER CH ARLES

SUMMERTON

THE ILIAD OF SANDY BAR

TIIE STOR Y OF AN ORNITI IOLOGIST

ON A VULGAR LITTLE BOY

W A ITING FOR TIIE SH IP. A FORT PO INT IDYL

LOTI IAw

TIIAT I IEATIIEN C I I INEE

FURTHER LANGUAGE I‘

ROM TRUTI IFUL JAMES

TI-IR SOCIETY UPON THE STANISLAUS

“J IM

”

CII IQUITA

Dow’

s FLAT

IN THE TUNNEL

C ICELY

PENELOPE

JOIIN BURNS OF GETTYSBURG

THE TALE OF A PONY

THE MIRACLE OF PADRE JUNI PERO

AN ARCTIC V ISION

To THE PLIOCENE SKULL—A GEOLOG ICAL ADDRESS

TIIE BALLAD OF THE EMEU

THE AGED Sl‘

RANGER—AN INCIDENT OF THE WAR

How ARE You,SANITARY ?

”

THE REVEI LLE

OUR PR IV ILEGE

RELIEV ING GUARD

A GEOLOGICAL MADR IGAL. AFTER I IERR ICK

THE W I LLOWS AFTER EDGAR A. POE

xxii CONTENTS.

POEMS—con tin u ed .

NORTH BEACH AFTER SPENSER

THE LOST TAI LS OF MILETUS

SAN FRANCISCO

TIIE ANGELUS

TIIE MOUNTAIN HEART’

S-EASE

GR IZZLYMADRONO

COYOTE

To A SEAB IRD

I IER LETTER

DI CKENS IN CAMP

W HAT THE ENG INES SAID

THE RETURN OF BELI SAR IUS

“TW ENTY YEARS

”

FATE .

A GREYFORT LEGEND

A NEWPORT ROMANCE

TIIE H AW K’

S NEST

IN TIIE MISSION GARDEN

THE OLD MAJOR EXPLA INS

SEVENTY NINE

l I IS ANSW ER TO“HER LETTER

THE W ONDERFUL SPR ING OF SAN JOAQUIN

ON A CONE OF THE B IG TREES

A SANITARY MESSAGE

THE COPPERHEAD

ON A PEN OF TIIOMAS STARR K ING

LONE MOUNTA IN

CALIFORNIA’

S GREETING To SEWARD

TI IE TW O EII IPS

TI IE GODDESS

ADDRESS

THE LOST GALLL'

ON

CONTENT5 xxiii

EMS—con tin u ed .

A SECOND REV IEW OF THE GRAND ARMY

BEFORE THE CURTAIN

THE STAGE-DR IVER’

S STORY

ASPIRING MISS DE LAINE

CALIFORNIA MADRI GAL

ST. TIIOMAS

THE BALLAD OF MR . COORE

THE LEGENDS OF TIIE RH INE

MRS. JUDGE JENKINS

AV ITOR

A W H ITE-PINE BALLAD

W HAT THE WOLF REALLY SA ID To LITTLE

RIDING HOOD

TIIE RITUALIST

A MORAL V INDICATOR o o o o

SONGS ‘VITIIOUT SENSE FOR THE PARLOUR

PIANO

CONCEPCION DE ARGUELLO

HALF AN HOUR BEFORE SUPPER

DOLLY VARDENCHICAGO, OCTOBER 1 0. 1 87 1

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xxvi PREFACE:

might have made it impossible for them to have performeda virtuous or gen erous action , an d have thus avoided thatmoral con fusion which is apt to arise in the con templationof mixed motives an d qualities. Bu t I should have bu rden ed myself with the respon sibility of their creation ,which

,as a humble writer of roman ce an d en titled to n o

particular reveren ce, I did n ot care to do .I fear I can n ot claim, therefore, an y higher motive thanto illu strate an era of which Californ ian history haspreserved the in ciden ts more often than the charactof the actors

,—an era which the pan egyrist was t

often con ten t to bridge over with a gen eral complimeto its survivors

,— an era still so recen t that in att

in g to revive its poetry, I am con scious also of awak en in

the more prosaic recollection s of these same survivors,—an

yet an era replete with a certain heroic Greek poetry,

which perhaps n on e were more un con scious than the herothemselves. An d I shall be qu ite con ten t to have collecthere merely the materials for the I liad that is yet to bsu n g.

SAN FRANCISCO, December 2 4. 1 869.

THE

LUCK OF ROARING CAMP

AND OTH ER SKETCHES.

I .

—SKETCHES.

THE LUCK OF ROARING CAMP.

THERE was commotion in Roarin g Camp . I t could

n ot have been a fight,for in 1 850 that was n ot n ovel

en ou gh to have called together the en tire settlemen t. The

ditches an d claims were n ot only deserted, but Tuttle’sgrocery ” had con tributed its gamblers

,who

,it will be re

membered,calmly con tin ued their game the day that Fren ch

Pete an d Kan aka Joe shot each other to death over the bariii the fron t room. The whole camp was collected before arude cabin on the ou ter edge of the clearin g . Con versationwas carried on in a low ton e

,but the n ame of a woman was

frequen tly repeated . I t was a n ame familiar en ough l n thecamp, Cherokee Sal.Perhaps the less said of her the better. She was a coarse,

an d, it is to be feared, a very sin ful woman . Bu t at that

time she was the on ly woman in Roarin g Camp, an d wasjust then lyin g in sore extremity, when she most n eeded themin istration of her own sex . D issolute

,aban don ed, an d

irreclaimable,she was yet sufferin g a martyrdom hard

en ough to bear even when veiled by sympathizin g womanhood, but n ow terrible in her lon elin ess. The primal cursehad come to her in that origin al isolation which must havemade the pun ishmen t of the first tran sgression so dreadful.It was, perhaps, part of the expiation of her sin , that, at a

B 2

4 THE LUCK OF ROARING CAMP .

momen t when she most lacked her sex’s in tuitive ten dern essmd care, she met on ly the half- con temptuous faces of hermasculin e associates. Y et a few of the spectators were, Ithink

,touched by her sufferin gs. San dy Tipton thought it

was rou gh on Sal,

”an d

,in the con templation of her con

dition,for a momen t rose superior to the fact that he had an

ace an d two bowers in his sleeve .I t will be seen

,also

,that the situation was n ovel. Deaths

were by n o mean s un common in Roarin g Camp, bu t a birthwas a n ew thin g. People had been dismissed the campeffectively, fin ally

,an d with n o possibility of return ; bu t

this was the first time that an ybody had been in troducedab initio. H en ce the excitemen t.

“ Y ou go in there, Stumpy,” said a promin en t citizen.

kn own as Ken tuck,” addressin g on e of the loun gers.in there

,an d see what you kin do. Y ou’ve had expe

in them thin gs.”Perhaps there was a fitn ess in the selection . Stumpy

,

other climes, had been the putative head of two families 5fact

,it was owin g to some legal in formality in these p

ceedin gs that Roaring Camp— a city of refu ge—wasd ebted to his compan y. The crowd approved the chan d Stumpy was wise en ough to bow to the majority.door closed on the extempore surgeon an d midwife, an

Roarin g Camp sat down outside,smoked its pipe

,an

awaited the issue.The assemblage n umbered about a hun dred men . On

two of these were actual fugitives from justice,some

crimin al, an d all were reckless. Physically, theyn o in dication of their past lives an d character. Th

scamp had a Raphael face,with a profusion of bl

Oakhurst, a gambler, had the melan choly air an d

abstraction of a H amlet ; the coolest an d mostman was scarcely over five feet in height, withan d an embarrassed, timid man n er. The

THE LUCK OF ROARING CAAI P .

applied to them was a distin ction rather than a defin ition .

Perhaps in the min or details of fin gers,toes

,ears

,&c .

,the

camp may have been deficien t 5but these slight omission sdid n ot detract from their aggregate force. The stron gestman had but three fin gers on his right han d 5 the best shothad but on e eye.Such was the physical aspect of the men that were dis

persed aroun d the cabin . The camp lay in a trian gularvalley

,between two hills an d a river. The on ly outlet was

a steep trail over the summit of a hill that faced the cabin,

n ow illumin ated by the risin g moon . The sufferin g womanmight have seen it from the rude bun k whereon she lay

,

seen it win din g like a silver thread un til it was lost in thestars above.A fire of withered pin e-boughs added sociability to thegatherin g. By degrees the n atural levity of Roarin g Campreturn ed . Bets were freely offered an d taken regardin g theresult. Three to five that “ Sal would get through withit 5” even that the child would survive side bets as to thesex an d complexion of the comin g stran ger. I n the midstof an excited discussion an exclamation came from thosen earest the door, an d the camp stopped to listen . Abovethe swayin g an d meanin g of the pin es

,the swift rush of the

river, an d the cracklin g of the fire,rose a sharp

,querulous

cry—a cry un like an ythin g heard before in the camp. The

pin es stepped moan in g, the river ceased to ru sh,an d the

fire to crackle. I t seemed as if Nature had stopped tolisten too.The camp rose to its feet as on e man I t was proposed

to explode a barrel of gun powder,bu t

,in con sideration of

the situation of the mother,better coun sels prevailed, an d

on ly a few revolvers were discharged ; for, whether owin gto the rude surgery of the camp

,or some other reason ,

Cherokee Sal was sin kin g fast . W ithin an hour she hadclimbed

,as it were

,that rugged road that led to the stars,

6 THE LUCK OF ROARING CAZLI P.

an d so passed out of Roarin g Camp, its sin an d shame, forever. I do n ot thin k that the an n oun cemen t disturbedthem much

,except in speculation as to the fate of the

“ Can he live n ow 2” was asked of Stumpy. The an swerwas doubtful. The on ly other bein g of Cherokee Sal’s sexan d matern al con dition in the settlemen t was an ass. Therewas some con j ecture as to fitn ess

,but the experimen t was

tried. I t was less problematical than the an cien t treatmen tof Romulus an d Remus, an d apparen tly as successful .W hen these details were completed , which exhausted

,

an other hour, the door was open ed, an d the an xious crowdof men who had already formed themselves in to a queue,en tered in sin gle file. B eside the low bun k or shelf

,on

which the figure .

of the mother was starkly outlin ed belowthe blan kets

,stood a pin e table. On this a can dle-box was

placed,an d within it

,swathed in starin g red flan n el

,lay the

last arrival at Roarin g Camp. B eside the can dle-box wasplaced a hat . I ts use was soon in dicated. “ Gen tlemen

,

”

said Stumpy, with a sin gular mixture of authority an d ex

ofi cio complacen cy, Gen tlemen will please pass in at thefron t door

,roun d the table

,an d out at the back door. Them

as wishes to con tribute an ythin g toward the orphan will fin da hat han dy.” The first man en tered with his hat on ; heun covered

,however, as he looked about him, an d so, u n con

sciou sly, set an example to the n ext. I n such commun itiesgood an d bad action s are catchin g. A s the procession filedin

,commen ts were audible

,— criticisms addressed

,perhaps

,

rather to Stumpy, in the character of showman,

I s thathim ? ” “ mighty small specimen 5 hasn ’

t mor’n got the

colour ” “ ain ’

t bigger n or a derrin ger. The con tribution swere as characteristic : A silver tobaccoe box 5 a doubloon ;a n avy revolver, silver moun ted a gold specimen 5 a verybeautifully embroidered lady’s han dkerchief from Oakhurst

,

the gambler) ; a diamon d breastpin ; a diamon d rin g (suggested by the pin , with the remark from the giver that he

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8 THE LUCK OF ROARING CAMP.

return ed an d kn ocked at the door. I t was open ed byStumpy . H ow goes it ? said K en tuck

,lookin g pas t

Stumpy toward the can dle-box. All seren e,

repliedStumpy . “An ythin g up 2 “Nothin g. There was apau se~ an embarrassin g on e—Stumpy still holdin g the door.

Then Ken tuck had recourse to his fin ger,which he held up

to Stumpy. Rastled with, it,—the d—d little cuss, he

said,an d retired.

The n ext day Cherokee Sal had such rude sepulture asRoarin g Camp afforded. After her body had been committed to the hill- side, there was a formal meetin g of the

camp to discuss what should be don e with her in fan t . A

resolution to adopt it was un an imous an d en thusiastic. Bu t

an an imated discussion in regard to the man n er an d feasibilityof providin g for its wan ts at on ce sprun g up. I t was re

markable that the argu men t partook of n on e of those fierceperson alities with which discussion s were usually con ducted atRoarin g Camp. Tipton proposed that they should sen d thechild t o B ed Dog ,

—a distan ce of forty miles,—where female

atten tion could be procured . Bu t the un lucky suggestionmet with fierce an d un an imous opposition . I t was eviden tthat n o plan which en tailed partin g from their n ew acquisition would for a momen t be en tertain ed. Besides

,

” saidTom Ryder

,

“ them fellows at Red Dog would swap it, an drin g in somebody else on us .” A disbelief in the hon esty ofother camps prevailed at B earin g Camp as in other places.The in troduction of a female n urse in the camp also met

with obj ection . I t was argued that n o decen t woman couldbe prevailed to accept Roarin g Camp as her home, an d thespeaker urged that they didn ’

t wan t an y more of the otherkin d.” This un kin d allusion to the defun ct mother

,harsh as

it may seem,was the first spasm of propriety

,—the first

symptom -of the camp’s regen eration . Stumpy advan cedn othin g. Perhaps he felt a certain delicacy in in terferin gwith the selection of a possible successor in office. Bu t when

THE LUCK OF ROARING CAMP . 9

question ed,he averred stoutly that he an d Jin n y —the

mammal before alluded to— could man age to rear the child .There was somethin g origin al, in depen d en t, an d heroic aboutthe plan that pleased the camp. Stumpy was retain ed .Certain articles were sen t for to Sacramen to. “Min d

,

” saidthe treasurer

,as he pressed a. bag of gold-dust in to the

expressman ’s han d,

“ the best that can be got,— lace, youkn ow

,an d filigree

-work an d frills—d—n the costStran ge to say, the child thrived. Perhaps the in vigorat

in g climate of the moun tain camp was compen sation for

material deficien cies. Nature took the fon dlin g to her

broader breast. I n that rare atmosphere of the Sierra foothills— that air pun gen t with balsamic odour

,that ethereal

cordial at on ce bracin g an d exh ilaratin g—he may havefoun d food an d n ourishmen t

,or a subtle chemistry that

tran smuted asses’ milk to lime an d phosphorus. Stumpyin clin ed to the belief that it was the latter, an d good n ursin g.

“Me an d that ass, he would say, has been father an d ‘

mother to him ! Don ’t you ,” he would add, apostrophizin gthe helpless bun dle before him, “

n ever go back on us.By the time he was a mon th old, the n ecessity of givin ghim a n ame became apparen t . H e had gen erally beenkn own as “ the Kid

,

” “ Stumpy’

s boy,” “ the Cayote (anallu sion to his vocal powers), an d even by Ken tuck’s en dearin g dimin utive of “ the d—d little cuss.” B u t these werefelt to be vague an d un satisfactory

,an d were at last dis

missed un der an other in fluen ce. Gamblers an d adven turersare gen erally superstitious

,an d Oakhurst on e day declared

that the baby had brought “ the luck” to Roarin g Camp.I t was certain that of late they had been successful .Luck was the n ame agreed upon

,with the prefix of

Tommy for greater con ven ien ce. No allusion was made tothe mother

,an d the father was un kn own .

“ I t’s better,”

said the philosophical Oakhurst,

to take a fresh deal allroun d. Call him Luck, an d start him fair . A dav was

I O TH'

E LUCK OF ROARING CAMP.

accordin gly set apart for the christen in g . W hat was mean tby this ceremon y the reader may imagin e, who has alreadygathered some idea of the reckless irreveren ce of Roarin gCamp. The master of ceremon ies was on e Boston

,

”

n oted wag, an d the occasion seemed to promise the great estfacetiousn ess. This in gen ious satirist had spen t two daysin preparin g a burlesque of the church service, with poin tedlocal allusion s. The choir was properly train ed, an d San dyTipton was to stan d godfather. Bu t after the procession hadmarched to the grove with music an d ban n ers

,an d the child

had been deposited before a mock altar,Stumpy stepped

before the expectan t crowd. I t ain ’t my style to spoil fu n ,

boys,

” said the little man ,stoutly

,eyein g the faces aroun d

him, but it strikes me that this thin g ain ’

t exactly on thesqu ar. I t

’

s playin g it pretty low down on this yer baby torin g in fu n on him that he ain ’

t goin g to un derstan d. A n d

ef there ’s goin g to be an y godfathers roun d, I ’d like to see

who ’s got an y better rights than me.” A silen ce followedStumpy

’s speech. To the credit of all humorists be it said,

that the first man to ackn owledge its justice was the stirist, thus stopped of his fu n Bu t

,

” said Stumpy, qu ick lfollowin g up his advan tage

,we

’re here for a christen in

an d we’11 have it . I proclaim you

to the laws of the Un ited States an d the Statefornia

,so help me God .

”I t was the first time

n ame of the Deity had been uttered otherwise tfan ely in the camp. The form of christen in g waseven more ludicrous than the satirist hadstran gely en ough, n obody saw it

,an d

“ Tommy was christen ed as seriou sly as he would habeen un der a Christian roof

,an d cried an d was comforted

as orthodox fashion .

An d so the work of regen eration began in Roarin gAlmost imperceptibly a chan ge came overThe cabin assign ed to Tommy Luck” —o

1 2 THE LUCK OF ROARING CAflIP.

sailor, from her Maj esty’s Australian colon ies, was quitepopular as a lullaby. I t was a lugubrious recital of theexploits of the Arethusa, Seven ty-four,” in a mu flled

min or,en din g with a prolon ged dyin g fall at the burden

of each verse, On b -o-o-o- ard of the Arethusa , I t was afin e sight to see Jack holdin g The Luck

,rockin g from side

to side as if with the motion of a ship,an d croon i ng forth

this n aval ditty. Either through the peculiar rockin g of

Jack or the len gth of his son g—it con tain ed n in ety stan zas,an d was con tin ued with con scien tious deliberat ion to thebitter en d— the lullaby gen erally had the desired effect.A t such times the men would lie at fu ll len gth un dertrees

,in the soft summer twilight

,smokin g their pip

drin kin g in the melodious utteran ces. A n in distin ctthat this was pastoral happin ess pervaded the camp. T’ere kin d 0’ thin k,” said the Cockn ey Simmon s, meditativereclin in g on his elbow

,is ’

evin gly. I t remin ded himGreen wich.On the lon g summer days The Luck was usually carri

to the gulch, from when ce the golden store of Roarin gwas taken . There

,on a blan ket spread over

would lie while the men were workin gLatterly there was a rude attempt to decorwith flowers an d sweet-smellin g shrubs

,an d

on e would brin g him a cluster of wild hon eyor the pain ted blossoms of Las Mariposas .sudden ly awaken ed, to the fact that there were beasign ifican ce in these trifles

, which they had so lon g trodcarelessly ben eath their feet . A flake of glitterin g micfragmen t of variegated quartz, a bright pebble from the

of the creek, became beautifu l to eyes thus clearedstren gthen ed, an d were in variably pu t aside for “The Lu

I t was won derful how man y treasures the woods an dsides yielded that “would do for Tommy.”playthin gs such as n ever child ou t of fairy

THE LUCK OF ROARING CAMP. 1 3

it is to be hoped that Tommy was con ten t. H e appearedto be securely happy, albeit there was an in fan tin e gravityabout him

,a con templative light in his roun d gray eyes,

that sometimes worried Stumpy. H e was always tractablean d quiet, an d it is recorded that on ce, havin g crept beyon dhis “ corral

,

”— a. hedge of tessellated pin e-boughs,which

surroun ded his bed,—he dropped over the ban k on his head

in the soft earth , an d remain ed with his mottled legs in theair in that position for at least five min utes with u n flin chin ggravity. H e was extricated without a murmur. I hesitateto record the man y other in stan ces of his sagacity, whichrest

,un fortun ately, upon the statemen ts of prejudiced frien ds.

Some of them were n ot without a tin ge of superstition . I

crep’ up the ban k just n ow

,

” said Ken tuck,on e day

, in a

breathless state of excitemen t,

“an d dern my skin if he

wasn ’t a talkin g to a jay-bird as was a sittin ’

on his lap.There they was, just as free an d sociable as an ythin g youplease

,a j awin ’ at each other just like two cherry-bums.”

H owbeit, whether creepin g over the pin e-boughs or lyin glazily on his back blin kin g at the leaves above him

,to him

the birds san g, the squirrels chattered, an d the flowers

bloomed. Nature was his n urse an d playfellow. For him

she would let slip between the leaves golden shafts of su n

light that fell just within his grasp 5she would sen d wan derin g breezes to visit him with the balm of bay an d resin ousgums ; to him the tall red -woods n odded familiarly an d

sleepily, the bumble-bees buzzed, an d the rock s cawed a

slumbrous accompan imen t .

Such was the golden summer of Roarin g Camp. Theywere “ flush t imes

,

”—an d the luck was with them. The

claims had yielded en ormously . The camp was j ealous of itsprivileges, an d looked suspiciously on stran gers. No en conragemen t was given to immigration , an d

,to make their

seclusion more perfect, the lan d on either side of the mountain -wall that surroun ded the camp they duly pre-empted.

I 4 THE LUCK OF ROARING CAMP.

This,an d a reputation for sin gular proficien cy with the

revolver,kept the reserve of Roaring Camp in violate . The

expressman—their on ly con n ectin g lin k with the surroun din g world—sometimes told won derfu l stories of the camp.H e would say

,

“They’ve a. street up there in Roarin g,’ thatwould lay over an y street in Red Dog . They’ve got

.

vin esan d flowers roun d their houses

,an d they wash themselves

twice a day. Bu t they’re mighty rough on stran gers, an d

they worship an I n gin baby.”W ith the prosperity of the camp came a desire for fu rtherimprovemen t. I t was proposed to build a hotel in the followin g sprin g, an d to in vite on e or two decen t families to residethere for the sake of The Luck

,

”—who might perhaps profitby female compan ion ship. The sacrifice that this con cessionto the sex cost these men , who were fiercely sceptical inregard to its gen eral virtue an d .usefuln ess

,can on ly be

accoun ted for by their affection for Tommy. A few stillheld ou t. B u t the resolve could n ot be carried in to effectfor three mon ths, an d the min ority meekly yielded in the

hope that somethin g might turn up to preven t it. An d itdid.The win ter of 1 851 will lon g be remembered in the foothills. The sn ow lay deep on the Sierras

,an d every moun tain

creek became a river, an d every river a lake. Each gorgean d gulch was tran sformed in to a tumultuou s watercourse,that descen ded the hill-sides

,tearin g down gian t trees

,an d

scatterin g its drift an d débris alon g the plain . Red Dog had

been twice un der water,an d Roarin g Camp had been forec

warn ed. W ater put the gold in to them gulches,” saidStumpy ; “it

’s been here on ce an d will be here again !”

An d that n ight the North Fork suddenly leaped over itsban ks, an d swept up the trian gular valley of Roarin g Camp.

I n the con fusion of rushin g water, cru shin g trees, an d

cracklin g timber, an d the darkn ess which seemed to flowwith the water an d blot out the fair valley

,but little cou ld

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1 6 THE OUTCASTS OF POKER FLAT.

Mr. Oakhurst’s calm,han dsome face betrayed small con - I

cern in these in dication s. W hether he was con scious of anypredisposin g cause

,was an other question .

“ I reckon they’re aafter somebody

,

” he reflected “ likely it’s me.”to his pocket the han dkerchief with which he had beenwhippin g away the red dust of Poker Flat from his n eatboots

,an d qu ietly discharged his min d of an y further co

jectu re.

I n poin t of fact,Poker Flat was “ after somebody.

had lately suffered the loss of several thousan d dollars, tvaluable horses

,an d a promin en t citizen . I t was

en cin g a spasm of v irtuous reaction,quite as lawl

un govern able as an y of the acts that had prpvok ed it .

secret committee had determin ed to rid the town of

improper person s. This was don e perman en tly in regardtwo men who were then han gin g from the bou ghs of a sycmore in the gulch

,an d temporarily in the ban ishmen t

certain other obj ect ion able characters. I regret to say thsome of these were ladies . I t is bu t due to the sex, heto state that their impropriety was profession al

,an d

only in such easily established stan dards of evil thatFlat ven tured to sit in judgmen t.Mr. Oakhurst was right in supposin g that he was in

in this category . A few of the committee had u rged hin g him as a possible example, an d a sure method of r

hu rsin g themselves from his pockets of the sums he hadfrom them. I t

’s agin justice

,

” said Jim W heeler,this yer youn g man from Roarin g Camp—an en tire st—carry away ou r mon ey. Bu t a cru de sen timen t of

residin g in the breasts of those who had beenen ough to win from Mr. Oakhurst overruled thislocal prejudice.Mr. Oakhurst received his sen ten ce with philoso

n ess, n on e the less coolly that he was aware ofof his judges. H e was too

H e retu rn ed I

THE OUTCASTS OF POKER FLAT. 1 7

Fate. W ith him life was at best an un certain game, an d herecogn ised the usual per- cen tage in favour of the dealer.

A party of armed men accompan ied the deported wickedn ess of Poker Flat to the outskirts of the settlemen t . BesidesMr. Oakhurst, who was kn own to be a coolly desperate man

,

an d for whose in timidation the armed escort was in ten ded ,the expatriated party con sisted of a youn g woman familiarlykn own as “ The Dutchess 5” an other, who had bore the titleof “Mother Shipton 5” an d “Un cle B illy

,

” a suspected sluicerobber an d con firmed drun kard. The cavalcade provokedn o commen ts from the spectators, n or was an y word u tteredby the escort. On ly when the gulch which marked theuttermost limit of Poker Flat was reached, the leader spokebriefly an d to the poin t . The exiles were forbidden to returnat the peril of their lives.A s the escort disappeared

,their pen t-u p feelin gs foun d

ven t in a few hysterical tears from the Duchess,some bad

lan guage from Mother Shipton,an d a Parthian volley of

expletives from Un cle B illy. The philos0phic Oakhurstalon e remain ed silen t. H e listen ed calmly to Mother Shipton ’s desire to cu t somebody’s heart ou t

,to the repeated

statemen ts of the Duchess that she would die in the road,

an d to the alarmin g oaths that seemed to be bumped ou tof Un cle B illy as he rode forward. W ith the easy goodhumour characteristic of his class

,he in sisted upon exchan gin g

his own ridin g-horse,Five Spot,” for the sorry mule which

the Duchess rode. Bu t even this act did n ot draw the partyi nto an y closer sympathy. The youn g woman readjusted hersomewhat draggled plumes with a feeble, faded coquetryMother Shipton eyed the possessor of “ Five Spot ” withmalevolen ce 5 a n d Un cle B illy in cluded the whole party inon e sweepin g an athema .The road to San dy Bar—a camp that

,n ot havin g as yet

experien ced the regen eratin g in fluen ces of Poker Flat,con

sequen tly seemed to offer some in vitation to the emigran tsc

1 8 THE OUTCASTS OF POKER FLAT.

lay over a steep moun tain ran ge. I t was distan t a day’ssevere travel . I n that advan ced season , the party soonpassed ou t of the moist, temperate region s of the foot-hillsin to the dry, cold, bracin g air of the Sierras. The trail wasn arrow an d diffi cult. At n oon the Duchess

,rollin g ou t of

her saddle upon the grou n d, declared her in ten tion of goin gn o farther, an d the party halted.The spot was sin gularly wild an d impressive. A woodedamphitheatre

,surroun ded on three sides by precipitous cliffs

of n aked gran ite, sloped gen tly towards the crest of an otherprecipice that overlooked the valley. I t was

,un doubtedly

,

the most suitable spot for a camp, had campin g beenadvisable. Bu t Mr. Oakhurst k n ew that scarcely half thej ourn ey to San dy Bar was accomplished, an d the party weren ot equipped or provision ed for delay. This fact he poin tedou t to his compan ion s curtly, with a philosophic commen taryon the folly of “ throwin g up their han d before the gamewas played ou t . Bu t they were fu rn ished with

,liqu or,

which in this emergen cy stood them in place of food,fuel

,

rest, an d prescien ce. I n spite of his remon stran ces,it was

n ot lon g before they were more or less un der its in fluen ce.Un cle B illy passed rapidly from a bellicose state in to on e of

stupor, the Duchess became maudlin , an d Mother Shiptonsn ored. Mr. Oakhurst alon e remain ed erect

,lean in g again st

a rock,calmly surveyin g them.

Mr. Oakhurst did n ot drin k. I t in terfered with a profession which required cooln ess

,impassiven ess

, an d presen ceof min d, an d, in his own lan guage, he couldn ’

t afford it.”A s he gazed at his recumben t fellow- exiles

,the

begotten of his pariah-trade,his habits of life

,

for the first time seriously oppressed him.

himself in dustin g his black clothes,washin g

face, an d other acts characteristic of his st

habits, an d for a momen t forget his an n oyan ce.of desertin g his

THE OUTCASTS OF POKER FLAT. 1 9

perhaps occurred to him . Y et he could n ot help feelin g thewan t of that excitemen t which, sin gularly en ough, was mostcon ducive to that calm equanimity for which he was n otorious . H e looked at the gloomy walls that rose a thousan dfeet sheer above the circlin g pin es aroun d him at the sky,omin ously clouded 5 at the valley below,

already deepen in gin to shadow. An d

,doin g so, sudden ly he heard his own

n ame called .

A horseman slowly ascen ded the trail . I n the fresh,

open face of the n ew-comer, Mr. Oakhurst recogn ized TomSimson , otherwise kn own as “ The I n n ocen t of San dy Bar.

H e had met him some mon ths before ev er a “ little game,”an d had , with perfect equan imity, won the en tire fortun eamou n tin g to some forty dollars —of that guileless youth .After the game was fin ished

,Mr. Oakhurst drew the youth

f ul speculator behin d the door, an d thus addressed himTommy

,you ’re a good little man

,bu t you can ’

t gambleworth a ‘

cen t . Don ’t try it over again .

”H e then han ded

him his mon ey back, pushed him gen tly from the room,an d

so made a devoted slave of Tom Simson .

There was a remembran ce of this in his boyish an d en thu

siastic greetin g of Mr. Oakhurst. H e had started,he said

,

to go to Poker Flat to seek his fortun e. “ A lon e 2” No,

n ot exactly alon e 5in fact (a giggle), he had ru n away withPin ey W oods . Didn ’t Mr. Oakhurst remember Pin eyShe that used towait on the table at the Temperan ce House ?They had been en gaged a lon g time

,bu t old Jake W oods had

objected,an d so they had ru n away

,an d were goin g to Poker

Flat to be married ; an d here they were . An d they weretired out

,an d how lucky it was they had foun d a place to

camp an d compan y. All this the I n n ocen t delivered rapidly,while Pin ey

,a stout

,comely damsel of fifteen

,emerged from

behin d the pin e- tree,where she had been blu shin g un seen ,

an d rode to the side of her lover.

Mr. Oakhurs t seldom troubled himself with sen timen t,o 2

2 0 THE OUTCASTS OF POKER FLAT.

still less with propriety ; b u t he had a v agu e id ea that thesituation was n ot fortun ate. H e retain ed, however, hispresen ce of min d su fficien tly to kick Un cle B illy, who wasabout to say somethin g

,an d Un cle Billy was sober en ough

to recogn ize in Mr. Oakhurst’s kick a superior power thatwould n ot bear triflin g. H e then en deavoured to dissuad eTom Simson from delayin g further, bu t in vain . H e evenpoin ted ou t the fact that there was n o provision , n or mean sof makin g a camp. Bu t

,un luckily

,the I n n ocen t met this

objection by assurin g the party that he was provided withan extra mule loaded with provision s, an d by the discoveryof a rude attemp t at a log-house n ear the trail . Pin ey canstay with Mrs . Oakhurst

,said the I n n ocen t

,poin tin g to the

Duchess,

an d I can shift for myself.”Nothin g b u t Mr. Oakhurst’s admon ishin g foot savedUn cle

Billy from burstin g in to a rear of lau ghter. A s it was, hefelt compelled to retire up the canon un til he could recoverhis grav ity. There he con fided the j oke to the

trees, with man y slaps of his leg, con tortion s of histhe usual profan ity. B u t when he return ed to thefoun d them seated by a fire— for the air had grownchill

,an d the sky overcast—in apparen tly amicabl

sation . Pin ey was actually talkin g in an

fashion to the Duchess, who was listen in gan d an imation she had n ot shown for ma

I n n ocen t was holdin g forth, apparen tly withMr. Oakhurst an d Mother Shipton , who was actuallyin g in to amiability. I s this yer a d—d pic-n ic ?Un cle B illy, with inward scorn , as he surveyed thegroup, the glan cin g firelight, an d the tethered an imalsforegroun d. Sudden ly an idea min gled withfumes that disturbed his brain . I t was apparen tlyjocular n ature, for he felt impelled to slap his leg agaicram his fist in to his mouth.

As the shadows crept slowly up the moun tain , a

THE OUTCASTS OF POKER FLA T. 2 !

breeze rocked the tops of the pin e-trees,an d moan ed through

their lon g an d gloomy aisles. The ruin ed cabin,patched an d

covered with pin e-boughs, was set apart for the ladies . A s

the lovers parted, they u n afi’

ectedly exchan ged a kiss, so

hon est an d sin cere that it might have been heard above theswayin g pin es. The frail Duchess an d the malevolen tMother Shipton were probably too stun n ed to remark uponthis last eviden ce of simplicity

,an d so turn ed without a word

to the hu t . The fire was replen ished,the men lay down

before the door,an d in a few min utes were asleep .

Mr. Oakhurst was a light sleeper. Toward morn in g heawoke ben umbed an d cold. A s he stirred the dyin g fire, thewin d

,which was n ow blowin g stron gly, brought to his cheek

that which caused the blood to leave it,—sn ow

H e started to his feet with the in ten tion of awaken in g thesleepers

,for there was n o time to lose. Bu t turnin g to where

Un cle B illy had been lyin g, he foun d him gen e. A suspicionleaped to his brain an d a curse to his lips. H e ran to the spotwhere the mules had been tethered5theywere n o lon ger there .The tracks were already rapidly d isappearin g in the sn ow.

The momen tary excitemen t brought Mr. Oakhurst back tothe fire with his u sual calm. H e did n ot waken the sleepers .The I n n ocen t slumbered peacefully

,with a smile on his

good-humoured,freckled face the virgin Pin ey slept beside

her frailer sisters as sweetly as though atten ded by celestialguardian s

,an d Mr. Oakhurst

,drawin g his blan ket over his

shoulders, stroked his mustaches an d waited for the dawn .

I t came slowly in a whirlin g mist of sn ow-flak es,that dazzled

an d con fused the eye. W hat could be seen of the lan dscapeappeared magically chan ged. H e looked over the valley

,

an d summed up the presen t an d fu ture in two wordssn owed inA careful in ven tory of the provision s

,which

,fortun ately

for the party, had been stored within the hu t, an d so escapedthe felon ious fin gers of Un cle B illy

,disclosed the fact that

2 2 THE OUTCASTS OF POKER FLAT.

with care an d pruden ce they might last ten days lon ger.That is

,

” said Mr. Oakhurst, sotto race to the I n n ocen t, “ ifyou’re willin g to board us. I f you ain ’t— an d perhaps you ’dbetter n ot you can wait till Un cle B illy gets back withprovision s. For some occult reason Mr. Oakhurst couldn ot brin g himself to disclose Un cle B illy’s rascality, an d sooffered the hypothesis that he had wan dered from the campan d had acciden tally stampeded the an imals. H e dropped awarn in g to the Duchess an d Mother Shipton , who of coursekn ew the facts of their associate’s defection .

“They’ll fin d ou tthe truth abou t us allwhen they fin d out an ythin g, he added,sign ifican tly

,

“an d there’s n o good frighten in g them n ow.

”

Tom Simson n ot on ly pu t all his worldly store at thed isposal of Mr. Oakhurst

,bu t seemed to en j oy the prospect

of their en forced seclusion .

“W e ’ll have a good camp for a

week,a nd then the sn ow

’ll melt

, an d we’ll all go backtogether.

” The cheerfu l gaiety of the youn g man,an d Mr.

Oakhurst’s calm in fected the others . The I n n ocen t, withthe aid of pin e-boughs

,extemporized a thatch for the roofless

cabin,an d the Duchess directed Pin ey in the rearran gemen t

of the in terior with a taste an d tact that open ed the blueeyes of that provin cial maiden to their fullest exten t . I

reckon n ow you’re used to fin e thin gs at Poker Flat,said

Pin ey. The Duchess turn ed away sharply to con ceal somethin g that redden ed her cheeks through its profession al tin t,an d Mother Shipton requested Pin ey n ot to chatter.

”Bu t

when Mr. Oakhurst return ed from a weary search for thetrail, he heard the soun d of happy laughter echoed from the

rocks. H e stopped in some alarm,an d his thoughts first

n aturally reverted to the whiskey, which he had pruden tlycached .

“ An d yet it don ’t somehow soun d like whiskey

,

"

said the gambler. I t was n ot u n til he caught sight of theblazin g fire through the still blin din g storm an d the

aroun d it, that he settled to the con viction thatsquare fu n .

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2 4 THE OUTCASTS OF P OKER FLAT.

goin g to chan ge that makes you . W e’ve had a streak ofbad lu ck sin ce we left Poker Flat— you come alon g, an d slapyou get in to it, too . I f you can hold your cards right alon gyou ’

re all right For,added the gambler

, with cheerfu lirrelevan ce

I’m prou d to live in the service of the Lord,An d I

’m boun d to die in His army. ’

The third day came, an d the su n, lookin g through the

white- cu rtain ed valley, saw the outcasts d ivid e their slowlyd ecreasin g store of provision s for the morn in g meal . I t was

on e of the peculiarities of that moun tain climate that its raysdiffused a kin dly warmth over the win try lan dscape

,as if in

regretfu l commiseration of the past. B u t it revealed drifton drift of sn ow piled high aroun d the hut— a hopeless

,u m

chartered,trackless sea of white lyin g below the rocky shores

to which the castaways still clun g. Through the mar

v ellou sly clear air the smoke of the pastoral village of PokerFlat rose miles away. Mother Shipton saw it

,an d from a

remote pin n acle of her rocky fastn ess,hurled in that direc

tion a fin al malediction . I t was her last vituperative attempt,

an d perhaps for that reason was in vested with a certaindegree of su blimity. I t did her good

,she privately in formed

the Duchess . “ Just you go ou t there an d cuss, an d see.She then set herself to the task of amusin g “ the child

,

” asshe an d the Duchess were pleased to call Pin ey. Pin ey wasn o chicken , bu t it was a soothin g an d origin al theory of thepair thu s to accoun t for the fact that she didn ’t swear an d

wasn ’

t improper.

W hen n ight crept up again through the gorges,the reedy

n otes of the accordion rose an d fell in fi tfu l Spasms an d lon g.drawn gasps by the flickerin g camp-fire . B u t music failedto fill en tirely the achin g void left by in su flicien t food, an d an ew diversion was proposed by Pin ey— story-tellin g. NeitherMr. Oakhurst n or his female compan ion s carin g to relate

THE OUTCASTS OF POKER FLAT. 2 5

their person al experien ces, this plan would have failed, too,bu t for the I n n ocen t . Some mon ths before he had chan cedupon a stray copy of Mr. Pope’s in gen ious tran slation of the

I liad . H e n ow proposed to n arrate the prin cipal in ciden tsof that poem— hav in g thorou ghly mastered the argumen tan d fairly forgotten the words— in the curren t vern acu lar of

San dy Bar. An d so for the rest of that n ight the H omericdemigods again walked the earth . Trojan bu lly an d wilyGreek wrestled in the win ds, an d the great pin es in the caiion

seemed to bow to the wrath of the son of Peleus. Mr. Oak

hurst listen ed with quiet satisfaction . Most especially washe in terested in the fate of A sh-heels, as the I n n ocen tpersisted in den omin atin g the swift—footed A chilles .”So with small food an d much of H omer an d the accordion ,a week passed over the heads of the outcasts . The su n againforsook them

,an d again from leaden skies the sn ow-flakes

were sifted over the lan d. Day by day closer aroun d themdrew the sn owy circle, un til at last they looked from theirprison over drifted walls of drizzlin g white

,that towered

twen ty feet above their heads. I t became more an d moredifficult to replen ish their fires

,even from the fallen trees

beside them,n ow half hidden in the drifts. An d yet n o on e

complain ed . The lovers turn ed from the dreary prospect,

an d looked in to each other’s eyes,an d were happy. Mr.

Oakhurst settled himsef coolly to the losin g game beforehim. The Duchess

,more cheerful than she had been

,

assumed the care of Pin ey. On ly Mother Shipton—on cethe stron gest of the party— seemed to sicken an d fade. At

midn ight on the ten th day she called Oakhurst to her side.

“ I’

m going,

”she said

,in a voice of querulous weakn ess,

bu t don ’t say an ythin g about it. Don ’

t waken the kids.Take the bun dle from un der my head an d open it.

” Mr.

Oakhurst did so. I t con tain ed Mother Shipton ’s ration s forthe last week, un touched. G ive em to the child,” she said,poi nting to the sleeping Pin ey. “Y ou ’ve starved you rself,”

2 6 THE OUTCASTS OF POKER FLAT

said the gambler. That’s what they call it, said thewoman

,querulously

,as she lay down again

,an d, turn in g

her face to the wall, passed quietly away.The accordion an d the bon es were put aside that day, an d

H omer was forgotten . W hen the body of Mother Shiptonhad been committed to the sn ow,

Mr. Oakhurst took theI n n ocen t aside, an d showed him a pair of sn ow-shoes

,which

he had fashion ed from the old'

pack-saddle. There’s on e

chan ce in a hun dred to save her yet,” he said, poin tin g toPin ey ; “ bu t it

’

s there,

” he added,poin tin g toward Poker

Flat. I f you can reach there in . two days she ’s safe.”An d you 2” asked Tom Simson .

“ I’ll stay here

,

”was

the curt reply.The lovers parted with a lon g embrace. Y ou are n ot

goin g,too ?

” said the Duchess, as she saw Mr. Oakhurstapparen tly waitin g to accompan y him.

“ As far as thecafion

,

” he replied. H e turn ed sudden ly,an d kissed the

Duchess, leavin g her pallid face aflame,an d her tremblin g

limbs rigid with amazemen t .

Night came, bu t n ot Mr. Oakhurst . I t brought thestorm again an d the whirlin g sn ow. Then the Duchess,feedin g the fi re, fou n d that some on e had quietly piled besidethe hu t en ough fuel to last a few days lon ger. The tearsrose to her eyes, b u t she hid them from Pin ey.The women slept bu t little. I n the morn in g

,lookin g

in to each other’s faces, they read their fate. Neither spoke 5b u t Pin ey, acceptin g the position of the stron ger

,drew n ear

an d placed her arm aroun d the Duchess’s waist . They keptthis att itude for the rest of the day. That n ight the stormreached its greatest fury, an d

,ren din g asu n der the pro

teetin g pin es,in vaded the very hu t.

Toward morn in g they foun d themselves un able to feed thefire, which gradually died away. A s the embers slowlyblacken ed

,the Du chess crept closer to Pin ey

,an d broke the

silen ce of man y hours “ Pin ey, can you pray ? ” “NO,

THE OUTCASTS OF POKER FLAT. :7

dear,said Pin ey

,simply. The Duchess, without kn owin g

exactlywhy, felt relieved, an d , puttin g her head upon Pin ey’sshoulder

,spoke n o more. An d so reclin in g

,the youn ger

an d purer pillowin g the head of her soiled sister upon hervirgin breast, they fell asleep .The win d lulled as if it feared to waken them . Featherydrifts of sn ow,

shaken from the lon g pin e-boughs,flew like

white-win ged birds, an d settled abou t them as they slept.The moon through the rifted clouds looked dow n upon whathad been the camp. B u t all human stain , all trace of earthlytravail

,was hidden ben eath the Spotless man tle mercifully

flun g from above.They slept all that day an d the n ext

,n or did they waken

when voices an d footsteps broke the silen ce of the camp .An d when pityin g fin gers brushed the sn ow from their wanfaces

,you could scarcely have told

,from the equal peace that

dwelt upon them,which was she that had sin n ed . Even

the law of Poker Flat recogn ized this,an d turn ed away,

leavin g them still locked in each other’s arms .B u t at the head of the gulch

,on on e of the largest pin e~

trees,they foun d the deuce of clubs pin n ed to the bark with

a bowie-k n ife . I t bore the followin g,written in pen cil, in a

firm han dBENEATH TH IS TREE

LIES THE BODY

or

JOHN OAKHURST,

STRUCK A STREAK or BAD LUCK

THE 2 3RD or NOVEMBER . 1 850,

HANDED IN H IS CHECKS

ON THE 7TE DECEMBER, 1 850.

-I~

An d pulseless an d cold,with a Derrin ger by his side an d a

bullet in his heart,though s t ill calm as in life

,ben eath the

sn ow lay he who was at on ce the stron gest an d yet the

weakest of the outcasts of Poker Flat.

38 M I GGLES.

MIGGLES.

E were eight,in cludin g the driver. W e had n ot

spoken durin g the passage of the last six miles, sin cethe j oltin g of the heavy vehicle over the roughen in g road hadspoiled the Judge’s last poetical quotation . The tall man

beside the Judge was as leep,his arm passed through the

swayin g strap an d his head restin g upon it— altogether a limp,helpless - lookin g object

,as if he had han ged himself an d been

cu t down too late. The Fren ch lady on the back seat wasasleep

,too

, yet in a half- con scious propriety of attitude,shown even in the disposition of the han dkerchief which sheheld to her forehead

,an d which partially veiled her face.

The lady from V irgin ia City,travellin g with her husban d,

had lon g sin ce lost all in dividuality in a Wild con fusion of

ribbon s,veils

,furs

,an d shawls . There was n o soun d bu t the

rattlin g of wheels an d the dash of rain upon the roof. Su d ~

d en ly the stage stopped,an d we became dimly aware of

voices. The driver was eviden tly in the midst of an excitin g colloquy with some on e in the road— a colloquy ofwhich such fragmen ts as “ bridge gon e

,

”twen ty feet of

water,

” can ’

t pass,

”were occasion ally distin guishable above

the storm. Then came a lull,an d a mysterious voice from

the road shouted the partin g adjuration,

Try Miggles’

s .

”

W e caught a glimpse of ou r leaders as the vehicle slowlyturn ed

,of a horseman van ishin g through the rain

,an d we

were eviden tly on ou r way to Miggles’

s.

W ho an d where was Miggles ? The Judge,ou r au tho

rity,did n ot remember the n ame

,an d he kn ew the coun try

thoroughly. The W ashoe traveller thought Miggles mustkeep a hotel. W e on ly kn ew that we were stopped by highwater in fron t an d rear

,an d that Miggles was ou r rock of

refuge. A ten min utes’ splashin g through a tan gled by

MI GGLES. 2 g

road , scarcely wide en ough for the stage , an d we d rew upbefore a barred an d boarded gate in a wide ston e wall orfen ce about eight feet high . Eviden tly Miggles’s, an d evid en tly Miggles did n ot keep a hotel.The driver got down an d tried the gate. I t was securelylocked.

Miggles O MigglesNo an swer.

Migg -ells Y ou Miggles con tin ued the driver,with

risin g wrath.Migglesy l

” join ed in the expressman,persuasively.

O Miggy MigBu t n o reply came from the apparen tly in sen sate -Miggles.

The Judge, who had fin ally got the win dow down, pu t his

head out an d propoun ded a series of question s,which if

an swered categorically would have un doubtedly elucidatedthe whole mystery, bu t which the driver evaded by replyin gthat “ if we d idn ’t wan t to sit in the coach all n ight

,we had

better rise up an d sin g ou t for Miggles.”So we rose up an d called on Miggles in chorus ; thenseparately . Ahd

'

when we had fin ished,a H ibern ian fellow

passen ger from the roof called for “Maygells l”whereat we

all lau ghed. W hile we were laughin g,the driver cried

Shoo 1”W e listen ed. To ou r in fin ite amazemen t the chorus ofMiggles ” was repeated from the other side of the wall,even to the fin al an d supplemen tal Maygells .

”

“Extraordin ary echo,said the Judge.

Extraordin ary d— d skun k l” roared the driver, con

temptu ou sly. Come ou t of that , Miggles, an d show yourself Be a man

,Miggles Don ’

t hide in the dark 5 Iwouldn ’

t if I were you,Miggles

,

” con t in ued Yuba B ill, n ewdan cin g about in an excess of fury.Miggles 1” con tin ued the voice, O Miggles

“My good man Mr. Myghail said the Judge , soften o

3c MI GGLES

in g the asperities of the n ame as much as possible. “Con

sider the in hospitality of refusin g shelter from the in clemen cy of the weather to helpless females. Really, my dearsir Bu t a succession of Miggles

,

” en din g in a

bu rst of laughter, drown ed his voice .Y uba B ill hesitated n o lon ger. Takin g a heavy ston e

from the road,he battered down the gate, an d with the

expressman en tered the en closure . W e followed. Nobodywas to be seen . I n the gatherin g darkn ess all that wecould distin guish was that we were in a garden— from the

rosebushes that scattered over u s a min ute spray fromtheir drippin g leaves— an d before a lon g, ramblin g woodenbuildin g.

Do you kn ow this Miggles 2 asked the Judge of Y uba

No, n or don ’

t wan t to,said Bill

,shortly

,who felt the

Pion eer Stage Compan y in sulted in his person by the con tamaciou s Miggles .

B u t , my dear sir, expostulated the Judge, as he thought

of the barred gate.Lookee here,” said Yuba B ill, with fin e iron y, “ hadn ’

t

you better go back an d sit in the coach till yer in trodu ced ? I

’m goin g in ,” an d he pushed open the door of the

buildin g.A lon g room lighted on ly by the embers of a fire that

was dyin g on the large hearth at its fu rther extremity !the walls curiously papered, an d the flickerin g firelightbrin gin g ou t its grotesque pattern ; somebody sittin g in alarge arm- chair by the fireplace. All this we saw as wecrowded together in to the room after the driver an d expressman .

H ello,be you Miggles 2 said Yuba B ill to the solitary

occupan t.The figure n either spoke n or stirred. Y uba Bill walked

wrathfully toward it,an d turn ed the eye ofhis coach-lan tern

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33 MI G GLES .

the voice seemed to come directly over his shou lder. The

cause,however

,was soon d iscovered in a large magpie who

was perched upon a shelf over the fireplace,an d who im

mediately relapsed in to a sepulchral silen ce,which con trasted

singularly with his previous volubility. I twas,un doubtedly

,

his voice which we had heard in the road,an d ou r frien d in

the chair was n ot respon sible for the discourtesy. Y ubaBill

,who re- en tered the room after an un successfu l search

,

was loath to accept the explan ation,an d still eyed the help

less sitter with s1 1 Spicion . H e had foun d a shed in whichhe had pu t up his horses, bu t he came back drippin gan d sceptical. Thar ain ’

t n obody bu t him w ithin ten

mile of the shan ty, an d that ’ar d—

‘

d old skeesicks kn owsit.

”

Bu t the faith of the majority proved to be se curely based.B ill had scarcely ceased growlin g before we heard a quickstep upon the porch

,the trailin g of a wet skirt 5 the door

was flun g open , an d , with a flash of white teeth,a sparkle of

dark eyes, an d an u tter absen ce of ceremon y or diffiden ce,

a youn g woman en tered,shut the door

,an d , pan tin g, lean ed

back again st it.Oh, if you please, I ’m MigglesAn d this was Miggles ! this bright -eyed

,full -throated

youn g woman,whose wet gown of coarse blue stuff could

n ot hide the beauty of the femin in e curves to which it clun g5from the chestn u t crown of whose head

,topped by a man ’s

oil skin sou ’wester,to the little feet an d ankles

,hidden

somewhere in the recesses of her boy’s brogan s,all was

grace 5— this was Miggles, laughin g at us, too, in the most

airy,fran k

,off-han d man n er imagin able.

Y ou see, boys,” said she, quite ou t of breath, an d holdin g on e little han d again st her side

,quite un heedin g the

speechless discomfitu re of ou r party,or the complete d emo

ralization of Y uba B ill,whose features had

expression of gratu itous an d imbecile chee

p :

MI GGLES. 53

see, boys , I was mor’n two miles away when you passeddown the road . I thought you might pull up here, an d so

I ran the whole way, kn owin g n obody was home but Jim,-o ~

an d—an d—I’

m ou t of breath— an d— that lets me out .”An d here Miggles caught her drippin g oil- skin hat from

her head, with a mischievous swirl that scattered a showerof rain -drops over us ; attempted to pu t back her hair 5dropped two hair-pin s in the attempt ; laughed an d satdown beside Y uba B ill, with her han ds crossed lightly onher lap .The Judge recovered himself first, an d essayed an extra

vagan t complimen t.I

’

li trouble you for that thar bar-

pin , said Miggles,gravely. H alf a dozen han ds were eagerly stretched forward 5 the missin g hair—pain was restored to its fair own er5an d Miggles, crossin g the room, looked keen ly in the face ofthe in valid. The solemn eyes looked back at hers with anexpression we had n ever seen before. Life an d in telligen ceseemed to struggle back in to the rugged face. Miggleslaughed again

,—it was a sin gularly eloquen t laugh

,—an d

turn ed her black eyes an d white teeth on ce more towards u s.“ This afflicted person is hesitated the Judge.Jim

,

” said Miggles.Y our father 2”No.

”

Brother ‘l’

No.

H usban d ‘l”Miggles darted a quick

,half-defian t glan ce at the two

lady passen gers who I had n oticed did n ot participate in thegen eral masculin e admiration of Miggles

,an d said, gravely.

it’

s Jim .

”

re was an awkward pause. The lady passen gers movedto each other ; the W ’

ashoe husban d looked abstractthe fire ; an d the tall man apparen tly turn ed his

0

31. MI GGLES.

eyes inward for self- support at this emergen cy. Bu tMiggles’slau gh, which was very in fectious, broke the silen ce. Come,”she said

,briskly

,you must be hun gry . W ho ’ll bear a

han d to help me to get tea 1 ”She had n o lack of volun teers. I n a few momen ts Yuba

B ill was en gaged like Caliban in bearin g logs for this Miran da 5 the expressman was grin din g coffee on the veran dah5to myself the arduous duty of slicin g bacon was assign ed ;an d the Judge len t each man his good-humoured an d volublecoun sel . An d when ’

Miggles, assisted by the Judge an d ou r

H ibern ian “ deck passen ger,

”set the table with all the avail

able crockery,we had become quite joyous, in spit e of the

rain that beat again st win dows,the win d that whirled down

the chimn ey,the two ladies who whispered together in the

corn er,or the magpie who uttered a satirical an d creakin g

commen tary on their con versat ion from his perch above. I n

the n ow bright, blazin g fire, we could see that the wallswere papered with illustrated journ als

,arran ged with femi

n in e taste an d discrimin ation . The furn iture was extemporized , an d adapted fromcan dle-boxes an d packin g-cases, an dcovered with gay calico

, or the skin of some an imal. The

arm- chair of the helpless Jim was an in gen ious variat ion of

a flou r-barrel. There was n eatn ess,an d even a taste for the

picturesque, to be seen in the few details of the lon g lowroom.

The meal was a cu lin ary success. B u t more, itsocial triumph, —chicfly, I thin k, owin g to the rareMiggles in guidin g the con versation

,askin g all t

herself, yet bearin g throughout a fran kn ess thatidea of an y con cealmen t on her own part, so that weof ourselves, of ou r prospects, of the j ourn ey, of the wof each other,— of everythin g bu t ou r host an d hostemust be con fessed that Miggles ’s con versation was

MIGGLES. 35

ou r sex . Bu t they were delivered with such a lightin g u pof teeth ~an d eyes, an d were usually followed by a laugha laugh peculiar to Miggles- se fran k an d hon est that itseemed to clear the moral atmosphere .On ce

,durin g the meal

,we heard a n oise like the rubbin g

of a heavy body again st the outer walls of the house. Thiswas shortly followed by a scratchin g an d su ifflin g at the

door.

“ That ’s Joaquin ,” said Miggles, in reply to ou r

question in g glan ces 5 would you like to see him 2” Beforewe could an swer she had open ed the door, an d disclosed ahalf-grown grizzly, who in stan tly raised himself on his

haun ches, with his forepaws han gin g down in the popu larattitude of men dican cy, an d looked admirin gly at Miggles.with a very sin gular resemblan ce in his man n er to Y ubaB ill. That ’s my watch- dog

,

” said Miggles,in explan ation

,

Oh;he don ’

t bite,

” she added,as the two lady passen gers

fluttered in to a corn er. Does he,old Toppy ? ” (the latter

remark bein g addressed d irectly to the sagacious Joaquin ).“ I tell you what, boys, con tin ued Miggles, after she hadfed an d closed the door on Ursa Min or

,you were in big

luck that Joaquin wasn ’

t han gin g roun d when you droppedin to-night .” W here was he i” asked the Judge. W ithme

,

” said Miggles. “ Lord love you ; he trots roun d withme n ights like as if he was a man .

W e were silen t for a few momen ts,an d listen ed to the

win d. Perhaps we all had the same picture before u s,—of

Miggles walkin g through the rain y woods,with her savage

gu ardian at her side. The Judge,I remember

,said some

thin g about Un a an d her lion 5 bu t Miggles received it asshe did other complimen ts, with quiet gravity. Whethershe was altogether u n con scious of the admiration she exc ited—she could hardly have been oblivious of Y uba B ill’sadoration—I kn ow n ot 5 bu t her very fran kn ess suggested aperfect sexual equ ality that was cruelly humiliatin g to theyou n ger members of ou r party.

36 MI GGLES.

The in ciden t of the bear did n ot add an ythin g in Miggles’sfavour to the opin ion s of those of her own sex who werepresen t. In fact

,the repast over

,a chilln ess radiated from

the two lady passen gers that n o pin e-boughs brought in byY uba B ill an d cast as a sacrifice upon the hearth couldwholly overcome. Miggles felt it 5 an d

,sudden ly declarin g

that it was time to turn in ,” offered to show the ladies totheir bed in an adjoin in g room. Y ou , boys, will have tocamp ou t here by the fire as well as you can ,

” she added,for thar ain ’t but the on e room.

”

Ou r sex—by which, my dear sir,I allude of course to the

stron ger portion of human ity—has been gen erally relievedfrom the imputation of curiosity, or a fon dn ess for gossip.Y et I am con strain ed to say, that hardly had the door closedon Miggles than we crowded together

,whisperin g

,sn icker

in g , smilin g, an d exchan gin g suspicion s,su rmises, ~

n d a

thousan d speculation s in regard to ou r pretty hostess an dher sin gular compan ion . I fear that we even hustled thatimbecile paralytic, who sat like a voiceless Memn on in ou r

midst,gazin g with the seren e in differen ce of the Past in his

passion less eyes upon ou r wordy coun sels. I n the midst ofan excitin g discussion the door open ed again an d Migglesre- en tered.Bu t n ot

,apparen tly

,the same Miggles who a few hours

before had flashed upon us. H er eyes were down cast,an d

as she hesitated for a momen t on the threshold,with a.

blan ket on her arm,she seemed to have left behin d her the

fran k fearlessn ess which had charmed u s a momen tComin g in to the room

,she drew a low s to

lytic’

s chair, sat down ,drew the

an d sayin g, “ I f it’s all the same to you,crowded, I 'll stop here to-n ight, took than d in her own ,

an d turn ed her eyesAn in stin ctive feelin g that thismore con fiden tial

MI GGLES. 37

previou s curiosity kept us silen t . The rain still beat uponthe roof, wan derin g gusts of win d stirred the embers in to memen tary brightn ess, un til, in a lull of the elemen ts, Migglessudden ly lifted up her head, an d throwin g her hair over hershoulder, turn ed her face upon the group an d asked,

I s there any of you that kn ows me ?There was n o reply .Thin k again ! I lived at Marysville in ’

53 . Everybodykn ew me there, an d everybody had the right to kn ow me.I kept the Polka Saloon un til I came to live with Jim .

That ’s six years ago. Perhaps I ’ve chan ged some.”The absen ce of recogn ition may have discon certed her.

She turn ed her head to the fire again, an d it was some

secon ds before she again spoke , an d then more rapidly,“W ell, you see, I thought some of you must have kn ownme. There ’s n o great harm don e, an yway. W hat I wasgoin g to say was this : Jim here —she took his han d inboth of hers as she spoke used to kn ow me, if you didn ’

t,

an d spen t a heap of mon ey upon me. I reckon he spen t allhe bad . An d on e day—it’s six years ago this win ter— Jimcame in to my back r oom, sat down on my sofy, like as yousee him in that chair, an d n ever moved again without help .H e was struck all of a heap, an d n ever seemed to kn owwhat ailed him. The doctors came an d said as how it wascaused all alon g of his way of life—for Jim was mighty freean d wild like—an d that he would n ever get better, an d

co u ldn ’

t last lon g an yway. They advised me to sen d himto Frisco

,to the hospital, for he was n o good to an y on e

an d would be a baby all his life. Perhaps it was somethin g in Jim’s eye

,perhaps it was that I n ever had a baby,

bu t I said ‘No.

’

I was rich then,for I was popular with

everybody—gen tlemen like yourself, sir, came to see me

an d I sold ou t my busin ess an d bought this yer place, because it was sort of ou t of the way of travel, you see, an d Ibrou ght my baby here.

38 MIGGLES

W ith a woman ’s in tuitive tact an d poetry, she had, asshe spoke

,slowly shifted her position so as to brin g the

mute figure of the ruin edman between her an d her audien ce,hidin g in the shadow behin d it

,as if she offered it as a tacit

apology for her action s . Silen t an d expression less, it yetSpoke for her 5 helpless, crushed, an d smitten with the

Divin e thun derbolt,it still stretched an in visible arm aroun d

her.

H idden in the darkn ess,b u t still holdin g his han d, she

wen t on,

I t was a lon g time before I could get the han g of thin gsabout yer, for I was used to compan y an d excitemen t . I

couldn ’

t get an y woman to help me, an d a man I d u rsen t

trust ; bu t what with the I n dian s hereabout, who’d do oddjobs for me, an d havin g everythin g sen t from the NorthFork

,Jim an d I man aged to worry through . The Doctor

would ru n up from Sacramen to on ce in a while. H e’d ask

to see Miggles’s baby, ’ as he called J1m,an d when he’d go

away,he’d say

,Miggles

,you’re a trump

,God bless you !’

an d it didn ’

t seem so lon ely after that. B u t the last timehe was here he said

,as he open ed the door to go, Do you

kn ow, Miggles, your baby will grow up to be a man yet an d .

an hon our to his mother 5 bu t n ot here, Miggles, n ot hereAn d I thought he wen t away sad— an d— an d an d hereMiggles

’

s voice an d head were somehow both lost completelyin the shadow.

The folks about here are very kin d,said Miggles

,after

a pause,comin g a little in to the light again .

“ The men

from the fork used to han g aroun d here,un til they foun d

they wasn ’

t wan ted , an d the women are kin d— an d don ’tcall . I was pretty lon ely un til I picked up Joaquin in the

woods yon der on e day, when he wasn ’

t so high,an d taught

him to beg for his din n er 5 an d then thar’s Polly—that’s themagpie— she kn ows n o en d of tricks

,an d makes it quite

sociable of even in gs with her talk, an d so I don ’t feel like

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40 MI GGLES.

kin dly poetry to the ru gged outlin e of Yuba Bill, half reclining on his elbow between them an d his passen gers

,with

savagely patien t eyes keepin g watch an d ward. A n d thenI fell asleep an d on ly woke at broad day, with Y uba Billstan din g over me

,an d A ll aboard rin gin g in my ears.

Coffee was waitin g for u s on the table,bu t Miggles was

gen e. W e wan dered about the house an d lin gered lon g afterthe horses were harn essed , bu t she did n ot return . I t was

eviden t that she wished to avoid a formal leave-takin g, an dhad so left us to depart as we had come . After we hadhelped the ladies in to the coach, we return ed to the housean d solemn ly shook han ds with the paralytic Jim, as solemn ly settlin g him back in to position after each han dshake. Then we looked for the last time aroun d the lon glow room

,at the s tool where Miggles had sat, an d slowly

took ou r seats in the waitin g coach. The whip cracked,

an d we were offBu t as we reached the high-road

,Bill’s dexterous han d

laid the six horses back on their haun ches,an d the stage

stopped with a j erk. For there,on a little emin en ce beside

the road,stood Miggles

,her hair flyin g

,her eyes sparklin g

,

her white han dkerchief wavin g,an d her white teeth flashin g

a last “ good-by.

” W e waved ou r hats in return . An d

then Y u ba B ill, as if fearful of further fascin ation , madlylashed his horses forward

,an d we san k back in ou r seats.

W e exchan ged n ot a word un til we reached the North Forkan d the stage drew up at the I n depen den ce H ouse. Then

,

the Judge leadin g, we walked in to the bar-room an d tookou r places grav ely at the bar.

Are your glasses charged,gen tlemen ? said the Ju dgc,

solemn ly takin g off his white hat.They were.W ell, then , here’s to rlliggles, GOD BLESS HEB ]

Perhaps H e had. W ho kn ows ?

TENNESSEE’.S'PARTNER. 4 1

TENNESSEE’

S PARTNER.

DO n ot thin k that we ever kn ew his real n ame. Ou r

ign oran ce of it certain ly n ever gave u s an y socialin con ven ien ce, for at San dy Bar in 1 854 most men werechristen ed an ew. Sometimes these appellatives were derivedfrom some distin ctiven ess of dress

,as in the case of

Dun garee Jack 5” or from some peculiarity of habit, asshown in Saleratus B ill,” so called from an un dueproportion of that chemical in his daily bread ; or fromsome un lucky slip

,as exhibited in “ The I ron Pirate

,

”a.

mild,in offen sive man

,who earn ed that baleful t itle by.his

un fortun ate mispron un ciat ion of the term “ iron pyrites .”Perhaps this may have been the begin n in g of a rude heraldry 5bu t I am con strain ed to thin k that it was because a man ’sreal n ame in that day rested solely upon his own un supportedstatemen t. Call yourself Clifford

,do you ? ” said Boston ,

addressin g an timid n ew- comer with in fin ite scorn ; “ hell isfu ll of such Cliffords H e then in troduced the u n for

tu n ate man ,whose n ame happen ed to be really Clifford

,as

Jay-bird Charley,”— an un hallowed in spiration of the

momen t,that clun g to him ever after.

Bu t to return to Ten n essee’s Partn er,whom we n ever

kn ew by an y other than this relative t itle ; that he hadever existed as a separate an d distin ct in dividuality we '

on ly

learn ed later . I t seems that in 1 853 he left Poker Flat togo to San Fran cisco

,osten sibly to procure a wife. H e n ever

got an y farther than Stockton . A t that place he was at .

tracted by a youn g person who waited upon the table at thehotel where he took his meals. On e morn in g he said somethin g to her which caused her to smile n ot un kin dly, tosomewhat coquettishly break a plate of toast over his u pturn ed, serious, simple face, an d to retreat to the kitchen .

He followed her,an d emerged a few momen ts later, covered

4 2 TENNESSEE PARTNER.

with more toast an d victory. That day week they weremarried by a Justice of the Peace, an d return ed to PokerFlat. I am aware that somethin g more might be made ofthis episode

,bu t I prefer to tell it as it was curren t at San dy

Bar—in the gulches an d bar rooms—where all sen timen twas modified by a stron g sen se of humour.

Of their married felicity b u t little is kn own , perhaps forthe reason that Ten n essee, then liv in g with his partn er, on eday took occasion to say somethin g to the bride on his ownaccoun t , at which

,it is said

,she smiled n ot un kin dly an d

chastely retreated,

-this time as far as Marysville,where

Ten n essee followed her,an d where they wen t to housekeep

in g without the aid of a Justice of the Peace. Ten n essee ’sPartn er took the loss of his wife simply an d seriously

,as was

his fashion . B u t to everybody’s surprise,when Ten n essee

on e day return ed from Marysville, without his partn er’swife

,- she havin g smiled an d retreated with somebody else,

—Ten n essee’s Partn er was the first man to shake his han dan d greet him with affection . The boys who had gatheredin the cafion to see the shootin g were n aturally in dign an t.Their in dign ation might have foun d ven t in sarcasm b u t fora certain look in Ten n essee’s Partn er’s eye that in dicated alack of humourous appreciation . I n fact

,he was a grave

man,with a steady application to practical detail which was

un pleasan t in a diflicu lty.

Meanwhile a popular feelin g again st Ten n essee had grownup on the Bar. H e was k n own to be a gambler 5he wassu spected to be a thief. I n these suspicion s Ten n essee’sPartn er was equally compromised ; his con tin ued in timacywith Ten n essee after the affair above quoted could on lybe accoun ted for on the hypothesis of a copartn ership of

crime. At last Ten n essee’s guilt became flagran t . On e day

he overtook a stran ger on his way to Red Dog . The

stran ger afterward related that Ten n essee beguiled the timewith in terestin g an ecdote an d remin iscen ce

,but illogically

TENNESSEE’

S PARTNER. 43

con clu ded the in terview in the followin gwords An d n ow,

youn g man,I’

ll troubleyou for your kn ife, your pistols, an dyour mon ey. Y ou see your weppin gs might get you in totrou ble at Red Dog , an d your mon ey’s a temptation to the,evilly disposed. I thin k you said your address was SanFran cisco. I shall en deavour to call. I t may be stated herethat Ten n essee had a fin e flow of humour, which n o bu sin ess preoccupation could wholly subdue.This exploit was his last . Red Dog an d San dy Bar madecommon cause again st the highwayman . Ten n essee washtmted in very much the same fashion as his prototype, thegrizzly. A s the toils closed aroun d him,

he made a despe ~rate dash through the Bar, emptyin g his revolver at thecrowd before the Arcade Saloon , an d so on up Grizzly Canon ;bu t at its farther extremity he was stopped by a small man

on a gray horse. The men looked at each other a momen tin silen ce. Both were fearless, both self-possessed an d in depen den t 3 an d both types of a civilization that in the seventeen th cen tury wou ld have been called heroic, bu t, in then in eteen th

,simply reckless. W hat have you got there ?

—I call,

” said “

Ten n essee, quietly. Two bowers an d an

ace,said the stran ger

,as qu ietl showin g two revolvers

an d a bowie kn ife. That takes me,

”return ed Ten n essee 5

an d with this gambler’s epigram,he threw away his useless

pistol,an d rode back with his captor.

I t was a warm n ight. The cool breeze which usuallySpran g u pwith the goin g down of the su n behin d the claw

parm Z- crested moun tain was that even in g withheld fromSan dy Bar. The little canon was stiflin g with heated resin ousodours, an d the decayin g drift -wood on the Bar sen t forthfain t, sicken in g exhalation s. The feverishn ess of day, an dits fierce passion s

,still filled the camp. Lights moved rest

lessly alon g the ban k of the river,strik in g n o an swerin g re

flection from its tawn y curren t. Again st the blackn ess of

44 TENNESSEE’S PARTNER.

the pin es the win dows of the old loft above the expressotfice stood ou t starin gly bright an d through their cu rtainless pan es the lou n gers below could see the forms of thosewho were even then decidin g the fate of Ten n essee. An d

above all this, etched on the dark firmamen t,rose the Sierra,

remote an d passion less,crown ed with remoter pa ssion less

stars.The trial of Ten n essee was con ducted as fairly as was consisten t with a judge an d jury who felt themselves to someexten t obliged to justify

,in their verdict

,the previous ir

regularities of arrest an d in dictmen t . The law of San dyBar was implacable

,but n ot ven geful. The excitemen t an d

person al feelin g of the chase were over 5with Ten n essee safein their han ds they were ready to listen patien tly to an y

defen ce,which they were already sat isfied was in su ffic1 en t .

There bein g n o dou bt in their own min ds,they were willin g

to give the prison er the ben efit of an y that might exist .

Secure in the hypothesis that he ought to be han ged, ongen eral prin ciples

,they in dulged him with more latitude of

defen ce than his reckless hardihood seemed to ask. The

Judge appeared to be more an xious than the prison er, who,otherwise un con cern ed

,eviden tly took a grim pleasure in the

respon sibility he had created. I don ’t take an y han d in thisyer game,” had been his in variable, but good-humoured replyto all question s. The Ju dge—who was also his captor—for amomen t vaguely regretted that he had n ot shot him “

on

sight,

”that morn in g, bu t presen tly dismissed this human

weakn ess as unworthy of the judicial min d . Nevertheless,when there was a tap at the door

,an d it was said that Ten

n essee’

s Partn er was there on behalf of the prison er, he wasadmitted at on ce without question . Perhaps the youn germembers of the jury, to whom the proceedin gs were becomin g irksomely thoughtfu l, hailed him as a relief.For he was n ot

,certain ly

,an imposin g figure. Short an d

stou t, with a square face, su n bu rn ed in to a pretern atuml

TENNESSEE’S PARTNER. 45

red n ess, clad in a loose duck “ jumper,

an d trousersstreaked an d splashed wi th red soil

,his aspect un der an y

circumstan ces would have been quain t, an d was n ow even

ridiculous. As he stooped to deposit at his feet a heavycarpet-bag he was carryin g, it became obvious

,from

partially d eveloped region s an d in scription s,that the ma

terial with which his trousers had been patched had beenorigin ally in ten ded for a less ambitiou s coverin g. Y et he

advan ced with great gravity, an d after havin g shaken the

han d of each person in the room with laboured cordiality,

he wiped his serious, perplexed face on a red ban dan n a han dkerchief, a shade lighter than his complex 1on , laid hispowerful han d upon the table to steady himself

, an d thusaddressed the Judge

I was passin ’ by,he began

,by way of apology

, an d I

thou ght I ’d just step in an d see how thin gs was gittin ’

on with Ten n essee thar—my pardn er. I t’

s a hot n ight . I

disremember an y sich weather before on the Bar.

”

H e paused a momen t,but n obody volun teerin g an y other

meteorological recollection,he again had recourse to his

pocket-han dkerchief, an d for some momen ts mopped hisface diligen tly.“ H ave you an ythin g to say in behalf of the prison er ?

said the Judge, fin ally .“Thet

’

s it,” said Ten n essee’s Partn er, in a ton e of relief.I come yar as Ten n essee’s pardn er— kn owin g him n igh

on four year,off an d on

,wet an d d ry, in luck an d ou t o’

luck. His ways ain ’

t allers my ways,but thar ain ’

t an y

p’in ts in that youn g man,thar ain ’

t an y livelin ess as he’sbeen up to

,as I don ’

t kn ow. An d you sez to me,sez

you—con fid en tial~ lik e,an d between man an d man — sez you,

‘Do you k n ow an ythin g in his behalf3 an d I sez to you,sez I—con fiden tial -like

,as between man an d man W hat

should a man kn ow of his pardn er ‘

l“ I s this all you have to say ? asked the Judge, impa

45 TENNESSEEas PARTNER.

tien tly, feelin g, perhaps, that a dan gerous sympathy of

humour was begin n in g to human ize the Court.“Thet

’

s so,

” con t in ued Ten n essee’s Partn er. I t ain ’

t for

me to say an ythin g agin ’ him. An d n ow what ’s the case ?H ere’s Ten n essee wan ts mon ey, wan ts it bad , an d doesn ’

t

like to ask it of his old pardn er. W ell,what doesTen n essee

do ? H e lays for a stran ger, an d he fetches that stran ger.

An d you lays for him,an d you fetches him; an d the

hon ours is easy. An d I pu t it to you, bein ’ a far-min dedman

,an d to you, gen tlemen , all, as far-min ded men , ef this

isn ’

t so .”“ Prison er, said the Judge, in terruptin g, have you anyquestion s to ask this manNo ! n o !” con tin ued Ten n essee’s Partn er, hastily. I

play this yer han d alon e . To come d own to the bed-rock,

it’s just this : Ten n essee, thar, has played it pretty rough

an d expen sive- like on a stran ger, an d on this yer camp.An d n ow

,what’s the fair thin g ? Some would say more ;

some would say less. H ere’s seven teen hun dred dollarsin coarse gold an d a watch

,—it’s about all my pile, - an d

call it square 1 An d before a han d could be raised to preven t him,

he had emptied the con ten ts of the carpet-bagu pon the table .For a momen t his life was in j eopardy. On e or two men

spran g to their feet,several han ds groped for hidden wea‘

pen s, an d a suggestion to “ throw him from the win dowwas on ly overridden by a gesture from the Judge. Ten

n essee laughed. A n d apparen tly oblivious of the ex citeo

men t, Ten n essee’s Partn er improved the opportun ity to mophis face again with his han dkerchief.W hen order was restored, an d the man was made tc

u n derstan d, by the use of forcible figures an d rhetoric,that

Ten n essee’s offen ce could n ot be con don ed by mon ey,his face

took a more serious an d san guin ary hu e,an d those who were

n earest to him n oticed that his rough han d trembled slightly

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43 TENNESSEE’S PARTNER.

An d yet , when the weak an d foolish deed was don e,an d a

life,with its possibilities an d respon sibilities, had passed

out of the misshapen thin g that dan gled between earthan d sky, the birds san g, the flowers bloomed

,the su n shon e

,

as cheerily as before an d possibly the Red Dog Clarion wasright.Ten n essee’s Partn er was n ot in the group that surroun dedthe omin ous tree. Bu t as they turn ed to disperse

,atten tion

was drawn to the sin gular appearan ce of a motion lessdon key—cart halted at the side of the road . As they approached , t

hey at on ce recogn ised the ven erable Jen n y”an d the two-wheeled cart as the property of Ten n essee’sPartn er,—used by him in carryin g dirt from his claim an d

a few paces distan t the own er of the equipage himself,sit

in g un der a buckeye-tree, wipin g the perspiration from hisglowin g face. I n an swer to an in quiry

,he said he had

come for the body of the diseased ” if it was all the sameto the committee.” H e didn ’

t wish to hurry an ythin ghe could wait . H e was n ot workin g that day ; an d

when the gen tlemen were don e with the d iseased,he

would take him. Ef thar is an y presen t,” he added, in hissimple

,serious way, as would care to jme in the fu n

’

l,

they kin come.” Perhaps it was from a sen se of humour,which I have already in timated was a feature of San dy Bar,—perhaps it was from somethin g even better than that bu t

two-thirds of the loun gers accepted the in vitation at on ce.I t was n oon when the body of Ten n essee was d eliveredin to the han ds of his partn er. As the cart drew up to thefatal tree, we n oticed that it con tain ed a rough oblon g box,apparen tly made from a section of sluicin g,—an d half filledwith bark an d the tassels of pin e. The cart was furtherdecorated with slips of willow

,an d made fragran t with buck

eye-blossoms. W hen the body was deposited in the box,

Ten n essee’s Partn er drew over it a piece of tarred can vas ,an d gravely moun tin g the n arrow seat in fron t , with his

TENNESSEE’S PARTNER. 4 9

feet upon the shafts,urged the little don key forward. The

equipage moved slowly on,at that decorous pace which was

habitual with “ Jen n y,

” even un der less solemn circumstan ces . The men half- curiously

,half-j estin gly

,bu t all

good-humou redly— strolled alon g beside the cart ; some inadvan ce

,some a little in the rear of the homely catafalque .

Bu t, whether from the n arrowin g of the road or somepresen t sen se of d ecorum, as the cart passed on the compan yfell to the rear in couples

,keepin g step

,an d otherwise

assumin g the extern al show of a formal procession . JackFolin sbee

,who had at the outset played a fun eral march in

dumb show upon an imagin ary trombon e,desisted. from a

lack of sympathy an d appreciation,

- n ot havin g,perhaps,

your true humourist’s capacity to be con ten t with the en ~

joymen t of his own fu n .

The way led through Grizzly Can on by this timeclothed in fun ereal drapery an d shadows. The red -woods

,

buryin g their moccason ed feet in the red soil, stood inI n dian file alon g the track

,trailin g an un couth ben ediction

from their ben din g boughs upon the passin g bier. A hare,

su rprised in to helpless activity, sat upright an d pulsatin g inthe fern s by the roadside as the corte’ge wen t by. Squirrelshas ten ed to gain a secure outlook from higher boughs an d

the blue-jays,Spreadin g their win gs, fluttered before them

like outriders,un til the outskirts of San dy Bar were reached,

an d the solitary cabin of Ten n essee’s Partn er.

V iewed un der more favourable circumstan ces, it wouldn ot have been a cheerful place. The un picturesque site, theru de an d un lovely outlin es

,the un savoury details , which

d istin gu ish the n est—buildin g of the California min er, wereall here

,with the drearin ess of decay superadded. A few

paces from the cabin there was a rough en closure, which, inthe brief days of Ten n essee’s Partn er’s matrimonial felicity,had been used as a garden

,bu t was n ow overgrown with

fern . As we approached it, we were su rprised to fin d thatn

5c“ TENNESSEE’S Ed RTNER.

what we had taken for a recen t attempt at cultivation wasthe broken soil about an open grave.The cart was halted before the en closure 5 an d rej ectin g

the offers of assistan ce with the same air of simple self?relian ce he had displayed throughout

,Ten n essee’s Partn er

lifted the rou gh coffin on his back,an d deposited it

,

aided,within the shallow grave. H e then n ailed down the

board which served as a lid 5 an d moun tin g the little moun dof earth beside it

,took off his hat, an d slowly mopped his face

with his han dkerchief. This the crowd felt was a prelimin aryto speech 5 an d they disposed themselves variously on stumpsan d boulders, an d sat expectan t .

W hen a man,

” began Ten n essee’s Partn er,slowly

,

“ hasbeen run n in g free all day

,what’s the n atural thin g for him

to do ? W hy, to come home. A n d if he ain ’

t in a condition to go home

,what can his best frien d do ? W hy,

brin g him home An d here’s Ten n essee has been run nfree, an d we brin gs him home from his wan derin g.”paused

,an d picked up a fragmen t of quartz

,rubbed

thoughtf ully on his sleeve, an d wen t on “ I t ain ’t the

t ime that I ’ve packed him on my back,as

n ow. I t ain ’t the first time that I brought h

cabin when he couldn ’

t help himself 5it ain ’tthat I an d Jimiy have waited for him on

picked him up an d so fetched him home, wheSpeak, an d didn ’

t kn owme. A n d n ow that it’s the lastwhy he paused, an d rubbed the quartz gen tlysleeve you see it ’s a sort of rough on his partn er.

n ow,gen tlemen

,

” he added, abruptly, pickin g up his lhan dled shovel, “ the fu n

’

l’

s over ; an d my than ks,

Ten n essee’s than k s to you for your trouble.”Resistin g an y proffers of assistan ce, he began to fill ingrave, turnin g his back upon the crowd

,that after a

momen ts’ hesitation gradually withdrew. A s

the little ridge that hid San dy Bar from view, s

TENNESSEEas PARTNER. 5:

back, thought they could see Ten n essee’s Partn er, his workdon e

,sittin g upon the grave

,his shovel between his kn ees,

an d his face bu r ied in his red ban dan n a han dkerchief. Bu t

it was argued by others that you couldn ’

t tell his face fromhis han dkerchief at that distan ce 5an d this poin t remain edu n decided.

I n the reaction that followed the feverish excitemen t ofthat day

,Ten n essee’s Partn er was n ot forgotten . A secret

in vestigation had cleared him of an y complicity in Ten n essee’sguilt, an d left on ly a suspicion of his gen eral san ity. San dyBar made a poin t of callin g on him

,an d profl

’

erin g variousun couth

,but well-mean t kin dn esses. Bu t from that day this

rude health an d great stren gth seemed visibly to declin e ;an d when the rain y seas on fairly set in , an d the tin y grass ~blades were begin n in g to peep from the rocky moun d aboveTen n essee’s grave

,he took to his bed.

On e n ight,when the pin es beside the cabin were sway

in g in the storm, an d trailin g their slen der fin gers over theroar an d rush of the swollen river were heard

Ten n essee’s Partn er lifted his head from the pillow,

“ I t is time to go for Ten n essee 5 I must putin the cart 5 an d would have risen from his bedthe restrain t of his atten dan t. Strugglin g, he stillhis sin gular fan cy : “ There

,n ow, steady, Jin n y,’

dy, old girl. H ow dark it is 1 Look ou t for the ruts,look ou t for him

,too

,old gal. Sometimes, you

when he ’s blin d drun k,he drops down right in the

Keep on straight up to the pin e on the top of theThar—I told you so I—thar he is,—comin g this way,all by himself

, sober, an d his face a-shin in g. Ten

Pardn er 1”An d so they met.

52 THE [D I/L OF RED GULC'H .

THE IDYL OF RED GULCH .

SANDY was very drunk. H e was lyin g un der an azale

bush,in pretty mu ch the same attitude in which

had fallen some hours before. H ow lon g he had bthere he cou ld n ot tell

,an d didn ’

t care 5how lon glie there was a matter equally in defin ite an dA tran quil philosophy

,born of his physical con dition ,

fused an d saturated his moral bein g.The spectacle of a drun ken man

,an d of this drun ken

in particular,was n ot

,I grieve to say

,of suffi cien t n o

in Red Gulch to attract atten tion . Earlier in the

some local satirist had erected a temporary tombstonSan dy’s head, bearin g the in scription , EffectsMcCork le

’

s whiskey,—kills at forty rods, with a

poin tin g to McCork le’

s saloon . B u t this,I imagin e,

like most local satire,person al 5an d was a reflection

the un fairn ess of the process rather than a commen tarythe impropriety of the result.San dy had been un disturbed.from his pack

,had cropped the scan t herbage

an d sn iffed curiously at the prostrate man 5 a vawith that deep sympathy which the species havemen

, had licked his dusty boots, an d curledfeet, an d lay there

,blin kin g on e eye in the

simulation of dissipation that was in gen iousits implied flattery of the un con scious man besiMeanwhile the shadows of the pin e-treesswu n g aroun d un til they crossed the road

,an d

barred the open meadowwith gigan t ic parallelsyellow. Little puffs of red dust

,lifted by the

hoofs of passin g teams,dispersed in a grimy shower

recumben t man . The su n san k lower an d lower 5San dy stirred n ot . An d then the repose of this ph

THE [D YL OF RED GULC’H . 53

was d isturbed, as other philosopher s have been,by the in

trusion of an un philosophical sex.“Miss Mary,” as she was kn own to the little flock that

she had just d ismissed from the log school-house beyon d thepin es

,was takin g her aftern oon walk. Observin g an u n

usually fin e cluster of blossoms on the azalea-bu sh Opposite,

she crossed the road to pluck it,—pickin g her way through

the red dust,n ot without certain fierce little shivers of

disgust,an d some felin e circumlocution . An d then she

came sudden ly upon San dyOf course she uttered the little staccato cry of her sex.

Bu t when she had paid that tribute to her physical weakn ess she became overbold, an d halted for a momen t

,—at

least six feet from this prostrate mon ster,—W ith her whiteskirts gathered in her han d

,ready for flight. B u t n either

came from the bush . W ith on e . littlethen overturn ed the satirical head-board

,an d mu t

‘Beasts an epithet which probably,at that

con venien tly classified in her min d the en tire maleMiss Mary

,bein g possessed

otion s of her own,had n ot

,perhaps

,properly

the demon strat ive gallan try for which thehas been so justly celebrated by his brotheran d had

,as a n ew-comer

,perhaps

,fairly earn ed

stuck up .”n oticed

,also

,that the slan t su n ~

s head to what she judged to beture

,an d that his hat was lyin g use

side . To pick it up an d to place it over his facerequirin g some courage

,particularly as his eyes

en . Y et she did it an d made good her retreat . B u t

somewhat con cern ed,on lookin g back, to see that

was removed,an d that San dy was sittin g up an d

in the calm depths of San dy ’s min d

54 THE [D YL OF RED GULCH .

he was satisfied that the rays of the su n were ben eficial an dhealthful 5that from childhood he had obj ected to lyin g down 'in a hat 5 that n o people but con demn ed fools, past redemption

,ever were hats ; an d that his right to dispen se with

them when he pleased was in alien able . This was the statemen t of his in n er con sciousn ess. Un fortun ately, its outwardexpression was vague, bein g limited to a repetition of the

followin g formula, Su’

shin e all ri’ ! W asser ma'ar, eh ?W ass up, su ’

shin e’l

Mis s Mary stepped , an d,takin g fresh courage from her

van tage of distan ce, asked him if there was an ythin g that hewan ted.

W ass u p 2 W asser maar 2” con tin ued San dy, in a veryhigh key.

“ Get up, you horrid man !” said Miss Mary, n ow

thorou ghly in cen sed 5 get up, an d go home.”San dy staggered to his feet . H e was six feet high

,and

Miss Mary trembled . H e started forward a few paces ”

and

then stopped.W ass I go home for “

l” he sudden ly asked

, withgravity.

Go an d take a bath, replied Miss. Mary,eyin g

grimy person with great disfavour.

To her in fin ite dismay,San dy sudden ly pulled off his c

an d vest, threw them on the groun d,kicked off his b

an d , plun gin g wildly forward , darted headlon g over thein the direction of the river.

“ Goodn ess H eaven s —the man will be drown ed !”Miss Mary 5 an d then

,with femin in e in con sisten cy

,she

back to the school-house, an d locked herself in .

That n ight, while seated at supper with her hostess,

blacksmith’s wife, it came to Miss Mary to ask, demureher husban d ever got drun k. “Abn er

,

”respon ded

Stidger, reflectiv ely,“ let’s see : Abn er hasn ’

t beensin ce last ’lection .

” Miss Mary

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56 THE [D yr. OF RED GULCH .

or Delilah’s shears. So that the cuttin g speech whichquivered on her ready ton gue died u pon her lips, an d shecon ten ted herself with receivin g his stammerin g apologywith supercilious eyelid s , an d the gathered skirts of u n con

tamin ation . W hen she re-en tered the school-room,her eyes

fell upon the azaleas with a n ew sen se of revelation . An d

then she laughed, an d the little people all laughed, an d theywere all un con sciously very happy.I t was on a hot day—an d n ot lon g after this— that twoshort - legged boys came to grief on the threshold of the

school with a pail of water, which they had laboriouslybrought from the sprin g, an d that MissMary compassion atelyseized the pail an d started for the sprin g herself. At the footof the hill a shadow crossed her path, an d a blue-shirted armdexterously

,b u t gen tly

,relieved her of her burden . Miss

Mary was both embarrassed an d an gry. I f you carriedmore of that for yourself

,

” she said,spitefully

,to the blue

arm,without deign in g to raise her lashes to its own er

,you’d

do better.

”I n the submissive silen ce that followed she

regre tted the speech, an d than ked him so sweetly at the doorthat he stumbled, which caused the children to laugh again ,

a laugh in which Miss Mary join ed,un til the colour came

fain tly in to her pale check . The n ex t day a barrel wasmysteriou sly placed beside the door

,an d as mysteriously

filled with fresh sprin g-water every morn in g.Nor was this superior youn g person without other quietatten tion s. “ Profan e B ill

,

” driver of the Slumgullion Stage,

widely kn own in the n ewspapers for his gallan try in

in variably offerin g the box- seat to the fair sex,had excepted

Miss Mary from this atten tion,on the groun d that he had a

habit of cu ssin’

on up grades,” an d gave her half the coachto herself. Jack H amlin , a gambler, havin g on ce silen tlyridden with her in the same coach

,afterwards threw a

d ecan ter at the head of a con federate for men tion in g hern ame in a bar-room. The over-dressed mother of a pupil

THE ID YL OF RED GULCH . 57

whose patern ity was doubtful, had often lin gered n ear thisastute Vestal’s temple, n ever d arin g to en ter its sacred precin cts, but con ten t to worship the priestess from afar.

W ith such un con scious in tervals the mon oton ous procession of blue skies, glitterin g sun shin e, brief twilights, an d

starlit n ights passed over Red Gulch. Miss Mary grew fon dof walkin g in the sedate an d proper woods. Perhaps shebelieved, with Mrs . Stidger, that the balsamic odours of thefirs “ did her chest good ,” for certain ly her slight cough wasless frequen t an d her step was firmer 5 perhaps she hadlearn ed the u n en din g lesson which the patien t pin es are

n ever weary of Lepeatin g to heedful or listless ears. An d so,

on e day, she plan n ed a pic- nic on Buck- eye H ill,an d took the

children with her. Away from the dusty road, the stragglin gshan ties

, the yellow ditches, the clamour of restless en gin es,

the cheap fin ery of shop-win dows, the deeper glitter of pain tan d coloured glass, an d the thin v en eerin g which barbarismtakes upon itself in such localities—what in fin ite relief wastheirs The last heap of ragged rock an d clay passed

,the

last un sightly chasm crossed,— how the waitin g woodsOpen ed their lon g files to receive them H ow the childrenperhaps because they had n ot yet grown quite away from thebreast of the boun teous Mother— threw themselves facedownward on her brown bosom with un couth caresses,fillin g the air with their laughter 5 an d how Miss Maryherself— felin ely fastidious an d in tren ched as she was in thepurity of spotless skirts

,collar

,an d cuffs— forgot all, an d ran

like a crested quail at the head of her brood,un til, rompin g,

lau ghin g, an d pan tin g, with a loosen ed braid of brown hair,a hat han gin g by a kn ot ted ribbon from her throat, she camesudden ly an d violen tly

,in the heart of the forest, upon— the

luckless San dyThe explan ation s

,apologies

,an d n ot overwise con versation

that en sued,n eed n ot be in dicated here. I t would seem,

however, that Miss Mary had already established some

58 THE [D YL OF RED GULCH .

acquain tan ce with this ex-drun kard . En ough that he wassoon accepted as on e of the party 5 that the children ,

withthat quick in telligen ce which Providen ce gives the helpless,recognized a frien d, an d played with his blon d beard , an d

lon g silken mustache, an d took other liberties,— as the helpless are apt to do. A n d when he had built a fire again st atree

,an d had shown them other mysteries of wood-craft

,

their admiration kn ew n o boun ds. A t the close of two suchfoolish

,idle

,happy hours he foun d himself lyin g at the feet

of the schoolmistress, gazin g dreamily in her face, as she satupon the slopin g hill-side, weavin g wreaths of laurel an dsyrin ga, in very much the same attitude as he had lain whenfirst they met. Nor was the similitude greatly forced . Theweakn ess of an easy, sen suous n ature

,that had foun d a

dreamy exaltation in liquor, it is to be feared was n ow fin d

ing an equal in toxication in love.I thin k that San dy was dimly con scious of this himself.

I kn ow that he lon ged to be doin g somethin g,— slayin g a

grizzly,scalpin g a savage, or sacrificin g himself in some way

for the sake of this sallow-faced,gray- eyed schoolmistress.

A s I should like to presen t him in a heroic attitude, I staymy han d with great difficulty at this momen t

,bein g on ly

withheld from in troducin g such an episode by a stron g conviction that it does n ot usually occur at such times. An d I

tru st that my fairest reader, who remembers that,in a real

crisis,it is always some un in terestin g stran ger or un roman tic

policeman , an d n ot Adolphus, who rescues, will forgive theomission .

So they sat there, un disturbed—the woodpeckers chatterin go verhead, an d the voices of the children comin g pleasan tlyfrom the hollow below. W hat they said matters little. W hatthey thought - which might have been in terestin g— did n ottran spire. The woodpeckers on ly learn ed how Miss Marywas an orphan 5how she left her un cle’s house, to come toCalifornia, for the sake of health an d in depen den ce ; how

THE [D YL OF RED GULC’

H 59

San dv was an orphan , too 5how he came to Californ ia for excitemen t5how he had lived a wild life, an d how he was tryin gto reform 5an d other details, which, from a woodpecker’sview-poin t

,un doubtedly must have seemed stupid

,an d a

waste of t ime . B u t even in such trifles was the aftern oonspen t ; an d when the children were again gathered

,an d

San dy, with a d elicacy which the schoolmistress well un derstood

,took leave of them quietly at the outskirts of the

settlemen t,it had seemed the shortest day of her weary life.

As the lon g,dry summer withered to its roots, the school

term of Red Gulch—to use a local euphuism dried up ”also. I n an other day Miss Mary would be free 5an d for aseason

,at least

,Red Gulch would kn ow her n o more. She

was seated alon e in the school-house, her cheek restin g on herhan d

,her eyes half closed in on e of those day-dreams in

which Miss Mary— I fear, to the dan ger of school d isciplin e—was lately in the habit of in dulgin g. H er lap was full ofmosses

,fern s

,an d other woodlan d memories. She was so

pre-occupied with these an d her own thoughts that a gen tletappin g at the door passed un heard , or tran slated itself in tothe remembran ce of far-off woodpeckers. W hen at last itasserted itself more distin ctly, she started up with a flushedcheek an d open ed the door. On the threshold stood awoman

,the self-assertion an d audacity of whose dress were

in sin gular con trast to her timid, irresolute bearin g.Miss Mary recogn ised at a glan ce the dubious mother of

her an on ymous pupil. Perhaps she was disappoin ted, perhapsshe was on ly fastidious ; bu t as she coldly in vited her toen ter

,she half-un con sciously settled her white cuffs an d

collar,an d gathered closer her own chaste skirts . I t was,

perhaps,for this reason that the embarrassed stran ger, after

a momen t’s hesitation,left her gorgeous parasol open an d

stickin g in the dust beside the door, an d then sat down at

the farther en d of a lon g ben ch. H er voice was husky as she

60 THE ID YL OF RED GULCH .

I heerd tell that you were goin ’ down to the Bay tomorrow, an d I couldn ’

t let you go un til I came to than k youfor your kin dn ess to my Tommy.”Tommy

,Miss Mary said, was a good boy

,an d deserv ed

more than the poor atten tion she could give him .

Than k you,miss 5 than k ye cried the stran ger,

brighten in g even through the colour which Red Gulch kn ewfacetiously as her “war pain t

,

”an d strivin g

, in her embarrassmen t

,to drag the lon g ben ch n earer the schoolmistress.

“ I than k you,miss

,for that an d if I am his mother, there

ain ’

t a sweeter,dearer

,better boy lives than him. A n d if I

ain ’t much as says it

,thar ain ’

t a sweeter dearer,an geler

teacher lives than he’s got.

”

Miss Mary,sittin g primly behin d her desk, with a ru ler

over her shoulder,open ed her gray eyes widely at this, but

said n othin g.“ I t ain ’

t for you to be complimen ted by the like of me Ikn ow

,

” she wen t on,hurriedly. “ I t ain ’

t for me to be

comin ’ here,in broad day, to do it, either ; but I come to

ask a favour,—n ot for me

,miss

,—n ot for me

,but for the

darlin g boy.”En cou raged by a look in the youn g schoolmistress’s eye,

an d puttin g her lilac gloved han ds together, the fin gers downward, between her kn ees, she wen t on , in a low voice,

“Y ou see, miss, there’s n o on e the boy has an y claim on

b u t me, an d I ain ’t the preper person to brin g him up. I

thought some, last year, of sen din g him away to ’Frisco to

school,bu t when they talked of brin gin g a schoolma’am here,

I waited t ill I saw you, an d then I kn ew it was all right, an dI could keep my boy a little lon ger . An d 0,

miss,he loves

you so much 5an d if you could hear him talk about you, inhis pretty way, an d if he could ask you what I ask you n ow,

you couldn ’

t refuse him.

“ I t is n atural,

” she wen t on rapidly,in a voice that

trembled stran gely between pride an d humility, —“it’s n atural

THE ID YL OF RED GULCH 6 1

that he should take to you,miss

,for his father

,when I first

kn ew him, was a gen tleman , —an d the boy must forget me,soon er or later, -an d so I ain ’t a-goin ’

to cry about that.For I come to ask you to take my Tommy

,—God bless him

for the bestest, sweetest boy that lives —to—to —take himwith you.”She had risen an d caught the youn g girl’s han d in her own

,

an d had fallen on her kn ees beside her.

“ I’

ve mon ey plen ty,an d it’s all yours an d his. Pu t him

in some good school, where you can go an d see him, an d help

him to—to—to forget his mother . Do with him what youlike. The worst you can do will be kin dn ess to what he willlearn with me. On ly take him ou t of this wicked life

,this

cruel place,this home of shame an d sorrow. Y ou will ; I

kn ow you will,—won ’t you ? Y ou will

,—you must n ot

,you

can n ot say n o ! Y ou will make him as pure,as gen tle as

yourself5 an d when he has grown up, you will tell him hisfather’s n ame

,- the n ame that hasn ’t passed my lips for

years, -the n ame of Alexan der Morton , whom they call hereSan dy Miss Mary l—do n ot take your han d away MissMary

,speak to ’ me ! Y ou will take my boy ? Do n ot put

you r face from me. I kn ow it ought n ot to look on such asme. MissMary —my God , be merciful -she is leavin g me !”Miss Mary had risen

,an d

,in the gatherin g twilight, had

felt her way to the. open win dow. She stood there, lean in g

again st the easemen t,her eyes fixed on the last rosy tin ts

that were fadin g from the western sky. There was still someof its light on her pure youn g forehead, on her white collar,on her clasped white han ds

,bu t all fadin g slowly away. The

en pplian t had dragged herself, still on her kn ees, beside her.0

“ I kn ow it takes t ime to con sider. I will wait here alln ight 5bu t I can n ot go un til you speak . Do n ot den y men ow. Y ou will —I see it in your sweet face, —such a faceas I have seen in my dreams. I see it in your eyes, MissMary l—you will take my boy

0

62 THE [D YL OF RED GULCI I .

The last red beam crept higher,suffused Miss Mary’s eyes

with somethin g of its glory,

flickered,an d faded

,an d wen t

ou t . The su n had set on Red Gulch. I n the twilight an d

silen ce Miss Mary’s voice soun ded pleasan tly.I will take the boy. Sen d him to me to-n ight .

The happy mother raised the hem of Miss Mary’s skirts toher lips. She would have buried her hot face in its virginfolds, bu t she dared n ot . She rose to her feet .

Does— this man—kn ow of your in ten tion ? asked MissMary, sudden ly.

“N0 n or cares. He has n ever even seen the child tokn ow it .

Go to him at on ce, -to n ight,—n ow . Tell him what

you have don e . Tell him I have taken his child,an d tell

him— he must n ever see—see— the child again . W hereverit may be, he must n ot come ; wherever I may take it, hemust n ot follow There

,go n ow

,please—I ’m weary, an d

have much yet to doThey walked together to the door. On the threshold the

woman turn ed.“ Good n ight .

She would have fallen at Miss Mary’s feet. Bu t at thesame momen t the youn g g irl reached ou t her arms, caughtthe sin ful woman to her own pure breast for on e briefmomen t

,an d then closed an d locked the d oor.

I t was with a sudden sen se of great respon sibility thatProfan e B ill took the rein s of the Slumgullion Stage the n extmorn in g

,for the schoolmistress was on e of his passengers.

As lie—en tered the high road

,in obedien ce to a pleasan t voice

from the “ in side,he su ddenly rein ed up his herses an d

respectfully waited, as “Tommy hopped out at the com

man d ofMiss Mary.“Not that bush, Tommy—the n ext.Tommy whipped out his n ew pocket-kn ife, an d, cutting s

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64 H]GH -WATER MARK.

regard ofwet feet an d con sequen ces5n or the mourn ful curlew,the dej ected plover

,or the low- spirited sn ipe

,who saw fit to

join him in his suicidal con templation ; n or the impassivekin gfi sher— an orn ithological Marius—reviewin g the desolate expan se 5 n or the black raven that wen t to an d fro everthe face of the marsh con tin ually

,bu t eviden tly couldn ’

t

make up his min d whether the waters had subsided,an d felt

low-spirited in the reflection that,after all this trouble

,he

wou ldn ’t be able to give a defin ite an swer. On the con trary,

it was eviden t at a glan ce that the dreary expan se of Dedlow

Marsh told un pleasan tly on the birds,an d that the season of

migration was looked forward to with a feelin g of relief an d

satisfaction by the fu ll-grown,an d of extravagan t an ticipa

tion by the callow,brood. Bu t if Dedlow Marsh was cheer

less at the slack of the low tide,you should have seen it

when the tide was stron g an d full. W hen the damp air

blew chilly ever the cold, glitterin g expan se, an d came tothe faces of those who looked seaward lik e an other t ide ;when a steel- like glin t marked the low hollows an d the

sin uous lin e of slough 5when the great shell- in crusted trun ksof fallen trees arose again

,an d wen t forth on their dreary

,

purposeless wan derin gs, driftin g hither an d thither,bu t

gettin g n o farther toward an y goal at the fallin g tide or theday’s declin e than the cursed H ebrew in the legen d ; whenthe glossy ducks swun g silen tly

,makin g n either ripple n or

furrow on the simmerin g surface5when the fog came in withthe tide an d shut ou t the blue above

,even as the green

below had been obliterated 5when boatmen , lost in that fog ,paddlin g about in a hopeless way, started at what seemedthe b rushin g of mermen

’

s fin gers on the boat’s keel, or

shran k from the tufts of grass spreadin g aroun d like thefloatin g hair of a corpse

,an d kn ew by these sign s that they

were lost u pon Dedlow Marsh, an d must make a n ight of it,an d a gloomy on e at that,—then you might kn ow somethin gof Dedlow Marsh at high water;

H I GH WATER MARK . 6 3

Ifl t me recall a story con n ected with this latter view,

which n ever failed to recur to my min d in my lon g gun nin gexcursion s upon Dedlow Marsh. A lthough the even t wasbriefly recorded in the coun ty paper

,I had the story

, in all

its eloquen t detail,from the lips of the prin cipal actor. I

can n ot hope to catch the varyin g emphasis an d peculiarcolourin g of feminin e delin eation , for my n arrator was a

woman 5but I ’ll try to give at least its substan ce.She lived midway of the great slough of Dedlow Marsh

an d a goodisized river,which debouched fou r miles beyon d

in to an estuary formed by the Pacific Ocean, on the lon g

san dy pen in sulawhich con stituted the south-western boun darye f a n oble bay. The house in which she lived was a smallframe cabin

,raised from the marsh a few feet by stout piles,

an d was three miles distan t from the settlemen ts upon the

river. H er husban d was a logger,—a profitable busin ess in

a coun tywhere the prin cipal occupation was the man ufactureof lumber.

I t was the season of early sprin g, when her husban d lefton the ebb of a high t ide, with a raft of logs for the usualtran sportation to the lower en d of the bay. A s she stood bythe door of the litt le cabin when the voyagers departed

,she

n oticed a cold look in the south- eastern sky, an d she remem

bered hearin g her husban d say to his compan ion s that theymust en deavour to complete their voyage before the comin gof the south-westerly gale which he saw brewin g. An d thatn ight it began to storm an d blow harder than she had everbefore experien ced, an d some great trees fell in the forest bythe river, an d the hou se rocked like her baby’s cradle.B u t however the storm might roar about the little cabin ,

she kn ew that on e she trusted had driven belt an d bar withhis own stron g han d

,an d that had he feared for her he

would n ot have left her. This,an d her domestic duties

,an d

the care of her little sickly baby,helped to keep her min d

from dwellin g on the weather,except

,of course, to hope that

F

66 HIGH WATER 111A13X

he was safely harboured with the log s at Utopia in the

dreary distan ce. B u t she n oticed that day,when she wen t

ou t to feed the chicken s an d look after the cow,that the tide

was u p to the little fen ce of their garden patch, an d the roarof the surf on the south beach, though miles away, she couldhear distin ctly. An d she began to thin k that she wouldlike to have some on e to talk with about matters, an d shebelieved that if it had n ot been so far an d so stormy

,an d

the trail so impassable, she would have taken the baby, an dhave gon e over to Ryckman ’

s,her n earest n eighbour. Bu t

then , you see, he might have return ed in the storm, all wetwith n o on e to see to him 5 an d it was a lon g exposure forbaby

,who was crou py an d ailin g.

Bu t that n ight,she n ever could tell why, she didn ’

t feellike sleepin g or even lyin g down . The storm had somewhatabated , bu t she still “ sat an d sat

,an d even tried to read. I

don ’

t kn owwhether it was a Bible or some profan e magazin ethat this poor woman read

,but most probably the latter, for

the words all ran together an d made such sad n on sen se thatshe was forced at last to pu t the book down an d turn to thatd earer volume which lay before her in the cradle

,with its

white initial leaf as yet un soiled, an d try to look forward toits mysterious future. An d

,rockin g the cradle

,she thought of

everythin g an d everybody, bu t still was wide awake as ever.

I t was n early twelve o’clock when she at last lay down inher clothes. H ow lon g she slept she could n ot remember

,

b u t she awoke with a dreadful chokin g in her throat,an d

foun d herself stan din g, tremblin g all over, in the middle ofthe room

,with her baby clasped to her breast

,an d she was

sayin g somethin g. The baby cried an d sobbed, an d she

walked u p an d down tryin g to hush it,when she heard a

scratchin g at the door. She open ed it fearfully, an d was

glad to see it was on ly old Pete,their dog

,who crawled,

drippin g with water, in to the room. She wou ld like to havelooked out, n ot in the fain t hope of her hu sban d ’s comin g,

HIGH WATER MARK. 67

but to see how thin gs looked bu t the win d shook the doorso savagely that she could hardly hold it. Then she sat

down a little while, an d then walked u p an d down a

little while, an d then she lay down again a little while.Lyin g close by the wall of the little cabin

,she thought she

heard on ce or twice somethin g scrape slowly again st theclapboards, like the scrapin g of bran ches. Then there wasa little gurglin g soun d, “ like the baby made when it wasswallowin g then somethin g wen t “ click- click ” an d

cluck- cluck, so that she sat up in bed. W hen she did soshe was attracted by somethin g else that seemed creepin gfrom the back door towards the cen tre of the room . I t

wasn ’t much wider than her little fin ger,bu t soon it swelled

to the width of her han d, an d began spreadin g all over thefloor. I t was water .

She ran to the fron t door an d threw it wide open, an d saw

n othin g b u t water. She ran to the back door an d threw itopen

,an d saw n othin g bu t water. She ran to the side

win dow,an d

,throwin g that open

,she saw n othin g but water.

Then she remembered hearin g her husban d on ce say thatthere was n o dan ger in the tide

,for that fell regularly

,an d

people could calculate on it,an d that he would rather live

n ear the bay than the river,whose ban ks might overflow at

an y time. B u t was it the t ide ? So she ran again to the

back door,an d threw ou t a stick of wood . I t drifted away

towards the bay. She scooped u p some of the water an d

pu t it eagerly to her lips. I t was fresh an d sweet. I t was

the river,an d n ot the t ide

I t was then— O, God be praised for his goodn ess ! shedid n either fain t n or fall ; it was then—blessed be theSaviour

,for it was his merciful han d that touched an d

stren gthen ed her in this awful momen t—that fear droppedfrom her like a garmen t, an d her tremblin g ceased. I t was

then an d thereafter that she n ever lost her self-comman d,throu gh all the trials of tha tgloomy n ight.

68 HIGH WATER MARK.

She drew the bedstead towards the middle of the room,

an d placed a table upon it, an d on that she pu t the cradle.The water on the floor was already over her an kles, an d thehouse on ce or twice moved so perceptibly, an d seemed to beracked so, that the closet doors all flew open . Then sheheard the same raspin g an d thumpin g again st the wall, an d ,lookin g ou t

,saw that a large uprooted tree, which had lain

n ear the road at the upper en d of the pasture, had floateddown to the house. Luckily its lon g roots dragged in the

soil an d kept it from movin g as rapidly as the curren t, forhad it struck the hou se in its full career, even the stron gn ails an d bolts in the piles could n ot have withstood theshock. The houn d had leaped upon its kn otty surface, an dcrouched n ear the roots shiverin g an d whin in g. A ray of

hope flashed across her min d. She drew a heavy blan ketfrom the bed, an d , wrappin g it about the babe, waded in thedeepen in g waters to the door. As the tree swun g again ,broadside on , makin g the little cabin creak an d tremble, sheleaped on to its trun k. By God’s mercy she succeeded inobtain in g a footin g on its slippery surface

,an d

,twin in g an

arm about its roots,she held in the other a moan in g child.

Then somethin g cracked n ear the fron t porch, an d the wholefron t of the house she had just quitted fell forward, just as

cattle fall on their kn ees before they lie down , —an d at thesame momen t the great redwood tree swun g roun d an d

drifted away with its liv in g cargo in to the black n ight.For all the excitemen t an d dan ger

,for all her soothin g of

her cryin g babe, for all the whistlin g of the win d, for all theun certain ty of her situation

,she still turn ed to look at the

d eserted an d water- swept cabin . She remembered eventhen

,an d she won ders how foolish she was to thin k of it at

that time,that she wished she had pu t on an other dress an d

the baby’s best clothes an d she kept prayin g that the housewould be spared so that he

,when he return ed

,would have

somethin g to come to, an d it wouldn ’t be quite so desolate,

HIGH WATER MARK . 69

an d—how could he ever kn ow what had become of her an d

baby ? An d at the thought she grew sick an d fain t. Bu t

she had somethin g else to do besides worryin g,for when ever

the lon g roots of her ark struck an obstacle,the whole trun k

made half a revolution,an d twice dipped her in the black

water. The houn d, who kept distractin g her by run n in g upan d down the tree an d howlin g

,at las t fell off at on e of these

collision s. H e swam for some t ime beside her,an d she tried

to get the poor beast u pon the tree,bu t he “ acted silly an d

wild, an d at last she lost sight of him for ever. Then shean d her baby were left alon e. The light which had burn edfor a few min utes in the deserted cabin was quen chedsudden ly. She could n ot then tell whither she was driftin g.The outlin e of the white dun es on the pen in sula showedd imly ahead, an d she judged the tree was movin g in a lin ewith the river. I t must be about slack water, an d she hadprobably reached the eddy formed by the con fluen ce of thetide an d the overflowin g waters of the river. Un less thetide fell soon

,there was presen t dan ger of her driftin g to its

chan n el, an d bein g carried out to sea or crushed in the floatin g drift. Thatperil averted, if she were carried ou t on theebb toward the bay

,she might hope to strike on e of the

Wooded promon tories of the pen in sula, an d rest t ill daylight.Sometimes she thought she heard voices an d shouts from theriver

,an d the bellowin g of cattle an d bleatin g of sheep.

Then again it was on ly the rin gin g in her ears an d throbbin gof her heart. She foun d at about this t ime that she was sochilled an d stiffen ed in her cramped posit ion that she couldscarcely move

,an d the baby cried so when she pu t it to her

breast that she n oticed the milk refused to flow 5an d shewas so frighten ed at that

,that she put her head un der her

shawl an d for the first time cried bitterly.W hen she raised her head again , the boom of the surf was

behin d her, an d she kn ew that her ark had again swun grou n d . She dipped up the water to cool her parched throat,

70

an d foun d that it was salt as her tears. There was a relief,though

,for by this sign she kn ew she was driftin g with the

t ide. I t was then the win d wen t down , an d the great an dawful silen ce oppressed her. There was scarcely a rippleagain st the fu rrowed sides of the great trun k on which sherested

,an d aroun d her all was black gloom an d quiet . She

spoke to the baby just to hear herself speak, an d to kn owthat she had n ot lost her voice. She thought then— it wasqueer, b u t she could n ot help thin kin g it— how awful musthave been the night when the great ship swun g over theAsiatic peak, an d the soun ds of creation were blotted ou t

from the world. She thou ght,too

,of marin ers clin gin g to

spars,an d of poor women who were lashed to rafts

,an d

beaten to death by the cruel sea. She tried to than k Godthat she was thus spared

,an d lifted her eyes from the baby

who had fallen in to a fretful sleep. Sudden ly, away to the

southward, a great light lifted itself ou t of the gloom,an d

flashed an d flickered,an d flickered an d flashed again . H er

heart fluttered quickly again st the baby’s cold cheek. I t was

the lighthouse at the en tran ce of the bay. A s she was yetwon dering, the tree su dden ly rolled a little, dragged a little,an d then seemed to lie quiet an d still. She pu t ou t her han dan d the curren t gurgled again st it . The tree was agroun d,an d

, by the position of the light an d the n oise of the surf,

agroun d upon the Dedlow Marsh.H ad it n ot been for her baby

,who was ailin g an d croupy

had it n ot been for the sudden dryin g up of that sen sitivefoun tain , she would have felt safe an d relieved. Perhaps itwas this which ten ded to make all her impression s mou rn fuL'

an d gloomy. A s the tide rapidly fell,a great flock of black

bren t flu ttered by her,screamin g an d cryin g. Then the

plover flew up an d piped mourn fully,as they wheeled aroun d

the trun k, an d at last fearlessly lit upon it like a gray cloud.Then the heron flow over an d aroun d her

,shriekin g an d

protestin g, an d at las t dropped its gaun t legs on ly a few

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72 A LONEL y RIDE.

her, look in g about ten years older in his an xiety, she felt sofain t again that they had to carry her to the can oe . For

,

you see,he k n ew n othin g about the flood un til he met the

I n dian s at Utopia, an d kn ew by the sign s that the poorwoman was his wife. An d at the n ext high-tide he towedthe tree away back home, although it wasn ’

t worth thetrou ble

,an d built an other house

,usin g the old tree for the

foun dation an d props,an d called it after her, Mary’s Ark

Bu t you may guess the n ext house was built above H ighwater mark. A n d that’s all.Not much, perhaps, con siderin g the malevolen t capacity

of the Dedlow Marsh. Bu t you must tramp over it at low

water,or paddl e over it at high t ide

,or get lost upon it

on ce or twice in the fog, as I have, to u n derstan d properlyMary’s adven ture, or to appreciate duly the blessin gs ofEivin g beyon d H igh-W ater Mark.

A LONELY RIDE.

AS I stepped in to the Slumg ullion stage I saw that it wasa dark n ight

,a lon ely road

,an d that I was the on ly

passen ger. Let me assure the reader that I have n o u lteriordesign in makin g this assertion . A lon g course of light readin ghas forewarn ed me what every experien ced in telligen ce mustcon fiden tly look for from such a statemen t. The story-tellerwho wilfully tempts Fate by such obvious begin n in gs 5whois to the expectan t reader in dan ger of bein g robbed or halfmurdered, or frighten ed by an escaped lun atic, or i ntroducedto his lady—love for the first time

,deserves to be detected. I

am relieved to say that n on e of these thin gs occurred to me.The road from W in gdam to Slumgullion kn ew n o otherban ditti than the regularly licen sed hotel-keepers 5 lun aticshad n ot yet reached such depth of imbecility as to ride of

A LONEL Y RIDE. 73

their own free-will in Californ ian stages 5an d my Laura,

amiable an d lon g-sufferin g as she always is, could n ot, I fear.have born e up again st these depressin g circumstan ces lon gen ough to have made the slightest impression on me.I stood with my shawl an d carpet -bag in han d

,gazin g

doubtin gly on the vehicle. Even in the darkn ess the red

dust of W in gdam was visible on its roof an d sides,an d the

red slime of Slumgullion clun g ten aciously to its wheels. I

Open ed the door ; the stage creaked u neasily, an d in the

gloomy abyss the swayin g straps beckon ed me,like ghostly

han ds,to come in n ow

,an d have my sufferin gs ou t at

on ce.I must n ot omit to men tion the occurren ce of a circum

s tan ce which struck me as appallin g an d mysterious. A

lou n ger on the steps of the hotel, whom I had reason tosuppose was n ot in an y way con n ected with the stagecompan y

,gravely descen ded

,an d

,walkin g toward the

con veyan ce, tried the han dle of the door,open ed it

,

expectorated in the carriage,an d return ed to the hotel with

a serious demean our. H ardly had he resumed his position,

when an other in dividual, equally disin terested, impassivelywalked down the steps, proceeded to the back of the stage

,

lifted it,expectorated carefully on the axle

,an d return ed

slowly an d pen sively to the hotel. A third spectator wearilydisen gaged himself from on e of the I on ic column s of theportico an d walked to the box, remain ed for a momen t inserious an d expectorative con templation of the boot

,an d

then return ed to his column . There was somethin g so weirdin this baptism that I grew quite n ervous.Perhaps I was ou t of spirits. A n umber of in fin itesimal

an n oyan ces,win din g up with the resolute persisten cy of the

clerk at the stage -office to en ter my n ame misspelt on the

way-bill

,had n ot predisposed me to cheerfuln ess. The

inmates of the Eureka H ouse,from a social view-poin t

,were

n ot attractive. There was the preva ilin g opin ion—so

74 A LONEL Y RIDE.

common to man y hon est people—that a serious style of

deportmen t an d con duct toward a stran ger in dicates highgen tility an d elevated station . Obeyin g this prin ciple, allhilaaity ceased on my en tran ce to supper, an d gen eral remarkmerged in to the safer an d un compromisin g chron icle of

several bad cases of diptheria, then epidemic at W in gdam.

W hen I left the din in g-room,with an odd feelin g that I had

been suppin g exclusively on mustard an d tea-leaves, Istopped a momen t at the parlour door. A pian o, harmon iou sly related to the d in n er-bell

,tin kled respon sive to a

diflid en t an d un certain touch. On the white wall theshadow of an old an d sharp profile was ben din g over severalsymmetrical an d shadowy curls. I sez to Mariar, Mariar,sez I , Praise to the face is open disgrace. I heard n omore. Dreadin g some suscept ibility to sin cere expressionon the subj ect of female lovelin ess, I walked away, checkin gthe complimen t that otherwise might have risen u n biddento my lips

,an d have brought shame an d sorrow to the

household.I t was with the memory of these experien ces restin gheavily upon me

,that I stood hesitatin gly before the stage

door. The driver,about to moun t

,was for a momen t

illumin ated by the open door of the hotel. H e had thewearied look which was the distin gu ishin g expression of

W in gdam. Satisfied that I was properly way-billed an d

receipted for,he took n o further n otice of me. I looked

lon gin gly at the box-seat,bu t he did n ot respon d to the

appeal . I flun g my carpet-bag in to the chasm,dived

recklessly after it, an d —before I was fairly seated—with a

great sigh,a creakin g of un willin g sprin gs

,complain in g

bolts,

an d harshly expostulatin g axle,we moved away.

Rather the hotel door slipped behin d,the soun d of the pian o

san k to rest, an d the night an d its shadows moved solemn lyu pon us.To say it was dark expressed but fain tly the pitchy

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75 A LONELY RIDE.

courage lifted up an d stren gthen ed by open commen dation 5of n o use to except to the mysterious female,—to pictureher as rearin g a thin -blooded gen eration on selfis h an d

mechan ically-repeated axioms,

-all this failed to coun teractthe mon oton ous repetition of this sen ten ce. There wasn othin g to do b u t to give in

,an d I was about to accept it

weakly,as we too often treat other illusion s of darkn ess an d

n ecessity,for the time bein g, when I became aware of some

other an n oyan ce that had been forcin g itself upon me for thelast few momen ts. H ow quiet the driver was !W as there an y driver ? H ad I any reason to suppose

that he was n ot lyin g, gagged an d boun d on the roadside,an d the highwayman , with blacken ed face, who did the thin gso quietly, drivin g me—whither ? The thin g is perfectlyfeasible. A n d what is this fan cy n ow bein g jolted out ofme ? A story ? I t

’

s of n o use to keep it back, particularlyin this abysmal vehicle

,an d here it comes I am a Marquis

—a Fren ch Marquis 5Fren ch, because the peerage is n ot sowell kn own , an d the coun try is better adapted to roman ticin ciden t—a Marqu is, because the democratic reader d elightsin the n obility. My n ame is somethin g lign y. I am comin gfrom Paris to my coun try seat at St. Germain . I t is a darkn ight, an d I fall asleep an d tell my hon est coachman An drén ot to disturb me, an d dream of an an gel . The carriage atlast stops at the chateau. I t is so dark that

,when I alight,

I do n ot recog n ize the face of the footman who holds thet arriage

-door. Bu t what of that Z—peste l I am heavywith sleep. The same obscurity also hides the old familiarin decen cies of the statues on the terrace 5 bu t there is a

door,an d it open s an d shuts behin d me smartly. Then I

fin d myself in a trap, in the presen ce of the brigan d who hasquietly gagged poor An dré an d con ducted the carriagethither. There is n othin g for me to do, as a gallan t Fren chMarquis, but to say, Parbleu I draw my rapier, an d die

Valorou sly I am foun d, a week or two after, ou tside a

A LONELY RIDE. 77

deserted cabaret n ear the barrier, with a hole through myru flled lin en , an d my pockets stripped. No ; on secon dthoughts

,I am rescued

,- rescu ed by the an gel I have been

dreamin g of,who is the assumed daughter of the brigan d

,

but the real daughter of an in timate frien d.Lookin g from the win dow again , in the vain hope of dis

tin gu ishin g the driver, I foun d my eyes were growin g accus~temed to the darkn ess. I could see the distan t horizon

,

defin ed by I n dia- in ky woods, relievin g a lighter sky. A

few stars, widely spaced in this picture, glimmered sadly. I

n oticed again the in fin ite depth of patien t sorrow in theirseren e faces 5an d I hope that the V an dal who first appliedthe flippan t “ twin kle ” to them may n ot be driven melanchely mad by their reproachful eyes. I n oticed again the

mystic charm of space,that imparts a sen se of in dividual

solitude to each in teger of the den sest con stellation,in volvin g

the smallest star with immeasurable lon elin ess. Somethin gof this calm an d solitude crept over me, an d I dozed in mygloomy cavern . W hen I awoke the fu ll moon was risin g.Seen from my win dow,

it had an in describably un real an dtheatrical efi'eet. I t was the fu ll moon of Norma—thatremarkable celestial phen omen on which rises so palpably toa hushed audien ce an d a sublime an dcmte chorus

,un til the

Caste Diva is sun g—the “ in con stan t moon that thenan d thereafter remain s fixed in the heaven s as though itwere a part of the solar system in augurated by Joshua.Again the white-robed Dru ids fi led past me

,again I saw

that improbable mistletoe cut from that impossible oak, an dagain cold chills ran down my back with the first strain of

the recitative. The thumpin g sprin gs essayed to beat time,an d the private-box-like obscurity of the vehicle len t a cheapen chan tmen t to the view. B u t it was a vast improvemen tu pon my past experien ce, an d I hugged the fon d delusion .

My fears for the driver were dissipated with the risin gmoon . A familiar soun d had assured me of his presen ce in

78 A LONELY RIDE.

the full possession of at least on e of his most importan t fun ction s . Frequen t an d full expectoration con vin ced me thathis lips were as yet n ot sealed by the gag of highwaymen ,an d soothed my an xious ear. W ith this lead lifted from mymin d

,an d assisted by the mild presen ce of Dian a, who left,

as when she visited En dymion , much of her splen dour ou t

side my cavern ,— I looked aroun d the empty vehicle. On

the forward seat lay a woman ’s hair-

pin . I picked it upwith an in terest that

,however

,soon abated . There was n o

scen t of the roses to clin g to it still, n ot even of hair-oilNo ben d or twist in its rigid an gles betrayed an y trait ofits wearer’s character. I tried to thin k that it might havebeen I tried to imagin e that, con fin in g thesymmetrical curls of that girl

,it might have heard the soft

complimen ts whispered in her ears,which provoked the

wrath of the aged female. Bu t in vain . I t was reticen tan d un swervin g in its upright fidelity, an d at last slippedlistlessly through my fin gers .I had dozed repeatedly

,—waked on the threshold of obli

v ion by con tact with some of the an gles of the coach, an d

feelin g that I was un con sciously assumin g, in imitation of ahumble in sect ofmy childish recollection , that spherical shapewhich could best resist those impression s, when I perceivedthat the moon

,ridin g high in the heaven s

,had begun to

separate the formless masses of the shadowy lan dscape.Trees isolated

,in clumps an d assemblages

,chan ged places

before my win dow. The sharp outlin es of the distan t hillscame back

,as in daylight

,bu t little soften ed in the dry,

cold,d ewless air of a Californ ia summer n ight. I was won

derin g how late it was,an d thin kin g that if the horses of the

n ight travelled as slowly as the team before us,Faustus

might have been spared his agon izin g prayer, when a suddenspasm of activity attacked my driver. A succession of

whip-sn appin gs,like a pack of Chin ese crackers, broke from

the box before me. The stage leaped forward , an d when I

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80 THE MAN OF NO ACCOUNT.

very sick,to than k her ! Didn ’t she flash u p gran dly an d

beautifu lly an d scorn fully ? So like Medora,

”Rattler

said,—Rattler kn ew Byron by heart,—an d wasn ’

t old Faggawfully cut up ? Bu t he got over it, an d when Rattler felsick at Valparaiso

,old Fagg u sed to n urse him . Y ou see he

was a good sort of fellow, but he lacked man lin ess an dspirit.H e had absolutely n o idea of poetry. I

’ve seen him sit

stolidly by, men din g his old clothes, when Rattler d eliveredthat stirrin g apostrophe of Byron ’s to the ocean . H e askedRattler on ce, quite seriously, if he thought Byron was eversea- sick. I don ’

t remember Rattler’s reply,but I kn ow we

all laughed very much, an d I have n o doubt it was somethin g good , for Rattler was smart.W hen the Skyscraper arrived at San Fran cisco, we had

a gran d “ feed.” W e agreed to meet every year an d per

petu ate the occasion . Of course we didn ’

t in vite Fagg.Fagg was a steerage passen ger

,an d it was n ecessary

,you see

,

n ow we were ashore,to exercise a little discretion . Bu t Old

Fagg, as we called him,—he was on ly about twen ty-fiveyears old

,by the way, —was the sou rce of immen se amuse

men t to us that day. I t appeared that he had con ceivedthe idea that he cou ld walk to Sacramen to

,an d actuallystarted off afoot. W e had a good time

,an d shook han ds

with on e an other all aroun d,an d so parted. Ah me ! on ly

eight years ago,an d yet some of those han ds then clasped in

amity have been clen ched at each other,or have dipped fu r:

tively in on e an other’s pockets . I kn ow that we didn ’

t din etogether the n ext year

,because youn g Barker

wouldn ’t pu t his feet un der the same

v ery con temptible scoun drel as that Mixer ;who borrowed mon ey at Valparaiso of youn g Stubbs,was then a waiter in a restauran t , didn ’

t like to meetpeople.W hen I bought a n umber of shares

THE MAN OF NO ACCOUNT 8 1

at Muggin sville, in ’54

,I thought I ’d take a ru n u p there

an d see it. I stopped at the Empire H otel,an d after din n er

I got a horse an d rode roun d the town an d ou t to the claim.

On e of those in dividuals whom n ewspaper correspon den tscall ou r in telligen t in forman t

,

”an d to whom in all small

commun ities the right of an swerin g question s is tacitlyyielded, was quietly poin ted ou t to me. H abit had en abledhim to work an d talk at the same t ime

,an d he n ever pre

termitted either. H e gave me a history of the claim, an dadded “ Y ou see

,stran ger ” (he addressed the ban k before .

him), gold is sure to come out ’er that theer claim (he putin a comma with his pick) , but the old pro-

pri-e—tor (he

wriggled out the word an d the poin t of his pick) warn ’t ofmuch accoun t (a lon g stroke of the pick for a period) . H e

was green , an d let the boys about here jump him,

” —an d the

rest of his sen ten ce was con fided to his hat, which he hadremoved to wipe his man ly brow with his red ban dan n a.I asked him who was the origin al proprietor.

His n ame war Fagg.”I wen t to see him. H e looked a little older an d plain er.

H e had worked hard, he said, an d was gettin g on so, so.”I took quite a likin g to him

,an d patron ized him to some

exten t. W hether I did so because I was begin n in g to havea distrust for such fellows as Rattler an d Mixer is n ot n ecessary for me to state.You remember how the Coyote Tun n el wen t in , an d howawfully we shareholders were don e ! W ell, the n ext thin gI heard was that Rattler, who was on e of the heaviest shareholders

,was up at Muggin sville keepin g bar for the pro

prietor of the Muggin sville H otel,an d that old Fagg had

struck it rich,an d didn ’t kn ow what to do with his mon ey.

All this was told me byMixer,who had been there, settlin g

up matters, an d likewise that Fagg was sweet upon the

daughter of the,

proprietor of the aforesaid hotel. An d so

by hearsay an d letter I even tually gathered that old Robins,G

82 THE MAN OF NO ACCOUNT.

the hotel man , was tryin g to get up a match between NellieRobin s an d Fagg. Nellie was a pretty, plump, an d foolishlittle thin g, an d would do just as her father W ished. I

thought it would be a good thin g for Fagg if he shou ld marryan d settle down 5 that as a married man he might be ofsome accoun t. So I ran up to Muggin sville on e day to lookafter thin gs.I t did me an immen se deal of good to make Rattler mix

my drin ks for me, - Rattler ? the gay, brillian t, an d u n con

qu erable Rattler, who had tried to sn ub me two years ago.I talked to him about old Fagg an d Nellie, part icularly as Ithought the subj ect was d istasteful . H e n ever liked Fagg,an d he was sure, he said , that Nellie didn ’

t . Did Nellielike an ybody else ? H e turn ed aroun d to the mirror behin dthe bar an d brushed up his hair5 I un derstood the con

ceited wretch . I thought I ’

d pu t Fagg on his guard an dget him to hurry up matters . I had a lon g talk with him.

Y ou could see by the way the poor fellow acted that he wasbadly stuck. H e sighed

,an d promised to pluck up courage

to hu rry matters to a crisis. Nellie was a good girl, an d I

thin k had a sort of quiet respect for old Fagg’s un obtrusiven ess . B u t her fan cy was already taken captive by Rattler’ssuperficial qualit ies, which were obvious an d pleasin g. I

d on ’

t thin k Nellie was an v worse than you or I . W e are

more apt to take acquain tan ces at their apparen t value thantheir in trin sic worth . I t

’

s less trouble, an d , except when wewan t to trust them

,quite as con ven ien t. The difficulty with

women is that their feelin gs are apt to get in terested soon erthan ours

,

’

an d then,you kn ow

, reason in g is ou t of the question . This is what old Fagg would have kn own had he beenof any accoun t. Bu t he wasn ’

t. So much the worse for

I t was a few mon ths afterward,an d I was sittin g in my

office, when in walked old Fagg. I was surprised to see

him down , but we talked over the curren t topics in that

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84 THE MAN OF NO ACCOUNT.

Rattler to be at all amiable, bu t as his busin ess was profitable

,I promised to atten d to it, an d he left. A fewweeks

passed. The return steamer arrived,an d a terrible in ciden t

occupied the papers for days afterward . People in all partsof the State con n ed eagerly the details of an awful shipwreck

,an d those who had frien ds aboard wen t away by

themselves,an d read the lon g list of the lost un der their

breath. I read of the gifted , the gallan t, the n oble,an d

loved on es who had perished , an d amon g them I think Iwas the first to read the n ame of David Fagg. For the

man of n o accoun t” had gon e home I”

Ufa -STORIES.

MLISS.

CHAPTER I .

USTwhere the SierraNevada begin s to subside in gen tlerun dulation s

,an d the rivers grow less rapid an d yellow

,

on the side of a great red moun tain , stan ds “Smith’s Pocket.”Seen from the red road at sun set, in the red light an d the reddust

,its white houses look like the outcroppin gs of quartz on

the moun tain - side. The red stage topped with red -shirtedpassen gers is lost to v iew half a dozen t imes in the tortuousdescen t

,turning up un expectedly in out-of-the-way places,

an d vanishin g altogether within a hun dred yards of thetown . I t is probably owin g to this sudden twist in the roadthat the adven t of a stran ger at Smith’s Pocket is u suallyatten ded with a peculiar circumstan ce. Dismoun tin g fromthe vehicle at the stage office

,the too con fiden t traveller

is apt to walk straight out of town un der the impressionthat it lies in quite an other direction . I t is related that on eof the tun n el-men , two miles from town , met on e of theseself-relian t passen gers with a carpet-bag, umbrella, H arper’sMagazin e an d other eviden ces of Civilization an d Re

fin emen t, ploddin g alon g over the road he had just ridden

,vain ly en deavourin g to fin d the settlemen t of Smith’s

Pocket.An observan t traveller might have foun d some compen sa

tion for his disappoin tmen t in the weird aspect of that

86 MLISS.

vicin ity. There were huge fissures on the hillside, an d displacemen ts of the red soil, resemblin g more the chaos of someprimary elemen tal upheaval than the work of man 5while,half-way down , a lon g flume straddled its n arrow body an ddisproportion ate legs over the chasm, like an en ormous fossilof some forgotten an tediluvian . At every step smallerditches crossed the road

,hidin g in their sallow depths u n

lovely streams that crept away to a clan destin e un ion withthe great yellow torren t below

,an d here an d there were the

ruin s of some cabin with the chimn ey alon e left in tact an dthe hearthston e open to the skies .

The settlemen t of Smith’s Pocket owed its origin to the

fin din g of a pocket ” on its site by a veritable Smith.Five thousan d dollars were taken ou t of it in on e half-hourby Smith. Three thousan d dollars were expen ded by Smithan d others in erectin g a flu me an d in tun n ellin g. An d thenSmith’s Pocket was foun d to be on ly a pocket, an d subj ectlike other pockets to depletion . A lthough Smith pierced thebowels of the great red moun tain , that five thousan d dollarswas the first an d last return of his labour. The moun taingrew reticen t of its golden secrets

,an d the flume steadily

ebbed away the remain der of Smith’s fortun e. Then Smithwen t in to quartz-min in g ; then in to quartz-millin g 5 thenin to hydraulics an d ditchin g

,an d then by easy degrees in to

saloon -keepin g. Presen tly it was whispered that Smith wasdrinkin g a great deal 5 then it was kn own that Smith was ahabitual drun kard, an d then people began to thin k, as theyare apt to, that he had n ever been an ythin g else. Bu t thesettlemen t of Smith’s Pocket, like that of most discoveries,was happily n ot depen den t on the fortun e of its pion eer, an dother part ies projected tun n els an d foun d pockets. So

Smith’s Pocket became a settlemen t with its two fan cystores, its two hotels, its on e express-office

,an d its two first

families. Occas ion ally its on e lon g stragglin g street wasoverawed by the assumption of the latest San Fran cisco

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88 MLISA.

man ’s craft,an d the master had met her before, miles away,

shoeless,stockin gless, an d bareheaded on the moun tain road.

The min ers’ camps alon g the stream supplied her with subsist en ce durin g these volun tary pilgrimages, in freely offeredalms. Not bu t that a larger protection had been previouslyexten ded to Mliss . The Rev . Joshua McSn agley, statedpreacher

,had placed her in ‘

the hotel as servan t,by way of

prelimin ary refin emen t,an d had in troduced her to his

scholars at Sun day-school . Bu t she threw plates occasion allyat the lan dlord, an d quickly retorted to the cheap witticismsof the guests, an d created in the Sabbath-school a sen sationthat was so in imical to the orthodox duln ess an d placidity ofthat in stitution , that, with a decen t regard for the starchedfrocks an d un blemished morals (if the two pin k-an d -whitefaced children of the first families

,the reveren d gen tleman

'had her ign omin iously expelled. Such were the an teceden ts,an d such the character of Mliss

,as she stood before the

master. I t was shown in the ragged dress,the un kempt

hair, an d bleedin g feet, an d asked his pity . I t flashed fromh er black

,fearless eyes

,an d comman ded his respect.

I come here to-n ight,

” she said rapidly an d boldly,keepin g her hard glan ce on his

,

“ because I kn ew you wasalon e. I wouldn ’

t come here when them gals was here. I

hate ’em an d they hates me. That’s why. Y ou keep school,don ’

t you I wan t to be teachedI f to the shabbin ess of her apparel an d un comelin ess of

her tan gled hair an d dirty face she had added the humility oftears, the master would have exten ded to her the usualmoiety of pity, an d n othin g more . Bu t with the n atural

,

though illogical instin cts of his species,her boldn ess

awaken ed in him somethin g of that respect which all origin aln atures pay ‘un con sciously to on e an other in an y grade. ,

An d he gazed at her the more fixedly as she wen t on stillrapidly, her han d on that door-latch an d her eyes on hisMy n ame ’s Mliss,—Mliss Smith Y ou can bet your

MLISS. 39

life on that. My father’s Old Smith, -Old Bummer Smith,

—that’s what’s the matter with him. Mliss Smith,—an d

I’

m comin g to school .”W ell ? said the master.

A ccustomed to be thwarted an d opposed,often wan ton ly

an d cruelly, for n o other purpose than to excite the violen timpulses of her n ature

,the master’s phlegm eviden tly took

her by surprise . She stopped 5 she began to twist a lock of

her hair between her fin gers ; an d the rigid lin e of upperlip

,drawn over the wicked little teeth

,relaxed an d quivered

slightly. Then her eyes dropped,

an d somethin g like ablush struggled up to her cheek

, an d tried to assert itselfthrough the splashes of redder soil

,an d the sun burn of

years . Sudden ly she threw herself forward, callin g on Godto strike her dead , an d fell quite weak an d helpless

,with

her face on the master’s desk,cryin g an d sobbin g as if her

heart would break.The master lifted her gen tly an d waited for the paroxysmto pass. W hen with face still averted

,she was repeatin g

between her sobs the mea. cu lpa of childish pen iten ce,— thatshe’d be good , she didn ’

t mean it came to him toask her why she had left Sabbath-school.W hy had she left the Sabbath- school —why ? 0 yes.

W hat did he (McSn agley) wan t to tell her she was wickedfor ? W hat did he tell her that God hated her for ? I f God

hated her,what did she wan t to go Sabbath- school for ? She

didn ’t wan t to be beholden to an ybody who hated her.

H ad she told McSn agley this ?Y es she had.The master laughed. I t was a hearty laugh, an d echoed

so oddly in the little school-house,an d seemed so in con sisten t

an d discordan t with the sighin g of the pin es without, that heshortly corrected himself with a sigh. The sigh was quiteas sin cere in its way, however, an d after a momen t of seriou stilen ce he ‘

ask ed her about her father.

90 MLISS.

H er father ? W hat father ? W hose father ? W hat hadhe ever don e for her ? W hy did the girls hate her ? Comen ow ! what made the folks say

,

“ Old Bummer Smith’sMliss !” when she passed ? Y es 50 yes. She wished he wasdead, —she was dead, —everybody was dead ; an d her sobsbroke forth an ew.

The master, then lean in g over her, told her as well as hecou ld what you or I might have said after hearin g suchu n n atural theories from childish lips 5 on ly bearin g in min dperhaps better than you or I the un n atural facts of herragged dress, her bleedin g feet, an d the omnipresen t shadowof her drun ken father. Then

,raisin g her to her feet

,he

wrapped his shawl aroun d her, an d , biddin g her come earlyin the morn in g, he walked with her down the road. Therehe bade her “ good n ight.” The moon shon e brightly on then arrow path before them. H e stood an d watched the ben tlittle figure as it staggered down the road, an d waited u n tilit had passed the little graveyard an d reached the curve ofthe hill

,where it turn ed an d stood for a momen t

,a mere

atom of sufferin g outlin ed again st the far-off patien t stars.Then he wen t back to his work. Bu t the lin es of the copybook thereafter faded in to lon g parallels of n ever-en din groad, over which childish figures seemed to pas s sobbin g an dcryin g in to the night . Then

,the little school-house seemin g

lon elier than before, he shut the door an d wen t home.The n ext morn in g Mliss came to school. H er face hadbeen washed, an d her coarse black hair bore eviden ce of

recen t struggles with the comb, in which both had eviden tlysuffered. The old defian t look shon e occasion ally in her

eyes,but her man n er was tamer an d more subdued. Then

began a series of little trials an d self- sacrifices, in whichmaster an d pupil bore an equal part

,an d which in creased

the con fiden ce an d sympathy between them. A lthoughobed ien t un der the mas ter’s eye, at times durin g the recess,if thwarted or stun g by a fan cied slight, Mliss would rage in

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é: MLISS.

you come with me ?” An d on his sign ifyin g his readin ess,

in her old wilful way she said, “ Come, then , quick.”They passed ou t of the door together, an d in to the dark

read . A s they en tered the town the master asked herwhither she was goin g . She replied , To see my father.

I t was the first time he had heard her call him by thatfilial title, or in deed an ythin g more than “ Old Smith, or the

Old Man .

”I t was the first time in three mon ths that she

had spoken of him at all,an d the master kn ew she had kept

resolutely aloof from him sin ce her great chan ge . Satisfiedfrom her man n er that it was fruitless to question her pu r

pose,he passively followed. I n ou t-of-the-way places, low

groggeries,restauran ts

,an d saloon s ; in gamblin g-hells an d

dan ce-houses,the master, preceded byMliss , came an d wen t .

I n the reekin g smoke an d blasphemous outcries of low den s,

the child,holdin g the master’s han d

,stood an d an xiously

gazed,seemin gly u n con scious of all in the on e absorbin g

n ature of her pursuit . Some of the revellers,recognisin g

Mliss,called to the child to sin g an d dan ce for them

, an d

would have forced liquor upon her bu t for the in terferen ceof the master. Others

,recogn isin g him mutely

, made wayfor them to pass. So an hour slipped by. Then the childwhispered in his ear that there was a cabin on the others ide of the creek, crossed by the lon g flume, where shethought he still might be. Thither they crossed

,— a toilsome

half-hour’s walk, b u t in vain . They were returnin g by theditch at the abutmen t of the flume

,gazin g at the lights of

the town on the opposite ban k, when sudden ly, sharply, aquick report ran g ou t on the clear n ight air. The echoescaught it

,an d carried it roun d an d roun d Red Moun tain , an d

set the dogs to barkin g all alon g the streams. Lights seemedtodan ce an d move quickly on the outskirts of the town fora few momen ts

,the stream rippled qu ite audibly beside

them, a few ston es loosen ed themselves from the hillside, an d! slashed in to the stream, a heavy win d seemed to surge t he

MLISS. 93

bran ches of the fun ereal pin es,an d then the silen ce seemed

to fall thicker, heavier, an d deadl ier. The master turn edtowards Mliss with an un con scious gesture of protection , bu tthe child had gon e. Oppressed by a stran ge fear, he ranquickly down the trail to the river’s bed

,an d

,jumpin g from

boulder to boulder,reached the base of Red Moun tain an d

the outskirts of the village . Midway of the crossin g heook ed up an d held his breath in awe. For high above him,on the n arrow flume

,he saw the flutterin g little figu re of his

late compan ion crossin g swiftly in the darkn ess.H e climbed the ban k, an d , guided by a few lights movin gabout a cen tral poin t on the moun tain , soon foun d himselfbreathless amon g a crowd of awe-stricken an d sorrowfulmen . Ou t from amon g them the child appeared, an d , takin gthe master’s han d

,led him silen tly before what seemed a

ragged hole in the moun tain . H er face was quite white,but

her excited man n er gon e,an d her look that of on e to whom

some lon g- expected even t had at last happen ed,—an expres

sion that,to the master in his bewildermen t

,seemed almost

like relief. The walls of the cavern were partly propped bydecayin g timbers. The child poin ted to what appeared to besome ragged cast-off clothes left in the hole by the late occupan t . The master approached n earer with his flamin g dip

,

an d ben t over them. I t was Smith, already cold, with a

pistol in his han d, an d a bullet in his heart, lyin g beside his

empty pocket.

CHAPTER I I .

THE opin ion which McSn agley expressed in referen ce to achan ge of heart ” supposed to be experien ced by Mliss

was more forcibly describedin the gulches an d tun n els. I t wasthought there that Mliss had “ struck a good lead.” So whenthere was a n ew grave added to the little en closure, an d at

the expen se of the master a little board an d ins cription pu t

94 MLISS.

above it, the Red Moun tain Ban n er came out quite han dsomely, an d did the fair thin g to the memory of on e of ou r

oldest Pion eers,

” allud in g gracefully to that “ ban e of n oblein tellects

,

”an d otherwise gen teelly shelvin g ou r dear brother

with the past. H e leaves an on ly child to mourn his loss,”says the Ban n er, who is n ow an exemplary scholar, than ksto the efforts of the Rev . Mr. McSn agley.

” The Rev

McSn agley, in fact, made a stron g poin t of Mliss’s con version , an d , in d irectly attributin g to the un fortun ate child thesuicide of her father

,made affectin g allusion s in Sun day

school to the ben eficial effects of the “ silen t tomb, an d in

this cheerful con templation drove most of the children in tospeechless horror

,an d caused the pin k-an d -white scion s of the

first families to bowl dismallv an d refuse to be comforted.The lon g dry summer came. As each fierce day burn ed

itself ou t in little whiffs of pearl -gray smoke on the moun tainsummits, an d the upsprin gin g breeze scattered its red embersover the lan dscape

,the green wave which in early sprin g

u pheaved above Smith’s grave grew sere, an d dry, an d hard .

I n those days the master,strollin g in the little churchyard

of a Sabbath aftern oon,was sometimes surprised to fin d a

fewwild flowers plucked from the damp pin e forest scatteredthere

,an d often er rude wreaths hun g upon the little pin e

cross. Most of these wreaths were formed of a sweet -scen tedgrass, which the children loved to keep in their desks, in tertwin ed with the plumes of the buckeye, the syrin ga, an d thewood an emon e ; an d here an d there the master n oticed thedark blue cowl of the mon k’s-hood

,or dead ly acon ite . There

was somethin g in the odd as sociation of this n oxiou s plan twith these memorialswhich occasion ed a pain ful sen sation tothe master deeper than his esthetic sen se. On e day, durin ga lon g walk, in crossin g a wooded ridge, he came u pon Mlissin the heart of the forest

,perched u pon a prostrate pin e, on

a fan tastic thron e formed by the han gin g plumes of lifelessbran ches, her lap fu ll of grasses an d pin e~ bu rrs

,an d crooning

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96 MLISS.

I t was an amiable weakn ess of Mrs. Morpher to imagin ethat Clyt ie was a con solat ion an d model for Mliss .

Followin g this fallacy, Mrs . Morpher threw Clytie at thehead of Mliss when she was “ bad

,

”an d set her up before

the child for adoration in her pen iten tial momen ts. I t was

n ot, therefore, surprisin g to the master to hear that Clytiewas comin g to school, obviou sly as a favour to the masteran d as an example for Mliss an d others. For Clytie was

quite a youn g lady. I n heritin g her mother’s physicalpeculiarities

,an d in obedien ce to the climatic laws of the

Red Moun tain region,she was an early bloomer. The

youth of “ Smith’s Pocket,

”to whom this kin d of flower

was rare,sighed for her in April an d lan guished in May.

En amoured swain s haun ted the school-house at the hour of

d ismissal. A few were j ealous of the master.

Perhaps it was this latter circumstan ce that open ed themaster’s eyes to an other. H e cou ld n ot help n oticin g thatClyt ie was roman tic 5 that in school she required a greatdeal of atten tion 5 that her pen s were un iformly bad an d

wan ted fixin g ; that she u sually accompan ied the requestwith a certain expectation in her eye that was somewhatdisproportion ate to the quality of service she verbally re

quired ; that she sometimes allowed the curves of a roun d,plump white arm to rest on his when he was writin g hercopies 5 that she always blushed an d flun g back her blon dcurls when she did so. I don ’

t remember whether I havestated that the master was a youn g man ,—it ’s of little consequen ce, however he had been severely educated in the

school in which Clytie was takin g her first lesson , an d , onthe whole, withstood the flexible curves an d factitious glan celike the fin e youn g Spartan that he was. Perhaps ansufficien t quality of food may have ten ded to this asceticism.

H e gen erally avoided Clytie ; bu t on e even in g when she

retu rn ed to the school-house after somethin g she had forgotten , an d did n ot fin d it un til the mas ter walked home

MLISS. 97

with her. I hear that he en deavoured to mak e himselfparticularly agreeable,—partlyfrom the fact, I imagin e, thathis con duct was addin g gall an d bittern ess to the alreadyovercharged hearts of Clytemn estra’s admirers.The morn in g after this afiectin g episode Mliss did n ot

come to school . Noon came,but n ot Mliss . Question

in g Clytie on the subj ect, it appeared that they had left forschool together, bu t the wilful Mliss had taken an other road.The aftern oon brought her n ot . I n the even in g he called onMrs. Morpher

,whose motherly heart was really alarmed.

Mr. Morpher had spen t all day in search of her, withoutdiscoverin g a trace that might lead to her discovery.Aristides was summon ed as a probable accomplice, butthat equitable in fan t succeeded in impressin g the householdwith his in n ocen ce. Mrs . Morpher en tertain ed a v ivid impression that the child would yet be foun d drown ed in aditch, or, what was almost as terrible, muddied an d soiledbeyon d the redemption of soap an d water. Sick at heart,the master return ed to the school-house. A s be lit his lampan d seated himself at his desk

,he foun d a n ote lyin g before

him addressed'

to himself,in Mliss’s han dwritin g. I t seemed

to be written on a leaf torn from some old memoran dumbook, an d to preven t sacrilegious triflin g

,had been sealed

with six broken wafers. Open in g it almost ten derly, themaster read as followsRESPECTED SIR

,-W hen you read this

,I am ru n away.

Never to come back. Never, NEVER, NEVER. Y ou can

give my heeds to Mary Jen n in gs,an d my Amerika’s Pride

[a highly-coloured lithograph from a tobacco-box]to SallyFlan ders. Bu t don ’

t you give an ythin g to Clytie Morpher.

Don ’t you dare to. Do you kn ow what my opin ion is of

her,it is this, she is perfek ly disgu stin . That is all an d n o

more at presen t fromYou rs respectfu lly,

MELISSA SMITH.

n

98 MLISS.

The master sat pon derin g on this stran ge epistle till themoon lifted its bright face above the distan t hills, an d

illumin ated the trail that led to the school-hous e, beatenquite hard with the comin g an d goin g of little feet . Then

,

more satisfied in min d, he tore the missive in to fragmen tsan d scattered them alon g the road.At sun rise the n ext morn in g he was pickin g his waythrough the palm-like fern an d thick un derbru sh of thepin e-forest

,startin g the hare from its form

,an d awaken in g a

querulous ‘ protest from a few d issipated crows,who had

eviden tly been makin g a n ight of it,an d so came to the

wooded ridge where he had on ce foun d Mliss. There hefoun d the prostrate pin e an d tasselled bran ches, but thethron e was vacan t. As he drew n earer

,what might have

been some frighten ed an imal started through the cracklin glimbs. I t ran u p the tossed arms of the fallen mon arch

,

an d sheltered itself in some frien dly foliage. The master,

reachin g the old seat, foun d the n est still warm ; lookin gu p in the in tertwin in g bran ches, he met the black eyes ofthe erran t Mliss . They gazed at each other withou tspeakin g. She was the first to break the silen ce.

“W hat do you wan t ? ” she asked curtly.The master had decided on a course of action . I wan t

some crab-apples he said, humbly.Shan ’

t hav e em ; go away. W hy don ’t you get ’em of

Clytemn erestera (I t seemed to be a relief to Mliss toexpress her con tempt in addition al syllables to that classicalyoun g woman ’s already lon g-drawn t itle.) 0 you wickedthin g !”

“ I am hun gry, Lizzy. I have eaten n othin g sin ced in n er yesterday. I am famished an d the youn g man ,in a state of remarkable exhaustion , lean ed again st thetree .Melissa’s heart was touched. I n the bitter days of her

gipsy life she had kn own the sen sation he so artfully

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loo MLISS .

velvet forepaws, sat an d gazed at them. A squirrel ranhalf-way down the furrowed bark Of the fallen tree, an d

there stopped.“W e are waitin g, Lissy, said the master, in a whisper,

an d the child smiled. Stirred by a passin g breeze, the treetops rocked

,an d a lon g pen cil of . light stole through their

in terlaced boughs full on the doubtin g face an d irresolutelittle figure. Sudden ly she took the master’s han d in herquick way. W hat she said was scarcely audible, but themaster

,puttin g the black hair back from her forehead, kissed

her ; an d so, han d in han d, they passed ou t of the dampaisles an d forest odours in to the Open sun lit road .

CHAPTER I I I.

SOMEWHAT less spiteful in her in tercourse with otherscholars

,Mliss still retain ed an Offen sive attitude in

regard to Clytemn estra. Perhaps the j ealous elemen t wasn ot en tirely lulled in her passion ate little breast. Perhaps itwas on ly that the roun d curves an d plump outlin e offeredmore exten ded pin chin g surface. B u t while su ch ebullition swere un der the master’s con trol

,her enmity occasion ally

took a n ew an d irrepressible form.

The master in his first estimate of the child’s charactercould n ot con ceive that she had ever possessed a doll. Bu t

the master,like man y other professed readers of character,

was safer in aposteriorithan apriorireason in g. Mliss hada doll, bu t then it was emphatically Mliss’s doll,—a smallercopy of herself. I ts un happy existen ce had been a secretdiscovered acciden tally by Mrs . Morpher. I t had been theOld -time compan ion Of Mliss

’

s wan derin gs,an d bore eviden t

marks of sufferin g. I ts origin al complexion was lon g sin cewashed away by the weather an d an oin ted by the slime ofd itches. I t looked very much as Mliss had in days past

MLISS. 1 0 1

Its On e gown of faded stuffwas dirty an d ragged as hers hadbeen . Mliss had n ever been kn own to apply to it any

childish term of en dearmen t She n ever exhibited it in thepresen ce of other children . I t was put severely to bed in a

hollow tree n ear the school-house,an d on ly allowed exercise

durin g Mliss ’s rambles, Fulfillin g a stern duty to her doll,as she would to herself, it kn ew n o luxuries.Now Mrs . Morpher, obeyin g a commen dable impulse,bought an other doll an d gave it toMliss. The child receivedit gravely an d curiously. The master, on lookin g at it on eday

,fan cied he saw a slight resemblan ce in its roun d red

cheeks an d mild blue eyes to Clytemn estra. I t becameeviden t before lon g that Mliss had also n oticed the sameresemblan ce. Accordin gly she hammered its waxen headon the rocks when she was alon e

, an d sometimes dragged itwith a strin g roun d its n eck to an d from school . At othertimes

,settin g it up on her desk

,she made a pin -cushion of

its patien t an d in offen sive body. W hether this was don e inreven ge of what she con sidered a secon d figurative obtrusionof Clytie’s excellen ces upon her

,or whether she had an

in tuitive appreciation of the rites Of certain other heathen s,an d

,in dulgin g in that “ Fetish ,” ceremon y, imagin ed that

the origin al of her wax model would pin e away an d fin allydie

,is a metaphysical question I shall n ot n ow con sider.

I n spite of these moral vagaries,the master could n ot help

n oticin g in her differen t tasks the workin g of a quick,restless,

an d vigorous perception . She kn ew n either the hesitan cyn or the doubts of childhood . H er an swers in class werealways slightly dashed with audacity. Of course she wasn ot in fallible. Bu t her courage an d darin g in passin gbeyon d her own depth an d that of the floun derin g littleswimmers aroun d her

,in their min ds outweighed all errors

Of judgmen t . Children are n ot better than grown people inthis respect

,I fan cy ; an d when ever the little red han d

flashed above her desk,there was a won derin g silen ce, an d

loz MLISS.

e ven the masterwas sometimes oppressedwith a doubt of hisown experien ce an d judgmen t.Nevertheless

,certain attributes which at first amused an d

en tertain ed his fan cy began to afflict him with grave doubts.H e could n ot but see that Mliss was reven geful, irreveren t,an d wilful. That there was but on e better quality whichpertain ed to her semi-savage disposition ,—the faculty of

physical fortitude an d selfs acrifice, an d an other, though n ot

always an attribute of the n oble savage,

-Truth . Mliss was

both fearless an d sin cere ; perhaps in such a character theadj ectives were syn on ymous.The master had been doin g some hard thin kin g on this

subject, an d had arrived at that con clusion quite common toall who thin k sin cerely, that he was gen erally the slave ofhis own prejudices

,when he determin ed to call on the

Rev . McSn agley for advice . This decision was somewhathumiliatin g to his pride

,as he an d McSn agley were n ot

frien ds. Bu t he thought of Mliss,an d the even in g of their

first meetin g ; an d perhaps with a pardon able superstitionthat it was n ot chan ce alon e that had guided her wilfulfeet to the school-house

,an d perhaps with a complacen t

con sciousn ess Of the raremagn animitv Of the act, he chokedback his dislike an d wen t to McSn agley.

The reveren d gen tleman was glad to see him. Moreover,he observed that the master was lookin g peartish,

”an d

hoped he had got over the “n euralgy ” an d rheumatiz.

H e himself had been troubled with a dumb “ ager ” sin celast con feren ce. Bu t he had learn ed to rastle an d pray.”Pausin g a momen t to en able the master to write hiscertain method of curin g the dumb “

ager ” upon the bookan d volume Of his brain , Mr. McSn agley proceeded to in quireafter SisterMorpher. She is an adornmen t to Christewan ity,an d has a likely growin

’ young family,” added Mr.

McSn agley ; an d there’s that man n erly youn g gal,—so

well behaved, -Miss Clytie. I n fact,Clytie’s perfection s

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1 04 MLISS.

educated youn g men of un blemished moral character b ein gscarce at that time, he con sen ted to con tin ue his school termthrough the win ter to early sprin g. Non e else kn ew of hisin ten tion except his on e frien d

,a Dr. Duchesn e, a youn g

Creole physician kn own to the people of Win gdam asDu chesn y.

”H e n evermen tion ed it toMrs . Morpher

, Clytie,or an y of his scholars. His reticen ce was partly the resultof a con stitution al in disposition to fuss

,partly a desire to

be spared the question s an d su rmises of vulgar curiosity, an dpartly that he n ever really believed he was goin g to doan ythin g before it was don e.H e did n ot like to thin k of Mliss. I t was a selfishin stin ct, perhaps, which made him try to fan cy his feelin gfor the child was foolish

,roman tic, an d un practical. H e

even tried to imagin e that she would do better un der thecon trol of an older an d stern er teacher. Then she wasn early eleven ,

an d in a few years, by the rules Of Red

Moun tain , would be a woman . H e had don e his duty.After Smith’s death he addressed letters to Smith’s relatives,an d received on e an swer from a sister of Melissa’s mother.

Than kin g the master, she stated her in ten tion Of leavin g theAtlan tic States for Californ ia with her husban d in a fewmon ths. Thiswas a slight superstructure for the airy castlewhich the master pictured for Mliss’s house, bu t it was easyto fan cy that some lovin g sympathetic woman

,with the

claims of kin dred,might better guide her wayward n ature.

Y et, when the mas ter had read the letter, Mliss listen ed xto

it carelessly, received it submissively,an d afterwards cu t

figures ou t of it with her scissors,supposed to represen t

Clytemn estra, labelled “ the white girl,” to preven t mistakes,an d impaled them upon the outer walls of the school—house.W hen the summer was about spen t

,an d the last harvest

had been gathered in the valleys, the master bethought himOf gatherin g in a few ripen ed sheets of the youn g idea, an dof havin g his H arvest-H ome, or Examin ation . SO the savan e

MLISS. 1 05

an d profession als of Smith’s Pocket were gathered towitn essthat time-hon oured custom of placin g timid children in a

con strain ed position , an d bullyin g them as in a witn ess-box.As usual in such cases, the most audacious an d self-possessedwere the lucky recipien ts of the hon ours . The reader willimagin e that in the presen t in stan ce Mliss an d Clytie werepre

-emin en t, an d d ivided public atten tion ; Mliss with herclearn ess of material perception an d self-relian ce

, Clytiewith her placid self- esteem an d sain t- like correctn ess ofdeportmen t . The other little on es were timid an d blun derin g.Mliss

’

s read in ess an d brillian cy, of course,capt ivated the

greatest n umber an d provoked the greatest applause. Mliss ’san teceden ts had un con sciously awaken ed the s tron gestsympathies of a class whose athletic forms were ran gedagain st the walls, or whose han dsome bearded faces lookedin at the win dows. B u t Mliss ’s popularity was overthrownby an un expected circumstan ce.McSn agley had in vited himself, an d had been goin gthrough the pleasin g en tertain men t of frighten in g the moretimid pupils by the vaguest an d most ambiguous question sdelivered in an impressive fun ereal ton e ; an d Mliss hadsoared in to Astron omy

,an d was trackin g the course of ou r

spotted ball through space,an d keepin g time with the

music of the spheres, an d defin in g the tethered orbits of theplan ets

,when McSn agley impressively arose. Meelissy !

ye were speakin g of the revolution s of this yere yearthan d the move-mea ts of the su n , an d I thin k ye said it hadbeen

’

a—doin g of it sin ce the creashu n,eh ? Mliss n odded

a scorn ful affirmative. “Well,war that the truth ? ” said

McSn agley, foldin g his arms. “ Y es,

” said Mliss,shuttin g up

her little red lips tightly. The han dsome outlin es at thewin dows peered fu rther in the school -room, an d a sain tlyRaphael-face

,with blon d beard an d soft blue eyes, belon gin g

to the biggest scamp in the diggin gs, turn ed toward thechild an d whispered, “ Stick to it Mliss The reveren d

1 06 MLISS.

gen tleman heaved a deep sigh,an d cast a compassion ate

glan ce at the master, then at the children ,an d then r ested

his look on Clytie. That youn g woman softly elevated herroun d

,white arm. I ts seductive curves were enhan ced '

by

a gorgeous an d mas sive specimen bracelet,the gift of on e Of

her humblest worshippers, worn in hon ou r of the occasion .

There was a momen tary silen ce. Clytie’s roun d cheeks werevery pin k an d soft . Clytie’s big eyes were very bright an dblu e. Clytie’s low- n ecked white book-muslin rested softlyon Clytie’s white, plump shoulders . Clytie looked atthe master

,an d the master n odded. Then. Clytie spoke

Joshua comman ded the su n to stan d still,an d it obeyed

him !” There was a low hum of applause in the schoolroom,a triumphan t expression on McSn agley

’

s face,a grave

shadow on the master’s, an d a comical look Of disappoin tmen t reflected from the win dows. Mliss sk immed rapidlyover her A stron omy, an d then shut the book with a loudsn ap. A groan burst from McSn agley, an expression of

aston ishmen t from the school-room, a yell from the win dows,as Mliss brought her red fist down on the desk

, with the

emphatic declaration ,I t

’

s a d—n lie. I don ’t believe it

CHAPTER IV.

HE lon g wet season had drawn n ear its close . ’

Sign s ofsprin g were visible in the swellin g buds an d rushin g

torren ts. The pin e-forests exhaled the fresher spicery. The

azaleas were already buddin g, the Cean othus gettin g ready itslilac livery for sprin g. On the green uplan d which climbedRed Moun tain at its southern aspect the lon g spike of the

mon k’s-hood shot u p from its broad-leaved stool, an d on ce

more shook its dark-blu e bells. Again the billow above

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1 08 MLISS.

breath, an d. turn ed to the master’s grave face with a halfapologetic smile an d wearied gesture . Then she said,“Now take me home !” an d. dropped the lids of her

black eyes, as if to dwell on ce more in fan cy on the mimic

On their way to Mrs . Morpher’

s,the master thought

proper to ridicu le the whole performan ce . Now he shouldn ’twon derif Mliss thought that the youn g lady who actedso beautifully was really in earn est

,an d. in love with the

gen tleman who were such fin e clothes. W ell,if she

were in love with him, it was a very un fortun ate thin g !“W hy ? said Mliss, with an upward sweep of the d rOOpin glid. Oh ! well, he couldn ’

t support his wife at his presen tsalary

,an d pay so much a week for his fin e clothes, an d then

they wouldn ’

t receive as much Wages if they were marriedas if they were merely lovers—that is, added the master,“ if they are n ot already married to somebody else 5 bu t Ithin k the husban d of the pretty youn g coun tess takes thetickets at the door, or pulls up the curtain

, or sn uffs thecan dles, or does somethin g equally refin ed an d elegan t. A s

to the youn g man with n ice clothes, which are really n icen ew,

an d must cost at least two an d a half or three dollars,

n ot to speak of that man tle of red drugget which I happento kn ow the price of, for I bought some of it for my roomon ce 5 as to this youn g man

,Lissy

,he is a pretty good

fellow,an d if he does drin k occasion ally, I don ’

t thin k peopleought to take advan tage of it an d give him black eyes an dthrow him in the mud. Do you ? I am sure he might oweme two dollars an d a half a lon g time, before I would throwit up in his face, as the fellow did the other n ight at W in gdam.

”

Mliss had taken his han d in both of hers an d was tryin gto look in his eyes, which the youn g man kept as resolutelyaverted . Mliss had a fain t idea of iron y, in dulgin g herselfsometimes in a species of sardon ic humour, which was

MLISS. 1 09

equ ally visible in her action s an d her speech . Bu t the

youn g man con tin ued in this strain un til they had reachedMrs . Morpher

’s,an d he had deposited Mliss in her matern al

charge . W aivin g the in vitation ofMrs . Morpher to refreshmen t an d rest

,an d shadin g his eyes with his han d to keep

ou t the blue-eyed Clytemn estra’s siren glan ces,he excused

himself,an d. wen t home.

For two or three days after the adven t Of the dramaticcompan y

,Mliss was late at school

,an d the master’s usual

Friday aftern oon ramble was for on ce omitted,owin g to the

absen ce of his trustworthy guide. As he was puttin g awayhis books an d preparin g to leave the school-house, a smallvoice piped at his side

,

“ Please,sir ?

”The master turn ed

,

an d there stood Aristides Morpher.

“W ell,my little man ,” said the master, impatien tly,

“ what is it ? quickPlease

,sir

,me an d Kerg

’ thin ks that Mliss is goin g toru n away agin .

”

“W hat’s that, sir ?” said the master

,with that un just

testin ess with which we always receive d isagreeable n ews .“W hy, sir, she don ’t stay home an y more, an d Kerg

’

an d me see her talkin g with on e of those actor fellers,an d

she’s with him n ow ; an d please,sir, yesterday she told

‘Kerg an d me she could make a speech as well as MissCellers tin aMon tmoressy, an d she spouted right Off by heart,”an d the little fellow paused in a collapsed con dition .

W hat actor ? asked the master.

Him as wears the shin y hat . An d hair. An d goldpin . An d gold chain

,

” said the just Aristides,puttin g

periods for commas to eke out his breath .The master put on his gloves an d hat, feelin g an u nplea

san t tightn ess in his chest an d thorax, an d walked out inthe road. Aristides trotted alon g by his side , en deavourin gto keep pace with his short legs to the master’s s trides,when the master stopped sudden ly, an d Aristides bumped

n o MLISS.

u p again st him.

“W here were they talkin g ? asked themaster

,as if con tin uin g the con versation .

“At the Arcade,

” said Aristides.W hen they reached the main street the master paused.Ru n down home,” said he to the boy. I fMliss is there,come to the Arcade an d tell me . I f she isn ’

t there, stayhome ; ru n 1 An d off trotted the short-legged Aristides.The Arcade was just across the way—a lon g ramblin gbuildin g

,con tain in g a bar-room

,billiard-room

,an d restan

ran t. As the youn g man crossed the plaza he n oticed thattwo or three of the passers-by turn ed an d looked after him.

H e looked at his clothes,took ou t his han dkerchief an d

wiped his face,before he en tered the bar-room. I t con tain ed

the usual n umber of loun gers,who stared at him as he en

tered . On e of them looked at him so fixedly an d with sucha stran ge expression

,that the master stopped an d looked

again,an d then saw it was on ly his own reflection in a large

mirror . This made the master thin k that perhaps he wasa little excited

,an d so he took up a copy of the Red Mou n

tain Ban n er from on e of the tables,an d tried to recover his

composure by readin g the column of advertisemen ts .H e then walked through the bar-room

,through the res .

tau ran t,an d in to the billiard -room. The child was n ot

there. I n the latter apartmen t a person was stan din g byon e of the tables with a broad-brimmed glazed hat on hishead . The master recogn ized him as the agen t of the dramatic compan y he had taken a dislike to him at their firstmeetin g, from the peculiar fashion of wearin g his beard an dhair. Satisfied that the object of his search was n ot there,he turn ed to the man with a glazed hat. H e had n oticedthe master, bu t tried that common trick of u n con sciousn ess

,

in which vulgar n atures always fail. Balan cin g a billiardcu e in his han d, he preten ded to play with a ball in thecen tre of the table. The master stood Opposite to him un til

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x1 2 111 12155.

The man with the glazed hat,mistakin g the master’s

silen ce, raised his head with a coarse, brutal laugh, an d saidin a loud voice

,

W an t her yourself,do you ? That cockwon ’

t fight here,y oun g man 1 ”The in sult was more in the ton e than the words, more inthe glan ce than ton e

,an d more in the man ’s in stin ctive

n ature than all these. The best appreciable rhetoric to thiskin d of an imal is a blow. The master felt this, an d withhis pen t- u p, n ervous en ergy fin din g expression in the on e

act, he struck the brute fu ll in his grin n in g face. The blowsen t the glazed hat on e way an d the on e an other, an d torethe glove an d skin from the master’s han d from kn uckle toj oin t. I t open ed up the corn ers of the fellow’s mouth, an d

spoilt the peculiar shape of his beard for some time to come.

There was a shout,an imprecation

,a scuffle

,an d the

tramplin g of man y feet. Then the crowd parted right an dleft, an d two sharp quick reports followed each other in

rapid succession . Then they closed again about his oppon en t,an d the master was stan din g alon e. H e remembered pickin gbits of burn in g waddin g from his coat-sleeve with his lefthan d. Some on e was holdin g his other han d. Lookin g at it,he saw it was still bleedin g from the blow,

but his fin gerswere clen ched aroun d the han dle of a glitterin g kn ife. H e

could n ot remember when or how he got it .

The man who was hold in g his han d was Mr. Morpher.

H e hurried the master to the door,bu t the master held back,

an d tried to tell him as well as he could with his parchedthroat about “Mliss .

”I t

’

s all right, my boy, said Mr.

Morpher.

“ She’s home An d they passed ou t in to the streettogether. As they walked alon g Mr. Morpher said thatMliss had come run n in g in to the house a few momen ts before, ‘an d. had dragged him ou t

,sayin g that somebody was tryin g

to kill the master at the Arcade. W ishin g to be alon e, themaster promised Mr. Morpher that he would n ot seek the

MLISS. x1 3

Agen t again that n ight, an d parted from him, takin g theroad toward the school-house. H e was surprised in n earin git to fin d the door open

,- still more su rprised to fin d Mliss

sittin g there.The master’s n ature, as I have hin ted before, had , likemost sen sitive organ ization s, a selfish basis. The brutaltaun t thrown out by his late adversary still ran kled in hisheart . I t was possible, he thought, that such a con struetion might be put upon his affection for the child, which atbest was foolish an d Quixotic . Besides

,had she n ot volu n

tarily abn egated his authority an d affection ? A n d whathad everybody else said about her ? W hy should he alon ecombat the opin ion of all, an d be at last obliged tacitly tocon fess the truth of all they had predicted ? A n d he hadbeen a participan t in a low bar-room fight with a commonboor

,an d risked his life

,to prove what ? W hat had he

proved ? Nothin g ! W hat would the people say ? W hatwould his frien ds say W hat wouldMcSn agley say ?I n his self-accusation the last person he should have

Wished to meet was Mliss. H e en tered the door,an d

,goin g

u p to his desk told the child, in a few cold words, that hewas busy

,an d wished to be alon e. A s she rose he took her

vacan t seat,an d

,sittin g down

,buried his head in his han ds.

W hen he looked up again she was still stan din g there. She

was lookin g at his face with an an xious expression .

Did you kill him she asked.“No said the master.

That’s what I gave you the kn ife for ! said the child,quickly.

Gaveme the kn ife ? repeated the master,in bewildermen t.

Y es, gave you the kn ife. I was there un der the bar.

Saw you hit him. Saw you both fall. He dropped his o ld

knife. I gave it to you. W hy didn ’

t you stick him ? saidMliss, rapidly, with an expressive twin kle of the black ev esan d a gesture of the little red han d.

1 x4 MLISS.

The master could on ly look his aston ishmen t.Y es

,

” saidMliss .

“ If you’d asked me, I ’d told you I wasoff with the play-actors. W hy was I off with the playactors Because you wouldn ’

t tell me you was goin g away.I kn ew it. I heard you tell the Doctor so . I wasn ’ta -goin g to stay here alon e with those Morpher

’

s . I’

d ratherdie first .

”

W ith a dramatic gesture which was perfectly con sisten twith her character, she drew from her bosom a few limpgreen leaves, an d , hold in g them ou t at arm’s len gth, said inher quick vivid way, an d in the queer pron un ciation of her

old life, which she fell in to when un duly excited,That’s the poison plan t you said would kill me. I

’

ll gowith the play-actors, or I ’ll eat this an d die here . I don ’tcare which. I won ’

t stay here,where they hate an d des

pise me ! Neither wou ld you let me, if you d idn ’t hate an ddespise me tooThe passion ate little breast heaved

,an d two big tears

peeped over the edge of Mliss ’s eyelids,but she whisked

them away with the corn er of her apron as if they had beenwasps.

I f you lock me up in j ail,” said Mliss fiercely,

“ to keepme from the play-actors, I ’ll poison myself. Father k illedhimself

,—why shouldn ’

t I ? Y ou said a mouthful of thatroot would kill me, an d I always carry it here

,

”an d she

struck her breast with her clen ched fist .

The master thou ght of the v acan t plot beside Smith’sgrace , an d of the passion ate little figure before him. Seizin gher han ds in his an d lookin g full in to her truthful eyes,he said,

Lissy, will you go with me 7The child put her arms aroun d his n eck, an d said, joyfully,Yes.

”

“ Bu t n ow—to-nightTo-n ight.”

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1 1 6 THE RIGH T EYE OF THE COJWMANDER

as the latest earthquake ; the struggle that eman cipatedtheir sister colon ies on the other side of the con tin en t tothem had n o su ggestiven ess. I n short

,it was that glorious

I n dian summer of California history,aroun d which so much

poetical haze still lin gers,—that blan d

,in dolen t autumn of

Span ish rule, so soon to be followed by the win try storms ofMexican in depen den ce an d the revivin g sprin g of Americancon quest.The Comman der turn ed from the win dow an d walked

toward the fire that burn ed brightly on the deep oven - likehearth. A pile of copy-books, the work of the Presidioschool

,lay on the table . A s he turn ed over the leaves with

a patern al in terest, an d surveyed the fair roun d Scripturetext

,— the first pious pot-hooks of the pupils of San Carlos,

—an audible commen tary fell from his lips ‘Abimelechtook her from Abraham - ah, little on e, excellen t Jacobsen t to see his brother —body of Christ ! that u p-stroke ofthin e

,Paquita

,is marvellous the Govern or shall see it !”

A film of hon est pride dimmed the Comman der’s left eye,

the right,alas ! twen ty years before had been sealed by an

I n dian arrow. H e rubbed it softly with the sleeve of hisleather jacket, an d con tin ued The I shmaelites havin garrivedH e stopped, for there was a step in the court-yard, a footupon the threshold

,an d a stran ger en tered. ‘

W ith thein stin ct of an old soldier

,the Comman der

,after on e glan ce

at the in truder, turn ed quickly toward the wall, where histrusty Toledo hun g, or should have been han gin g . Bu t itwas n ot there, an d as he recalled the last time he had seenthat weapon it was bein g ridden up an d down the gallery byPepito

,the in fan t son of Bau tista, the tortilio-maker, he

blu shed an d then con ten ted himself with frown in g upon thein truder.

Bu t the stran ger’s air, though irreveren t, was decidedlypeaceful. H e was un armed

,an d wore the ordin ary cape of

THE RI GH T EYE N F THE COMMANDER. 1 1 7

tarpaulin an d sea-boots of a marin er. Except a v illan oussmell of codfish

,there was little about him that was pe

cu liar.

His n ame, as he in formed the Comman der

,in Span ish

that was more fluen t than elegan t or precise,—his n ame was

Peleg Scudder. H e was master of the schoon er Gen eralCou rt, of the port of Salem, in Massachusetts, on a tradin gvoyage to the South Seas, but n ow driven by stress ofweather in to the bay of San Carlos. H e begged permissionto ride ou t the gale un der the headlan ds of the blessedTrin ity, an d n o more . W ater he did n ot n eed

,havin g taken

in a supply at Bodega. H e kn ew the strict surveillan ce ofthe Span ish port regulation s in regard to foreign vessels

,an d

would do n othin g again st the severe disciplin e an d goodorder of the settlemen t. There was a slight tin ge of sarcasm in his ton e as he glan ced toward the desolate paradegroun d of the Presidio an d the open un guarded gate. The

fact was that the sen try, Felipe Gomez, had discreetly retiredto shelter at the begin n in g of the storm

, an d was then sou n dasleep in the corridor.

The Comman der hesitated. The port regulation s weresevere

,but he was accustomed to exercise in dividual au

thority, an d beyon d.

an old order issued ten years before,

regardin g the American ship Colu mbia, there was n o preceden t to guide him. The storm was severe

,an d a sen timen t

of human ity urged him to gran t the stran ger’s request . I t

is bu t just to the Comman der to say, that his in abilily to euforce a refusal did n ot weigh with his d ecision . H e wouldhave den ied with equal disregard of con sequen ces that rightto a seven ty-four gu n ship which he n ow yielded so gracefu lly to this Y an kee tradin g schoon er. H e stipulated only,that there should be n o commun ication between the ship an dshore. For yourself

,Senor Captain ,” he con tin ued, “ accept

my hospitality . The fort is yours as lon g as you shallgrace it with you r distin guished presen ce 5 an d with old

THE RIGHT EYE OF THE COJWMANDER.

fashion ed courtesy, he made the semblan ce of withdrawin gfrom the guard -room .

Master Peleg Scudder smiled as he thou ght of the halfdisin an tled

'

fort,the two mouldy brass can n on

,castin Man ila

a cen tury previous,an d the shiftless garrison . A wild

thought of acceptin g the Comman der’s ofl’

cr literally, conceived in the reckless spirit of a man who n ever let slip anoffer for trade

,for a momen t filled his brain , bu t a timely

reflection of the commercial un importan ce of the tran sactionchecked him. H e on ly took a capacious quid of tobacco, asthe Comman der gravely drew a settle before the fire, an d inhon our of his guest un tied the black silk han dkerchief thatboun d his grizzled brows.W hat passed between Salvatierra an d his guest that n ight

it becomes me n ot,as a grave chron icler of the salien t poin ts

of history, to relate. I have said,

that Master Peleg Scudderwas a flu eu t talker

,an d un der the in fluen ce of divers stron g

waters,furn ished by his host

,he became st ill more loqua

cion s. An d thin k of a man with a twen ty years’ budget ofgossip ! The Comman der learn ed

,for the first time, how

Great Britain lost her colon ies 3 of the Fren ch Revolu tion 3of the great Napoleon

,whose achievemen ts

,perhaps

,Peleg

coloured more highly than the Comman der’s superiorswouldhave liked . An d when Peleg turn ed question er, the Comman der was at his mercy. H e gradually made himselfmaster of the gossip of the Mission an d Presid io, the

“ small-beer chron icles of the pastoral age,the con version

of the heathen,the Presid io schools

,an d even asked the

Comman der how he had lost his eye ! I t is said that at

this poin t of the con versation Master Peleg produced fromabout his person divers small trin kets

,kick- shaws an d

fan gled trifles,an d even forced some of them

host . I t is fu rther alleged that un der the maligof Peleg an d several glasses of agu ardien te,

man der lost somewhat of

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1 2 0 THE RI GH T EYE OF THE COMMANDER.

had ceased. H e sat up in bed, an d through the force ofhabit , rubbed his left eye. A s the remembran ce of theprevious n ight came back to him

,he jumped from his couch

an d ran to the win dow. There was n o ship in the bay. A

sudden thought seemed to strike him,an d he rubbed both of

his eyes. Not con ten t with this,he con sulted the metallic

mirror which hun g beside his crucifix. There was n o

mistake ; the Comman der had a visible secon d eye, -a

right.on e

,—as good

,save for the purposes of vision , as the

left.W hatever might have b een the true secret of this tran s !

formation,bu t on e opin ion prevailed at San Carlos. I t Was

on e of those rare miracles vouchsafed a pious Catholic commun ity as an eviden ce to the heathen , through the in tercession of the blessed San Carlos himself. That theirbeloved Comman der

,the temporal defen der of the Faith,

should be the recipien t of this miraculous man ifestation wasmost fit an d seemly. The Comman der himself was reticen the could n ot tell a falsehold

,—he dared n ot tell the truth .

A fter all,if the good folk of San Carlos believed that the

powers of his right eye were actually restored,was it wise

an d d iscreet for him to un deceive them ? For the firsttime in his life the Comman der thought of policy, —for thefirst time he quoted that text which has been the lure of soman y well-mean in g bu t easy Christian s, of bein g all thin gsto all men .

”I n felix H ermen egildo Salvatierra

For by degrees an omin ous whisper crept through thelittle settlemen t . The R ight Eye of the Comman der

,al

though miraculous,seemed to exercise a baleful effect upon

the beholder. N0 on e could look at it without win kin g. I twas cold, hard, relen tless, an d un flin chin g. More than that,it seemed to be en dowed with a dreadful prescien ce,—a

faculty of seein g through an d in to the in articulate thoughtsof those it looked u pon . The soldiers of the garrison obeyedthe eye rather than the voice of their comman der, an d

THE RI GH T EYE OF TH E COMMANDER. 1 2 1

an swered his glan ce rather than his lips in qu estion in g. Theservan ts could n ot evade the ever watchful bu t cold attention that seemed to pursue them . The children of thePresidio School smirched their copy books un der the awfulsupervision

,an d poor Paquita

,the prize pupil, failed utterly

in that marvellous u p- stroke when her patron stood besideher. Gradually distrust

,suspicion

,self- accusation ,

an d

t imidity took the place of trust,con fiden ce

,an d security

throughout San Carlos. W herever the Right Eye of the

Comman der fell,a shadow fell with it.

Nor was Salvatierra en tirely free from the baleful influ en ce of his miraculous acquisition . Un con scious of itseflect upon others, he on ly saw in their action s eviden ce ofcertain thin gs that the crafty Peleg had hin ted on thateven tful New Y ear’s eve. His most trusty retain ersstammered, blushed, an d faltered before him. Self-accusation s

,con fession s of min or faults an d delin quen cies, or

extravagan t excuses an d apologies met his mildest in quiries .The very children that he loved— his pet pupil, Paqu itaJseemed to be con scious of some hidden sin . The result ofthis con stan t irritation showed itself more plain ly. For the

first half-year the Comman der’s voice an d eye were at

varian ce. H e was still kin d, ten der, an d thoughtful inspeech. Gradually

,however

,his voice took upon itself the

hardn ess of his glan ce an d its sceptical impassive quality,an d as the year again n eared its close

,it was plain that the

Comman der had fitted himself to the eye,an d n ot the eye

to the Comman der.

I t may be surmised that these chan ges did n ot escape thewatchful solicitude of the Fathers. I n deed

,the few who

were first to ascribe the right eye of Salvatierra to miraoulous origin

,an d the special grace of the blessed San Carlos,

n ow talked Open ly of witchcraft an d the agen cy of Luzbel,the evil on e . I t would have fared ill with H ermen egildoSalvatierra had he been aught bu t Comman der or amen able

1 2 2 THE RI GH T EYE OF THE COMMANDER.

to local authority. B u t the reveren d father,Friar Man uel

ole Cortes, had n o power over the political executive, an d allattempts at spiritual advice failed sign ally. H e retiredbaffled an d con fused from his first in terview with" theComman der

,who seemed n ow to take a grim satisfaction in

the fateful power of his glan ce . The holy father con tradicted himself, exposed the fallacies of his own argumen ts

,

an d even , it is asserted, committed himself to several u ndoubted heresies. W hen the Comman der stood u p at mass

,

if the officiatin g priest caught that sceptical an d searchin geye, the service was in evitably ruin ed. Even the power of

the H oly Church seemed to be lost,an d the last hold upon

the affection s of the people an d the good order of the settlemen t departed from San Carlos .A s the lon g d ry summer passed, the low hills that su r

roun ded the white walls of the Presidio grew more an d moreto resemble in hue the leathern j acket of the Comman der,an d Nature herself seemed to have borrowed his dry, hardg lare. The earth was cracked an d seamed with drou ght a

bligh t had fallen upon the orchards an d vin eyards, an d the

rain , lon g delayed an d arden tly prayed for, came n ot . The

sky was as tearless as the right eye of the Comman der.

Murmurs of discon ten t, in subordin ation , an d plottin g amongthe I n dian s reached his ears he on ly set his teeth the morefirmly

,tighten ed the kn ot of his black silk han dkerchief,

an d looked up his Toledo .The last day of the year 1 798 foun d the Comman der

sittin g, at the hour of even in g prayers,alon e in the guard

room. H e n o lon ger atten ded the services of the H olyChurch, bu t crept away at such times to some solitary spot,where he spen t the in terval in silen t meditation . The fire

light played upon the low beams an d rafters,but left the

bowed figu re of Salvat ierra in darkn ess. Sittin g thus, hefelt a small han d touch his arm,

an d,lookin g down ,

saw the

figu re of Paquita, his little I n dian pupil, at his kn ee. Ah,

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1 2 4 NOTES B Y FLOOD AND FIELD .

teriou s organ,it was gon e . Never again was it foun d, an d

n ever again,for bale or bliss

,did it adorn the right orbit of

the Comman der.

W ith it passed away the spell that had fallen upon SanCarlos. The rain return ed to in vigorate the lan guid soil,harmon y was restored between priest an d soldier

,the green

grass presen tly waved over the sere hillsides,the children

flocked again to the side of their martial preceptor, a TeDeum was sun g in the Mission Church

,an d pastoral con o

ten t on ce more smiled upon the gen tle valleys of San Carlos.

An d far southward crept the Gen eral Cou rt with its master,Peleg Scudder

,traffickin g in beads an d peltries with the

I n dian s,an d offerin g glass eyes, wooden legs, an d other

Boston n otion s to the chiefs.

NOTES BY FLOOD AND FIELD

PART I . - IN THE FIELD .

T was n ear the close of an October day that I began to bedisagreeably con scious of the Sacramen to V alley. I

had been ridin g sin ce sun rise,an d my course, throu gh the

depressin g mon oton y of the lon g level lan dscape,affected

me more like a dull dyspeptic dream than a bu sin ess j ourn ey,performed un der that sin cerest of n atural phen omen a,— a.

Californ ia sky. The recurrin g stretches of brown an d bakedfields, the gapin g fissures in the dusty trail, the hard outlin eof the distan t hills

,an d the herds of slowly movin g

’

cattle,

seemed like features of some glitterin g stereoscopic picturethat n ever chan ged. Active exercise might have removedthis feelin g

,but my horse by some subtle in stin ct had lon g

sin ce given up all ambitious eflort, an d had lapsed in to adogged trot.

NOTES DV FLOOD AND FIELD . 1 2 5

I t was autumn , but n ot the season suggested to the Atlan tic reader un der that title. The sharply defin ed bou n dapries of the wet an d dry season s were prefigu red in the clearoutlin es of the distan t hills . I n the dry atmosphere thedecay of vegetation was too rapid for the slow hectic whichovertakes"an Eastern lan d scape, or else Nature was toopractical for such thin disguises. She merely turn ed theH ippocratic face to the spectator, with the old diagn osis ofDeath in her sharp

,con tracted features.

I n the con templation of such a prospect there was littleto excite any bu t a morbid fan cy. There were n o cloud s inthe flin ty blue heaven s, an d the settin g of the su n was

accompan ied with as little osten tation as was con sisten t withthe dryly practical atmosphere. Darkn ess soon followed,with a risin g win d

,which in creased as the shadows deepen ed

on the plain . The frin ge of alder by the watercourse beganto loom u p as I urged my horse forward. A half-hour’sactive spu rrin g brought me to a corra l

,an d a little beyon d a

house,so low an d broad it seemed at first sight to be half

buried in the earth.My secon d impression was that it had grown out of thesoil, like some mon strous vegetable, its dreary proportion swere so in keepin g with the vast prospect . There were n orecesses alon g its roughly boarded walls for vagran t an d u n

profitable shadows to lurk in the daily sun shin e. No pro

jection for the win d by n ight to grow musical over, to wail,whistle

,or whisper to on ly a lon g wooden shelf con tainin g

a chilly - look in g tin basin,a nd a bar of soap. I ts u n cu r

tain ed win dows were red with the sinkin g su n,as though

bloodshot an d in flamed from a too lon g un lidded existen ce.The tracks of cattle led to its fron t door

,firmly closed

again st the rattlin g win d.To avoid bein g con foun ded with this familiar elemen t, I

walked to the rear of the house,which was con n ected with

a smaller buildin g by a slight platform. A grizzled, hard

1 2 6 NOTES B Y FLOOD AND FIELD.

faced old man was stan d in g there, an d met my salutationwith a look of in quiry, an d without speakin g, led theway tothe prin cipal room. As I en tered

,four youn g men ,

who

were reclin in g by the fire, slightly altered their attitudes ofperfect repose, bu t beyon d that betrayed n either curiosity n orin terest. A houn d started from a dark corn erwith a grow],but was immediately kicked by the old man in to obscurity

,

an d silen ced again . I can ’

t tell why, bu t I in stan tly re

ceived the impression that for a lon g time the group by thefire had n ot uttered a word or moved a m u scle. Tak in g aseat, I briefly stated my busin ess .W as a Un ited States surveyor. H ad come on accoun t of

the Espiritu San to Ran cho . W an ted to correct the exteriorboun daries of town ship lin es, so as to con n ect with the n earexteriors of private gran ts. There had been some in terv en tion to the old survey by a Mr. Tryan who had pre

empted adjacen t settled lan d warran ts,

” in terrupted theold man .

“ Ah, yes ! Lan d W arran ts, —an d then this wasMr. Tryan

I had spoken mechan ically, for I was preoccupied in con

n ectin g other public lin es with private surveys, as I lookedin his face. I t was certain ly a hard face, an d remin ded meof the sin gular effect of that min in g operation kn own asgroun d sluicin g the harder lin es of un derlyin g character

were exposed, an d what were on ce plastic curves an d softoutlin es were obliterated by some powerfu l agen cy.There was a dryn ess in his voice n ot u n like the prevailin gatmosphere of the valley, as he laun ched in to an ear:parte

statemen t of the con test, with a flu en cy,which

,like the win d

without, showed frequen t an d un restrain ed expression . H e

told me—what I had already learn ed—that the boun darylin e of the old Span ish gran t was a creek

,described in the

loose phraseology of the d eseu o as begin n in g in the fvala’a o:skirt of the hill, its precise location lon g the subject of littgatica . I listen ed an d an swered with little in terest, for my

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1 2 8 NOTES B Y. FLOOD AND FIELD.

Tryan , with a n ervous twitchin g, in ten ded for a smile, abou ta mouth n ot remarkably mirthful.Joe lifted a pair of bushy eyebrows

,an d said shortly,

Got n o saddle.”W ot’s gon e of your saddleKerg , there,”—in dicatin g his brother with a look such

as Cain might have worn at the sacrifice.Y ou lie

,return ed H erg, cheerfully.

Tryan spran g to his feet, seizin g the chair, flourishin g itaroun d his head an d gazin g furiously in the hard youn gfaces which fearlessly met his own . B u t it was on ly for amomen t 5his arm soon dropped by his side, an d a look ofhopeless fatality crossed his face. H e allowed me to takethe chair from his han d, an d I was tryin g to pacify him bythe assuran ce that I required n o guide, when the irrepressible W ise again lifted his voice

“There’s George comin ’

? why don ’

t ye ask him ? H e’llgo an d in troduce you to Don Fern an dy’s darter, too, ef youain ’

t partickler.

”

The laugh which followed this j oke, which eviden tly hadsome domestic allusion (the gen eral ten den cy of ruralpleasan try), was followed by a light step on the platform,an d the youn g man en tered. Sein g a stran ger presen t

,he

stopped an d coloured 5made a shy salute an d coloured again ,an d then

,drawin g a box from the corn er, sat down ,

his

han ds clasped lightly together an d his very han dsome brightblue eyes turn ed frankly on min e.Perhaps I was in a con dition to receive the roman tic impression he made upon me

, an d I took it upon myself to askhis compan y as guide

,an d he cheerfully assen ted. Bu t some

domestic duty called him presen tly away.The fire gleamed brightly on the hearth, an d n o lon ger

resistin g the prevailin g in fluen ce,I silen tly watched the

spirtin g flame, listen in g to the win d which con tin uthe ten emen t.

NOTES B Y FLOOD AND FIELD. 1 2 9

n ew importan ce in my eyes, I presen tly discovered a crazytable in on e corn er

,with an in k -bottle an d pen 5 the latter

in that greasy state of decomposition peculiar to coun trytavern s an d farm-hou ses . A goodly array of rifles an d

double barrelled gun s stocked the corn er5 half a dozensaddles an d blan kets lay n ear

,with a mild flavour of the

horse about them . Some deer an d bear skin s completed thein ven tory . A s I sat there, with the silen t group aroun dme

,the shadowy gloom within an d the domin an t win d with

ou t,I foun d it difficult to believe I had ever kn own a differen t

existen ce. My profession had often led me to wilder scen es,but rarely amon g those whose u n restrain ed habits an d easyun con sciousn ess made me feel so lon ely an d un comfortable.I shran k closer to myself

,n ot without grave doubts— which

I thin k occur n aturally to people in like situation s—thatthis was the gen eral rule of human ity

,an d I was a solitary

an d somewhat gratuitous exception .

I t was a relief when a lacon ic an n oun cemen t of supper bya weak - eyed girl cau sed a gen eral movemen t in the family.We walked across the dark platform

,which led to an other

low-ceiled room . I ts en tire len gth was occupied by a table,at the farther en d of which a weak- eyed woman was alreadytakin g her repast , as she, at the same time, gave n ourishmen tto a weak- eyed baby. As the formalities of in troduct ionhad been dispen sed with, an d as she took n o n otice of me,I was en abled to slip in to a seat without discomposin g orin terruptin g her. Tryan extemporized a grace, an d the

atten tion of the family became absorbed in bacon , potatoes,an d dried apples.The meal was a sin cere on e . Gen tle g urglin gs at theupper en d of the table o’ e n betrayed the presen ce of the“ well- sprin g of pleasure .” The con versation gen erally referred to the labours of the day

,an d comparin g n otes as to

the whereabouts of missin g stock . Y et the supper was sucha vast improvemen t u pon the prev ious in tellectu al feast, t hat

x

1 30 NOTES EV FLOOD AND FIELD.

when a chan ce allusion of min e to the busin ess of my visitbrought ou t the elderTryan , the in terest grew quite excitin g.I remember he in veighed bitterly again st the system of ran chholdin g by the greasers

,

” as he was pleased to term the

n ative Californ ian s. As the same ideas have been sometimesadvan ced un der more preten tious circumstan ces, they maybe worthy of record.

Look at ’em holdin ’

the fin est grazin ’ lan d that ever layouter doors ? W har’e the papers for it ? W as it gran ts ?Mighty fin e gran ts

,—most of ’em made arter the ’Merrik an s

got possession . More fools the ’Merrikan s for lettin ’ ’emhold ’em. W ot paid for ’em ? ’Merrik an blood an d mon ey.

Didn ’t they ou ghter have su thin ou t of their n ative

coun try ? W ot for ? Did they ever improve ? Got a lotof yaller

—skin n ed diggers,n ot so sen sible as n iggers to look

arter stock,an d they a—sittin ’ home an d smokin

’. W ith

their gold an d silver can dlesticks,an d mission s

,an d cruci

fix en s, priests an d graven idols, an d s ich Them sort thin gs

wu ren t allowed in Mizzoori.”At the men tion of improvemen ts

,I in volun tarily lifted

my eyes, an d met the half- laughin g,half-embarrassed look of

George . The act did n ot escape detection , an d I had aton ce the satisfaction of seein g that the rest of the familyhad formed an offen sive allian ce again st u s .

“ I t was agin Nater,an d agin God

,

” added Tryan .

“God

n ever in ten ded gold in the rocks to be made in to heathencan dlesticks an d cru cifixen s . That’s why he sen t ’Merrik an s

here. Nater n ever in ten ded such a climate for lazy lopers.She n ever gin six mon ths’ s u n shin e to be slept an d smokedaway.”H ow lon g he con tin ued

, an d with what further illu stration ,I could n ot say

,for I took an early opportun ity to escape to

the sittin g-room. I was soon followed by George, who calledme to an open door leadin g to a smaller room

,an d poin ted

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1 32 NOTES B Y FL O OD AND FIELD.

platform . The door of the lower buildin g was open,an d the

old man was sittin g beside the table,thumbin g the leaves of

a B ible with a look in his face as though he were hun tin g upprophecies again st the “Greaser.

”I turn ed to en ter

,bu t my

atten tion was attracted by a blan keted figure lyin g besidethe house

,on the platform. The broad chest heavin g with

healthy slumber, an d the open,hon est face were familiar.

I t was George, who had given up his bed to the stran geramon g his people. I was abou t to wake him, bu t he lay sopeaceful an d quiet, I felt awed an d hushed. A n d I wen t tobed with a pleasan t impression of his han dsome face an dtran quil figure soothin g me to sleep.

I was awaken ed the n ext morn in g from a sen se of lulledrepose an d gratefu l silen ce by the cheery voice of George,who stood beside my bed, osten tatiously twirlin g a “riata,”as if to recall the duties of the day to my sleep -bewilderedeyes. I looked aroun d me. The win d had been magicallylaid, an d the su n shon e warmly through the win dows . A

dash of cold water,with an extra chill on from the tin basin ,

helped to brighten me. I t was still early, bu t the familyhad already breakfasted an d dispersed, an d a waggon win din gfar in the distan ce showed that the un fortun ate Tom hadalready “ packed ” his relatives away. I felt more cheerfu l

,—there are few troubles Y outh can n ot distan ce with a

start of a good n ight’s rest . After a substan tial breakfast,prepared by George, in a few momen ts we were moun tedan d dashin g down the plain .

We followed the lin e of alder that defin ed the creek, n owdry an d baked with summer’s heat , bu t which in win ter,George told me

,overflowed its ban ks. I still‘ retain a v ivid

impression of that morn in g’s ride, the far-off moun tain s, likesilhou ettes, again st the steel-blue sky, the crisp dry air

,an d

the expan din g track before me, an imated often by the wellkn it figu re of George Tryan , musical with jinglin g spu rs,

NOTES B Y FLOOD AND FIELD . 1 33

an d picturesque with flyin g riata .” H e rode a powerfu ln ative roan , wild- eyed, un tirin g in stride an d un broken inn ature. A las ! the curves of beau ty were con cealed by thecumbrous mackillas of the Span ish saddle

,which levels all

equin e distin ction s. The sin gle rein lay loosely on the cruelbit that can gripe, an d , if n eed be, crush the jawit con trols.Again the illimitable freedom of the valley rises beforeme

, as we again bear down in to sun lit space. Can this be“ Chu -Chu ,

” staid an d respectable filly of American pedigree

,Chu -Chu ,

”forgetful of plan k-roads an d cobble

ston es,wild with excitemen t, twin klin g her small white feet

ben eath me ? George lau ghs ou t of a cloud of dust, Give

her her head don ’t you see she likes it ? an d Chu -Chu

seems to like it,an d

,whether bitten by n ative taran tu la in to

n ative barbarism or emulous of the roan,

“ blood ” assertsitself

,an d in a momen t the peaceful servitude of years is

beaten out in the music of her clatterin g hoofs. The creekwiden s to a deep gully. W e dive in to it an d u p on the

opposite side,carryin g a movin g cloud of impalpable powder

with us. Cattle are scattered over the plain , grazin g quietly,or ban ded together in vast restless herds George makes awide, in defin ite sweep with the riata

,as if to in clude

them all in his raqu ero’s loop, an d says, Ours .

”

About how man y, George ? ”Don ’t kn ow.

”

H ow man y ?W ell, p’

r’

aps three thousan d head,

” says George,re

flectin g.

“W e don ’t kn ow 5 takes five men to look ’

em upan d keep ru n .

”

W hat are they worthAbout thirty dollars a head.I make a rapid calculation , an d look my aston ishmen t at

the laughin g George. Perhaps a recollection of the domesticecon omy of the Tryan household is expressed in that look,for George averts his eye an d say s, apologetically,

NOTES B Y FLOOD AND FIELD .

“ I’

ve tried to get the old man to sell an d build, but youkn ow he says it ain ’

t n o use to settle down,just yet. W e

must keep movin ’

. I n fact,he built the shan ty for that

purpose, lest titles should fall through, an d we ’d have to getup an d move stakes farther down .

”

Sudden ly his quick eye detects some u n usual sight in aherd we are passin g

,an d with an exclamat ion he puts his

roan in to. the cen tre of the mass. I follow,

or ratherChu -Chu darts after the roan

,an d in a few momen ts we

are in the midst of apparen tly in extricable horn s an d hoofs.Toro shouts George

,

’

with vaquero en thusiasm, an d the

ban d open s the way for the swin gin g “riata.” I can feel

their steamin g breaths,an d their spume is cast on “Chu

Chu’s quiverin g flan k.W ild, devilish-lookin g beasts are they ; n ot such shapesas Jove might have chosen to woo a goddess

,n or such as

peacefully ran ge the down s of Devon,bu t lean an d hun gry

Cassiu s-like bovin es, econ omically got u p to meet the exigen cies of a six mon ths’ rain less climate

,an d accustomed

to wrestle with the distractin g win d an d the blin din gdust .

That’s n ot ou r bran d,says George, they’re stran ge

stock,

an d he poin ts to what my scien tific eye recogn izesas the astrological sign of Ven us deeply seared in the brownflan ks of the bull he is chasin g. Bu t the herd are closin groun d us with lowmutterin gs, an d George has again recourseto the authoritative Toro

,

”an d with swin gin g riata

divides the bossy bucklers on either side. W hen we are

free, an d breathin g somewhat more easily, I ven ture to ask

George if they ever attack an y on e.

“Never horsemen ,—sometimes footmen . Not throu ghrage, you kn ow,

bu t cu riosity. They thin k a man an d hishorse are on e, an d if they meet a chap _

afoot, they ru n himdown an d trample him un der hoof, in the pursuit of kn owledge. Bu t

,

” adds George, “ here’s the lower ben ch of the

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1 36 NOTES BY . FLOOD AND FIELD.

Californ ian s affect. A sorapa thrown over his shoulders,hin ted that he was wal tin g. H orses are always ready saddledin Span ish ran ches , an d in half an hour from the time ofo u rarrival we were again lopin g in the starin g sun light .B u t n ot as cheerfully as before. George an d myselfwere

weighed down by restrain t,an d Altascar was gravely quiet.

To break the silen ce, an d by way of a con solatory essay,I hin ted to him that there might be further in terven tion or

appeal,bu t the proffered oil an d win e were return ed with a

careless shrug of the shoulders an d a sen ten tious Qu e

bu en o —Y our courts are always just.The I n dian moun d of the previous n ight’s d iscovery was

a bearin g mon umen t of the n ew lin e,an d there we halted.

W e were surprised to fin d the old man,Tryan , waitin g us .

For the first time durin g ou r in terview,the old Span iard

seemed moved, an d the blood rose in his yellow cheek. I

was an xious to close the scen e, an d poin ted ou t the corn erboun daries as clearly as my recollection served.

The deputies will be here to-morrow to ru n the lin esfrom this in itial poin t

,an d there will be n o further trouble,

I believe, gen tlemen .

”

Senor Altascar had dismou n ted, an d was gatherin g a fewtufts of dried grass in his han ds. George an d I exchan gedglan ces. H e presen tly arose from his stoopin g posture, an dadvan cin g to within a few paces of Joseph Tryan , said, in a

voice broken with passion ,An d I

,Fern an do Jesus Maria Altascar, put you in pos

session of my lan d in the fashion ofmy coun try.”H e threw a sod to each of the cardin al poin ts.I don ’

t kn ow your courts,your judges

,or your corregi

d ores. Take the llan o — an d take this with it. May the

drought seize your cattle till their ton gues han g down aslon g as those of your lyin g lawyers ! May it be the cursean d tormen t of your old age, as you an d yours have made itof min e 1”

NOTES B Y FLOOD AND FIELD . 1 37

W e stepped between the prin cipal actors in this scen e,

which on ly the passion of Altascar made tragical,bu t

Tryan , with a humility but ill con cealin g his triumph, in terru pted ,

“ Let him curse on . H e ’ll fin d ’em comin g home to himsoon er than the cattle he has lost . through his sloth an d

pride . The Lord is on the side of the just,as well as agin

all slan derers an d revilers.Altascar bu t half guessed the mean in g of the Missourian

,

yet sufficien tly to drive from his min d all but the extravagan t power of his n ative in vective.

Stealer of the Sacramen t Open n ot —open n ot, I say,

your lyin g, Ju das lips to me Ah half-breed,with the soul

of a cayote —Car-r-r-rambaW ith his passion reverberatin g amon g the con son an ts like

d istan t thu n der, he laid his han d upon the man e of his horseas though it had been the grey locks of his adversary, swu n ghimself in to the saddle, an d galloped away.George turn ed to me,W ill you go back with us to -n ightI thou ght of the cheerless walls, the silen t figures by the

fire,an d the roarin g win d, an d hesitated.

“W ell,then

,good-bye .”

Good-bye, George.”An other wrin g of the han ds, an d we parted . I had n ot

ridden far when I turn ed an d looked back. The win d hadsen early that aftern oon , an d was already sweepin g across

the plain . A cloud of dust travelled before it,an d a pictu

resqu e figure occasion ally emergin g therefrom was my lastin distin ct impression of George Tryan .

1 33 NOTES B Y FLOOD AND FIELD .

PART I I .—IN THE FLOOD.

TH REE mon ths after the survey of the Espirita San toRan cho

,I was again in the valley of the Sacramen to .

Bu t a gen eral an d terrible v isitation had erased the memoryof that even t as completely as I supposed it had obliteratedthe boun dary mon umen ts I had plan ted. The great flood of1 86 1— 6 2 was at its height, when , obeyin g some in defin iteyearn in g

,I took my carpet-bag an d embarked for the in un

dated valley.There was n othin g to be seen from the bright cabin windows of the Gold en City bu t n ight deepen in g over the water.

The on ly soun d was the patterin g rain , an d that had grownmon oton ous for the past two weeks, an d did n ot disturb then ation al gravity of my coun trymen as they silen tly sataroun d the cabin stove. Some on erran ds of relief to frien dsan d relatives wore an xious faces, an d con versed soberly onthe on e absorbin g topic. Others, like myself, attracted bycuriosity, listen ed eagerly to n ewer details. Bu t with thathuman disposition to seize upon an y circumstan ce thatmight give chan ce even t the exaggerated importan ce of instin ct , I was half con scious of somethin g more than curiosityas an impellin g motive .The drippin g of rain , the low gurgle of water, an d a leadensky greeted us the n ext morn in g as we lay beside the half!submerged levee of Sacramen to. H ere, however, the n oveltyof boats to con vey us to the hotels was an appeal that wasirresistible. I resign ed myself to a drippin g o ru bber- casedmarin er called “ Joe

,

”an d , wrappin g myself in a shin in g

cloak of the like material, about as suggest ive of warmth ascourt-plaster might have been , took my seat in the sternsheets of his boat. I t was n o slight in ward struggle to partfrom the steamer, that to most of the passen gers was the

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1 40 NOTES B Y FLOOD AND FIELD.

Society, an d the women an d children without food an d

clothes at the Agricultural H all.I thank the gen erous gon dolier, an d we go to the H all,

a d ismal,bleak place

,ghastly with the memories of last

year’s opulen ce an d plen ty,an d here G iuseppe’s fare is

swelled by the stran ger’s mite. Bu t here Giuseppe tells meof the Relief Boat ” which leaves for the flooded district inthe in terior

,an d here, profitin g by the lesson he has taught

me,I make the resolve to turn my curiosity to the accoun t

of others, an d am accepted of those who go forth to succoan d help the afflicted . Giuseppe takes charge ofbag, an d does n ot part from me u n til I star“. on thed eck of “ B elief Boat No .An hour later I am in the pilot-house, lookin g down upon

what was on ce the chan n el of a peaceful river. Bu t its

ban ks are on ly defin ed by tossin g tufts of willow washed bythe lon g swell that breaks over a Vast in lan d sea. Stretchesof tule ” lan d fertilized by its on ce regular chan n el an ddotted by flourishin g ran chos are n ow clean ly erased. The

cultivated profile of the old lan dscape had faded. Dottedl in es in symmetrical perspective mark orchards that are

bu ried an d chilled in the turbid flood . The roofs of a fewfarm houses are visible

,an d here an d there the smoke curl

in g from chimn eys of half-submerged ten emen ts show an

u n daun ted life within . Cattle an d sheep are gathered onI n dian moun ds waitin g the fate of their compan ion s whosecarcasses drift by us

,or swin g in eddies with the wrecks of

barn s an d ou t-houses. W aggon s are stran ded everywherewhere the tide could carry them. As I wipe the moisten edglass

,I see n othin g bu tw ater

,patterin g on the deck from

the lowerin g clouds, dashin g again st the win dow,dripping

from . the willows, hissin g by the wheels, everywhere washin g , coilin g, sappin g, hu rryin g in rapids

,or swellin g at last

in to deeper an d vaster lakes,awful in their suggestive qu iet

an d con cealmen t.

NOTES BY FLOOD AND FIELD . in

As day fades in to n ight the mon oton y of this stran geprospect grows oppressive. I seek the en gin e-room,

an d in

the compan y of some of the few half-drown ed sufferers wehave already picked up from temporary rafts, I forget thegen eral aspect of desolation in their in dividu al misery.Later we meet the San Fran cisco packet

,an d tran sfer a

n umber of ou r passen gers. From them we learn how in

ward boun d vessels report to havin g struck the well-defin edchan n el of the Sacramen to

,fifty miles beyon d the b ar.

There is a v olun tary con tribution taken amon g the gen eroustravellers for the use of ou r affl icted

,an d we part compan y

with a hearty God -speed ” on either side . Bu t ou r sign allights are n ot far distan t before a familiar soun d comes backto u s

,-an in domitable Y an kee cheer,—which scatters the

gloom.

Ou r course is altered,an d we are steamin g over the obli

terated ban ks far in the in terior. On ce or twice blackobjects loom u p n ear u s

,—the wrecks of houses floatin g

by. There is a slight rift in the sky towards the n orth, an da few bearin g stars to guide us over the waste. Aswe pen etrate in to shallower water

,it is deemed advisable to d ivide

ou r party i nto smaller boats,an d diverge over the sub

merged prairie. I borrow a pea- coat of on e of the crew,an d

in that practical disgu ise am doubtfully permitted to passin to on e of the boats . W e give way n ortherly. I t is quitedark yet, although the rift of cloud has w iden ed .I t must have been about three o’clock

, an d we were lyin gupon ou r oars in an eddy formed by a clump of cottonwood,an d the light of the steamer is a solitary, bright star in thedistan ce, when the silen ce is broken by the bow oar

,

”

“ Light ahead.”A ll eyes are turn ed in that direction . I n a few secon ds atwin klin g light appears

,shin es steadily

,an d again disap

pears,as if by the shiftin g position of some black '

objectapparen tly driftin g close u pon us.

NOTES B Y FLOOD AND FIELD.

“ Stern , all 5 a steamerH old hard there ! Steamer be d—d is the reply

the coxswain . I t’

s a house,an d a big on e too.

I t is a big on e, loomin g in the starlight like a huge fragmen t of the darkn ess. The light comes from a sin gle can dle,which shin es through a win dow as the great shape swings by.Some recollection is drifting back to me with it, as I listenwith beatin g heart .

“ There ’s some on e in it, by H eaven s Give way, boys,—'lay her alon gside. H an d somely, n ow The door’sten ed 5 try the win dow 5 n o here ’s an otherI n an other momen t we are tramplin g in the water

,which

washes the floor to the depth of several in ches. I t is a largeroom, at the farther en d of which an old man 1 s sittin gwrapped in a blan ket, holdin g a can dle in on e han d

, an d

apparen tly absorbed in the book he holds with the other. I

sprin g toward him with an exclamation ,Joseph Tryan

H e does n ot move. W e gather closer to him, an d I lay my

han d gent ly on his shoulder, an d say,Look up, old man

,look u p Y our wife an d children

,

where are they ? The boys,

-George Are they here ? are

they safe ?H e raises his head slowly, an d turn s his eyes to min e, an d

we in volun tarily recoil before his look . I t is a calm an d

quiet glan ce, free from fear, an ger, or pain 5 bu t it somehowsen ds the blood curdlin g through ou r vein s. H e bowed hishead over his book again

,takin g n o further n otice of us. The

men look at me compassion ately, an d hold their peace. I

make on e more effort“ Joseph Tryan , don ’

t you kn ow me ? the surveyor whosurveyed your ran ch

,—the Espiritu San to ? Look up

,old

man !”

H e shuddered, an d wrapped himself closer in his blan ket.Presen tly he repeated to hims elf, The surveyor who su r

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1 44. NOTES B Y FLOOD AND FIELD.

steamer, while a pale gleam in the sky shows the comin gI was weary with excitemen t

,an d when we reached the

steamer, an d I had seen Joseph Tryan comfortably bestowed,I wrapped myself in a blan ket n ear the boiler an d presen tlyfell asleep. Bu t even then the figure of the old man oftenstarted before me

,an d a sen se of u n easin ess about George

made a stron g un dercurren t to driftin g dreams. I was

awaken ed at about eight o’clock in the morn in g by theen gin eer, who told me on e of the old man ’s son s had beenpicked up an d was n ow on board.

I s it George Tryan I ask quickly.Don ’

t kn ow 5but he’s a sweet on e, whoever he is , addsthe en gin eer, with a smile at some luscious remembran ce.Y ou’ll fin d him for’ard .

”

I hurry to the bow of the boat,an d fin d

,n ot George, but

the irrepressible W ise,sittin g on a coil of rope

,a little

dirtier an d rather more dilapidated than I can rememberhavin g seen him.

H e is examin in g, with apparen t admiration , some rough,dry clothes that have been pu t out for his disposal . I can n othelp thi nkin g that circumstan ces have somewhat exalted hisusual cheerfuln ess. H e puts me at my ease by at on ceaddressin g me

“These are high old times, ain ’t they ? I say, what do you

reckon ’

8 become o ’ them thar boun d’iy mon imen ts youstuck ? Ah

The pause which succeeds this outburst is the effect of aspasm of admiration at a pair of high boots, which, by greatexertion , he has at last pulled on his feet.

So you’ve picked up the ole man in the shan ty, cleancrazy ? H e must have been soft to have stuck there in stead0’

leavin’

with the old woman . Didn ’

t kn ow me from Adam5took me for GeorgeAt this affectin g in stan ce of patern al forgetfu ln ess. Wise

NOTES B Y FLOOD AND FIELD . u ;

was eviden tly divided between amusemen t an d chagrin . I

took advan tage of the con ten din g emotion s to ask aboutGeorge.

Don ’

t kn ow whar he is I f he’

d ten ded stock in stead ofrun n in g about the prairie

, packin’

off wimmin an d children,

he might have saved su thin . H e lost every hoof an d hide,

I’

ll bet a cookey . Say you, to a passin g boatman , whenare you goin ’

to give us some grub ? I’m hun gry ’

n ough toskin an d eat a boss . Reckon I ’ll turn butcher when thingsis dried up

,an d save hides

,horn s

,an d taller.

”

I could n ot bu t admire this in domitable en ergy,which

un der softer climatic in fluen ces might have born e such goodlyfruit.

“H ave you an y idea what you’ll do, W ise ? I ask.Thar ain ’

t much to do n ow,says the practical youn g

man .

“ I’

ll have to lay over a spell, I reckon,till thin gs

comes straight. The lan d ain ’

t worth much n ow,an d won ’

t

be,I dessay, for some time. W on der whar the ole man ’

ll

drive stakes n ext.”“ I mean t as to your father an d George, W ise.0

,the ole man an d I

’

ll go on to whar Tompacked the old woman an d babies last week. George

’

ll turnup somewhar atween this an d A ltascar’s, ef he ain ’t thar n ow.

”

I ask how the A ltascars have suffered.W ell

,I reckon he ain ’t lost much in stock. I shouldn ’t

won der if George helped him drive ’em u p the foot-hills.

An d his casa’ ’s buil t too high . 0,thar ain ’

t an y waterthar

,you bet. Ah

,

” says W ise,with reflective admiration ,

those greasers ain ’t the darn ed fools people think ’em. I

’

ll

bet thar ain ’

t on e swamped ou t in all ’

er Galiforn y.

"Bu t

the appearan ce of “ grub ” cu t this rhapsody short.“ I shall keep on a little farther

,

”I say, an d try to fin d

George.”W ise stared a momen t at this ecce n tricityu n til a n ew light

dawn ed u pon him.

1 46 NOTES B Y FLOOD AND FIELD .

I don ’t thin k you’ll save much. W hat’s the percen tage,workin ’

on shares,eh l ”

I an swer that I am on ly curious,which I feel lessen s his

Opin ion ofme,an d with a sadder feelin g than his assuran ce of

George’s safety might warran t,I walked away.

From others whom we picked up from time to time weheard of George’s self-sacrificin g devotion ,

with the praises ofthe man y he had helped an d rescued . Bu t I did n ot feeldisposed to return un til I had seen him, an d soon preparedmyself to take a boat to the lower valda of the foot-hills,an d v isit A ltascar. I soon perfected my arran gemen ts, badefarewell to YVise

,an d took a last look at the old man , who

was sittin g by the furn ace -fires quite passive an d composed .Then ou r boat-head swun g roun d

,pulled by sturdy an d

willin g han ds.I t was again rain in g

,an d a disagreeable win d had risen .

Ou r course lay n early west, an d we soon kn ew by the‘

stron g

curren t that we were in the creek of the Espiritu San to.From time to time the wrecks of barn s were seen , an d we

passed man y half-submerged willows hun g with farmin gimplemen ts.W e emerge at last in to a broad silen t sea. I t is the

“ llan o de Espiritu San to.” As the win d whistles by me,pilin g the shallower fresh water in to mimic waves, I goback, in fan cy

,to the lon g ride of October over that

bou n dless plain,

an d recall the sharp outlin es of thed istan t hills which are n ow lost in the lowerin g clouds.The men are rowin g silen tly

,an d I fin d my min d, released

from its ten sion,growin g ben umbed an d depressed as then .

The water,too

,is gettin g more shallow as we leave the

ban ks of the creek, an d with my han d dipped lis tlessly

over the thwarts,I detect the tops of chimisal, which

shows the t ide to have somewhat fallen . There is a blackmoun d, hearin g to the n orth of the lin e of alder, makin g an

advers e curren t, which, as we sweep to the right to W e“, I

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1 4 8 NOTES B Y FLOOD AND FIELD .

Paco a.poco Senor, —n ot n ow. Y ou are tired, you havehun ger

,you have cold . Necessary it is you should have

peace.”H e took us in to a small room an d poured ou t someFren ch

cogn ac, which he gave to the men that had accompan ied me .

They dran k an d threw themselves before the fire in the

larger room. The repose of the bu ild in g was in ten sified thatn ight, an d I even fan cied that the footsteps on the corridorwere lighter an d softer. The old Span iard’s habitual gravitywas deeper ; we might have been shut ou t from the world aswell as the whistlin g storm, behin d those an cien t walls withtheir time-worn inheritor.

Before I could repeat my in quiry he retired. I n a fewmin u tes two smokin g dishes of chupa ” with coffee wereplaced before us

,an d my men ate raven ously. I drank the

coffee, but my excitemen t an d wearin ess kept down the

in stin cts of hun ger.

I was sittin g sadly by the fire when he re-en tered .

Y ou have eat 2”I said, “ Y es,” to please him.

Bu en o, eat when you cam—food an d appetite are n ot

always.”H e said this with that San cho-like simplicity with which

most of his coun trymen utter a proverb, as though it werean experien ce rather than a legen d, an d , takin g the riata ”from the floor

,held it almost ten derly before him.

I t was made by me,Senor.

”

I kept it as a clew to him, Don Altascar, I said.

I could fi n d himH e is here .”H ere ! an d —bu t I could n ot say

“well 1” I un derstood the grav ity of the old man ’s face

,the hushed footfalls,

the tomb- like repose of the buildin g in an electric flash ofcon sciousn ess I held the clew to the broken riata at las t.Altascar took my han d, an d we cros sed the corridor to a

NOTES B Y FLOOD AND FIELD . 1 49

sombre apartmen t. A few tall can dles were burn in g inscon ces before the win dow.

I n an alcove there was a deep bed with its coun terpan e,pillows

,an d sheets heavily edged with lace

,in all that

splen did luxury which the humblest of these stran ge peoplelavish upon this sin gle item of their household. I steppedbeside it an d saw George lyin g, as I had seen him on ce before,peacefully at rest. Bu t a greater sacrifice than that he hadkn own was here, an d his gen erous heart was stilled for ever.

“ H e was hon est an d brave,” said the old man , an d turn edaway.There was an other figure in the room ; a heavy shawldrawn over her graceful outlin e

,an d her lon g black hair

hidin g the han ds that buried her down cast face. I did n otseem to n otice her

,an d

,retirin g presen tly, left the lovin g an d

loved together.

W hen we were again beside the cracklin g fire,in the shift

in g shadows of the great chamber, Altascar told me how hehad that morn in g met the horse of George Tryan swimmin gon the prairie ; how that, farther on

,he foun d him lyin g,

quite cold an d d ead,with n o marks or bruises on his person

that he had probably become exhausted in fordin g the creek,an d that he had as probably reached the moun d on ly to diefor the wan t of that help he had so freely given to others ;that, as a last act, he had freed his horse . These in ciden tswere corroborated by man y who collected in the greatchamber that even in g

,—women an d children

,—most of them

succoured through the d evoted en ergies of himwho lay coldan d lifeless above.H e was buried in the I n dian moun d,—the sin gle spot ofstran ge peren n ial green n ess

, which the poor aborigin es hadraised above the dusty plain . A little slab of san dston e,with the in itials “ G . T.

,is his mon umen t, an d on e of the

bearin gs of the in itial corn er of the n ew survey of the“Espiritu San to Ran cho.

”

I I I .

- BOHEMIAN PAPERS.

THE MISSION DOLORES.

HE Mission Dolores is destin ed to be “The Last Sighof the n ative Californ ian . W hen the last Greaser

shall in dolen tly give way to the bustlin g Y an kee,I can

imagin e he will,like the Moorish K in g, ascen d on e of the

Mission bills to take his las t lin gerin g look at the hilled city.For a lon g time he will clin g ten aciously to Pacific Street.H e will d elve in the rocky fastn esses of Telegraph H ill un tilprogress shall remove it. H e will haun t V allej o Street, an dthese back slums which so vividly typify the degradation of

a people 3 but he will even tually make way for improvemen t . The Mission will be last to drop from his n ervelessfin gers .A s I stan d here this pleasan t aftern oon , lookin g up at theold chapel

,- its ragged sen ility con trastin g with the smart

sprin g sun shin e,its two gouty pillars with the plaster drop

pin g away like tattered ban dages,its rayless win dows

,its

cr umblin g en tran ces,the leper spots on its whitewashed wall

eatin g through the dark abode,— I give the poor old men di

can t bu t a few years lon ger to sit by the highway an d askalms in the n ames of the blessed sain ts. Al ready the vicinity is haun ted with the shadow of its dissolution . The

shriek of the locomotive discords with the An gelus bell. An

Episcopal church,of a green Gothic type, with massive but

tresses of Oregon pin e, even n ow mocks its hoary age with

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1 52 THE MISSI ON DOLORES.

tin u ally brin g the strife an d turmoil of the ocean . The

Mission hills lovin gly embrace the little cemetery whose decorative taste .is less osten tatious. The foreign flavour is

stron g ; here are n ever—failin g garlan ds of immortelles, withtheir sepulchral spicery here are little cheap medallion s ofpewter

,with the adornmen t of three black tears

,that would

look like the three of clubs, bu t that the simple humility ofthe in scription coun terbalan ces all sen se of the ridiculous.H ere are children ’s graves with guardian an gels of great specific gravity bu t here

,too

,are the little on e’s toys in a glass

case beside them. H ere is the average quan tity of execrableorigin al verses bu t on e stan za— over a sailor’s grave— isstrikin g, for it expresses a hope of salvation through theLord H igh Admiral Christ l” Over the foreign gravesthere is a n otable lack of scriptural quotation

,an d an in crease,

if 1 may say it, of human ity an d ten dern ess. I can n ot helpthin kin g that too man y of my coun trymen are in fluen ced bya morbid desire tomake a practical poin t of this occasion , an dare too apt hastily to crowd a whole life of omission in to theculmin atin g act. B u t when I see the gray immortellescrown in g a tombston e, I kn ow I shall fin d the mysteries ofthe resurrection shown rather in symbols

,an d on ly the love

tau ght in His n ew comman dmen t left for the graphic touch.B u t “ they man age these thin gs better in Fran ce .”

Durin g my purposeless ramble the su n has been steadilyclimbin g the brown wall of the church

,an d the air seems to

grow cold an d raw. The bright green dies ou t of the grass,an d the rich bron ze comes down from the wall. The willowtree seems half in clin ed to its plumes

,an d wears the

dejected air of a broken faith an d violated trust. The

spice of the immortelles mixes with the in cen se that stealsthrough the open W in dow. W ithin , the barbaric gilt an d

crimson look cold an d cheap in this searchin g air ; by thislight the church certain ly is old an d ugly. I can n ot help

? OHN CH INAMAN. 1 53

won derin g whether the old Fathers,if they ever revisit the

scen e of their former labours,in their larger comprehen sion s,

v iew with regret the impen din g chan ge, or mourn over theday when the Mission Dolores shall appropriately come togrief.

JOHN CH INAMAN.

THE expression of the Chin ese face in the aggregate isn either cheerful n or happy. I n an acquain tan ce of half

a dozen years , I can on ly recall on e or two exception s to thisrule. There is an abidin g con sciousn ess of d egradat ion ,— a

secret pain or self-humiliation visible in the lin es of themouth an d eye. W hether it is on ly a modification of

Turkish gravity,or whether it is the dread V alley of the

Shadow of the Drug through which they are con tin uallystrayin g, I can n ot say. They seldom smile

,an d their

laughter is of such an extraordin ary an d sardon ic n atureso purely a mechan ical spasm

,quite in depen den t of any

mirthful attribute— that to this day I am doubtful whetherI ever saw a Chin aman laugh . A theatrical represen tationby n atives

,on e might thin k

,would have set my min d at case

on this poin t but it did n ot. I n deed, a n ew d ifficulty presen ted itself

,—the impossibility of determin in g whether the

performan ce was a tragedy or farce. I thought I detectedthe low comedian in an active youth who turn ed two somersaults, an d kn ocked everybody down on en terin g the stage.Bu t

, un fortun ately, even this classic resemblan ce to the legitimate farce of ou r civilization was , deceptive. An otherbrocaded actor

,who represen ted the hero of the play, turn ed

three somersau lts, an d n ot on ly upset my theory an d his

fellow-actors at the same time,bu t apparen tly ru n a -muck

behin d the scen es for some t ime afterward . I looked aroun dat the glin tin g white teeth to observe the effect of these two

154 51 0e CHINAMAM

palpable hits. They were received with equal acclamation ,an d apparen tly equal facial spasms. On e or two beheadin gs,which enl iven ed the play

,produ ced the same sardon ic effect,

an d left upon my min d a pain ful an xiety to kn ow what wasthe serious busin ess of life in Chin a. I t was n oticeable, however

,that my un restrain ed laughter had a discordan t effect,

an d that trian gular eyes sometimes turn ed omin ously towardthe “ Fan qui devil bu t as I retired discreetly before theplay was fin ished

,there were n o serious results. I have on ly

g iven the above as an in stan ce of the impossibility of decid u

‘

in g upon the outward an d superficial expression of Chin esemirth. Of its in n er an d deeper existen ce I have some privatedoubts . An audien ce that will view with a serious aspectthe here , after

“ a frightful an d agon izin g death, get up an d

quietly walk off the stage,can n ot be said to have remarkable

perception s of the ludicrous.I have often been struck with the delicate pliability of the

Ch in ese expression an d taste,that might suggest a broader

an d deeper criticism than is becomin g these pages. A Chin aman will adopt the American costume

,an d wear it with a

taste of colour an d detail that will surpass those “ n ative, an dto the man n er born .

”To look at a Chin ese slipper, on e

might imagin e it impossible to shape the origin al foot to an ythin g less cumbrous an d roomy

, ye t a n eater-fittin g boot thanthat belon gin g to the American ized Chin aman is rarely seenon this side of the Con tin en t . W hen the loose sack or paletot takes the place of his brocade blouse, it is worn with a

refin emen t an d grace that might brin g a j ealous pan g to theexquisite of ou r more refin ed civilization . Pan taloon s falleasily an d n aturally over legs that have kn own un limitedfreedom an d baggin ess, an d even garrote collars meet correctly aroun d su n -tan n ed threats. The n ew expressionseldom overflows in gaudy cravats. I will back my Americanized Chin aman again st an y n eophyte ’

of European birthin the choice of that article. W hile in ou r own State, the

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1 55 FROM A BACK WINDOW .

school book, her own property. This book John made apoin t of carryin g osten tatiously with him in his weeklyvisits . I t appeared usually on the top of the clean clothes,an d was sometimes pain fully clasped outside of the bigbun dle of solid lin en . W hether John believed he u n consciou sly imbibed some spiritual life through its pasteboardcover

,as the Prin ce in the Arabian Nights imbibed the

medicin e through the han dle of the mallet,or whether he

wished to exhibit a d u e sen se of gratitude,or whether he

hadn ’

t an y pockets, I have n ever been able to ascertain . I n

his turn he wou ld sometimes cut marvellous imitation rosesfrom carrots for his little frien d. I am in clin ed to thin kthat the few roses strewn in John ’s path were such scen tlessimitation s. The thorn s on ly were real. From the persecu

t ion s of the youn g an d old of a certain class, his life was a

tormen t. I don ’t kn ow what was the exact philosophy thatCon fucius taught, bu t it is to be hoped that poor John in hispersecution is still able to detect the con sciou s hate an d fearwith which in feriority always regards the possibility of

even -han ded justice, an d which is the key-n ote to the vu lgarclamou r about serv ile an d degraded races.

FROM A BACK W INDOW .

REMEMBER that lon g ago, as a san guin e an d trustfulchild, I became possessed of a highly coloured litho

graph, represen tin g a fair C ircassian sittin g by a win dow.

The price I '

paid for this work of art may have been extravagan t

,even in youth’s fluctuatin g slate-pen cil curren cy ;

b u t the secret joy I felt in its possession kn ew n o pecun iaryequivalen t . I t was n ot alon e that Nature in Circassialavished alike u pon the cheek of beauty an d the vegetablekin gdom that most expen sive of colours—Lake n or was it

FROM A BACK WINDOW . 1 57

that the rose which bloomed beside the fair Circassian ’swin dow had n o visible stem, an d was d irectly grafted u pon amarble balcon y ; b u t it was because it embod ied an idea.That idea was a hin tin g of my Fate . I felt that somewherea youn g an d fair Circassian was sittin g by a win dow lookin gout for me. The idea of resistin g such an array of charmsan d colour n ever occurred to me, an d to my hon our be itrecorded, that durin g the feverish period of adolescen ce, In ever thought of avertin g my destin y. B u t as vacation an d

holiday came an d wen t, an d as my picture at first grewblurred , an d then faded quite away between the Eastern an d

W estern con tin en ts in my atlas, so its charm seemed mysteriou sly to pass away. W hen I became con vin ced that fewfemales, of Circassian or other origin

,sat pen sively restin g

their chin s on their hen n a-tin ged n ails, at their parlourwin dows, I turn ed my atten tion to backwin dows. A lthoughthe fair Circassian has n ot yet burst upon me with openshutters

,some peculiarities n ot unworthy of n ote have fallen

un der my observation . This kn owledge has n ot been gain edwithout sacrifice. I have made myself familiar with backwin dows an d their prospects, in the weak disguise of seekin glodgin gs, heedless of the suspicious glan ces of lan dladies an dtheir eviden t reluctan ce to show them. I have cau ght coldby lon g exposure to draughts. I have become estran gedfrom frien ds by un con sciously walkin g to their back win dowsdurin g a v isit, when the weekly lin en hun g upon the lin e, orwhere Miss Fan n y (osten sibly in disposed) actually assisted inthe laun dry

,an d Master Bobby, in scan t attire, d isported

himself on the area railin gs. Bu t I have thought of

Galileo, an d the in variable experien ce of all seekers an dd iscoverers of truth has sustain ed me.Show me the back win dows of a man ’s dwellin g

,an d I

will tell you his character. The rear of a house on ly issin cere. The attitude of deception kept u p at the fron twin dows leaves the back area defen celess. The world en ters

1 58 FROM A BACK W INDOW.

at the fron t door, but n ature comes ou t at the back passage.That glossy, well-brushed in dividual, who lets himself inwith a latch-k ey at the fron t door at n ight

,is a very differen t

bein g from the slipshod wretch who growls of morn in gs forhot water at the door of the kitchen . The same withMadame, whose con tour of figure grows an gular

,whose face

grows pallid, whose hair comes down , an d who looks someten years older through the sin cere med ium of a backwin dow . No won der that in timate frien ds fail to recogn izeeach other in this dos d dos position . Y ou may imagin eyourself familiar with thesilver door-plate an d bow-win dowsof the man sion where dwells your Saccharissa ; you mayeven fan cy you recognize her graceful figure between the

lace curtain s of the upper chamber which you fon d ly imagin eto be hers ; bu t' you shall dwell for mon ths in the rear of

her dwellin g an d within whisperin g d istan ce of her bower,an d n ever kn ow it. You shall see her with a han dkerchieftied roun d her head in con fiden tial discu ssion with thebutcher, an d kn ow her n ot. Y ou shall hear her voice inshrill expostulation with her youn ger brother, an d it shallawaken n o familiar respon se.I am writin g at a backwin dow. As I prefer the warmth ofmy coal—fire to the foggy freshn ess of the aftern oon breeze thatrattles the leafless shrubs in the garden belowme

,I have

my win dow-sash closed ; con sequen tly, I mis s mu ch of theshrilly altercat ion that has been goin g on in the kitchen of

No. 7 just opposite. I have heard fragmen ts of an en tertain in g style of dialogue usually kn own as chafiin g ,

”

which has just taken place between B iddy in No. 9,an d the

butcher who brings the din n er. I have been pityin g thechilled aspect of a poor can ary

,put ou t to taste the fresh air

,

from the win dow of No 5. I have been watchin g—an d

en vyin g, I fear—the real en j oymen t of two children rakin gover an old dust-heap in the alley

,con tain in g the waste an d

débris of all the back yards in the n eighbourhood. What a

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I 60 BOONDER.

in an y other of his species. His body was lon g, an d his

fore-legs an d hin d-legs were very wide apart, as thou ghNature origin ally in ten ded to pu t an extra pair betweenthem

, bu t had unwisely allowed herself to be persuaded ou tof it. This peculiarity was an n oyin g on cold n ights

,as it

always prolon ged the in terval of keepin g the door open forBoon der

’

s in gress lon g en ou gh to allow two or three dogs ofa reason able len gth to en ter. Reen der’s feet were decidedhis toes turn ed ou t con siderably, an d in repose his favouriteattitude was the first position of dan cin g . Add to a pairof bright eyes ears that seemed to belon g to some otherdog

,an d a symmetrically-poin ted n ose that fitted all aper

tures like a pass-key, an d you have Boen der as we kn ewhim.

I am in clin ed to thin k that his popularity was main lyowin g to his quiet impuden ce. His adven t in the familywas that of an old member, who had been absen t for a shorttime

,but had return ed to familiar haun ts an d association s.

I n a Pythagorean poin t of v iew this might have been thecase, but I can n ot recall an y“ deceased member of the familywho was in life partial to bon e-buryin g (though it might be'

post mortem a con sisten t amusemen t), an d this was Boon der’sgreat weakn ess. H e was at first discovered coiled u p on aru g in an upper chamber, an d was the least discon certed ofthe en tire household. From that momen t Boen der becameon e of its recogn ised members

,an d privileges

,often den ied

the most in telligen t an d valuable of his species, were quietlytaken by him an d submitted to by us. Thus

,if he were

foun d coiled u p in a clothes-basket, or an y art icle of clothin gas sumed locomotion on its own accoun t, we on ly said, 0

,

it’s Boon der

,

” with a. feelin g of relief that it was n othin gworse.I have spoken of his fon dn ess for bon e-buryin g. I t could

n ot be called an econ omical faculty,for he in variably forgot

the locality of his treasu re. an d c overed the garden with

BOONDER . 1 6 1

purposeless holes but althou gh the violets an d daisies weren ot improved by Boon der’s garden in g

,n o on e ever thought

of pun ishin g him. H e became a syn on yme for Fate ; a

Boen der to be grumbled at,to be accepted philosophically,

but n ever to be averted. Bu t although he was n ot an

in telligen t dog,n or an orn amen tal dog, he possessed some

gen tleman ly in stin cts . '

When he performed his on ly feat,begg in g u pon his hin d legs (an d lookin g remarkably like a.pen guin ), —ign oran t stran gers would offer him crackers orcake, which he didn ’t like, as a reward of merit. Boen deralways made a great show of acceptin g the proffered dain ties,an d even made hypocritical con tort ion s as if swallowin g, butalways deposited the morsel when he was u n observed in thefirst con ven ien t receptacle

,—usually the visitor’s overshoes.

I n matters that did n ot in volve courtesy,Boen der was sin

cere in his likes an d dislikes. H e was in stin ctively opposedto the railroad. W hen the track was laid through ou r

street,Boen der main tain ed a defian t attitude toward every

rail as it wen t down, an d resisted the cars shortly after to

the fullest exten t of his lun gs. I have a vivid recollectionof seein g him

,on the day of the trial trip

,come down the

street in fron t of the car,barkin g himself out of all shape,

an d thrown back several feet by the recoil of each bark.Bu t Boon der was n ot the on ly on e who has resisted in n ovation s

,or has lived to see the in n ovation prosper an d

even crush Bu t I am an ticipatin g. Boen der had previou sly resisted the gas

,but althou gh he spen t on e whole

day in an gry altercation with the workmen,

-leavin g hisbon es un buried an d bleachin g in the su n somehow—the gaswen t in . The Sprin g V alley water was likewise un successfully opposed , an d the gradin g of an adjoin in g lot was for alon g time a person al matter between Boon der an d the con

tractor.

These peculiarities seemed to evin ce some d ecided cha

meter an d embody some idea. A prolon ged debate in the

1 62 BOONDER.

family upon this tepie resulted in an addition to his n ame,we called him Boen der the Con servative

,with a fain t

ackn owledgmen t of his fateful power. Bu t,although Boon

der had his own way, his path was n ot en tirely of roses.Thorn s sometimes pricked his sen sibilities . W hen certainmin or chord s were struck on the pian o, Boen der was alwayspain fully affected an d howled a remon stran ce. I f he wereremoved for compan y’s sake to the back yard

,at the recur

ren ce of the provocation,he would go his whole len gth

(which was somethin g) t o improvise a howl that shou ldreach the performer. Bu t we got accustomed to Boen der,an d as we were fon d of music the playin g wen t on .

On e morn in g Boon der left the house in good spirits withhis regular bon e in his mouth

,an d apparen tly the usual

in ten tion of buryin g it. The n ext day he was picked uplifeless on the track, —ru n over, apparen tly, by the first carthat wen t out of the depot.

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SELINA SEDILIA .

BY MISS M. E. B'DD-N AND MRS. H -N-Y W -D.

CHAPTER I .

HE su n was settin g over Sloperton Gran ge, an d red

den ed the win dows of the lon ely chamber in thewestern tower

,supposed to be haun ted by Sir Edward

Sedilia, the foun der of the Gran ge. I n the dreamy d istan cearose the gilded mausoleum of Lady Felicia Sedilia

,who

haun ted that portion of Sedilia Man or kn own as Stiff-u n sAcre. ” A little to the left of the Gran ge might have beenseen a moulderin g ruin

,kn own as “ Guy ’s K eep

,haun ted

by the spirit of Sir Gu y Sed ilia, who was foun d, on e morn in g,crushed by on e of the fallen battlemen ts. Y et

,as the settin g

su n gilded these obj ects, a beautifu l an d almost holy calmseemed difl'u sed about the Gran ge.The Lady Selin a sat by an Oriel win dow overlookin g thepark. The su n san k gen tly in the bosom of the GermanOcean , an d yet the lady did n ot lift her beautiful head fromthe fin ely

- curved arm an d dimin utive han d which supportedit. W hen darkn ess fin ally shrouded the lan dscape

,she

started, for the soun d of horse-hoofs clattered over the ston esof the aven ue. She had scarcely risen before an aristocraticyoun g man fell on his kn ees before her.

“My Selin a !Edgardo ! Y ou hereY es

,dearest.”

An d- you—you—have—seen n othin g ? said the lady

1 66 SELINA SEDILIA

in an agitated voice an d n ervous man n er, turn in g her faceaside to con ceal her emotion .

Nothin g— that is

,n othin g of an y accoun t, saidEdgardo.

I passed the ghost of your aun t in the park,n oticed the

spectre of your un cle in the ruin ed keep, an d observed thefamiliar features of the spirit of your great gran dfather athis post. Bu t n othin g beyon d these trifles

,my Selin a.

Nothin g more, love, absolutely n othin g.”The youn g man turn ed his dark liquid orbs fon dly uponthe in gen uous face of his betrothed.

“ My own Edgardo —an d you still love me ? You stillwould marry me in spite of this dark mystery which su r

roun ds me I n spite of the fatal history of my race ? I n

spite of the omin ous prediction s of my aged n urse“ I would

,Selin a an d the youn g man passed his arm

aroun d her yieldin g waist. The two lovers gazed at eachother’s faces in un speakable bliss. Sudden ly Selin a started .

Leave me,Edgardo leave me ! A mysterious some

thin g—a I fatal misgivin g—a dark ambiguity—an equivocalmistrust oppresses me. I would be alon eThe youn g man arose

,an d cast a lovin g glan ce on the

lady. “Then we will be married on the seven teen th.”“The seven teen th

,repeated Selin a, with a mysteriou s

shudder.

They embraced an d parted. As the clatter of hoofs inthe cou rtyard died away, the Lady Selin a san k in to the chairshe had just quitted.

The seven teen th, she repeated slowly, with the same fatalshudder.

“Ah -what if he should kn ow that I have an otherhusban d livin g ? Dare I reveal to him that I have twolegitimate an d three n atural children ? Dare I repeat tohim the history ofmy youth ? Dare I con fess that at the ageof seven I poiso n ed my sister

,by puttin g verdigris in her

cream tarts— that I threw my cousin from a swin g at theage of twelve ? That the lady’s—maid who in curred the

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1 63 SELINA SEDILIA .

to your un cle’s spirit. Y our aun t mon opolises thepark, an d ,I must be allowed to state, n ot un frequen tly trespasses uponthe groun ds of others . The horsepon d is frequen ted by thespirit of your maid, an d your murdered sister walks thesecorridors. To be plain , there is n o room at SlopertonGran ge for an other ghost. I can n ot have them in my room—f01 you kn ow I don ’

t like children . Thin k of this,rash

girl,an d forbear . W ould you

,Selin a

,said the phan tom

mournf ully, would you force you r g0'reat gran dfather’s spirit

to take lodgin gs elsewhere ?Lady Selin a’s han d trembled the lighted can dle fell from

her n erveless fin gers.No

,

’’ she cu ed passmn ately, n ever .l ” an d fell fain tin g

to the floor.

CHAPTER I I I .

EDGARDO galloped rapidly towards Sloperton . W hen theoutlin e of the Gran ge had faded away in the darkn ess, herein ed his magn ificen t steed beside the ruin s of Guy’s Keep.

I t wan ts b u t a few min utes of the hour,” he said, con sultin g his watch by the light of the moon .

“ H e dared n ot

break his word. H e will come .” H e paused,an d peered

an xiously in to the darkn ess. “ Bu t come what may,she is

min e,” he con tin ued, as his thoughts reverted fon dly to thefair lady he had quitt ed .

“ Y et if she kn ew all. I f shekn ew that I were a disgraced an d ruin ed man—a felon an d

an outcast . I f she kn ew that at the age of fourteen I

murdered my Latin tutor an d forged my un cle’s will. I f

she kn ew that I had three wives already,an d that the fourth

v ictim of misplaced con fiden ce an d my un fortun ate peouliarity is expected to be at Sloperton by to -n ight’s train withher baby. Bu t n o she must n ot kn ow it. Con stan ce mustn ot arrive. Burke the Slogger must atten d to that.

Ha here he is ! W ell

SELINA SEDILIA . 1 69

These words were addressed to a ru fiian in a slouched hat,who sudden ly appeared from Guy’s Keep.

I he’

s here, measter,

” said the villain,with a d isgrace

fu lly low accen t an d complete d isregard of grammatical rules.“ I t 1 3 well. Listen I

’m in possession of facts that willsen d you to the gallows. I kn ow of the murder of BillSmithers, the robbery of the toll-gate keeper, an d the makin gaway of the youn gest daughter of Sir Regin ald de W alton .

A word from me, an d the officers of justice are on yourtrack.”Burke the Slogger trembled.H ark ye ! serve my purpose, an d I may yet save you .

'The train from Clapham will be due at Sleperton at

I 5mu st n ot arrive

The villain ’s eyes sparkled as he n odded at Edgardo.

En ough—you un derstan d leave me !”

CHAPTER IV.

ABOUT half a mile from Sloperton Station the South Claphaman d Medway lin e crossed a bridge over Sloperton -on -Tren t .

As the shades of even in g were closin g, a man in a slouchedhat might have been seen carryin g a saw an d axe un der hisarm

,han gin g about the bridge. From time to t ime he dis

appeared in the shadow of its abutmen ts,but the soun d of

a saw an d axe still betrayed his vicin ity. At exactly n in eo’clock he reappeared

,an d crossin g to the Sloperton side,

rested his shoulder again st the abutmen t an d gave a shove .The bridge swayed a momen t, an d then fell with a splashin to the water, leavin g a space of on e hun dred feet betweenthe two ban ks. This don e

,Burke the Slogger—for itwas be

—with a fien dish chuckle seated himself on the divided railway track an d awaited the comin g of the train .

A shriek from the woods an n oun ced its approach. For

an in stan t Burke the Slogger saw the glarin g of a red lamp.

1 70 SELINA SEDILIA .

The groun d trembled. The train was goin g with fearfulrapidity. A n other secon d an d it had reached the ban k.Burke the Slogger uttered a fien dish laugh. Bu t the n extmomen t the train leaped across the chasm

,strikin g the rails

exactly even , an d , dashin g out the life of Burke the Slogger,sped away to Sloperton .

The first object that greeted Edgardo as he rode up to thestation on the arrival of the train , was the body of Burkethe Slogger han gin g on the cow-catcher the secon d was thethe face of his deserted wife lookin g from the win dows of asecon d-class carriage.

CHAPTER V .

A NAMELESS terror seemed to have taken possession of Cla

rissa,Lady Selin a’s maid, as she ru shed in to the presen ce of

her mistress.Oh, my lady, such n ewsExplain yourself,” said her mistress, ris in g.An acciden t has happen ed on the railway, an d a man

has been killed.”W hat—n ot Edgardo almost screamed Selin a.No, Burke the Slogger, your ladyshipMy first husban d !” said Lady Selin a

,sinkin g on her

kn ees. “ Just H eaven , I than k thee

CHAPTER VI .

THE morn in g of the seven teen th dawn ed brightly over Sleperton . A fi n e day for the weddin g

,

” said the sexton to

Swipes, the butler of Sloperton Gran ge. The aged retain ershook his head sadly. “A las ! there’s n o trustin g in s ign she con tin ued . Seven ty-five years ago

,on a day like this,

my youn g mistress but he was cu t short by the appearan ce of a stran ger.

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1 7 2 SELINA SEDILIA .

Su dd en ly the rin ging of the chimes of Sloperton parishchurch met her ear. A lice kn ew that the soun d sign ifiedthat the marriage party had en tered the church, an d that shewas secured from in terruption . W ith a childish smile uponher lips, Alice Sedilia touched off the slow-match .

i i

CHAPTER VI I I .

AT exactly two o’clock on the seven teen th,Rupert Sedelia,

who had just return ed from I n dia,was thoughtfully descen d

in g the hill towards Sloperton Man or. I f I can prove thatmy aun t

,Lady Selin a

, was married before my father died,I can establish my claim to Sloperton Gran ge,” he uttered,half aloud. H e paused

,for a sudden tremblin g of the earth

ben eath his feet,an d a terrific explosion

,as of a park of

artillery, arrested his progress . At the same momen t hebeheld a d en se cloud of smoke en velop the churchyard ofSloperton , an d the western tower of the Gran ge seemed to belifted bodily from its foun dation . The air seemed filled withfallin g fragmen ts, an d two dark objects struck the earth closeat his feet. Rupert picked them up. On e seemed to beheavy volume boun d in brass.A cry burst from his lips.“ The Parish Records . H e Open ed the volume hastily.

I t con tain ed the marriage of Lady Selin a to “ Burke theSlogger.

”

The secon d object proved to be a piece of parchmen t.tore it open with tremblin g fin gers. I t was the missin gof Sir James Sedilia

CHAPTER IX.

W HEN the bells again ran g on the n ew parish churchSloperton it was for the marriage of Sir Rupert Shis cousin , the only remain in g members of the family.

FANTINE. 1 73

Five more ghosts were added to the supern atural popu lation of Sloperton Gran ge. Perhaps this was the reason whySir Rupert sold the property shortly afterward, an d that forman y years a dark shadow seemed to han g over the ruin s ofSloperton Gran ge .

FANTINE.

AFTER THE FRENCH OF VICTOR HUGO.

PROLOGUE.

-As lon g as there shall exist three paradoxes—a moral Fren chman , a

religiou s Atheist, an d a believin g sceptic—so lon g , in fact, as book

sellers shall wait—say twen ty-five years—for a n ew gospel ; so lon g as

paper shall remain cheap an d in k three sou s a bottle, I have n o hesita

tion in sayin g that su ch books as these are n ot u tterlyprofitless.

V reron HUGO.

0 be good is to be queer. W hat is a good man ?Bishop Myriel.

My frien d, you will possibly obj ect to this. Y ou will sayyou kn ow what a good man is. Perhaps you will say yourclergyman is a good man

,for in stan ce.

Bah you are mistaken you are an En glishman , an d an

En glishman is a beast.

En glishmen thin k they are moral when they are on lyserious . These En glishmen also wear ill-shaped hats, an d

dress horriblyBah they are can aille.

Still, B ishop Myriel was a good man—quite as good asyou . Better than you

,in fact.

On e day M. Myriel was in Paris. This an gel used towalk about the streets like an y other man . H e was n ot

1 74 FANTINE.

proud, though fin e-lookin g. W ell,three gamin s dc Paris

called him bad n ames. Says on e :“ Ah

, men Dieu there goes a priest ; look out for youreggs an d chicken sW hat did this good man do ? H e called to them kin dlyMy children ,” said he, this is clearly n ot your fault. I

recogn ise in this in sult an d irreveren ce on ly the fau lt of

your immediate progen itors . Let us pray for your immediateprogen itors .”They kn elt down and prayed for their immediate pro

gen itors.The effect was touchin g.The bishop looked calmly aroun dOn reflection

,

” said he,gravely

,I was mistaken ; this

is clearly the fault of Society. Let us pray for Society.They kn elt down an d prayed for Society.The effect was sublimer yet . W hat do you thin k of that ?

Y ou,I mean .

Everybody remembers the story of the Bishop an d MotherNez Retrousse'. Old Mother Nez Retroussé sold asparagus.She was poor there’s a great deal of mean in g in that word,my frien d. Some people say poor bu t hon est I say,

Bah

B ishop Myriel bou ght six bun ches of asparagus. Thisgood man had on e charmin g failin g he was fon d of

asparagus. H e gave her a fran c an d received three sou schan ge.The sou s were bad—coun terfeit. W hat did this

Bishop do ? H e said : “ I should n ot have taken chanfrom a poor woman .

”

Then afterwards to his housekeeper “Never take changefrom a poor woman .

”

Then he added to himself For the sou s w

be bad.

”

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1 76 FANTINE.

said to me on e day 2 V ictor,Love is the world- w it co n tain s

everythin g.”She was on ly sixteen

,this sharp-witted little girl, an d a

beautiful blon de. She thought everythin g of me .Fan tin e was on e of those women who do wron g in the

most virtuous an d touchin g man n er. This is a peculiarityof Fren ch grisettes.You are an En glishman

,an d you don ’t un derstan d.

Learn , my frien d, learn . Come to Paris an d improve yourmoralsFan tin e was the soul of modesty. She always were high

n eck dresses. H igh-n eck dresses are a sign of modesty.Fan tin e loved Thomolyes. W hy ? My God ! W hat areyou to do I t was the fault of her paren ts

,an d she hadn ’

t

an y. H ow shall you teach her ? Y ou must teach theparen t if you wish to educate the child. H ow would youbecome v irtuous ?Teach your gran dmother

W HEN Thomolyes ran away from Fan tin e—which wasdon e in a charmin g, gen tleman ly man n er—Fan tin e becamecon vin ced that a rigid sen se of propriety might look uponher con duct as immoral . She was a creature of sensit iven ess

an d her eyes were open ed.She was virtuous still, an d resolved to break off the liaison

at on ce.So she pu t up her wardrobe an d baby in a bun dle. Child

as she was, she lov ed them both . Then left Paris.

VI .

FANTINE’

S n ative place had chan ged.M. Madelin e—an an gel, an d in ven tor of j et-work , had

been teachin g the v illagers how to make spurious jet i

FANTINE. 1 77

This is a progressive age. These American s—children of

the W est—they make n u tmegs ou t of wood.I, myself, have seen hams made of pin e, in the wigwams

of those children of the forest.Bu t civilisation has acquired deception too. Society

made up of deception . Even the best Fren ch society.

Still there was on e sin cere episode.Eb ?

The Fren ch Revolution

M. MADELINEwas , if an ythin g, better than Myriel.M. Myriel was a sain t. M. Madelin e a good man .

M. Myriel was dead . M . Madelin e was livin g.That made all the differen ce.M. Madelin e made virtue profitable. I have seen it

written“Be virtuous an d you will be happy.W here did I see this written ? I n the modern Bible ?No. I n the Koran No. I n Rousseau ? No. Diderot ?No. W here then?I n a copy book.

V I I I .

M. MADELINEwas M. le Maire .

This is how it came about .

For a lon g time he refused the hon our. On e day an old

woman,stan din g on the steps

,said :

Bah,a good mayor is a good thin g.

Y ou are a good thin g.Be a good mayor.

”

This woman was a rhetorician . She un derstood in ductiveratiocin ation .

IX.

W HEN this good M. Madelin e, whom the reader willderceive must have been a former con vict, an d a very bad

N

1 78 TERENCE DEUVILLE.

man—gave himself up to justice as the real Jean Valj ean ;about this same time

,Fan tin e was turn ed away from the

man u factory, an d met with a n umber of losses from society.Society attacked her, an d this is what she lost.First her lover.

Then her child.Then her place.Then her hair.

Then her teeth.Then her liberty.Then her life.W hat do you thin k of society after that ? I tell you thepresen t social system is a humbug.

TH IS is n ecessarily the en d of Fan tin e.There are other thin gs that will be stated in other volumesto follow. Don ’t be alarmed there are plen ty of miserablepeople left.Au revoir my frien d.

TERENCE DEUV ILLE.

BY CH -L-S L-V-R.

CHAPTER I .

MY HOME.

HE little v illage of Pilwiddle is on e of the smallestan d obscurest hamlets on the western coast of I relan d.

On a lofty crag, overlookin g the hoarse Atlan tic, stan dsDen ville’s Shot Tower” —a corruption by the peasan try of

D’Eau cille

’

s Olad teau , so called from my great-gran dfather,Phelim St. Remy D ’

Eu ville, who assumed the n ame an d

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1 80 TERENCE DEUVILLE.

that a vague allusion,coupled with a threat

,would em!

barrass him. I t did .“Ah—what mean you ? he said, white with rage.En ough

,we are observed

,

”I replied ; Father Tom

will wait on you this even in g ; an d to morrow morn in g,

my lord,in the glen below Pilwiddle we will meet

again .

”

Father Tom—glen ejaculated the En glishman , withgen uin e surprise . W hat ? do priests carry challen ges an dact as secon d s in your in fern al coun try ? ’

Y es I an swered scorn fu lly,

“ why should they n ot ?

Their services are more often n ecessary than those of asurgeon ,” I added sign ifican tly, turn in g away.The party slowly rod e off, with the exception of the H on .

B lan che Sackville, who lin gered for a momen t behin d. I n

an in stan t I was at her side. B en din g her blushin g faceover the n eck of her white filly

,she said hurriedly

“ W ords have passed between Lord Somerset an d yourself. Y ou are about to fight. Don ’

t den y it— bu t hear me.Y ou will meet him—I kn ow your skill of weapon s. H e

will be at your mercy. I en treat you to spare his lifeI hesitated . “Never !” I cried passion ately ; “ he has

in sulted a Den ville I”Teren ce

,

” she whispered,Teren ce-r—for my sake ?

The blood rushed to my cheeks at the lovin g epithets,an d her eyes sought the groun d in bashful con fusion .

Y ou love him then I cr ied, bitterly.No

,n o

,

” she said,agitated ly, “

n o,you do me wron g.

I - I can n ot explain myself. My father —the LadyDowager Sackville— the estate of Sackville— tbe borough—my u n cle

,Fitzroy Somerset. Ah ? what am I sayin g ?

Forgir'e me. Oh

,Teren ce

,

” she said,as her beautiful head

san k on my shoulder,you kn ow n ot what I suffer l”

I seized her han d an d covered it with passion ate kisBu t the high-bred En glish girl, recoverin g somethin g of

TERENCE DEUVILLE. 1 8 !

former laau teu r, said hastily,

Leave me,leave me, but

promiseI promise

,I replied

,en thusiastically “ I will spare his

Than ks,Teren ce—than ks 1” an d d isen gagin g her han d

from my lips she rode rapidly away .

The n ext morn in g,the H on . Capt. H en ry Somerset an d

myself exchan ged n in eteen shots in the glen ,an d at each

fire I shot away a button from his u n iform. A s my lastbullet shot off the last button from his sleeve, I remarkedquietly, Y ou seem n ow

,my lord

,to be almost as ragged as

the gen try you sn eered at,” an d rode haughtily away.

CHAPTER I I .

THE FIGHTING FIFTY -SIXTH.

W HEN I was n in eteen years old my father sold the Chateaud

’Eu ville an d purchased my commission in the Fifty- sixth”with the proceeds . I say, Denville,” said youn g McSpad

den,a boy-faced en sign

, who had just j oin ed, “ you’ll represen t the estate in the Army

,if you won ’

t in the H ouse.”Poor fellow

,he paid for his mean in gless j oke with his life,

for I shot him through the heart the n ext morn in g. Y ou ’rea good fellow

,Den ville

,

” said the poor boy,fain tly, as I

kn elt beside him :“ good-bye 1” For the first time sin ce

my gran dfather’s death I wept. I could n ot help thin kin gthat I would have been a better man if Blan che— bu t whyproceed ? W as she n ot n ow in Floren ce— the belle of theEn glish Embassy 2Bu t Napoleon had return ed from Elba. Europe was in

a blaze of excitemen t . The A llies were preparin g to resistthe Man of Destin y. \Ve were ordered from G ibraltarhome, an d were soon again on rou te for Brussels. I did n otregret that I was to be p.‘aced in active service. I was am

t iticus, an d lon ged for an opportun ity to distin gu ish myself.

1 32 TERENCE DEUVILLE.

My garrison life in Gibraltar had been mon oton ous an d dull.I had killed five men in duel

,an d had an affair with the

colon el of my regimen t,who han dsomely apologised before

the matter assumed a serious aspect. I had been twice inlove. Y et these were bu t boyish freaks an d follies . I

wished to be a man .

The time soon came—the morn in g of W aterloo . Bu t

why describe that momen tous battle, on which the fate ofthe en tire world was han gin g ? Twice were the Fifty-sixthsurroun ded by Fren ch cuirassiers

, an d twice did we mow

them down by ou r fire. I had seven horses shot un der me,an d was moun tin g the eighth

,when an orderly rode up

hastily,touched his cap

, an d han din g me a despatch, galloped rapidly away.I open ed it hurriedly an d readLET PICTON ADVANCE IMMEDIATELY ONTHE RIGHT.

I saw it all at a glan ce. I had been mistaken for a gen eralofiicer. Bu t what was to be don e ? Bieten ’s division wastwo miles away

,on ly accessible through a heavy cross fire

of artillery an d musketry. Bu t my min d was made up.I n an in stan t I was en gaged with an en tire squadron of

cavalry, who en deavoured to surroun d me. Cu ttin g my way

through them, I advan ced boldly u pon a battery an d sabredthe gun n ers before they could brin g their piecesLookin g aroun d

,I saw that I had in fact pen etrated t}

Fren ch cen tre. Before I was well aware of the locality,was hailed by a sharp voice in Fren ch

Come here,sir !

”

I obeyed,an d advan ced to the side of a little man in

cocked hat.H as Grouchy come ?Not yet, sire,” I replied—for it was the Emperor.

Ha !” he said su dden ly

,ben din g his piercin g eyes

my u n iform a prison er ?No, sire,” I replied proudly.

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1 -84‘

THE D I/VELLER OF THE THRESH OLD .

For six mon ths I had brain fever. Durin g my illn essthe grapeshot were extracted from my body which I hadu n con sciously received durin g the battle. W hen I open edmy eyes I met the sweet glan ce of a Sister of Mercy.

B lan che I stammered feebly.The same

,she replied.

Y ou here ? ”Y es

, dear ; bu t hush ! I t’s a lon g story. Y ou , see,

dear Teren ce, your gran dfather married my great -au n t’s

sister,an d you r father again marriedmy gran dmother’s niece,

who dyin g without a will,was

,accordin g to the Fren ch

law

“ B u t I do n ot comprehen d,I said.

Of course n ot,

” said Blan che,with her old sweet smile ;

you’ve had brain fever so go to sleep .”I un derstood

,however, that Blan che loved me an d I am

n ow clear,dear reader

,Sir Teren ce Sackville, an d

Lady Blan che is Lady Sackville.

THE DWELLER OF THE THRESHOLD.

BY SIR ED-D L-TT—N B-Lw-R.

BOOK I .

THE PROMPTINGS OF THE IDEAL.

Twas n oon . Sir Edward had s tepped from his broughaman d was proceedin g on foot down the Stran d. H e was

dressed with his usu al faultless taste, bu t in alightin g fromhis vehicle his foot had slipped, an d a small roun d disc ofcon glomerated soil, which in stan tly appeared on his higharched in step, marred the harmonious glitter of his boots.Sir Edward was fastidious. Castin g his eyes aroun d, at a

little distan ce he perceived the stan d of a youthful bootblack. Thither he saun tered, an d carelessly placin g his foot

THE DWELLER OF THE THRESH OLD . x85

on the low stool,he waited the application of the polish’er’s

art “ ’Tis true

,said Sir Edward to himself, yet half

aloud, the con tact of the Foul an d the D isgustin g mars the

gen eral effect of the Shin y an d the Beautiful— an d yet, why

am I here ? I repeat it,calmly an d deliberately—why am

I here ? H a ! Boy !”

The Boy looked u p—his dark I talian eyes glan ced in telligen tly at the Philosopher, an d , as with on e han d be tossedback his glossy curls from his marble brow

,an d with the

other he spread the equally glossy Day an d Martin over theBaron et’s boot

,he an swered in deep rich ton es The I deal

is su bjective to the Real . The exercise of apperceptiongives a distin ctiven ess to idiocracy, which is, however, subject to the limits of ME. Y ou are an admirer of the

Beautiful,sir. Y ou wish your boots blacked. The Beau

fu l is attain able by mean s of the Coin .

”

“Ah,

” said Sir Edward thoughtfully, gazin g upon the

almost supern al beauty of the Child before him you speakwell. Y ou have read Kan t.

”

The Boy blushed deeply. H e drew a copy of Kan t fromhis bosom

,bu t in his con fusion several other volumes dropped

from his bosom on the groun d. The Baron et picked themup.“Ah !” said the Philosopher, “ what ’s this ? Cicero

’

s De

Sen ectu te,an d at your age, too ? Marlial

’

s Epigrams, Caesar’

s

Commen taries . W hat 1 a classical scholar ?“ E pluribus Un um. Nu x vomica. Nil desperan dum.

Nihil fit said the Boy, en thusias tically . The Philosophergazed at the Child. A stran ge presen ce seemed to tran sfus e an d possess him. Over the brow of the Boy glitteredthe pale n imbus of the Studen t .

“ Ah, an d Schiller’s Robbers, too ? queried the Philoso

pher.

Das ist ausgespielt,said the Boy modestly.

Then you have readmy tran slation ofSc/tiller’

s Ballads ?

con tin ued the Baron et,with some show of in terest.

1 86 THE DWELLER OF THE THRESHOLD.

I have, an d in finitely prefer them to the origin al,said

the Boy with in tellectual warmth. Y ou have shown howin Actual life we strive for a Goal we can n ot reach 5how inthe I deal the Goal is attain able

,an d there effort is victory.

You have given u s the An tithesis which is a key to theRemain der, an d con stan tly balan ces before us the con dition sof the A ctual an d the privileges of the I deal.”

“My very words,” said the Baron et “ won derful,won

derfu l an d he gazed fon dly at the I talian boy,who again

resumed his men ial employmen t. A las ! the win gs of theIdeal were folded. The Studen t had been absorbed in the

Boy.

Bu t Sir Edward’s boots were blacked, an d he turn ed todepart. Placin g his han d upon the clusterin g ten drils thatsu rroun ded the classic n ob of the in fan t I talian , he saidsoftly, like a strain of distan t music

Boy, you have don e well. Love the Good . Protect theI n n ocen t . Provide for The I n digen t . Respect the Philosopher.

”Stay ! Can you tell me what is The True;

The Beautiful, The I n n ocen t, The Virtuous ?”They are thin gs that commen ce with a capital letter,

said the Boy, promptly.“En ough ! Respect everythin g that commen ces with a

capital letter ? Respect ME an d droppin g a halfpen n y inthe han d of the Boy, he departed.The Boy gazed fixedly at the coin . A frightful an d

in stan tan eous chan ge overspread his features . His n oblebrow was corrugated with baser lin es of calculation . His

black eye,serpen t - like, glittered with suppressed passion .

Droppin g upon his han ds an d feet, he crawled to the curbston e an d hissed after the retreatin g form of the Baron et, thesin gle word

Bilk

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1 88 THE DWELLER OF THE THRESH OLD .

BOOK I I I .

THE DWELLER OF THE TH RESH OLD

ADONA I,appear ! appear !

A n d as the Seer spoke,the awful Presen ce glided out of

Nothin gn ess, an d sat , sphin xlike, at the feet of the A lchemist.I am come said the Thin g.Y ou

- should say ‘I have come —it’s better grammar,

”

said the Boy-Neophyte

,thoughtfully accen tin g the substituted

expression .

“ H ush,rash Boy, said the Seer stern ly. W ould you

oppose your feeble kn owledge to the in fi nite in telligen ce ofthe Unmistakable ? A word

,an d you are lost for ever.

”

The Boy breathed a silen t prayer, an d han din g a sealedpackage to the Seer

,begged him to han d it to his father in

case of his premature decease.“ Y ou have sen t for me

,

” hissed the Presen ce. Beholdme

,Apok atharticon

—the Un pron oun ceable. I n me all

thin gs exist which are n ot already co-existen t . I am the

Un attain able,the I n tan gible, the Cause, an d the Effect. I n

me observe the B rahma of Mr. Emerson n ot on ly Brahmahimself

,bu t also the sacred musical composition rehearsed by

the faithful H in doo. I am the real Gyges . Non e others are

gen uin e.”An d the veiled Son of the Starbeam laid himself looselyabout the room

,an d permeated Space gen erally.

Un fathomable Mystery,” said the Rosicrucian in a low,

sweet voice. Brave Child with the V itreous Optic Thouwho pervadest all thin gs an d ru bbest again st us withou tabrasion of the cuticle. I comman d thee

,speak

An d the misty, in tan g ible, in defin ite Presen ce spoke.

THE NINETY-NINE GUARDSMEN. 1 89

BOOK IV.

MYSELF.

AFTER the even ts related in the last chapter, the reader willperceive that n othin g was easier than to recon cile SirEdwardto his son Lion el, n or to resuscitate the beautiful Italian girl,who, it appears, was n ot dead, an d to cause Sir Edward tomarry his first an d boyish love whom he had deserted. Theywere married in St. George’s, H an over Square. A s the bridalparty stood before the altar, Sir Edward, with a sweet, sadsmile, said, in quite his old man n er

The Sublime an d Beautiful are the Real the on ly I dealis the Ridiculous an d H omely. Let us always rememberthis . Let us through life en deavour to person ify the virtues

,

an d always begin ’em with a capital letter. Let us,when ever

we can fin d an opportun ity, deliver ou r sen timen ts in the

form of rou n dhan d Copies. Respect the Aged. EschewVulgarity. Admire Ou rselves. Regard the Novelist.”

THE NINETY -NINE GUARDSMEN.

BY AL-X-D-R DOMO S.

CHAPTER I .

SHOW ING THE QUALITY or THE CUSTOMERS or THE INNKEEPER

or PROV INS.

WENTY years after, the gigan tic in n keeper of Provin sstood lookin g at a cloud of dust on the highway.

This cloud of dust betoken ed the approach of a traveller.

Travellers had been rare that season on the highway betweenParis an d Provins.The heart of the in nkeeper rejoiced. Tu rn in g to DamePerigord

,his wife

,he said

,strokin g his white apron

“St. Den is ! make haste an d spread the cloth. Add a.

1 90 THE NINETY-NINE 6 (7ARDSMEN.

bottle of Charlevoix to the table. This traveller,who rides

so fast, by his pace must be a Mon seign eur.

”

Truly the traveller, clad in the un iform of a musketeer,as he drew up to the door of the hostelry

, did n ot seem tohave spared his horse. Throwin g his rei ‘n s to the lan dlord

,

he leaped lightly to the grou n d. H e was a youn g man of

four an d twen ty, an d spoke with a slight Gascon accen t.I am hun gry. Morbleu I I wish to din eThe gigan tic in n keeper bowed an d led the way to a n eat

apartmen t , where a table stood coveredwith temptin g vian ds .The musketeer at on ce set to work . Fowls

,fish

, an d pa te’

s

d isappeared before him . Perigord sighed as he witn essedthe devastat ion . On ly on ce the stran ger paused.

“W in e !Perigord brought win e. The stran ger dran k a dozen

bottles . Fin ally he rose to depart . Turn in g to the expectan t lan dlord, he said

Charge it.”To whom, your highn ess ? said Perigord, an xiou sly.To his Emin en ceMazarin ejaculated the in n keeper.

The same. Brin g me my horse,” an d the musketeer,remoun tin g his favourite an imal, rode away .The in n keeper slowly turn ed back in to the in n . Scarcelyhad he reached the courtyard, before the clatter of hoofsagain called him to the doorway. A musketeer of a lightan d graceful figure rode up.

Pa/rblea ,my dear Perigord

,I am famishin g. W hat have

you got for din n er ? ”“V en ison

,capon s

,larks an d pigeon s, your excellen cy,

replied the obsequious lan dlord, bowin g to the groun d.En ough ! The youn g musketeer dismoun ted an d

en tered the in n . Seatin g himself at the table replen ishedby the careful Perigord, he speedily swept it as clean as the

first comer.

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1 92 THE NINETY-NINE GUARDSMEN.

ward with his bill,to which he had covertly added the losses

which he had suffered from the previous stran gers.Ah the bill— charge it .

Charge it to whom ? ”“ To the K in g,” said the guest .

W hat his Maj esty ? ”Cert ain ly. Farewell

,Perigord .

The in n keeper groan ed. Then he wen t out an d took downhis sign . Then remarked to his wife

“ I am a plain man,an d don ’

t un derstan d politics . I t

seems,however

,that the coun try is in a troubled state. Be

tween his Emin en ce the Cardin al,his Maj esty the K in g, an d

her Majesty the Queen , I am a ruin ed man .

Stay,” said Dame Perigord, I have an idea.A n d that isBecome yourself a musketeer.

CHAPTER I I .

THE COMBAT.

ON leavin g Provin s the first musketeer proceeded to

Nan gis, where he was rein forced b y thirty-three followers .The secon d musketeer, arrivin g at Nan gis at the samemomen t

,placed himself at the head of thirty-three more.

The third guest of the Lan dlord of Provin s arrived atNan gis in time to assemble together thirty-three othermu stk eteers .

The first stran ger led the troops of his Emin en ce .The secon d led the tr00ps of the Queen .

The third led the troops of the K in g.The fight commen ced. I t raged terribly for seven hours.

The first musketeer killed thirty of the Queen ’s troops. The

secon d musketeer killed thirty of the K in g’s tr00ps. The

third musketeer killed thirty of his Emin en ce’s troops.

THE NINETY-NINE GUARDSMEN.

By this time it will be perceived the n umber of musketeers had been n arrowed down to four on each side.Naturally the three prin cipal warriors approached eachother.

They simultan eously uttered a cryAramisAthosD

’Artagn an

They fell in to each other’s arms.An d it seems that we are fightin g again st each other

,

my children ,” said the Coun t de la Fere, mourn fully.H ow sin gular exclaimed Aramis an d D ’

Artagn an .

Let us stop this fratricidal warfare,” said Athos.W e will they exclaimed together.

“B u t how to disban d ou r followers ? ” queried D ’

Artagn an .

Aramis win ked. They un derstood each other.

“ Let usou t

’

em downThey cut ’

em down . Aramis killed three . D’

Artagn an

three. Athos three.The frien ds again embraced. H ow like old times l”

said Aramis. H ow touchin g exclaimed the serious an dphilosophic Coun t de la Fere.The gallopin g of hoofs caused them to withdraw fromeach other’s embraces. A gigan tic figure rapidly ap

preached.The in n keeper of Prov in s they cried, drawmg their

swords.Perigord

,down with him shouted D’

Artagn an .

Stay,

” said Athos.The gigan tic figu re was beside them. H e uttered a cry.

Athos, Aramis, D’

Artagn an

Porthos exclaimed the aston ished trio .The same. They all fell in each other’s arms.The Coun t de la Fere slowly raised his han d to H eaven .

“Bless you ! Bless us, my children ! However differen t0

1 94 THE NINETY-NJNE GUARDSMEN.

ou r opin ion s may be in regard to politics,we have but on e

opin ion in regard to ou r own merits. W here can you fin d a

better man than Aramis“Than Porthos ? said Aramis.Than D’

Artagn an said Porthos .

Than Athos said D’

Artagn an .

CHAPTER I I I .

SHOW ING How THE KING OF FRANCE WENT UP A LADDER.

THEKin g descen ded in to the garden . Proceedin g cautiouslyalon g the terraced walk

,he came to the wall immediately

below the win dows of Madame. To the left were two windows, con cealed by v in es . They open ed in to the apartmen tsof La V alliere.The K in g sighed.I t is about n in eteen feet to that win dow,

said the Kin g.

I f I had a ladder about n in eteen feet lon g, it would reachto that win dow. This is logic .”Sudden ly the K in g stumbled over somethin g. St.

Den is he exclaimed,lookin g down . I t was a ladder, just

nin eteen feet lon g.The K in g placed it again st the wall. I n so doin g, he

fixed the lower en d u pon the abdomen of a man who lay cons ealed by the wall. The man did n ot utter a cry or win ce.The Kin g suspected n othin g . H e ascen ded the ladder.

The ladder was too short. Louis the Gran dwas n ot a tallman . H e was still two feet below the win dow.

Dear me !” said the K in g.Sudden ly the ladder was lifted two feet from below. This

en abled the K in g to leap in the win dow. A t the furtheren d of the apartmen t stood a youn g girl, with red hair an d alame leg. She was tremblin g with emotion .

LouiseThe K ing 1”

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1 96 MUCK-A -MUCK .

Athos,Porthos

,an d D

’

Artagn an blu shed.Ah

,

” said the Kin g, thoughtfu lly. Y ou teach me a

lesson . Y ou are devoted an d n oble you ng gen tlemen , butyour on ly weakn ess is your excessive modesty . From thismomen t I make you all Marshals an d Dukes, with the exception of Aramis.”

An d me, sire said Aramis.Y ou shall be an Archbishop !”The four frien ds looked u p an d then rushed in to eachother’s arms . The Kin g embraced Louise de la V alliere, byway of keepin g them compan y. A pause en sued . At lastAthos spoke

Swear,my children

,that n ext to yourselves

,you will

respect—the K ing of Fran ce 5 an d remember ‘Fortyyears after we will meet again .

”

MUCK-A-MUCK.

a mou rn flat ten fi end .

AFTER COOPER.

CHAPTER I .

T was towards the close of a bright October day. The

last rays of the settin g su n were reflectedfrom on e of thosesylvan lakes peculiar to the Sierras of Californ ia. On the

right the curlin g smoke of an I n dian village rose between thecolumn s of the lofty pin es

,while to the left the log cottage

of Judge Tompkin s, embowered in buckeyes, completed theen chan tin g picture.Although the exterior of the cottage was humble an d u n

preten tious, an d in keepin g with the wildn ess of the .an d

scape,its in terior gave eviden ce of the cu ltivation an d refin e

MUCK-A-MUCK . 1 97

men t of I t s inmates. An aquarium, con tain in g gold-fishes .

stood on a marble cen tre table at on e en d of the apartmen t,

While a magn ificen t gran d pian o occupied the other. The

floor was covered with a yieldin g tapestry carpet, an d thewalls were adorn ed with pain tin gs from the pen cils of VanDyke, Ruben s, Ti ntoretto, Michael An gelo

,an d the produce

tion s of the more modern Turn er, K en sett, Church an d B ierstadt. A lthough Judge Tompkin s had chosen the fron tiersof civilisation as his home, it was impossible for him to entirely forego the habits an d tastes of his former life . H e was

seated in a luxurious arm-chair,writin g at a mahogan y eeri

toire, while his daughter, a lovely youn g girl of seven teensummers, plied her crochet n eed le on an ottoman beside him .

A bright fire of pin e logs flickered an d flamed on the amplehearth.Gen evra Octavia Tompkin s was Judge Tompkin s’s on lychild. H ermother had lon g sin ce died on the Plain s. Rearedin affluen ce, n o paI n s had been sparedwith the daughter’s education . Shewas a graduate of on e of the prin cipal semin aries

,

an d spoke Fren chwith a perfect Ben icia accen t. Peerlesslybeautiful

,she was dressed in a white moire an tiqu e robe

trimmed with tu lle. That simple roseb ud,with which most

heroin es exclusively decorate their hair, was all she wore inher raven look s.

The Judge was the first to break the silen ceGen evra, the legs which compose yon der fire seem to have

been in cautiously chosen . The sibilation produced by thesap, which exudes copiously therefrom, is n ot con ducive tocomposition .

”

“ True,father

,bu t I thought it would be preferable to the

con stan t crepitation which is apt to atten d the combu stionof more season ed lign eous fragmen ts.”The Judge looked admirin gly at the in tellectual features

of the graceful girl,an d half forgot the slight an n oyan ces of

the green wood in the musical accen ts of his daughter. H e

1 98 MUCK-A -MUCK .

was smoothin g her hair ten derly,when the shadow of a tall

figure, which sudden ly darken ed the doorway, caused him to

look up .CHAPTER I I .

I T n eeded but a glan ce at the n ew comer to detect at on cethe form an d features of the haughty aborigin e— the un taughtan d un trammelled son of the forest. Over on e shoulder a

blan ket,n egligen tly bu t gracefully thrown ,

disclosed a barean d powerful breast, decorated with a quan tity of three cen tpostage stamps which he had despoiled from an Overlan dMail stage a few weeks previous . A cast-off beaver of JudgeTompkin s’s

,adorn ed by a simple feather

,covered his erect

head,from ben eath which his straight locks descen ded. His

right han d hun g lightly by his side,while his left was en gaged

in holdin g on a pair of pan taloon s,which the lawless grace

an d freedom of his lower limbs eviden tly could n ot brook.

W hy,” said the I n dian

,in a low sweet ton e, why does

the Pale Face still follow the track of the Red Man W hydoes he pursue him

,even as O-lcee-cltow,

the wild cat,chases

Ka - lca,the skun k ? W hy are the feet of Sorrel- tap,

the

white chief,amon g the acorn s ofMu ck-a—Mu ck

,the moun tain

forest ? W hy,”be repeated

,quietly but firmly

,abstractin g

a silver spoon from the table,

why do you seek to drivehim from the wigwams of his fathers ? His brothers arealready gon e to the happy hun tin g groun ds. W ill the PaleFace seek him there ?” An d

,avertin g his face from the

Judge,he hastily slipped a silver cake-basket ben eath his

blanket,to con ceal his emotion .

Ill u clc-a -Mu cle has spoken,

” said Gen evra softly. Let

him n ow listen . Are the acorn s of the moun tain sweeterthan the esculen t an d n utritious bean of the Pale Facemin er ? Does my brother prize the edible qu alities of thesn ail above that of the crisp an d oleagin ous bacon ? Deliciousare the grasshoppers that sport on the hillside—are they

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2 00 MUCK -A -MUCK .

over the keys. Then, in a clear mezzo-sopran o voice, she

san g the first verse of on e of the popular I rish balladsO Arralt, ma clheelish, the distan t d u dlteen

Lies soft in the moon light, ma bou chal u ou rn een

The sprin gin g gossoon s on the heather are still,

An d the can teen s an d colleen s are heard on the hillsBu t as the ravishin g n otes of her sweet voice died upon the

air,her han d san k listlessly to her side. Music could n ot

chase away the mysterious shadow from her heart. Againshe rose. Puttin g on a white crape bon n et, an d carefullydrawin g a pair of lemon -coloured gloves over her taperfin gers

,she seized her parasol an d plun ged in to the depths of

the pin e forest.CHAPTER IV.

GENEVRA had n ot proceeded man y miles before a wearin essseized upon her fragile limbs, an d she would fain seat herselfupon the trun k of a prostrate pin e, which she prev iouslydusted with her han dkerchief. The su n was just sin kin gbelow the horizon

,an d the scen e was on e of gorgeous an d

sylvan beauty . H ow beautiful is Nature,

” murmured thein n ocen t girl

,as

,reclin in g gracefully again st the root of the

tree,she gathered up her skirts an d t ied her han dkerchief

aroun d her throat . Bu t a low growl in terrupted her meditation . Startin g to her feet, her eyes met a sight whichfroze her blood with terror.

The on ly outlet to the forest was the n arrow path,barely

wide en ough for a sin gle person , hemmed in by trees an drocks, which she had just traversed. Down this path

,in

I n dian file,came a mon strous grizzly

,closely followed by a

Californ ia lion , a wild cat,an d a buffalo

,the rear bein g

brought up by a wild Span ish bull. The mouths of the threefirst an imals were disten ded with frightful sign ifican ce 5thehorn s of the last were lowered as omin ously. As Gen evrawas preparin g to fain t, she heard a low voice behin d her.

MUCH -A -MUCK. 2 0 1

Etern ally dog gon e”? my skin ef this ain ’t the pu ttiestchan ce yet.”At the same momen t, a lon g, shin in g barrel droppedlightly from behin d her, an d rested ov er her shoulder.Gen evra shuddered.

Durn ye—don ’t moveGen evra became motion less.The crack of a rifle ran g through the woods. Three

frightful yells were heard,

an d two sullen roars. Fiveanimals boun ded in to the air an d five lifeless bodies lay uponthe plain . The well-aimed bullet had don e its work. En terin g the open throat of the grizzly, it had traversed his body,on ly to en ter the throat of the Californ ia lion , an d in likeman n er the catamoun t

,un til it passed through in to the

respective foreheads of the bull an d the bu ffalo, an d fin allyfell flatten ed from the rocky hillside.

Gen evra turn ed quickly. My preserver she shrieked,an d fell in to the arms ofNatty Bumpe—the celebrated PikeRanger of Don n er Lake.

CHAPTER V.

THEmoon rose cheerfully above Don n er Lake. On its placidbosom a dug-out can oe glided rapidly

,con tain in g Natty

Rumpo an d Gen evra Tompkin s.Both were sil en t . The same thought possessed each, an dperhaps there was sweet compan ion ship even in the un brokenquiet . Gen evra bit the han dle of her parasol an d blushed .Natty

~Bumpo took a fresh chew of tobacco. At len gthGen evra said

,as if in half- spoken reverie

The soft shin in g of the moon an d the peaceful ripple ofthe waves seem to say to u s various thin gs of an in structivean d moral ten den cy.”

A eu phemism common with the men of the W est, an d equ al to

the En glish Od rat it,

”or Ga l darn .

”

2 02 fil UCK-A -MUCK.

Y ou may bet yer pile”’r on that,Miss

,said her com

pan ion gravely. I t’

s all the preachin ’

an d psalm-singinI’

ve heern sin ce I was a boy.“Noble bein g !” said Miss Tompkin s to herself

,glan cin g

at the stately Pike as he ben t over his paddle to con ceal hisemotion . Reared in this wild seclusion

, yet he has becomepen etratedwith visible con sciousn ess of a Great First Cause.”Then , collectin g herself, she said aloud Methin ks ’

twerepleasan t to glide ever thus down the stream of life

,han d in

han d with the on e bein g whom the soul claims as its affin ity.Bu t what am I sayin g - an d the delicate-min ded girl hidher face in her han ds.A lon g silen ce en sued, which was at len gth broken by hercompan ion .

Ef you mean you ’re on the marry

,he said thoughtfully

,

I ain ’t in n o wise partikler 1 ”My husban d,” faltered the blushin g girl 5 an d she fell

in to his arms .

I n ten min utes more the lovin g couple had lan ded atJudge Tompkin s’s.

CHAPTER VI .

A YEAR has passed away. Natty Rumpo was retu rn in g fromGold H ill, where he had been to purchase provision s . On

his way to Don n er Lake, rumours of an I n dian uprisin g methis ears. Dern their pesky skin s, ef they dare to touch myJen n y

,

” he muttered between his clen ched teeth.I t was dark when he reached the borders of the lake.

Arou n d a glitterin g fire he dimly d iscern ed dusky figuresdan cing. They were in war pain t. Con spicuous amon gthem was the ren own ed Muck—a-Muck. Bu t why did thefin gers of Natty Bumpo tighten con vulsively aroun d hisrifle ?

I .e., pile ofmon ey.

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2 04 Jim. MIDSH IPMAN BREEZ Y.

MR. MIDSH IPMAN BREEZ Y.

A NAVAL OFFICER.

BY CAPTAIN M-RRY-T, R.N.

CHAPTER I .

MY fatherwas a n orth-coun try surgeon . H e had retireda widower, from H er Maj esty’s n avy man y years before,

an d had a small practice in his n ative village. W hen I wasseven years old he employed me to carry medicin es to hispatien ts. Bein g of a lively disposition

,I sometimes amused

myself, durin g my daily roun ds, by mixin g the con ten ts of thedifferen t phials. A lthough I had n o reason to doubt that thegen eral result of this practice was ben eficial, yet, as the deathof a con sumptive curate followed the addition of a stron gmercurial lotion to his expectoran t, my father con cluded towithdraw me from the profession an d sen d me to school.Gru bbin s, the schoolmaster, was a tyran t, an d it was n ot

lon g before my impetuous an d self-willed n at u re rebelledagain st his authority . I soon began to form plan s of revenge.I n this I was assisted by Tom Sn affle—a school-fellow. On e

day Tom suggestedSuppose we blow him up . I

’ve got two poun ds of

powderNo, that’s too n oisy

,I replied.

Tom was silen t for a min ute, an d again spokeY ou remember how you flatten ed ou t the curate

,Pills !

Couldn ’

t you give Gru bbin s somethin g -somethin g to makehim leathery sick— ehA flash of in spiration crossed my min d. I wen t to theshop of the village apothecary. H e kn ew me 5 I had oftenpurchased vitrel, which I poured in to Gru bbin s ’s in ks tan d tocorrode his pen s an d burn ap his coat-tail, on which he wasin the habit of wipin g. them. I b oldly asked for an oun ce of

MR. MIDSHIPMAN BREEZ Y. 2 05

chloroform. The youn g apothecary win ked an d han ded methe bottle.I t was Gru bbin s

’

s custom to threw his han dkerchief overhis head

,reclin e in his chair, an d take a short n ap durin g

recess. W atchin g my opportun ity,as he dozed

,I man aged

to slip his han dkerchief from his face an d substitute my own ,moisten ed with chloroform . I n a few min utes he was in sensible. Tom an d I then quickly shaved his head, beard, an deyebrows, blacken ed his face with a mixture of v itriol an dburn t cork, an d fled. There was a row an d scan dal then ext day. My father always excused me by assertin g thatGrubbin s had got drun k—bu t somehow foun d it con ven ien tto procure me an appoin tmen t in H er Maj esty’s n avy at anearly day.

CHAPTER I I .

AN oflicial letter, with the Admiralty seal, in formed me thatI was expected to j oin H .M. ship Belcher

,Captain Boltrope

,

at Portsmouth, without delay. I n a few days I presen tedmyself to a tall, stern -visaged man

,who was slowly pacin g

the leeward side of the quarter-deck. As I touched my hathe eyed me stern ly

So he An other youn g su cklin g . The service is goin gto the devil . Nothin g but babesin the cockpit an d gran nies inthe board . Boatswain ’s mate, pass the word for Mr. Cheek l”Mr. Cheek, the steward, appeared an d touched his hat .I n troduce Mr. Breezy to the youn g gen tlemen . StopW here’s Mr. Swizzle

At the masthead, sir.

W here’s Mr. Lan k ey ?

“At the masthead, sir.

Mr. Briggs ? ”Masthead, too, sir.

An d the rest of the youn g gen tlemen ?” roared theen raged officer.

2 06 MR. MIDSH IPMAN BREEZ Y.

All masthead,sir.

Ah !” said Captain Boltrope, as he smiled grimly,

un der the circumstan ces,Mr. Breezy, you had better go to

the masthead too.”

CHAPTER I I I .

AT the masthead I made the acquain tan ce of two youn gstersof about my own age

,on e of whom in formed me that he had

been there 332 days ou t of the year.

I n rough weather,when the old cock is out of sorts

,you

kn ow,we n ever come down

,

” added a youn g gen tleman of

n in e years, with a dirk n early as lon g as himself,who had

been in troduced to me as Mr. Briggs. By the way, Pills,he con t in ued, how did you come to omit givin g the captaina n aval salu te ?

W hy, I touched my hat, I said, in n ocen tly.Y es

,bu t that isn ’

t en ough,you kn ow. That will

very well at other times. H e expects the n aval salute whyou first come on board— green yI began to feel alarmed

,an d begged him to explain .

W hy, you see, after touchin g your hat , you should havetouched him lightly with your forefinger in his waistcoat, so,an d asked, H ow’s his n ibs —you see

H ow’s his n ibs I repeated.“Exactly. H e would have drawn back a little, an d thenyou should have repeated the salute

,remarkin g, H ow’s his

royal n ibs askin g cautiou sly after his wife an d family, an drequestin g to be in troduced to the gun n er’s daughter.

”

“The gun n er’s daughter ? ”The same 5you kn ow she takes care of us youn g ge1itle

men 5 n ow don ’t forget, Pillsy

W hen we were called down to the deck I thou ght it agood chan ce to profit by this in struction . I approachedCaptain Boltrope an d repeated the salute without con scien a

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2 08 MR. MIDSH IPMAN BREEZ Y.

H uzza sen d her up again cried Lan k ey.

The auger was again applied. This time a shriek waheard from the purser’s cabin . I n stan tly the lightdoused, an d the party retreated hurriedly to the

A Soun d of sn orin g was heard as the sen try stuck hiin to the door. All right

,sir

,he replied in an swer to

voice of the officer of the deck.The n ext morn in gwe heard thatNips was in the surge

han ds,with a bad woun d in the fleshy part of his leg,

that the auger had n ot struck claret.

CHAPTER V.

NOW,Pills, you ’ll have a chan ce to smell powder, sai

Briggs as he en tered the cockpit an d buckled aroun dwaist an en ormous cutlass. W e have just sighted a Freship .W e wen t on deck. Captain Boltrope grin n ed as

touched ou r hats. H e hated the purser.

“ Come,yo

gen tlemen , if you ’re borin g for Fren ch claret, yon der ’

good quality. Mi nd your con,sir

,

” he added,turn in g to

quartermaster, who was grin n in g.The ship was already cleared for action . The men

,in

their eagern ess, had started the coffee from the tubs an dfilled them with shot . Presen tly theFren chman yawed, an da shot from a lon g thirty-two came skippin g over the water.I t kil led the quartermaster an d took off both of Lan key’slegs . “ Tell the purser ou r accoun t is squared

,said the

dyin g boy, with a feeble smile.The fight raged fiercely for two hours. I remember

in g the Fren ch Admiral, as we boarded, bu t on 100

aro u n d for Briggs, after the smoke had cleared away, Iin ten sely amused at witn essin g the followin g n ovel sightBriggs had pin n ed the Fren ch captain again st the mast

with his cutlass, an d was n ow en gaged, with all the hilarity

MR. MIDSH IPMAN BREEZ Y. 2 09

of you th, in pullin g the captain ’s coat-tails between his legs,in imitation of a dan cin g-jack. A s the Fren chman lifted hislegs an d arms, at each j erk of Briggs’s, I could n ot helpparticipatin g in the gen eral mirth.

“ Y ou youn g devil, what are you doin g ? ” said a stifledvoice behin d me. I looked up an d beheld Captain Boltrope,en deavourin g to calm his stern features

,bu t the twitchin g

aroun d his mouth betrayed his in ten se en j oymen t of the

scen e. “ Go to the masthead— u p with you,sir !

” he repeated stern ly to Briggs.

Very good, sir,” said the boy, coolly preparin g to moun tthe shrouds. Good-bye, John n y Crapaud. H umph headded

,in a ton e in ten ded for my ear, a pretty way to treat

a hero—the service is goin g to the devil lI thought so too

CHAPTER VI .

WE were ordered to the W est I n dies. A lthough CaptainBoltrope’s man n er toward me was still severe an d evenharsh

,I un derstood that my n ame had been favourably

men tion ed in the despatches .Reader, were you ever at Jamaica I f so

,you rememb er

the n egresses,the oran ges, Port Royal Tom— the yellow

fever. After bein g two weeks at the station, I was taken

sick of the fever. I n a mon th I was delirious. Durin g myparoxysms

, I had a wild distempered dream of a stern faceben din g an xiously over my pillow, a rough han d smoothin gmy hair

,an d a kin d voice sayin g

B’ess his ’ittle heart ! Did he have the n au ghty fever 1”

This face seemed again chan ged to the well-kn own sternfeatures of Captain Boltrope .W hen I was con valescen t

,a packet edged in black was

pu t in my han d. I t con tain ed the n ews of my father’sdeath, an d a sealed l etter which he had requested to be

2 10 MR MIDSH IPMAN BREEZ Y.

given to me on his decease. I Open ed it tremblin gly. I t

read thusMY DEAR BOY

,—I regret to in form you that in

probability you are n ot my son . Y our mother, I

grieved to say, was a highly improper person . W ho yfather may be I really can n ot say

,but perhaps

able H en ry Boltrope, Captain R . N.

,may be able to in

you. Circumstan ces over which I have n o con trol havdeferred this importan t disclosure.

Y OUR STRIOKEN PARENT.

An d so Captain Boltrope was my father. H eaven s !W as it a dream ? I recalled his stern man n er

,his obser

van t eye,his ill- con cealed un easin ess when in my presen ce.

I lon ged to embrace him. Staggerin g to my feet, I rushed

in my scan ty apparel to the deck,where Captain Boltrope

was just then en gaged in receivin g the Govern or’s wife an ddaughter. The ladies shrieked 5 the youn gest, a beautifu lgirl

,blushed d eeply. H eedin g them n ot

, I san k at his feet,an d embracin g them, criedMy fatherChuck him overboard roared Captain Boltrope.Stay

,

” pleaded the soft voice of Clara Maitlan d,Govern or’s daughter.

“ Shave his head ! he ’s a wretched lun atic con tiCaptain Boltrope

,while his voice trembled with ex

men t.No

,let me n urse an d take care of him,

said the 10girl

,blushin g as she spoke . Mamma

,can ’

t we takehome ? ”The daughter’s pleadin g was n ot without effect . I n

mean time I had fain ted. W hen I recovered my sen sfou n d myself in Govern orMaitlan d

’

sman sion .

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2 1 2 GUY HEA VYSTONE.

My father—as I must still call him—glan ced on the paper,an d pron oun ced it a forgery. Briggs roared with laughter.

I turn ed to him an d deman ded an explan ation .

“ W hy, don ’

t you see, green y, l t ’s all a j oke—a midship

man ’s joke“Bu t I asked .

Don ’t be a fool . Y ou’ve got a good wife—be satisfied.

I turn ed to Clara,an d was satisfied . Although

Maitlan d n ever forgave me, the j olly old Govern or lau gheheartily over the j oke,an d so well used his in fluen ce thatsoon became

,dear reader

,Admiral Breezy

,K .C.B.

GUY HEAVYSTONE;

OR,

“ENTIRE.

”

mu scular fiend .

BY THE AUTHOR or“SWORD AND GUN.

”

CHAPTER I .

Nereirepan dirostrumin cu rvicervicum pecu e."

DINGY,swashy

,splashy aftern oon in October ; a

school-yard filled with a mob of riotous boys. A lot

of us stan din g outside.Sudden ly came a du ll

,crashin g soun d from the

room. At the omin ous in terruption I shuddered in volu ntarily, an d Called to Smithsye

“W hat’s up,Smithums ?

Guy’s clean in g out the fourth form,” he replied.At the same momen t George de Coverly passed

holdin g his n ose, from when ce the bright Norman bstreamed redly. To him the plebeian Smithsye

Cally how’s his n ibs

GUY HEA VYSTONE. 2 1 3

I pushed the door of the school-room open . There aresome spectacles which a man n ever forgets. The burn in g ofTroy probably seemed a large- sized con flagration to the piousZEn eas, an d mad e an impression on himwhich he carriedaway with the feeble An chises.I n the cen tre of the room , lightly bran dishin g the piston

rod of a steam-en gin e, stood Gu y H eavyston e alon e. I sayalon e

,for the pile of small boys on the floor in the corn er

could hardly be called compan y.I will try an d sketch him for the reader. Guy H eavyston e was then on ly fifteen . His bread , deep chest, hissin ewy an d quiverin g flan k

,his straight pastern showed him

to be a thorough-bred. Perhaps he was a trifle heavy in thefetlock

, bu t he held his head haughtily erect. His eyes wereglitterin g bu t pitiless . There was a stern n ess about thelower part of his face— the old H eavyston e look —a sternn ess heighten ed

,perhaps

,by the sn affle-bit which

,in on e of

his strange freaks, he wore in his mouth to curb his occasion al ferocity. His dress was well adapted to his square -setan d H erculean frame. A striped kn it un dershirt

,close-fittin g

striped tights,an d a few span gles set off his figure 5 a n eat

Glen garry cap adorn ed his head . On it was displayed theH eavyston e crest, a cock regardan t on a dun ghill or, an d themotto, Devil a betterI thought of H oratiu s on the bridge, of H ector before the

walls. I always make it a poin t to thin k of somethin gclassical at such times.H e saw me

,an d his stern n ess partly relaxed. Somethin g

like a smile struggled through his grim lin eamen ts. I t was

like lookin g on the Ju n gfrau after havin g seen Mon t B lan c—a trifle

,on ly a trifle less sublime an d awful. Restin g his

han d lightly on the shoulder of the head-master, whoshuddered an d collapsed un der his touch, he strode towardme.

His walk was peculiar. Y ou could n ot call it a stride.

2 1 4 GUY HEA VI/STONE.

I t was like the crest-tossin g Bellerophon —a kin d of

pran cin g gait. Gu y H eavyston e pran ced toward me.

CHAPTER I I .

Lord Lovel he stood at the garden gate,A-combin g his milk -white steed .

”

ITwas thewin t er of 1 86 when I n ext met Gu y H eavyston e.

H e had left the Un iversity an d had en tered the 7 6 th“H eavies.” I have exchan ged the gown for the sword,you see

,

” he said,graspin g my han d

,an d fracturin g the bon es

of my little fin ger,as he shook it.I gazed at him with unmixed admiration . H e was

squarer,stern er

,an d in every way smarter an d more

remarkable than ever. I began to feel toward this man as

Phalaster felt towards Phyrgin o, as somebody must have felttoward Archididascalu s

,as Boswell felt towards John son .

Come in to my den,

” he said,an d liftin g me gen tly by

the seat of my pan taloon s,he carried me up stairs an d

d eposited me,before I could apologise

,on the sofa. I looked

aroun d the room . I t was a bachelor’s apartmen t,character

istically furn ished in the taste of the proprietor. A few

claymores an d battle- axes were ran ged again st the wall, an da culverin

,captured by Sir Ralph H eavyston e, occupied the

corn er,the other en d of the room bein g taken up by a light

battery. Foils,boxin g-gloves

,saddles

,an d fi shin g

-poles layaroun d carelessly. A small pile of billets-doux layupon a silversalver. Theman was n ot an an chorite

,n or yet a Sir Galahad.

I n ever could tell what Gu y thought of women .

“ Poorlittle beasts,” he would often say when the con versationturn ed on an y of his fresh c on quests. Then , passin g hishan d over his marble brow

,the old look of stem fixedn ess

’

of purpose an d un flin chin g severity would straighten the

lin es of his mouth, an d he would mutter, half to himself,’

Sdeath

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2 1 6 GUY HAA l/ YSTONE.

recogn ise as the common an d n atural expression of the

higher classes.“ W hen Dian a takes the field the chase is n ot wholly

con fin ed to obj ects farce n a tu rae,said Gu y, dartin g a

sign ifican t glan ce at his compan ion . Flora did n ot shrin keither from the glan ce or the mean in g implied in the

sarcasm .

“ I f I were lookin g for an En dymion,n ow

,

” she saidarchly, as she playfully can tered over a few houn ds ‘an dleaped a five-barred gate.Gu y whispered a few words, in audible to the rest of theparty, an d curvettin g slightly

,cleverly cleared two of the

hun tsmen in a flyin g leap,galloped up the fron t steps of the

man sion , an d dashin g at full speed through the hall, leapedthrough the drawin g-room win dow an d rejoin ed me, lan guidly,on the lawn .

Be carefu l of Flora B illin gsgate,he said to me

,in low

stern ton es, while his pitiless eye shot a balefu l flre.

Gardez w a s

Greet/tiscan ton,

”I replied calmly

,n ot wishin g to appear

to be behin d him in perception or verbal felicity .

Gu y started off in high spirits. H e was well carried. H e

an d the first whip,a ten - ston e man

,were head an d head at

the last fen ce,while the houn ds were rollin g over their fox

,

a hun dred yards farther in the open .

Bu t an un expected circumstan ce occurred. Comin g back,his chestn ut mare refused a ten - foot wall . She reared an dfell backward. Again he led her up to it lightly 5again sherefu sed

,fallin g heavily from the cepin g . Guy started to his

feet . The old pitiless fire shon e in his eyes ; the old sternlook settled aroun d his mouth. Seizin g the mare by the tailan d man e he threw her over the wall . She lan ded twen tyfeet on the other side, erect an d tremblin g. Lightly leapin gthe same obstacle himself, he remoun ted her. She did n otrefuse the wall the n ext time.

GUY HEA VYSTONE. 2 1 7

CHAPTER IV.

H e holds him by his glitterin g eye.

GUY was in the n orth of I relan d,cock- shootin g. So Ralph

Mortmain told me,an d also that the match between Mary

Bran dagee an d Gu y had been broken off by Flora B illin g sgate. I don ’t like those Billin gsgates

,said Ralph,

“ they’re a bad stock . H er father,Smithfield de B illin gs

gate, had an u n pleasan t way of turn in g up the kn ave fromthe bottom of the pack. B u t n ou s verron s ; let us go an d

see Gu v .

”

The n ext mornin g we started for Fin -ma-Cou l’s Crossin g .W hen I reached the shootin g-box

,where Gu y was en ter

tain in g a select compan y of frien ds,Flora Billin gsgate

greeted me with a saucy smile.Gu y was even squarer an d stern er than ever. His gusts

of passion were more frequen t,an d it was with difficulty that

he could keep an able-bodied servan t in his family. His

presen t retain ers were more or less maimed from exposure tothe fury of their master. There was a stran ge cyn icism,

acuttin g sarcasm in his address piercin g through his polishedman n er. I thought of Timon

, etc .,etc.

On e even in g we were sittin g over ou r Chambertin , after ahard day’s work

,an d Gu y was listlessly turn in g over some

letters,when sudden ly he uttered a cry. Did you ever hear

the trumpet in g of a woun ded elephan t ? I t was like that.I looked at him with con stern a tion . H e was glan cin g at

a letter which he held at xc n g th, an d sn ortin g, as itwere

,at it as he gazed. The lower part of his face was

stern,but n ot as rigid as usual. H e was slowly grin din g

between his teeth the fragmen ts of the glass he had justbeen drinkin g from. Sudden ly he seized on e of his servan ts,an d

,forcin g the wretch u pon his kn ees, exclaimed with the

roar of a tiger

2 15 GUY HEA VYSTONE.

Dog why was this kept from me ?W hy, please, sir, Miss Flora said as how it was a recon

ciliation , fromMiss Bran dagee, an d it was to be kept fromyou where you would n ot be likely to see it—an d—an d

“ Speak,dog ! an d you

I pu t it amon g your bills, sirW ith a groan like distan t thun der

, Guy fell swoonin g tothe floor.

H e soon recovered, for the n ext momen t a servan t camerushin g in to the room with the in formation ththe in gen uous peasan try of the n eighbourhood wein dulge that even in g in the n ation al pastime offarmhouse an d shootin g a lan dlord. Guy smiled asmile, without, however, alterin g his stern an d

expression .

Let them come,he said calmly 5 “ I feel like en tertai

in g compan y.”W e barricaded the doors an d win dows, an d then chose 0arms from the armoury. Guy’s choice was a sin gular on

it was a lan din g n et with a lon g han dle, an d a sharp cavasabre .W e were n ot destin ed to remain lon g in ign oran ce ofuse . A howl was heard from without , an d a party of flor sixty armed men precipitated themselves again st the

door .

Sudden ly the win dow open ed. W ith the rapidity of lightn in g, Gu y H eavyston e cast the n et over the head of the rin gleader

,ejaculated “ H abet I

”an d with a back stroke of his

cavalry sabre severed the member from its trun k, an din g the n et back again , cast the gory head upon the flsayin g quietly

“ On e.

”

Again the n et was cast, the steel flashed,the n et

withdrawn,an d the omin ous Two 1

” accompan iedhead as it rolled on the floor.

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2 2 ( THE HAUNTED MAM

in clin ed to take it in stan tly in custody, but compromisedwith his profession al in stin cts by sharply an d stern ly n otin git with an eye that admitted of n o n on sen se, but con fiden tlyexpected to detect its secret yet. An ugly kn ocker 5 a

kn ocker with a hard,human face

, that was a type of theharder human face within . A human face that held betweenits teeth a brazen rod . So hereafter in the mysteriou s fu tu reshould be held

,etc .,etc.

Bu t if the kn ocker had a fierce human aspect in the glareof day

,you should have seen it at n ight

,when it peered ou t

of the gatherin g shadows an d suggested an ambushed figure 5when the light of the street lamps fell upon it, an d wrought aplay of sin ister expression in its hard outlin es ; when it

seemed to win k mean in gly at a shrouded figure who, as then ight fell darkly, crept up the steps an d passed in to themysterious house 5when the swin gin g door disclosed a blackpassage in to which the figure seemed to lose itselfan d becomea part of the mysterious gloom 5 when the n ight grewboisterous an d the fierce win d made furious charges at thekn ocker

,as if to wren ch it off an d carry it away in triumph.

Such a n ight as this.I t was a wild an d pitiless win d. A win d that had com

men ced life as a gen tle coun try zephyr, but wan derin gthrough man ufacturin g town s had become demoralised, an dreachin g the city had plun ged in to extravagan t dissipationan d wild excesses. A roysterin g win d that in dulged inBacchan alian shouts on the street corn ers, that kn ocked offthe hats from the heads of helpless passen gers, an d thenfulfilled its duties by speedin g away, like all youn g prodigals—to sea.H e sat alon e in a gloomy library listen in g to the win d that

roared in the chimn ey. Aroun d him n ovels an d story-hookswere strewn thickly ; in his lap he held on e with its pagesfreshly cu t

,an d turn ed the leaves wearily un til his eyes

rested upon a portrait in its fron tispiece. An d as the win d

THE HAUNTED MAN. 2 2 1

howled the more fiercely, an d the darkn ess without fellblacker, a stran ge an d fatefu l liken ess to that portraitappeared above his chair an d lean ed upon his shoulder. The

H aun ted Man gazed at the portrait an d sighed. The figuregazed at the portrait an d sighed too.

H ere again ?” said the H aun ted Man .

H ere again ,” it repeated in a low voice.An other n ovel 2”A n other n ovel .”The old story 2”The old story .

”

I see a child, said the H aun ted Man,gazin g from the

pages of the book in to the fire a most un n atural child, a

model in fan t . I t is prematurely old an d philos0phic I t diesin poverty to slow music . I t dies su rrou n deed by luxury toslow music. I t dies with an accompan imen t of golden wateran d rattlin g carts to slow mu sic . Previous to its decease itmakes a will 5 it repeats the Lord’s Prayer, it kisses thehoofer lady.’ That child“ I s min e, said the phan tom .

I see a good woman , un dersized. I see several charmin gwomen

,bu t they are all un dersized. They are more or less

imbecile an d idiotic, but always fascin atin g an d un dersized.They wear coquettish caps an d apron s. I observe thatfemin in e virtue is in variably below the med ium height

,an d

that it is always babyish an d in fan tin e . These womenAre min e .I see a hau ghty

,proud

,an d wicked lady. She is tall an d

queen ly. I remark that all proud an d wicked women are

tall an d queen ly. That womanI s min e

,

” said the phan tom,wrin gin g his han ds .

I see several thin gs con tin ually impen din g. I observethat when ever an acciden t

,a murder, or d eath is about

to happen,there is somethin g in the furn iture, in the

locality, in the atmosphere that foreshadows an d suggests it

2 2 2 THE HAUNTED MAM

years in advan ce. I can n ot say that in real life I haven oticedit—the perception of this surprisin g fact belon gs

“ To me !” said the phan tom. The H aun ted Man con ~

tin n ed,in a despairin g ton e

“ I see the in fluen ce of this in the magazin es an d dailypapers I see weak imitators rise u p an d en feeble the worldwith sen seless formula . I am gettin g tired of it . I t won ’tdo

,Charles ! it won ’t do !” an d the H aun ted Man buried

his head in his han ds an d groan ed. The figure looked downupon him stern ly : the portrait in the fron tispiece frown edas he gazed.W retched man

,said the phan tom, “

an d how havethese thin gs affected you 2

“ On ce I laughed an d cried,but then I was youn ger.

Now,I would forget them if I could.

H ave then your wish . An d take this with you,man

whom I ren oun ce. From this day hen ceforth you shall livewith those whom I displace. W ithout forgettin g me

,

’twill

be your lot to walk through life as if we had n ot met. Bu t

first you shall survey these scen es that hen ceforth must beyours. At on e to-n ight

,prepare to meet the phan tom I

have raised. FarewellThe sou n d of its voice seemed to fade away with thedyin g win d , an d the H aun ted Man was alon e. B u t the

firelight flickered gaily,an d the light dan ced on the walls

,

mak in g grotesque figures Of the furn iture.“ H a

,ha !” said the H aun ted Man

,rubbin g his han ds

gleefully 5 “n ow for a whiskey pun ch an d a cigar.

BOOK I I.

THE SECOND PHANTOM.

ONE ! The stroke of the far-off bell had hardly died beforethe fron t door closed with a reverberatin g clan g. Stepswere heard alon g the passage 5 the library door sw un g open

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3 2 4 THE HA UNTED MAN.

“Look again .

I see purple moors, glen s, masculin e women , bare -leggedmen

,priggish bookworms, more violen ce, physical excellen ce,

an d blood. Always blood—an d the superiority of physicalattainmen t-s .

“An d how do you feel n ow said the Goblin .

The H aun ted Man shrugged his shoulders.Non e the better for bein g carried back an d asked to

sympathisewith a barbarous age.”The Goblin smiled and clutched his arm 5 they again sped

rapidly through the black n ight, an d again halted.W hat do you see 2 said the Goblin .

“ I see a barrack room, with a mess table, an d a group ofin toxicated Celtic officers tellin g fun n y stories, an d givin gchallen ges to due]. I see a youn g I rish gen tleman capableof performin g prodigies of valour. I learn in ciden tally thatthe acme of all heroism is the corn etcy of

.

a dragoon regimen t . I hear a good deal of Fren ch ! N0

,than k you

,

”

said the H aun ted Man hurriedly,as he stayed the wavin g

han d of the Goblin , I would rather n ot go to the Pen in sula,

an d don ’t care to have a private in terview with Napoleon .

”

Again the Goblin flew away with the un fortun ate man,

an d from a stran ge roarin g below them,he judged they were

above the ocean . A ship hove in sight, an d the GoblinStayed its flight. Look, he said, squeezin g his com~

pan ion ’s arm.

The H aun ted Man yawn ed. Don ’

t you thin k,Charles,

you’re rather run n in g this thin g in to the groun d ? Of

course,it

’

s very moral an d in structive, an d all that . Bu t

ain ’t there a little too much pan tomime about it ? Comen ow

“ Look repeated the Goblin , pin chin g his arm malev o;len tly. The H aun ted Man groan ed.

“ Oh, of course, I see H er Maj esty’s ship Arethu sa. Of

course I am familiar with her stern First Lieuten an t, her

2 25 THE HA UNTED MAN.

Letters of some kin d burn ed upon their hearts . I am fascin ated an d thrilled

,b u t I feel a morbid sen sitiven ess creepin g

over me. I— I beg your pardon .

”The Goblin was yawn

in g frightfully. W ell,perhaps we had better go.”

On e more, an d the last,” said the Goblin . They weremovin g home. Streaks of red were begin n in g to appear inthe eastern sky. A lon g the ban ks of the blackly flowin griver, by moorlan d an d stagn an t fen s

,by low houses, clu s

terin g close to the water’s edge,like stran ge mollusks,

crawled upon the beach to dry 5 by misty black bargesmore misty an d in distin ct seen through its mysteriousthe river fog was slowly risin g. So rolled away an d

from the heart of the H aun ted Man,et c ., etc.

They stopped before a quain t man sion Of red brick.Goblin waved his han d without speakin g .

“ I see,

” said the H aun ted Man,a gay drawin g-re

I see my old frien ds of the club, of the college, Of soci

even as they lived an d mov ed. I see the gallan t an d u nselfish men whom I have loved, an d thehated. I see stran gely min glin g withthen blen din g with their forms

,ou r old frien ds Dick S

Addison,an d Con greve. I observe

,though, that thes

tlemen have a habit of gett in g too much in the way.

royal stan dard of Qu een An n e,n ot in itself a

orn amen t,is rather too promin en t in the picture. The long

galleries of black oak,the formal furn iture

,the old portraits,

are picturesque,bu t depressin g. The house is damp. I

en j oy myself better here on the lawn,where they ar

up a Van ity Fair. See,the bell rin gs

,the curtain is ris

the puppets are brought out for a n ew play. Let

see.

The H aun ted Man was pressin g forward in his eagernbut the han d of the Goblin stayed him

, an d poin tin g tofeet

,he saw between him an d the risin g

grave. An d ben din g above the grave

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2 2 8 LA FEMME.

LA FEMME.

AFTER THE FRENCH OF M. MICHELET.

W OMEN As AN INSTITUTI ON.

IF it were n ot for women ,

few of us wou ld at presen t bein existen ce. This is the remark of a cautious

discreet writer. H e was also sagacious an d in telligen t.Woman ! Look upon her an d admire her. Gaze 11

her an d love her. I f she wishes to embrace you,p

Remember she is weak an d you are stron g.B u t don ’

t treat her un kin dly. Don ’t make love twoman before her face, even if she be your wife. Don ’

t

it . Always be polite, even should she fan cy somebody betthan you.I f your mother, my dear Amadis, had n ot fan cied y

father better than somebody, you might have been t

somebody’s son . Con sider this . A lways be a philosoeven about women .

Few men un derstan d women . Fren chmen perhaps bettthan an y on e else. I am a Fren chman .

THE INFANT.

SHE is a child—a little thin g— an in fan t.She has a mother an d father. Let u s suppose, for

ample,they are married. Let us be moral if we can n o

happy an d free—they are married —perhaps - they lovean other—who kn ows ?Bu t she is n ot lovely at first. I t is cruel, perhaps

She is red—an d positively u gly.

LA FEMME. 2 2 9

She weeps. Ah,my God ! how she weeps ! H er

an d lamen tation s n ow are really d istressin g.ars stream from her in floods. She feels deeply an dusly like M. Alphon se de Lamartin e in his Confession s .

you are her mother,Madame

, you will fan cy worms 5will examin e her lin en for pin s an d what n ot. Ah

,

hypocrite you,even you , misun derstan d her.

Y et she has charmin g n atural impulses . See how shetosses her dimpled arms. She looks lon g in gly at her mother.

She has a lan guage of her own . She says “ goo goo,

”an d

ga ga.

”

She deman ds somethin g—this in fan tShe is fain t, poor thin g. She famishes. She wishes to be

restored. Restore her,Mother !

I t is thefirst d u ty of a mother to restore her child !

THE DOLL

SHE is hardly able to walk she already totters un derthe weight of a doll.I t is a charmin g an d elegan t affair. I t has pin k cheeks

an d purple-black hair. She prefers brun ettes, for she hasalready

,with the quick kn owledge of a Fren ch in fan t, per

ceived she is a blon de an d that her doll can n ot rival her.

Mon Dieu,how touchin g Happy child ! She spen ds hours

in preparin g its toilette . She begin s to show her taste inthe exquisite d etails of its dress. She loves it madly, devotedly. She will prefer it to bon bon s . She already an ticipates the wealth of love she will hereafter pour ou t on her

lover, her mother, her father,

an d fin ally perhaps herhu sban d.This is the time the an xious paren t will guide these

first outpourin gs. She will read her extracts fromMiche

2 30 LA FEMME.

let’s L’Amou r, Rousseau’s Heloise, an d the Revu e des deum

THE MUD PIE.

SHEwas in tears to-day.She had stolen away from her ton n e

,an d was with some

rustic in fan ts . They had n oses in the air,an d large

,coarse

han ds an d feet .They had seated themselves aroun d a pool in the road,

an d were fashion in g fan tastic shapes in the clayey soil withtheir han ds. H er throat swelled an d her eyes sparkled withdelight as

,for the first time

,her soft palms touched the

plastic mud . She made a graceful an d lovely pie.stuffed it with ston es for almon ds an d plums. She fo

everythin g. I t was bein g baked in the solar rays, whemadame came an d took her away.She weeps. I t is n ight, an d she is weepin g still.

HER FIRST LOVE.

SHEno lon ger doubts her beauty. She is loved.She saw him secretly. H e is vivacious an d sprightly. H e

is famous. H e has already had an affair with Fin fin , thefille de chambre, an d poor Fin fin is d esolate. H e is n oble.She kn ows he is the son Of Madame la Baron n e CShe adores him.

She affects n ot to n otice him. Poor little thiH ippolyt e is distracted an n ihilated in con solable

She admires his boots, his cravat, his little glovesexquisite pan taloon s— his coat, an d can e.She od ers to ru n away with him. H e is tran sport

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LA FEMME. 2 3 1

bu t magn animous. H e is wearied,perhaps . She sees him

the n ext day ofl'

erin g flowers to the daughter of Madame laComtesse Blan chisseuse.She is again in tears.She reads Pau l et Virginie. She is secretly tran sported.

W hen she reads how the exemplary youn g woman laiddown her life rather than appear en d és/iabille to her lover,she weeps again . Tastef ul an d virtuous Bern ardin e de St .

Pierre —the daughters of Fran ce admire you !Al l this time her doll is headless in the cabin et. The

mu d pie is broken on the road.

THE W IFE.

SHEis tired of lovin g, an d she marries.H er mother thin ks it

,on the whole, the best thin g. As

the day approaches,she is foun d frequen tly in tears. H er

mother will n ot permit the aflian ced on e to see her, an d hemakes several attempts to commit suicide.Bu t somethin g happen s . Perhaps it is win ter, an d the

water is cold. Perhaps there are n ot en ough people presen tto witn ess his heroism .

I n this way her future husban d is Spared to her. She

will ofler philosophy. She will tell her she was marriedherself.Bu t what is this n ew an d ravishin g light that break supon her ? The toilette an d weddin g clothes ! She is in an ew sphere.She makes out her list in her own charmin g writin O'

.

Here it is . Let every mother heed it.”8k 3? $3 =X<

3?

The delicate readerwill appreciate the omission of certain articlesforwhichEn glish syn onyms are forbidden .

2 32 MARY McGlLLUP.

She is married . On the day after, she meets her old

lover, H ippolyte. H e is again tran sported.

-HER OLD AGE.

A FRENCH woman n ever grows old.

MARY MCGILLUP.

a iou tlmn fi nial.

AFTER BELLE BOYD.

CHAPTER I .

EVERY reader of Belle Boyd’s n arrative will rememberan allusion to a “ lovely

,fragile-lookin g girl of n in e

teen,who rivalled B elle Boyd in devotion to the Southern

cause,an d who

,like her

,earn ed the en viable distin ction of

bein g a rebel spy.”I am that fragile youn g creature. Although on

frien dly terms with the late Miss Boyd,n ow Mrs. H ardin g

,

can dour compels me to state that n othin g bu t ou r commonpolitics preven ts me from exposin g the un gen erous spirit shehas displayed in this allusion . To be dismis sed in a sin gleparagraph after years of—bu t I an ticipate. To put up withthis feeble an d forced ackn owledgmen t of serv

'

ces ren deredwould be a con fession of a craven spirit, which, than k God,though “

fragile”

an d on ly “n in eteen ,

”I do n ot possess.

I may n ot have the blood of a H oward in my vein s,as

some people,whom I shall n ot disgrace myself by n amin g

,

claim to have, bu t I have yet to learn that the race ofM‘Gillup ever yet brooked slight or in sult. I shall n ot say

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2 34 MARY Mac-"

ILLUP .

heaved a rock ! at the head of the Van dal schoolmistress.I was seized an d overpowered. My pen falters as I reachthe climax. En glish readers will n ot give credit to thissickenin g story—the civilised world will avert its head—bu tI , Mary McGillup, was publicly SPANKED

CHAPTER I I I.

BUT the chaotic vortex of civil war approached, an d fell

destru ction,often procrastin ated

,brooded in the storms?

A s the En glish people may like to kn ow what was reallythe origin of the rebellion

, I have n o hesitation in givin gthem the true an d on ly cause. Slavery had n othin g to dowith it

,although the violation of the Declaration of I n de

pen den ce, in the disregard by the North of the FugitiveSlave Law} . might have provoked a less fiery people thanthe Southron s. At the in cept ion of the struggle a largeamoun t of Southern in debtedn ess was held by the people ofthe North. To force paymen t from the gen erous bu t in solven t debtor to Obtain liquidation from the Southernplan ter was really the soulless an d mercen ary object of

the craven Northern ers. Let the common people of En glan d look to this. Let the improv iden t literary hack ; thestarved impecun ious Gru b Street debtor 5 the n ewspaper fre equ en ter of spon gin g-houses, remember this in their criticismsof the v ile an d slavish Y an kee.NOTE, BY B . B . B .

—I n the Sou th-west, any ston e larger than a pea

is termed “a rock .

”

I mak e n o preten sion to fin e writin g , bu t perhaps Mrs. Hardin g

can lay over that . Oh, of cou rse M. MUG .

The Declaration of I n d epen den ce g ran ts to each su bject the

pu rsu it of life, liberty, an d happin ess .

”A fu gitive slave may be said to

personify“ life, liberty, an d happin ess . H en ce his pu rsu it is really

regal. This is logic . B . B . B.

MARY McGlLLUP 2 35

CHAPTER IV.

THE roastin g Of an Abolition ist,by a greatly in furiated

commun ity,was my first taste of the horrors of civil war.

H eaven s ! W hy will the North persist in this fratricidalwarfare ? The expulsion of several Un ion refugees

,which

soon followed,n ow fairly plun ged my beloved State in the

seethin g vortex.I was sittin g at the pian o on e aftern oon , sin gin g thatstirrin g refrain

,so justly celebrated, but which a craven

spirit,unworthy of En glan d

,has excluded from some of her

prin cipal restauran ts, an d was dwellin g with some en thusiasm

on the followin g lin eH u zza she spu rn s the Northern scum

when a fragmen t of that scum, clothed in that detestableblue un iform which is the symbol of oppression

,en tered the

apartmen t. I have the hon our of addressin g the celebratedrebel spy

,Miss McGillu p, said the. V an dal officer.

I n a momen t I was perfectly calm. W ith the exceptionof Slightly expectoratin g twice in the face of the min ion

,I

did n ot betray my agitation . H aughtily,yet firmly

,I

repliedI am .

Y ou looked as if you might be,the brute replied

,as he

turn ed on his heel to leave the apartmen t .

I n an in stan t I throw myself before him. You shalln ot leave here thus,” I shrieked, grapplin g him with an

en ergy which n o on e,seein g my frail figure

,would have

believed. I kn ow the reputation Of your hirelin g crew.

I read your dreadful purpose in your eye. Tell me n ot thatyour design s are n ot sin ister . Y ou came here to in su lt me—to kiss me

,perhaps . Y ou shan ’t—you n aughty man .

Go away

2 36 MARY MCGILLUP .

The blush of con scious degradation rose to the check of

the Lin coln hirelin g as he turn ed his face away from min e.I n an in stan t I drew my pistol from my belt, which, inan ticipation of some such outrage, I always carried, an d shothim.

CHAPTER V.

Thy forte was less to act than speak ,

Marylan d

Thy politics were chan ged each week ,

Marylan d

With Northern Van dals thou wastmeek ,With sympathisers thou wou ld st skriek ,I kn ow thee—O ’

twas lik e thy cheek !

Marylan d myMarylan dAFTER committin g the act described in the precedin gchapter

, which every En glish reader will pardon , I wen tu p

- stairs, pu t on a clean pair of stockin gs

,an d placin g a rose

in my lustrous black hair,proceeded at on ce to the camp of

Gen erals Price an d Mosby to pu t them in possession of in

formation which would lead to the destruct ion of a portionof the Federal army. Durin g a great part of my flight Iwas exposed to a run n in g fire from the Federal pickets of

such coarse expression s as,GO it

, Sally Reb .

”

Dust it,my Con federate beauty.

B u t I succeeded in reachin g the glorious Southern campuninjured.I n a week afterwards I was arrested

,by a lettre ole cachet

ofMr. Stan ton , an d placed in the Bas tile. British readersof my story will express surprise at these terms

,bu t I

assure them that n ot on ly these articles bu t tumbrils,

gu illotin es, an d con ciergeries were in active use amon g theFederals. I f substan tiation be required

,I refer to the

Charleston Mercu ry. the on ly reliable organ, n ext to the

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2 38 MISS MIX.

The story ofMaryMcGillu p is don e. I might have addedthe journ al of my husban d , H en ry Breckin ridge Folair, butas it refers chiefly to his freights, an d a schedule of hispassen gers, I have been obliged, reluctan tly, to suppress it .I t is due to my frien ds to say that I have been requested

n ot to write this book. Expression s have reached my ears,the reverse of complimen tary. I have been told that itspublication will probably en sure my ban ishmen t for life. Beit so

. I f the cause for which I laboured have been subserved, I am con ten t.LONDON, May, 1 865.

MISS MIX.

BY CH -L-TTE BR-NTE.

CHAPTER I .

Y earliest impression s are of a huge,mis-Shapen rock,

again st which the hoarse waves beat un ceasin gly. Onthis rock three pelican s are stan din g in a defian t attitu de. Adark Sky lowers in the backgroun d

,while two sea-gulls an d

a gigan tic cormoran t eye with extreme disfavour the floatin gcorpse of a drown ed woman in the foregroun d . A few

bracelets,coral n ecklaces

,an d other articles of j ewelry

,

scattered aroun d loosely,complete this remarkable picture.

I t is on e which,in some vague, un con scious way, symbo

lis es, to my fan cy, the character of a man . I have n everbeen able to explain exactly why. I think I must haveseen the picture in some illustrated volume

,when a baby

, or

my mother may have dreamed it before I was born .

A s a child I was n ot han dsome. W hen I con sulted thetrian gular bit of lookin g-glass which I always carried withme, it showed a pale, san dy an d freckled face

,shaded by

M ISS MIX. 2 39

looks like the colour of sea-weed when the su n strikes it ind eep water. My eyes were said to be in distin ctive 5 theywere a fain t ashen gr ey ; but above them rose —my on lybeauty—a high

,massive

,domelike forehead

,with polished

temples,like door-kn obs of the purest porcelain .

Ou r family was a family of govern esses. My mother hadbeen on e

,an d my sisters had the same occupation . Con se~

quen tly,when at the age of thirteen

,my eldest Sister han ded

me the advertisemen t of Mr. Rawj ester, clipped from thatday’s Times, I accepted it as my d estin y. Nevertheless

, a

mysterious presen timen t of an in definite future haun ted mein my dreams that n ight

,as I lay upon my little sn ow-white

bed. The n ext morn in g, with two ban d-boxes tied up insilk han dkerchiefs, an d a hair trun k, I turn ed my back uponMin erva Cottage for ever.

CHAPTER I I.

BLUNDEEBOREHALL,the seat of James Rawjester, Esq .,

was

en compassed by dark pin es an d fu n ereal hemlocks on all sides.The win d san g weirdly in the turrets an d moan ed throughthe lon g-drawn aven ues of the park. AS I approached thehouse I saw several mysterious figures flit before the

win dows,an d a yell of demon iac laughter an swered my

summon s at the bell . W hile I strove to repress my gloomyforebodin gs

,the housekeeper, a timid, scared- lookin g old

woman,Showed me in to the library.

I en tered,overcome with con flictin g emotion s. I was

dressed in a n arrow gown of dark serge, trimmed with blackbugles. A thick green shawl was pin n ed across my breast .

My han ds were en cased with black half-mitten s workedwith steel heads 5 on my feet were large patten s, origin allythe property of my d eceased gran dmother. I carried a bluecotton umbrella. As I passed before a mirror, I could n ot

2 40 MISS M1 x .

help glan cin g at it,n or could I disguise from myself the fact

that I was n ot han dsome.Drawin g a chair in to a recess

,I sat down with folded

han ds,calmly awaitin g the arrival of my master. On ce or

twice a fearful yell ran g through the house, or the rattlin g of

chain s,an d curses uttered in a deep, man ly voice, broke upon

the oppressive stilln ess . I began to feel my soul risin g withthe emergen cy of the momen t .

Y ou look alarmed, miss. Y ou don ’

t hear an ythin g, mydear

,do you ?

” asked the housekeeper n ervously.Nothin g whatever,” I remarked calmly

,as a terrific

scream, followed by the draggin g of chairs an d tables in theroom above, drown ed for a momen t my reply. “ I t is thesilen ce, on the con trary, which has made me foolishlyn ervous.”The housekeeper looked at me approvin gly

,an d in stan tly

made some tea for me.I dran k seven cups 5 as I was begin nin g the eighth, Iheard a crash, an d the n ext momen t a man leaped in to theroom through the broken win dow.

CHAPTER I I I .

THE crash startled me from my self-con trol . The housekeeper ben t toward me an d whispered

Don ’t be excited. I t’s Mr. Rawjester—he prefers to

come in sometimes in this way. I t’

s his playfuln ess , ha !ha ha

I perceive, I said calmly I t’

s the un fettered impu lseof a lofty soul breakin g the tyran n is ing bon ds of custom,”an d I turn ed toward him.

H e had n ever on ce looked at me. H e stood with his backto the fire, which set off the H erculean breadth Of his

shoulders . His face was dark an d expressive ; his u n der

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2 4 2 MISS MIX.

was en gaged in pullin g off his boots an d coat . This don e,

he san k down in an arm—chair before the fire,an d ran the

poker wearily through his hair. I could n ot help pityin g him.

The win d howled fearfu lly without, an d the rain beatfuriously again st the win dows. I crept toward him an d

seated myself on a low stool beside his chair.

Presen tly he turn ed, without seein g me, an d placed hisfoot absen tly in my lap. I affected n ot to n otice it. Bu t

he started an d looked down .

Y ou here yet, Carrothead ? Ah,I forgot. Do yo

speak Fren ch 2”Ou i, Mon sieu r.

Taisez-vou s I” he said sharply

,with sin gular purity

accen t . I complied. The win d moan ed fearfully in t

chimn ey, an d the light burn ed dim. I shuddered in spite omyself. “Ah

, you tremble, girl 1”I t is a fearful n ight.”Fearful ! Call you this fearful—ha ! ha ! ha ! Look

you wretched little atom,look an d he dashed forw

an d , leapin g ou t of the win dow,stood like a statute in

peltin g storm,with folded arms. H e did n ot stay lon g

,

in a few min utes he return ed by way of the hall chimI saw from the way that he wiped his feet on my dresshe had again forgotten my presen ce.

Y ou are a govern ess. W hat can you teach 2” he askesudden ly an d fiercely thrustin g his face in min e.

“Man n ers 1” I replied calmly.H a teach me I

“ Y ou mistake yourself,” I said adjustin g my mitten s.“Y our man n ers require n ot the artificial restrain t of society.Y ou are radically polite 5 this impetuosity an d ferociou sn essis simply the sin cerity which is the basis of a proper deportmen t. Y our in stin cts are moral 5you r better n ature,is religious. As St. Paul justly remarks—see chap. 6an d 1 0

MISS MIX. 2 43

H e seized a heavy can dlestick, an d threw it at me. I

dodged it submissively,but firmly.

Excuse me,

” he remarked, as his un der-jaw slowlyrelaxed. Excuse me, Miss Mix—bu t I can ’t stan d St.Pau l En ough—you are en gaged.”

CHAPTER IV.

I FOLLOWED the housekeeper as she led the way timidly tomy room. A s we passed in to a dark hall in the win g, Inoticed that it was closed by an iron gate with a gratin g.Three of the doors on the corridor were likewise grated. A

stran ge n oise, as of shufflin g feet, an d the howlin g of in

fu riated animals, ran g through the hall. B iddin g the housekeeper good n ight, an d takin g the can dle, I en tered mybedchamber.

I took off my dress, an d puttin g on a yellow flan n el n ightgown , which I could n ot help feelin g did n ot agree with mycomplexion

,I composed myself to rest by readin g Blair’s

Rhetoric an d Pa ley’s Moral Philosophy. I had just pu t ou t

the light,when I heard voices in the corridor. I listen ed

atten tively. I recognised Mr. Rawjester’

s stern ton es.H ave you fed No. 1 2

” he asked.Y es

,sir

,

”said a gru ff voice, apparen tly belon gin g to a

domestic.H ow’

s No. 2 ?

She’s a little off her feed ju st n ow, bu t will pick up in a

day or two 1”

An d No. 3

Perfectly furious , sir. H er tan trums are un govern able.Hush l”The voices died away, an d I san k in to a fi tfu l slumber.

I dreamed that I was wan derin g through a tropical forest.Sudden ly I saw the figure of a gorilla approachin g me. As

it n eared me, I recogn ised the features of Mr. Rawjester:

2 44 MI SS MIX.

H e held his han d to his side as if in pain . I saw that hehad been woun ded. H e recogn ised me an d called me byn ame

,bu t at the same momen t the vision chan ged to an

A shan tee village,where

,aroun d the fire

,a group of n egroes

were dan cin g an d participatin g in some wild Obifestival . I

awoke with the strain still surgin g in my ears.H ok ee-pok ee wok ee fum

Good H eaven s could I be dreamin g ? I heard the voiced istin ctly on the floor below

,an d smelt somethin g burn in g.

I arose,with an in distin ct presen timen t of evil

,an d hastily

putin g some cotton in my ears an d tyin g a towel about myhead

,I wrapped myself in a shawl an d ru shed down

stairs . The door of Mr. Rawjester’

s room was open . I

en tered.Mr. Rawjester lay apparen tly in a deep slumber

,from

which even the clouds of smoke that came from the burn ingcurtain s of his bed could n ot rouse him. Aroun d the rooma large an d powerful n egress, scan tily attired, with her headadorn ed with feathers, was dan cin g wildly, accompan yin gherself with bon e castan ets. I t looked like some terr iblefé tick.

I did n ot lose my calmn ess. After firmly emptyin g thepitcher, basin , an d slop-jar on the burn in g bed, I proceededcautiously to the garden

,an d

,return in g with the garden

en gin e, I directed a small stream at Mr. Rawjester.

At my en tran ce the gigan tic n egress fled . Mr. Rawjesteryawn ed an d woke. I explain ed to him

,as he rose drippin g

from the bed,the reason of my presen ce. H e did n ot seem

to be excited,alarmed

, or discomposed. H e gazed at mecuriously.

So you risked your life to save min e,eh ? you canary

coloured teacher of in fan ts 2I blushed modestly, an d drewmy shawl tightly over my

yellow flan n el nightgown .

Y ou love me, Mary Jan e—don ’t deny it This tremlv

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2 46 MISS MIX.

you kn ow—I loved him dearly, but papa sen t him away.Then there was Dick, the groom,

but he laughed at me,an d

I suffered misery !” an d she struck a tragic Fren ch attitude.There is to be compan y here to-morrow,

”she added

,

rattlin g on with childish n aiveté, an d papa’s sweetheartBlan che Marabout—is to be here. Y ou kn ow they say sheis to be my mamma.”W hat thrill was this shot through me ? Bu t I rose

calmly,an d admin isterin g a slight correction to the child,

left the apartmen t .

B lun derbore House,for the n ext week

,was the sc

gaiety an d merrimen t. That portion of the man sion closedwith a gratin g was walled up, an d the midn ight shrieks n olon ger troubled me.Bu t I felt more keen ly the degradation of my situation .

I was obliged to help Lady Blan che at her toilette an d helpher to look beautifu l. For what 2 To captivate him ? Oh

—n o,n o—bu t why this sudden thrill an d fain tn ess ? Did

he really love her ? I had seen him pin ch an d swear at her.Bu t I reflected that he had thrown a can dlestick at my head

,

an d my foolish heart was reassu red.I t was a n ight of festivity, when a sudden message obliged

Mr. Rawjester to leave his guests for a few hours . Makeyourselves merry, idiots, he added, u n der his breath, as hepassed me. The door closed an d he was gon e.A half hour passed. I n the midst of the dan cin g a shriek

was heard, an d ou t of the swayin g crowd of fain tin g womenan d excited men

,a wild figure strode in to the room. On e

glan ce showed it to be a highwayman , heavily armed, holdin g a pistol in each han d.

Let n o on e pass out of this room he said,in a voice of

thun der. The house is surrou n ded an d you can n ot escape.The first on e who crosses yon der threshold will be shot likea dog. Gen tlemen , I ’ll trouble you to approach in singlefile, an d han d me your purses an d watches.

MISS M IX. 2 47

Fin din g resistan ce useless, the order was u n graciouslyobeyed .

“Now,ladies

,please to pas s up your j ewelry an d

trin kets.”This order was still more un graciously complied with. As

Blan che han ded to the ban dit captain her bracelet, she endeavou red to con ceal a diamon d n ecklace

,the gift of Mr.

Rawjester, in her bosom. Bu t,with a demon iac grin

,the

powerful brute tore it from its con cealmen t,an d adminis

terin g a hearty box on the ear of the youn g girl,

flun g heraside.I t was n ow my turn . W ith a beatin g heart

,I made

my way to the robber chieftain,an d san k at his feet.

“Oh,sir, I am n othin g but a poor govern ess, pray let

me go .”“ Oh, ho ! A govern ess ? Give me your last mon th’s

wages,then . Give me what you have stolen from you r

master 1” an d he laughed fien dishly.

I gazed at him quietly, an d said, in a low voice, I havestolen n othin g fromyou ,

Mr. Rawjester“Ah

,discovered ? H ush ! listen , girl !” he hissed , in a

fiercer whisper, “ utter a syllable to frustrate my plan s an dyou die—aid me, an d but he was gon e.I n a few momen ts the party, with the exception of

myself, were gagged an d locked in the cellar. The n extmomen t torches were applied to the rich han gin g s

,an d the

house was in flames . I felt a stron g han d seize me, an d

bear me ou t in the open air an d place me upon the hillside,

where I could overlook the burn in g man sion . I t was Mr.

Rawjester.

“ Burn !” he said, as he shook his fi st at the flames . Thensin kin g on his kn ees before me

,he said hurriedly

“Mary Jan e, I love you ; the obstacles to ou r un ion are

or will be soon removed. I n yon der man sion were con fin edmy three crazy wives. On e of them, as you kn ow,

attempted

2 48 NN.

to kill me ! H a ! this is ven gean ce ! Bu t will you be

min e ? ”I fell, withou t a word, u pon his n eck.

NN.

35mg a £30t in the f renchiparagtap’

bic style.

ADEMOISELLE,I swear to you that I love

you.—Y ou who read these pages. Y ou who turn your burn ~

in g eyes upon these words—words that I trace— Ah,

H eaven the thought madden s me.I will be calm. I will imitate the reserve of the festive

En glishman , who wears a spotted han dkerchief Which hecalls a Belchio, who eats bifte/c, an d caresses a bull-dog. I

will subdue myself like him.

—H a l Poto—beer ! All right— Goddam—Or, I will con duct myself as the free-born American

the gay Brother Jon athan I will whittle me a stick. I

will whistle to myself “ Y an kee Doodle,

”an d forget my

passion in excessive expectoration .

-H oho —wake sn akes an d walk chalks.The world is divided in to two great division s Paris an dthe provin ces. There is bu t on e Paris. There are several prov in ces, amon g which may be n umbered En glan d, America,Russia, an d I taly .

NN. was a Parisian .

B u t NN. did n ot live in Paris. D rop a Parisian in theprovin ces, an d you drop a part of Paris with him. Drophim in Sen egambia

,an d in three days he will give you an

omelette sou fi e’

e or a pc’ite’ d o foie gras , served by the n eatestof Sen egambian fi lles, whom he will call Mademoiselle. I n

three weeks he will give you an opera.

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2 50 NM

—Did Mon sieur wish an ythin g ?Misfortun e ! Desperation ! NN. purchased a bottle ofprussic acid, a sack of charcoal

,an d a quire of pin k n ote

paper, an d return ed home. H e wrote a letter of farewell to theclosely-fittin g basque, an d open ed the bottle of prussic acid.Some on e kn ocked at his door. I t was a Chin aman

,with

his weekly lin en .

These Chin ese are docile, bu t n ot in telligen t . They are

in gen ious, bu t n ot creative. They are cun n in g in expe

clien ts, but deficien t in tact. I n love they are simplybarbarous. They purchase their wives open ly

,an d n ot

con structively by attorn ey. By offerin g small sums fortheir sweethearts

,they degrade the val u e of the sex.

Nevertheless , NN. felt he was saved . H e explain ed allto the faithful Mon golian

,an d exhibited the letter he had

written . H e implored him to deliver it.The Mon golian assen ted. The race are n ot clean ly or

sweet- savoured,b u t NN. fell upon his n eck. H e embraced

him with on e han d,an d closed his n ostrils with the other.

Through him he felt he clasped the close-fi ttin g basque.The n ext day was o n e of agon y an d suspen se. Ev

came,bu t n o Mercy. NN. lit the charcoal. Bu t, to

pose his n erves,he closed his door an d first walked mil

up an d down Mon tgomery Street . W hen he return ed,foun d the faithful Mon golian on the steps.

lity

These Chin ese are n ot accurate in their pron un ciatiThey avoid the r, like the En glish n obleman .

NN. gasped for breath. H e lean ed heavily again s t theChin aman .

—Then you have seen her, Ohin g Lon g ?—Y es . A ll lity. She cum. Top side of house.The docile barbarian poin ted up the stairs, an d chuckled.—She here— impossible Ah, H eaven do I dream ?Y es. All lity

—top side of house. Good-bye, John .

NN. 2 51

This is the familiar partin g epithet of the Mon golian . I t

is equivalen t to ou r cmrevoir.

NN. gazed with a stu pefied air on the d epartin g servan t.H e placed his han d on his throbbin g heart . She herealon e ben eath his roof. Oh, H eaven s—what happin essBu t how Torn from her home. Ruthlessly dragged

,

perhaps,from her even in g devotion s, by the han ds of a re

len tless barbarian . Cou ld she forgive himH e dashed fran tically up the stairs . H e Open ed the door.

She was stan din g beside his cou ch with averted face.A stran ge giddin ess overtook him. H e san k upon hiskn ees at the threshold.Pardon

,pardon . My an gel, can you forgive me ?

A terrible n ausea n ow seemed added to the fearful giddin ess. His utteran ce grew thick an d sluggish .—Speak, speak, en chan tress. Forgiven ess is all I ask.

My Love, my LifeShe did n ot an swer. H e staggered to his feet. A s he rose

,

his eyes fell on‘

the pan of burn in g charcoal. A terriblesuspicion flashed across his min d. This giddin ess thisn ausea. The ign oran ce of the barbarian . This silen ce. O

merciful heaven s 5 she was dyin g !H e crawled toward her. H e touched her. She fell for

ward with a lifeless soun d upon the floor. H e uttered apiercin g shriek, an d threw himself beside her.

as a a s as

A file of gen darmes,accompan ied by the Chef Burke,

foun d him the n ext mornin g lyin g lifeless u pon the floor.

They laughed brutally— these cruel min ion s of the law—an d

disen gaged his arm from the waist of the wooden dummywhich they had come to reclaim from the man tua-maker.

Emptyin g a few bucketfuls of water over his form, theyfin ally succeeded in robbin g him

,n ot on ly of his mistress,

bu t of that Death he had coveted without her.

Ah we live in a stran ge world, Mess ieurs.

252 NO TITLZ‘

N0 TITLE.

BY W-LK-E C-LL-NS.

PROLOGUE.

HE followin g advertisemen t appeared in the Times ofthe 1 7th of Jun e

,1 845

ANTED—A fewyou n g men for a light gen teel employmen t.

Address J. W . P. 0.

I n the same paper, of same date, in an other column0 LET—That commodiou s an d elegan t familyman sion , No. 2 7,

Limehou se Road , Pu ltn eyville, will be ren ted low to a respectable

ten an t if applied for immediately, the family bein g abou t toremove tothe con tin en t.

Un der the local in telligen ce, in an other columnMI SSING .

—An u n kn own elderly gen tleman a week ago left his

lodgin gs in the Ken t Road , sin ce which n othin g has been heard

of him. H e left n o trace of his iden tity except a portman teau con

tainin g a couple of shirts mark ed 209, WARD.

To fin d the con n ection between the mysterious disappan ce of the elderly gen tleman an d the an on ymouscation

,the relevan cy of both these in ciden ts to

of a commodious family man sion , an d the dead secret ivolved in the three occurren ces, is the task of the writer ofthis history.A slim youn g man with spectacles

,a large hat

,drab

gaiters, an d a n ote-book, sat late that n ight with a copy ofthe Times before him,

an d a pen cil which he rattled n er

vou sly between his teeth, in the coffee-room ,of the Blu e

Dragon .

”

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2 54 NO TI TLE.

but I kn ew the struggle it cost, an d says I,“W ith you ,

mem, to I n dia’s torrid clime, if required,bu t with African

Gorillas,says I

,lookin g toward the bed

,

“n ever.

” “Leavethe room

,

” says master,startin g up an d catchin g of his boot

jack. “ W hy, Charles,” says missus, “ how you talk !” affectin g surprise. Do go

,Mary

,

” says she, slippin g a half

crown in to my han d. I left the room scorn in g to taken otice of the odious wretch’s con duct.Can n ot say whether my master an d missus were everlegally married. W hat with the dreadful state of moralsn ow-a-days

,an d them stories in the circulatin g libraries,

in n ocen t girls don ’t kn ow in to what society they might be

obliged to take situation s. Never saw missus’ marriage certificate, though I have quite acciden tal like looked in herd esk when open

,an d would have seen it. Do n ot kn ow

of an y lovers missus might have had. B elieve she had alikin g for John Thomas

,footman

,for she was always spite

fu l-like— poor lady—when we were together—thou gh therewas n othin g between u s

,as cook well kn ows

,an d dare n ot

den y,an d missus n eed n’t have been j ealous. H ave n ever

seen arsen ic or Prussian acid in an y of the private drawers,but have seen paregoric an d camphor. On e of my master’sfrien ds was a Coun t Moscow, a Russian papist—which Idetested.

CHAPTER I I.

THE SLIM YOUNG MAN’

S STORY.

I AM by profession a reporter, an d writer for the press. I

live at Pultn eyville. I have always had a passion for themarvellous, an d have been distin guished for my facility intracin g ou t mysteries

,an d solvin g en igmatical occurren ces.

On the n ight of the 1 7th Jun e, 1 845, I left my oflice an d

walked homeward. The n ight was bright an d starlight. 1

was revolvin g in my min d the words of a sin gular item I had

NO TI TLE. 2 55

just read in the Times. I had reached the darkest portionof the road, an d foun d myself mechan ically repeatin g “A n

elderly gen tleman a week ago left his lodgin gs in the Ken tRoad, when sudden ly I heard a step behin d me.I turn ed quickly

,with an expression of horror in my face,

an d by the light of the n ewly-risen moon beheld an elderlygentleman , with green cotton umbrella, approachin g me. Hishair, which was sn ow-white

,was parted over a broad, open

forehead. The expression of his face,which was slightly

flushed,was that of amiability vergin g almost upon imbeci~

lity. There was a stran ge,in quirin g look about the widely

open ed mild blue eye—a look that might have been in ten sified to in san ity, or modified to idiocy. A s he passed me, hepaused

,an d partly turn ed his face, with a gesture of in quiry.

I see him still,his white locks blowin g in the even in g breeze

,

his hat a little on the back of his head,an d his figure pain ted

in relief again st the dark blue sky.Su dden ly he t u rn ed his mild eye full upon me. A weak

smile played about his thin lips. I n a voice which hadsomethin g of the tremulousn ess of age an d the self- satisfiedchuckle of imbecility in it

,he asked

,poin tin g to the risin g

moon,

“W hy —H ushH e had dodged behin d me, an d appeared to be lookingan xiously down the road. I could feel his aged frame shakin g with terror as he laid his thin han ds upon my shouldersan d faced me in the direction of the supposed dan ger.

H ush did you n ot hear them comin g ?I listen ed ; there was n o soun d but the soughin g of the

roadside trees in the even in g win d. I en deavoured to reassure him

,with such success that in a few momen ts the old

weak smile appeared on his ben evolen t face .“Why Bu t the look of in terrogation was su c

ceeded by a hopeless blan kn ess.W hy I repeated with assurin g accen ts .

“W hy, he said, a gleam of in telligen ce flickerin g over

2 56 NO TITLE.

nis face, “is yon der moon , as she sails In the blue empyrean ,castin g a flood Of light o

’

er hill an d dale, like—W hy,” herepeated with a feeble smile, “ is yon der moon , as she sailsin the blue empyrean H e hesitated— stammered—an d

gazed at me hopelessly, with the tears drippin g from his

moist an d widely-open ed eyes .I took his han d kin dly in my own . Castin g a shadow

o’

er hill an d dale,I repeated quietly

,leadin g him up the

subject,

“ like Come, n ow.

”

Ah !” he sa id

,pressin g my han d tremulously, “

you

kn ow it“ I do . W hy is it like— the—eh—the commodious man

sion in the Limehouse Road ? ”A blan k stare on ly followed. H e shook his head sadly.Like the youn g men wan ted for a light

,gen teel employ

men tH e wagged his feeble old head cun n in gly.“ Or, Mr. W ard,” I said with bold con fiden ce, “ like themysterious disappearan ce from the Ken t Road.”The momen t was full of suspen se. H e did n ot seem to

hear me. Sudden ly he turn ed.H a !

”

I darted forward. Bu t he had vanished in the darkn ess.

CHAPTER I I I .

NO. 2 7, LIMEHOUSE ROAD.

IT was a hot midsummer even in g. Limehou se Road wasdeserted save by dust an d a few rattlin g butchers’ carts, an dthe bell of the muffin an d crumpet man . A commodiou sman sion which stood on the right of the road as you en terPultn eyville

,surroun ded by stately poplars an d a high fen ce

surmoun ted by a chevau ac defrise of broken glass, looked tothe pas sin g an d footsore pedestrian like the gen ius Of seclu

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ess NO TITLE.

Ah, ha, scratches I am of the felin e species . Peeps . call

me a villain— bahI kn ow the family liv in g at No . 2 7, Limehouse Road.

I respect the gen tleman — a fi n e,burly specimen of your

En glishman— an d madame,charmin g

,ravishin g

,delightful.

W hen it became kn own to me that they design ed to let theird elightful residen ce

,an d visit foreign shores

,I at on ce called

upon them. I kissed the han d Of madame. I embraced thegreat En glishman . Madame blushed slightly. The greatEn glishman shook my hand like a mastiff.I began in that dexterous

,in sin uatin g man n er of which 1

am truly prou d . I thought madame was ill. Ah—n o. A

chan ge,then

,was all that was required. I sat down at the

pian o an d san g. I n a few min utes madame retired. I was

alon e with my frien d.Seizin g his han d

,I began with every demon stration of

courteous sympathy. I do n ot repeat my words,for my

in ten tion was con veyed more in accen t, emphasis, an d

man n er,than speech. I hin ted to him that he had an other

wife livin g. I suggested that this was balan ced—ha —byhis wife’s lover. That

,possibly

,he wished to fly— hen ce the

lettin g of his delightful man sion . That he regularly an d

systematically beat his wife in the En glish man n er, an d thatshe repeatedly deceived him . I talked of hope, Of con solat ion , of remedy. I carelessly produced a bottle of strychnin ean d a small vial Of stramon ium from my pocket

,an d en larged

on the efficien cy of dru gs . His face,which had gradu ally

become con vulsed,sudden ly became fixed with a frightfu l

expression . H e started to his feet, an d roared Y ou d—d

Fren chmanI in stan tly chan ged my tactics

,an d en deavoured to em

brace him. H e kicked me twice,

v iolen tly. I beggedpermission to kiss n iadame

’

s han d. H e replied by throwin gme down -stairs.I am in bed with my head boun d u p, an d beef-s teaks

NO TI TLE. 2 59

u pon my eyes, bu t still con fiden t an d bu oyan t. I have n otlost faith in Macchiavelli. Tra la la ! as they sin g in theopera . I kiss everybody’s han ds.

CHAPTER V.

DR. D IGGS’

STATEMENT.

MY n ame is David Diggs . I am a surgeon livin g at No . 9 ,

Totten ham Court. On the 15th of Jun e, 1 854 , I was calledto see an elderly gen tleman lodgin g in the K en t Road.Foun d him highly excited, with stron g febrile symptoms

,

pulse 1 2 0,in creasin g. Repeated in coheren tlywhat I judged

to be the popular form of a con un drum . On closer exami

n ation foun d acute hydrocephalus an d both lobes of the brainrapidly fillin g with water. I n con sultation with an emin en tphren ologist

,it was further discovered that all the organ s

were more or less obliterated except that Of Comparison .

H en ce the patien t was en abled to on ly distin guish the mostcommon poin ts Of resemblan ce between obj ects

,without

drawin g upon other facult ies,such as I deality or Lan guage

,

for assistan ce. Later in the day foun d him sin kin g— bein geviden tly un able to carry the most ordin ary con un drum to a

successful issue. Exhibited Tin ct. V al,Ex t. Opii, an d

Camphor,an d prescribed quiet an d emollien ts. On the 1 7 th

the patien t was missin g.

CHAPTER LAST.

STATEMENT OF THE PUBLISHER.

ON the 1 8th of Jun e,Mr. W ilkie Collin s left a roll of man u

script with us for publication,without t itle or direction ,

sin ce which t ime he has n ot been heard from. In Spite ofthe

‘care of the proof-readers, an d valu able literary assistan ce,8 2

2 60 HANDSOME I S AS HAND S OME DOES.

it is feared that the con tin uity of the story has b een de

stroyed by some acciden tal misplacin g of chapters durin g itsprogress. H ow an d what chapters are so misplaced, thepublisher leaves to an in dulgen t public to discover.

HANDSOME 15 AS HANDSOME DOES.

BY CH-S R-DE.

CHAPTER I .

THEDodds were dead. For twen ty years they had sleptun der the green graves Of K ittery churchyard . The

town folk still spoke of them kin dly . The keeper of the

alehouse, where David had smoked his pipe, regretted himregularly, an d Mistress K it ty, Mrs. Dodd’s maid

,whose trim

figu re always looked well in her mistress’s gown s,was in con

solable. The H ardin s were in America. B aby was aristocratically gouty ; Mrs . B aby

,religious. Briefly

,then , we

have disposed of1 . Mr. an d Mrs . Dodd (dead).2 . Mr. an d Mrs . H ardin (tran slated) .3 . B aby, baron et femme. (Y et I don ’

t kn ow about theformer 5he came of a lon g-lived family, an d the gout is anu n certain disease.)W e have active at the presen t writin g (place au x

dames)Lady Carolin e Coven try, n iece of Sir Frederick.

2 . Faraday H uxley Little, son of H en ry an d Grace Littla.deceased.Sequ itm

' to the above,A HERO AND HEROINE.

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2 62 HANDSOME IS AS HANDSDIME D OES.

a very youn g lady,—say of seven summers

,—tricked out in

the cryin g abomin ation s Of the presen t fashion,stood beside

a low bush. H er n ursery-maid was n ot presen t,possibly

owin g to the fact that John the footman was also absen t .

Su dden ly Little came toward s her.

“Excuse me,bu t do

you kn owwhat those berries are H e was poin tin g to thelow bush filled with dark clusters Of shinin g—suspiciouslyShin in g—fruit.

Certain ly 5 they are blueberries .Pardon me ; you are mistaken . They belon g to quite

an other family.”Miss Impuden ce drew herself u p to her full height (exactly

three feet n in e an d a half in ches), an d , curlin g an eighth ofan in ch Of scarlet lip

,said scorn fully, You r family

,

perhaps .Faraday Little smiled in the superiority of boyhood overgirlhood .

“ I allu de to the classification . That plan t is the belladon n a

,or deadly n ightshade. I ts alkaloid is a n arcotic

poison .

Saucin ess turn ed pale I— have—just—eaten— someAn d began towhimper. O dear

,what shall I do ? Then

did it,i. e . wrun g her small fin gers an d cried.Pardon me on e momen t. Little passed his arm aroun d

her n eck,an d with his thumb Open ed widely the patrician

vein ed lids Of her sweet blue eyes. “ Than k H eaven , thereis yet n o dilation of the pupil 5it is n ot too late H e casta rapid glan ce aroun d. The n ozzle an d about three feet ofgarden hose lay n ear him .

Open your mouth, quickI t was a pretty, kissable mon th. B u t you n g Little mean tbusin ess. H e put the n ozzle down her pin k throat as far asit would go.Now

,don ’

t move.He wrapped his han dkerchief aroun d a hoop-stick. Then

HANDSOME IS AS HANDSOME D OES. 2 6 1

he in serted both in the other en d of the stiff hose. I t fittedsnugly. H e shoved it in an d then drew it back.Nature abhors a vacuum . The youn g patrician was asamen able to this law as the child of the lowest peasan t.She succumbed . I t was all over in a min ute. Then sheb u rst in to a small fury.

Y ou n asty, bad— u g ly boy.”Y oun g Little win ced

,bu t smiled.

Stimulan ts,” he whispered to the frighten ed n urserymaid who approached 5 good even in g .

”H e was gon e.

CHAPTER IV .

THE breach between youn g Little an d Mr. B aby was slowlywiden in g. Little foun d obj ection able features in the H all .

This black oak ceilin g an d wain scoatin g is n ot as healthfulas plaster 5 besides it absorbs the light. The bedroom ceilin gis too low5 the Elizabethan architects kn ew n othin g of

ven tilation . The colour of that oak pan ellin g which youadmire is due to an excess of carbon an d the exuvia fromthe pores of your skin

“ Leave the house,” bellowed B aby, “ before the roof fallson your sacrilegious headAs Little left the ho u se

,Lady Carolin e an d a han dsome

boy of about Little’s age en tered. Lady Carolin e recoiled,an d then — blushed. Little glared 5he in stin ctively felt thepresen ce of a rival.

CHAPTER V.

LITTLEworked hard . H e studied n ight an d day. I n five

years he became a lecturer, then a professor.

H e soared as high as the clouds,he dipped as low as the

cellars Of the Lon don poor. H e an alyzed the Lon don fog ,

an d found it two parts smoke, on e disease, on e u nmen tion able

2 64 HAA'

DSOME I S A S H AND SOME DOES.

abomin ation s. H e p u blished a pamphlet,which was violen tly

attacked. Then he kn ew he had don e somethin g .

Bu t he had n ot forgotten Carolin e . H e was walking on eday in the Z oo’ logical Garden s an d he came upon a prettypicture,—flesh an d blood too.

Lady Carolin e feedin g bun s to the bears ! A n exquisitethrill passed through his vein s . She turn ed her sweet facean d their eyes met . They recollected their first meetin gseven years before

,but it was his turn to be shy an d timid .

'

Won derful power of age an d sex She met him with perfectself-possession .

W ell mean t,bu t in digestible I fear —(he alluded to the

bun s).“A clever person like yourself can easily correct that(she, the slyboots, was thinkin g of somethin g else).I n a few momen ts they were chattin g gayly. Little eagerlydescan ted u pon the differen t an imals 5 She listen ed withd elicious in terest . An hour glided delightfu lly away.After this sun shi n e

,clouds .

TO them sudden ly en tered Mr. B aby an d a han dsomeyoun gman . The gen tlemen bowed stiffly an d looked vicious,as they felt. The lady of this quartette smiled amiably, asshe did n ot feel .

“ Lookin g at your an cestors, I suppose, said Mr. B aby,poin tin g to the mon keys 5“we will n ot disturb you. Come.”An d he led Carolin e away.Little was heart- sick. H e dared n ot follow them. B u t an

hour later he saw somethin g which filled his heart with blissu n speakable.Lady Carolin e,with a d ivin e smile on her face, feeding themonkeys

CHAPTER V I .

ENCOURAGED by love, Little worked hard u pon his n ewflying

-machin e. His labou rs were lighten ed by talkin g of the

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2 66 HANDSOME IS AS HANDSOME DOES.

him whirled from his feet an d born e upward,still clin gin g t:

the rope,in to space.

CHAPTER VI I .‘

LADY CAROLINE fain ted. The cold watery n ose Of her doon her cheek brought her to herself. She dared n ot lookthe edge Of the car 5 she dared n ot look up to themon ster above her

,bearin g her to death.

on the bottom of the car, an d embraced the on ly livin g

spared her,the poodle. Then she cried. Then a clear voice

came apparen tly ou t Of the circumambien t airMay I trou ble you to look at the barometer ?

She put her head over the car. Little was han gin g at theen d of a lon g rope. She pu t her head back again .

I n an other momen t he saw her perplexed,blushin g fac

over the edge,— blissful sight.0

,please don ’

t thin k of comin g up ! Stay there, doLittle stayed. Of course she could make n othin g out of

the barometer, an d said so. Little smiled .“ W ill you kin dly sen d it down to meB u t she had n o strin g or cord. Fin ally she said

, W aitmomen t.”Little waited. This time her face did n ot appear. Tl

barometer came slowly down at the en d of— a stay- lace .The barometer showed a frightfu l elevation . Little lookup at the valve an d said n othin g. Presen tly he heard a sigh.Then a sob. Then

,rather sharply,

“ W hy don ’t you do something ?

P,

CHAPTER VI I I .

LITTLE came up the rope han d over han d. Lady Carolire

The right of d ramatization of this an d su cceeding chapters y

reserved by the writer,

HANDSOAIE I S AS HANDSOME D OES.

Little tied the dog to the han d le of the parasol an d lau n ched them both in to space.'l he n ext men en t theywere Slowly, bu t tran qu il ly, sailin g to the earth.

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68 HANDSOME I S AS HANDSOME DOES.

that you wear a n ecklace of amber. Amber un der certcon dition s becomes highly electrical. Permit me.

”

H e took the amber n ecklace an d rubbed it briskly.he asked her to presen t her k n uckle to the gem . A

spark was the result. This was repeated for someThe light was n ot brillian t

,bu t it was en ough for

purposes of propriety,an d satisfied the delicately min d

girl .Su dden ly there was a tearin g

,hissin g n oise an d a smell

gas. Little looked up an d turn ed pale . The balloon ,what I shall call the poin ted en d of the Bologn a sauswas eviden tly burstin g from in creased pressure. The

was escapin g,an d already they were begin n in g to desce

Little was resign ed,bu t firm.

I f the Silk gives way, then we are lost. Un fortu n ateI have n o rope n or material for bin din g it.The woman ’s in stin ct had arrived at the samesoon er than the man ’s reason . Bu t she was hesitatin ga detail.

W ill you go down the rope for a momen t ? she said,with a sweet smile.Little wen t down . Presen tly she called to him. She

held somethin g in her han d,— a won derful in ven tion Of the

seven teen th cen tury, improved an d perfected in this : apyramid of sixteen circular hoops of light yet stron g steel,attached to each other by cloth ban d s .W ith a cry of j oy Little seized them,

climbed to the

balloon,an d fitted the elastic hoops over its con ical en d.

Then he return ed to the car.“W e are saved.”Lady Carolin e, blushin g, gathered her slim but an tiqu e

irapery again st the o ther en d of the car.

HANDSOME I S A S HA Arr/SOME DOES.

CHAPTER X.

THEY were slowlv descen din g. Presen tly Lady Carolin edistin guished the outlin es Of B aby H all . I thin k I willget ou t here,” she said .

Little an chored the balloon an d prepared to follow her.

Not so,my frien d , she said , with an arch smile .

W e must n ot be seen together . People might talk. Farewell.”Little spran g again in to the balloon an d sped away to

America. H e came down in Californ ia,oddly en ough in

fron t of H ardin ’s door, at Dutch Flat . H ardin was justexamin in g a specimen of ore .

Y ou are a scien tist 5you can tell me if that is worthanythin g ?” he said , han din g it to Little .Little held it to the light . I t con tain s n in ety per cen t.

of Silver.

H ardin embraced him. Can I do anythin g for you,an d

why are you here ? ”Little told his story. H ardin asked to see the rope.

Then he examin ed it carefully.“ Ah

,this was cu t

,n ot broken

W ith a kn ife ? ” asked Little.NO. Observe both sides are equally in den ted. It was

don e with a scissors“ Just H eaven gasped Little . Therese !”

CHAPTER XI .

LITTLE return ed to Lon don . Passin g through Lon don on e

day he met a dog- fan cier.

“ B uy a n ice poodle, Sir ?Somethin g in the an imal attracted his atten tion .

“ Fido !”he gasped .The dog yelped.Little bought him. On takin g Off his collar a piece of

2 70 HANDSOME IS AS HANDSOME DOES.

paper rustled to the floor. H e kn ew the han dwritingkissed it. I. ran

To THE H ON. AUGUSTUS BABY can n ot marryIf I marry an y on e

”

(sly puss) “it will be the man who h

twice saved my 1ife, —Professor Little.CAROLINE CovENTBY .

An d She did.

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MR. THOMPSON’

S PRODIGAL.

W E all kn ew that Mr. Thompson was lookin g for hisson

,an d a pretty bad on e at that . That he was

coming to Californ ia for this sole Object was n o secret to hisfellow -passen gers ; an d the physical peculiarities

,as well as

the moral weakn esses,Of the missin g prodigal

,were made

equally plain to us through the fran k volubility of the

paren t.Y ou was Speak in g of a youn g man which was hun g

at B ed Dog for Sluice-robbin g,

” said Mr. Thompson to a.

steerage-pas sen ger, on e day ; “ be you aware of the colourOf his eyes ? ”

Black,” respon ded the passen ger.

Ah,

” said Mr. Thompson,

referrin g to some men talmemoran da, Char- les’ eyes was blue.”H e then walked away. Perhaps it was from this u n sym

pathetic mode of in quiry5perhaps it was from that W'esternpredilection to take a humorous view of an y prin ciple orsen timen t persisten tly brought before them,

that Mr. Thompson ’s quest was the subj ect of some satire amon g the passengers . A gratuitous advertisemen t of the missin g Charles,addressed to Jailers an d Guardian s

,circulated privately

amon g them ; everybody remembered to have met Charlesun der distressin g circumstan ces. Y et it is bu t due to mycoun trymen to state that when it was kn own that Thompson had embarked some wealth in this v ision ary proj ect, butlittle of this satire foun d its way to his ears, an d n othin gwas u ttered in his hear n g that might brin g a pan g to a father’s

T

2 74 MR. TH OMPSON’

S PRODIGAL.

heart , or imperil a possible pecun iary advan tage of the

satirist. I n deed, Mr. Bracey Tibbets’ j ocular proposition

to form a join t - stock compan y to prospect ” for the missin gyouth, received at on e time quite serl ou s en tertainmen t .

Perhaps to superficial criticism Mr. Thompson ’s n aturewas n ot picturesque n or lovable. His history, as impartedat din n er on e day by himself

,was practical even in its Sin

gu larity . After a hard an d wilful youth an d maturity—inwhich he had buried a broken -spirited wife

, an d driven hisson tOsea—he sudden ly experien ced religion .

“ I got it in New Orlean s in said Mr. Thompson,

with the gen eral suggestion of referrin g to an epidemic.En ter ye the n arrer gate. Parse me the bean s .”Perhaps this practical equality upheld him in his appa

ren tly hopeless search. H e had n o clew to the whereabout sof his run away son— in deed, scarcely a proof of his presen texisten ce. From his in differen t recollection of the boy oftwelve

,he n ow expected to iden tify the man of twen ty

I t would seem that he was successful . H ow he succeededwas on e of the few thin gs he did n ot tell. There are

,I be

lieve,two version s of the story. On e

,that Mr. Thompson ,

v isitin g a hospital,discovered his son by reason of a peculiar

hymn,chan ted by the sufferer

,in a delirious d ream of his

boyhood. This version, g ivin g as it did wide ran ge to the

fin er feelin gs of the heart,was quite popular 5 an d as told

by the Rev . Mr . G u shin gton ,on his return from his Cali

forn ia tour,n ever failed to satisfy an audien ce . The other

was less Simple,an d as I Shall adopt it here, deserves more

elaboration .

I t was after Mr. Thompson had given up searching for hisson amon g the livin g, an d had taken to the examin ation of

cemeteries, an d a carefu l in spection of the “ cold hie j acetsof the dead.” A t this time he was a frequen t visitor of

“Loss Mountain —a dreary hill-top, bleak en ough is i

’

e

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2 76 AIR. TH OMPSON ’S PROD]GAL.

‘7’ThompsonThe old man ’s han d slid from the throat to the arm of

his prison er,without relaxin g its firmn ess.

“ Char-les Thompson , come with me,

” he said,presen tly,

an d marched his captive to the hotel. W hat took placethere has n ot tran spired

,bu t it was kn own the n ext morn

in g that Mr. Thompson had foun d his son .

I t is proper to add to the above improbable story,that

there was n othin g in the youn g man ’s appearan ce or man

n ers to justify it. Grave,reticen t

,an d han dsome

,devoted

to his n ewly foun d paren t,he assumed the emolumen ts an d

respon sibilities of his n ew con d ition with a certain seriouscase that more n early approached that which San Fran ciscosociety lacked

,an d—rej ected. Some chose to despise this

quality as a ten den cy to psalm- sin gin g others saw in itthe in herited qu alities of the paren t, an d were ready to prophesy for the son the same hard old age . Bu t all agreedthat it was n ot in con sisten t with the habits of mon ey-gettin g,for which father an d son were respected .An d yet the old man did n ot seem to be happy. Perhaps

it was that the con summation of his wishes left him withouta practical mission perhaps— an d it is the more probablehe had little love for the son he had regain ed. The obedien ce he exacted was freely given ,

the reform he had set

his heart upon was complete an d yet, somehow,it did n ot

seem to please him. I n reclaimin g his son,he had fulfilled

all the requiremen ts that hisreligiou s duty required of him,an d ye t the act seemed to lack san ctification . In this perplexity he read again the parable of the Prodigal Sonwhich he had lon g adopted for his guidan ce—an d foun d thathe had omitted the fin al feast of recon ciliation . This seemedto offer the proper quality of ceremon iousn ess in the sacramen t between himself an d his son an d so

,a year after the

appearan ce of Charles. he set about givin g him a party.

AIR. TH OMPSON ’S PRODI GAL. 2 77

“ I n vite everybody, Chard es, he said, dryly ; “ everybodywho kn ows that I brought you ou t of the win e-husks ofin iquity, an d the compan y of harlots an d bid them eat,drin k

,an d be merry .”

Perhaps the old man had an other reason,n ot yet clearly

an alyzed. The fin e house he had built on the san d-hillssometimes seemed lon ely an d bare. H e often foun d himselftryin g to recon struct

,from the grave features of Charles,

the little boy which he bu t dimly remembered in the past,an d of which lately he had been thin kin g a great deal.H e believed this to be a sign of impen din g old age an d

childishn ess ; bu t comin g, on e day, in his formal drawin groom, upon a child of on e of the servan ts

,who had strayed

therein , he would have taken him in his arms, bu t the childfled from before his grizzled face . So that it seemed emin en tly proper to in vite a n umber of people to his house, an d,from the array of San Fran cisco maiden hood, to select a

dau ghter-in—law. An d then there would be a child—a. boy,whom he could “

rare up ” from the begin n in g, an d—love-as he did n ot love Charles .W e were all at the party . The Smiths, Jon eses, Brown s,

an d Robin son s also came,in that fin e flow of an imal spirits,

u n checked by an y respect for the en tertain er, which most ofus are apt to fin d so fascin atin g. The proceedin gs wouldhave been somewhat riotous

,bu t for the social position of the

actors . I n fact,Mr. B racy Tibbets

,havin g n aturally a fin e

appreciation of a humorous situation , b u t further impelledby the bright eyes of the Jon es girls

, con ducted himself so

remarkably as to attract the serious regard of Mr. CharlesThompson

,who approached him

,sayin g quietly : Y ou look

ill, Mr. Tibbets let me con duct you to your carriage. Re

sist, you bou n d , an d I’

ll throw you through that win dow.

This way, please 5 the room is close an d d istressin g.” I t is

hardly n ecessary to say that bu t a part of this speech wasau dible to the compan y. an d that the rest was n ot divu lged

2 78 MR. Tl f C-Af f ’é ON PROD]GAL .

by Mr. Tibbits, who afterwards regretted the suddenilln ess which kept him from witn essin g a certain amusin gin ciden t

,which the fastest Miss Jon es characterized as the

“richest part of the blow-ou t

,

”an d which I hasten to record

I t was at su pper . I t was eviden t that Mr. Thompson hadoverlooked much lawlessn ess in the con duct of the youn gerpeople, in his abstract con templation of some impen din geven t. W hen the cloth was removed

,he rose to his feet,

an d grimly tapped upon the table. A t itter,that broke

ou t amon g the Jon es girls, became epidemic on on e side ofthe board . Charles Thompson

,from the foot of the tab]

looked u p in ten d er perplexity “ H e’

s goin g to sin gDoxology H e

’

s goin g to pray Silen ce for a speechran rou n d the room .

“ I t’

s on e year to-day,Christian brothers an d sisters,

said Mr . Thompson,with grim deliberation , “

on e yearto-day sin ce my son came home from eatin g of win e-husksan d spen din g of his substan ce on harlots.” (The titterin gsudden ly ceased.) Look at him n ow. Char-les Thompson ,stan d up.” (Charles Thompson stood up.) “ On e year agoto-day— an d look at him n ow.

”

H e was certain ly a han dsome prodigal,stan din g there in

his cheerful even in g-dress a repen tan t prod igal, with sad,obedien t eyes turn ed upon the harsh an d un sympatheticglan ce of his father. The youn gest Miss Smith, from the

pure depths of her foolish little heart,moved u n con scio

toward him.

“ I t’s fifteen years ago sin ce he left my house

,said

Mr. Thompson,a rovier an d a prodigal . I was myselfa man

of sin,0 Christian frien ds— a man of wrath an d bitter

n ess Amen ,

”from the eldest Miss Smith) bu t

,praise

be to God , I ’v e fled the wrath to come. I t’

s five years agosin ce I got the peace that passeth un derstan din g. H aveyou got it, frien ds ? (A gen eral sub chorus of No, n o,”from the girls, an d Pass the word for it,” from Midship

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2 80 A!R. TH OMPSON ’S PROD]GAL.

festive appearan ce. Look at’m I A in ’t he n asty ? Sha’ls,I’

m prow of yer

“ Leave the house I said Mr. Thompson,risin g

,with a

dan gerous look in his cold,gray eye. Char- les

,how dare you 2"

Simmer down , ole man ! Sha’ls,who’s th’

01’ bloat “!

Hush , man here,take this !” W ith n ervous han ds,

Charles Thompson filled a glass with liquor. Drinkit an dgo— u n t il to-morrow— an y time, bu t—leave us -

go n ow.

B u t ev en then , ere the m1 serable wretch could drink, theold man

,pale with passion

,was upon him . H alf carryin g

him in his powerful arms,half draggin g him throu gh the

circlimg crowd of frighten ed guests,he had reached the door,

swun g open by the waitin g servan ts, when Charles Thompsonstarted from a seemin g stupor

,cryin g

Stop 1The old man stopped Through the open door the fog

an d win d drove chilly. W hat does this mean 2” he asked,turnin g a baleful face on Charles.

Nothin g— but stop— for God ’s sake. W ait t ill tomorrow, bu t n ot to-n ight. Do n ot— I implore you—dothis thing.”There was somethin g in the ton e of the youn g man ’svoice— somethin g, perhaps, in the con tact of the strugglin gwretch he held in his powerful arms bu t a dim,

in defin itefear took possession of the old man ’s heart. “W ho 2

”he

whispered, hoarsely, is this man 2”

Charles did n ot an swer.

Stan d back,there

,all of you

,thu n dered Mr. Thompson ,

to the crowdin g guests aroun d him.

“ Char-les—come here !I comman d you—I—I—I—beg you— tell me who is thisman 2

”

On ly two person s heard the an swer that came fain tly fromthe lips of Charles Thompson

“ Y OUR son .

”

MIC. TH OMPSON ’S PROD]GAL. 2 81

W hen the day broke over the bleak san dhills, the guestshad departed from Mr. Thompson ’s ban quet -halls. The

lights still burn ed dimly an d coldly in the deserted roomsdeserted by all but three figures

,that huddled together in

the chill drawin g-room,as if for warmth. On e lay in

drun ken slumber on a couch ; at his feet sat he who hadbeen kn own as Charles Thompson ; an d beside them, haggardan d shrun ken to half his size

,bowed the figure of Mr.

Thompson,his gray eye fixed

,his elbows upon his kn ees,

an d his han ds clasped over his ears, as if to shut out th‘sad , en treatin g voice that seemed to fill the room.

God kn ows I did n ot set about to wilfully deceive. The

n ame I gave that n ight was the first that came in to mythought—the n ame of on e whom I thought d ead— the dissolute compan ion of my shame . An d when you question edfurther, I used the kn owledge that I gain ed from him to touchyour heart to set me free— on ly

,I swear, for that ! B u t

when you told me who you were,an d I first saw the Open in g

of an other life before me— then— then . O, sir, if I was

hun gry,homeless

,an d reckless when I would have robbed

you of your gold,I was heart—sick

,helpless, an d desperate

when I wou ld have robbed you of your love.”The old man stirred n ot. From his luxurious couch the

n ewly foun d prodigal sn ored peacefully.“ I had n o father I could claim . I n ever kn ew a

home bu t this . I was tempted. I have been happy—veryhappyHe rose an d stood before the old man .

Do n ot fear that I shall come between your son an d

his in heritan ce. Tod ay I leave this place,n ever to return .

The world is large,sir

,an d

,

’

than ks to your kin d n ess, Inow see the way by which an hon est livelihood is gain ed.

Good-bye . Y ou will n ot take my han d ? W ell, well . Goodbye.

H e turn ed to go. Bu t when he had reached the door

2 82 MAL ONS.

he sudden ly came back,an d

,raisin g with both han ds the

grizzled head he kissed it on ce an d twice.Char-les.There was n o reply .Char- lesThe old man rose with a frighten ed air

, an d totteredfeebly to the door. I t was open . There came to him the

awaken ed tumu lt of a great city,in which the prodigal’s

footsteps were lost for ever.

MELONS.

AS I do n ot suppose the most gen tle of readers will believthat an ybody’s spon sors in baptism ever wilfully

sumed the respon sibility of such a n ame,I may as well

that I have reason to in fer that Melon s was simply then ame of a small boy I on ce kn ew. I f he had an y otl

n ever kn ew it .V arious theories were often proj ected by me to accoun t

for this stran ge cogn omen . His head,which was covered

with a tran sparen t down ,like that which clothes very small

chicken s, plain ly permittin g the scalp to show through, toan imagin ative min d might have suggested that succulen tv egetable. That his paren ts

,recogn isin g some poetical

sign ifican ce in the fruits of the season,might have given this

n ame to an Au g u st child, was an Orien tal explan ation .

That from his in fan cy he was fon d of in dulgin g in melon s,seemed on the whole the most likely, particularly as Fan cywas n ot bred in McGin nis

’

s Court . H e dawn ed upon me as

Melon s. H is proximity was in dicated by shrill,youthful

voices, as “Ah, Melon s !” —or playfully, “Hi, - or

authoritatively, Y ou , Melon s

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2 84 MELONS.

His age was about seven . H e looked older,from the

ven erable whiten ess of his head, an d it was imposs ible toconj ecture his size

,as he always wore clothes apparen tly

b elon gin g to some shapely youth of n in eteen . A pair of

pan taloon s,that

,when sustain ed by a sin gle suspen der

,com

pletely equipped him—formed his every—day suit. H ow,

with this lavish superfiu ity of clothin g, he man aged to perform the su rprisin g gymn astic feats it has been my privilegeto witn ess

,I have n ever’ been able to tell. His turn in g

the crab,

”an d other min or d islocation s

,were always atten ded

wi th success . I t was n ot an un usual sight at an y hour of

the day to fin d Melon s suspen ded on a lin e,or to see his

ven erable head appearin g above the roofs of the ou t -hou ses .Melon s kn ew the exact height of every fen ce in the vicin ity,its facilit ies for sealin g , an d the possibilitv of seizure on theother side. His more peaceful an d quieter amusemen ts consisted in d raggin g a d isused boiler by a large strin g , withhideous outcries

,to imagin ary fires.

Melon s was n ot gregariou s in his habits. A few youthsof his own age sometimes called upon him

,bu t they

even tually became abusive,an d their visitswere more strictly

predatory in cursion s for old bottles an d jun k, which formedthe staple of McGin n is

’

s Cou rt. Overcome by lon elin esson e day

,Melon s in veigled a blin d harper in to the Court.

For two hours did that wretched man prosecute his u nhallowed callin g

,un recompen sed

,an d goin g roun d an d

roun d the Court,apparen tly un der the impression that it

was some other place, while Melon s surveyed him from an

adjoin in g fen ce with calm satisfaction . I t was this absen ceof con scien tious motives that brought Melon s in to disrepute with his aristocratic n eighbours. Orders were issuedthat n o child of wealthy an d pious paren tage should playwith him . This man date

,as a matter of course, in vested

Melon s with a fascin atin g in terest to them. Admirin gglan ces were cast a t Melon s from n ursery win dows. Baby

MELONS . 2 85

fin gers beckon ed to him . I n vitation s to tea (on wood an dpewter) were lisped to him from aristocratic

. back-yards. I t

was eviden t he was looked upon as a pure an d n oble bein g,

un trammelled by the con ven tion alities of paren tage,an d

physically as well as men tally exalted above them. On e

aftern oon an un usua l commotion prevailed in the vicin ity ofMcGin n is

’s Court . Lookin g from my win dow,

I sawMelon sperched on the roof of a stable, pullin g up a rope by which on eTommy

,

”an in fan t scion of an adjacen t an d wealthy house

,

was suspen ded in mid-air. I n vain the female relativesof Tommy

,con gregated in the back-yard

,expostulated

with Melon s ; in vain the un happy father shook his fist at

him . Secure in his posit ion , Melo n s redoubled his exertion san d at last lan ded Tommy on the roof. Then it was thatthe humiliatin g fact was disclosed that Tommy had beenactin g in collusion with Melon s . H e grin n ed delightedlyback at his paren ts , as if “ by merit raised to that bademin en ce.” Lon g before the ladder arrived that was tosuccour him

,he became the sworn ally of Melon s

,an d I

regret to say,in cited by the same audacious boy

, chafi'

ed

his own flesh an d blood belowhim. H e was even tually taken,

though—of course—Melon s escaped. B u t Tommy was re

stricted to the win dow after that, an d the compan ion ship waslimited to “Hi

,Melon s an d “Y ou Tommy !” an d Melon s

,

to all practical purposes, lost him for ever. I looked afterward to see some sign s of sorrow on Melon s’ part

,bu t in

vain he buried his grief, if he had an y, somewhere in his

on e volumin ous garmen t.A t about this time my opportun ities of kn owin g Melon s

became more exten ded . I was en gaged in fillin g a void inthe Literature of the Pacific Coast. As this v oid was a

pretty large on e, an d as I was in formed that the PacificCoast lan guished un der it

,I set apart two hours each day

to this work of fillin g in . I t was n ecessary that I shou ldadopt a methodical system

,so I retired from the world an d

2 86 MELONS.

locked myself in my room at a certain hour each day, aftercomin g from my office . I then carefully drew out myportfolio an d read what I had written the day before. Thiswould suggest some alteration

,an d I would carefully re-write

it . Durin g this Operation I would turn to c on sult a bookof referen ce

,which in variably proved extremely in terestin g

an d attractive. I t wou ld gen erally suggest an other an d

better method of “ fillin g in .

”Turn in g this method over

reflectiv ely in my min d, I would fin ally commen ce the n ew

method,which I even tually aban don ed for the origin al plan .

A t this time I would become con vin ced that my exhaustedfaculties deman ded a cigar. The operation of lightin g a cigarusually suggested that a little quiet reflection an d meditationwould be of service to me

,an d I always allowed myself to

be guided by pruden tial in stin cts. Even tually,seated by

my win dow,as before stated

,Melon s asserted himself.

Thou gh ou r con versation rarely wen t further than Hello,Mister an d Ah

,Melon s a vagabon d in stin ct we felt

in common,implied a commun ion deeper than words . I n

this spiritual commin glin g the time passed, often beguiled bygymn astics on the fen ce or lin e (always with an eye to mywin dow) un til din n er was an n oun ced, an d I foun d a morepractical void required my atten tion . An un locked—forin ciden t drew us in closer relation .

A sea-farin g frien d just from a tropical voyage had presen ted me with a bun ch of ban an as. They were n ot quiteripe, an d I hun g them before my win dow to mature in the

su n of McGin n is’

s Court, whose forcin g qualities wereremarkable. I n the mysteriously min gled odours of shipan d shore which they d iffused throughout my room,

therewas a lin gerin g remin iscen ce of low latitudes. B u t eventhat j oy was fleetin g an d evan escen t : they n ever reachedmaturity.Comin g home on e day as I turn ed the corn er of that

fashign able thorou ghfare before allu ded to, I met a small boy

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2 33 flfELONS.

of youth,an d Melon s’ performan ce of thatmelody was always

remarkable. B u t to-day he whistled falsely an d shrilly betweenhis teeth. At last he met my eye. H e win ced slightly, b u trecovered himself, an d goin g to the fen ce, stood for a fewmomen ts on his han ds, with his bare feet quiverin g in the air.

Then he turn ed toward me an d threw ou t a con versation alprelimin ary.

“ They is a cirkis, —said Melon s gravely, han gin g withhis back to the fen ce an d his arms twisted roun d the palin gsa cirkis over yon der — in dicatin g the locality with his

foot with hosses, an d hossback riders . They is a man wot

rides six hosses to on et— six hosses to on ct —an d n ary saddle”—an d he paused in expectation .

Even this equestrian n ovelty did n ot affect me. I still kepta fixed gaze on Melon s’ eye, an d he began to tremble an dV l sibly shrin k in his capacious garmen t. Some other desperatemean s—con version with Melon s was always a desperatemean s—must be resorted to. H e recommen ced more art

Do you kn ow Carrots "!I had a fain t remembran ce of a boy of that euphon ious

n ame, with scarlet hair, who was a playmate an d persecutorofMelon s. Bu t I said n othin g.

Carrots is a bad boy. K illed a policeman on ct. W earsa dirk kn ife in his boots, an d saw him to-day lookin g inyour win dy .”I felt that this must en d here. I rose stern ly an d addressed

Melon s.Melon s, this is all irrelevan t an d impertin en t to the

case. You took these ban an as. Y our proposition regardingCarrots, even if I were in clin ed to accept it as credible in formation , does n ot alter the material issue. Y ou took theseban an as. The offen ce u n der the statutes of Californ ia isfelon y. H ow far Carrots may have been accessory to the

fact either before or after, is n ot my in ten tion at presen t to

M'El .ONS. 2 89

discuss. The act is complete. Y our presen t con duct showsthe an imofu ran dito have been equ ally clear.”By the t ime I had fin ished this exordium

, Melon s haddisappeared, as I fully expected.H e n ever re-appeared. The remorse that I have experien ced

for the part I had taken in what I fear may have resulted inhis utter an d complete extermin at ion ,

alas he may n ot kn ow,

except through these pages . For I have n ever seen him sin ce .W hether he ran away an d wen t to sea to re-appear at somefuture day as the most an cien t of marin ers

,or whether he

buried himself completely in his trousers,I n ever shall kn ow.

I have read the papers an xiously for accoun ts of him .

I have gon e to the Police Ofiice in the vain attempt ofiden tifyin g him as a lost child. Bu t I n ever saw or heard ofhim sin ce. Stran ge fears have sometimes crossed my min dthat his ven erable appearan ce may have been actually theresult of sen ility

,an d that he may have been gathered peace

fully to his fathers in a green old age. I have even haddoubts of his existen ce

,an d have sometimes thought that

he was providen tially an d mysteriously offered to fill the voidI have before allu ded to. I n that hope I have written thesepages.

THE ROMANCE OF MADRONO HOLLOW .

THE latch on the garden gate of the Folin sbee Ran chclicked twice. The gate itself was so much in shadow

that lovely n ight,that “ old man Folin sbee

,

” sittin g on hisporch

,could distin guish n othin g but a tall white hat an d

beside it a few flutterin g ribbon s,u n der the pin es that marked

the en tran ce . W hether because of this fact,or that he con

sidered a sufficien t time had elapsed sin ce the clickin g of thelatch for more positive disclosure

,I do n ot kn ow 5b u t after

a fewmomen ts’ hesitation he quietly laid aside his pipe an du

90 7 11 5 ROMANCE OF MADRONO HomeW.

walked slowly down the win din g path toward the gate. At

the Cean othus hedge he stopped an d listen ed.There was n ot much to hear. The hat was sayin g to the

ribbon s that it was a fin e n ight,an d remarkin g gen erally

u pon the clear outlin e of the Sierras again st the blue—blacksky. The ribbon s

,it so appeared

,had admired this all the

way home, an d asked the hat ifit had ever seen an ythin g halfso lovely as the moon light on the summit The hat n everhad 3 it recalled some lovely n ights in the South in A labama(“in the South in Ahlabahm was the way the old man

heard it) , bu t then there were other thin gs that made thisn ight seem so pleasan t. The ribbon s could n ot possibly con ~

ceiv e what the ha t could be thin kin g about. At this poin tthere was a pause

,of which Mr. Folin sbee availed himself to

walk very grimly an d craun chin gly down the gravel walktoward the gate. Then the hat was lifted

,an d disappeared

in the shadow,an d Mr. Folin sbee con fron ted on ly the half

foolish,half-mischievous, but wholly pretty face of his

daughter.

I t was afterward s kn own to Madrono H ollow that sharpword s passed between Miss Jo ” an d the old man , an d

that the latter coupled the n ames of on e CulpepperStarbottlean d his un cle

,Colon el Starbottle

,with certain u n com

plimen tary epithets, an d that Miss Jo retaliated sharply.H er father’s blood before her father’s face boiled up an dproved her truly of his race

,

” quoted the blacksmith,who

lean ed toward the n oble verse of Byron . She saw the oldman ’s bluff an d raised him

,

” was the directer commen t ofthe college-bred Masters.Mean while the subject of these an imadversion s proceeded

slowly alon g the road to a poin t where the Folin sbee man sioncame in v iew

,—a lon g, n arrow

,white buildin g

,u n preten

tious, yet superior to its n eighbours

,an d bearin g some evi

deuces of taste an d refin emen t in the vin es that clamberedover its porch, in its Fren ch win dows, an d the white muslin l

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2 92 THE ROMANCE OF MADRONO H OLLOW.

masqueraders was apparen t ; their red trun ks—a blush inthe moon light, a deep blood- stain in the shadow—stood outagain st the silvery green foliage. I t was as if Nature insome gracious momen t had here caught an d crystallized thegypsy memories of the tran splan ted Span iard, to cheer himin his lon ely exile.As Culpepper en tered the grove he heard loud voices. As

he turn ed toward a clump of trees, a figure so bizarre an dcharacteristic that it might have been a residen t Daphn e,—a

figure over-dressed in crimson silk an d lace, with bare brownarms an d shoulders

, an d a wreath of hon eysu ckle, —steppedou t of the shadow. I t was followed by a man . Culpepperstarted . To come to the poin t briefly, he recogn ized in theman the features of his respected un cle, Colon el Starbottlein the female

,a lady who may be briefly described as on e

possessin g absolutely n o claim to an in troduction to the

polite reader. To hurry over equally un pleasan t details,both were eviden tly un der the in fluen ce of liquor.

From the excited con versation that en sued, Culpeppergathered that some in sult had been pu t upon the lady at apublic ball which she had atten ded that even in g ; that theColon el, her escort, had failed to resen t it with the san guin ary completen ess that she desired. I regret that, even in a

liberal age, I may n ot record the exact an d even picturesquelan guage in which this was con veyed to her hearers.En ough that at the close of a fiery peroration

,with femin in e

in con sisten cy she flew at the gallan t Colon el, an d wouldhave visited her delayed ven gean ce u pon his luckless head,bu t for the prompt in terferen ce of Culpepper. Thwartedin this

,she threw herself u pon the groun d

,an d then in to

un picturesque hysterics. There was a fin e moral lesson , n oton ly in this grotesque performan ce of her sex which can n otafford to be grotesque

,bu t in the ludicrou s con cern with

which it in spired the two men . Culpepper,towhom women

was more or less an gelic, was pain ed an d sympathetic the

THE ROMANCE OF AIADRONO H OLLO I/V. 2 93

Colon el, to whom she was more or less improper, was ex.

ceedin gly terrified an d embarrassed. H owbeit the stormwas soon over, an d after Mistress Dolores had return ed alittle dagger to its sheath (her garter), she quietly took hersself out of Madroi

‘

io H ollow,an d happily ou t of these pages

for ever. The two men,left to themselves

,con versed in low

ton es. Dawn stole upon them before they separated : theColon el quite sobered an d in full possession of his usualj aun ty self-assertion ; Culpepper with a baleful glow in hishollow cheek

,an d in his dark eyes a risin g fire.

The n ext morn in g the gen eral ear of Madrono H ollowwas filled with rumours of the Colon el’s mishap . I t was

asserted that he had been in vited to withdraw his femalecompan ion from the floor of the A ssembly Ball at the I n depen den ce H otel, an d that failin g to do this both were expelled . I t is to be regretted that in 1 854 public opin ion wasdivided in regard to the propriety of this step, an d that therewas some discussion as to the comparative virtue of theladies who were n ot expelled

,but it was gen erally con ceded

that the real casu s belliwas polit ical. I s this a dashedPuritan meetin g 2” had asked the Colon el, savagely. “ I t

’

s

n o Pike Coun ty shin dig,

” had respon ded the floor man ager,cheerfully. “ Y ou’re a Y an k had screamed the Colon el,profan ely qualifyin g the n oun .

“Get ! you border ru ffian ,”

was the reply . Such at least was the substan ce of the report. As

,at that sin cere epoch, expression s like the above

were usually followed by prompt action , a fracas was con

fiden tly looked for.

Nothin g,however

, occurred . Colon el Starbottle made hisappearan ce n ext day u pon the streets with somewhat of hisusual pomposity

,a little restrain ed by the presen ce of his

n ephew,who accompan ied him

,an d who

,as a un iversal

favou rrte,also exercised some restrain t upon the curiou s an d

impertmen t. Bu t Cu lpepper’

s face were a look of anx iety

2 94 THEROMANCE OF MADRONO H OLLOW .

quite at varian ce with his u su al grave repose. The

Don don ’

t seem to take the old man ’s set-back kin dly,

”

observed the sympathizin g blacksmith . “ P’

r’aps he was

sweet on Dolores himself,suggested the sceptical ex

pressman .

I t was a bright morn in g,a week after this occurren ce

,

that Miss Jo Folin sbee stepped from her garden in to theread . This time the latch did n ot click as she caut iouslyclosed the gate behin d her. After a momen t’s irresolution

,

which would have been awkward bu t that it was charmin glyemployed

,after the man n er of her sex, in adjustin g a bow

un der a dimpled but rather promin en t chin , an d in pullin gdown the fin gers of a n eatly fittin g glove

,she tripped towards

the settlemen t. Smallwon der that a passin g teamster drovehis six mules in to the wayside ditch an d imperilled his load

,

to keep the dust from her spotless garmen ts small won derthat the “ Lightn in g Express withheld its speed an d flashto let her pass

,an d that the expressman , who had n ever

been kn own to exchan ge more than rapid mon osyllables withhis fellow-man , gazed after her with breathless admiration .

For she was certain ly attractive. I n a coun try where theorn amen tal sex followed the example of youthful Nature,an d were pron e to overdress an d glarin g effiorescen ce, MissJo’s simple an d tasteful raimen t added much to the physicalcharm of, if it did n ot actually suggest a sen timen t to

,her

presen ce . I t is said that Eu chredeck B illy,workin g in the

gulch at the crossin g, n ever saw Miss Folin sbee pass bu t thathe always remarked apologetically to his partn er

,that “ he

believed he mu st write a letter home.” Even B ill Masters,who saw her in Paris presen ted to the favourable criticismof that most fastidious man the late Emperor

,said that she

was stun n in g, but a big discoun t on what she was at Ma

drofio H ollow.

I t was still early morn in g, bu t the su n , with Californ iaextravagan ce, had already begun to beat hotly on the little

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2 96 THE ROMANCE OF MADRONO H OLLO I/V.

cryptogams at her feet. Somethin g glittered at the rootof the tree . She picked it u p ; it was a bracelet. She

examin ed it carefully for cipher or in scription ; there wasn on e. She could n ot resist a n atural desire to clasp it on

her arm,an d to survey it from that advan tageous “ view

poin t . This absorbed her atten tion for some momen ts an d

when she looked up again she beheld at a little distan ceCulpepper Starbottle.

H e was stan din g where he had halted, with in stin ctivedelicacy

,on first d iscoverin g her. I n deed

,he had even

deliberated whether he ought n ot to go away without distu rbin g her. B u t some fascin ation held him to the spot.W on derful power of human ity ! Far beyon d jutted an

outly in g spur of the Sierra, vast, compact, an d silen t.Scarcely a hun dred yards away a league-lon g chasm droppedits sheer walls of gran ite a thou san d feet . On every siderose u p the serried ran ks of pin e trees

,in whose close-set

files cen turies of storm an d chan ge had wrought n o breach .Y et all this seemed to Culpepper to have been plan n ed byan all-wise Provid en ce as the n atu ral backgr oun d to thefigure of a pretty girl in a yellow dress.A lthough Miss Jo had con fiden tly expected to meet

Culpepper somewhere in her ramble, n ow that he came uponher sudden ly, she felt disappoin ted an d embarrassed. His

man n er, too, was more than u sually grave an d serious,an d

more than ever seemed toj ar upon that audacious levity whichwas this giddy girl ’s power an d security in a society whereall feelin g was dan gerous . As he approached her she roseto her feet, bu t almost before she kn ew it he had takenher han d an d drawn her to a seat beside him. Thiswas n ot what Miss Jo had expected, bu t n othin g is sodifficult to predicate as the exact prelimin aries of a declaration of love.W hat did Culpepper say “! Nothin g, I fear, that will add

anythin g to the wisdom of the reader n othin g, I fear, that

THE ROMANCE OF MADRONO H OLLOW . 2 97

Miss Jo had n ot heard substan tially from other lips before.Bu t there was a certain con viction ,

fire-speed,an d fury in

the man n er that was deliciously n ovel to the youn g lady.I t was certain ly somethin g to be courted in the n in eteen thcen tury with all the passion an d extravagan ce of the sixteen th ; it was somethin g to hear, amid the slan g of a

fron tier society,the lan guage of kn igh t-erran try poured

in to her car by this lan tern -jawed,dark-brewed descen dan t

of the Cavaliers.I do n ot kn ow that there was an ythin g more in it. The

facts,however

,go to show that at a certain poin t Miss Jo

dropped her glove,an d that in recoverin g it Culpepper pos

sessed himself,first of her han d an d then her lips. W hen

they stood up to go Culpepper had his arm aroun d herwaist

, an d her black hair, with its sheaf of golden oats,

rested again st the breast-pocket of his coat . Bu t even thenI do n ot thin k her fan cy was en tirely captive. She took acertain satisfaction in this demon stration of Cu lpepper

’

s

splen did height,a n d men tally compared it with a former

flame,on e Lieuten an t McMirk

,an active

,bu t u n der- sized

H ector,who subsequen tly fell a victim to the in cautiously

composed an d mon oton ous beverages of a fron tier garrison .

Nor was she so much pre- occupied,bu t that her quick eyes

,

even while absorbin g Cu lpepper’s glan ces, were yet able todetect, at a distan ce, the figure of a man approachin g. I n

an in stan t she slipped ou t of Cu lpepper’s arm,an d whippin g

her han ds behin d her, said, There ’s that horrid man !”Culpepper looked up

,an d beheld fi his respected un cle

pan tin g an d blowin g over the hill. His brow con tracted ashe turn ed to Miss Jo Y ou don ’

t like my un cle 2”“ I hate him !” Miss Jo was recoverin g her ready

Culpepper blushed. H e would have liked to en ter uponsome d etails of the Colon el ’s pedigree an d exploits, bu tthere was n ot time . H e on ly smiled sadly. The smile

2 98 THE ROMANCE OF AIADRONO H OLLOW'.

melted Miss Jo. She held ou t her han d quickly,an d said

,

with even more‘ than her usual effron tery,

“Don ’t let thatman get you in to an y trouble. Take care of yourself

,dear

,

an d don ’t let an ythin g happen to you .”Miss Jo in ten ded this speech to be pathetic the ten ure

of life amon g her lovers had hitherto been very un certain .

Culpepper turn ed toward her, bu t she had already vanishedin the thicket.The Colon el came up pan tin g. I

’ve looked all over

town for you,an d be dashed to you , sir. W ho was that

with you !“A lady. (Culpepper n ever lied, but he was discreet .)D —m ’

em all ! Look yar, Culp, I ’ve spotted the man

who gave the order to put me off the floor ” flo was whatthe Colon el said) the other n ight !”

W ho was it asked Culpepper, listlessly.Jack Folin sbee .

”

W ho 2”

W hy, the son of that dashed nigger-worshippin g,psalm

sin gin g Puritan Y an kee. W hat’s the matter,n ow ! Look

yar, Culp, you ain ’

t goin ’ back on your blood,ar’ye '! Y ou

ain ’

t goin ’ back on your word 2 Y e ain ’

t goin g down at the

feet of this trash, like a whipped houn dCulpepper was silen t. He was very white. Presen tlyhe looked up an d said quietly

,No.

’

Culpepper Starbottle had challen ged Jack Folin sbee, an dthe challen ge was accepted. The cause alleged was theexpellin g of Cu lpepper’s un cle from the floor of theA ssemblyBall by the order of Folin sbee. This much Madrono H ollowkn ew an d could swear to ; b u t there were other stran gerumours afloat, of which the blacksmith was an able expoun der. Y ou see, gen tlemen ,

”he said to the crowd

gatherin g roun d his an vil, “ I ain ’t got n o theory of this

affair, I on lygive a few facts as have come to my kn owledge.

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300 TIIE ROMANCE OF MADRONO H OLLOW

air was slightly chill, but that was from the mist whicharose alon g the ban ks of the river. A s early as six o’clockthe design ated groun d—a little open in g in the madronogrove—was occupied by Culpepper Starbottle, Colon el Starbottle, his secon d, an d the surgeon . The Colon el was exaltedan d excited, albeit in a rather imposin g, dign ified way, an dpoin ted out to the surgeon the excellen ce of the groun d

,

which at that hour was wholly shaded from the su n,whose

steady stare is more or less discomposin g to your duellist .

The surgeon threw himself on the grass an d smoked hisc igar. Culpepper quiet an d thoughtful

,lean ed again st a

tree an d gazed up the river. There was a stran ge su ggestionof a picn ic about the grou p, which was heighten ed when theColon el drew a bottle from his coat-tails

,an d takin g a

prelimin ary draught,offered it to the others . Cocktails

,

sir,

” he explain ed with dign ified precision .

“A gen tleman,

sir,should n ever go out without ’em. Keeps off the morn in g

chill. I remember goin g ou t in ’

53 with H an k Boompirater.Good ged, air, the man had to put on his overcoat, an d wasshot in it. Fact.”Bu t the n oise of wheels drown ed the Colon el’s reminiscen ces, an d a rapidly driven buggy, con tain in g Jack Folin sbee, Calhoun Bun gstarter, his secon d, an d B ill Masters drewup on the groun d . Jack Folin sbee leaped ou t gaily. “ I

had the jolliest work to get away without the govern or’shearin g

,he began

,addressin g the group before him with

the greatest volubility. Calhoun Bun gstarter touchedhis arm

,an d the youn g man blushed. I t was his first

duel.I f you are ready

,gen tlemen , said Mr. Bun gstarter,

“we had better proceed to busin ess. I believe it is un derstood that n o apology will be offered or accepted. W e may

as well settle prelimin aries at on ce, or I fear we shall bein terrupted. There is a rumou r in town that the V igilan ceCommittee are seekin g ou r frien ds the Starbottles, an d I

THE zcaMANC‘

E OF WIAURONO HOLLOW. 30:

believe, as their fellow-coun tryman,I have the hon ou r to be

in cluded in their warran t.”At this probability of in terruption , that gravity whichhad hitherto been wan tin g fell upon the group. The pre

limin aries were soon arran ged an d the prin cipals placed inposition . Then there was a silen ce .To a spectator from the hill, impressed with the picn icsuggestion , what might have been the poppin g of two

champagn e corks broke the stilln ess.Cu lpeyper had fired in the air . Colon al Starbottle uttered

a low curse . Jack Folin sbee sulkily d eman ded an other shot.Again the parties stood opposed to each other. Again

the word was given,an d what seemed to be the simul

tan eou s report of both pistols rose upon the air. B u t afteran in terval of a few secon ds all were surprised to see

Culpepper slowly raise his un exploded weapon an d fire itharmlessly above his head. Then throwin g the pistolupon the groun d

,he walked to a tree an d lean ed silen tly

again st it.Jack Folin sbee flew in to a paroxysm of fury. Colon el

Starbottle raved an d swore. Mr. Bun gstarter was properlyshocked at their con duct. Really

,gen tlemen , if Mr. Cu l

pepper Starbottle declin es an other shot, I do n ot see how wecan proceed .”Bu t the Colon el’s blood was u p, an d Jack Folin sbee was

equally implacable. A hurried con sultation en sued, whichen ded by Colon el Starbottle takin g his n ephew’s place asprin cipal

,B ill Masters actin g as secon d

,vice Mr. Bun g

starter,who declin ed all further con n ection with the affair.

Two distin ct reports ran g through the H ollow. JackFolin sbee dropped his smokin g pistol

,took a step forward,

an d then dropped heavily upon his face .I n a momen t the surgeon was at his side. The con fusion

was heighten ed by the tramplin g of hoofs, an d the voice ofthe blacksmith biddin g them flee for their lives before the

302 A NI GHT AT WINGDAM.

comin g storm. A momen t more,an d the groun d was

cleared, an d the surgeon lookin g up, beheld on ly the white

face of Culpepper ben din g over him .

Can you save him ?I can n ot say. H old up his head a momen t

,while I ru n

to the buggy.”Culpepper passed his arm ten derly aroun d the n eck of thein sen sible man . Presen tly the surgeon return ed with somestimulan ts.

There,that will do

,Mr. Starbottle, than k you . Now

my advice is to get away from here while you can . I’ll look

after Folin sbee. Do you hearCu lpepper

’

s arm was still roun d the n eck of his late fee,but his head had drooped an d fallen on the woun ded man ’sshoulder. The surgeon looked down , an d catchin g sight ofhis face, stooped an d lifted him gen tly in his arms. H e

open ed his coat an d waistcoat. There was blood upon hisshirt, an d a bullet-hole in his breast. He had been shot un todeath at the first fire.

A NIGHT AT W INGDAM.

IHAD been stage-ridden an d bewildered all day, an d whenwe swept down with the darkn ess in to the Arcadian

hamlet of W in gdam,

”I resolved to go n o further

,an d

rolled out in a g loomy an d dyspeptic state. The effects of amysterious pie, an d some sweeten ed carbon ic acid kn own tothe proprietor of the H alf-W ay H ouse ” as

“ lemmin gsody still oppressed me. Even the facetiae of the gallan texpressman who kn ew everybody’s Christian n ame alon g theroute, who rain ed letters

,n ewspapers an d bun dles from the

top of the stage, whose legs frequen tly appeared in frightfulproximity to the wheels, who got on an d off while we weregoin g at full speed

, whose gallan try, en ergy, an d superiol

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304 A NIGH T A T WINGDAM.

lookin g, heavily bearded specimen of the an imal man . H e

remin ded me of somebody or somethin g con n ected with thedrama. I was sittin g beside the fire

,mutely won derin g what

it could be,an d tryin g to follow the particular chord of

memory thus touched,in to the in tricate past

,when a little

delicate-lookin g woman appeared at the door, an d lean in gheavily again st the casin g

,said in an exhausted ton e,

H usban d !” As the lan dlord turn ed toward her, thatparticular remembran ce flashed before me

,in a sin gle lin e of

blan k verse. I t was this Two souls with but on e sin glethought, two hearts that beat as on e .

”

I t was I n gomar an d Parthen ia his wife. I imagin ed adifferen t den ouemen t from the play . I n gomar had takenParthen ia back to the mou n tain s, an d kept a hotel for theben efit of the A leman n i

,who resorted there in large n um

bers. Poor Parthen ia was pretty well fagged out, an d did allthe work without help.” She had two “youn g barbarian s,”a boy an d a girl. She was faded—but still good lookin g.I sat an d talked with I n gomar, who seemed perfectly 2 1;home an d told me several stories of the A leman n i, allbearin g a stron g flavour of the wildern ess

,an d bein g per

fectly in keepin g with the house. H ow he,I n gomar, had

killed a certain dreadful “ bar,

”whose skin was just u p “

yar,

over his bed . How he, I n gomar, had killed several “ bucks,”whose skin s had been prettily frin ged an d embroidered byParthen ia, an d even n ow clothed him. H ow he, I n gomar,had killed several “ I njin s,” an d was on ce n early scalpedhimself. All this with that in gen ious can dour which is perfectly just ifiable in a barbarian , bu t which a Greek mightfeel in clin ed to look upon as “ blowin g .” Thin kin g of thewearied Parthen ia, I began to con sider for the first t imethat perhaps she had better married the old Greek. Thenshe would at least have always looked n eat. Then shewouldn ot have worn a woollen dress flavoured with all the din n ersof the past y ear. Then she would n ot have been obliged to

A NI GH T AT W INGDAM. at“

” d

wait on the table with her hair half down . Then the twochildren would n ot have hun g about her skirts with d irtyfin gers

,palpably draggin g her down day by day. I suppose

it was the pie which pu t such heartless an d improper ideasin my head, an d so I rose up an d told I n gomar I believedI’

d go to bed. Preceded by that redoubtable barbarian an d

a flarin g tallow can d le, I followed him tip-stairs to my room.

I t was the on ly sin gle room he had, he told me ; he hadbuilt it for the con ven ien ce of married parties who mightstop here

,but that even t n ot happen in g yet, he had left it

half furn ished . I t had cloth on on e side, an d large cracks

on the other. The win d , which always swept over W in gdam at n ight t ime

,puffed through the apartmen t from

differen t apertures. The win dow was too small for the holein the side of the house where it hun g , an d rattled n oisily.Everythin g looked cheerless an d di spiritin g. Before I n gomar left me, he brought that bar-skin ,” an d throwin g itover the solemn bier which stood in on e corn er

,told me he

reckon ed that would keep me warm, an d then bade me goodn ight. I u n dressed myself, the light blowin g ou t in the

middle of that ceremon y, crawled u n der the “ bar—skin ,”an d tried to compose myself to sleep.Bu t I was starin gly wide awake. I heard the win d sweep

down the moun tain side,an d toss the bran ches of the

melan choly pin e, an d then en ter the house, an d try all the

doors alon g the passage. Sometimes stron g curren ts of airblew my hair all over the pillow,

as with stran gewhisperin gbreaths. The green timber alon g the walls seemed to besproutin g, an d sen t a dampn ess even through the bar

skin .

” I felt like Robin son Crusoe in his tree, with theladder pulled up—or like the rocked babv of the n urserysong. After lyin g awake half-an -hour

,I regretted havin g

stopped at W ingdam 3”at the en d of the third quarter, I

wished I had n ot gon e to bed,an d when a restless hou r

passed , I got up an d dressed myself. There had been a fire

306 A NI GH T AT W INGDAM

clown in the big room . Perhaps it was still burn in g. I

open ed the door an d groped my way alon g a passage, vocalwith the sn ores of the A leman n i an d the whistlin g of then ight win d I part ly fell down -stairs, an d at last en terin gthe big room

,saw the fire still burn in g. I . drew a chair

toward it,poked it with my foot

, an d was aston ished to see,by the ups prin gin g flash

,that Parthen ia was sittin g there

also,holdin g a faded-lookin g baby.

I asked her why she was sittin g up 'lShe did n ot go to bed on W edn esday n ight

,before the

mail arrived, a n d then she awoke her husban d,an d there

were passen gers to ’

ten d to.

Did she n ot get tired , sometimes ?A little, bu t Abn er —the Barbarian ’s Christian n amehad promised to get her more help n ext sprin g, if

busin ess was good.”“H owman y boarders had she 2She believed about forty came to regular meals

,an d

there was tran sien t custom,which was as much as she an d

her husban d could ’ten d to. Bu t he did a great deal of

work.”W hat work 1Oh brin gin g in the wood , an d lookin g after the traders’

thin gs.”H ow lon g had she been married ?About n in e years . She had lost a little girl an d boy:

Three children livin g . H e was from I llin ois ; she fromBoston . H ad an education (Boston Female H igh SchoolGeometry , A lgebra, a little Latin an d Greek). Mo

father d ied. Came to I llin ois alon e to teach schohim—yes—a love match Two souls

,

’ etc., etc .)an d emigrated to Kan sas. Then ce across the Plain sCalifo‘rn ia. A lways on the outskirts of civilization .

liked it .

”

She might sometimes have wished to go home. W e

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308 A NI GH T AT WINGDAM.

sky,an d she heard a little voice say “ mother. H ow sh:

looked in to the waggon an d saw that littleW i‘llie was sleep~in g comfortably, an d did n ot wish to wake him . H ow thatin a few momen ts more she heard the same voice sayin g

,

“mother.

”H ow she came back to the waggon an d lean ed

down over him, an d felt his breath upon her face, an d againcovered him up ten derly, an d on ce more resumed her wearyjourn ey beside him, prayin g to God for his recovery. H ow

,

with her face turn ed to the sky, she heard the same voicesayin g, mother,” an d directly a great

,bright star shot

away from its brethren an d expired . An d how she kn ewwhat had happen ed, an d ran to the waggon again on ly topillow a little pin ched an d cold white face upon her wearybosom . The thin

,red han d s wen t u p to her eyes here, an d

for a few momen ts she sat still. The win d tore roun d thehouse an d made a fran tic rush at the fron t door, an d fromhis couch of skin s in the in n er room

,I n gomar, the barbarian ,

sn ored peacefully.Of course she always foun d a protector from in sult an d

outrage in the great courage an d strength of her husban d ?Oh yes when I n gomar was with her she feared n othin g.

Bu t she was n ervous, an d had been frighten ed on ceH ow

”I

They had just arrived in Californ ia. They kept housethen , an d had to sell liquor to traders . I n gomar was

hospitable,an d dran k with everybody, for the sake of

popularity an d busin ess,an d I n gomar got to like liquor, an d

was easily affected by it. A n d how on e n ight there wasa boisterous crowd in the bar-room she wen t in an d triedto get him away, b u t on ly succeeded in awaken in g the

coarse gallan try of the half-crazed revellers . An d how,

when she had at last got him in the room with her frighten edchildren ,

he san k d own on the bed in a stupor, which madeher thin k the liquor was drugged. A n d how she sat besidehim all n ight

,an d n ear morn in g heard a step in the passage,

A NI GH T /I T WINGDAM

A han d protru ded throu gh the openin g— as qu ick as lightnin g she n ailed

that han d with her scissors .

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3 10 BROWN OF CALA VERAS.

BROWN OF CALAVERAS.

A SUBDUED ton e of con versation,an d the absen ce or

cigar- smoke,an d boot-heels, at the win dows of the

Win gdam stage-coach, made it eviden t that on e of the in sidepassen gers was a woman. A disposition on the part ofloun gers

,at the station s

,to con gregate before the win dow,

an d some con cern in regard to the appearan ce of coats, hats,an d collars

,further in dicated that she was lovely. All of

which Mr. Jack H amlin,on the box-seat, n oted with the

smile of cyn ical philosophy. Not that he depreciated thesex

,bu t that he recogn ized therein a deceitfu l elemen t, the

pursuit of which sometimes drew mankin d away from the

equally un certain blan dishmen ts of poker—of which it mayhe remarked that Mr. H amlin was a profession al expon en t .So that, when he placed his n arrow boot on the wheel an dleaped down

,he did n ot even glan ce at the win dow from

which a green veil was flutterin g,bu t loun ged up an d down

with that listless an d grave in differen ce of his class,which

was, perhaps, the n ext thin g to good breedin g. His closelybutton ed figure

,an d self-con tain ed air

,were in marked con

trast to the other passen gers, an d their feverish restlessn ess,an d boisterous emotion an d even B ill Masters

,a graduate

of H arvard, with his sloven ly dress, his overflowin g v itality,his in ten se appreciation of lawlessn ess an d barbarism

,an d his

mouth filled with crackers an d cheese, I fear, cut b u t an u n

roman tic figure beside this lon ely calculator of chan ces,with

his pale Greek face, an d H omeric gravity .The d river called all aboard,” an d Mr. H amlin return edto the coach . His foot was upon the wheel, an d his faceraised to the level of the open win dow,

when,at the same

momen t, what appeared to him to be the fin est eyes in the

BROWN OF GALA VERAS. 3 1 :

world, sudden ly met his. H e quietly dropped down again ,addressed a fewwords to on e of the in sid e passen gers, effectedan exchan ge of seats, an d as quietly took his place in side.Mr. H amlin n ever allowed his philosophy to in terfere withdecisive an d prompt action .

I fear that this irruption of Jack cast some restrain t uponthe other passen gers— particularly those who were makin gthemselves most agreeable to the lady. On e of them lean edforward, an d apparen tly con veyed to her in formation re

gardin g Mr. H amlin ’s profession ,in a sin gle epithet.

W hether Mr. H amlin heard it, or whether he recogn izedin the in forman t a distin guished jurist, from whom

,bu t a

few even in gs before, he had won several thousan d dollars, Ican n ot say. His colourless face betrayed n o sign 5his blackeyes

,quietly observan t, glan ced in difleren tly past the legal

gen tleman , an d rested on the much more pleasin g features ofhis n eighbour. A n I n dian stoicism— said to be an in heritan ce from his matern al an cestor—stood him in good service,un til the rollin g wheels rattled upon the river-

gravel atScott’s Ferry, an d the stage drew up at the I n tern ation alH otel

,for din n er. The legal gen tleman an d a Member of

Con gress leaped out, an d stood ready to assist the descen din ggoddess

,while Colon el Starbottle, of Siskiyou , took charge

of her parasol an d shawl . I n this multiplicity of atten tion,

there was a momen tary con fusion an d delay. Jack H amlinquietly open ed the opposite door of the coach, took the lady’shan d—with that decision an d positiven ess which a hesitatin gan d un decided sex kn ow how to admire—an d in an in stan thad dexterously an d gracefully swun g her to the groun d, an dagain lifted her to the platform . An audible chuckle on thebox

,I fear, came from that other cyn ic

,Y uba B ill ” the

driver. Look k eerfu lly arter that baggage,K ern el

,said

the expressman , with affected con cern , as he looked afterColon el Starbottle, gloomily brin gin g up the rear of the

triumphan t procession to the waitin g-room .

31 2 BROWN OF CALA VENAS.

Mr. H amlin did n ot stay for din n er. His horse wasalready saddled

,an d awaitin g him. H e dashed over the

ford , up the gravelly hill, an d ou t in to the dusty perspectiv eof the Win gdam Road

,like on e leavin g an u n pleasan t fan cy

behin d him. The inmates of dusty cabin s by the road-sideshaded their eyes with their han ds

,an d looked after him,

recogn izin g the man by his horse, an d speculatin g what

was up with Coman che Jack Y et much of this in terestcen tred in the horse

,in a

’ commun ity where the time madeby “ Fren ch Pete’s ” mare

,in his ru n from the Sheriff of

Calaveras,eclipsed all con cern in the ultimate fate of that

worthy.The sweatin g flan ks of his gray at len gth recalled him to

himself. H e checked his speed,an d

,turn in g in to a by-road

—sometimes used as a cut off— trotted leisurely alon g, therein s han gin g listlessly from his fin gers. A s he rode on , thecharacter of the lan dscape chan ged

, an d became more pastoral.Open in gs in groves of pin e an d sycamore disclosed some rudeattempts at cultivation— a flowerin g vin e trailed over theporch of on e cabin

,an d a woman rocked her cradled babe

u n der the roses of an other. A little farther on , Mr. H amlincame upon some bare -legged children wadin g in the willowycreek, an d so wrought upon them with a badin age peculiarto himself that they were embolden ed to climb up his horse’slegs an d over his saddle

,u n til he was fain to develop an

exaggerated ferocity of demean our,an d to escape leavin g

behin d some kisses an d coin . A n d then,advan cin g deeper

in to the woods,where all sign s of habitation failed, he began

to sin g—upliftin g a ten or so sin gularly sweet,an d shaded by

a pathos so su bdu in g an d ten der, that I wet the robin s an dlin n ets stopped to listen . Mr. H amlin ’s voice was n ot

cultivated ; the subject of his son g was some sen timen tallu n acy, borrowed from the n egro min strels

,bu t there was

some occult quality of ton e an d expression that thrilledthrough all a spirit in expressibly touchin g . I n deed, it was

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3 130WN OF CAL/1 VERAS.

W ithout risin g, he pulled a cord that apparen tly shot back abolt for the door swun g open ,

an d a man en tered.The n ew-comer was broad-shouldered an d robust a

vigour n ot born e ou t in the face, which, though han dsome,was singularly weak

,an d disfigu red by dissipation . H e

appeared to be also un der the in fluen ce of liquor,for

he started on seein g Mr. H amlin , an d said,

I thoughtKate was here 3” stammered, an d seemed con fused and embarrassed .

Mr. H amlin smiled the smile which he had before worn on

the Win gdam coach, an d sat u p, quite refreshed, an d readyfor busin ess .

“ Y ou didn ’t come up on the stage,con tin ued the n ew

comer,did you 2”

No,

replied H amlin I left it at Scott’s Ferry. I tisn ’

t due for half an hour yet . Bu t how’s luck,Brown 2

D had,said Brown

,his face sudden ly assumin g an

expression of weak despair I’

m clean ed ou t again . Jack,”he con tin ued

,in a whin in g ton e

,that formed a pitiable con

trast to his bulky figure,can ’

t you help me with a hun dredt ill to-morrow’s clean -u p ? You see I ’ve got to sen d mon eyhome to the old woman , an d—you’ve won twen ty t imes thatamoun t from me.”The con clu sion was, perhaps, n ot en tirely logical, but Jackoverlooked it, an d han ded the sum to his visitor.

“ The oldwoman busin ess is about played ou t

,Brown

,

” he added, byway of commen tary 5 why don ’

t you say you wan t to buckagin ’ fare ? Y ou kn ow you ain ’

t married 1”Fact, sir, said Brown ,

with a sudden gravity, as if themere con tact of the gold with the palm of his han d hadimparted some dign ity to his frame. I

’

ve got a wife—all good on e

,too, if I do say it—in the States . I t ’s three

ear sin ce I ’ve seen her,an d a year sin ce I ’v e writ to her.

7

hen thin gs is about straight, an d we get down to the lead,’m goin g to sen d for her.

”

BROWN OF CAL/1 VERAS. 3 1 5

An d Kate ? queried Mr. H amlin , with his previoussmile.Mr . Brown , of Calaveras, essayed an archn ess of glan ce,to cover his con fusion

,which his weak face an d whisky

muddled in tellect bu t poorly carried ou t, an d saidD it

,Jack, a man must have a little liberty,you

kn ow. Bu t come,what do you say to a little game Give

us a show to double this hun dred .”Jack H amlin looked curiously at his fatuous frien d. Per

haps he kn ew that the man was predestin ed to lose the mon ey,an d preferred that it should flow back in to his own coffers ,rather than an y other. H e n odded his head , an d drew hischair towards the table. At the same momen t, there camea rap u pon the d oor.

“ I t’

s Kate,” said Mr. Brown .

Mr. H amlin shot back the bolt, an d the door open ed.Bu t for the first time in his life he staggered to his feet ,utterly un n erved an d abashed

,an d for the first time in his

life,the hot blood crimson ed his colourless check s to his fore

head. For before him stood the lady he had lifted from theW in gdam coach, whom Brown—droppin g his cards with anhysterical laugh—greeted asMy old woman ,

by thun derThey say that Mrs . Brown burst in to tears

,an d reproaches

of her husban d. saw her, in 1 857 , at Marysville, an d disbelieved the story. A n d . the Win gdam Chronicle

,of the

n ext week, un der the head of Touchin g Reun ion ,” said“ On e of those beautiful an d touchin g in ciden ts

,peculiar to

Californ ia life,occurred

,last week

,in ou r city. The wife of

on e ofW in gdam’

s emin en t pion eers,tired of the effete civili

zation of the East, an d its in hospitable climate, resolved tojoin her n oble husban d

,upon these golden shores. W ithout

in formin g him of her in ten tion,she u n dertook the lon g j our

n ey, an d arrived last week . The j oy of the husban d may beeasier imagin ed than described. The meetin g is said to have

3 1 6 BROWN Of' GALA VERAS’

.

been in describably affectin g. W e trust her example may befollowed.”

W hether owin g to Mrs . Brown ’s in fluen ce,or to some

more successful speculation s,Mr . Brown ’s fin an cial fortun e,

from that day,steadily improved. H e bought ou t his part

n ers in the Nip an d Tu ck lead,with mon ey said to have

been won at poker,a week or two after his wife’s arrival,

b u t which rumour,adoptin g Mrs . Brown ’s theory that Brown

had foresworn the gaming- table, alleged to have been fu rnished by Mr. Jack H amlin . H e built an d furn ished the“W in gdam H ouse

,which pretty Mrs. B rown ’s great pepu

larity kept overflowin g with guests . H e was elected to theA ssembly, an d gave largess to churches. A street in W in gdam was n amed in his hon our.

Y et, it was n oted that in proportion as he waxed wealthyan d fortun ate, he grew pale, thin , an d an xious. A s hiswife’spopularity in creased, he became fretful an d impatien t . The

most u xorious of husban ds—he was absurdly j ealous. I f hedid n ot in terfere with his wife’s social liberty

,it was because

-it was maliciously whispered— that his first an d on lyattempt was met by an outburst from Mrs . Brown thatterrified him in to silen ce . Much of this k in d of gossip camefrom those of her own sex whom she had supplan ted in the

chivalrous atten tion s ofW in gdam which,like most popular

chivalry,was devoted to an admiration of power

,whether of

masculin e force or femin in e beauty. I t should be remembered

,too

,in her exten uation , that, sin ce her arrival, she had

been the u n con scious priestess of a mythological worship,perhaps n ot more en n oblin g to her woman hood than thatwhich distin guished an older Greek democracy. I thin kthat Brown was d imly con scious of this . Bu t his on ly confidan t was Jack H amlin , whose in felix reputation n aturallyprecluded an y open in timacy with the family, an d whosev isits were in frequen t.

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3 1 8 BROWN OF GALA VERAS.

he threw himself upon the bed, an d motion ed his compan ionto a chair. H er room’s t’other en d of the hall . I t

’

s mor’nsix mon ths sin ce we’ve lived together

,or met, except at

meals. I t’

s mighty rough papers on the head of the house-ain ’t it ? ” he said with a forced laugh. “ Bu t I

’

m gladto see ye

,Jack

,(1 glad

,

”an d he reached from the bed,

an d again shook the un respon sive han d of Jack H amlin .

I brought ye up here,for I didn ’

t wan t to talk in the

stable ; thou gh, for the matter of that, it ’s all roun d town .

Don ’

t strike a light. W e can talk here in the moon shin e.Pu t up your feet on that win der

,an d sit here beside me.

Thar’s whisky in that jug .Mr. H amlin did n ot avail himself of the in formation .

Brown , of Calav eras , tu rn ed his face to thewall, an d con tin uedI f I didn ’

t love the woman,Jack

,I wouldn ’

t min d . B u t

it’s lov in g her, an d seein g her, day after day, goin ’

on at thisrate, an d n o on e to pu t down the brake : that’s whatme Bu t I

’m glad to see ye

,Jack

,d glad.”

I n the darkn ess, he grouped about un til he had foun dwrun g his compan ion ’s han d again . H e would have d etain eit,bu t Jack slipt it in to the button ed breast of his coat, an

asked, listlessly, H ow lon g has this been goin g on 2”“ Ever sin ce she came here ever sin ce the day she

walked in to the Magn olia. I was a fool then Jack,I’

m afool n ow b u t I didn ’

t kn ow how much I loved her tillthen . A n d she hasn ’

t been the same woman sen ce .“ Bu t that ain ’

t all,Jack an d it

’

s what I wan ted to seeyou about

,an d I

’m glad you’ve come. I t ain ’

t that shedoesn ’

t love me an y more it ain ’

t that she feels with everychap that comes alon g

,for

,perhaps

,I staked her love an d

lost it, as I did everythin g else at the Magn olia an d, per

haps,foolin ’ is n atural to some women

,an d there ain ’

t n o

great harm don e, ’cept to the fools . B u t,Jack

,I thin k

I thin k she loves somebody else. Don ’

t move, Jack don

’

t

move if your pistol hu rts ye, take it off;

BROWN OF CALA VERA S . 3 1 9

I t’s been more’n six mon ths n ow that she’s seemed

un happy an d lon esome,an d kin der n ervous an d scared like .

An d,sometimes

,I’

ve k etched her lookin ’

at me sort of timidan d pityin g. An d she writes to somebody. An d

,for the

last week,she’s been gatherin g her own thin gs— trin kets

an d furbelows,an d j ew

’

lry— an d

,Jack

,I thin k

,she’s goin

off. I could stan d all bu t that . To have her steal away likea thief H e pu t his face down wards to the pillow,

an d,for a few momen ts

,there was n o soun d but the tickin g

of a clock on the man tel . Mr. H amlin lit a cigar, an d

moved to the open win dow. The moon n o lon ger shon e inthe room

,an d the bed an d its occupan t were in shadow.

W hat shall I do,Jack ? said the voice from the darkn ess.

The an swer came promptly an d clearly from the win dowside Spot the man

,an d kill him on sight.”

Bu t,Jack .

”

H e’

s took the riskB u t will that brin g her back ?Jack did n ot “

reply,but moved from the win dow towards

the door.

Don ’t go yet,Jack light the can dle

,an d sit by the

table. I t’

s a comfort to see ye, if n othin ’ else.”Jack hesitated

,an d then complied . H e drew a pack of

cards from his pocket an d shuffled them,glan cin g at the

bed. Bu t Brown ’s face was turn ed to the wall . W hen Mr.

H amlin had shuffled the cards, he cu t them,an d dealt on e

card on the opposite side of the table an d towards the bed,

an d an other on his side of the table,for himself. The first

was a deu ce his own card,a kin g . H e then shuffled an d

ou t again . This time “ dummy ” had a queen . an d himself a.four- spot . Jack brighten ed up for the third deal . I t

brought his adversary a deu ce,an d himself a kin g again .

Two ou t of three,” said Jack, audibly.W hat ’s that

, Jack ? said Brown .

Nothin g.

32 0 BROWN OF CALA VERAS.

Then Jack tried his han d with dice bu t he always threws ixes, an d his imagin ary Oppon en t aces. The force of habitis sometimes con fusin g.Meanwhile

,some magn etic in flu en ce in Mr. H amlin ’s

presen ce, or the an odyn e of liquor, or both, brought surceaseof sorrow

,an d Brown slept. Mr. H amlin moved his chair

to the win dow,an d looked ou t on the town of Win gdam,

n ow sleepin g peacefully—its harsh outlin es soften ed an d

subdued,its glarin g colours mellowed an d sobered in the

moon light that flowed over all. I n the hush he could hearthe gurglin g of water in the ditches, an d the sighin g of thepin es beyon d the hill. Then he looked up at the firmamen t,

an d , as he did so, a star shot across the twinklin g field.Presen tly an other, an d then an other. The phen omen onsuggested to Mr. H amlin a fresh augury. I f

,in an other

fifteen min utes,an other star should fall—H e sat there

,watch

in han d, for twice that time, but the phen omen on was n ot

repeated.The clock struck two

,an d Brown still slept. Mr.

H amlin approached the table,an d took from his pocket

a letter, which he read by the flickerin g can dle-light. I t

con tain ed on ly a sin gle lin e, written in pen cil, in a woman ’

s

han d“ Be at the corral, with the buggy, at three .The sleeper moved un easily, an d then awoke. Are you

there, Jack ?Y es .

”

Don ’t go yet. I dreamed, just n ow, Jack—dreamed of

old times . I thought that Su e an d me was bein g marriedagin

,an d that the parson , Jack, was—who do you think

you !”The gambler laughed, an d seated himself on the bed- 4 3110

paper still in his han d.I t a good sign , ain ’t it ? queried Brown .

I reckon . Say old man hadn ’t you better get u p.

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32 2 7 OHN ? ENKINS.

half-awaken ed eyes, he was but a movin g cloud of dust inthe distan ce

,toward which a star just loosed from its

brethren was trailin g a stream of fire .

Bu t,early that morn in g

,the dwellers by the W in gdam

turnp ike, miles away, heard a voice, pure as a sky- lark’s,Sin gin g afield. They who were asleep

, turn ed over on theirrude couches to d ream of youth

,an d love

, an d olden days .H ard-faced men an d an xious gold- seekers

,already at work

,

ceased their labours an d lean ed upon their picks,to listen to

a roman tic vagabon d amblin g away again st the rosy sun rise.

JOHN JENKINS

OR, THE SMOKER REFORMED.

BY T. S. A-TH-R.

CHAPTER I .

ONE cigar a day !” said Judge Boompoin ter. On e

cigar a day !” repeated John Jen kin s,as with

trepidation he dropped his half- con sumed cigar un der hiswork-ben ch.

On e cigar a day is three cen ts a day, remarked JudgeBoompoin ter, gravely, “

an d do you kn ow,sir

,what on e

c igar a day,or three cen ts a day, amoun ts to in the course

of four yearsJohn Jen kin s, in his boyhood, had atten ded the village

school, an d possessed con siderable arithmetical ability.Takin g up a shin gle which lay upon his work-ben ch, an d

producin g a piece of chalk, with a feelin g of con sciou s pridehe made an exhaustive calculation“Exactly forty-three dollars an d eighty cen ts ,” he replied,

7OHN ? ENKINS. 32}

wipin g the perspiration from his heated brow, while his faceflushed with hon est en thusiasm.

W ell, sir, if you saved three cen ts a day, in stead ofwastin g it, you would n ow be the possessor of a n ew suit ofclothes

,an illustrated Family B ible

,a pew in the church

,

a complete set of Paten t Offi ce Reports, a hymn ~book,an d a

paid subscription to Arthu r’s H ome Magazin e, which couldbe purchased for exactly forty-three dollars an d eighty cen ts—an d

,

” added the Judge,with in creasin g stern n ess

,

“ if youcalculate leap-year

,which you seem to have stran gely

omitted—you have three cen ts more, sir ; three cen ts more I

W hat would that buy you, sir ?A cigar,” suggested John Jenkin s ; but colourin g again

deeply he hid his face.No, sir,

” said the Judge, with a sweet smile of ben evo

len ce stealin g over his stern features properly in vested, itwould buy you that which passeth all price. Dropped in tothe mission ary box, who can tell what heathen , n ow idly an djoyously wan ton in g in n akedn ess an d sin

,might be brought

to a sen se of his miserable con dition , an d made, throughthat three cen ts, to feel the tormen ts of the wicked ?W ith these words the Judge retired, leavin g JohnJen kin s buried in profoun d thou ght . Three cen ts a day,”he muttered. I n forty years I might be worth fourhun dred an d thirty- eight dollars an d ten cen ts—an d then Imight marry Mary. Ah

, Mary ? ” The youn g carpen tersighed

,an d drawin g a twen ty-five cen t daguerreotype from

his vest pocket,gazed lon g an d ferv idly u pon the features of

a youn g girl in book muslin an d a coral n ecklace. Then ,with a resolute expression , he carefully locked the door of hisworkshop an d departed.Alas his good resolution s were too late . W e trifle with

the tide of fortun e which too often n ips u s in the bud an dcasts the dark shadow of misfortun e over the bright lexiconof youth ? That night the half-con sumed fragmen t of John

1: 2

32 4 W AN 7ENKINS.

Jen kin s’ cigar set fire to his workshop an d ou rn ed it u p,together with all his tools an d materials . There was n o

in su ran ce.

CHAPTER I I .

THE DOWNW ARD PATH .

THEN you still persist in marryin g John Jen k in s ? ”queried Judge Boompoin ter, as he playfu lly, with patern alfamilian

'

ty, lifted the golden cu rls of the v illage belle, MaryJon es .

I do,

replied the fair youn g girl, in a low voice, thatresembled rock can dy in its saccharin e firmn ess ; “ I do.

H e has promised to reform. Sin ce he lost all his propertyby fire

The result of his pern icious habit , though he illogicallypersis ts in chargin g it to me

,

” in terrupted the Judge.Sin ce then

,con t in ued the youn g girl

,

“ he has en deavou red to break hims elf of the habit . H e tells me that hehas substituted the stalks of the I n dian ratan , the outer partof a legumin ous plan t called the smokin g-bean

,an d the

fragmen tary an d un con sumed remain der of cigars whichoccur at rare an d un certain in tervals alon g the road

,which

,

as he in forms me, though deficien t in quality an d stren gth,are comparatively in expen sive .” An d

,blushin g

,at her own

eloquen ce, the youn g girl hid her curls on the Judge’sarm.

Poor thin g,muttered Judge Boompoin ter. Dare I

tell her all Y et I must.”I shall clin g to him, con tin ued the youn g girl, risin g

with her theme,

“ as the youn g v in e clings to someruin . Nay, n ay, chide me n ot, Judge Boompoin ter.marry John Jen kin sThe Judge was eviden tly affected . Seatin g himself

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32 6 yoHN 7ENKINS.

wan t to ruin me by your extravagan ce ? an d as he utteredthese words he drew from his pocket a bottle of whisky, apipe

,an d a paper of tobacco. Emptyin g the first at a

draught,he threw the empty bottle at the head of his eldest

boy, a youth of twelve summers. The missile struck thechild full in the temple, an d stretched him a lifeless corpse.Mrs . Jen kin s

,whom the reader will hardly recogn ise as the

on ce gay an d beautiful Mary Jon es,raised the dead body of

her son in her arms,an d

,carefully placin g the un fortun ate

youth beside the pump in the back yard, return ed with sadd en ed step to the house . At an other time, an d in brighterdays

,she might have wept at the occurren ce. She was past

tears n ow.

Father, you r con duct is reprehen sible said little H ar

rison Jen kin s, the youngest boy. “ W here do you expectto go when you die ? ”

Ah 1” said John Jen kin s, fiercely 5 a this comes of

g ivin g children a liberal education ; this is the result ofSabbath schools . Down

,v iper ? ”

A tumbler thrown from the same paren tal fist laid ou tthe youthfu l H arrison cold. The four other children had

,

in the mean time,gathered roun d the table with an xious

expectan cy. W ith a chuckle,the n ow chan ged an d brutal

John Jen kin s produced four pipes, an d,

fillin g them withtobacco, han ded on e to each of his offsprin g an d bade themsmoke I t

’

s better than bread ? ” laughed the wretchhoarsely.Mary Jenkin s, though of a patien t n ature, felt it her duty

n ow to speak. “ I have born e much, John Jenkin s, shesaid. Bu t I prefer that the children should n ot smoke.I t is an un clean habit

,an d soils their clothes

,I ask this as

a special favourJohn Jen kin s hesitated—the pan gs of remorse began ts

seize him.

Promise me this, John !” u rged Mary u pon her k n ees.

THE POET OF SIERRA FLAT. 32 7

‘NI promise reluctan tly an swered John .

An d you will put the mon ey in a savin gs ban k ? ”I will

,

”repeated her husban d “

an d I’

ll give upsmokin g

,too .”

’Tis well,John Jen kin s said Judge Boompoin ter,

appearin g sudden ly from behin d the door, where he hadbeen con cealed durin g this in terview. Nobly said, myman . Cheer up I will see that the children are decen tlyburied. The husban d an d wife fell in to each other’s arms .An d Judge Boompoin ter, gazin g upon the affectin g spectacle,burst in to tears.From that day John Jen kin s was an altered man .

THE PORT OF SIERRA FLAT.

AS the en terprisin g editor of the Sierra Flat Recordstood at 11 1 8 case settin g type for his n ext week’s

paper, he cou ld n ot help hearin g the woodpeckers who werebusy on the roof above his head. I t occurred to him thatpossibly the birds had n ot yet learn ed to recogn ize in therude structure an y improvemen t on n ature

,an d this idea

pleased him so much that he in corporated it in the editorialarticle which he was then doubly composin g. For the

editor was also prin ter of the “ Record an d although thatremarkable journ alwas reputed to exert a power felt throughall Calaveras an d a greater part of Tuolumn e Coun ty, strictecon omy was on e of the con dition s of its ben eficen t

existen ce.Thus pre occupied

,he was startled by the sudden irruption

of a small roll of man uscript,which was thrown through the

Open door an d fell at his feet. H e walked quickly to thethreshold an d looked down the tan gled trailwhich led to thehigh road . Bu t there was n othin g to suggest the presen ce

3 2 8 THE POET OF SIERRA FLAT.

of his mysteriou s con tribu tor. A hare limped slowly away,a green -an d -gold lizard pau sed upon a pin e stump

,the wood

peckers ceased their work. So complete had been his sylvanseclusion

,that he foun d it difficult to con n ect an y human

agen cy with the act ; rather the hare seemed to have anin expressibly guilty look, the woodpeckers to main tain asign ifican t silen ce, an d the lizard to be con scien ce-strickenin to ston e .An examin ation of the man uscript

,however

,corrected

this in just ice to defen celess n atu re . I t was ev iden tly of

human origin,—bein g verse

,an d of exceedin g bad quality.

The editor laid it aside. As he did so he thou ght he saw a

face at the win dow . Sallyin g ou t in some in dign ation , hepen etrated the surroun din g thicket in every direction , buthis search was as fruitless as before. The poet, if it were he,was gen e.

A few days after this the editorial seclusion was in vadedby voices of altern ate expostulation an d en treaty. Steppin gto the door, the editor was amazed at beholdin g Mr. MorganMcCork le, a well-kn own citizen of A n gelo

,an d a subscriber

to the “ Record,in the act of urgin g

,partly by force an d

partly by argumen t,an awkward youn g man toward the

buildin g. W hen he had fin ally effected his Object,an d

,as it

were,safely lan ded his prize in a chair

,Mr. McCork le took

off his hat, carefully wiped the n arrow isthmus of foreheadwhich divided his black brows from his stubby hair, an d

,

with an explan atory wave of his han d toward his reluctan tcompan ion

,said

,

“A horn ed poet,an d the cu ssedest fool you

ever seedA cceptin g the editor’s smile as a recogn ition of the in troduction

,Mr. McCork le pan ted an d wen t on :

“Didn ’

t wan tto come ! ‘Mister Editor don ’

t wan t to see me, Morg,’ sez

he. Milt,

’ sez I,

‘he do a horn ed poet like you an d a

gifted gen ius like he oughter come together sociable An d

I fetched him. Ah, will yer ?” The'born poet had

,after

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330 THE POET OF SIERRA FLAT.

that I can n ot recall his exact words, but it appeared thatn ever before

,in the history of the Record

,

” had thepressure been so great upon its column s. Matters of paramoun t importan ce

,deeply affectin g the material progress of

Sierra, qu estion s touchin g the absolute in tegrity of Calaverasan d Tuolumn e as social communities

,were even n owwaitin g

expression . W eeks,n ay, mon ths, must elapse before that

pressure would be removed,an d the “ Record” could grapple

with an y bu t the stern est of topics. Again the editor hadn oticed with pain the absolute declin e of poetry in the

foot-hills of the Sierras. Even the works of Byron an d

Moore attracted n o atten tion in Dutch Flat,an d a prejudice

seemed to exist again st Ten n yson in Grass V alley. B u t the

editor'was n ot without hope for the future. I n the course offour or five years

,when the coun try was settled

W hat would be the cost to prin t this yer ? ” in terruptedMr. McCorkle quietly.

“About fifty dollars as an advertisemen t,

respon ded theeditor with cheerful alacrity.Mr. McCork le placed the sum in the editor’s han d. Y er

see thet’s what I sez to Milt, Milt, ’ sez I , ‘pay as you go,for you are a horn ed poet. H evin

’n o call to write, bu t doin ’

it free an d spon tan eous like, in course you pays. Thet’s whyMister Editor n ever prin ted your poetry. ’

“W hat n ame shall I put to it ? asked the editor.

Milton .

”

I t was the first word that the horn poet had spokendurin g the in terview,

an d his voice was so very sweet an d

musical that the editor looked at him curiously, an d wondered if he had a sister.

Milton is that allThet

’

s his furst n ame, explain ed Mr. McCorkle .

The editor here suggested that as there had been an otherpoet of that n ameMilt might be took for him Thet

’

s bad,” reflected Mt

THE POET OF SIERRA FLAT. 33 1

McCork le with simple gravity . W ell,put down his hull

n ame,—Milton Chubbuck.”

The editor made a n ote of the fact. I’

ll set it up n ow,

he said . This was also a hin t that the in terv iew was en ded .The poet an d the patron

,arm in arm

,drew towards the

door. I n n ext week’s paper,” said the editor smilin gly, inan swer to the child-like look of in quiry in the eyes of thepoet

,a nd in an other momen t they were gon e .

The editor was as good as his word. H e straightwaybetook himself to his case, an d

,un rollin g the man uscript,

began his task. The woodpeckers on the roof recommen cedtheirs

,an d in a few momen ts the former sylvan seclusion

was restored. There was n o soun d in the barren ,barn -like

room but the bird s above,an d below the click of the com

posin g-rule as the editor marshalled the types in to lin es inhis stick

,an d arrayed them in solid column on the galley.

-W hatever might have been his opin ion of the copy beforehim

,there was n o in dication of it in his face, which were

the ’ stolid in differen ce of his craft . Perhaps this was n u

fortun ate,for as the day were on an d the level rays of the

su n began to pierce the adjacen t thicket, they sought ou tan d discovered an an xious ambushed figure drawn up besidethe editor’s win dow,

—a figure that had sat there motion lessfor hours. W ithin

,the editor worked on as stead ily an d

impassively as Fate. An d without,the born poet of Sierra

Flat sat an d watched him,as waitin g its decree.

The effect of the poem on Sierra Flat was remarkablean d un preceden ted . The absolute vilen ess of its doggerel

,

the gratuitous imbecility of its thought, an d above all thecrown in g audacity of the fact that it was the work of a

citizen an d published in the coun ty paper,brought it in

stan tly in to popularity: For man y mon ths Calaveras hadlan guished for a sen sation ; sin ce the las t v igilan ce committee n othin g had tran spired to d ispel the listless en n ui

332 THE POET OF SIERRA FLAT.

begotten of stagn an t busin ess an d growin g civilization . I n

more prosperous momen ts the office of the Record” wouldhave been simply glutted an d the editor deported at presen t the paper was in such deman d that the edition was

speedily exhausted. I n brief, the poem of Mr. MiltonChubbuck came like a special providen ce to Sierra Flat .I t was read by camp fires

,in lon ely cabin s

,in flarin g bar

rooms, an d n oisy saloon s,an d declaimed from the boxes of

stage-coaches. I t was sun g in Poker Flat,with the addi

t ion Of a local chorus, an d dan ced as an un hallowed rhythmic

dan ce by the Pyrrhic phalan x of On e H orse Gulch,kn own

as “ The Festive Stags of Calaveras .

”Some un happy ambi

guities of expression gave rise to man y n ew readin gs,n otes

,

an d commen taries, which, I regret to state,were more

Often marked by ingen uity than delicacy of thought orexpression .

Never before did poet acquire such sudden local reputation . From the seclusion of McCorkle

’

s cabin an d the

Obscurity of culin ary labours,he was hailed forth in to

glowin g sun shin e of Fame. The n ame of Chubbuckwritten in letters of chalk on un pain ted walls

,an d

with a pick on the sides Of tun n els. A drin k kn ownvariously as “ The Chubbuck Tran quillizer, or

“ The Chubbuck Exalter

,

”was dispen sed at the bars . For some weeks

,

a rude design for a Chubbuck statue,made up of illustra

tion s from circus an d melodeon posters, represen tin g thegen ius of Calaveras in brief skirts on a flyin g steed in the

act of crown in g the poet Chubbuck, was visibFerry. The poet himself was overborn e with in vitationdrin k, an d extravagan t con gratulation s. The meetin g between Colon el Starbottle of Siskyion an d Chubbuck, as

previously arran ged by ou r Boston ,” late of Roarin gCamp, is said to have been in describably affectin g. The

Colon el embraced him un steadily. I could n ot return to

my con stituen ts at Siskyion , sir, if this han d which has

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334 THE POET OF SIERRA FLAT.

e—ackn owledgin g his admiration . I t was n ot lon g beforeBoston was called upon to in dite a suitable reply. At

last,in furtheran ce of his facetious d esign

, it became n ecessary for Boston to call upon the youn g actress herself an dsecure her person al participation . To her he un folded aplan

,the successful carryin g ou t of which he felt would se

cure his fame to posterity as a practical humourist. The

Californ ia Pet’s ” black eyes sparkled approvin gly an d

mischievously. She on ly stipu l ated that she should see theman first,

— a con cession to her femin in e weakn ess whichyears of dan cin g Juba an d wearin g trousers an d boots hadn ot wholly eradicated from her wilfu l breast. By all mean s,it should be don e. An d the in terview was arran ged forthe n ext week.I t must n ot be supposed that durin g this in terval ofpopu

larity Mr. Chubbuck had been unmin dful of his poeticqualities. A certain portion of each day he was absen tfrom town ,

a commu nin’

with as Mr. McCorkle

expressed it,an d actually wan derin g in the moun tain trails

,

or lyin g on his back un der the trees, or gatherin g frag ran therbs an d the bright-coloured berries Of the Marzan ita.

These an d his compan y be gen erally brought to the editor’sOffice, late in the aftern oon

,often to that en terprisin g

journ alist’s in fin ite wearin ess. Quiet an d un commun icativ e,

he would sit there patien tly watchin g him at his work un t ilthe hour for closin g the office arrived

,when he would as

quietly depart . There was somethin g so humble an d u n ob

tru siv e in these visits, that the editor cou ld n ot fin d it in hisheart to den y them, an d acceptin g them

,like the wood

peckers, as a part of his sylvan surroun din gs, often forgoteven his presen ce. On ce or twice moved by some beauty ofexpression in the moist, shy eyes, he felt like seriously ad s

mon ishin g his visitor of his idle folly but his glan ce fallin gu pon the oiled hair . an d the gorgeous n ecktie

,he in variably

though is better of it. The case was eviden tly hopeless.

THE POET OF SIERRA FLAT. 335

The in terview between Mr. Chubbuck an d the California Pet ” took place in a private room of the Un ionH otel ; propriety bein g respected by the presen ce of thatarch-humourist Boston .

”To this gen tleman we are in

debted for the on ly true accoun t of the meetin g . H oweverret icen t Mr. Chubbuck might have been in the presen ce ofhis own sex, towards the fairer portion of human ity he was,like most poets exceedin gly voluble. A ccustomed as theCaliforn ia Pet had been to excessive complimen t

,shewas

fairly embarrassed by the extravagan t praises of her visitor.

H er person ation of boy characters,her dan cin g of the

Champion Jig,” were particularly dwelt upon with fervidbut un mistakable admiration . At last

,recoverin g her au

dacity an d embolden ed by the presen ce of “ Boston,

” theCaliforn ia Pet electrified her hearers by deman din g, halfjestin gly

,half-viciously

,if it were as a boy or a girl that she

was the subject of his flatterin g admiration .

That kn ocked him out 0’

t ime,

” said the d elightedBoston , in his

?

subsequen t accoun t of the in terview.

Bu t do you believe the d—d fool actually asked her to takehim with her -wan ted to en gage in the compan y.”The plan

,as briefly un folded by Boston

,

”was to prevail

upon Mr. Chubbuck to make his appearan ce in costume(already design ed an d prepared bv the in ven tor) before aSierra Flat audien ce

,an d recite an origin al poem at the H all

immediately on the con clusion of the Californ ia Pet’s ” perform an ce At a given sign al the audien ce were to rise an ddeliver a volley of u n savory articles (previously provided bythe origin ator of the scheme) then a select few were to rushon the stage

,seize the poet

,an d

,after marchin g him in

triumphal procession throu gh town,were to deposit him

beyon d its u ttermost limits,with strict in jun ction s n ever to

en ter it again . To the first part of the plan the poetwas committed

,for the latter portion it was easy en ough to

fin d participan ts.

336 THE POET OF SIERRA FLA 7 7.

The even tful n ight came,an d with it an audien ce that

packed the lon g n arrow room with on e den se mass of humanbein gs. The Californ ia Pet n ever had been so j oyous ,so reckless

,so fascin atin g an d audacious before. Bu t the

applause was tame an d weak compared to the iron ical ou tburst that greeted the secon d risin g of the curtain an d the

en tran ce of the born poet of Sierra Flat . Then there was ahush of expectan cy

,an d the poet stepped to the foot-lights

an d stood with his man uscript in his han d .His face was deadly pale. Either there was some su gges

t ion of his fate in the faces of his aud ien ce,or some mysteri

ou s in stin ct told him Of his dan ger. H e attempted to speak,but faltered

,tot tered

,an d staggered to the win gs .

Fearful of losin g his prey,Boston gave the sign al an d

leaped u pon the stage . Bu t at the same momen t a lightfigure darted from behin d the scen es

,an d deliverin g a kick

that sen t the discomfited humourist back amon g themusician s, cu t a pigeon -win g

,executed a. double-shu ffle, an d

then advan cin g to the foot-lights with that in imitable look,that audacious swagger an d utter aban don which had sothrilled an d fascin ated them a momen t before, u tteredcharacteristic speech W ot are you goin ’

to hit a man

when he’s down , s—a—a-

y

The look, the draw], the action , the readin ess,an d

all the down right cou rage of the little woman,had its

A roar of sympathetic applause followed the act . Cu t an d

ru n while you can ,” she whispered hurriedly over her on e

shoulder, without alterin g the other’s attitude of pert an dsaucy defian ce toward the audien ce. B u t even as she spokethe poet tottered an d san k fain tin g upon the stage. Thenshe threw a despairin g whisper behin d the scen es, Rin gd own the curtain .

”

There was a slight movemen t of opposition in the audien ce, but amon g them rose the burly shoulders of Y uba Bill,the tall

,erect figure of H en ry Y ork, of San dy Bar, an d the

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338 THE POET OF‘

SIERRA FmT.

also n oticed a sin gular look in the dog’s eye which he did n oten tirely fan cy. H e would n ot say an ythin g again st thelady, sir, but he had n oticed An d here haply the Colon elbecame so mysterious an d darkly con fiden tial as to be un intelligible an d in audible to the bystan ders.A few days after the disappearan ce of Mr. Chubbuck, asin gular report reached Sierra Flat

,an d it was n oticed that

“ Boston,

”who sin ce the failure of his elaborate joke had

been even more d epressed in spirits than is habitual withgreat humourists, sudden ly foun d that his presen ce wasrequired in San Fran cisco . B u t as yet n othin g b u t thevaguest surmises were afloat

,an d n othin g defin ite was

kn own .

I t was a pleasan t aftern oon when the editor of the “SierraFlat Record ” looked u p from his case an d beheld the figureofMr. Morgan McCorkle stan din g in the doorway. Therewas a distressed look on the face of that worthy gen tlemanthat at on ce en listed the editor’s sympathizin g atten tion .

H e held an open letter in his han d, as he advan ced towardthe middle of the room .

A s a man as has allers born e a fair reputation ,began

Mr. McCork le slowly, I should like,if so be as I could,

Mister Editor, to make a correction in the column s of yourvalooable paper .

”

Mr. Editor begged him to proceed.“ Y e may n ot disremember that about a mon th ago I

fetched here what so be as we’ll call a youn g man whosen ame might be as it were Milton—Milton Chubbuck.”Mr. Editor remembered perfectly .Thet same party I ’d k n owed better n or fower year, two

on’em campin ’

ou t together. Not that I ’d kn own him all

the time, fu r he whar shy an d stran ge at spells an d had oddways that I took war n at

’

ral to a born ed poet. Y e

remember that I said he was a born ed poet 2The editor d istin c tly did.

THE PRINCESS BOB AND HER FRIENDS. 339

I picked this same party up in St. Jo.,takin ’ a fan cy to

his face,an d kin der calklatin g he’d ru n n ’

d away from home,- for I

’

m a married man,Mr. Editor, an d hev children of

my own,—an d thin kin

’ belike he was a born ed poet.”W ell

,

” said the editor.

An d as I said before, I should like n ow to make a cor

rection in the column s of your valooable paper.

”

W hat correction ? ” asked the editor.

I said, ef you remember my words, as how he was a

born ed poet.”“ Y es.

”

From statemen ts in this yer letter it seems as how I warwron g.”

W ell 2He war a woman .

THE PRINCESS BOB AND HER FRIENDS.

HE was a Klamath I n dian . H er title was,I thin k,

a compromise between her claim as d aughter of a chief,an d gratitude to her earliest white protector, whose n ame,after the I n dian fashion , she had adoped .

“ Bob W alker had taken her from the breast ofher deadmother at a time when the sin cere volun teer soldiery of the

California fron tier were impressed with the belief that extermin ation was the manifest destin y of the I n dian race.H e had with difficulty restrain ed the n oble zeal of his

compatriots lon g en ough to con vin ce them that the exempa

tion of on e I n dian baby would n ot in validate this theory.An d he took her to his home—a pastoral clearin g on the

ban ks of the Salmon River—where she was cared for after afron tier fashion .

340 THE PRHVCESS B OB AND HER FRIENDS.

Before she was n in e years old,she had exhausted the scan t

kin dlin ess of the thin ,overworked Mrs . W alker.

As a play-fellow of the youn g W alkers shewas un reliableas a n urse for the baby she was in efficien t.She lost the former in the trackless depths of a redwood

forest ; she basely aban don ed the latter in an extemporizedcradle, han gin g like a chrysalis to a con ven ien t bough .She lied an d she stole,—two un pardon able sin s in a fron tiercommun ity, where truth was a n ecessity an d provision s werethe on ly property .W orse than this, the outskirts of the clearin g were sometimes haun ted by blan keted tatterdemalion s with whom shehad mysterious con fiden ces .

M. W alker more than on ce regretted his in discreethuman ity, but she presen tly relieved him of respon sibility

,

an d possibly of blood-guiltin ess, by disappearin g en tirely.W hen she re -appeared, it was at the adjacen t village of

Logport, in the capacity of housemaid to a trader’s wife, who,join in g some little culture to con siderable con scien t iousn ess,attempted to in struct her charge.Bu t the Prin cess proved an un satisfactory pupil to even so

liberal a teacher.

She accepted the alphabet with great good-humour, butalways as a pleasin g an d recurrin g n ovelty

,in which all

in terest expired at the completion of each lesson .

She foun d a thousan d uses for her books an d writin gmaterials other than those kn own to civilized children .

She made a curious n ecklace of bits of slate-pen cil, she

con structed a miniature can oe from the pasteboard covers ofher primer, she ben t her pen s in to fish-hooks

,an d tattooed

the faces of her youn ger compan ion s with blue in k .

Religious in struction she received as good-humou redly,an d learn ed to pron ou n ce the n ame of the Deity with a

cheerfu l familiarity that shocked her preceptress.Nor could her reveren ce be reached through an alogy she

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34 2 THE PRINCESS EOE AND HER FRIENDS.

I t n eeded but on e more fact to prove the far-sightedpolitical sagacity an d prophetic ethics of those sin cereadvocates of extermin ation , to whose virtues I have don e bu tscan t justice in the begin n in g of this article.This fact was presen tly fu rnished by the Prin cess.

After on e of her periodical disappearan ces,—this time

un usually prolon ged,—she aston ished Logport by return in g

with a half-breed baby of a week old in her arms.That n ight a meetin g of the hard-featured serious matron s

of Logport was held at Mrs . Brown ’s.The immediate ban ishmen t of the Prin cess was de

man ded .

Soft-hearted Mrs. Brown en deavoured vain ly to get amitigation or suspen sion of the sen tence.B u t

,as on a former occasion , the Prin cess took matters

in to her own han ds.A few morn in gs afterwards, a wicker cradle con tain in g an

I n dian baby was foun d han gin g on the han dle of the doorof the First Baptist Church.I t was the Parthian arrow of the flyin g Prin cess.From that day Logport kn ew her n o more.

I t had been a bright clear day on the u plan d,so clear that

the ramparts of Fort Jackson an d the flagstaff were plain lyvisible twelve miles away from the lon g curvin g pen in sulathat stretched a bared white arm aroun d the peaceful watersof Logport Bay.

I t had been a clear day upon the sea- shore,albeit the air

was filled with the flyin g spume an d shiftin g san dstragglin g beach, whose low dun es were dragged down bylon g surges of the Pacific, an d thrown up again bytumultuous trade win ds.Bu t the su n had gon e down in a ban k of fleecy fog t

was begin n in g to roll in upon the beach.Gradually the headlan d at the en tran ce of the harbour an d

THE PRINCESS EOE AND HER FRIENDS. 343

t he light-house disappeared, then the willow frin ge thatmarked the lin e of Salmon River van ished, an d the oceanwas gon e.A few sails still gleamed on the waters of the bay, but the

advan cin g fog wiped them out on e by on e, crept across thesteel-blue expan se, swallowed up the white mills an d sin gleSpire of Logport, an d j oin in g with rein forcemen ts from themarshes

,moved solemn ly upon the hills.

Ten min utes more an d the landscape was utterly blottedout ; simultan eously the win d died away, an d a death-likesilen ce stole over sea an d shore.The fain t clan g, high over-head, of un seen bren t

,the

n earer call of in visible plover, the lap an d wash of un distin guishable waters, an d the mon oton ous roll of the van ishedocean

,were the on ly soun ds.

As n ight deepen ed, the far-off boomin g of the fog -bell onthe headlan d at in tervals stirred the thick air.

H ard by the shore of the bay,an d half hidden by a drift

in g san d-hill, stood a low n on descript structure, to whosecomposition sea an d shore had equally con tributed.I t was built partly of logs an d partly of drift-wood an d

tarred can vas.Join ed to on e en d of the main buildin g— the ordin ary log

cabin of the settler—was the half-roun d pilot-house of somewrecked steamer, while the other gable termin ated in half ofa broken whale-boat .

Nailed again st the boat were the dried skin s of wildan imals

,an d scattered about lay the flotsam an d j etsam of

man y years’ gatherin g,bamboo crates

,casks

,hatches

,block s,

oars, boxes, part of a whale’s vertebrae, an d the blades ofsword -fi sh.

Drawn u p on the beach of a little cove before the houselay a can oe.A s the n ight thicken ed an d the fog grew more den se, thesedetails grew imperceptible, an d on ly the win dows of the

344 THE PRINCESS B OB AND HER FRIENDS.

pilot-house,lit up by a roarin g fire within the hut, gleamed

redly through the mist .

By this fire, ben eath a ship’s lamp that swu n g from the

roof, two figures were seated

,a man an d a woman .

The man,broad- shouldered an d heavily bearded

,stretched

his listless powerfu l len gth beyon d a broken bamboo chair,with his eyes fixed on the fire.

The woman crouched cross- legged upon the broad earthenhearth

,with her eyes blinki'n gly fixed on her companion .

They were small,black

,roun d

,berry- like eyes

,an d as the

firelight shon e upon her smoky.face, with its on e striped cheekof gorgeous brillian cy

,it was plain ly the Prin cess Bob an d n o

other.

Not a word was spoken .

They had been sit tin g thus for more than an hou r,an d

there was about their attitude a suggestion that silen ce washabitual.On ce or twice the man rose an d walked up an d down the

n arrow room, or gazed absen tly from the win dows of thepilot-house, but n ever by look or sign betrayed the slightestcon sciousn ess of his compan ion .

At such times the Prin cess from her n est by the fire followed him with eyes of can in e expectan cy an d wistfuln ess.Bu t he would as in ev itably return to his con templation of

the fire,an d the Prin cess to her blin kin g watchfu ln ess of his

face.They had sat there silen t an d un disturbed for man y anevenin g in fair weather an d foul.They had spen t man y a day in sun shin e an d storm, gather

in g the un claimed spoil of sea an d shore.They had kept these mute relation s

,varied on ly by the

in ciden ts of the hun t or meagre household duties,for three

years,ever s in ce the man

,wan derin g moodily over the lon ely

san ds, had fallen upon the half-starved woman lyin g in the

little hollow where she had crawled to die.

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346 THE PRINCESS B OB AND HER FRIEADS.

H alf graciously, half absen tly over-lookin g the still embarrassed silen ce of the group, she wen t on ,

“W e started from the fort over three hours ago,—threehours ago, wasn ’t it, Barker ? ” (the erect Barker touchedhis cap,) -

“ to go to Captain Emmon ’s quarters on I n dianI slan d,—I thin k you call it I n dian I slan d, don ’t you 2” (shewas appealin g to the awe- stricken Prin cess)—“

an d we gotin to the fog an d lost ou r way that is

,Barker lost his way,”

(Barker touched his cap deprecatin gly,) “an d goodn ess kn owswhere we didn ’t wan der to un til we mistook your light forthe lighthouse an d pulled up here. No

,n o

,pray keep your

seat,do Really I must in sist .

”

Nothin g could exceed the lan g uid grace of the latter partof this speech

,—n othin g except the easy un con sciousn ess

with which she glided by the offered chair of her stammerin g,embarrassed host, an d stood beside the open hearth.

“ Barker will tell you,

” she con tin ued, warmin g her feetby the fire,

“ that I am Miss Portfire, daughter of MajorPortfire

,comman din g the post . Ah

,excuse me, child l”

(she had acciden tally trodden upon the bare yellow toes ofthe Prin cess.) Really

,I did n ot kn ow you were there. I

am very n ear-sighted.I n confirmat ion of her statemen t, she put to her eyes

a dain ty double eye glass that dan gled from her n eck.I t

’

s a shockin g thin g to be n ear- sighted,isn ’t it ?

I f the shamefac ed un easy man to whom this remark wasaddressed could have foun dword s to utter the thoughts thateven in his con fusion struggled uppermost in his min d,he would

,lookin g at the bold, dark eyes that question ed

him,have den ied the fact. B u t he on ly stammered,

Y es .

The n ext momen t,however

,Miss Portfire had apparen tly

forgotten him, an d was examin in g the Prin cess through herglass.

“An d what is your n ame, child 3”

THE PRINCESS B OB AND HER FRIENDS. 347

The Prin cess, beau tified by the eyes an d eye-glass, showedall her white teeth at on ce, an d softly scratched her leg.

“Bob .

”

Bob 2 W hat a sin gular n ameMiss Portfire’s host hasten ed to explain the origin of the

Prin cess’s title.“Then you are Bob .

”

(Eye-glass.)N0, my n ame is Grey,— John Grey. An d he actually

achieved a bow where awkwardn ess was rather the air of

imperfectly recallin g a forgotten habit.Grey —ah

,let me see. Y es, certain ly. Y ou are Mr.

Grey the recluse, the hermit, the philosopher, an d all thatsort of thin g. W hy, certain ly Dr. Jon es, ou r surgeon , hastold me all about you. Dear me, how in terestin g a ren

con tre I Lived all alon e here for seven—was. it seven years ‘l—yes

,I remember n ow. Existed qu ite an n atu ral

,on e

might say. H ow odd ! Not that I kn ow an ythin g aboutthat sort of thin g

,you kn ow. I

’ve lived always amon g

people, an d am really qu ite a stran ger

, I assure you. B u t

hon estly,Mr.— I beg your pardon—Mr. Grey

,how do you

like it 2”She had quietly taken his chair an d thrown her cloak an dhood over its back, an d was n ow thoughtfully removin g hergloves.W hatever were the argumen ts—an d they were doubtlessman y an d profoun d, —whatever the experien ce,—an d it wasdoubtless hard an d satisfyin g en ough

,—by which this u n for

tu n ate man had justified his life for the last seven years,some

how they sudden ly became trivial and terribly ridiculousbefore this simple b u t practical question .

“W ell, you shall tell me all about it after you have givenme somethin g to eat . W e will have time en ough Barkercan n ot fin d his way back in this fog to-n ight . Now don ’

t

pu t yourselves to an y trouble on my accoun t. Barker willassist.”

343 THE PRINCESS E0E AND HER FRIENDS.

Barker came forward.Glad to escape the scrutin y of his guest, the hermit gavea few rapid direction s to the Prin cess in her n ative ton gue,an d disappeared in the shed.Left a momen t alon e

,Miss Portfire took a quick

,half

audible, femin in e in ven tory of the cabin .

“ Books, gun s, skin s, on e chair, on e bed, n o pictures, an d

n o lookin g-glass !”She took a book from the swin gin g shelf an d resumed her

seat by the fire as the Prin cess re-en tered with fresh fuel.Bu t while kn eelin g on the hearth the Prin cess chan ced tolook up an d met Miss Portfire’s dark eyes over the edge ofher book.

“ Bob 1”

The,

Prin cess showed her teeth .Listen . W ould you like to have fin e clothes, rin gs an d

heads like these, to have your hair n icely combed an d put up

so ? W ould you ? ”The Prin cess n odded violen tly.W ould you like to live with me an d have them ? An

swer quick ly. Don ’

t look roun d for him'

. Speak for yourself. W ould you ? H ush n ever min d n ow .

”

The hermit re- en tered,an d the Prin cess, blinkin g, re

treated in to the shadow of the whale-boat shed, from whichshe did n ot emerge even when the homely repast of coldven ison , ship-biscuit, an d tea was served.Miss Portfire n ot iced her absen ce.“ Y ou really must n ot let me in terfere with your u sual

simple ways. Do you kn ow this is exceedin gly in terestin gto me

,so pastoral an d patriarchal

,an d all that sort of thin g.

I must in sist u pon the Prin cess comin g back ; really, I must.”B u t the Prin cess was n ot to be foun d in the shed, an d

Miss Portfire, who the n ext min ute seemed to have forgottenall about her

,took her place in the sin gle chair before an

extemporized table.

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350 THE PRINCESS B OB AND HER FRIENDS.

san g the great American I liad in a way that stirre. '

d epths of her solitary auditor to its massive fou n dation s.Then she stopped an d asked quietly

,

W here is BobThe hermit started. H e would look for her. Bu t Bob ,

for some reason , was n ot forthcomin g. Search was madewithin an d without the bu t, but in vain .

For the first time that even in g, Miss Portfire showed

some an xiety.Go,

” she said to Barker,

an d fin d her. She mu st be

foun d stay, give me your overcoat, I ’ll go myself.”She threw the overcoat over her shoulders an d stepped

ou t in to the n ight .I n the thick veil of fog that seemed sudden ly to inwrap

her,she stood for a momen t irresolu te, an d then walked

toward the beach, guided by the low wash of waters on thesan d.She had n ot taken man y steps before she stumbled over

some dark crouchin g object .Reachin g down her han d she felt the coarse wiry man e of

the Prin cess.“Bob !

”

There was n o reply.Bob . I

’v e been lookin g for you, come.

”

Go way.

”

Non s ens e,Bob. I wan t you to stay with me to-n ight,

come.”I n jm squaw n o good forwan gce woman . Go

’

way.

Listen , Bob . Y ou are daughter of a chief : so am I .

Y our father had man y warriors : so has min e. I t is goodthat you stay with me. Come.”The Prin cess chuckled, an d suffered herself to be lifted

u p.

A few momen ts later an d they re-en tered the hu t, han din han d.

THE PRINCESS BOB AND HER FRIENDS. 351

W ith the first red streaks of dawn the n ext day the erectBarker touched his cap at the door of the hut.Beside him stood the hermit

,also just risen from his

blank eted n est in the san d.Forth from the hut, fresh as the morn in g air, steppedMiss

Portfire, leadin g the Prin cess by the han d.H an d in han d also they walked to the shore, an d whenthe Prin cess had been safely bestowed in the stern sheets,Miss Portfire turn ed an d held out her own to her latehost.

“ I shall take the best of care of her of course . Y ou willcome an d see her often , I should ask you to come an d seeme

,but you are a hermit

,you k n ow

,an d all that sort of

thin g. Bu t if it’s the correct an chorite thin g, an d can be

don e,my father will b e glad to requite you for this n ight’s

hospitality. Bu t don ’

t do an ythin g on my accoun t thatin terferes with your simple habits. Good-bye.She han ded him ‘ a card

,which he took mechan ically.

Good -bye.The sail was hoisted, an d the boat shoved off. A s the

fresh morn in g breeze caught the white can vas it seemed tobow a partin g salutation .

There was a rosy flush of promise on the water, an d asthe light craft darted forward toward the ascen din g su n , itseemed for a momen t uplifted in its glory.

Miss Portfire kept her word.I f thoughtful care an d in telligen t kin dn ess could regen erate

the Prin cess,her future was secure.

An d it really seemed as if she were for the first timein clin ed to heed the lesson s of civilization an d profit by hernew con dition .

An agreeable chan ge was first n oticed in her appearan ce.H er lawless hair was caught in a n et

,an d n o lon ger

strayed over her low forehead . H er u n stable bust was

352 THE PRINCESS BOB AND HER FRIENDS.

stayed an d upheld by Fren ch corsets her plan tigrade shu flle

was limited by heeled boots . H er dresses were n eat an d

c lean,an d she wore a double n ecklace of glass beads.

W ith this physical improvemen t there also seemed somemoral awaken in g.She n o lon ger stole n or lied .W ith the possession of person al property came a respect

for that of others.W ith in creased depen den ce on the word of those about

her came a thoughtful con sid eration of her own .

I n tellectually she was still feeble, althou gh she grappledsturdily with the simple lesson s which Miss Portfire set

before her.

Bu t her zeal an d simple van ity outran her discretion , an dshe would often sit for hours with an open book before her

,

which she could n ot read.She was a favourite with the officers at the fort, from the

Major, who shared his daughter’s prejudices an d oftenyielded to her powerful self-will, to the subaltern s

,who

liked her n on e the les s that their n atu ral en emies,the

fron tier volun teers, had declared war again st her helplesssisterhood.The on ly restrain t put u pon her was the limitation of her

liberty to the en closure of the fort an d parade an d on lyon ce did she break this parole, an d was stopped by these n try as she stepped in to aboat at the lan d in g .The recluse did n ot avail himself of Miss Portfire’sin vitation .

B u t after the departure of the Prin cess he spen t less ofof his t ime in the hu t, an d was more frequen tly seen in thedistan t marshes of Eel River an d on the uplan d hills.A feverish restlessn ess, quite opposed to his usual phlegm,

led him in to sin gular freaks stran gely in con sisten t with hisu sual habits an d reputation .

The purser of the occasion al steamer which stopped at

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354 THE PRINCESS BOB AND HER FRIENDS.

teeth of the Prin cess,an d was greeted by a kiss that felt

like a baptism.

To tear the hood an d man tle from her figure 1 11 the suddenfury that seized him

,an d to fiercely deman d the reason of

this masquerade,was his on ly return to her greetin g.

“Why are you here ? Did you steal these garmen ts ?he again deman d ed in her g uttural lan guage, as he shookher roughly by the arm.

The Prin cess hun g her head.Did you ? ” he screamed

,as he reached wildly for his

I did.”His hold relaxed, an d he staggered back again st the wall.The Prin cess began to whimper.

Between her sobs, she was tryin g to explain that theMajor an d his daughter were goin g away, an d that theywan ted to sen d her to the Reservation bu t he cut hershort .

Take off those thin gs 1”The Prin cess tremblin gly obeyed.H e rolled them u p, placed them in the can oe she had just

left, an d then leaped irate) the frail craft.She would have followed

,bu t with a great oath he threw

her from him,an d with on e stroke of his paddle swept ou t

in to the fog , an d was gon e.Jessamy,” said the Major, a few days after, as he sat at

d in n er with his daughter, I thin k I can tell you somethin g

to match the mysterious disappearan ce an d return of yourwardrobe. Y our crazy frien d , the recluse, has en listed thismorn in g in the Fourth Artillery. H e

’s a splen d id- lookin g

an imal,an d there ’s the right stu ff for a soldier in him,

if

I’

m n ot mistaken . H e’

s in earn est , too, for he en lists inthe regimen t ordered back to W ashin gton . B less me, child,an other goblet broken ; you ’ll ruin the mess in glass-ware,at this rat e l”

THE PRINCESS BOB AND HER FRIENDS. 355

H ave you heard an ythin g more of the Prin cess,papa 2”

Nothin g,b u t perhaps it ’s as well that she has gon e .

These cursed settlers are at their old complain ts againabout what they call I n dian depredation s

,

’an d I have

just received orders from head-quarters to keep the settle~men t clear of all vagabon d aborigin es . I am afraid, mydear

,that a strict con struction of the term would in clude

yourprote’gee.

”

The time for the departure of the Fourth Artillery hadcome.The n ight before was thick an d foggy.At on e o’clock, a shot on the ramparts called out theguard

,an d roused the sleepin g garrison .

The n ew sen try,Private Grey

,had challen ged a dusky

figure creepin g on the glacis, an d , receivin g n o an swer, hadfired .

The guard sen t out presen tly return ed,bearin g a lifeless

figure in their arms.The n ew sen try’s zeal

,j oin ed with an ex-fron tiersman ’s

aim,was fatal.

Thev laid the helpless,

ragged form before the guardhouse door

,an d then saw for the first time that it was the

Prin cess.Presen tly she open ed her eyes.They fell upon the agon ized face of her in n ocen t slayer,but haply without in telligen ce or reproach.

Georgy 1” she whispered .“ Bob !

”

A ll ’s same n ow. Me get plen ty well soon . Me maken o more fuss . Me go to Reservation .

”

Then she stopped, a tremor ran through her limbs, an d

the lay still. She had gon e to the Reservation .

Not that devised by the wisdom of man,but that on e set

apart from the foun dation s of the world for thewisest as wellas the mean est of His creatures.

336 A BOYS’ D OG.

A BOYS’

DOG

AS I lift my eyes from the paper,I observe a dog lyin g

on the steps of the opposite house.His attitude might in duce passers-by an d casual observers

to believe him to belon g to the people who live there, an d toaccord to him a certain stan din g position .

I have seen visitors fpat him,un der the impression that

they were doin g an act of courtesy to his master—he len din g himself to the frau d by hypocritical con tortion s of thebody. B u t his attitude is on e of deceit an d simulation .

H e has n either master n or habitation . H e is a veryPariah an d outcast in brief

, A Boys’ Dog .

There is a degree of hopeless an d irreclaimable vagabon dage express ed in this epithet

,which may n ot be gen e

rally imderstood .

On ly those who are familiar with the rovin g n ature an dpredatory in stin cts of boys in large cities will appreciate itsstren gth. I t is the lowest step in the social scale to which arespectable can in e can descen d.A blin d man ’s dog

,or the compan ion of a kn ife-grin der,

is comparatively elevated. H e at least owes allegian ce tobu t on e master.

Bu t the Boys’ dog is the thrall of an en tire juven ile commu n ity

,obedien t to the beck an d call of the smallest imp in

the n eighbourhood,a ttached to an d servin g n ot the in divi

dual boy so much as the boy elemen t an d prin ciple.I n their active sports—in small thefts

,raids in to back

yards,win dow-breakin g

,an d other min or juven ile recrea

tion s— he is a full participan t .

I n this way he is the reflection of the wickedn ess of manymasters, without possessin g the virtues or peculiarit ies of anyparticular on e;I f leadin g a dog’s life be con sidered a peculiar phase

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353 A B OYS’D OG.

kin d-hearted bu t un sophisticated n eighbour buyin g him ;an d a few days ago I saw him exposed for sale by those twoArcadian s, in an other n eighbourhood

,havin g been bought

an d paid for half-a-dozen times in this.B u t, it will be asked, if the life of a Boys’ dog is so

u n happy, why do they en ter upon such an un en viablesitu ation , an d why do they n ot dissolve the partn ership whenit becomes un pleasan t ?I will con fess that I have been often puzzled by thisquestion .

For some time I could n ot make u p my min d whethertheir un holy allian ce was the result of the in fluen ce of thedog on the boy

,or vice versa

,an d which was the weakest

an d most impressible n ature.I am satisfied n ow that

,at first, the dog is un doubtedly

in fluen ced by the boy,an d

,as it were

,is led

,while yet a

puppy, from the paths of can in e rectitude by artful an ddesignin g boys .A s he grows older an d more experien ced in the ways of

his B ohemian frien ds,he becomes a willin g decoy

, an d takesd elight in lead in g boyish in n ocen ce astray—in begu ilin gchildren to play truan t

, an d thus reven ges his own degradation on the boy n ature gen erally.I t is in this relation

,an d in regard to certain un hallowed

practices I have detected him in,that I deem it proper to

expose to paren ts an d guardian s the dan ger to which theiroffsprin g are exposed by the Boys’ dog.The Boys’ dog lays his plan s artfully. H e begin s toin fluen ce the youthful min d by suggestion s of un restrain edfreedom an d frolic which he offers in his own person .

H e will lie in wait at the garden gate for a very smallboy

,an d en deavour to lure him outside its sacred precin cts,

by gambollin g an d jumpin g a little beyon d the in closure.H e will set off on an imagin ary chase, an d ru n aroun d

the block in a perfectly fran tic man n er, an d then return ,

A B OYS ’ D OG. 359

breathless, to his former position , with a look as of on e

who would say, “ There,you see how perfectly easy it’s

don e !”Should the u n happy in fan t fin d it difficu l t to resist theeffect which this glimpse of the area of freedom produces

,

an d step beyon d the gate,from that momen t he is utterly

demoralized . The Boys’ dog own s him,body an d soul.

Straightway he is led by the deceitful brute in to theun hallowed circle of his Bohemian masters.Sometimes the un fortun ate boy, if he be very small, turn sup even tually at the station -house as a lost child.W hen ever I meet a stray boy in the street lookin g utterlybewildered an d aston ished

,I gen erally fin d a Boys’ dog

lurkin g on the corn er.

W hen I read the advertisemen ts of lost children , I alwaysadd men tally to the description , was last seen in compan ywith a Boys’ dog.”Nor is his in fluen ce wholly con fin ed to small boys.I have seen him waitin g patien tly for larger boys on the

way to school, an d by artfu l an d sophistical practices in ducin gthem to play truan t.I have seen him lyin g at the school-house door, with thein ten t ion of en ticin g the children on their way home to

distan t a nd remote localities .H e has led man y an un suspectin g boy to the wharves an dquays

,by assumin g the character of a water-dog, which he

was n ot, an d again has in du ced others to go with him on agun n in g excursion by preten d in g to be a sportin g dog, inwhich quality he was kn owin gly deficien t.Un scrupulous

,hypocritical

,an d d eceitful, he has won

man y childr en ’s hearts by an swerin g to an y n ame theymightcall him

,attachin g himself to their person s un til they got

in to trouble,an d desertin g them at the very momen t they

most n eeded his assistan ce.I have seen him rob small school-boys of their din n ers by

360 H OW SANTA GLAUS CAME TO

preten din g to kn ock them down by acciden t an d have seenlarger boys in turn disposses him of his ill-gotten booty,fortheir own private gratification .

From bein g a tool,he has grown to be an '

accomplice

through much imposition he has learn ed to impose on others—in his best character he is simply a vagabon d’s vagabon d.I could fin d it in my heart to pity him, as he lies there

through the lon g summer aftern oon , enj oyin g brief in tervalsof tran quillity an d rest which he surreptitiously sn atchesfrom a stran ger’s doorstep.For a shrill whistle is heard in the streets, the boys are

comin g home from school, an d he is startled from his dreamsby a deftly thrown potato which hits him on the head

,an d

awaken s him to the stern reality that he is n ow an d for ever-a Boys’ dog.

HOW SANTA CLAUS CAME TO

SIMPSON’

S BAR.

Thad been rain in g in the valley of the Sacramen to. The

North Fork had overflowed its ban ks an d Rattlesn akeCreek was impassable .The few boulders that had marked the Summer ford at

Simpson ’s Crossin g were obliterated by a vast sheet of waterstretchin g to the foothills. The up stage was stopped at

Gran ger’s ; the last mail had been aban don ed in the ta les,the rider swimmin g for his life.

An area,” remarked the Sierra Ava lan che with pen sivelocal pride

,

“as large as the State of Massachusetts is n ow

un der water.

”

Nor was the weather any better in the foothills.The mud lay d eep on the mo u n tain road waggon s that

n either physical force n or moral objurgation could move

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36 2 H OW SANTA CLAUS CAME TO

H owbeit, the un con scious obj ects of this satire sat thateven in g in the listless apathy begotten of idlen ess an d lackof excitemen t.Even the sudden splashin g of hoofs before the door did

n ot arouse them.

Dick Bullen alon e paused in the act of scrapin g ou t hispipe

,an d lifted his head, but n o other on e of the group in

dicated any in terest in , or recogn ition of,the man who

en tered.I t was a figure familiar en ough to the compan y, an d

k n own in Simpson ’s Bar as The Old Man .

”

A man of perhaps fifty years grizzled an d scan t of hair,bu t still fresh an d youthful of complexion . A face fu ll ofready, but n ot very powerful sympathy, with a chameleonlike aptitu de for takin g on the shade an d colour of con tigu ou s moods an d feelin gs.H e had eviden tly just left some hilarious compan ion s,

an d did n ot at first n otice the gravity of the group, bu tclapped the shoulder of the n earest man j ocularly, an d threwhimself in to a vacan t chair.

Jest heard the best thin g out, boys Y e kn ow Smiley,over yar— Jim Smiley—fun n iest man in the Bar ? W ell,Jim was jest tellin g the richest yarn about

Smiley’s aA particular

accen ts.A silen ce followed these positive statemen ts.The Old Man glan ced quickly aroun d the group. Thenhis face slowly chan ged.

“ That’s so,” he said, reflectively after a pause, “ certain lya sort of a skun k an d su thin of a fool. I n course.H e was silen t for a momen t, as in pain fu l con templation

bf the un savorin ess an d folly of the un popular Smiley.Dismal weather, ain ’t it he added

,n ow fully em~

barked on the curren t of prevailin g sen timen t . Mighty

fool,” in terrupted a gloomy voice .skun added an other, in sepulchral

SIMPSON’S EAR. 363

rou gh papers on the boys, an d n o show for mon ey this season . An d to-morrow’s Christmas .”There was a movemen t amon g the men at this an n oun cemen t

,bu t whether of satisfaction or disgust was n ot plain .

“Y es,

” con tin ued the Old Man in the lugubrious ton e hehad within the last few momen ts un con sciously adopted“ yes

,Christmas, an d to - n ight’s Christmas- eve. Y e see

,

boys,I kin der thought—that is, I sort er had an idee

,j est

passm like you kn ow—that may be ye’d all like to comeover to my house to-n ight an d have a sort of tear roun d.B u t I suppose, n ow,

you wouldn ’

t ? Don ’

t feel like it,may

be ? he added, with an xious sympathy, peerin g in to thefaces of his compan ion s.

W ell, I don ’

t kn ow, respon ded Tom Flyn n,with some

cheerfuln ess. P’

r’

aps we may. B u t how about your wife,

Old Man ? W hat does she say to it ?The Old Man hesitated.His con jugal experien ce had n ot been a happy on e

,an d

the fact was kn own to Simpson ’s Bar.

His first wife,a delicate

,pretty little woman

,had suffered

keen ly an d secretly from the j ealous suspicion s of her husban d

,un til on e day he in vited the whole Bar to his house to

expose her in fidelity.On arrivin g, the party foun d the shy, petite creaturequietly en gaged in her household duties

, an d retired abashedan d discomfited .

Bu t the sen sitive woman did n ot easily recover from theshock of this extraordin ary outrage.I t was with difficulty she regain ed her equan imity su ffi

cien tly to release her lover from the closet in which he wascon cealed, an d escape with him.

She left a boy of three years to comfort her bereaved hustan d.The Old Man ’s presen t wife had been his cock . She was

hrge,loyal

,an d aggressive.

364 H OW SANTA OLAUS CAME TO

Before he could reply, Joe Dimmick suggested with greatdirectn ess that it was the Old Man ’s hou se

,

”an d that,

in vokin g the D ivin e Power, if the case were his own , hewould in vite who he pleased, even if in so doin g he imperilled his salvation . The Powers of Evil

,he further re

marked,should con ten d again st him vain ly.

All this delivered with a tersen ess an d vigour lost in thisn ecessary tran slation .

“ I n course. Certain ly. Thet’s it, said the Old Man

with a sympathetic frown . Thar’s n o trouble about thet .

I t’

s my own house, built every stick on it myself. Don ’

t

you be afeared 0’ her, boys . She may cu t up a trifle roughez wimmin do— bu t she’ll come roun d .

”

Secretly the Old Man trusted to the exaltation of liquoran d the power of a courageous example to sustain him insuch an emergen cy.A s yet, Dick Bullen ,

the oracle an d leader of Simpson ’sBar

,had n ot spoken . H e n ow took his pipe from his lips.Old Man

,how’s that yer John n y gettin ’

on ? Seems tome he didn ’

t look so peart the last time I seed him on the

bluff heavin ’rocks at Chin amen . D idn ’

t seem to take muchin terest in it. Thar was a gan g of

’

em by yar yesterdaydrown ded out up the river an d I kin der thought 0

’

John n y,an d how he’d miss ’em ! May be n ow,

we’

d be inthe way ef he was sickThe father, eviden tly touched n ot on ly by this patheticpicture of John n y’s deprivation , bu t by the con siderated elicacy of the speaker, hasten ed to assure him that John nywas better, an d that a “ little fu n might ’liven him up.”W hereupon Dick arose, shook himself, an d sayin g,

ready. Lead the way, Old Man : here goes,” himselfthe way with a leap, a characteristic howl, an d dartedin to the n ight .

A s he passed through the ou ter room '

he cau ght up a

blazin g bran d from the hearth.

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366 H OW SANTA OLAUS CAME TO

Come in ou t o’ the wet.”The voice was n either that of the Old Man n or of his wife.

I t was the voice of a small boy,its weak treble broken by

that pretern atural hoarsen ess which on ly vagabon dage an dthe habit of premature self-assertion can give .I t was the face of a small boy that looked up at theirs—a

face that might have been pretty an d even refin ed,b u t that

it was darken ed by evil kn owledge from within , an d dirtan d hard experien ce from without.H e had a blan ket aroun d his shoulders, an d had eviden tlyjust risen from his bed.

Come in,

” he repeated,an d don ’t make n o n oise. The

Old Man ’s in there talkin g to mar,

” he con tin ued,poin tin g

to an adjacen t room which seemed to be a kitchen , fromwhich the Old Man ’s voice came in deprecatin g accen ts.

Let me be,he added

,queru lously to D ick Bullen

, who

had caught him up,blan ket an d all

,an d was affectin g to toss

him in to the fire “ let go 0 ’ me, you d— d old fool, d ’yehearThus adjured

,Dick Bullen lowered John n y to the grou nd

with a smothered laugh, while the men,en terin g quietly

,

ran ged themselves aroun d a lon g table of rou gh board swhichoccupied the cen tre of the room .

John n y then gravely proceeded to a cupboard, an d broughtou t several art icles which he deposited on the table.

Thar ’s whisky an d crackers,an d red heron s an d cheese.

H e took a bite of the latter on his way to the table. “An d

sugar.

”H e scooped up a mouthfu l en rou te with a small

an d very dirty han d. An d t erback er. Thar’s dried appilstoo on the shelf, bu t I don ’

t admire ’em. Appils is swellin ’

.

Thar,

” he con clu ded ; “n ow wade in

,an d don ’

t be afearedI don ’tmin d the oldwoman . She don ’

t b’lon g tome. S’lon g.

H e had stepped to the threshold of a small room, scarcelylarger than a closet, partition ed off from the main apartmen t,an d holdin g in its dim recess a. small bed.

SIMPSON ’5 BAR. 367

H e stood there a momen t lookin g at the compan y,his bare

et peepin g from the blan ket,an d n odded.

H ello, John n y ! Y ou ain ’t goin ’ to turn in agin,are ye ?

aid Dick.“ Y es

,I are

,respon ded John n y

,decidedly.

W hy, wot’s up, old fellowI’m sick .

”

How sick 2“ I

’

ve got a fevier. An d childblain s. An d roomatiz,return ed John n y

,an d vanished within . After a momen t ’s

pause, he added in the dark, apparen tly from un der the bedclothes An d bilesThere was an embarras sin g silen ce. The men looked ateach other an d at the fire.Even with the appetiz in g ban quet before them, it seemedas if they might again fall in to the despon den cy of Thompson ’s grocery

,when the voice of the Old Man

,in cautiously

lifted,came deprecatin gly from the kitchen .

Certain ly ! Thet’s so. I n course they is. A gan g 0’ lazydrun ken loafers

,an d that ar Dick Bullen ’s the orn ariest of all.

Didn ’t hev n o more sabe than to come roun d yar with sick

n ess in the house an d n o provision . Thet’s what I said

Bullen ,

’ sez I,

‘it’

s crazy drun k you are, or a fool,’ sez I ,to thin k 0’ such a thin g.’ Staples

,

’

I sez, be you a man,

Staples,an d

’spect to raise h—ll un der ‘my roof an d in validslyin ’

roun d 2’ B u t they would come—they would. Thet’

s

wot you must ’spect 0’ such trash as lays rou n d the Bar.

A burst of laughter from the men followed this un fortun ateexposure.W hether it was overheard in the kitchen , or whether the

Old Man ’s irate compan ion had just then exhausted all othermodes of expressin g her con temptuous in dign at ion , I can n otsay, but a. back door was sudden ly slammed with great violen ce.A momen t later an d the Old Man reappeared, haply u n

368 HOW SANTA CLAUS CAME TO

con scious of the cause of the late hilarious outburst, an d

smiled blan dly.“The old woman thought she’d j est ru n over to Mrs.

McFadden’

s for a sociable call,he explain ed

,with jaun ty in

differen ce,as he took a seat at the board .

Oddly en ough,it n eeded this un toward in ciden t to

relieve the embarrassmen t that was begin n in g to be feltby the party

,an d their n atural audacity return ed with

their host .

I do n ot propose to record the con vivialities of thateven in g. The in quisitive reader will accept the statemen tthat the con versation was characterized by the same in tellectual exaltation

,the same caut ious reveren ce, the same

fastidious delicacy,the same rhetorical precision , an d the

same logical an d coheren t discourse somewhat later in the

even in g,which distin guish similar gatherin gs of the masculin e

sex in more civilized localities, an d un der more favourableau spices.No glasses were broken in the absen ce of an y n o liquor

was uselessly spilt on floor or table in the scarcity of thatarticle.

I t was n early midn ight when the festivities were in terru pted .

Hush, said Dick Bullen , holdin g up his han d .

I t was the querulous voice of John n y from his adjacen tcloset.

O dad .The Old Man arose hurriedly an d disappeared in the closet.Presen tly he reappeared.

His rheumatiz is comin g on agin bad,

” he explain ed,an d he wan tsH e lifted the demijohn of whisky from the table an d shook

it. I t was empty.D ick Bullen put down his tin cup with an embarrassed

augh. So did the others .

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370 H OW SANTA CLAUS CAME TO

John n y’s voice,too

,was lowered as he wen t on

Don ’

t you take on n ow,fu r I

’

m gettin ’ all right fastW ot’s the boys doin ’ out tharThe Old Man partly open ed the door an d peered through.His guests were sittin g there sociably en ough

,an d there

were a few silver coin s in a lean buckskin purse on the table.Bettin ’ on su thin

,—some little game or ’

n other. They’reall right,” he replied to John n y, an d recommen ced hisrubbin g.

I’d like to take a han d an d win some mon ey, said

John n y,reflectiv ely, after a pause.

The Old Man glibly repeated what was eviden tly a famil ia!formula, that if Johnn y would wait un til he struck it richin the tun n el he’d have lots of mon ey, &c., &c.

“ Y es,” said John n y, “but you don ’

t. An d whether youstrike it or I win it, it’s about the same. I t

’

s all luck. Bu t

it’

s mighty cur’o’s about Chrismiss—ain ’t it ’.t W hy do theycall it Ohrismiss 2”Perhaps from some in stin ctive deferen ce to the overhearin g

of his guests, or from some vague sen se of in con gru ity, the OldMan ’s reply was so low as to be in audible beyon d the room.

“ Y es,said John n y

,with some slight’ abatemen t of in

terest, I’

ve heard 0’ him before . Thar

,that’ll do

,dad . I

don ’

t ache n ear so bad as I did. Now wrap me tight in thisyer blan ket. So. Now,

he added in a muffled whisper,sit down yer by me till I go asleep .To assure himself of obedien ce

,he disen gaged on e han d

from the blan ket, an d graspin g his father’s sleeve, again com

posed himself to rest.For some momen ts the Old Man waited patien tly.Then the unwon ted stilln ess of the house excited his

curiosity,an d without movin g from the bed

,he cautiously

Open ed the door with his dis en gaged han d, an d looked in tothe main room.

To his infinite surprise it was dark an d deserted.

SIMPSON’

S BAR. 37 !

Bu t even then a smoulderin g log on the hearth broke,an d

by the upsprin gin g blaze he saw the figure of Dick Bullensittin g by the dyin g embers.

“ H elloDick started, rose, an d came somewhat un steadily towardshim .

W har’s the boys 2 said the Old Man .

Gon e up the canon on a little pagan/r. They’re comin gback for me in a min it . I

’

m waitin’

roun d for em. W hatare you starin ’ at, Old Man

,

” he added with a forced laughdo you thin k I ’m drun k “

I”

The Old Man might have been pardon ed the supposition ,for Dick’s eyes were humid an d his face flushed.H e loitered an d loun ged back to the chimn ey

,yawn ed,

shook himself, button ed up his coat an d laughed.“ Liquor ain ’t so plen ty as that

, Old Man . Now don ’tyou git up,” he con tin ued as the Old Man made a movemen tto release his sleeve from John n y’s han d . Don ’t you min dman n ers. Sit jist whar you be 3 I ’m goin ’

in a j iffy. Thar,that’s them n ow.

”

There was a low tap at the door.

Dick Bullen Open ed it quickly, n odded good n ight to

his host,an d disappeared.

The Old Man would have followed him but for the han dthat still un con sciously grasped his sleeve. H e could haveeasily disen gaged it it was small

,weak

,an d emaciated.

Bu t perhaps because it was small, weak, an d emaciated, hechan ged his min d

,an d drawin g his chair closer to the bed,

rested his head u pon it. I n this defen celess attitu de thepoten cy of his earlier potation s surprised him. The roomflickered an d faded before his eyes

,reappeared

,faded again ,

wen t ou t, an d left him—asleep.Mean time

,Dick Bu llen , closin g the door, con fron ted his

compan ion s .

Are you ready 2” said Staples.

372 HOW SANTA CLAUS CAME TO

Ready said Dick what’s the time ?Past twelve,” was the reply can you make it —it’s

nigh on fifty miles,the roun d trip hither an d yon .

”

“ I reckon ,” return ed Dick,shortly. W har’s the

mareB ill an d Jack’s boldin ’

her at the crossinLet

’em hold on a min it lon ger,” said Dick.H e turn ed an d re-en tered the house softly.By the light of the gutterin g can dle an d dyin g fire he saw

that the door of the little room was open .

H e stepped toward it on tiptoe an d looked in .

The Old Man had fallen back in his chair,sn orin g, his

helpless feet thrust out in a lin e with his collapsed shoulders,

an d his hat pulled over his eyes.Beside him, on a n arrow wooden bedstead

,lay John n y,

muffled t ightly in a blanket that hid all save a strip of forehead an d a few curls damp with perspiration .

Dick Bullen made a step forward , hesitated, an d glan cedover his shoulder in to the deserted room.

Everythin g was quiet.W ith a sudden resolution he parted his huge mustaches

with both han ds,an d stooped over the sleepin g boy .

Bu t even as he did so a mischievous blast , lyin g in wait,swooped down the chimn ey

,rekin dlin g the hearth, an d lit

up the room with a shameless glow,from which Dick fled in

bashful terror.

His compan ion s were already waitin g for him at thecrossin g .

Two of them were strugglin g in the darkn ess with somestran ge misshapen bulk

,which

,as Dick ‘

came n earer, tookthe semblan ce of a great yellow horse.I t was the mare.She was n ot a pretty picture.

From her Roman n ose to her risin g haun ches,from her

arched spin e, hidden by the stiff ma chillas of a Mex ican

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374 HOW SANTA GLAUS CAME TO

twice had the agile Dick,u n harmed

,regain ed his seat before

she foun d her vicious legs again .

An d a mile beyon d them, at the foot of a lon g hill, wasRattlesn ake Creek.Dick kn ew that here was the crucial test of his ability toperform his en terprise, set his teeth grimly, put his kn eeswell in to her flan ks, an d chan ged his defen sive tactics to briskaggression .

Bullied an d madden ed, Jovita began the descen t of the

hill.H ere the artful Richard preten ded to hold her in withosten tatious objurgation an d well-feign ed cries of alarm .

I t is u n n ecessary to add that Jovita in stan tly ran away.Nor n eed I state the time made in the descen t it is

writt en in the chron icles of Simpson ’s Bar.

En ough that in an other momen t, as it seemed to Dick,she was splashin g on the overflowed ban ks of Rattlesn akeCreek.A s Dick expected, the momen tum she had acquired carried

her beyon d the poin t of balkin g, an d holdin g herwell togetherfor a mighty leap, they dashed in to the middle of the swiftlyflowin g curren t .A few momen ts of k ickin g, wadin g, an d swimmin g, an d

Dick drew a lon g breath on the opposite ban k.The road from Rattlesn ake Creek to Red Moun tain was

tolerably level .Either the plun ge in Rattlesn ake Creek had dampen ed herbaleful fire, or the art which led to it had shown her thesuperior wickedn ess of her rider

,for Jovita n o lon ger was ted

her surplus en ergy in wan ton con ceits.On ce she bucked, bu t it was from force of habit on ce she

shied, but it was from a n ew freshly-pain ted meetin g-houseat the crossin g of the coun ty-road.H ollows, ditches, gravelly deposits, patches of freshly

sprin gin g gras ses flew from ben eath her rattlin g hoofs.

SIMPSON’S BAR. 375

She began to smell un pleasan tly,on ce or twice she

coughed slightly, but there was n o abatemen t of her stren gthor speed.By two o’clock he had passed Red Moun tain an d begun

the descen t to the plain .

Ten min utes later the driver of the fast Pion eer coach wasovertaken an d passed by a “man on a Pin to hoss — an even tsufficien tly n otable for remark .

At half-past two Dick rose in his stirrups with a greatshout .Starswere glitterin g through the rifted clouds

,an d beyon d

him, out of the plain , rose two spires,a flag—stafl’

,an d a

stragglin g lin e of black objects .Dick jin gled his spurs an d swun g his riata

,Jovita bou n ded

forward,an d in an other momen t they swept in to Tuttleville,

an d drew up before the wooden piazza of The H otel of AllNation s.”W hat tran spired that n ight at Tuttleville is n ot strictly

a part of this record.Briefly I may state, however, that after Jovita had beenhan ded over to a sleepy hostler

,whom she at on ce kicked

in to un pleasan t con sciousn ess, D ick sallied out with the barkeeper for a tour of the sleepin g town .

Lights still gleamed from a few saloon s an d gamblin ghouses 5 b u t, avoidin g these, they stopped before severalclosed shops

,an d by persisten t tappin g an d j udicious outcry

roused the proprietors from their beds,an d made them un bar

the doors of their magazin es an d expose their wares.Sometimes they were met by curses, bu t often er by in terest

an d some con cern in their n eeds,an d the in terview was in

variably con cluded by a drin k.I t was three o’clock before this pleasan try was given over,

an d with a small water-proof bag of in dia-rubber strapped onhis shoulders

,D ick return ed to the hotel .

Bu t here he was waylaid by Beau tyn -Beauty opu len t in

376 H OW SANTA GLAUS CAME TO

charms, affluen t in dress, persuasive in speech, an d Span ishin accen tI n vain she repeated the in vitation in “Excelsior

,happily

scorn ed by all A lpin e- climbin g youth,an d rej ected by this

child of the Sierras— a rej ection soften ed in this in stan ce bya laugh an d his last gold coin .

A n d then he spran g to the saddle an d dashed down the

lon ely street an d ou t in to the lon elier plain , where presen tlythe lights

,the black lin e of houses

,the spires an d the flag

stafl san k in to the earth behin d him again an d were lost inthe distan ce.The storm had cleared away

,the air was brisk an d cold

,

the outlin es of adjacen t lan dmarks were distin ct,bu t it was

half-past four before D ick reached the meetin g-house an d thecrossin g of the coun ty road.To avoid the risin g grade he had taken a lon ger an d morecircuitous road

,in whose viscid mud Jovita san k fetlock deep

at every boun d.I t was a poor preparation for a steady ascen t of five milesmore 5bu t Jevita, gatherin g her legs un der her, took it withher usual blin d

,un reason in g fury

,an d a half-hour later

reached the lon g level that led to Rattlesn ake Creek.An other half-hour would brin g him to the creek.

H e threw the rein s lightly upon the n eck of the mare,chirruped to her an d began to sin g.Sudden ly Jovita shied w ith a boun d that would have u h

seated a less practised rider.

H an gin g to her rein was a figure that had leaped from theban k

,an d at the same time from the road before her arose a

shadowy horse an d rider.

“ Throw up your han ds, comman ded this secon d apparition with an oath.D ick felt the mare tremble, quiver, an d apparen tly sin kun der him.

He kn ew what it mean t, an d was prepared.

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378 New SANTA CEAUS CAME To

B u t the brawlin g creek he had swum a few hours beforehad risen

,more than doubled its volume, an d n ow rolled a

swift an d resistless river between him an d Rattlesn ak eH ill .For the first time that n ight Richard’s heart san k within

The river,the moun tain , the quicken in g east swam before

his eyes.H e shut them to recover his self-con trol.I n that brief in terva l, by some fan tastic men tal process,the little room at Simpson ’s Bar

, an d the figures of thesleepin g father an d son , rose upon him.

H e open ed his eyes widely, cast off his coat, pistol, boots,an d saddle, boun d his precious pack tightly to his shoulders,grasped the bare flan ks of Jovita with his bared kn ees, an d,with a shout, dashed in to the yellow water.

A cry rose from the opposite ban k as the head of a man

an d horse struggled for a few momen ts again st the battlin gcurren t

, an d then were swept away, amid uprooted trees an dwhirlin g driftwood.

k

The Old Man started an d awoke.The fire on the hearth was dead, the can dle in the outer

room flickerin g in its socket, an d somebody was rappin g at

the door.

H e open ed it,bu t fell back with a cry before the drippin g

half-n aked figure that reeled again st the door-post.Dick 2H ush I s he awake yet ?No, - but D ickDry up, you old fool ! Get me some whisky qu ick IThe Old Man flew an d return ed with— an empty bottleDick would have sworn , but his stren gth was n ot equal to

the occas ion .

Sf/IIPSON’S EAR. 379

H e staggered, cau ght at the han dle of the door, an d

motion ed to the Old Man .

Thar’s su thin ’in my pack yer for John n y; Take it off.

I can ’

t .

”

0

The Old Man un strapped the pack an d laid it before theexhausted man .

Open it,quick

H e did so with tremblin g fin gers .

I t con tain ed on ly a few poor toys—cheap an d barbaricen ough

,goodn ess kn ows

,bu t bright with pain t an d tin sel.

On e of them was broken an other,I fear

,was irre

trievably ruin ed by water 5 an d on the other,ah me there

was a cruel spot.“ I t don ’

t look like much,that’s a fact

,said Dick ru e

fu lly B u t it’s the best we could do Take ’em,

Old Man,an d put ’em in his stockin g

,an d tell him—tell

him,you kn ow—hold me

,Old Man .

The Old Man caught at his sinkin g figure.

Tell him,” said Dick, with a weak little laugh tellhim San dy Claus has come.”An d even so, bedraggled, ragged, un shaven an d u n shorn

,

with on e arm han gin g helplessly at his side,San ta Claus came

to Simpson ’s Bar an d fell fain tin g on the first threshold .The Christmas dawn came slowly after, touchin g the

remoter peaks with the rosy warmth of in effable love.An d it looked so ten derly on Simpson ’s Bar that the wholemoun tain

,as if caught in a gen erou s action , blushed to the

skies.

380 SURPRISING AD VENTURES OF

SURPRISING ADVENTURES OF MASTER

CHARLES SUMMERTON‘

.

AT exactly half-past n in e o’clock on the morn in g of

Saturday, August 2 6th, 1 865, Master Charles Summerton , aged five years

,disappeared mysteriously from his

patern al residen ce on I ’mlsom Street, San Fran cisco .At twen ty-five min utes past n in e he had been observed,by the butcher, amu sin g himself by goin g through thatpopular youthful exercis e kn own as “ turn in g the crab,” a

feat in which he was sin gularly proficien t.At a court of in quiry summarily held in the back parlour

at Bridget,cook

,deposed to have detected him at

twen ty min utes past n in e,in the felon ious abstraction of

sugar from the pan try,which

,by the same token

,had she

kn own what was a—comin ’

,she’d have n ever previn ted .

Patsey,a shrill-voiced youth from a n eighbourin g alley,

testified to havin g seen Chowley at half-pas t n in e in fron tof the butcher’s sh0p roun d the corn er, but as this youn ggen tleman chose to throw ou t the gratuitous belief that themissin g child had been con verted in to sausages by thebutcher

,his testimon y was received with some caution by

the female portion of the court,an d with down right scorn

an d con tumely by its masculin e members .Bu t whatever might have been the hour of his departure,

it was certain that from half-past ten,A .M.

,un til n in e

,P.M.,

when he was brought home b y a policeman , Charles Summerton was missin g.Bein g n aturally of a reticen t d isposition , he has sin ce

resisted, with bu t on e exception , an y at tempt to wrest from”.

him a statemen t of his whereabouts durin g that period.

That exception has been myself.

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382 SURPRISING AD VENTURES OF

From this poin t a hiatus of several hours’ duration occursin Master Charles’s n arrative.H e is un der the impression that he rode out n ot on ly

his two tickets,bu t that he became subsequ en tly in debted

to the compan y for several trips to an d from the oppositetermin i, an d that at last

,resolutely refusin g to give an y

explan ation of his con duct,he was fin ally ejected

,much to

his relief, on a street corn er.

A lthough, as he in forms us, he felt perfectly satisfied withthis arran gemen t, he was impelled, un der the circumstan ces,to hurl after the con ductor an opprobrious appellation

,

which he had ascertain ed from Patsey was the correct thin gin such emergen cies, an d possessed peculiarly exasperatingproperties.W e n ew approach a thrillin g part of the n arrative, before

which most of the adven tures of the Boys’ Own Book ”pale in to in sign ifican ce.

There are times when the recollection of this adven turecauses Master Charles to break ou t in a cold sweat

,an d he

has several times sin ce its occurren ce been awaken ed bylamen tation s an d outcries in the n ight season by merelydreamin g of it .

On the corn er of the street lay several large empty sugarhogsheads.A few youn g gen tlemen disported themselves therein ,

armed with sticks, with which they removed the sugarwhich still adhered to the join ts of the staves, an d con veyedit to their mouths.Fin din g a cask n ot yet pre-empted, Master Charles set to

work, an d for a few momen ts revelled in a wild saccharin edream

,when ce he was fin ally rou sed by an an gry voice an d

the rapidly retreatin g footsteps of his comrades.An omin ous soun d smote his ear, an d the n ext momen the felt the cask wherein he lay u plifted and set uprightagain st the wall.

MASTER CHARLES SUMMERTON. 383

H e was a prison er, but as yet un discovered.Bein g satisfied in his min d that han gin gwas the systematic

an d legalized pen alty for the outrage he had committed,he

kept down man fully the cry that rose to his lips.I n a few momen ts he felt the cask again lifted by a

powerfu l han d, which appeared above him at the edge of hisprison

,an d which he con cluded belon ged to the ferocious

gian t Blun derbore, whose features an d limbs he had frequen tlymet in coloured pictures.Before he could recover from his astonishmen t, his cask

was placed with several others on a cart, an d rapidly drivenaway.The ride which en sued, he describes as bein g fearful in theextreme .Rolled aroun d like a pill in a box, the agon ies which hesuffered may be hin ted at

,n ot spoken .

Eviden ces of that protracted struggle were visible in hisgarmen ts, which were of the con sisten cy of syrup, an d hishair

,which for several hours

,un der the treatmen t of hot

water,yielded a thin treacle.

At len gth the cart stopped on on e of the wharves, an dthe cartman began to un load.As he tilted over the cask in which Charles lay

,an

exclamation broke from his lips,an d the edge of the cask

fell from his han ds, slidin g its late occupan t u pon the

wharf.To regain his short legs

,an d to put the greatest possible

distan ce between himself an d the cartman , were his firstmovemen ts on regain in g his liberty.H e did n ot stop un til he had reached the corn er of Fron t

An other blan k succeeds in this veracious history.H e can n ot remember how or when he foun d himself in

fron t of the circus ten t.He has an indistin ct recollection of having passed throu gh

384 THE ILIAD OF SAND Y BAR.

a lon g street of stores which were all closed, an d which

made him fear that it was Sun day,an d that he had spen t a.

miserable n ight in the sugar cask.Bu t he remembers hearin g the soun d of music within the

ten t , an d of creepin g on his han ds an d kn ees,when n o on e

was lookin g, un til he passed un der the can vas .

His d escription of the won ders con tain ed within thatcircle 5 of the terrific feats which were performed by a manon a pole, sin ce pract ised by him in the back yard 5 of the

horses,on e of which was spotted an d resembled an an imal

in his Noah’s Ark,hitherto un recogn ised an d un defin ed, of

the female equestrian s, whose dresses could on ly be equalledin magn ificen ce to the frocks of his sister’s doll, of the

pain ted clown , whose jokes excited a merrimen t, somewhattin ged by an un defin ed fear, was an effort of lan guage whichthis pen could bu t weakly tran scribe, an d which n o quan tityof exclamation poin ts could sufficien tly illu strate.

H e is n ot quite certain what followed.H e remembers that almost immediately on leavin g the

c ircus it became dark, an d that he fell asleep, wakin g up at

in tervals on the corn ers of the streets, on fron t steps,in

somebody’s arms,an d fin ally in his own bed.

H e was n ot aware of experien cin g an y regret for hiscon duct, he does n ot recall feelin g at an y time a dispositionto go home— he remembers distin ctly that he felt hun gry.H e has made this disclosure in con fiden ce.H e wishes it to be respected.H e wan ts to kn ow if you have five cen ts about you .

THE ILIAD OF SANDY BAR .

BEFORE n in e o’clock it was pretty well kn own all alon gthe river that the two partn ers of the Amity ” claim

had quarrelled an d separated a t day-break.

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386 THE ILIAD OF SAND Y EAR.

of yellow biscuit still sat upon that hearth whose deadembers might have typified the evil passion s that had ragedthere but an hour before.Bu t Col. Starbottle

’

s eye—albeit, somewhat blood-shot an drheumy—was more in ten t on practical details.On examin ation

,a bullet-hole was foun d in the door

post, an d an other,n early opposite, in the casin g of the

win dow.

The Colon el called atten tion to the fact that the on e

“ agreed with the bore of Scott’s revolver,an d the other

with that of Y ork’s derrin ger.

They must hev stood about yer, said the Colon el,takin g position 5 n ot mor’n three feet apart, an d—missed !”There was a fin e touch of pathos in the fallin g in flection

of the Colon el’s voice,which was n ot without effect .

A delicate perception of wasted opportun ity thrilled hisauditors.Bu t the Bar was destin ed to experien ce a greater disappoin tmen t.The two an tagon ists had n ot met sin ce the quarrel, an d it

was vaguely rumoured that on the occasion of secon d meetin g , each had determin ed to kill the other on sight.”There was, con sequen tly, some excitemen t—an d, it is tobe feared, n o little gratification—when , at ten o’clock, Y orkstepped from the Magn olia Saloon in to the on e, lon g,stragglin g street of the camp

,at the same momen t that

Scott left the blacksmith’s shep, at the forks of the road.I t was eviden t, at a glan ce, that a meetin g could on ly be

avoided by the actual retreat of on e or the other.

I n an in stan t,the doors an d win dows of the adjacen t

saloon s were filled with faces .H eads un accoun tably appeared above the river-ban ks an d

from behin d bowlders.An empty waggon at the cross-road was sudden ly crowded

with people, who seemed to have sprun g from the earth.

THE ILIAD OF SAND Y EAR. 387

There was much run n in g an d con fusion on the hill- side.

On the moun tain -road,Mr. Jack H amlin had rein ed up

his horse, an d was stan din g u pright on the seat of his

buggy.An d the two obj ects of this absorbin g atten tion approachedeach other.

Y ork’s got the su n,

”Scott

’

ll lin e him 011 that tree,he’s waitin ’ to draw his fire

,

” came from the cart—an d

then it was silen t.Bu t above this human breathlessn ess the river rushed an d

san g, an d the win d rustled the tree-tOps with an in differen cethat seemed obtrusive .Colon el St arbottle felt it

,an d

,in a momen t of sublime

pre-occupation , without lookin g aroun d, waved his can ebehin d him

,warn in gly, to all n ature, an d said, Shu

The men were n ow within a few feet of each other.

A hen ran across the road before on e of them. A featheryseed-vessel, wafted from a way~ side tree

,fell at the feet of

the other.

An d,un heedin g this iron y of Nature, the two oppon en ts

came n earer,erect an d rigid

,looked in each other’s eyes,

an d— passed ‘lColon el Starbottle had to be lifted from the cart.This yer camp is played ou t,” he said, gloomily, as he

affected to be supported in to the “Magn olia.W ith what further expression he might have in dicated his

feelin gs it was impossible to say, for at that momen t Scottjoin ed the group.

“ Did you speak to me ? he asked of the Colon el, drop~pin g his han d, as if with acciden tal familiarity, 011 thatgen tleman ’s shoulder.

The Colon el, recogn iz in g some occult quality in the touch,an d some un kn own quan tity in the glan ce of his question er,con ten ted himself by replyin gNo, sir,” with dign ity .

c: c 2

388 THE ILIAD OF SAND Y BAR.

A few rods away,Y ork’s con duct was as characteristic

an d peculiar.Y ou had a mighty fin e chan ce—why d idn ’t you plump

him 2” said Jack H amlin

,as Y ork drew n ear the bu ggy.

“ Because I hate him,” was the reply, heard on ly by Jack.Con trary to popular belief; this reply was n ot hissed be

tween the lips of the speaker,but was said in an ordin ary

ton e.B u t Jack H amlin , who was an observer of man kin d,

n oticed that the speaker’s han ds were cold,an d his lips dry,

is he helped him in to the buggy, an d accepted the seemin gparadox with a smile.

W hen San dy Bar became con vin ced that the quarrel between Y ork an d Scott could n ot be settled after the usuallocal methods

,it gave n o further con cern thereto .

B u t presen tly it was rumoured that the “ Amity Claimwas in litigation , an d that its possession would be expenvely disputed by each of the partn ers.As it was well kn own that the claim in question wasworked ou t ” an d worthless

,an d that the partn ers, whom it

had already en riched, had talked of aban don in g it but a dayor two before the quarrel, this proceedin g could on ly beaccoun ted for as gratuitous spite.Later, two San Fran cisco lawyers made their appearan ce

in this guileless Arcadia,an d were even tually taken in to the

saloon s,an d—what was pretty much the same thin g—the

con fid en ces of the in habitan ts .The results of this un hallowed in timacy were man y subposn as 5 an d

,in deed

,when the “ Amity Claim came to

trial,all of San dy Bar that was n ot in compulsory atten d

an ce at the coun ty seat came there from curiosity.The gulches an d ditches for miles aroun d were deserted.I do n ot propose to describe that already famous trial .En ough that. in the lan guage of the plain tiff’s counsel, “it

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396 THE ILIAD OF SAND Y EAR.

mon th after the quarrel, an d , beholdin g Scott sittin g there,turn ed to the fair hostess with the abrupt query

Do you love this man 2”

The youn g woman thus addressed return ed that an swerat on ce spirited an d evasive— which would occu r to most ofmy fair readers in such an exigen cy.W ithout an other word

,Y ork left the house.

“Miss Jo ” heaved the least possible sigh as the door closedon Y ork’s curls an d square shoulders, an d then , like a goodgirl, turn ed to her in sulted guest .

“ Bu t would you believe it,dear ?” she afterward related

to an in timate frien d,

“ the other creature, after glowerin g atme for a momen t

, got upon its hin d legs,took its hat

,an d

left too 5 an d that’s the last I ’ve seen of either.

”

The same hard disregard of all other in terests or feelin gsin the gratification of their blin d ran cour characterized alltheir action s.W hen Y ork purchased the lan d below Scott’s n ew claim,

an d obliged the latter,at a great expen se

, to make a lon gdetour to carry a “ taiLrace” aroun d it

,Scott retaliated by

buildin g a dam that overflowed Y ork’s claim on the river.

I t was Scott who, in con jun ction with Colon el Starbottle,first organ ized that active opposition to the Chin amen , whichresulted in the drivin g off of Y ork’s Mon golian labourers 5itwas Y ork who built the waggon -road an d established theexpress which ren dered Scott’s mules an d pack- train s obsolete 5it was Scott who called in to life the V igilan ce Committee which expatriated Y ork’s frien d

,Jack H amlin ; it

was Y ork who created the San dy Bar H erald , which characterized the act as “ a lawless outrage,” an d Scott as a “BorderRuffian 5 it was Scott

,at the head of twen ty masked men

,

who,on e moon light n ight, threw the offen din g “ forms ”

in to the yellow river,an d scattered the types in the dusty

road.These proceedin gs were received in the distan t an d more

THE ZLI/IB OF SAND Y EAR. 39 1

civilized outlyin g town s as vague in dication s of progress an dv itality.I have before me a copy of the Poverty Flat Pion eer, forthe week en din g August 1 2

,1 856

,in which the editor, un der

the head of Coun ty Impro vemen ts,” says :The n ew Presbyterian Church on C Street

,at San dy

Bar, is completed. I t stan ds u pon the lot formerly occupiedby! the Magn olia Saloon , which was so mysteriously burn tlast mon th. The temple, which n ow rises like a phoen ixfrom the ashes of the Magn olia, is virtually the free gift of

H . J. Y ork, Esq .,of San dy Bar, who purchased the lot an d

don ated the lumber. Other buildin gs are goin g up in the

v icinity, but the most n oticeable is the Sun n y SouthSaloon ,’ erected by Captain Mat . Scott, n early opposite thechurch. Captain Scott has spared n o expen se in the furn ishin g of this saloon , which promises to be on e of the mostagreeable places of resort in old Tuolumn e. H e has recen tlyimported two _ n ew,

first-class billiard-tables, with corkcushion s. Ou r old frien d , Moun tain Jimmy, ’ will dispen seliquors at the bar. W e refer ou r readers to the advertisemen t in an other column . V isitors to Sa ndy Bar can n ot dobetter than give Jimmy ’ a call.”Amon g the local items occurred the followin gH . J . Y ork, Esq . of San dy Bar, has offered a reward of

100 dols . for the detection of the parties who hauled awaythe steps of the n ew Presbyterian Church, C Street

,San dy

Bar, durin g D ivin e service on Sabbath even in g last. Captain

Scott adds an other hu n dred for the capture of the miscrean tswho broke the magn ificen t plate-glass win dows of the n ewsaloon on the followin g even in g. There is some talk of

reorgan izin g the old V igilan ce Committee at San dy Bar.

W hen , for many mon ths of cloudless weather, the hard,u nwin kin g su n ofSan dyBar had regularly gon e down on the

u npacified wrath of these men,there was some talk of

mediation .

392 THE ILIAD OF SAND Y EAR.

I n particular, the pastor of the church to which I havejust referred—a sin cere, fearless, but perhaps n ot fullyen lighten ed man —seized gladly upon the occasion of

York’s liberality to attempt to re un ite the formerpartn ers.H e preached an earn est sermon on the abstract sin fuln ess

of discord an d ran cour.

Bu t the excellen t sermon s of the Rev . Mr. Daws weredirected to an ideal con gregation that did n ot exist at San dyBar—a con gregation of bein gs of u nmixed vices an d virtues,of sin gle impulses, an d perfectly logical motives, of pretern atural simplicity, of child-like faith, an d grown -up respon

~

sibilities.

As,un fortun ately, the people who actually atten ded Mr.

Daws’ church were main ly very human , somewhat artfu l,more self-ex cu sin g than self-accusin g, rather good-n atured

,

an d decidedly weak, they quietly shed that portion of thesermon which referred to themselves

, an d accepting Y orkan d Scott—who were both in defian t atten dan ce—as curiousexamples of those ideal bein gs above referred to

,felt a certain

satisfaction—which, I fear, was n ot altogether Christian -like—in their “

rakin g down .

”

I f Mr. Daws expected Y ork an d Scott to shake han dsafter the sermon , he was disappoin ted .

B u t he did n ot relax his purpose.

W ith that quiet fearlessn ess an d determin ation which hadwon for him the respect of men who were too apt to regardpiety as syn on ymous with effemin acy, he attacked Scott inhis own house .W hat he said has n ot been recorded, but it is to be fearedthat it was part of his sermon .

W hen he had con cluded,Scott looked at him,

n ot n u

kin dly over the glasses of his bar,an d said, less irreveren tly

than the words might con veyY oun g man , I rather like your style ; bu t when you

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394 THE ILIAD OF SAND Y EAR.

Bu t,to the gen eral aston ishmen t, the n ew speaker, at

an ce laun ched in to bitter den un ciation of his rival.H e n ot on ly dwelt upon Scott’s deeds an d example

,as

kn own to San dy Bar, but spoke of facts conn ected with hisprevious career, hitherto un kn own to his auditors.To great precis ion of epithet an d directn ess of statemen t

,

the speaker added the fascin ation of revelation an d ex

posu re.

The crowd cheered, yelled, an d were delighted 5butwhenthis astoun din g philippic was con clu ded

,there was a un an i

mous call for ScottColon el Starbottle would have resisted this man ifestimpropriety

,but in vain .

Partly from a crude sen se of justice,partly from a mean er

cravin g for excitemen t,the assemblage was in flexible ; an d

Scott was dragged,pushed

,an d pulled upon the platform.

As his frowsy head an d un kempt beard appeared abovethe railin g, it was eviden t that he was drun k.Bu t it was also eviden t, before he open ed his lips, that theorator of San dy Bar— the on e man who could touch theirvagabon d sympathies (perhaps because he was n ot aboveappealin g to them) —stood before them.

A con sciousn ess of this power len t a certain dign ity tohis figure, an d I am n ot sure bu t that his very physicalcon dition impressed them as a. k in d of regal un ben din g an d

large con descen sion .

H owbeit,when this u n expected H ector arose from the

ditch, Y ork’s myrmidon s trembled.“There’s n ou ght, gen tlemen ,

” said Scott,lean in g forward

on the railin g there’s n ought as that man hez said as

isn ’t true. I was ru n outer Cairo ; I did belon g to theRegulators 5 I did d esert from the army 5 I did leave a wifein Kan sas. Bu t thar’s on e thin g he didn ’t charge me with,an d

,may be

,he’s forgotten For three years, gen tlemen , I

was that man ’s pardn er

THE ILIAD OF SAND Y BAR. 395

W hether he in ten ded to say more, I can n ot tell 5 a burstof applause artistically roun ded an d en forced the climax

,

an d virtually elected the speaker.

That fall he wen t to Sacramen to 5Y ork wen t abroad , an d,for the first time in man y years, distan ce an d a n ew atmos~phere isolated the old an tagon ists.

W ith little chan ge in the green wood, gray rock

,an d

yellow river, but with much shiftin g of human lan dmarks,

an d n ew faces in its habitation s,three years passed over

San dy BarThe two men

,on ce so iden tified with its character

,seemed

to have been quite forgotten .

Y ou will n ever return to San dy Bar,said Miss Folin s

bee,the Lily of Poverty Flat

,

”on meetin g Y ork in Paris

for San dy Bar is n o more. They call it Riverside n ow ;an d the n ew town is built higher up on the river ban k . By

the bye,

‘Jo ’ says that Scott has won his suit about the‘Amity Claim,’ an d that he lives in the old cabin , an d isdrun k half his t ime. 0

,I beg your pardon

,

” added thelively lady

,as a flush crossed Y ork’s sallow cheek ; “ but

,

bless me,I really thought that old grudge was made up.

I’

m sure it ought to be.”I t was three mon ths after this con versation , an d a pleasan tsummer even in g

,that the Poverty Flat coach drew up before

the veran dah of the Un ion H otel at San dy Bar.

Amon g its passen gers was on e, apparen tly a stran ger, inthe local distin ction of well-fittin g clothes an d closely- shavenface

,who deman ded a private room an d retired early to

rest.Bu t before sun rise n ext morn in g he arose, an d drawin gsome clothes from his carpet-bag, proceeded to array himselfin a pair of white -duck trousers, a white du ck overshirt, an da straw hat.W hen his toilette was completed

,he tied a red ban dan n a

396 THE ILIAD OF SAND Y BAR

han dkerchief in a loop, an d threw it loosely over his

shou lders.The tran sformation was complete as he crept softly downthe stairs an d stepped in to the road

,n o on e would have

detected in him the elegan t stran ger of the previous n ight,an d but few have recogn ized the face an d figure of H en ryY ork of San dy Bar.

I n the un certain light of that early hour,an d in the

chan ge that had come over the settlemen t,he had to pause

for a momen t to recall where he stood.The San dy Bar of his recollection lay below him, n earer

the river ; the buildin gs aroun d him were of later date an d

n ewer fashion .

A s he strode toward the river, he n oticed here a schoolhou se an d there a church.A little farther on

,The Su n n y South came in view

tran sformed in to a restauran t—its gildin g faded an d its pain trubbed off.H e n ow kn ew where he was 5an d ru n nin g briskly down

a declivity, crossed a ditch, an d stood upon the lowerboun dary of the Amity Claim.

The gray mist was risin g slowly from the river, clin gin gto the tree tops an d driftin g up the moun tain side, un til itwas caught amon g those rocky altars, an d held a sacrifice tothe ascen din g su n .

At his feet the earth, cru elly gashed an d scarredby his forgotten en gin es, had, sin ce the old days

,put

on a show of green n ess here an d there,an d n ow smiled

forgivin gly up at him, as if thin gs were n ot so badafter all .A few birds were bathin g in the ditch with a pleasan t

suggestion of its bein g a n ew an d special provision ofNature,an d a hare ran in to an in verted sluice-box

,as he approached,

as if it were put there for that purpose .H e had n ot yet dared to look in a certain direction .

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398 THE ILIAD OF SAND Y EAR.

scious of aught but the v ision s wrought by disease an d

On the eighth day,at sun rise

,he rallied

,an d open in g his

eyes,looked u pon Y ork

,an d pressed his han d 5 then he

SpokeAn d it

’s you. I thought it was on ly whisky.

Y ork replied by takin g both of his han ds,boyishly work

in g them backward an d forward, as his elbow rested on the

bed,with a pleasan t smile.

“An d you’ve been abroad. H ow did you like Paris 2”So

,so. H ow did you like Sacramen to ?”

Bully.An d that was all they could thin k to say.Presen tly Scott open ed his eyes again .

“ I’m mighty weaY ou’ll get better soon .

“Not much .A lon g silen ce followed, in which they could hear the

soun ds of wood-choppin g, an d that San dy Bar was alreadyastir for the comin g day.Then Scott slowly an d with d ifficulty tu rn ed his face to

Y ork, an d said,I might hev killed vou on ce.I wish you bad .

”

They pressed each other’s han ds again , bu t Scott’s graspwas eviden tly failin g.H e seemed to summon his en ergies for a Special effort.Old man

Old chap .”Closer.

”

Y ork ben t his head toward the slowly fadin g face.Do ye min d that morn in g ?”Y es.

”

A gleam of fu n slid in to the corn er of Scott’s blue eye, ashe whispered,

THE STORY OF AN ORNITH OLOGIST. 399

Old man,thar was too much saleratus in that bread.”

I t is said that these were his last words.For when the su n

,which had so often ‘ gon e down upon

the idle wrath of these foolish men,looked again u pon them

reun ited, it saw the han d of Scott fall cold an d irrespon sivefrom the yearn in g clasp of his former partn er

,an d it kn ew

that the feud of San dy Bar was at an en d .

THE STORY OF AN ORNITHOLOGIST.

HEY who have read the life of Au dabon n eed n ot betold that, of all the n eglected son s of scien ce

,there

are n on e to whom recogn ition comes so tardily,or from

whom popular in terest is as lon g withheld, as the

Naturalist.W hether his practical Pan theism takes him out of theplan e of human sympathy 5whether there is a secret an dd ivin e compen sation for this human forgetfuln ess in the

fas cin ation of his stu dy,or the acquisition of special kn ow

ledge ; or whether a certain heroism is always foun d incombin ation with this taste

,we can n ot say.

The world on ly kn ows that, ou t of a life of exile, an d

often of dan ger, ou t of self-imposed wan derin gs an d mysterion s labour

,he at last lays at its feet a. techn ical catalogue

an d a sheaf of special pictures, more or less mon oton ous insubject, which on ly a very smal l portion of its people areable to appreciate

,an d a still smaller part able to purchase

an d possess.So it is apt to comfort itself with the belief that to himthe birds sin g more sweetly

,even if he has n ot that occult

kn owledge of their speech which was on e of the gifts of theArabian magician ; that to him the flowers are fairer

,the

skies bluer,an d Nature more opulen t an d open -han ded.

400 THE STORY OF AN ORNITH OLOGIST..

For which opin ion he does n ot seem to care 5 an d yet,

somehow or other,a life which the material world 1 s apt to

view suspiciously, as a shiftless blen din g of vagabon dage an d

mon oman ia,has a better chan ce of gettin g in to history than

on e that leaves behin d a palpable mon umen t.That some such life as this was lost in the death of

An drew J. Grayson it is the obj ect of the followin g memoirto show.

The exact qu ality an d importan ce of his work, an d

claim to a position amon g the few orn ithologists of

American con tin en t,will

, of course,rest upon

memorial,in the shape of a H istory of

Northern Mexico, yet to be published—the sketches an dmaterials for which are n ow in the city of San Fran cisco.Pen din g this

,it is proposed to tell the story of a some

what even tf ul life 5of a taste formed an d in dulged u n dergreat disadvan tages of circumstan ces an d edu cation 5 an d of

a purpose which the alluremen ts an d material pre occupationof Californ ian life could n ot shake .The difficulties which beset Audubon an d W ilson in the

W est in the early, bustlin g, pion eer days of the Republicthe con tact with hard, un sympathizin g practicaln ess, an d thepecun iary test of all labour—were

, of cou rse, in ten sified inMr. Grayson ’s Californ ia experien ce.

His in quisitive rambles an d exploration s seemed almost anin sult to a people to whom prospectin g ” had bu t a

pecun iary sign ifican ce.His scrutin y of the delicate shad es an d tin ts of his

feathered frien ds, seemed little less than lun acy to the

min er who had bu t on e idea of the colour.

An d yet it was, perhaps, this un successful quality as apion eer which has given Mr. Grayson a promin en ce abovethose who s u ffered equal hardship in a baser pursuit 5whichlifted such men as Audubon an d W ilson above the Boon es,an d which gives to Cou lter, Nu ttall, Drummon d, an d David

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40 2 THE STORY OF AN ORNI TH OLOGIST

A school-house was built of logs, an d he was duly in stalledwith a school of about twen ty pupils.The school prospered for about six mon ths

,when the

school-master became so frequen tly drun k as to in sure hisdismissal .I n a short time his place was supplied by an other withthe like failin g, an d whose admin istration was equallyShort.Sometimes the school was without a school-master for

mon ths in tervals which Mr. Grayson un con sciously profitedby, in studyin g the habits an d characteristics of the birdsan d beasts that swarmed this prolific region .

Somethin g of the spirit of the n aturalist accompan ied himeven in these boyish rambles.I t was said that he n ever took pleasure in shootin g birds

,

although he carried his gu n , an d often shot game ; yet themain pleasure was bein g alon e in the forests wilds

,with the

birds for his compan ion s.At last, an other I rish in structor, by the n ame of Tobin ,caused a great chan ge in youn g Grayson ’s mode of life.The n ew teacher was a very disagreeable man

,an d hewas

to board (accordin g to the custom of coun try school-masters),at the house ofMr. Grayson ’s father.

Man y a repriman d did Grayson receive,even in the

presen ce of his father,from the n ew teacher, for hun tin g

birds’ n ests,or fishin g on Sun day.

Tobin con tin ued his schoo l for a year,an d it was durin g

this time that Mr. Grayson made his first attempts atdrawin g 5 stealin g sly momen ts when his teacher was takin ghis n oon day n ap in his arm-chair .

His drawin gs were main ly bird s,foliage

,flowers

,etc. 5

an d he had,as he an d the other boys thought, a very pretty

picture of a beautiful little wood-duck (Aimspon ge).Bu t he was en gaged on e day upon what he con sidered hisbest picture—a river scen e- when Tobin awoke, an d seein g

THEbSTORY OF AN ORNI TH OLOGIST. 4 6 3

two boys lookin g over Grayson ’s shoulder,watchin g the

progress of the picture,he slyly came u p, an d caught him in

the act .

Grayson hurriedly put the picture in his desk.Bu t it was too late his teacher had seen it an d ordered

him n ot on ly to produce that,but to brin g out the en tire

con ten ts of his desk for his in spection .

H e refused to obey,an d the order was en forced by a

severe blow on the side of the head.Scarcely kn owin g what he did, in a momen t of fren zy hepicked up his slate

,an d breakin g it over the old man ’s head

,

took to his heels an d ran .

W hen Mr. Tobin came home in the even in g, he causedyoun g Grayson to be called in to the presen ce of his father,when he exhibited all his poor pictures in derision .

Look at these,

” said he 5 “ that is the way your son

spen ds his time at school. I can do n othin g with him ;you must fin d for him an other school.”His father scan n ed the pictures, an d threw them in to the

fire,givin g his son a severe scoldin g for this man ifest waste

of opportun ity.The fra cas with old Tobin was the cause of his father’ssen din g him at on ce to the College of St . Mary

,Missouri .

Bu t he was prohibited from takin g drawin g lesson s .A year after Mr. Grayson ’s return from college his fatherdied, an d the estate was divided amon g the n umerousheirs .Disposin g of his portion

, Grayson commen ced busin ess onhis own accoun t.Open in g a coun try store in a very rough an d very n ew

town , on the pin e-hill side of the river,he in vested all his

in heritan ce in this establishmen t 5 an d at the en d of two

years, the on ly store in the small town of Columbia wasclosed an d defu n ct.I t was the old

,old story.

D D 2

404 THE STORY OF AN ORNI TH OLOGIST.

Mr. Grayson had n o busin ess tact whatever, or any love

for trade.Most of the time the store was left to the care of theclerk, while the youn g proprietor wan dered about in the

woods with his gu n .

B u t if he had the characteristic ill-luck of such n atures inhis busin ess speculation s, he certain ly had

. also the equallycharacteristic good fortun e in matrimon y which is thepoetical compen sation of un practical men .

The lady to whom at this t ime he j oin ed his destin y,was,

in after years,his devoted compan ion an d u n tirin g help

mate in his orn ithological studies.To her he briefly outlin ed his future plan s

,which in volved

a trip to Californ ia—then a term in cognita to most of the

world,an d more especially to the den izen s of the Ouachita .

Bu t Mr. Grayson,while in St. Louis, had learn ed a great

deal of this remote region from the trappers of the AmericanFu r Compan y—the Choteaus an d Min ards, some of whomwere old school-mates.They gave such glowin g description s of Californ ia an d

Oregon ; of its fin e climate an d abun dan ce of game, thatMr. Grayson ’s spirits were filled with a desire to go there.H e lon ged for n ew obj ects of study in Natu re’s great field,yet un explored.The zoology of his n ative cou n try was familiar to him, as

well as its botan y .Few kn ew the forest better.

I n 1 844,he an d his wife left St . Lou is for Californ ia an d

Oregon .

Of that even tful trip Mrs . Grayson wrote as followsBy some, Mr. Grayson was looked upon as crazy an d

heartless, for attemptin g such a dan gerous adven ture with aa youn g wife an d child. A wife

,too

,who had been un used

to the hardships such a trip would devolve u pon her 5bu t Iwas as full of roman tic adven ture as my husban d, an d cou ld

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406 THE STOR Y OF AN ORNI TH OLOGIST.

from Commodore Shubrick to Captain Merrin 5 on ce fromCaptain Merrin to Captain Mu rsden

,an d on ce from Merrin

to Shubrick—all of which he performed expeditiously an d

with success,an d received ample reward an d than ks .

Throughout the followin g gold decade,his life was bu t the

average experien ce of the Pion eer.

H e made an d lost fortun es 5 paid the usual visit to hishome

,an d , with the u sual feverish restlessn ess

,return ed to

Californ ia.Thus far, he had don e n othin g to justify even this brief

review of a story then so common,an d n ow forgotten .

B u t his scien tific tastes,it seemed

,were n ot wholly put

aside 5his passion for Nature on ly slumbered.Those who are curious to kn ow the gen esis of an y great

work of Art or Scien ce may fin d some in terest in the followin g simple in ciden ts, which seemed to con secrate Mr. Grayson to his subsequen t labour

“W hile he was absen t on a surveyin g expedition to the

Tulare Plain s,

”writes his devoted wife, I visited the Mer

can tile Library with some frien ds, to see Audubon ’s B irdsofAmerica

,

’

for the first time . As soon as I saw them, myfirst thou ght was of my husban d. W hen he return ed, wewen t together to look at them again . I t was easy to see

that Mr. Grayson was delighted. H e spen t n early a wholeday in examin in g on e sin gle copy. H e had n ever seen an y

thin g like it before, an d it seemed like a dream,in which all

the little feathered frien ds of his youth passed in reviewbefore him. The familiar haun ts of his boyhood came backto him : an d he thought, too, of his own poor first essays atdrawin g. W hy was I n ot permitted to learn , that I mightmake such a work ? ’ he sadly asked. From that even tfu ld ay, his life seemed to fin d its proper chan n el. H e resolvedto create such a work

,an d call it the ‘B irds of the Pacific

Slope,

’

if it took him the balan ce of his life to do it . H e

kn ew alreadv all the birds of Californ ia. B u t howwas he

THE STORY OF AN ORNI TH OLOGIST. 407

to tran sfer them to paper,

‘life- lookin g ’

l’ ‘I will learn to

draw an d pain t,’ said he. ‘I kn ow,when I was a boy, I

had this passion kn ocked out of me by an old coun try schoolmaster. There is n o on e n ow to preven t me, an d I willlearn to draw an d colour equal to the great Audubon

,before

I stop. I f I n ever complete the gian t work,I shall, at

least,leave a sign that such a person on ce existed.

Mr. Grayson ’s first attempt to perfect himself in drawin gwas en couragin g.H e was persuaded to allow some of these sketches to beexhibited at the State Fair, held in Sacramen to, in 1 855.

They were ackn owledged as works of merit, an d receivedthe first prize of a silver cup .Non e were more surprised than the artist himself.H e kn ew so well his subj ect that he could n ot well make

an un truthful picture .Bu t his drawin gs, however well they may have pleased thecareless observer, were far from reachin g his idea of the perfection that was his aim.

I n three years he had pain ted an d described n early all thebirds of Californ ia.Some of the n ew species were illustrated in H u tchin gs

’

Magazin e, an d have sin ce been referred to by scien tificjourn als an d A cademies ofNatu ral Scien ce.Not con ten t with bein g a self- taught draughtsman , he alsolearn ed the art of preparin g an d preservin g specimen s—man yof which were sen t to the Smithson ian I n stitute.I n 1 857 Grayson an d his wife sailed for Tehuan tepec—a

n ew field for his orn ithological pursuits .I t was his in ten tion to make that poin t the most southernf his researches, an d to follow his work up so as to in clude

6he birds ofW estern Mexico.Bu t the vessel—a small schoon er—was driven ashore at

Ven tosa, an d became a total wreck. Cargo an d luggagewere lost.

408 THE STOR Y'

OF AN ORNI TH OLOGIST.

Mr. Grayson saved n othin g bu t his gu n an d ammun ition .

All his drawin gs,drawin g-paper

,colours

,the , were reduced

to a pulp.Left in a stran ge lan d

,without mon ey or frien ds

,their

situation was embarrassin g.Fortun ately, however, the proprietors of the lan d the ter

min u s of the Tehuan tepec road wished the groun d surveyed,

an d a large city laid ou t .

Mr. Grayson gladly accepted this offi ce,an d was soon

placed in fun ds.From wan t of materials

,he could n ot go on with his orn i

thological sketches ; bu t he made collection s an d n otes forfuture drawin gs an d description s, an d , before he left Tebuantepec, had a fin e collection , an d man y of them tran sferred topaper.

On again arrivin g in San Fran cisco, he was compelled tomake a pecun iary sacrifice of his collection s to a n aturalist .

They were carried to New York. Some of them,it

appears,foun d there way to the Smithson ian I n stitute, as in

their an n ual reports are foun d referen ces to “Mr. Gravson’s

collection from Tehuan tepec.”Soon after his return

,he made a trip down the coast of

Mexico,in compan y with his frien d H utchin gs, of Y osemite

celebrity.They spen t several mon ths in explorin g the coast below

San B las in a small can oe.The laten ess of the , season , an d an in clemen t climatebrought on an attack of the coast fever, which preven ted hisaccomplishin g much in the way of collectin g spec imen s.B u t it decided Mr. Grayson ’s in ten tion to settle in

Mazatlan with his family, makin g that city his head—quartersfor fu ture exploration s of W estern Mexico, when ever timecould be spared from his busin ess, an d opportun ities offered.H ere he remain ed n early ten years—un til the day of his

death—con stan tly en gaged in makin g exploration s by sea

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4 1 0 THE STOR Y OF AN ORNI TH OLOGIST.

sight. By firin g the grass we attracted atten tion . W i

great d ifficulty we passed the breakers. W e were compellto leave everythin g. I begged the captain tofew thin gs I prized the most, particularly thespecimen s ; bu t when they return ed, n othin gbrought off bu t Cwo boxes. Thus the exped

sudden ly brought to close. I t was my in ten tion,had we

n ot been have spen t a much lon ger time inexaminmg this

,as well as the adjacen t islan ds ; bu t drite

aliter visum.

Captain Abbott trea ted u s with gen uin e hospitality ;an d as it would be ou t of his way to take us to Mazatlan , Itold him to pu t us on the Tres Marias I slan ds. I n threedays we reached the Marias

,where we remain ed four days.

I made daily excursion s in the woods for birds, but foun dn othin g n ew bu t what I had collected on a former visit tothis locality.On the 20th of April, 1 869 , as a guest on the Un ited

States steamer Mokon go, he left Mazatlan for a profession altour to the I sabel I slan ds, a group of rocks between the

Tres Marias an d San B las, frequen ted by myriads of seafowl.I t was here that be con tracted the coast fever. H e was

ill b u t three mon ths an d a half. Durin g his whole illn ess hewas con stan tly absorbed with his studies.H e seemed to have a premon ition that he would n ot

recover, an d calmly arran ged his affairs .H e died on the n ight of the 1 7th of Au gust. His last

words to his wife were, “W hat a beautiful picture 1 ”A word more, to close this brief record of on e of the

few Pion eers of California who have tried to build u n to

themselves some better mon umen t than the mere materialmemorials of acres of wood an d ston e.To be able to give on e’s n ame to a bird, or a flower, may

seem to man y but a. small ambition ; an d yet, materially

ON A VULGAR LI TTLE B OY. 4 1 1

n sidered , it is quite as likely to be perpetuated, as to giveto a street or town ,

an d is much more likely to defin e thetastes an d in dividuality of the giver.

An d, in lookin g over the remarkable collection of thisself-taught Orn ithologist— remarkable aswell forits accuracyan d detail, as for its mute record of n obly devoted labouran d scien tific skill—it is n ot too much to believe that theAssociation of Californ ia Pion eers will gladly take uponthemselves the hon our an d respon sibility of givin g to the

world, un der their own auspices,a con tribution to Scien ce

which reflects so much lu stre upon the n ame of Pion eer.

ON A VULGAR LITTLE BOY .

THE subject of this article is at presen t lean in g again st atree directly opposite to my win dow.

H e wears his cap with the wron g side before, apparen tlyfor n o other obj ect than that which seems the most obviousof showin g more than the average quan tity of very dirtyface.His clothes

,which are worn with a certain button less

ease an d freedom,display

,in the differen t quality of their

fruit-stain s, a pleasin g in dication of the progress of theseas on s.The n ose of this vulgar little boy tu rn s u p at the en d .

I have n oticed this in several other vulgar little boys,although it is by n omean s improbable that youthful vulgaritymay be presen t without this facial peculiarity.I n deed

,I am in clin ed to the belief that it is rather the

result of early in quisitiven ess—of furtive pressures again stwin dow pan es, an d of lookin g over fen ces

,or of the habit of

bitin g large apples hastily—than an in dication of scorn or

juven ile su percfliou sn ess.

4 1 2 ON A VULGAR LI TTLE B OY.

The vulgar little boy is more remarkable for his obtru sivfamiliarity.I t is my experien ce of his pre-disposition to this

which has in duced me to write this art icle .My acquain tan ce with him began in a momen t of

n ess.I have an un fortun ate predilection to cultivate origin

in people,even when accompan ied by obj ection able ch

racter.

Bu t, as I lack the firmn ess an d skilf uln esswhich u sualaccompan ies this taste in others

,an d en ables them to drop

acquain tan ces when troublesome,I have surroun ded myself

with divers un profitable frien ds, amon g whom I cou n t thevulgar little boy.The man n er in which he first attracted my atten tion waspurely acciden tal.H e was playin g in the street

,an d the driver of a passing

vehicle cu t at him, sportively, with his whip.The vulgar little boy rose to his feet an d hurled after histormen tor a sin gle sen ten ce of in vective.I refrain from repeatin g it

,for I feel that I could n ot do

justice to it here.I f I remember rightly

,it con veyed

,in a very few words

,a

reflection on the legitimacy of the driver’s birth it hin teda suspicion of his father’s in tegrity, an d impugn ed the fairfame of his mother it suggested in competen cy in his presen tposition , person al un clean lin ess, an d evin ced a scepticald oubt of his future salvation .

A s his youthful lips closed over the last syllable, the eyesof the vulgar little boy met min e.Somethingin my look embolden ed him to win k.I did n ot repel the action n or the complicity it implied.From that momen t I fell in to the power of the vu lgar

little boy, an d he has n ever left me sin ce.H e haun ts me in the streets an d by-ways .

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4 1 4 ON A VULGAR LI TTLE BOY.

struggles of the victim some justification is to be sought forextreme measures.The two n ice little boys perceive their dan ger an d drawcloser to each other.

The vulgar little boy begin s by iron y.H e affects to be overpowered by the magn ificen ce of theircostume.H e addresses me (across the street an d through the closed

win dow) , an d requests in formation if there haply be a circusin the vicin ity.H e makes affection ate in quiries after the health of theirparen ts.H e expresses a fear of matern al an xiety in regard to their

welfare.H e offers to con duct them home.On e n ice little boy feebly retorts ; bu t alas ! his correct

pron ou n ciation , his grammatical exactitude an d his moderateepithets on ly provoke a scream of d erision from the vulgarlittle boy

,who n ow rapidly chan ges his tactics .

Staggerin g un der the weight of his vituperation , they falleasy victims to his dexter mawley.

A wail of lamen tation goes up from our street.Bu t as the subj ect of this article seems to require a more

vigorous han dlin g than I had purposed to give it, I fin d it

n ecessary to aban don my presen t dign ified position , seize myhat, Open the fron t door, an d try a stron ger method.

WAITING FOR THE SH IP. 4 1 5

WAITING FOR THE SH IP

a f ort ifiointmu d.

BOUT an hour’s ride from the Plaza there is a highbluff with the ocean breakin g un in terruptedly alon g

its rocky beach.There are several cottages on the san ds, which look as ifthey had recen tly been cast up by a heavy sea.The cultivated patch behin d each ten emen t is fen ced in by

bamboos, broken Spars, an d drift wood.W ith its few green cabbages an d turn ip-tops

,each garden

looks somethin g like an aquarium with the water turn ed off.I n fact you would n ot be surprised to meet a merman

diggin g amon g the potatoes, or a mermaid milkin g a seacow hard by.Near this place formerly arose a great semaphoric tele

graph, with its gaun t arms tossed up again st the horizon .

I t has been replaced by an observatory,con n ected with

an electric n erve to the heart of the great commercial city.From this poin t the in comin g ships are sign alled

,an d

again checked off at the City Exchan ge.An d while we are here lookin g for the expected steamer

,

let me tell you a story.Not lon g ago

,a simple, hard-workin g mechan ic, had

amassed suffi cien t by diligen t labour in the min es to sen dhome for his wife an d two children .

H e arrived in San Fran cisco a mon th before the time theship was d u e, for he was a western man an d had made theoverlan d j ourn ey an d kn ew little of ships

,or seas

,or gales.

H e procured work in the city,but as the time approached

he would go to the shippin g office regularly every day.The mon th passed

,bu t the ship came n ot then a mon th

an d a week,two weeks

,three weeks . two mon ths, an d then

a year.

4 1 6 WA I TING FOR THE SH IP.

The rough, patien t face, with soft lin es overlyin g its hardfeatures, which had become a daily apparition at the shippin g agen t ’s, then disappeared .I t turn ed u p on e aftern oon at the observatory as thesettin g su n relieved the operator from his du ties.There was somethin g so childlike an d simple in the fe

question s asked by this stran ger, touchin g his busin ess,the operator spen t some time to explain .

W hen the mystery of sign als an d telegraphs was u n folthe stran ger had on e more question to ask.

“ H ow lon g might a vessel be absen t before theygive up expectin g her ?The operator couldn ’t tell ; it would depen d on circu

stan ces .“W ould it be a year 2”Y es

,it might be a year, an d vessels had been given u

for lost after two years an d had come home.”The stran ger pu t his rough han d on the operator’s

, an

than ked him for his trou bil an d wen t away.Still the ship came n ot.Stately clippers swept in to the Gate, a nd merchan tm

wen t by with colours flyin g, an d the welcomin gsteamer often rev erberated amon g the hills.Then the patien t face, with the old resign ed expression ,

bu t a brighter, wistful look in the eye, was reg ularly meton the crowded decks of the steamer as she disembarked herlivin g freight .

H e may have had a dimly-defin ed hope that the mison es might yet come this way, as on ly an o ther roadthat stran ge unkn own expan se.Bu t he talked with ship captain s a n d sailors , an d eve

this last hope seemed to fail .W hen the careworn face an d bright eyes were pre sagain at the observatory, the operator, busily en gaged,spare time to an swer foolish in terrogatories, so he

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4 i8 LOTHAW

L O T H A W

THE ADVENTURES OF A YOUNG GENTLEMAN

IN SEARCH OF A RELIG ION.

BY MR. BENJAMINS.

What cau ses you n g people to come ou l,’

bu t the n oble ambition

of matrimon y ? W hat sen ds them troopin g to waterin g-

places ? W hat

k eeps them dan cin g till five o’clock in the mornin g throu gh a whole

mortal season ? What cau ses them to labou r at pian oforte son atas, an d

to learn fou r son gs from a fashion able master at a guin ea a lesson, an d

to play the harp if they have han d some arms an d n eat elbows, an d to

wear Lin coln Green toxophilite hats an d feathers, bu t that they may

brin g down some d esirable’

you n g man with those killin g bows an d

arrows of theirs —THA0KERAY.]

CHAPTER I .

REMEMBER him a little boy, said the Duchess.“ His mother was a dear frien d of min e : you kn ow,

she was on e of my bridesmaids.

LOTHAW. 4 1 9

“An d you have n ever seen him sin ce, mamma ’l” asked

the oldest married daughter, who did n ot look a day olderthan her mother.

“Never ; he was an orphan shortly after. I have oftenreproached myself, but it is so difficult to see boys.”This simple yet first-clas s con versation existed in the

morn in g-room of Plu sham,where the mistress of the palatial

man sion sat in volved in the sacred privacy of a circle of hermarried daughters .On e dexterously applied golden kn ittin g-n eedles to the

fabrication of a purse of floss silk of the rarest texture,which

n on e who kn ew the almost fabulous wealth of the Dukewould believe was ever destin ed to hold in its silken meshesa less sum than sterlin g ; an other adorn ed aslipper exclusively with seed pearls ; a third emblazon ed apage with rare pigmen ts an d the fin est quality of gold -leaf.Beautifu l forms lean ed over frames glowin g with embroidery, an d beautiful frames lean ed over forms in laid withmother-of-pearl.Others

,more remote, occasion ally burst in to melody as

they tried the passages of a n ew an d exclusive air given tothem in MS. by some titled an d devoted frien d

,for the

privat e use of the aristocracy alon e, an d absolutely prohibitedfor publication .

The Duchess,herself the superlative of beauty

,wealth

,

an d position,was married to the highest n oble in the Three

Kin gdoms .

Those who talked about such matters said that their progen y were exactly like their paren ts— a pecu larity of the

aristocratic an d wealthy.They all looked like brothers an d sisters

,except their

paren ts, who, such was their purity of blood, the perfectionof their man n ers

,an d the opulen ce of their con dition , might

have been taken for their own children ’s elder son an d

E E 2

4 2 0 LOTHA IV .

The dau ghters, with on e exception,were all married to

the highest n obles in the lan d.That exception was the Lady Corian der

,who—there bein g

n o vacan cy above a marquis an d a ren tal ofwaited.Gathered aroun d the refin ed an d sacred circle of theirbreakfast-table, with their glitterin g coron ets, which, in filialrespect to their father’s Tory in stin ct an d their mother’sRitualistic tastes, they always wore on their regal brows, theeffect was dazzlin g as it was refin ed.I t was this peculiarity an d their stron g familyresemblan ce

which led their brother-in -law,the good-humoured St. Addle

gourd,to say that

,

’

Pon my soul, you kn ow,the whole

precious mob looked like a ghastly pack of court cardsdon ’

t you kn ow 2”St . Addlegou rd was a radical.H av in g a ren t -roll of an d belon gin g to on e

of the oldest families in Britain , he could afford to be .Mamma, I ’ve just dropped a pearl,” said the Lady Cori

an der, ben d in g over the Persian hearth -rug .

“ From your lips, sweet frien d,” said Lothaw,who came

of age an d en tered the room at the same momen t.

“No,from my work. I t was a v ery valuable pearl,

mamma ; papa gave I saacs an d Son s for the two .

”

“ Ah,in deed said the Duchess, lan guidly risin g “ let u s

go to lun cheon .

“ Bu t your Grace, in terposed Lothaw,who was still quite

youn g, an d had dropped on all -fours on the carpet in searchof the missin g gem, con sider the value

Dear frien d,” in terposed the Du chess,with in fin ite tact,

gen tly liftin g him by the tails of his dress-coat, I amwait.in g for your arm.

”

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LOTHA W 4 2 1

CHAPTER I I .

LOTHAW was immen sely rich.The possessor of seven teen castles

,fifteen villas

,n in e

shootin g-boxes,an d seven town houses

,he had other estates

of which he had n ot even heard.Everybody at Plu sham played croquet

,an d n on e badly.

Next to their purity of blood an d great wealth,the family

were famous for this accomplishmen t.Y et Lothaw soon tired of the game, an d after seriously 'damagin g his aristocratically large foot in an attempt to“ tight croquet ” the Lady An iseed’s ball

,he limped away

to join the Duchess.“ I

’m goin g to the hen n ery,she said .

“ Let me go with you . I dearly love fowlsit at

broiled,he added

,thoughtfully .

“The Duke gave Lady Mon tairy some large Cochin s theother day

,

” con tin ued the Duchess, chan gin g the subj ect withdelicate tact.

Lady Mon tairy,

Quite con trairy,How do you r Cochin s g row ?

san g Lothaw gaily.The Duchess looked shocked. After a prolon ged silen ce

Lothaw abruptly an d gravely saidI f you please

,ma’am

,when I come in to my property, I

should like to build some improved dwellin gs for the poor,an d marry Lady Corian der.

”

You amaze me,dear frien d , an d yet both your aspira

tion s are n oble an d emin en tly proper,” said the Duchess ;“ Corian der is but a child—an d yet, she added, lookin ggraciously u pon her compan ion , “ for the matter of that, soare you.

4 2 2 LOTHAW.

CHAPTER I I I .

MR. PUTNEY PADW ICK’

S was Lothaw’

s first gran d din n erparty.Y et

, by carefully watchin g the others, he man aged toacquit himself creditably, an d avoided drin kin g ou t of the

fin ger-bowl by first secretly testin g its con ten ts with a

spoon .

The con versation was pecu liar an d sin gularly in terestin g.Then you thin k that mon ogamy is simply a question of

the thermometer ?” said Mrs . Putn ey Padwick to her compan ion .

I certain ly thin k that polygamy should be limited byisothermal lin es

,

”replied Lothaw.

I should say it was amatter of latitude,observed a loud,

talkative man opposite.H e was an Oxford Professor, with a taste for satire, an d

had made himself very obn oxious to the compan y,durin g

din n er,by speakin g d isparagin gly of a former well-kn own

Chan cellor of the Exchequer,— a great statesman , an d

brillian t n ovelist,

-whom he feared an d hated.Sudden ly there was a sen sation in the room amon g the

females it absolutely amoun ted to a n ervous thrill .His Emin en ce

,the Cardin al

, was an n oun ced.H e en tered with great suavity of man n er

,an d

,after

shakin g han ds with everybody, askin g after their relatives,an d chuckin g the more delicate females un der the chin witha high~bred grace peculiar to his profession

,he sat down ,

sayin gAn d how do we all fin d ourselves this even in g, my

dears 2” in several differen t lan guages, which he spokefluen tly.Lothaw

’

s heart was touched.His deeply religious con viction s were impressed.

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4 2 4 LOTHA W.

Fen ian meetin gs, had d in ed at W hite’s, an d had dan cedvie d -vie to a prin ce of the blood

,an d eaten off of gold plates

at Crecy H ouse.H is stables were n ear Oxford, an d occupied more groun d

than the Un iversity.H e was drivin g over there on e day, when he perceivedsome ru stics an d men ials en deavourin g to stop a pair of

run away horses attached to a carriage in which a lady an dgen tleman were seated .

Calmly awaitin g the termin ation of the acciden t,with

high-bred courtesy Lothaw forbore to in terfere un til thecarriage was overtu rn ed, the occupan ts thrown out, an d therun aways secured by the servan ts

,when be advan ced an d

offered the lady the exclusive use of his Oxford stables.Turn in g upon him a face whose perfect H ellen ic detailshe remembered, she slowly dragged a gen tleman from un derthe wheels in to the light an d presen ted him with lady-likedign ity as her husban d, Major-Gen eral Camperdown , an

American .

“ Ah,

” said Lothaw,carelessly

,

“ I believe I have somelan d there . I f I mistake n ot, my agen t, Mr . Putn ey Padwick

,lately purchased the State of—I llin ois—I thin k you

call it .

”

Exactly. A s a former residen t of the city of Chicago,!let me in troduce myself as your ten an t.Lothaw bowed graciously to the gen tleman , who, except

that he seemed better dressed than mostEn glishmen , showedn o other sign s of in feriority an d plebeian extraction .

W e have met before, said Lothaw to the lady as shelean ed on his arm

,while they visited his stables, the Uni

versity, an d other places of in terest in Oxford. “ Pray tellme

,what is this n ew religion of yours 2

Chicago, the most importan t town in the State of I lllfl OlS, remark

able forits su d d en rise an d commercial importan ce—ED.

LOTHA W . 4 2 5

I t is W oman Suffrage,Free Love, Mutual Affin ity, an d

Commun ism. Embrace it—an d me.”Lothaw did n ot kn ow exac tly what to do .She however soothed an d sustain ed his agitated frame,

an d sealed with an embrace his speechless form .

The Gen eral approached an d cou ghed slightly with gentlemau ly tact .

My husban d will be too happy to talk with you furtheron this subject,” she said with quiet dign ity, as she regain edthe Gen eral’s side.

Come with u s to On eidafi“ Brook Farmi‘ is a thin g of

PaSts”

CHAPTER VI .

As Lothaw drove toward his coun try-seat, the “The MuralEn closure

,

” he observed a crowd, apparen tly of the workin gclass

,gathered aroun d a sin gular lookin g man in the pictu

resqu e garb of an Ethiopian seren ader.

“W hat does he say 2” in quired Lothaw of his driver.

The man touched his hat respectfully,an d said

,

“MyMary An n .

”

“ ‘My Mary An n

Lothaw’

s heart beat rapidly.W ho was this mysterious foreign er ?On eida , a Commu n istic colon yin Cen tralNew Y ork State, fou n ded

byFather Noyes . Readers can learn all abou t it in H epworth Dixon’

s

New America or they can con su lt Father Noyes’

own work on

American Commu nities .

” V ery recen tly it was reported in Lon don

circles that Mr. Oliphan t, late of ou r diplomatic service, had join ed anAmerican Socialist colony, bu t his reappearan ce in Piccadilly gives a

denial to the rumou r.—Ed .

Brook Farm, 9 school of American Socialists, fou n ded abou t thirtyyears sin ce, an d to which Nathaniel Hawthorn e an d other distin guished

in divid u als belon ged . The colon y was settled at a farm, a short dis

tan ce from Boston , an d was u n d er the patron age of Emerson an d

Margaret Fu ller, who, however, d eclin ed to becomemembers.

4 2 6 LOTHA W .

H e had heard from Lady Corian der of a certain Popiplot bu t could he con n ect Mr. Camperdown with it "

!

The spectacle of two hun dred men -at -arms who advan e

to meet him at the gates of the Mural En closure droveelse from the still youthful an d impressible min d of LImmediately behin d them

,on the steps of the baron ial

were ran ged his re tain ers,led by the chief cook an d bo

washer,an d head crumb-remover.

On either side were two compan ies of laun dry -maids,

ceded by the chief crimper an d fl u ter, supportin g aA n cestral Lin e

,on which depen ded the family lin en

,

un der which the youthfu l lord of the man or passed in tohalls of his fathers.Twen ty-four scullion s carried the massive gold an d silplate of the family on their shoulders

,an d deposited it

the feet of their master.

The spoon s were then solemn ly coun ted by the stewar

an d the ceremon y was en ded.Lothaw sighed .

H e sought ou t the gorgeously gilded Taj , or sa

mausoleum erected to his gran dfather in the secon dfron t room,

an d wept over the man he did n ot kn ow.

H e wan dered alon e in his magn ificen t park, an d

throwin g himself on a grassy ban k, pon dered on the

First Cause, an d the n ecessity of religion .

I will sen d Mary A n n a han dsome presen t, said Loththoughtfully.

CHAPTER VI I .

EACH of these pearls, my Lord, is worth fifty thousan dguin eas

,

” said Mr . Eman uel Amethyst, the fashion ablej eweller, as he lightly lifted a large shovelful from a con ven ien t bin behin d his coun ter.

I n deed,

” said Lothaw,carelessly, “ I should prefer to see

some expen sive on es.

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4 2 8 LOTHAW

CHAPTER VI I I .

As Lothaw left Mr. Eman uel Amethyst’s,he ran again

Gen eral Camperdown .

H ow is Mary A n n 2 he asked,hurriedly.

I regret to state that she is dyin g,

” said the Gen eral,with a grave voice

,as he removed his cigar from his lips

an d lift ed his hat to Lothaw.

Dyin g said Lothaw,in credulously.

A las,too true replied the Gen eral.

The en gagemen ts of a lon g lecturin g season , exposure intravellin g by railway durin g the win ter, an d the imperfectn ourishmen t afforded by the refreshmen ts alon g the road

,

have told on her delicate frame. Bu t she wan ts to see youbefore she dies . H ere is the key of my lodgin g. I willfin ish my cigar out here.”Lothaw hardly recogn ised those wasted H ellen ic outlin es

as he en tered the dimly lighted room of the dyin g woman ,She was already a classic ruin

,—as wrecked an d yet as

perfect as the Parthen on .

H e grasped her han d silen tly.Open -air speakin g twice a week

,an d saleratus! bread in

the rural districts,have brought me to this

,

” she said feeblybu t it is well. The cause progresses . The tyran t mar

succumbs.”Lothaw could on ly press her han d.Promise me on e thin g. Don ’t—whatever you do

become a Catholic.”“ W hy 2

”

The Church does n ot recogn ise divorce. An d n ow

Saleratu s, a preparation of soda u sed in stead of yeast in makin g

bread an d pastry. A fewmin u tes before the repast is ready the bread

is made an d clapped in to the oven . I t is gen erally served u p hot, an d

hen ce, perhaps, has helped to spread dyspepsia in the United States

more than any other characteristic of American cook ery—En .

LOTHA W . 4 2 9

me. I would prefer at this supreme momen t toe myself to the n ext world through the medium of

best society is this . Good-bye. W hen I am dead becd en ough to in form my husban d of the fact.”

CHAPTER IX.

OTHAW spen t the n ext six mon ths on an A ryan islan d,in

Aryan climate , an d with an Aryan race.This is an Aryan lan dscape

,said his host

,an d that is

Mary An n statue.”I t was

,in fact

,a full-len gth figure in marble of Mrs .

Gen eral Camperdown“ I f you please, I should like to become a Pagan , said

Lothaw,on e day, after listen in g to an impassion ed discourse

on Greek art from the lips of his host.Bu t that n ight

, on con sultin g a well-kn own spiritualmedium

,Lothaw received a message from the late Mrs .

Gen eral Camperdown , advisin g him to return to En glan d .Two days later he presen ted himself at Blu sham.

The youn g ladies are in the garden,

” said the Duchess.Don ’t you wan t to go an d pick a rose 2 she added

,with

a gracious smile, an d the n earest approach to a win k thatwas con sisten t with her patrician bearin g an d aquilin e n ose .Lothaw wen t

,an d presen tly return ed with the blushin g

Corian der u pon his arm.

Bless you,my children

,said the Duchess . Then

,

turn in g to Lothaw,she said

,Y ou have simply fu lfilled an d

accepted your in evitable destin y. I t was morally impossiblefor you to marry out of this family.

For the presen t, the Church of En glan d is safe.

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THAT HEATHEN CH INEE.

These humorou s verses come to u s from California, where there are

a great man y Chin ese emigran ts . The American s on the Pacific Slopeare n ot remark able for an y particu lar d u ln ess or wan t of smartn ess, b u toccasion ally the Orien tal is more than a match for them. His an cien t

trick s are a n ovelty to the New W orld .

Eu chre, the favou rite American gamblin g game of card s here allu ded

to, is a variation of the old Fren ch game écarté .

The Bill Nye spoken ofis a slan tin g allu sion to James Nye, a Un itedStates official of emin en ce, whose private taste for card pastimes is wellk n own in his own cou n try.

I H AT HEA THEN CH INEE.

His smile it was pen sive an d child-like.

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434 THAT HEATHEN CH INEE.

Y et the cards they were stockedI n a way that I grieve,

An d my feelin gs were shockedA t the state ofNye’s sleeve

W hich was stuffed full of aces an d bowers,An d the same with in ten t to deceive .

B u t the han ds that were playedBy that heathen Chin ee,

An d the poin ts that he madeW ere quite frightful to see

Till at last he pu t down a right bower,W hich the same Nye had dealt un to

Then I looked up at Nye,A n d he gazed upon me

An d he rose with a sighAn d said

, Can this be ?W e are ruin ed by Chin ese cheap labou rAn d he wen t for that heathen Chin ee.

I n the scen e that en su edI did n ot take a han d,

B u t the floor it was strewedLike the leaves on the stran d

W ith the cards that Ah Sin had been hidin g,I n the game he did n ot un derstan d.”

I n his sleeves which were lon g,He had twen ty-four j acks

W hich was comin g it stron g,Y et I state bu t the facts ;

An d we foun d on his n ails, which were taper,W hat is frequen t in tapers— that’s wax .

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TRUTHFUL yAMES

Are thin g s what they seem ? I s ou r civilization a failu re ?Or is vision s abou t ? Or is the Cau casian played ou t}?

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4 36 TRUTH FUL 7AMES.

For the camp has gon e wildOn this Lottery game

,

An d has even begu iledI n j in Dick

,

’ by the same.\Vhich said Nye to me, I n jin s is pizenDo you kn ow what his n umber is

,Jamas ’i

I replied, “ 7, 2 ,9,8,4,is his han d.

W hen he started—an d drewOu t a list

,which he scan n ed ;

Then he softly wen t for his revolver,W ith lan guage I can n ot comman d .

Then I said, “W illiam NyeB u t he turn ed up to me

,

An d the look in his eyeW as quite pain ful to see .

An d he says “ Y ou mistake this poor I nlI protects from su ch sharps as you be i”

I was shocked an d withdrewBu t I grieve to relate

,

W hen he n ext met my viewI n j in Dick was his mate

An d the two aroun d town was a-lyin gI n a frightfully dissolu te state.

W hich the war dan ce they hadRoun d a tree at the Ben d,

W as a sight that was sadAn d it seemed that the en d

W ould n ot justify the proceedin gs,As I quiet remarked to a frien d .

438 THE SOCIETY UPON THE STANISLAUS.

New n othin g could be fin er or more beautiful to seeThan the first six mon ths’ proceedin gs of that same society

,

Till B rown of Calaveras brought a lot of fossil bon esThat he foun d within a tun n el n ear the ten emen t of Jon es.

Then Brown he read a paper,an d he recon structed there,

From those same bon es,an an imal that was extremely rare ;

An d Jon es then asked the Chair for a suspen sion of therules

,

Till he could prove that those same bon es was on e of his

lost mules.

Then Brown he smiled a bitter smile, an d said he was at

I t seemed he had been trespassin g on Jon es’s family vaultH e was a most sarcastic man , this quiet Mr. Brown ,An d on several occasion s he had clean ed out the town .

Now I hold it is n ot decen t for a scien tific gen tdo say an other is an ass

,— at least

,to all in ten t ;

Nor should the in dividual who happen s to he mean tReply by heavin g rocks at him to an y great exten t.

Then Abn er Dean of A n gel’s raised a poin t of order—whenA chun k of old red san dston e took him in the abdomen ,An d he smiled a kin d of sickly smile, an d cu rled up on the

floor,An d the subsequen t proceedin gs in terested him n o more .

For, in less time than I write it, every member did en gageI n a warfare with the remn an ts of a palaeozoic ageAn d the way they heaved those fossils in their an ger was a

sin ,

Till the skull of an old mammoth caved the head of Thompson in .

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“WM?

4 39

I have to say of these improper games,Table Moun tain , an d my n ame is Tru thful

in simple lan guage what I kn ow about the

ou r society u pon the Stanislow.

“JI M.

AY there P r apsSome on you chapsMight kn ow Jim W ild ?

W ell, —n o offen ceThar ain ’

t n o sen seI n gittin ’

riled

Jimwas my chumUpon the Bar

That’s why I comeDown from up yar,

Lookin ’for Jim .

Than k ye, sir i Y

Ain ’t of that crew,

Blest if you are

Mon ey ri—Not much

That ain ’t my kin dI ain ’t n o such .

Rum —I don ’

t min d,Seein

’ it’s you.

W ell, this yer Jim,Did you kn ow him l—v

Jess bout your sizeSame kin d of eyes ?W ell, that is stran geW hy, it

’s two year

Sin ce he came here,

Sick, for a chan ge.

you say

W ell, here’s to u s

Eh 2

The hDead

That little cuss ?W hat makes vou sterf-a

Y ou over thar ’

!

Can ’

t aman drop’s glass in yer shopBu t you must rar’I t wouldn ’

t takeD much to break

Y ou an d your bar.

DeadPoor—little—Jim

-W hy, thar was me,Jon es, an d Bob Lee,H arry an d Ben

,

No-accoun t men

Then to take him IW ell, thar~—Good-bye,- o

No more,sir

,- I

Eh 2

W hat’s that you sayW hy, dern it l— sho !No ? Y es ! By Jo !

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44 2 CHIQU!TA.

Kn ow the old ford on the Fork, that n early got Flanigan ’sleaders 2Nasty in daylight

, you bet, an d a mighty rough ford in lowwater

W ell, it ain ’t six weeks ago that me an d the Jedge an d hisn evey

Struck for that ford in the n ight, in the rain , an d the watall aroun d us

Up to ou r flan ks in the gulch, an d Rattlesn ake Creek just

bilin ’

,

Not a plan k left in the dam,an d n ary a bridge on the

I had the grey, an d the Jedge had his roan , an d hisChiquita

An d after us trun d led the rocks just loosed from the top ofthe canon .

Lickity, lickity, switch, we came to the ford, an d ChiquitaBuckled right down to her work, an d afore I could yell toher rider,

Took water j est at the ford, an d there was the Jedge an d mestan din g,

An d twelve hun dred dollars of hoss-flesh afloat, an d a driftin ’to thun der

W ould ye b ’lieve it ! that n ight that hoss, that ar’ filly,Chiquita

,

W alked herself in to her stall, an d stood there, all quiet an ddrippin g

Clean as a beaver or rat, with n ary a buckle of harn ess,Just as she swam the Fork, —that hoss, that ar

’ filly, Chiquita.

That’s what I call a hoss an d—W hat did you say 7—0,the

n evey 2Drown ded, I reckon , - leastways, he n ever kem back to denyit.

DOW ’S FLAT. 443

Ye see the dern ed fool had n o seat,—ye couldn ’t have made

him a riderAn d then ,

ye kn ow, boys will be boys, an d hosses—well ,hosses is hosses

DOW’

S FLAT.

1 856 .

OW’S FLAT. That’s its n ame.

A n d I reckon that youAre a stran ger 2 The same 2W ell, I thought it was true,

For thar isn ’t a man on the river as can ’t spot thefirst view.

I t was called after Dow,

W hich the same was an ass,An d as to the how

Thet the thin g k em to pass,

your hoss to that buckeye, an d sit

in the grassYou see this yer Dow

H ed the worst kin d of luckH e slipped up somehowOn each thin g thet he struck.

Why, ef he’d a straddled that fen ce-rail the dern ed thin g ’cd

get u p an d bu ck .

H e min ed on the barTill he couldn ’

t pay ratesH e was smashed by a carW hen he tun n elled with Bates

An d right on the top of his trouble kem his wife an d fivek ids from the States.

DOW ’S FLAT.

I t was rough,—mighty rough ;

Bu t the boys they stood by,

An d they brought him the stuffFor a house

,on the sly

old woman , —well, she did washin g,when no on e was n igh.

Bu t this yer luck of Dow’

s

W as so powerful meanThat the sprin g n ear his hou seDried right up on the green

sun k forty feet down for water,b u t n ary a

be seen .

Then the bar petered out,

An d the boys wouldn ’t stay

An d the chills! got about,A n d his wife fell away

Bu t Dow,in his well

,kept a peggin ’

in his usual ridikilou sway.

On e day,—it was Ju n e,An d a year ago

,j est

,

This Dow kem at n oon

To his work like the rest,

W ith a shovel an d pick on his shoulder, an d a derrin gert hidin his breas t.

H e goes to the well,

A n d he stan ds on the brink,

An d stops for a spellJest to listen an d thin k

in his eyes, (j est like this sir kin der

made the cuss blin k .

Fever an d agu e.

1“ A d errin ger, revolver.

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D OW ’

S FLAT. 445

His two ragged galsI n the gulch were at play,

An d a gown d that was Sal’sK in der flapped on a bay

Not much for a man to be leavin ’

,but his all,—as I ’ve heer’d

the folks say.

An d—That’s a peart hossThet you’ve got,— ain ’t it n ow ?W hat might be her cost 2Eh ? Oh —W ell, then , Dow

Let’s sea—well, that forty-foot grave wasn ’

t his sir, that dayan yhow.

For a blow of his pickSorter caved in the side,

An d he looked an d turn ed sick,Then he trembled an d cried .

For you see the d ern cuss had struck W ater ?Beg your pardin g, youn g man

,there you

I t was gold ,—in the quartz

,

An d it ran all alikeAn d I reckon five oughtsW as the worth of that strik e

house with the coopilow’s his’n ,—which same

isn ’t bad for a Pike .

Thet’

s why it’s Dow’s FlatAn d the thin g of it is

That he kin der got thatThrough sheer con trairin css

For’

twas water the dern ed cuss was seekin

made him certain to miss.

446 IN THE TUNNEL.

Thet’s so. Thar’s your way

To the left of you treeB u t— a—look b’yur, say 2W on ’

t you come up to teaWell

,then the n ext t ime you’re passin ’

;

after Dow,—an d thet

’

s me.

IN THE TUNNEL.

IDN’

T kn ow Flyn n,

Flyn n , of V irgin ia,Lon g as he ’s been ’

yar ?

Look’ee here, stran ger,W har hev you been ?

H ere in this tun n elH e was my pardn er,

That same Tom Flyn n ,W orkin g together,I n win d an d weather

,

Day ou t an d in .

Didn ’t kn ow Flyn nW ell, that is queer

W hy, it’

s a sinTo thin k of Tom Flyn n ,Tom with his cheer

,

Tom without fear,

Stran ger, look ’

yar

Thar in the drift,

Back to the wall,

H e held the timbersReady to fall

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448 CI CELY.

”

Poetry —that’s the way some chaps puts up an idee,Bu t I takes min e straight without sugar,” an d that’s what’the matter with me.Poetry —just look roun d you

,—alkali

,rock

,an d sage

Sage-brush,rock

,an d alkali ain ’

t it a pretty pageSu n in the east at morn in ’

, su n in the west at n ight,An d the shadow of this ’yer station the on ’

y thin g moves isight.Poetry l—W ell n ow—Polly Polly ru n to your mamRu n right away

,my pooty ! By by A in ’

t she a lamb ?Poetry - that remin ds me o ’ su thin ’

right in that suitJest shot that door thar

,will yer 2—for Cicely’s ears is cute .

Y e n oticed Polly,—the baby A mon th afore she was born ,

Cicely—my old woman—was moody-like an d forlorn ;Ou t of her head an d crazy

,an d talked of flowers an d trees

Family man yourself,sir ? W ell

,you kn ow what a woman

be ’s.Narvon s she was

,an d restles s

,—said that she couldn ’

t

stay.”Stay, —an d the n earest woman seven teen miles away.Bu t I fixed it up with the doctor, an d he said he would be

on han d,

An d I kin der stuck by the shan ty, an d fen ced in that bit 0’lan d.

On e n ight,—the ten th of October,— I woke with a chill an d

fright,

For the door it was stan din g open , an d Cicely warn ’t in8 1

Bu t a n ote was pin n ed on the blan ket, which it said that shecou ldn ’

t stay,

”

B u t had gon e to visit her n eighbou r, —seven teen miles away

4 50 PENELOPE.

I t might hev been for an hour,when su dden t an d peart

nigh,

O u t of the yearth afore me thar riz u p a baby 8 cry.

Listen ! thar’s the same music ; but her lun gs theystron ger n ow

Than the day I packed her an d her mother,—I ’m dern ed

I j est kn ow how.

Bu t the doctor k em the n ext min it,an d the j oke 0’

whole thin g isThat Cis n ever kn ew what happen ed from that very n ightthis

B u t Cicely says you’re a poet, an d maybe you might, soday

,

Jest slin g her a rhyme ’bout a baby that was born in a curi

An d see what he says ; an d,old fellow,

when you speakthe star, don ’t tell

As how ’twas the doctor’s lan tern , -for maybe ’twon ’t souso well.

PENELOPE.

SIMPSON’

S BAR, 1 858.

O you’ve kem ’

yer agen ,A n d on e an swer won ’

t doW ell, of all the dern ed menThat I ’v e struck, it is you .

O Sal !’

yer’

s that dern ed fool from Simpson ’s cavortin ’

round’

yer in the dew.

Kern in , ef you will.Thar,—qu it ! Take a chest

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Don’

t you go, Joe. Or I’

ll fain t,

- su re I shall.

451

Not that you can ’t fill

Them theer cushin gs this year,

For that cheer was my old man ’s, Joe Simpson , an d theydon ’

t make such men about ’yer.H e was tall

,was my Jack

,

An d as stron g as a tree.Thar’s his gu n on the rack,Just you heft it

,an d see.

An d you come a courtin ’ his widder. Lord !wherecrittur, Sal, be !

You’d fill my Jack’s place ?An d a man of your size

,

W ith n o baird to his face,

Nor a sn ap to his eyes,

An d n ary—Sho ithar I was foolin ’, —Itain

,—don ’t rise.

Sit down . Law ! why, sho lI’m as weak as a gal,

Sal Don ’t you go,Joe

,

Or I’ll fain t

,— sure, I shall.

down ,—a/nyw7teer, where you like , 'Joe,—ih that

you choose,—Lord, where’s Sal

452 yOI I Iv BURNS OF GETTYSBURG.

POEMS FROM 1 860 To 1 868.

-0

JOHN BURNS OF GETTYSBURG.

HAVE you heard the story that gossips tellOf Burn s of Gettysburg 2—No Ah

, wellBrief is the glory that hero earn s

,

Briefer the story of poor John Burn sH e was the fellow who won ren own

,

The on ly man who didn ’

t back downW hen the rebels rode thro ugh his n ative townB u t held his own in the fight n ext day

,

W hen all his town sfolk ran away.That was in July

,sixty-three

,

The very day that Gen eral Lee,

Flower of Southern chivalry,Baffled an d beaten

,backward reeled

From a stubborn Meade an d a barren field.I might tell how

,bu t the day before

,

John Burn s stood at his cottage door,Lookin g down the village street

,

W here,in the shade of his peacefu l vin e

,

H e heard the low of his gathered kin e,

A n d felt their breath with in cen se sweetOr I might say

,when the sun set burn ed

The old farm gable, he thought it turn edThe milk that fell , in a babblin g floodI n to the milk-pail

,red as blood !

Or how he fan cied the hum of beesW ere bullets bu zzin g amon g the trees.Bu t all such fan cifu l thoughts as these

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454 7’

OHN EURNS OF GETTYSBUR6 .

W as a bright blue coat, with a rollin g collar,An d large gilt button s

,—size of a dollar

,

W ith tails that the coun try- folk called swaller.

”

H e wore a broad—brimmed,bell- crown ed hat

,

W hite as the locks on which it sat.Never had such a sight been seenFor forty years on the village green

,

Sin ce old John Burn s was a coun try beau,

An d wen t to the quiltin gs lon g ago.

Close at his elbows all that day,

V eteran s of the Pen in sula,Sun burn t an d bearded, charged away ;An d striplin gs

,down y of lip an d chin

,

Clerks that the H ome Guard mustered in,

G lan ced, as they passed, at the hat he wore,Then at the rifle his right han d boreAn d hailed him,

from out their youthful lore,W ith scraps of a slangy répertoire

How are you, White H at Pu t her throughY our head’s level

,

”an d Bully for you

Called him Daddy,

” begged he’d d iscloseThe n ame of the tailor who made his clothes,A n d what was the value h e set on thoseW hile Burn s

,unmin dful of j eer an d scoff,

Stood there pickin g the rebels off,W ith his lon g brown rifle

,a n d bell -crown hat,

An d the swallow-tails they were laughin g at .

’Twas bu t a momen t, for that respectW hich clothes all courage their voices checkedAn d somethin g the wildest could un derstan dSpake in the old man ’s stron g right han dAn d his corded throat, an d the lurkin g frownOf his eyebrows u n der his old bell-crown

TI IE TALE OF A PONY. 455

Un til, as they gazed, there crept an awe

Through the ran ks in whispers, an d some men

I n the an tique vestmen ts an d lon g white hair,

The Past of the Nation in battle thereAn d some of the soldiers sin ce declareThat the gleam of his old white hat afar

,

Like the crested plume of the brave Navarre,That day was their oriflamme of war.

So raged the battle . Y ou kn ow the restH ow the rebels

,beaten an d backward pressed,

Broke at the fin al charge,an d ran .

At which John Burn s—a practical man

Shouldered his rifle, un ben t his brows,An d then wen t back to his bees an d cows .

That is the story of old John Burn sThis is the moral the reader learn sI n fightin g the battle

,the question ’s whether

Y ou’ll show a hat that’s white, or a feather

THE TALE OF A PONY .

AME of my heroin e, simply RoseSu rn ame, tolerable on ly in prose

H abitat, Paris, - that is whereShe resided for chan ge of air

Em. xx ; complexion fair,Rich

,good- lookin g, an d d ébon n aifre,

Smarter than Jersoy-lightn in g —ThorelThat’s her photograph, don e with care.

456 THE TALE OF A PONY.

I n Paris, whatever they do besides,EVERY LADY IN FULL DRESS RI DES !

Moire an tiqu es you n ever meetSweepin g the filth of a dirty streetBu t every woman ’s claim to ton

Depen ds uponThe team she drives

,whether phaeton

,

Lan dau,or britzka. H en ce

,it

’s plain

That Rose,who was of her toilet vain

,

Should have a team that ought to beEqual to ’

an y in all Paris.

Brin g forth the horse —The commissa/iroBowed

,an d brought Miss Rose a pair

Leadin g an equipage rich an d rareW hy doth that lovely lady stare 2W hy 2 The tail of the off grey mareI S bobbed

,by all that’s good an d fair

Like the Shavin g-brushes that soldierswear.

Scarcely showin g as much back-hairA s Tam O

’

Shan ter’s Meg,

” —an d thereLord kn ows she’d little en ough to spare.That stare an d frown the Fren chman kn ew,

Bu t did,— as well-bred Fren chmen do

Raised his shoulders above his crown,

Join ed his thumbs,with the fin gers down ,

A n d said,

“Ah H eaven - then , “Mademoiselle,Delay on e min ute an d all is wellH e wen t return ed by what good chan ceThese thin gs are man aged so well in Fran ceI can n ot say

,—bu t he made the sale

,

An d the bob-tailed mare had a flowin g tail.

All that is false in this world belowBetrays itself in a love of show

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THE TALE OF A PONY. 45-

7

I n dign an t Nature hides her lashI n the purple-black of a dyed mustacheThe shallowest fopwill trip in Fren ch,The would-be critic will misquote Tren chI n short, you’re always sure to detectA sham in the thin gs folks most affectBean -pods are n oisiest when dry,An d you always wink with your weakest eyeAn d that’s the reason the old grey mareFor ever had her tail in the air

,

W ith flourishes beyon d compare,

Though every WhiskI n curred the risk

Of leavin g that sen sitive region bare,She did some thin gs that you couldn ’

t but feelShe wouldn ’t have don e had her tail been real.

Champs Elysees Time,past five

There go the carriages,— look aliveEverythin g that man can drive,Or his in ven tive skill con trive,Y an kee buggy or English chayDog

-cart,droschky, an d smart coupe,

A désobligean te quite bulky(Fren ch idea of a Y an kee su lky)Ban d in the distan ce, playin g a march,Footmen stan din g stiff as starchSavau s, lorettes, deputies, ArchB ishops, an d there together ran geSou s - lieuten an ts an d cen t-gardes (stran geW ay these soldier chaps makes chan ge),Mixed with black-eyed Polish dames,W ith un pron oun ceable awful n amesLaces tremble

,an d ribbon s flou t,

458 THE TALE OF A PONY.

Coachmen wran gle an d gen darmes shout,

Bless us what is the row about 2Ah ? here comes Rosey’s n ew turn -ou t

Smart Y ou bet your life ’twas thatNifty (short for magnificat)Mulberry pan els

,—heraldic spread

,

Ebon y wheels picked out with red,

An d two grey mares that were thoroughbred ;No won der that every dan dy’s headW as turn ed by the turn -ou t

,—an d ’twas said

That Cask owhisky (frien d of the Czar),A very good whip (as Russian s are),W as tied to Rosey’s triumphal car,En tran ced, the reader will un derstan d

,

By ribbon s that graced her head an d han d.

Alas the hour you thin k would crownY our highest wishes shou ld let you down !Or Fate should turn , by your own mischan ce

,

Y our V ictor’s car to an ambulan ceFrom cloudless heaven s her lightn in gs glan ce(An d these thin gs happen , even in Fran ce)An d so Miss Rose, as she trotted by,The cyn osure of every eye,Saw to her horror

.

the off mare shy,Flourish her tail so exceedin g highThat, disregardin g the closest tie,An d without givin g a reason why,She flun g that tail so free an d friskyOff in the face of Caskowhisky

Excu ses, blushes, smiles in fin e,

En d of the pon y’s tail, an d min e

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460 THE MIRA CLE OF PADRE ? UNIPERO.

Said an other,H e will come full soon

Ou t of the roun d-faced watery moon .

”

An d an other said,H e is here an d 16

,

Falterin g, staggerin g, feeble an d slow,

Ou t from the desert’s blin din g heatThe Padre dropped at the heathen ’s feet.They stood an d gazed for a little spaceDown on his pallid an d careworn face

,

An d a smile of Scorn wen t roun d the ban dA s they touched altern ate with foot an d han dThis mortal waif, that the outer spaceOf dim mysterious sky an d san dFlun g with so little of Christian graceDown on their barren , sterile stran d.

Said on e to him I t seems thy godI s a, very pitiful kin d of godH e could n ot shield thin e achin g eyesFrom the blowin g desert san ds that rise,Nor turn aside from thy old grey headThe glitterin g blade that is bran dishedBy the su n he set in the heaven s highH e could n ot moisten thy lips when dryThe desert fire is in thy brainThy limbs are racked with the fever-painI f this be the grace he showeth theeW ho art his servan t, what may we,Stran ge to his ways an d his comman ds,Seek at his un forgivin g han ds 2Drin k bu t this cup

,

” said the Padre straight,An d thou shalt kn ow whose mercy bore

These achin g limbs to your heathen door,An d purged my soul of its gross estate.Drin k in His n ame, an d thou shalt seeThe hidden depths of this mystery.

AN ARCTI C VISI ON. 46 1

Drin k !” an d he held the cup. On e blowFrom the heathen dashed to the groun d belowThe sacred cup that the Padre boreAn d the thirsty soil dran k the precious storeOf sacramen tal an d holy win e

,

That emblem an d con secrated signAn d blessed symbol of blood divin e.Then , says the legen d (an d they who dou btThe same as heretics be accurst),From the d ry an d feverish soil leaped outA livin g foun tain a well-sprin g burstOver the dusty an d broad champaign ,Over the san dy an d sterile plain ,Till the gran ite ribs an d the milk-white ston esThat lay in the valley— the scattered bon es—uMoved in the river an d lived again

Such was the won derful miracleW rought by the cup of win e that fellFrom the han ds of the pious Padre Serro,The very reveren d Ju nipero.

AN ARCTIC V ISION.

W HERE the short- legged Esqu imauxW addle in the ice an d sn ow,

A n d the playful polar bearNips the hun ter un awareW here by day they track the ermin eAn d by n ight an other verminSegmen t of the frigid zon e,W here the temperature alon e

62 AN ARCTI C VISI OIV.

W arms on St. Elias’ con ePolar dock, where Nature slipsFrom the ways her icy shipsLan d of fox an d deer an d sable,Shore en d of ou r western cable

,

Let the n ews that flyin g goesThrill through all your Arctic floes

,

An d reverberate the boastFrom the cliffs of Beechey’s coast,Till the tidin gs

,circlin g roun d

Every bay of Norton Soun d ,Throw the vocal tide-wave backTo the isles of Kodiac.

Let the stately polar bearsW altz aroun d the pole in pairs

,

An d the walrus,in his glee

,

Bare his tusk of ivoryW hile the bold sea un icornCalmly takes an extra hornAll ye polar skies

,reveal your

V ery rarest of parheliaTrip it

,all ye merry dan cers

,

I n the airiest of lan cersSlide

,ye solemn glaciers

,slide

,

On e in ch farther to the tide,Nor in rash precipitationUpset Tyn dall’s calculation .

Kn ow you n ot what fate awaits you ,Or to whom the fu ture mates you ?A ll ye icebergs make salaam,You belon g to Un cle Sam !

On the spot where Eugen e Su eLed his wretched W an derin g Jew,

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4e? T0 THE PLI OCENE SKULL.

W hile the blows are fallin g thickFrom his Californ ian pick

,

Y ou may recogn ise the ThorOf the vision that I saw

,

Freed from legen dary glamour,See the real magician ’

s hammer.

TO THE PLIOCENE SKULL

a dieological aren as.

PEAK , 0 man ,less recen t ! Fragmen tary fossil I

Primal pion eer of pliocen e formation,

Hid in lowest drifts below the earliest stratumOf volcan ic tufa

Older than the beasts, the oldest Palaeotherium3,Older than the trees, the oldest CryptogamiOlder than the hills, those in fan tile eruption s

Of earth’s epidermisEo—Mio—Plic—whatsoe’er the cen e was

That those vacan t sockets filled with awe an d won der,W hether shores Devonian or Silurian beaches

,

Tell us thy,

stran ge story !Or has the professor slightly an tedated

By some thousand years 'thy adven t on this plan et,Givin g thee an air that’s somewhat better fitted

For cold~ blooded creatures 2W ert thou true spectator of that mighty fores tW hen above thy head the stately Sigillaria'Reared its column ed tru n ks in that remote an d distan t

Carbon iferous epoch ?

TO THE PLI OCEN SKULL .

peak, 0 man , less recen t“Fragmen tary fossil

Which my n ame is Bowers ,An d my cru st was b u s ted ,Fallin g down a shaft in Calaverascou n ty,

Speak , thou awfu l vestige of the easth’

s B u t I’

d take it kin d ly if you ’d sen dcreation . the pieces home to old Missou ri!

"

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466 THE BALLAD OF THE EMEU.

THE BALLAD OF THE EMEU.

OSAY

,have you seen at the W illows so green

,

So charmin g an d rurally true,

A sin g ular bird, with a man n er absurd ,W hich they call the Australian Emeu ?

H ave youEver seen this Australian Emeu ?

I t trots all aroun d with its head on the groun d,Or erects it quite ou t of your view

An d the ladies all cry, when its figure they spy,0,what a sweet pretty Emeu

Oh ! doJust look at that lovely Emeu

On e day to this spot,when the weather was hot

,

Came Matilda H orten se FortescueAn d beside her there came a youth of high n ame

,

Augustus Florell Mon tague :The two

Both loved that wild, foreign Emeu .

W ith two loaves of bread then they fed it, in steadOf the flesh of the white cockatoo,

W hich on ce was its food in that wild n eighbourhoodW here ran ges the sweet Kan garoo

That tooI s game for the famous Emeu

Old saws an d gimlets bu t its appetite whetsLike the world famous bark of Peru

There’s n othin g so hard that the bird will discard,An d n othin g its taste will eschew,

That youCan give that lon g olegged Emeu

THE BALLAD OF THE

The two

Both loved that wild fOI eig n Emeu

Vthere’

s that specimen pin that I gaily did Winln raffle an d gave u n to you , Fortesc u e

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468 THE AGED STRANGER.

I was with Gran t the stran ger saidSaid the farmer

,Nay, n o more,

I prithee sit at my frugal board,

An d eat of my humble store.H ow fares my boy

,—my soldier boy

Of the old Nin th Army Corps ?I warran t he bore him gallan tlyI n the smoke an d the battle’s roarI kn ow him n ot

,said the aged man

,

A n d,as I remarked before

,

I was with Gran t Nay, n ay, I kn ow,

Said the farmer,say n o more

H e fell in battle,— I see, alasThou

’d st smooth these t idin gs o’er,

Nay speak the truth, whatever it be,Though it ren d my bosom’s core.H ow fell he,—with his face to the foe,Upholdin g the flag he bore 2

0,say n ot that my boy disgracedThe un iform that he wore l ”

I can n ot tell, said the aged man,

An d should have remarked before,That I was with Gran t, -in I llin ois,Some three years before the war.

”

Then the farmer spake him n ever a word,Bu t beat with his fist full sore

That aged man,who had worked for Gran t

Some three years before the war.

stran g er’

s fan cied tidin gs from the battlefield where his son is en gaged.an d of the stran ger

’s repeated attempts to complete his sen ten ce,

has 8

lu dicrou sn ess of su ggestion admirably climaxed by the dramatic reaction

of the last stan za.

“H OW ARE YOU, SANI TARY ? ” 469

HOW ARE YOU, SANITARY 9 ”

DOWN the picket-guarded lan e,

Rolled the comfort-laden wain,

Cheered by shouts that shook the plain ,Soldier-like an d merry 5

Phrases such as camps may teachSabre -cuts of Saxon speech

,

Such as Bully Them’s the peachW ade in , San itary

Right an d left the caisson s drew,

As the car wen t lumberin g through,

Quick succeedin g in reviewSquadron s military

Sun burn t men with beards like frieze,

Smooth-faced boys, an d cries like these,U S. San . Com.

”That’s the cheese !

Pass in, San itary

I n su ch cheer it struggled onTill the battle fron t was won ,Then the car, its j ourn ey don e,

Lo ! was station ary 5An d where bullets whistlin g fly

,

Game the sadder fain ter cry,

H elp us,brothers, ere we die,

Save us, San itary

Such the work. The phan tom flies,W rapped in battle clouds that riseBu t the brave—whose dyin g eyes,

V eiled an d vision ary,

47° THE REVEILLE.

See the jasper gates swun g wide,

See the parted thron g outsideH ears the voice to those who ride,Pass in , San itary

THE REVEILLE.

ARK I hear the tramp of thousan ds,An d of armed men the hum5

Lo a n ation ’s hosts have gatheredRoun d the quick alarmin g drum,

Sayin g,Come

,

Freemen,come

your heritage be wasted,

”said the quick alarmii

Let me ofmy heart take coun selW ar is n ot of life the sum 5

W ho shall stay an d reap the harvestW hen the autumn days shall come ?

Bu t the drumEchoed

, Come !Death shall reap the braver harvest, said the solem

in g drum .

Bu t when won the comin g battle,

W hat of profit sprin gs therefrom ?What if con quest

,subjugation

,

Even greater ills become 2B u t the drumA n swered

,

“ Comemust do the sum to prove it

,

” said the Yankeein g drum.

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4 72 RELIEVZNG GUARD .

0 brothers by the farther sea,

Thin k still ou r faith is warm 5The same bright flag above us wavesThat swathed ou r baby form.

The same red blood that dyes your fieldsH ere throbs in patriot pride 5

The blood that flowed when Lan der fell,

A n d Baker’s crimson tide.

A n d thus apart ou r hearts keep timeW ith every pulse ye feel

,

An d Mercy’s rin gin g gold shall chimeW ith Valour’s clashin g steel.

RELIEV ING GUARD.

T. s . K. OBI IT MARCH 4 , 1 864 .

AME the Relief. W hat,Sen try, ho

H ow passed the n ight through thy lon g wak in g ?Cold , cheerless, dark, - as may befit

The hour before the dawn is breakin g.

No sight 2 n o soun d ? No 5 n othin g saveThe plover from the marshes callin g,An d in yon W estern sky, aboutAn hour ago, a Star was fallin g.

A star ? There’s n othin g stran ge in that.No

,n othin g 5 bu t, above the thicket,

Somehow it seemed to me that GodSomewhere had just relieved a picket.

A GEOLOGI CAL MADRI GAL. 473

PAR O D I ES.

A GEOLOG ICAL MADRIGAL.

AFTER HERRICK.

IHAVE foun d out a gift for my fair 5I kn ow where the fossils aboun d

,

W here the footprin ts of Aves declareThe birds that on ce walked on the groun d

0,come

,an d—in techn ical speech

W e’ll walk this Devon ian shore,

Or on some Silurian beachW e’ll wan der, my love, evermore.

I will show—thee the sin uous trackBy the slow-movin g an n elid made

,

Or the Trilobite that, farther back,I n the old Potsdam san dston e was laid.

Thou shalt see, in his Jurassic tomb,The Plesiosaurus embalmed 5

I n his Oolit ic prime an d his bloom,Iguan odon safe an d un harmed !

Y ou wished— I remember it well,A n d I loved you the more for that wish

For a perfect cystedian shellAn d a whole holocephalic fish.

An d O,if Earth’s strata con tain s

In its lowest Silurian drift,Or Palaeozoic remain sThe same, -

’tis your lover’s free gift l

474 THE W ILLOWS.

Then come,love

, an d n ever say n ay,B u t calm all yourmaiden ly fears

,

W e’ll n ote, love, in on esummer’s dayThe record of million s of years 5

An d though the Darwin ian planY our sen sitiv e feelin gs may shock

,

W e’ll fi n d the begin n in g of man,

Our fossil an cestors in rock I

THE W ILLOWS.

AFTER EDGAR A. POE.

HE skies they were ashen an d sober,The streets they were dirty an d drear;

I t was n ight in the mon th of October,Of my most immemorial year 5

Like the skies I was perfectly sober,As I stopped at the man sion of Shear

,

A t the Nightin gale,— perfectly sober

,

A n d the willowy woodlan d,down here.

H ere, on ce in an alley Titan icOf Ten -pin s

,— I roamed with my soul

,

Of Ten -pin s,— with Mary, my soul 5

They were days when my heart was volcan ic,An d impelled me to frequen tly roll,An d made me resistlessly roll,

Till my ten -strikes created a pan icI n the realms of the Boreal pole,

Till my ten -strikes created a pan icW ith the mon key atop of his pole.

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476 THE W ILLOWS.

Bu t Mary, upliftin g her fin ger,

Said , “ Sadly this bar I mistrust,

I fear that this bar does n ot trust .0 hasten 0 let us n ot lin ger !O fly,

— let us fly,—ere we mustI n terror she cried

,lettin g sin k her

Parasol till it trailed in the dust,

I n agon y sobbed,lettin g sink her

Parasol till it trailed in the dust,Till it sorrowfully trailed in the dust.

n )

Then I pacified Mary an d kissed her,An d tempted her in to the room

,

An d con quered her scruples an d gloom ;An d we pas sed to the en d of the vista

,

Bu t were stopped by the warn in g of doom,

By some words that were warn in g of doom.

An d I said,W hat is written

,sweet sister

,

At the opposite en d of the room.

She sobbed,as she an swered, All liquors

Must be paid for ere leavin g the room.

”

Then my heart it grew ashen an d soberAs the streets were deserted an d drear,For my pockets were empty an d drear5

An d I cried,I t was surely October,

On this very n ight of last year,

That I j ourn eyed—I j ourn eyed down here,That I brought a fair maiden down here,On this n ight of all n ights in the year.

Ah ! to me that in scription is clear 5W ell I kn ow n ow

,I’

m perfectly sober,W hy n o lon ger they credit me here,

W ell I kn ow n ow that music of Auber,A n d this Nightin gale, kept by on e Shear.

NORTH BEACH . 4 77

NORTH BEACH .

AFTER SPENSER.

O where the cast le of bold Pfeiffer throwsI ts sullen shadow on the rollin g tide

,

No more the home where j oy an d wealth repose,Bu t. n ow where wassailers in cells abide 5See yon lon g quay that stretches far an d wide

,

W ell kn own to citizen s as wharf ofMeiggs 5There each sweet Sabbath walks in maiden prideThe pen sive Margaret, an d brave Pat, whose legsEn cas ed in broadcloth oft keep time with Peg’s.

H ere cometh oft the ten der n ursery-maid,

W hile in her ear her love his tale doth pour5Mean time her in fan t doth her charge evade

,

An d rambleth sagely on the san dy shore,

Till the sly sea-crab, low in ambush laid,Seizeth his leg an d biteth him full sore.Ah me what soun ds the shudderin g echoes bore,W hen his small treble mixed with Ocean ’s roar.

H ard by there stan ds an an cien t hostelrie,

An d at its side a garden , where the bear,The stealthy catamoun t , an d coon agreeTo work deceit on all who gather there 5An d when Augusta —that un con scious fairW ith n uts an d apples plieth B ruin free,Lo the green parrot claweth her back hair,An d the gray mon key grabbeth fruits that sheOn her gay bon n et wears

,an d laugheth loud in

478 THE LOST TAILS OF MILETUS.

THE LOST TAILS OF MILETUS.

HIGH on the Thracian hills, half hid in the billowsclover,

Thyme, an d the asphodel blooms, an d lulled by Pactolistreamlet,

She ofMiletus lay, an d beside her an aged satyrScratched his ear with his hoof, an d playfu lly mumbled his

chestn uts.

Vain ly the Maenid an d the Bassarid gambolled about her,The free-eyed Bacchan te san g, an d Pan—the ren own ed, the

accomplishedExecuted his difficult solo . I n vain were their gambols

an d dan cesH igh o

’er the Thracian hills rose the voice of the shepherdess wailin g .

Ai! for the fleecy fiock s, -tho meek-n osed,the passion less

faces ;Ai! for the tallow-scen ted, the straight-tailed, the high

steppin g 5Ai! for the t imid glan ce, which is that which the rustic,sagacious

,

Applies to him who loves but may n ot d eclare his passion !”

H er then Z eus an swered slow : O daughter of son g an dsorrow

,

H apless ten der of sheep,—arise from thy lon g lamen tat ion

Sin ce thou can st n ot trust fate,n or behave as becomes a

Greek maiden ,Look an d behold thy sheep .

—An d 10 ! they return ed toher tailless

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480 THE ANGELUS.

So shall she, cowled, sit an d prayTill morn in g bears her sin s away.

Then rise, 0 fleecy Fog, an d raiseThe glory of her comin g days 5Be as the cloud that flecks the seasAbove her smoky argosies.W hen forms familiar shall give placeTo stran ger speech an d n ewer face

W hen all her throes an d an xious fearsLie hushed in the repose of years 5W hen Art shall raise an d Culture liftThe sen sual j oys an d mean er thrift,An d all fulfilled the vision

,we

W ho watch an d wait shall n ever see,W ho, in the morn in g of her race,Toiled fair or mean ly in ou r place

,

Bu t, yieldin g to the common lot,Lie un recorded an d forgot.

THE ANGELUS.

HEARD AT THE MISSION DOLORES, 1 868.

ELLS of the Past, whose lon g-forgotten musicStill fills the wide expan se,

Tin gein g the sober twilight of the Presen tW ith colour of roman ce

THE ANGELUS. 48 1

I hear your call, an d see the su n descen din gOn rock an d wave an d san d

,

As down the coast the Mission voices blen din gGirdle the heathen lan d.

W ithin the circle of your in can tationNo blight n or mildew falls 5

Nor fierce un rest, n or lust, n or low ambitionPasses those airy walls .

Born e on the swell of your lon g waves recedin g,I touch the farther Past,

I see the dyin g glow of Span ish glory,The sun set dream an d last

Before me rise the dome-shaped Mission towers ,The white Presidio 5

The swart comman der in his leathern j erkin ,The priest in stole of sn ow.

On ce more I see Portala’s cross upliftin gAbove the settin g su n 5

An d past the headlan d, n orthward, slowly driftin gThe freighted galleon .

O solemn bells whose con secrated massesRecall the faith of old,

0 tin klin g bells ! that lulled with twilight musicThe spiritual fold

You r voices break an d falter in the darkn ess,Break, falter, an d are still 5

An d veiled an d mystic,like the H ost descen din g,

The su n sin ks from the hill

482THE MOUNTAIN HEARTS-EASE.

THE MOUNTA IN HEART’

S-EASE.

BY scattered rocks an d turbid waters shiftin g,By furrowed glade an d dell,

To feverish men thy calm, sweet face u pliftin g,Thou stayest them tot ell

The delicate thought , that can n ot fin d expression ,For ruder speech too fair,

That , like thy petals, trembles in possession ,An d scatters on the air.

The min er pauses in his ru gged labour,An d , lean in g on his spade,

Laughin gly calls un to his comrade -n eighbourTo see thy charms displayed

Bu t in his eyes a mist unwon ted rises,An d for a momen t clear,

Some sweet home face his foolish thought surprisesAn d passes in a tear,

Some boyish vision of his Eastern village,Of u n even tful toil,

W here golden harvests followed quiet tillageAbove a peaceful soil

On e momen t on ly, for the pick, upliftin g,Through root an d fibre cleaves,

An d on the muddy curren t slowly driftin gAre swept thy bruised leave

An d yet, 0 poet, in thy homely fashion ,Thy work thou dost fulfil,

For on the turbid curren t of his passionThy face is shin in g still

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434‘ MADRONO.

MADRONO .

APTA IN of the W estern wood,

Thou that apest Robin H oodGreen above thy scarlet hose,H ow thy v elvet man tle shows 5Never tree like thee arrayed,0 then gallan t of the glade

W hen the fervid Au gust su nScorches all it looks upon ,An d the balsam of the pin eDrips from stem to n eedle fin e,Roun d thy compact shade arran ged,Not a leaf of thee is chan ged

W hen the yellow autumn su n

Sadden s all it looks u pon ,Spreads its sackcloth on the hills,Strews its ashes in the rills,Thou thy scarlet hose dost doff,A n d in limbs of purest buffChallen gest the sombre gladeFor a sylvan masquerade.

W here, O where, shall he begin

W ho would pain t thee,H arlequin ?

W ith thy waxen burn ished leaf,W ith thy bran ches’ red relief

,

W ith thy poly-tin ted fruit,I n thy sprin g or autumn suit,W here begin

,an d C

,where en d

,

Then whose charms all art tran scen d

TO A SEAB ZED . 4 85

COYOTE.

’

BLOWN ou t of the prairie in twilight an d dew,

H alf bold an d half timid, yet lazy all through 5

Loth ever to leave, an d yet fearful to stay,H e limps in the clearin g

,— an outcast in grey.

A shade on the stubble,a ghost by the wall

,

Now leapin g, n ow limpin g, n ow riskin g a fall,

Lop-eared an d large-j oin ted

,b u t ever alway

A thoroughly vagabon d outcast in grey.H ere

,Carlo, old fellow,

—he’s on e of your kin d,

Go, seek him, an d brin g him in out of the win d.W hat sn arlin g, my Carlo So—even dogs mayDen y their own kin in the outcast in grey.W ell

,take what you will

,— though it be on the sly,

Maraudin g,or beggin g

,— I shall n ot ask why

Bu t will call it a dole, just to help on his wayA four-footed friar in orders of grey !

T O A SEA B I R D.

SANTA CRUZ , 1 869 .

SAUNTERING hither on listless wings

,

Careless vagabon d of the sea,Little thou heedest the surf that sin gs ,The bar that thun ders

,the shale that rin gs,

G ive me to keep thy compan y.The prairie

-wolf (Mexican , coyote). This animal lives in crack s

crevices made in the prairies an d plain s by the in ten se summer

86 HER LETrm.

Little thou hast,old frien d

,that’s n ew

,

Storms an d wrecks are old thin gs to thee 5Sick am I of these chan ges

,too ;

Little to care for,little to ru e

,

I on the shore,an d thou on the sea.

All of thy wan d erin gs, far an d n ear,

B rin g thee at last to shore an d me 5A ll of my journ eyin gs en d them here

,

This ou r tether must be ou r cheer,I on the shore

,an d thou on the sea.

Lazily rockin g on ocean ’s breast,

Somethin g in common,old frien d , have we 5

Thou on the shin gle seek ’

st thy n est,

I to the waters look for rest,

I on the shore,an d thou on the sea.

HER LETTER.

I’M sittin g alon e by the fire,Dressed just as I came from t he dan ce.

I n a robe even you would admire,I t cost a cool thousan d in Fran ce 5

I’m be-diamon ded ou t of all reason ,My hair is don e u p in a cue 5

I n short,sir

,

“ the belle o f the seasonI s wastin g an hour on. you.

A dozen en gagemen ts I ’ve broken 5I left in the midst of a set 5

Likewise a proposal, half spoken ,That waits—on the stairs—for me yet.

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HER LETTER. 487

They say he’ll be rich,—when he grows up,

An d then he adores me in deed.An d you, sir, are turn in g your n ose up

,

Three thousan d miles off, as you read.An d how do I like my position ?An d what do I thin k of New Y ork 1

An d n ow,in my higher ambition ,

W ith whom do I waltz,

flirt,or talk

An d isn ’t it n ice to have riches

,

An d diamon ds an d silks,an d all that

An d aren ’

t it a chan ge to the ditchesAn d tun n els of Poverty Flat ?

W ell, yes,—if you saw us ou t drivin gEach day in the park

,four-ih -han d

,

I f you saw poor dear mamma con trivin gTo look supern aturally gran d

,

If you saw papa’s picture, as takenBy Brady, an d t in ted at that ,

Y ou’d n ever suspect he sold baconAn d flour at Poverty Flat .

An d yet, just this momen t, when sittingI n the glare of the gr an d chan delier,

I n the bustle an d glitter befittin gThe “ fin est soirée of the year,”

I h the mists of a gaze ole Chambery,An d the bu rn of the smallest of talk,

Somehow,Joe

,I thought of the “ Ferry,

An d the dan ce that we had on “The Fork .

”

Of H arrison ’s barn , with its musterOf flags festoon ed over the wall

Of the can dles that shed their soft lustreA n d tallow on head-dress an d shawl 5

488 HER LETTER.

Of the steps that we took to on e fiddleOf the dress of my queer vis -d -vis

An d how I on ce wen t d own the middleW ith the man that shot San dy McGee 5

Of the moon that was quietly sleepin gOn the hill, when the time came to go 5

Or the few baby peaks that were peepin gFrom un der their bedclothes of sn ow 5

Of that ride, -that to me was the rarest 5Of— the somethin g you said at the gate

Ah,Joe

,then I wasn ’

t an heiressTo the best-payin g lead! in the State.

W ell, well, it’s all past 5yet it’s fun n yTo thin k

,as I stood in the glare

Of fashion an d beauty an d mon ey,That I should be thinkin g, right there,

Of some on e who breasted high water,A n d swam the North Fork, an d all that,Just to dan ce with old Folin sbee’s daughter,The Lily of Poverty Flat.

Bu t goodn ess what n on sen se I ’m writin g !(Mamma says my taste still is low,)

I n stead of my triumphs recitin g,I’

m spoon in g on Joseph,—heigh-hoAn d I

’m to be “ fin ished by travel,W hatever’s the mean in g of that,0,why did papa strike pay gravelI n driftin g on Poverty Flat 1

Pron ou n ced leed . W estern expression for min e or diggi

‘

Flat is the common term for an y lowallu vial lan d.

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490 DI G/( ENS [N CAMP .

Perhaps ’twas boyish fan cy—for the readerW as youn gest of them all

B u t,as he read, from clusterin g pin e an d cedarA silen ce seemed to fall 5

The fir-trees, gatherin g closer in the shadows,Listen ed in every spray

,

W hile the whole camp, with Nell ” on EnglimeadowsW an dered an d lost their way.

An d so in moun tain solitudes—o’

ertaken

A s by some spell divin eTheir cares dropped from them like the n eedles shaken

From ou t the gusty pin e.

Lost is that camp, an d wasted all its fire ;A n d he who wrought that spell

Ah,towerin g pin e an d stately Ken tish spire,Y e have on e tale to tell

Lost is that camp bu t let its fragran t storyBlen d with the breath that thrills

With hOp-vin es’ in cen se all the pen sive gloryThat fills the Ken tish hills.

An d on that grave where En glish oak, an d holly,A n d laurel wreaths en twin e,

Deem it n ot all a too presumptuous follyThis spray of W estern pin e !

Ju ly, 1 870.

49 1

W HAT THE ENG INES SA ID .

OPENING OF THE PAC IFIC RA ILROAD .

HATwas it the En gin es said,

Pilots touchin g,—head to head

Facin g on the sin gle track,H alf a world behin d each back ?This is what the En gin es said

,

Un reported an d un read

W ith a prefatory screech ,I n a florin W estern speech,Said the Engin e from the W EST

I am from Sierra’s crest 5An d , if altitude’s a test,W hy

,I reckon

,it

’

s con fessed ,That I ’ve don e my level best .

”

Said the En gin e from the EASTThey who work best talk the least .

S’

pose you whistle down your brakes 5W hat you’ve don e is n o great shakes

,

Pretty fain—bu t let ou r meetin gBe a differen t kin d of greetin g.Let these folks with champagn e stuffin g,Not their en gin es, do the payin g.

Listen ! W here Atlan tic beatsShores of sn ow an d summer heats 5W here the I n d ian autumn skiesPain t the woods with wampum dyes,I have chased the flyin g s u n ,Seein g all he looked u pon ,

9 2 WH AT THE ENGINES SAIL”.

Blessin g all that he has blest,

Nursin g in my iron breastA ll his vivifyin g heat

,

A ll his clouds about my crest5A n d before my flyin g feetEvery shadow must retreat.Said the W estern En gin e

,Phew

An d a lon g low whistle blew.

“ Come n ow,really that’s the oddest

Talk for on e so very modest,

Y ou brag of your East ! You doW hy, I brin g the East to you !A ll the Orien t

,all Cathay

,

Fin d through me the shortest way,An d the su n you follow hereRises in my hemisphere .Really

,— if on e must be rude

,

Len gth,my frien d, ain ’

t lon gitude."

Said the Un ion,Don ’

t reflect,or

I’

ll ru n over some Director.

”

Said the Cen tral, I’m Pacific,

Bu t,when riled

,I’

m quite terrific.Y et to-day we shall n ot quarrel

,

Just to show these folks this moral,

H ow two En gin es— in their visionOn ce have met without collision .

”

That is what the En gin es said,Un reported an d un read 5Spoken slightly through the n ose,W ith a whis tle at the close.

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494 TWENTY YEARS.

”

’

Twas just like your roman ce,old fellow 5

B u t n ow there is stan din g a rowOf stores on the sight of the cabinThat you lived in a twelvemon th ago.

Bu t it’

s j olly to see you,old fellow

,

To thin k it’s a twelvemon th ago !An d you have seen Louis Napoleon,A n d look like a John n y Crapaud.

Come in . Y ou will surely see Mary,

Y ou kn ow we are married. W hat,n o

O,ay. I forgot there was somethin gBetween you a twelvemon th ago.

TWENTY YEARS.

”

BEG your pardon , old fellow I thin kI was dreamin g just n ow,

when you spoke.

The fact is, the mu sical clin kOf the ice on your win e-goblet ’s brin kA chord of my memory woke.

An d I stood in the pasture-field whereTwen ty summers ago I had stood 5An d I heard in that soun d, I declare,The clin kin g of bells on the air

,

Of the cows comin g home from the wood.

Then the apple-blooms shook on the hill 5A n d the mu llein - stalks t ilted each lan ceAn d the su n behin d Rapalye’s millW as my u ttermost W est, an d could thrillLike some fan cifu l lan d of roman ce.

TWENTY YEARS.

”495

Then my frien d was a hero, an d thenMy girl was an an gel . I n fin e ,

I dran k buttermilk 5 for at tenFaith asks less to aid her, than whenAt thirty we doubt over win e.

Ah well, it does seem that I mu stH ave been dreamin g just n ow when you spoke,Or lost, very like, in the dustOf the years that slow fashion ed the crustOn that bottle whose seal you last broke.Twen ty years was its age, did you say ?Twen ty years ? Ah

,my frien d

,it is true !

All the dreams that have flown sin ce that day,All the hopes in that time passed away

,

Old frien d, I ’ve been drin kin g with you !

496 A GREYPORT LEGEND.

FATE.

HE sky is clouded,the rocks are bare

The spray of the tempest is white inThe win ds are ou t with the waves at play

,

An d I shall n ot tempt the sea to-day.

The trail is n arrow, the wood is dim,The pan ther clin gs to the archin g limbAn d the lion ’s whelps are abroad at play

,

An d I shall n ot j oin in the chase tod ay.”

Bu t the ship sailed safely over the sea,

An d the hun ters came from the chase in glee,An d the town that was builded upon a rockW as swallowed u p in the earthquake shock.

EA S T A ND W E S T P O EM S

PART I .

A. GREYFORT LEGEND.

I 797

ran through the streets of the seaport townThey peered from the d ecks of the ships that lay

The cold sea-fog that came whiten in g downW as n ever as cold or white as théy.

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408 A NEH/PORT ROMANCE.

I t is bu t a foolish shipman ’s tale,

A theme for a poet ’s idle page 5B u t still, when the mists of doubt prevail,An d we lie becalmed by the shores of Age,

W e hear from the misty troubled shoreThe voice of the children gon e before

,

Drawin g the soul to its an chorage.

A NEW PORT ROMANCE.

THEY say that she d ied of a broken heart(I tell the tale as ’twas told to me)5

B u t her spirit lives,an d her soul is part

Of this sad old house by the sea.H er lover was fickle an d fin e an d Fren chI t was n early a hun dred years ago

W hen he sailed away from her arms— poor wen chW ith the Admiral Rochambeau.

I marvel much what periwigged phraseW on the heart of this sen timen tal Qu aker,

A t what golden - laced speech of those modish daysShe listen ed— the mischief take her

Bu t she kept the posies of mign on etteThat he gave 5 an d ever as their bloom failed

A n d faded (though with her tears still wet)H er youth with their own exhaled.

Till on e n ight, when the sea-fog wrapped a shroudRoun d spar an d spire an d tarn an d tree,

H er soul wen t u p on that lifted cloudFrom this sad old hou se by the sea.

A NEWPORT ROMANCE. 499

An d ever sin ce then,when the clock strikes two,

She walks u n bidden from room to room,

An d the air is filled that she passes throughW ith a subtle

,sad perfume .

The delicate odor of mign on ette,

The ghost of a dead an d gon e bouquet,Is all that tells of her story 5yetCould she thin k of a sweeter way ?

I sit in the sad old house to-n ight,

Myself a ghost from a farther sea 5n d I tru st that this Quaker woman mightI n court esy

,v isit me ,

e laugh is fled from porch an d lawn ,the bugle died from the fort on the hill

,

An d the twitter of girls on the stairs is gon e,An d the gran d pian o is still.

Somewhere in the darkn ess a clock strikes twoAn d there is n o soun d in the sad old house,

Bu t the lon g veran da drippin g with dew,An d in the wain scot a mouse.

The light of my study- lamp streams outFrom the library door

,bu t has gon e astray

I n the depths of the darken ed hall . Small doubtBu t the quakeress kn ows the way.

W as it the trick of a sen se o’erwrou ghtW ith outward watchin g an d in ward fret i

Bu t I swear that the air just n ow was fraughtW ith the odor of mign on ette

500 A NEWPORT ROMANCE.

I open the win dow, an d seem almos t

So still lies the ocean— to hear the beatOf its Great Gulf artery off the coast

,

An d to bask in its tropic heat .

I n my n eighbour’s win dows the gas- lights flare,As the dan cers swin g in a waltz of Strauss 5

An d I won der n ow could I fit that airTo the son g of this sad old house.

An d n o odor of mign on ette there isBu t the breath of morn on the dewy lawn 5

An d mayhap from causes as slight as thisThe quain t old legen d is born .

Bu t the soul of that subtle, sad perfume,As the spiced embalmin gs

,they say, outlast

The mummy laid in his rocky tomb,Awaken s my buried past .

An d I think of the passion that shook my youth,Of its aimless loves an d its idle pain s,

An d am than kful n ow for the certain truthThat on lyr the sweet remain s.

An d I hear n o ru stle of stiff brocade,An d I see n o face at my library door 5

For n ow that the ghosts of my heart are laid,She is viewless for evermore.

Bu t whether she came as a fain t perfume,Or whether a spirit in stole of white,

I feel, as I pass from the darken ed room,She has been with my soul to-n ight

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503 THE HA WK ’S NEST.

H e fou’t us game somehow,I disremember

Jest how the thin g k em roun d 5Some say ’

twas waddin g, some a scattered emberFrom fires on the groun d.

Bu t in on e min ute all the hill below himW as just on e sheet of flame 5

Guardin ’

the crest,Sam Clark an d I called to him.

An d,—well

,the dog was game

H e made n o sign the fires of hell were rou n d him,

The pit of hell below.

W e sat an d waited, but n ever foun d him 5An d then we turn ed to go.

An d then—you see that rock that’s grown so bristlyW ith Chaparral an d tan

Su thin’ erep’ ou t it might hev been a grizzly

,

I t might hev been a man 5

Su thin’that howled

,an d gn ashed its teeth, an d shou te

I n smoke an d dust an d flame 5Su thin

’

that spran g in to the depths about it,Grizzly or man

,—bu t game

That’s all. W ell,yes

,it does look rather risky

,

An d kin der makes on e queerAn d dizzy lookin g down . A drop of whiskey

Ain ’t a bad thin g right here !”

IN THE MISSI ON GARDEN 503

IN THE MISSION GARDEN.

1 865.

FATHER FELIPE.

SPEAK n ot the En glish well,but Pachita

She speak for me ; is it n ot so, my Pan cha ?Eh, little rogue ? Come, salute me the stran ger

American a .

Sir, in my coun try we say, “W here the heart is,

‘

There live the speech .

”Ah you n ot un derstan d ?

ardon an old man,—what you call ol fogy

,

”

Padre Felipe

d,Sei

‘

ior, old I just so old as the Mission .

see that pear-tree ? H ow old you thin k,Sefior ?

fteen year ? Twen ty ? Ah,Sefior

,just Fif ty

Gon e sin ce I plan t him

u like the win e ? I t is some at the Mission ,

e from the grape of the year Eighteen H un dred ;11 the same t ime when the earthquake he come to

San Juan Bautista.

u t Pan cha is twelve,an d she is the rose-tree 5

n d I am the olive,an d this is the garden

An d Pan cha we say 5 bu t her n ame is Fran cisca,Same like her mother.

Eh,you kn ew her N0 ? Ah it is a story ;

Bu t I speak n ot, like Pachita, the En glishSo ? I f I try, you will sit here beside me

,

An d shall n ot laugh,eh ?

504 IN THE M ISSI ON GARDEN.

W hen the American come to the Mission,

Man y arrive at the house of Fran ciscaOn e, - he was fin e man , he bu y the cattle

Of José Castro.

So he came much, an d Fran cisca she saw himA n d it was Love

,—an d a. very dry season 3

A n d the pears bake on the tree,—an d the rain come,

Bu t n ot Fran cisca

Not for on e year an d on e n ight I have walk muchUn der the olive-tree

,when comes Fran cisca

Comes to me here,with her child, this Fran cisca,Un der the olive-tree.

Sir, it was sad bu t I speak n ot the En glishSo she stay here

,an d she wait for her husban d

H e come n o more,an d she sleep on the hillsideThere stan ds Pachita.

Ah there’s the An gelus. W ill you n ot en ter ?Or shall you walk in the garden with Pan cha ?Go

,little rogue—stt—atten d to the stran ger.

Adios,Sefior.

PACH ITA (firisé ly)

So,he’s been tellin g that yarn about mother !

Bless you,he t ells it to every stran ger :

Folks abou t yer say the old man ’s my father ;W hat’s your opin ion ?

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506 SEVENJ Y-NINE.

”

A. wild youn g fellow,sir

,I fear the rascal was 5 bu t then

W ell, short of heaven,there wa’n ’

t a place he du rsn ’t lead

his men .

An d Dick,you say

,is comin g too. A n d B illy ? ah ! it

trueW e b u ried him at Gettysburg I min d the spot do you ?A little field below the hill

,— it must be green this May

Perhaps that’s why the fields about brin g him to me to -d

W ell,well

,excuse me

,Colon el ! but there are some thin

that dropThe tail-board out on e’s feelin gs 3 an d the on ly way’sstop.

So they wan t to see the old man ; ah, the rascals ! do theh

W ell, I ’ve busin ess down in Boston about the 1 2 th of

SEVENTY -NINE.

MR. INTERV IEWER INTERV IEWED.

KNOW me n ext time when you see me, won ’

t you ,

smartyOh, I mean you, old figger-head

,— just the same party

Take ou t your pen sivil, d— n you sharpen it,do

Any complain ts to make ? Lot’s of ’em— on e of

’em’s g/

You ! who are you, an yhow,goin ’

roun d in that sn e

way

Never in jail before, was you , old blatherskite, say ?

SEVENTY-NINE.

Look at it don ’t it look pooty ? Oh, grin , an d be d—d toyou

,do

Bu t, if I had you this side 0’ that gratin ’, I ’d just make itlively for you.

How did I get in here W ell,what ’u d you give to k n ow

’Twasn

’t by sn eakin ’

rou nd where I hadn ’t n o call to go’Twasn

’

t by han gin ’

roun d a spyin ’u n fortn et men .

Grin ! but I ’ll stop your jaw if ever you do that agen .

W hy don ’

t you say su thin ’

,blast you Speak your min d if

you dare..Ain ’t I a bad lot, son n y ? Say it, an d call it square.Hain ’t got n o ton gue, hey, hev ye. O guard here’s alittle swell

,

A c u ssin’

an d swearin’

an d yellin’

,an d bribin

’ me n ot totell.

There, I thought that ’

u d fetch ye. An d you wan t to kn owmy n ameSeven ty-Nin e they call me bu t that is their little game

For I’m werry highly con n ected, as a gen t, sir

,can un der

stan dAn d my family hold their heads up with the very fu rst inthe lan d.

For’twas all, sir

,a put-u p j ob on a pore youn g man like

me ;An d the jury was bribed a puppos, aftdrst they couldn ’t

agree.An d I sed to the judge

,sez I ,—Oh, grin ! it’s all right, my

son !

Bu t you’re a werry lively youn g pup, an d you ain ’t to beplayed u pon

508 SE I/ENTY-NINE.

”

W ot’s that you got—tobacco ? I’

m cussed but I thought’twas a tract.

Than k ye. A chap t’other day—n ow,look’ee

,this is a

fact,Slin gs me a tract on the evils o’ keepin ’ bad compan y

,

As if all the sain ts was howlin ’ to stay here alon g ’

s we .

No : I hain ’t n o complain ts. Stop,yes ; do you see that

chap,

Him stan din ’ over there,

-a hidin’ his eyes in his cap ?

WVell, that man ’s stumick is weak, an d he can ’t stan d thepris

’

n fareFor the coffee is jus t half bean s, an d the sugar ain ’twhere.

Perhaps it’s his brin gin ’ up but he sicken s day by day,An d he doesn ’t take n o food

, an d I’

m seein’ him wast

away.An d it isn ’t the thin g to see 3 for, whatever he’s been an

don e,

Starvation isn ’t the plan as he’s to be saved upon .

For he can n ot rough it like me ; an d he hasn ’t the stamps,I guess

,

To buy him his extry grub outside 0’ the pris’n mess.An d perhaps if a gen t like you

,with whom I ’ve been sorter

W ould— than k you ! Bu t, say, look here ! Oh, blastdon ’t give it to ME

Don ’t you give it to me n ow

,don ’

t ye, don ’t ye, don ’tY ou think it’s a pu t

-u p job so I ’ll than k ye, sir, if v

won ’

t.

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510 H IS ANSWER TO HER LETTEE:

H e remembers the ball at the Ferry,

An d the ride, an d the gate, an d the vow,

An d the rose that you gave him,—that very

Same rose he is treasurin g n ow(W hich his blan ket he’s kicked on his trun k,An d in sists on his legs bein g free 5

An d his lan guage to me from his bun k,Miss

,

I s frequen t, an d pain ful an d free) 5H e hopes you are wearin g n o willows

,

Bu t are happy an d gay all the while 5That he kn ows (which this dodgin g of pillowsImparts bu t small ease to the style

,

An d the same you will pardon ), —he kn ows, Miss,That, though parted by man y a mile,

Y et were he lyin g un der the sn ows, Miss,They’d melt in to tears at your smile.

An d you’ll still thin k of him in your pleasures,I n your brief twilight dreams of the past 5

I n this green - laurel spray that he treasures,

I t was plucked where your partin g was last 5I n this specimen ,—bu t a small trifle,I t will do for a pin for your shawl(W hich the truth n ot to wickedly stifleW as his last week’s clean u p,

”-an d his all).

H e’

s asleep, which the same might seem stran ge,W ere it n ot that I scorn to den y

That I raised his last dose, for a chan ge, Miss,I n v iew that his fever was high 5

Bu t he lies there quite peaceful an d pen sive.

An d n ow,my respects

,Miss

,to you 5

W hich my lan guage, although comprehen sive,Might seem to be freedom ,

-it’s true.

TUE WONDERFUL SPRHVG OF SAA’

9'

0AQUHV. 51 1

W hich I have a small favour to ask you ,A s con cern s a bull-pup

,which the same

,

I f the duty would n ot overtask you,

Y ou would please to procure for me, game

An d sen d per express to the Flat, Miss,W hich they say Y ork is famed for the breed

,

W hich though words of deceit may be that,Miss

,

I’

ll trust to your taste,Miss

,in deed.

P.S.—W hich this same in terferin g

I n to other folks’ way I despise 5Yet if it so be I was hearin gThat it’s just empty pockets as lies

Betwixt you an d Joseph,it follers

,

That,havin g n o family claims

,

H ere’s my pile 5which it ’s six hun dred dollars,As is yours, with respects.

TRUTHFUL JAMES.

!

THE WONDERFUL SPRING OF SAN

JOAQUIN.

OF all the foun tain s that poets sin g,Crystal

,thermal

,or min eral sprin g 5

Pon ce de Leon ’s Foun t of Y outh 5W ells with bottoms of doubtful truth 5I n short, of all the sprin gs of TimeThat ever were flowin g in fact or rhyme,That ever were tasted, felt, or seen ,There were n on e like the Sprin g of San Joaquin .

Fu rther Lang u agefromTru thfu l James Will be fou n d at p. 1 9 of

Tu t H eathen Chin ee, an d other Poems,

”

pu blished by Mr. Hotten .

51 2 THE W ONDERFUL SPRING OF SAN ? OAQ

An n o DominiEighteen -Seven,

Father Domin guez (n ow in heaven ,Obiit

,Eighteen twen ty- seven )

Foun d the sprin g,an d foun d it

,too,

By his mule’s miraculous cast of a shoe 5For his beast— a descen dan t of Balaam’

s assStopped on the in stan t

,an d would n ot pass.

The Padre thought the omen good,An d ben t his lips to the tricklin g flood 5Then -m as the chron icles declare

,

On the hon est faith of a true believerHis cheeks

,though wasted

,lan k

,an d bare

,

Filled like a withered russet-pearI n the vacuum of a glass receiver,A n d the sn ows that seven ty win ters brin gMelted away in that magic spri ng .

Such, at least, was the won drou s n ewsThe Padre brought in to San ta Cruz.The Church, of course, had its own viewsOf who were worthiest to useThe magic sprin g 5bu t the prior claimFell to the aged, sick, an d lame.Far an d wide the people cameSome from the healthfu l Aptos creekH asten ed to brin g their helpless sick 5Even the fishers of rude SoquelSudden ly foun d they were far from wellThe brawny dwellers of San Loren zoSaid , in fact, they had n ever been soAn d all were ailin g—stran ge to say,

From Pescadero to Mon terey.

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THE WONDERFUL SPRING OF SAN? OAQ07

Here an d there through the u n derwoodLike pillars of fire starkly stood.All of the breezy solitudeW as filled with the spicin g of pin e an d bay

An d resin ous odours mixed an d blen ded,

A n d dim an d ghost- like far awayThe smoke of the burn ingwoods ascen ded.Then of a sudden the moun tain s swam,The rivers piled their floods in a dam,

The ridge above Los Crates creekArched its spin e in a felin e fashion 5

The forests waltzed till they grew sick,An d Nature shook in a speechless passion 5

An d,swallowed up in the earthquake’s spleen ,

The won derful Sprin g of San JoaquinV an ished, an d n ever more was seen !

Two days passed the Mission folkOu t of their rosy dream awoke.Some of them looked a trifle white 5Bu t that, n o doubt, was from earthquake fright,Three days : there was sore distress,H eadache

,n ausea

,giddin ess.

Four days : fain tin gs, tendern essOf the mouth an d fauces5 an d in lessThan on e week

,—here the story closes 5

W e won ’t con tin u e the progn osis

,

En ough that n ow n o trace is seenOf Sprin g or Mission of San Joaquin .

You see the poin t ? Don t be too quickTo break bad habits better stick,Like the Mission folk, to your arsenic .

ONA CONE OF THE B IG TREES. 515

ON A CONE OF THE BIG TREES.

Sequ oia Gzzg'an z

‘

ea.

ROWN foun dlin g of the W’Vestern wood,

Babe of primeval wildern essesLon g on my table thou hast stoodEn coun ters stran ge an d rude caresses ;Perchan ce con ten ted with thy lot,Su rroun din gs n ew an d curious faces,

As thou gh ten cen turies were n otImprison ed in thy shin in g cases !

Thou brin g’st me back the halcyon daysOf grateful rest 5 the week of leisure,

The j ourn ey lapped in autumn haze,The sweet fatigu e that seemed a pleasure,

The morn in g ride, the n oon day halt,The blazin g slopes, the red dust risin g,

An d then m the dim, brown ,column ed vault

,

W i th its cool, damp, sepulchral Spicin g.

On ce more I see the rockin g mastsThat scrape the sky, their on ly ten an t

The j ay-bird that in frolic castsFrom some high yard his broad blue pen n an t.

I see the I n dian files that keepTheir places in the dusty heather,

Their red tru n ks stan din g an kle deepI n moccasin s of rusty leather.

I see all this,an d marvel much

That thou,sweet woodlan d waif, art ab le

To keep the compan y of suchAs thron g thy frien d’s—the poet’s—table

51 6 ONA CONE OF THE BI G TREES.

The latest spawn the press hath cast,

The modern Pope’s the later Byron ’s,

”

W hy e’

en the best may n ot outlastThy poor relation —Semperviren s.

I‘by sire saw the light that shon e011 Mohammed’s uplifted crescen t

,

On man y a royal gilded thron eAn d deed forgotten in the presen t 5

H e saw the age of sacred treesAn d Druid groves an d mystic larches 5

An d saw from forest domes like theseThe builder brin g his Gothic arches.

An d must thou,foun dlin g

,still forego

Thy heritage an d high ambition ,To lie full lowly an d full low,

Adjusted to thy n ew con ditionNot hidden in the drifted sn ows,Bu t un der in k -drops idly spattered ,

An d leaves ephemeral as thoseThat on thy woodlan d tomb were scattered.

Y et lie thou there, 0 frien d an d speakThe moral of thy simple story

Thou gh life is all that thou dost seek,An d age alon e thy crown of glory,Not thin e the on ly germs that failThe purpose of their high creation ,

I f their poor ten emen ts availFor world ly show an d osten tation .

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51 8 THE COPPERHEAD .

Un til,in tricklin gs of the stream

An d drainin gs of the lea,My un spen t boun ty comes at lastTo min gle with the sea.”

An d thus all n ight,above the win d,

I heard the welcome rain,

A fusillade upon the roof,

A tattoo on the pan eThe key-hole piped 5the chimn ey-topA warlike trumpet blew 5

Bu t,min glin g with the soun ds of strife,

This hymn of peace stole through.

THE COPPERHEAD.

1 864 .

THERE is peace in the swamp where the Copperheadsleeps

,

Where the waters are stagn an t, the white vapour creeps,W here the musk ofMagn olia hangs thick in the air

,

An d the lilies’ phylacteries broaden in prayer 5There is peace in the swamp, though the quiet is Death,Though the mist is miasm

,the Upas tree’s breath

,

Though n o echo awakes to the cooin g of dovesThere is peace yes

,the peace that the Copperhead loves !

Go seek him he coils in the ooze an d the dripLike a thon g idly flun g from the slave-driver’s whip 5Bu t beware the false footstep,— the stumble that brin gsA d eadlier lash than the overseer swin gs.

ON A PEN OF T. S. KING. 51 9

Never arrow so true, n ever bullet so dread,As the straight steady stroke of that hammer- shaped head 5Whether slave

,or proud plan ter, who braves that dull crest,

W oe to him who shall trouble the Copperhead’s rest !

Then why waste your labours, brave hearts an d stron g men ,I n trackin g a trail to the Copperhead’s d en ?Lay your axe to the cypress, hew open the shadeTo the free sky an d sun shin e Jehovah has made 5Let the breeze of the North sweep the vapours away,Till the stagn an t lake ripples

,the freed waters play 5

An d then to your heel can you righteously doomThe Copperhead born of its shadow an d gloom !

ON A PEN OF THOMAS STARR KING.

H ISis the reed the dead musician dropped,W ith tun efu l magic in its sheath still hidden ;

The prompt allegro of its music stopped,I ts melodies un bidden .

Bu t who shall fin ish the un fin ished strain ,Or wake the in strumen t to awe an d won der,

An d bid the slen der barrel breathe again,

An organ -pipe of thun der !

His pen ! what humbler memories clin g aboutI ts golden curves ! what shapes an d laughin g graces

Slipped from its poin t, when his full heart wen t outI n smiles an d cou rtly phrases !

52 0 LONE rlI OUNTAI ZV.

The truth, half j estin g, half in earn est flu n gThe word of cheer, with recogn ition in it 5

The n ote of alms,whose golden speech outrun g

The golden gift within it.

B u t all in vain the en chan ter’s wan d we waveNo stroke of ours recalls his magic vision

The in can tation that its power gaveSleeps with the dead magician .

LONE MOUNTA IN.

CEMETERY,SAN FRANCISCO.

TH IS is that hill of aweThat Persian Sin dbadThe moun t magn etic 5

An d on its seaward face,

Scattered alon g its base,The wrecks prophetic.

H ere come the argosiesBlown by each idle breeze,

To an d fro shiftin g 5Yet to the hill of Fa teAll drawin g, soon or late,

Day by day driftin g 5Driftin g forever hereBarks that for man y a year

Braved win d an d weather 5Shallops bu t yesterdayLaun ched on you shin in g bay,

Drawn all together.

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52 2 THE TW O SH IPS.

The on e flag streamin g from the pole,

The on e faith born e from sea to sea,

For such a triumph,an d such a goal

,

Poor must ou r human greetin g be.

Ah ! rather that the con scious lan dI n simpler ways salute the Man

,

The tall pin es,

bowin g where they stan d,The bared head ofEl Capitan

,

The tumult of the waterfalls,

Pohon o’

s kerchief in the breeze,The wavin g from the rocky walls

,

The stir an d rustle of the trees 5

Till lapped in sun set skies of hope,I n su n set lan ds by sun set seas

,

The Y oun g W orld’s Premier threads the slopeOf sun set years in calm an d peace.

THE TWO SH IPS.

AS I stan d by the cross on the lon e moun tain ’s creLookin g over the ultimate sea,

I n the gloom of the moun tain a ship lies at rest,An d on e sails away from the lea

On e spreads its white win gs on a far-reachin g track,W ith pen n an t an d sheet flowin g free 5

On e hides in the shadow with sails laid aback,The ship that is waitin g forme !

THE GODDESS. 52 3

Bu t 10,in the distan c e the clouds break away

The Gate’s glowin g portals I see 5An d I hear from the outgoin g ship in the bayThe son g of the sailors in glee

So I think of the lumin ous footprin ts that boreThe comfort o’er dark Galilee

,

An d wait for the sign al to go to the shore,

To the ship that is waitin g for 11 1 6 .

THE GODDESS.

FOR THE SANITARY FAIR.

W HO comes ? The sen try’s warn in g cryR in gs sharply on the even in g air

W ho comes The challen ge n o reply,

Y et somethin g motion s there .

A woman , by those graceful folds 5A soldier, by that martial treadAdvan ce three paces. H alt ! un tilThy n ame an d ran k be said.”

My n ame ? H er n ame, in an cien t son g,W ho fearless from Olympus came

Look on me Mortals kn ow me bestI n battle an d in flame.”

“En ough I kn ow that clarion voice 5I kn ow that gleamin g eye an d helm

Those crimson lips, an d in their d ewThe best blood of the realm .

52 4 TH E GODDESS.

The youn g, the brave, the good an d wise,H ave fallen in thy curst embrace

The juices of the grapes of wrathStill stain thy guilty face .

My brother lies in yon der field,

Face down ward to the quiet grass :Go back he can n ot see thee n ow 5Bu t here thou shalt n ot pass .”

A crack upon the even in g air,

A waken ed echo from the hillThe watch-dog on the distan t shoreG ives mouth, an d all is still.

The sen try with his brother liesFace down ward on the quiet grass 5

An d by him,in the pale moon shin e,

A shadow seems to pass.

No lan ce or warlike shield it bearsA helmet in its pityin g han ds

Brings water from the n earest brook,To meet his last d eman ds .

Can this be she of haughty mien ,The goddess of the sword an d shield

Ah,yes The Grecian poet ’s myth

Sways s till each battle-field .

For n ot alon e that rugged warSome grace or charm from beauty gain s

Bu t,when the goddess’ work is don e

,

The woman ’s still remain s.

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52 6 THE LOST GALLEON.

The n arrow beach of stragglin g ten ts,A mile of stately mon umen ts 5Y our stan dard , lo a flag un furled

,

W hose clin gin g fold s clasp half the world.This is you r drama

,built on facts

,

W ith twen ty years between the acts.”

On e momen t more if here we raiseThe oft- sun g hymn of local praise

,

Before the curtain facts must sway 5H ere waits the moral of your play.Glassed in the poet ’s thought

,you view

W hat mon ey can, ye t can n ot do 5

The faith that soars, the deeds that shin e,Above the gold that builds the shrin e.An d oh when others take ou r place

,

An d Earth’s green curtain hides ou r face,Ere on the stage

,so silen t n ow

,

The last n ew hero makes his bowSo may ou r deeds, recalled on ce moreI n Memory’s sweet bu t brief en core,Down all the circlin g ages ru n ,W ith the world’s plaudit of “W ell don e I”

THE LOST GALLEON.

IN sixteen hun dred an d forty-on e,The regular yearly galleon ,

Laden with odorous gums an d spice,In dia cotton s an d I n dia rice,An d the richest silks of far Cathay,W as due at 'Aeapu lco Bay.

THE LOST GALLEON 52 7

Du e she was, an d over-due,

Galleon , merchan dise, an d crew,

Creepin g alon g through rain an d shin e,

Throu gh the tropics, u n der the lin e.The train s were waitin g outside the walls

,

The wives of sailors thron ged the town ,The traders sat by their empty stalls

,

An d the V iceroy himself came d own 5The bells in the tower were all a - trip

,

Te B eams were on each father’s lip,The limes were ripen in g in the su n

For the sick of the comin g galleon .

All in vain . W eeks passed away,

An d yet n o galleon saw the bayIn d ia goods advan ced in price 5The govern or missed his favourite spice5The sefioritas mourn ed for san dal

,

An d the famous cotton s of Coroman del 5An d some for an absen t lover lost

,

An d on e for a husban d,—Don n a Julia,

W ife of the captain , tempest tossed,I n circumstan ces so peculiar :

Even the fathers, un awares,Grumbled a little at their prayers 5An d all alon g the coast that yearV otive can dles were scarce an d dear,

Never a tear bedims the eyeThat fi rm an d patien ce will n ot dry ;Never a lip is curved with painThat can ’t be kissed in to smiles againAn d these same truths, as far as I kn ow,Obtain ed on the coast of Mexico

52 8 THE LOST GALLEOIV.

More than two hun dred years ago,I n sixteen hun dred an d fifty—on e,Ten years after the deed was don e

,

An d folks had forgotten the galleonThe d ivers plun ged in the Gulf for pearls,W hite as the teeth of the I n dian girls 5The traders sat by their full bazaars 5The mules with man y a weary load

,

An d oxen , draggin g their creakin g cars,Came an d wen t on the moun tain road.

W here was the galleon all this whileW recked on some lon ely coral isleBurn t by the rovin g sea-marauders

,

Or sailin g n orth un der secret orders ?H ad she fou n d the Anian passage famed,By lyin g Moldon ado claimed,A n d sailed throu gh the sixty-fifth degreeDirect to the North Atlan tic sea ?Or had she foun d the River of K in gs

,

Of which De Fon te told such stran ge thingsI n sixteen forty ? Never a sign ,East or W est or u n der the lin e

,

They saw of the missin g galleon 5Never a sail or plan k or chip,They foun d of the lon g-lost treasure-ship,Or en ough to bu ild a tale u pon .

Bu t when she was lost, an d where an d how,

Are the facts we’re comin g to just n ow.

Take, if you please, the chart of that dayPublished at Madrid

,-

por cl Rey ;

Look for a spot in the old South Sea,The hun dred an d eightieth degree

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51° TIIE LOST GALLEON.

“Lost a day ? Y es : if n ot ru de,

W hen did you make east lon gitudeOn the n in th of May, ou r patron ’s day.

On the n in th — you had n o m’

n tlz, of May !

Eighth an d ten th was there 5bu t stay ”Too late 5for the galleon bore away.

Lost was the day they should have kept,

Lost un heeded an d lost un wept 5Lost in a way that made search vain ,

Lost in a trackless an d boun dless main 5Lost like the day of Job’s awful curse

,

I n his third chapter, third an d fourth verse5W recked was their patron ’s on ly day

,

W hat wo u ld the holy fathers say ?

Said the Fray An ton io Estavan,

The galleon ’s chaplain,—a learn ed man

Nothin g is lost that you can regainAn d the way to look for a thin g is plainTo go where you lost it, back again .

Back with your galleon till you seeThe hun dred an d eightieth degree.W ait till the rollin g year goes roun d

,

A n d there will the missin g day be foun d 5For you’ll fin d—if computation ’s tru eThat sailin g east will give to youNot on ly on e n in th of May, but two,On e for the good sain t’s presen t cheer,An d on e for the day we lost last year.

”

Back to the spot sailed the galleon 5W here, for a twelve-mon th, off an d on

The hun dred an d eightieth degree,

Slze rose an d fell on a tropic sea 0

THE LOST GALLEON. 53 1

Bu t lo when it came to the n in th of May,

All of a sudden becalmed she layOn e degree from that fatal spot,W ithout the power to move a kn ot 5An d of course the momen t she lost her way,Gon e was her chan ce to save that day.

To cut a len gthen in g story short,She n ever saved it . Made the sportOf evil spirits an d bafflin g win d,She was always before or just behin d,On e day too soon , or on e day too late,An d the su n

,mean while

,would n ever waIt

She had two eighths, as she idly lay,Two ten ths, bu t n ever a n in th of May 5

An d there she rides through two hun dred yearsOf dreary pen an ce an d an xious fearsY et through the grace of the sain t she served,Captain an d crew are still preserved.

By a computation that still holds good,Made by the H oly Brotherhood,The San Gre gorio will cross that lin eI n

'

nin eteen hu n dred’

an d thirty-n in eJust three hun dred years to a dayFrom the time she lost the n in th of May.

An d the folk in A capulco town ,Over the waters

,lookin g d own

,

Will see in the glow of the settin g su nThe sails of the missin g galleon

,

An d the royal stan dard of Philip Rey ;The gleamin g mast an d glisten in g spar,As she n ears the surf of the outer bar.

A To Down sun g on her crowded deck ,An odour of spice alon g the shore,

II M

532 SECOND REVIEW OF GRAND ARM Y

A crash, a cry from a shattered wreck,An d the yearly galleon sails n o more,

I n or ou t of the olden bay 5For the blessed patron has foun d his dav.

Such is the legen d. H ear this truthOver the trackless past

,somewhere

,

Lie the lost days of ou r tropic youth,On ly regain ed by faith an d prayer,

On ly recalled by prayer an d plain tEach lost day has its patron sain t

A SECOND REV IEW OF THE GRAN

ARMY .

I READ last n ight of the Gran d ReviewI n W ashin gton ’s chiefest aven ue

,

Two H u n dred Thousan d men in blue,

I thin k they said was the n umber,

Till I seemed to hear their tramplin g feet,The bugle blast an d the drum’s quick beat,The clatter of hoofs in the ston y street

,

The cheers of people who came to greet,

An d the thousan d details that to repeatW ould on ly my verse en cumber,

Till I fell in a reverie, sad an d sweet,An d then to a fitfu l slumber.

W hen,10 in a vision I seemed to stan d

I n the lon ely Capitol. On each han dFar stretched the portico

,dim an d gran d

I ts column s ran ged like a martlal ban d

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534 SEC'

O/VD REVIEW OF GRAND ARIMl ’.

An d there came the n ameless dead —the menW ho perished in fever swamp an d fen ,The slowly-starved of the prison -

pen 5

An d,marchin g beside the others

,

Came the dusky martyrs of Pillow’s fight,

W ith limbs en fran chised an d bearin g bright 5I thought—perhaps ’twas the pale moon lightThey looked as white as their brothers

An d so all n ight marched the Nation ’s deadW ith n ever a ban n er above them spread,Nor a badge, n or a motto bran dished 5No mark—save the bare u n covered headOf the silen t bron ze Reviewer 5

W ith n ever an arch save the vau lted sky 5W ith n ever a flower save those that lieOn the distan t graves—for love cou ld buyNo gift that was purer or truer.

So all n ight lon g swept the stran ge array,So all n ight lon g till the morn in g grayI watched for on e who had passed away,W ith a reveren t awe an d won der

,

Till a blue cap waved in the len gth’nin g lin e,A n d I kn ew that on e who was kin of min eH ad come 5an d I spake— an d lo that signAwaken ed me from my Slumber.

THE STAGE-DRI VER’S STORY. 535

PA R T I I .

BEFORE THE CURTAIN.

BEHIND the footlights han gs the ru sty baize,A trifle shabby in the u ptu rn ed blaze

Of flarin g gas, an d cu riou s eyes that gaze.

The stage, methin k s, perhaps is n on e toowideAn d hard ly fit for royal Richard

’

s stride,

Or Falstaff’s bu lk , or Denmark ’

s you thfu l pride.

Ah, well n o passion walks its humble boards ;O

’

er it n o kin g n or valian t H ector lords

The simplest skill is all its space afi ord s.

The son g an d jest, the dan ce an d triflin g play,The local hit at follies of the day,

The trick to pass an idle hou r away,

For these, n o trumpets that an n ou n ce the Moor,

No blast that makes. the hero’

s welcome su re,A sin gle fid d le in the overtu re I

THE STAGE-DRIVER’

S STORY .

was the stage-driver’s sterv, as he stood with his backto the wheelers

,

tly fleckin g his whip, an d turn in g his quid of tobacco 5

536 THE STA GE-DRI VER’S STORY.

W hile on the du sty road,an d blen t with the rays of

moon light,

W e saw the lon g cu rl of his lash an d the juice of tobacd escen din g.

Dan ger ! Sir,I believe you

,—in deed

,I may say on

subj ect,Y ou your existen ce might pu t to the hazard an d turn

wager.

I have seen danger ? Oh,n o ! n ot me, sir, in deed, I

you’

Twas on ly the man with the dog that is sitting alon e inwagon .

I t was the Geiger Grade, a mile an d a ball from the s ummitBlack as your hat was the n ight, an d n ever a star in

heaven s.Thun derin g down the grade, the gravel an d ston es we 5

Over the precipice side,—a thousan d feet plumb tobottom.

H alf-way down the grade I felt, sir, a thrillin g an d cre

I n g ,

Then a lurch to on e side,as we hun g on the bank of th

cahon ;Then ,lookin g up the road

,I saw

,in the distan ce behin

me,

The off hin d wheel of the coach just loosed from itsan d followin g .

On e glan ce alon e I gave, then gathered together my ribbShouted, an d flun g them, outspread, on

of my cattle 5

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538 ASPIRING MISS DE LAINE.

The three wheels followin g still,like moon s on the horizon

whirlin gTill, circlin g, they gracefu lly san k on the road at the side of

the station .

This is my story, sir 5 a trifle, in deed, I assure you.Much more, perchan ce, might be said ; but I hold him, of

all men , most lightlyWho swerves from the truth in his tale—No

,than k you

W ell, sin ce you are pressin g,Perhaps I don ’

t care if I do : you may give me the same,Jim

,—n o su gar

ASPIRING MISS DE LAINE.

a Chemical fi arru tibe.

CERTA IN facts which serve to explainThe physical charms ofMiss Addie De Lain e

,

W ho,as the common reports obtain

,

Surpassed in complexion the lily an d rose 5W ith a very sweet mouth an d a Tetron sse’ n ose 5A figure like H ebe’s, or that which revolvesI n a millin er’s win dow, an d partially solvesThat question which men tor an d moralist pain s,I f grace may exist min u s feelin g or brain s

Of cou rse the youn g lady had beaux by the scoreA ll that she wan ted

,—what girl cou ld ask more ?

Lovers that sighed, an d lovers that swore,Lovers that dan ced, an d lovers that played ,Men of profession . of leisure, an d trade 5

ASPI RING MISS DE LAINE.

With a very sweetmou th an d a the birthday soirée of thatretroq é n ose.

”Pol lywog fright.

—gon ewith a flavour of hydrogen gas was Miss Addie De Lain o.

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S40 ASPIRING AIISS DE LAINE.

For a fortn ight the town folk had all been agogW ith a party, the fin est the season had seen

,

To be given in hon our ofMiss Pollywog,

W ho was just comin g ou t as a belle of sixteen.The g u ests were in vited but on e n ight before

,

A carriage drew up at the modest back-doorOf RI own

’s lab ’I atory an d , full in the glareOf a big pmple bottle, some closely-veiled fairAlighted an d en te1 ed to make matters plain

,

Spite of veils an d disguises,—’twas Addie De Lain e.

As a bower for true love,twas hardlv the on e

That a lady would choose to be wooed in or won

No odour of rose or sweet j essamin e’s sighBreathed a fragran ce to hallow their pledge of troth by

,

Nor the balm that exhales from the odorou s thyme 5Bu t the gaseous effusion s of chloride of lime

,

An d salts,which your chemist delights to explain

As the base of the smell of the rose an d the drain .

Think of this, 0 ye lovers of sweetn ess an d kn owWhat you smell

,when you sn uff up Lubin or Pin au d.

I pass by the greetin gs,the tran sports an d bliss,

W hic h,of course, duly followed a meetin g like this,

An d come down to busin ess 5—for such the in ten tOf the lady who n ow o

’

er the crucible lean t ,I n the glow of a furn ace of carbon an d lime

,

Like a fairy called up in the n ew pan tomime 5An d give bu t her words as she coyly looked down ,I n reply to the question in g glan ces of Brown“ I am takin g the drops, an d am usin g the paste,An d the little white powders that had a sweet taste,W

’ hich you told me would brighten the glan ce of myAn d the depilatory, an d also the dye ,

ASPIRING M I SS DE LA I /VE. 54 1

An d I’m charmed with the trial 5an d n ow my dear Brown

I have on e other favou r,—n ow, ducky, don ’

t frown,

On ly on e, for a chemist an d gen iu s like youBu t a trifle, an d on e you can easily do .Now listen to—morrow, you kn ow,

is the n ightOf the birthday soirée of that Pollywog fright 5An d I

’m to be there, an d the dress I shall wearI s too lovely ; but” Bu t what then

, ma chore

Said Brown , as the lady came to a full stop,An d glan ced roun d the shelves of the little back shop.“W ell , I wan t—I wan t somethin g to fill out the skirtTo the proper dimen sion s

,without bein g girt

I n a stiff crin olin e, or caged in a beepThat shows through on e’s skirt like the bars of a coop5Somethin g light, that a lady may waltz in , or polk,W ith a freedom that n on e bu t you masculin e folkEver kn ow. For, however poor woman aspires,She’s always boun d down to the earth by these wires .

Are you listen in g ? n on sen se don ’t stare like a spoon ,Idiotic 5 some light thin g, an d spacious, an d soonSomethin g lik cg well

,in fact— somethin g like a balloon

Here she paused 5an d here B rown,overcome by surprise

,

Gave a doubtin g assen t with still won derin g eyes,An d the lady departed . B u t just at the doorSomethin g happen ed,— ’

tis true,it had happen ed before

I n this san ctum of scien ce,—a sibilan t soun d,

Like some elemen t just from its trammels un boun d,Or two substan ces that their aflinities fou n d.

The n ight of the an xiou sly looked-for soirée

Had come , with its fair on es in gorgeous array 5With the rattle of wheels, an d the t in kle of bells,An d the “ H ow do ye dos

,

”an d the H ope you are wells 5"

An d the crush in the passage, an d las t lin gerin g lookYou give as you han g your best hat on the book 5

54 2 ASPIRING MISS DE LAINE.

The rush of hot air as the door Open s wide 5An d your en try, —that blen din g of self-possessed prideAn d humility shown in your perfect-bred stareAt the folk, as if won derin g how they got there 5W ith other tricks worthy of V an ity Fair.

Meanwhile the safe topic,the heat of the room

,

Already was losin g its freshn ess an d bloom 5Y oun g people were yawn in g, an d won derin g whenThe dan ce would come off, an d why didn ’

t it thenW hen a vague expectation was thrillin g the crowd,Lo

,the door swun g its hin ges with utteran ce proud

An d Pompey an n oun ced with a trumpet-like strain ,The en tran ce of Brown an d Miss Addie De Lain e.

She en tered bu t oh, how imperfect the verbTo express to the sen ses her movemen t superbTo say that she sailed in more clearly might tellH er grace In its buoyan t an d billowy swell.H er robe was a vague circumambien t space,W ith shadowy boun daries made of poin t lace .The restwas bu t guess-work, an d well might defyThe power of critical femin in e eyeTo defin e or d escribe ’

twere as futile to tryThe gossamer web of the cirrus to trace,Floatin g far in the blue of a warm summer sky.

’Midst the hummin g of praises an d the glan ces of beaux,That greet ou r fair maiden wherever she goes,Brown slipped like a shadow,

grim, silen t, an d black,W ith a look of an xiety, close in her track.

On ce he whispered aside in her delicate ear,A sen ten ce of warn in g, —it might be of fearDon ’

t stan d in a drau ght, if you value your life.(Nothin g mem,

— su ch advice might be given your wife

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n 1 CALIFORNIA M’

ADRIGAL.

His tremblin g han d shadin g his lack - lustre eye,H alf-blin d with con tin u allv scan n in g the sky.Rumour poin ts him as some astron omical sage

,

Reperusin g by day the celestial page ;Bu t the reader

,sagacious, will recogn ize Brown ,

Tryin g vain ly to conjure his lost sweetheart down,

An d learn the stern moral this story must teach,

That Gen ius may lift its love out of its reach.

CALIFORNIA MADRIGAL.

ON THE APPROACH OF SPRING.

OH come

,my beloved from thy win ter abode

,

From thy home on the Y uba, thy ran ch overflowcdFor the waters have fallen

,the win ter has fled

,

An d the river on ce more has return ed to its bed.

Oh, mark how the sprin g in its beauty is n ear

H ow the fen ces an d tules on ce more reappearH ow soft lies the mud on the ban ks of you sloughBy the hole in the levee the waters broke through

All n ature,d ear Chloris

,is bloomin g to greet

The glan ce of your eye, an d the tread of your feet ;For the trails are all open

,the roads are all free,

An d the highwayman ’s whistle is heard on the lea.

Again swin gs the lash on the high moun tain trail,A n d the pipe of the packer is scen tin g the gale 5The oath an d the j est rin gin g high o’er the plain ,\Vhere the smut is n ot always con fin ed to the grain .

ST. THOxWAS. 545

On ce more glares the sun light on awn in g an d roof,

Duce more the red clay’s pulverized by the hoof,On ce more the dust powders the outsides with red

,

On ce more at the station the whiskey is spread .I‘

hen fly with me,love

,ere the summer’s begun

,

An d the mercury moun ts to on e hun dred an d on e

Ere the grass n ow so green shall be withered an d sear,

[n the spring that obtain s but on e mon th in the year.

ST. THOMAS.

a Girographical fiurbcp.

VERY fair an d full of promiseLay the islan d of St. Thomas

Ocean o’

er its reefs an d barsHid its elemen tal scarsGroves of cocoan ut an d guavaGrew above its fields of lava.

So the gem of the An tilles,I sles of Eden , where n o ill is,Like a g reat green turtle slumberedO n the sea that it en cumbered .Then said W illiam H en ry Seward,A s he cast his eye to leeward,Quite importan t to ou r commerce

I s this islan d of St. Thomas.”

Said the Moun tain ran ges, Than k'ee ,Bu t we can n ot stan d the Y an keeO

’

er ou r scars an d fissures porin g,I n ou r very V itals borin g,

ST. TH (MIAS.

I n ou r sacred cavern s pryin g,All ou r secret problems tryin g,Diggin g, blastin g, with dyn amitMockin g all ou r thun ders ! Damn it lOther lan ds may be more civil

,

Bust ou r lava crust if we will.”Said the Sea

,—its white teeth gn ashin g

Through its coral-reef lips flashin g,Shall I let this schemin g mortal

Shut with ston e my shin in g portal,Curb my tide

,an d check my play

,

Fen ce with wharves my shin in g bay ?Rather let me be drawn outI n on e awful water-spout I

Said the black-browed H urrican e,Broodin g down the Span ish main ,Shall I see my forces

,zoun ds

Measured by square in ch an d poun dsW ith detectives at my backW hen I double on my track,An d my secret paths made clear,Published o’er the hemisphereTo each gapin g

,pryin g crew ?

Shall I B low me if I do

So the Moun tain s shock an d thun deredAn d the H urrican e came sweepin g,An d the people stared an d won deredAs the Sea came on them leapin gEach

,according to his promise,

Mad e thin gs lively at St. Thomas.

Till on e morn,when Mr. Seward

Cast his weather eye to leeward ,

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548 THE BALLAD OF MR . COOKE.

Amid Beauty’s bright array,

O n that stran ge even tful day,Partly hidden from the spray

,

I n a n ook,

Stood Florin da Vere de V ere,NVho

,with win d-dishevelled hair,

An d a rapt,distracted air

,

Crazed on Cooke.

Then she turn ed, an d quickly criedTo her lover a ther side,W hile her form with love an d pride

W ildly shook,

Clifiord Sn ook oh,hear me n ow

H ere I break each plighted v owThere’s but on e to whom I bow,

An d that’s Cooke

H aughtily that youn g man spokeI descen d from n oble folk .

Seven Oaks,

’an d then Se

’n n oak

,

’

Lastly Sn ook,

Is the way my n ame I traceShall a youth of n oble raceI n affairs of love give place

To a Cooke 2

Clifford Sn ook, I kn ow thy claimTo that lin eage an d n ame,An d I thin k I ’ve read the same

In H om e Tooke 5

THE BALLAD OF AI R. COOKE r49

Bu t I swear,by all d ivin e

,

Never,n ever to be thin e

,

Till thou can st upon yon lin eW alk like Cooke.

Though to that gymn astic featHe n o closer might competeThan to strike a ba lan ce-sheet

I n a book

Y et then ceforward,from that day,

H e his figure would displayI n some wild athletic way,

After Cooke.

On some household emin en ce,On a clothes- lin e or a fen ce,Over ditches, drain s, an d then ce

O’

er a brook,

H e,by high ambition led,

Ever walked an d balan cedTill the people

,won derin g, said,

H ow like Cooke

Step by step did he proceed,Nerved by valour

, n ot by greed,A n d at last the crown in g deed

Un dertook.

Misty was the midn ight air,An d the cliff was bleak an d bare,“Then he came to do an d dare

Just like Cooke.

TI IE BALLAD OF MR. COOKE.

Through the darkn ess, o’

er the flow,

Stretched the lin e where he should goStraight across as flies the crow

Or the rook

On e wild glan ce aroun d he castThen he faced the ocean blast

,

An d he strode the cable lastTouched by Cooke.

V ain ly roared the an gry seas 3Vain ly blew the ocean breezeBu t, alas the walker’s kn ees

H ad a crook ;

An d before he reached the rockDid they both together kn ock,An d he stumbled with a shock

Un like Cooke

Down ward droppin g in the dark,Like an arrow to its mark,Or a fish-pole when a shark

B ites the hook,

Dropped the pole he could n ot save,Dropped the walker

,an d the wave

Swift in gulfed the rival braveOf J. Cooke !

Came a roar across the seaOf sea-lion s in their glee,I n a ton gu e remarkably

Like Chin n ook

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552 THE LEGENDS OF THE RHINE.

Dun geon -k eep an d fortaliceLookin g down a precipiceO

’

er the darkly glan cin g waveBy the Lurlin e-haun ted caveRobber haun t an d maiden bower

,

H ome of Love, an d Crime, an d Power;

That’s the scen ery

,in fi n e

,

Of the Legen ds of the Rhin e.

On e bold baron,double -dyed

B igamist an d parricide,

An d,as most the stories ru n

,

Partn er of the Evil On eI n jured in n ocen ce in white

,

Fair bu t idiotic quite,

W rin gin g of her lily han dsValour fresh from Payn im lan ds,Abbot ruddy

,hermit pale

,

Min strel fraught with man y a tale.Are the actors that combin eI n the Legen ds of the Rhin e.

Bell-mouthed flagon s roun d a boardSuits of armour

,shield

,an d sword

Kerchief with its bloody stainGhos ts of the un timely slainThu n d er -clap an d clan kin g chainH eadsman ’s block an d shin in g axeThumb -screws

,cru cifix es

,racks

Midn ight- tollin g chapel bell,

H eard across the gloomy fell,These

,an d other pleasan t facts ,

Are the properties that shin eI n the Legen ds of the Rhin e.

MRS. 7 UDGE 7ENK INS. 553

Malediction s, whispered vowsUn dern eath the lin den boughsMurder, bigamy, an d theftTravellers of goods bereftRapin e, pillage, arson , spoil,Every thin g but hon est toil,Are the deeds that best defin eEvery Legen d of the Rhin e.

That Virtue always meets reward,B u t quicker when it wears a swordThat Providen ce has special careOf gallan t kn ight an d lady fairThat villain s, as a thin g of course,Are always haun ted by remorse

,

I s the moral,I Opin e

,

Of the Legen ds of the Rhin e.

MRS. JUDGE JENK INS.

G THE ONLY GENUINE SEQUEL TO“MAUD MULLER .

“

AUD MULLER,all that summer

Raked the Meadow sweet with hay

Y et, lookin g down the distan t lan e,

She hoped the judge would come again .

Bu t when he came,with smile an d bow ,

Mau d on ly blushed,an d stammered , H a-ow ?

”

554 MRS. ? UDGE 7ENKINS.

An d spoke of her “ pa, an d won dered whether

H e’

d give con sen t they should wed together.

Old Muller burst in tears,an d then

Begged that the judge would len d him “ ten 3”

For trade was dull, an d wages low,An d the craps,” this year, were somewhat slow

An d ere the lan gu id summer died,

Sweet Maud became the judge’s bride.

Bu t, on the day that they were mated.Maud’s brother Bob was in toxicated ;

An d Maud’s relation s, twelve in all,

W ere very drun k at the j u dge’s hall.

An d when the summer came again ,The youn g bride bore him babies twain .

An d the j u dge was blest, bu t thought it stran geThat bearin g children made such a chan ge

For Maud grew broad an d red an d stout ;An d t he wa ist that his arm on ce clasped about

W as more than he n ow could span . An d he

Sighed as he pon dered, ruefully,

How that which in Maud was n ative graceI n Mrs. Jen kin s was ou t of place,

An d thought of the twin s, an d wished that thLooked less like man who raked the hay

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AN AER IAL RETROSPECT.

W HAT was it filled my youthfu l dreams,

I n place of Greek or Latin themes,

Or beauty’s wild, bewilderin g beams ?Avitor 1

W hat vision s an d celestial scen esI filled with aerial machin es

,

Mon tgolfier’

s an d Mr. Green ’s

W hat fairy tales seemed thin gs of course !The rock that brought Sin dbad across

,

The Calen dar’s own win ged-horse !Avitor l

H ow man y thin gs I took for facts,I carus an d his con duct laxAn d how he sealed his fate with wax i

Avitor l

The first balloon s I sough t to sal l,Soap-bubbles, fair, bu t all too frail,Or kites, —bu t thereby han gs a tail.

Avitor.

W hat made me laun ch from attic tallA kitten an d a parasol.An d watch their bitter

,frightful fall ?

Avitor

A WH I TE-PINE BALL/IL. 55;

W hat youthful dreams of high ren ownBade me inflate the parson ’s gown

,

That wen t n ot up,n or yet came down

Avitor

My first ascen t, I may n ot tellEn ou gh to k n ow that in that wellMy first high aspiration s fell,

Avitor 1

My other failures let me passThe d ire explosion s an d

,alas !

The frien ds I choked with n oxious gas,Avitor.

For 10 I see perfected riseThe vision of my boyish eyes,The messen ger of upper skies

A W H ITE-PINE BALLAD .

GENTLY with Samuel Joh n son this occasion I

improved,

ertain gen ts of afflu en ce I hear were greatly

l of John son ’s folly,although mul tiplied by n in e,

pare with Milton Perkin s, late an own er in W hite

folly—to be can did—was a wild desire to treatite citizen he met upon the street ,

558‘

A WH I TE-PINE BALLAD.

An d there bein g several thou san d—bu t this subj ectpursue ?

’Tis with Perkin s, an d n ot John son

,that to-day we

to do.

No n ot wild promiscuous treatin g,n ot the win e-cup’s

flow,

Bu t the female of his species brought the n oble Perkin s’Twas a wild poetic fervor, an d excess of sen timen t,That left the n oble Perkin s in a week without a cen t.

Milton Perki ns, said the Siren , n ot thy wealthadmire

,

Bu t the in tellect that flashes from those eyes of opal fire 5An d methinks the n ame thou bearest surely can n ot be miplaced

,

An d , embrace me, Mister Perkin s !” Milton Perkin s heembraced.

Bu t I grieve to state, that even then ,as she was wiping

The tear of sen sibility in Milton Perkin s’ eye,She prigged his diamon d bosom-

pin , an d that her wipelace

Did seem to have of chloroform a most suspicious trace.

En ough that Milton Perkin s later in the n ight was foun dW ith his head in an ash-barrel, an d his feet upon

grd u n d 5

An d he murmured Seraphin a, an d he kissed his han d,smiled

On a party who Wen t through him, like an un resistin g

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560 THE R!TUALIS Z

THE R ITUALIST.

BY A COMMUNICANT or“ST. JAMEs

’

s .

”

HEwore

,I think, a chasuble, the day when first we m

A stole an d sn owy alb likewise I recollect it yet.H e called me daughter

,

” as he raised his j ewelled han dbless 5

An d then,in thrilli ng un derton es

,he asked

, W ould I cfess

0 mother, dear ! blame n ot your child , if then on ben dedkn ees

I dropped, an d thought of Abelard, an d also Eloise 5Or when , beside the altar high, he bowed before the pyx,I en vied that seraphic kiss he gave the crucifix.

The cruel world may thin k it wron g, perhaps may deem meweak

,

An d , speakin g of that sain ted man , may call his con duct“ cheek ;

An d,like that wicked barrister whom Cousin H arry quotes,

May term his mixed chalice “ grog,

” his vestmen ts,

“ petticoats.”

Bu t,whatsoe’er thev do or say

,I’

ll build a Christian ’s hopeOn in cen se an d on al tar- lights

,on chasuble an d cope,

Let others prove by preceden t, the faith that they professHis can ’t be wron g ” that ’s symbolized by such becomingdress.

A MORAL VINDI CA TOR. 56 1

A MORAL V IND ICATOR.

F Mr. Jon es,Lycurgus B .

,

H ad on e peculiar quality,Twas his severe advocacyOf conjugal fidelity.

His views of heaven were very free,

His views of life were pain fullyRidiculous 5bu t ferven tlyH e dwelt on marriage san ctity.

H e frequen tly wen t on a spree 5Bu t in his wildest revelry

,

On this especial subj ect heBetrayed n o ambiguity.

An d though at times Lycurgus B .

Did lay his han ds n ot lovin glyUpon his wife, the san ctityOf wedlock was his guaran ty.

Bu t Mrs . Jon es declin ed to see

Affairs in the same light as he,A n d quietly got a decreeD ivorcin g her from that L. B .

An d what did Jon es, Lycurgus B.,

‘Vith his kn own idiosyn crasyH e smiled

,—a bitter smile to see

,

An d drew the weapon of Bowie .

H e did what Sickles did to Key,

W'hat Cole on H iscock wrou ght, did he

SONGS WI TH OUT SENSE.

“

I n fact, on person s twen ty-threeH e proved the marriage san ctity.

The coun sellor who took the fee,

The witn esses an d referee,

The Judge who gran ted the decree,

Died in that wholesale butchery.

An d then when Jon es, Lycurgus B.,

H ad wiped the weapon of Bowie,

Twelv e jurymen did in stan tlyAcquit an d set Lycurgus free.

SONGS W ITHOUT SENSE. FOR TH

PARLOUR AND PIANO .

I .—THE PERSONIFIED SENTIMENTAL.

FFECTION’

S charm n o lon ger gildsThe idol of the shrin e 5

Bu t cold Oblivion seeks to fillRegret’s ambrosial win e.

Though Frien dship’s offerin g buried liesNeath cold Aversion ’s sn ow

,

Regard an d Faith will ever bloomPerpetually below.

I see thee whirl in marble halls,I n Pleasure’s giddy train 5

Remorse is n ever on that brow,

359 1: sorrowsmark of pain.

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36 1 SONCEPCJON DE ARGUELLO.

I I I .—S\VISS AIR.

I’

M a gay tra, la, la,W ith my fal, la], la,A n d my brightAn d my light

Tra,la, le. [Repeat ]

Then laugh, ha, ha, ha,An d rin g

,t in g

,lin g

,lin g

,

An d sin g fal, la, la,La

, la, le . [Repeat ]

CONCEPC ION DE ARGUELLO .

PRESIDIO DE SAN FRANCISCO.

x800.

I .

OOKING seaward, o ’

er the san d hills stan ds the foold an d quain t

,

By the San Fran cisco friars lifted to their patron sain t,

Spon sor to that won drous city,n ow apostate to the creed

,

On whose youthful walls the Padre saw the an gel’s goreed 5

All its trophies lon g sin ce scattered, all its blazon bruaway

,

An d the flag that flies above it but a triumph of

CONCEPCI ON DE ARGUELLO. 565

vcr scar of siege or battle challen ges the wan derin g eyever breach of warlik e on set holds the curious passer-by 5

ly on e sweet human fan cy in terweaves its threads of goldth the plain an d home-spun presen t, an d a love that n e’ergrows old 5

ly on e thing holds its crumbling walls above the mean erdu st,

istcn to the simple story of a woman ’s love an d trust.

u n t Von Resan off,the Ru ssian

,en voy of the mighty

Czar,

ood beside the deep embrasures where the brazen can n onare.

with grave provin cial magn ates lon g had held seren edebatethe Treaty of A llian ce an d the high affairs of state 5

from grave provin cial magn ates,oft had turn ed to talk

aparth the Coman dan te’s daughter, on the quest ion s of theheart,

1 poin ts of gravest import yielded slowly, on e by on e,

by Lov e was con summated what D iplomacy begun 5

beside the deep embrasures,where the brazen can n on

are,

received the two-fold con tract for approval of the Czar

566 CONCEPCI ON DE ARGUELLO.

Till beside the brazen can n on the betrothed bade adieu,

An d,from sally port an d gateway

,North the Russ1an eagl

flew.

Lon g beside the deep embrasures,where the brazen can n

are,

Did they wait the promised bridegroom an d the an swerthe Czar 5

Day by day on wall an d bastion beat the hollow embreeze

,

Day by day the sun light glittered on the vacan t, smseas 5

W eek by week the n ear hills whiten ed in their dusty lecloaks

,

Week by week the far hills darken ed from the frin gin gof oaks 5

Till the rain s came, an d far-breakin g, on the fierce s

wester tost,Dashed the whole lon g coast with colour, an d then vani

an d were lost .

So each - year the season s shifted 5wet an d warm an d

an d dry 5

Half a year of clouds an d fiowers,—half a year of dustsky.

Still it brought n o ship n or message, —brou ght n o tidings 1or meet

For the statesman lik e Comman der, for the daughtersweet.

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568 CONCEPCI ON DE ARGUELLO.

H e whose father is Alcalde,of his trial hath n o fear,’

An d be sure the Coun t has reason s that will make his codu ct clear.

”

Then the veice sen ten tlou s faltered,an d the wisdom it we

teachLost itself in fon dest trifles of his soft Castilian speech 5

An d on Con cha,

” “Con chititag’an d “Con chita be we

dwellW ith the fon d reiteration which the Span iard kn ows

well .

So with proverbs an d caresses,half in faith an d half

doubt,Every day some hope was kin dled, flickered

,faded

,an d w

ou t.

Y early, down the hillside sweepin g, came the statelycade

,

Brin gin g revel to vaquero,j oy an d comfort to each maid ;

Brin gin g days of formal visit, social feast an d ru sti

Of bull baitin g on the plaza,of love makin g in the cou rt.

Vain ly then at Con cha’s lattice,

-vain ly as the idle win dRose the thin high Span ish ten or that bespoke the yotoo kin d 5

V ain ly,lean in g from their saddles

,caballeros

,bolt. an d fl

Plucked for her the buried chicken from ben eath theirtan g

’s feet 5

CONCEPCION DE ARGUELLO. 569

vain the barren hillsides with their gay scrapes blazed,azed an d van ished in the dust -cloud that their flyin ghoofs had raised.

Then the drum called from the rampart, an d o n ce more withpatien t mien

0 Comman der an d his daughter each took u p the du llroutin e

,

ch took u p the petty du ties of a life apart an d lon e,the slow years wrought a music in its dreary mon oton e.

years on wall an d bast ion swept the hollow idle

the Russian eagle fluttered from the Californ ia seas .

years on wall an d bastion wrought its slow but suredecay 5St. George’s cross was lifted in the port ofMon terey.

the citadel was lighted,an d the hall was gaily drest,

to hon our Sir George Simpson,famous traveller an d

guest.

an d n ear the people gathered to the costly ban quet set,exchan ged con gratulation s with the En glish baron et 5

the formal speeches en ded,an d amidst the laugh an d

win e0 on e spoke of Con cha’s lover,— heedless of the warn in g

570 HALF AN H OUR BEFORE SUPPER.

Quickly then cried Sir George Simpson :“ Speak n o ill

him, I pray,H e is dead . H e died

,poor fellow

,forty years ago this

Died while speedin g home to Russia,fallin g from a

tion s horse,

Left a sweetheart,too

,they tell me. Married

,I suppose,

course !Lives she yet ? ” A death-like silen ce fell on ban qu

guests an d hall,

An d a tremblin g figure rising fixed the awe-stru ck gazeall.

Two black eyes in darken ed orbits gleamed ben eath the n uwhite hood ;

Black serge hid the wasted figure,bowed an d stricken

it stood.Lives she yet ? Sir George repeated . All were hushedCon cha drew

Closer yet her n un ’s attire. Senor, pardon , she died too

HALF AN HOUR BEFORE SUPPER.

O she’s here,your unkn own Dulcin ea— t he lady youm

on the trainAn d you really believe she would kn ow you if you were

meet her again ?”

Of course, he replied 5“ she would kn owme ; there n evwas woman kin d yet

Forget theeffect she in spired . She excuses, but does 11

forget .

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572 DOLLY VARDEM

Bu t what if you make a mistake ? quoth the elder. Th

youn ger half sighed.W hat happen s when sign als are wron g or switmisplaced he replied.

Very W e ll, I must bow to your wisdom, the elder retu rnbu t admit

That your chan ces of win n in g this woman your boldn ess hbettered n o whit .

W hy, you do n ot, at best, kn ow her n ame. An d what iftry you r ideal

W ith somethin g, if n ot quite so fair, at least more an reg

an d real ?

“Let me fin d you a partn er. Nay, come, I in sist—youshall follow— this way.

My dear, will you n ot add you r grace to en treat Mr. R

to stay ?

My wife, Mr . Rapid—Eh, what W hy, he’s gon e—yet hesaid he would come 5

H ow rude ? I don ’t won der,my dear

, you are

crimson an d dumb

DOLLY VARDEN.

EAR DOLLY who does n ot recallThe thrillin g page that pictured all

Those charms that hold ou r sen se in thrallJust as the artist caught her

DOLL Y VARDEN. 573

As down that En glish lan e she tripped,

I n flowered chin tz,hat sideways tipped

,

Trim-bodiced, bright- eyed , roguish- lippedThe locksmith’s pretty daughter ?Sweet fragmen t of the Master’s art !0 simple faith ! O rustic heart !0 maid that hath n o coun terpartI n life’s d ry dog-eared pages !

W here shall we fi n d thy like ? Ah,stay !

Methinks I saw her yesterdayI n chin tz that flowered

,as on e might say,

Peren n ial for ages.H er father’s modest cot was ston e

,

Five storeys high . I n style an d ton eComposite, an d , I fran kly own ,W ithin its walls revealin g

Some certain n ovel,stran ge ideas

A Gothic door with Roman piers,

An d floors removed some thousan d yearsFrom their Pompeiian ceilin g.

The small saloon where she received,W as Louis Quatorze

,an d relieved

By Chin ese cabin e ts, con ceivedGrotesquely by the heathen 5

The sofas were a classic sightThe Roman ben ch (sedilia heigh t) 5The chairs were Fren ch , in gold an d white,A n d on e Elizabe than .

An d she, the goddess of that shrin e,Two rin ged fin gers placed in min eThe ston es were man y carats fin e,A n d of the purest water.

CHI CAGO.

Then dropped a curtsey, far en oughTo fairly fill her creton n e puffAn d show the petticoat ’s rich stu ffThat her fon d paren t bought her.

H er speech was simple as her dressNot Fren ch the more

,bu t En glish less

,

She loved yet sometimes I con fess,I scarce could comprehen d her.

H er man n ers were quite far from shyThere was a quiet in her eyeAppallin g to the H u gh who’d tryW ith ruden ess to offen d her.

Bu t when ce,I cried

,

“ this masquerade ?Some figure for to-n ight’s charadeA W atteau shepherdess or maid ?”She smiled an d begged my pardon .

W hy, surely you must kn ow the n ameThat woman who was Shak speare’s flame,Or Byron ’s—well

,it

’

s all the same 5W hy, Lord, I ’m Dolly V ard en

CH ICAGO .

OCTOBER 1 0,1 87 1 .

BLACKENED an d bleedin g,helpless

,pan tin g, p

On the charred fragmen ts of her shattered thrLies she who stood bu t yesterday alon e.Queen of the W est by some en chan ter taughtTo lift the glory of Aladdin ’s court

,

Then lose the spell that all that won der wrought.

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AFTER THE ACCIDENT.

Negligen ceThat was the cause ;

Bu tcheryAre there n o laws

Laws to protect such as we !

W ell, thenI won ’

t raise my voice.

There menI won ’

t mak e n o n oise.

On ly you just let me be.

Four, on ly four— did he saySaved ! an d the other on es —Ehi

W hy do they call ?WVhy are they all

Lookin g an d comin g this way

W hat’s that —a message iI’ll take it.

ikn ow his wife, sir,I’ll break it.

Foreman !”Ay , ay !

Ou t by an d byJust saved his life.Say to his wifeSoon he’ll be free,”

Will I —G od bless you 7It

'

s me !

APPEND IX.

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580 MRS . SKAGGS’

S H USBANDS.

sen din g the thermometer up twen ty degreesin asman ymin utes,

drivin g the mu les to the Sparse shade of corralS an d fen ces,makin g the red dust in can descen t

,an d ren ewin g its old impe.

rion s aggression on the Spiked bosses of the con vex shield ofpin es that defen ded Table Moun tain . Thither by n in e o’clockall cooln ess had retreated, an d the outsides ” of the upstage plun ged their hot faces in its aromatic shadows asin water.

I t was the custom of the driver of the Win gdam coachto whip u phis horses an d en terAn gel ’s at that remarkablewhich thewoodcuts in the hotel bar-room[ous human ity as the usual rate of speed ofAt such times the habitu al expression of disan d lazy official severity which he wore on the box bin ten sified as the loun gers gathered about the vehicle, an dthe boldest ven tured to address him. I t was the Hon . JBeesu in ger, Member of Assembly, who to-day presu

perhaps rashly,on the stren gth of his official position .

An y political n ews from below, Bill ? he asked,

the latter slowly descen ded from his lofty perch, without, hoever, an y perceptible comin g down ofmien or man n er.

Not much, said B ill, with deliberate gravityPresiden t 0

’

the Un ited States hez n ’

t bin hisself sen srefoosed that seat in the Cabin et. The gin ral feelin

’

in p

tical circles is on e o’ regret.”Iron y

,even of this outrageous quality , was too co

An gel ’s to excite either a smile or a frown . Billtered the bar-room durin g a dry, dead silen ce, ina fain t Spirit of emulation survived.

Y e d idn ’

t brin g up that agin t o’ Rothschild’s this tripasked the baro k eeper, slowly, by way of vague con tributionthe prevailin g ton e of con versation .

No,

"respon ded Bill, with thoughtful exactitude.

said he could n ’

t look in ter that claim 0’

John son ’

s wit

con su ltin’

the Ban k 0’ En glan d.”

MRS. SKAGGS’S H USBANBS. 58 1

The Mr. John son here alluded to bein g presen t as th e fadedreveller the ban -keeper had lately pu t ou t, an d as the allegedclaim n otoriously possessed n o attraction s whatever to capitalists, expectation n aturally looked to him for some respon se tothis eviden t challen ge. H e did so by simply statmg thathe would “ take sugar in his

, an d by walkin g un steadilytoward the bar, as if acceptin g a festive in vitation . To the

credit of Bill, be it recorded that he did n ot attempt to correctthe mistake, bu t gravely touched glasses with him, an d after

H ere’s an other n ail in you r coffin ,”—a cheerful sento which An d all the hair off your head

,

”was play

dded by the others, —he threw off his liquor with adexterous movemen t of head an d elbow, an d stood

H ello, old major !” said Bill, sudden ly settin g down hisass. “Are you thereI t was a boy, who, becomin g bashfully con scious that this

et was addressed to him, retreated sideways to the doorwhere he stood beatin g his hat again st the door-post withsumption of in differen ce that his down cast bu t mirthfuleyes an d redden in g cheek scarcely bore ou t. Perhaps it

his size,perhaps it was to a certain cheru bic

an d figure,perhaps to a peculiar trustfu ln ess of

that he did n ot look half his age, which was really

ody in An gel’s kn ew the boy. Either un der the

title bestowed by Bill, or as Tom I slin gton ,” afteradopted father, his was a familiar presen ce in the settlet,an d the theme of much local criticism an d commen t.waywardn ess, in dolen ce an d un accoun table amiability—a

ity at on ce su Spiciou s an d gratuitous in a pion eer commulike An gel ’s—had often been the subj ect of fierce discus

an d reputable majority believed him destin edn ot quite so reputable, en joyed histhems elv es much about his fu tu re ;

582 MRS. SKAGGS’

S H USBANDS.

to on e or two the evil prediction s of the majority possessedneither n ovelty n or terror.

“ An ythin g for me, Bill ask ed the boy, half mechanically

,with the air ofrepeatin g some jocu lar formularypeun derstood by Bill.

An ythin’

for you echoed B ill, with an overacted severityequally well un derstood byTommy

,an ythin

’

for you NoAn d it

’

s my Opin ion there won ’

t be an ythin ’

foryou ez lon g ezyou han g aroun d bar-rooms an d spen d your valooable

with loafers an d bummers. Git

The reproof was accompan ied by a suitable exaggeratigesture (Bill had seized a decan ter), before which theretreated still good-humou redly. Bill followed him to the d“ Dern my Skin

,if he hezn ’

t gon e off with that hummeJohn son

,he added

,as he looked down the road.

‘Vhat’s he expec tin ’

, Bill ? asked the bar-keeper.

A letter from his aun t. Reckon he’ll hev to take it onin expectin

’

. Likely they’re glad to get shut o ’ him .

“ H e’

s leadin ’ a shiftless,idle life here,” in terposed

Member of Assembly.W ell

,

” said B ill, who n ever allowed an y on e bu t himto abuse his protége’, seciu ’ he ain ’

t expectin’

n o

the han ds of an en lighten ed con stitooen cy, it is

shiftless life .” After deliverin g this Parthian arrowgratuitous twan gin g of the bow to in dicate its offen s'son ality, B ill win k ed at the bar~keeper, Slowly resumeof immen se, bulgy bucksk in gloves, which gave his finappearan ce of bein g pain fully sore an d ban daged

,st

door without lookin g at an ybody, called ou t,A]

with a perfun ctory air of supreme in differen ce win vitation was heeded

,remoun ted his box

,an d drove

Perhaps it was well that he did so, for the con versation ce assumed a disrespectful attitude toward Tom an

relatives. I t was more than in timated that Tom’s

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584 MI8S. SA’

AGGS’

S H USBANDS.

I f “ it referred to some chan ge in the physiogn omy ofJohn son

,

“ it” had probably been “ fetched ” by the process

just in dicated. The head that wen t un der the pump waslarge

,an d clothed with bu shy

,un certain -coloured hair ; the

face was flushed,puffy

,an d expression less

,the eyes in j ected

an d fu ll. The head that came ou t from un der the pump wasof smaller size an d differen t shape

,the hair straight, dark,

an d sleek, the face pale an d hollowwheeked , the eyes brightan d restless. In the haggard

,n ervous ascetic that rose from

the horse- trough there was very little trace of the Bathat had bowed there a momen t before. Familiar asmu st have been with the Spectacle

,he could n ot help 1

in qu irin gly a t the trou gh , as if expectin g to see some tracesof the previous John son in its shallow depths.A n arrow strip of willow

,alder

,an d buckeye—a mere

dusty, ravelled frin ge of the green man tle that swept the highshou lders of Table Moun tain—lapped the edge of the corral.The silen t pair were quick to avail themselves of even its

scan t shelter from the overpowerin g su n . They had n ot

proceeded far, before John son , who was walkin g quite rapidly

in advan ce,sudden ly brought himself up

, an d turn ed to hiscompan ion with an in terrogative Eh

I didn ’

t speak,” said Tommy, quietly.\Vho said you Spoke ? ” said John son , with a quick look

of cun n in g. In course you didn ’

t Speak,an d I d idn ’

t

Speak, n either. Nobody spoke. W ot makes you thin k youSpoke ?” he con tin ued, peerin g curiously in to Tommy’seyes.The smile which habitually shon e there quickly van ished

as the boy stepped quietly to his compan ion ’s side, an d tookhis arm without a word .

“ I n co u rse you didn ’t speak, Tommy, said John son ,deprecatin gly. Y ou ain ’

t a boy to go for to play an 010

soak er like me. Thet’s wot I like you for. Thet

’

s what Iseed in you from the first. I sez, Thet ’

ere boy a in ’

t goin ’

MRS. SKA GGS’S H USBANDS. 585

to play you , John son ! Y ou can go your whole pile on him,

when you can ’

t tru st even a bar-keep . ’ Thet’

s what I said .

Eh

This time Tommy pruden tly took n o n otice of the in ter~rogation

,an d John son wen t on Ef I was to ask you

an other question, you wouldn ’

t go to play me n either,would you

,Tommy

N said the boy.Ef I was to ask you

,

” con tin ued John son , withoutheedin g the reply

,bu t with a growin g an xiety of eye an d a

n ervous twitchin g of his lips—“ef I was to ask you , fu r

if that was a jackass rabbit thet j est passed,— eh ?say it was or was n ot, ez the case may be . Y ou

ou ldn’

t play the ole man on thetNo

,said Tommy

,quietly “ it was a j ackass rabbit.

Ef I was to ask you,

” con tin ued John son , “ef it wore,

fu r in stan ce,a green hatwith yaller ribbon s, you wouldn ’

t

me,an d say it did

,on less

,—he added , with in ten sified

on less it did .

”

No,said Tommy, of course I wouldn ’

t ; bu t then , youit did .

”

I t did ? ”I t did !” repeated Tommy, stoutly a green hat with

ribbon s— an d— an d— a red rosette.I didn ’t get to see the ros-ette,” said John son , with slowcon scien tious deliberation , yet with an eviden t sen se off but that ain ’

t sayin ’it warn

’

t there,you kn ow.

my glan ced quietly at his compan ion . There wereeads of perspiration on his ashen -grey forehead an d on

of his lan k hair ; the han d which twitched spasmohis was cold an d clammy 5 the o ther, which wasa vague

,purposeless

,j erky ac tivity

,as if attached

deran ged mechan ism . lVithou t any apparen t con

586 MRS. SA’

AGGS’

S [JUSBANDS

on a log, mo tion ed his compan ion to a place besideJohn son obeyed without a word. Slight as was the

perhaps n o other in ciden t of their sin gular companio

in dicated as completely the domin an ce of this careless , halfaeffemin ate

,bu t self-possessed boy over this doggedly self

willed, abn ormally excited man .

“ I t ain ’

t the Square thin g,” said John son , after a pause,with a laugh that was n either mirthful n or musical

,an d

frighten ed away a lizard that had been regardin g the pairwith breathless suspen se it ain ’

t the square thin g forjackass rabbits to wear hats

,Tommy ; is it, eh ?

W ell, said Tommy, with unmoved composure, “ some

times they do an d sometimes they don ’

t. An imals are mightyqueer. An d here Tommy wen t Off in an an imated

,bu t

regret to say, utterly un truthful an d un trustworthy accoun tthe habits of Californ ia faun a, un til he was in terru ptedJohn son .

“ An d sn akes,eh, Tommy ? said the man , with

abstrac ted air, gazin g in ten tly on the groun d before him.

“ An d sn akes,

” said Tommy ; “ bu t they don ’

t

least,n ot that kin d you see . Therc !— don ’

t move,

B en,don ’

t move ! they’re gon e n ow. An d it’s about

you took your dose.John son had hurriedly risen as if to leap upon the log

Tommy had as qu ickly caught his arm with on e han dhe drew a bottle from his pock et with the oth

paused, an d eyed the bottle. Ef you say so, my bfaltered

,as his fin gcrs closed n ervously aroun dit ; “ say

then .

”H e raised the bottle to his lips an d took a lo

draught, the boy regardin g him critically.When

,

’

said Tommy,sudden ly .

John son started, flushed, an d return ed the bottle quick

B u t the colour that had risen to his cheek stayed teye grew less restless, an d as they moved away againthat rested on Tommy’

s shoulder was steadier

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583 MRS. SKA GGS’S H USBANDS.

as the s u n had heated the little cabin almost to the poin tof combustion

,curlin g up the lon g d ry shin gles , an d startin g

aromatic tears from the green pin e beams, Tommy ledJohn son in to on e of the larger open in gs

,an d with a sen se of

satisfaction threw himself pan tin g upon its rocky floor. H erean d there the grateful dampn ess was con den sed in quiet pools ofwater

,or in a mon oton ous an d soothin g drip from the rock s

above. W ithout lay the starin g sun light,—colou rless, clarified ,in ten se.For a few momen ts they lay restin g on their elbows in

blissful con templation of the heat they had escaped. W ot

do you say,” said John son , slowly, without lookin g at hiscompan ion

,bu t abstractedly addressin g himself to the lan d

scape beyon d,—“ wot do you say to two straight games furon e thousan d dollars ? ”

“ Make it five thousan d, replied Tommy, reflectively, alsoto the lan dscape, an d I

’

m in .

W ot do I owe you n ow?”said Jobn son , after a lengthen e

silen ce.On e hun dred an d seven ty-five thousan d two hun dred

fifty dollars,” replied Tommy, with busin ess-like gravity.W ell.” said John son , after a deliberation commen surate

with the magn itude of the tran saction , ef you win , call it ahun dred an d eighty thousan d

, roun d. War’s the k eerds

They were in an Old tin box in a crevice of a rock abovehis head . They were greasy an d worn with service. John sondealt

,albeit his right han d was still u n certain ,—hovering,

after droppin g the cards, a imlessly about Tommy, an d beingon ly recalled by a stron g n ervous efl

'

ort. Y et, n otwithstan d

in g this in capacity for even hon est man ipulation , Mr. John soncovertly turn ed a kn ave from the bottom of the pack withsuch shameless in efficien cy an d gratuitous un skilfuln ess, thateven Tommywas obliged to cough an d look elsewhere to hidehis embarrassmen t. Possibly for this reason the young gentleman was himself con strain ed, by way of correction , to add

MRS. SKAGGS ’S H USBANDS. 589

a valu able card to his own han d, over an d above the n umberne legitimately held .Nevertheless, the gamewas un excitin g, an d dragged listlessly.John son won . H e recorded the fact an d the amoun t with astub of pen cil an d shakin g fin gers in wan derin g hieroglyphicsall over a pocket diary. Then there was a lon g pause

,when

John son slowly drew somethin g from his pocket, an d held it

u p before his compan ion . I t was apparen tly a dull redston e.

“ Ef,said John son

,slowly, with his . Old look of simple

cun n in g , ef you happen ed to pick u p sich a rock ez that.Tommy

,what might you say it was ?

Don ’t kn ow,

” said Tommy.Mightn ’

t you say,” con tin u ed John son , cautiously, “ thatitwas gold , or silverNeither

,

” said Tommy, promptly.Mightn ’t you say it was quicksilver ? Mightn ’t you say

that ef thar was a frien d 0’

yourn ez kn ew war to go an dturn ou t ten ton of it a day, an d every ton worth two thousan ddollars, that he had a soft thin g , a very soft thin g,—allowin

’

,

Tommy, that you used sich lan guage, which ‘

you don ’t“ Bu t,

” said the boy, comin g to the poin t with great directn ess, “ do you k n ow where to get it ? have you struck it,Un cle Ben ? ”John son look ed carefully arou n d . I hev, Tommy. Listen .

I kn ow whar thar’s cartloads Of it. Bu t thar’s on ly on e otherspecimen—the mate to this yer—thet’s above groun d

,an d

thet’

s in’

Frisco .! Thar’s an agin t comin ’ up in a day or twoto look in to it. I sen t for him. Eh

His bright, restless eyes were con cen trated on Tommy’s facen ow,

bu t the boy Showed n either surprise n or in terest. Leastof all did he betray an y recollection of B ill’s iron ical an dgratuitous corroboration Of this part Of the story.

Colloquial for San Fran cisco.

590 MRS. SKAG‘

G‘

S’S H USBANDS.

Nobody kn ows it,” con tin ued John son , in a n ervou swhisper

,n obody kn ows it bu t you an d the agin tin ’

FriscoThe boys workin ’

roun d yar passes by an d sees the old mangru bbin away, an d n o sign s 0’ colour

,n ot even rotten quartz

the boys loafiin ’roun d the Man sion H ouse sees the Old man

lyin’

roun d free i‘i bar-rooms,an d they lau ghs an d sez

,

Played ou t,

’

an d spects n othin ’

. Maybe ye thin k theyspects su thin n ow,

eh ? ” queried John son , sudden ly, with a

sharp look of suspicion .

Tommy looked up, shook his head, threw a ston e at a

passin g rabbit, bu t did n ot rreply.

“ W hen I fust set eyes on you,Tommy,” con tin ued John son ,

apparen tly reassured, the fust day you kem an d pumped forme

,an en tire stran ger, an d hevin n o call to do it

,I sez

,

John son , John son ,

’ sez I, yer’

s a boy you kin trust. Y er’

s

a boy that won ’

t play you ; yer’s a chap that’s white an dsquare

,

’—white an d square, Tommy : them’s the very wordsI used .He paused for a momen t, an d then wen t on in a con fiden tial

whisper, “ ‘You wan t capital , John son ,

’ sez I,

‘to develop yourresources

, an d you wan t a pardn er. Capital you can sendfor, but your pardn er, JOhn son ,—your pardn er is right yer.An d his n ame

,it is Tommy Islin gton .

’

Them’s the verywords I used .”H e stepped an d chafed his clammy han ds upon his k n ees.

“ I t’

s six mon ths ago sen s I made you my pardn er. Thar ain ’

t

a lick I ’ve struck sen s then,Tommy

,thar ain ’

t a han’fu l o’

yearth I ’ve washed, thar ain ’

t a shovelful 0’ rock I ’ve turn edover

,bu t I tho ’t 0

’ you. ‘Share,an d Share alike

,

’

sez I .

W hen I wrote to my agin t, I wrote ek al for my pardn er,Tommy I slin gton , he hevin n o call to k n ow ef the samewas man or boy.”H e ha zl moved n earer the boy

,an d would perhaps have

laid his han d caressin gly u pon him,bu t even in his man ifest

affec tion there was a sin gu lar elemen t of awed restrain t an d

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59 3 MRS. SKAGGS’

S H USBANDS.

doctor here .’ H e shews me. I sez to him,

‘Salviated

merk ery,-a year’s stan din ’

,—how much ? ’ He sez

,

‘F

thousan d dollars, an d take two 0’

these pills at bedtime,an

an ekil n umber 0’ powders at meals

,an d come back in

week.’ An d I goes back in a week, cured, an d sign sc ertifikit to that effect.

En couraged by a look of in terest in Tommy’s eye,wen t on .

SO I gets cured. I goes to the barkeep’, an d I sez ‘Sh

me the biggest,fashion blest house thet’s for sale yer.

he sez, ‘The biggest n at’

rally belon gs to John JacobAn d I sez

,

‘Show him,

’an d he Shows him . An d

‘W ot might you ask for this yer house ? ’ An d heme scorn ful, an d sez , Go

’way, old man you must

An d I fetches him on e over the left eye,an d he ap

an d I gives him his own price for the house . I sto

house with mohogan y furn iture an d pervision s, an d tharlives

,—you an d me

,Tommy, you an d me

The su n n o lon ger shon e upon the hillside. The shade

of the pin es were begin n in g to creep over John son ’s claian d the air within the cavern was growin g chill. I n

gatherin g darkn ess his eyes shon e brightly as he wen tThen thar comes a day when we gives a big spread.in vites govn ers , members 0’ Con gress, gen tlemen o’ fashan d the like. An d amon g ’em I in vites a man as holdshead very high, a man I on ce kn ew ; bu t hekn ows him, an d he doesn ’

t remember me.an d he Sits Opposite me

,an d I watches him.

airy, this man

,an d very chipper

,an d he wi

with a white han dkercher, an d he smiles, an deye . An d he sez, A glass 0’ win e with you ,an d he fills his glass an d I fills min e ,heaves that win e, glass an d all, right inface. An d he jumps for me, for he ivery game,—bu t some on

MRS. SKAGGS ’S H USBANDS. 503

be you ?’An d I sez, ‘Skaggs ! damn you , Skaggs ! Look

at me ! G imme back my wife an d child, gimme back

the mon ey you stole, gimme back the good n ame youtook away, gimme back the health you ruin ed

,gimme

back the last twelve years ! G ive ’em to me. damn you,quick, before I cuts your heart ou t !

’An d n aterally,

Tommy, he can ’

t do it. An d so I cuts his heart ou t,my

boy I cuts his heart ou t.The purely an imal fury of his eye sudden ly chan ged again

to cun n in g. Y ou thin k thev han gs me for it,Tommy

,bu t

they don ’

t. Not much, Tommy. I goes to the biggestlawyer there

,an d I says to him

, Salviated by merk ery—you

hear me,—salviated by merk ery.

’

An d he win ks at me,

he goes to the j u dge, an d he sez , ‘This yer u n fortn et

isn ’

t respon sible,—he’s been salviated bymerk ery.

’

An d

rin gs witn esses ; you comes, Tommy, an d you sez ez

you’ve seen me took bad afore ; an d the doctor, hes,an d he sez as how he ’s seen me frightful ; an d the

without leavin ’

their seats,brin gs in a verd ict O

’ justiin san ity

,—salviated by merk ery.

”

the excitemen t of his climax he had risen to his feet,ould have fallen had n ot Tommy caught him an d led hime Open air. I n this sharper light there was an oddvisible in his yellow-white face,—a chan ge whichTommy to hurriedly support him,

half leadin g,half

g him toward the little cabin . W hen they hadTommy placed him on a rude bun k, or shelf,for a momen t in an xious con templation of the

man before him . Then he said rapidlye Ben . I

’

m goin ’ to town—to town , youthe doctor. Y ou're n ot to get up or move

accoun t un til I return . Do you hear ? ” John sonviolen tly. I

’ll be back in two hours .” I n an other

t he was gon e.an hour John son kept his word. Then he sudden ly

Q Q

594 MRS. SKAGGS’S H USBANDS.

sat u p, an d began to gaze fixedly at a corn er of the cabin .

From gazing at it he began to smile, from smilin g at it hebegan to talk, from talkin g at it he began to scream,

fromscreamin g he passed to cursin g an d sobbin g wildly. Then helay quiet again .

H e was so 'still that to merely human eyes he might haveseemed asleep or dead. Bu t a squirrel

, that, embolden ed bythe stilln ess, had en tered from the roof, stopped short upon a .

beam above the bun k, for he saw that the man ’s foot wasSlowly an d cautiously movin g toward the floor

,an d that the

man ’s eyes were as in ten t an d watchful as his own . Pre

sen tly, still without a soun d, both feet were upon the floor.An d then the bun k creaked, an d the squirrel whisk ed in tothe eaves of the roof. W hen he peered forth again

,every

thin g was quiet, an d the man was gon e.An hour later two muleteers on the Placerville Road passed

a man with dishevelled hair,glarin g

,bloodshot eyes, an d

clothes torn with bramble an d stain ed with the red dust ofthe moun tain . They pursued him

,when he turn ed fiercely

on e foremost,wrested a pistol from his grasp, an d broke

away. Later still, when the su n had dropped behin d Payn e’sRidge

,the un derbrush on Deadwood Slope

stealthy bu t con tin uous tread. I t must havewhose dimly outlin ed bulk

,in the gatherin g darkn ess,

here an d there in vague bu t in cessan t motion ; it 0n othin g bu t an an imal whose utteran ce was at on ce soheren t

,mon oton ous

, an d un remittin g. Y et,when the s

came n earer,an d the Chaparral was parted it seemed to

man,an d that man John son .

“Above the brayin g of phan tasmal houn ds that pressedhard an d drove him on

,with n ever rest or mercy ; above

lashin g Of a spectral whip that curled abouthis ears

,an d con tin ually stun g

cries Of the un clean shapes thcould still distin guish on e real S

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596 MRS. SKA CGS’S H USBANDS.

across the river. The rattlin g of harn ess an d hoofs foretoldfor many min utes the approach of the W in gdam coach, thatat last

,with flashin g lights, passed within a few feet of the

rock. Then for an hour all again was quiet. Presen tly themoon

,roun d an d full

,lifted herself above the serried 1idge

an d looked down upon the river. At first the bared peak ofDeadwood H ill gleamed white an d skull- like. Then the

shadow’s of Payn e’s Ridge cast on the slope Slowly san k away,leavin g the un shapely stumps , the dusty fissures

,an d clin gin g

outcrop of Deadwood Slope to stan d ou t in black an d silver.Still stealin g softly down ward , the moon light touched the

ban k an d the rock,an d then glittered brightly on the river.

The rock was bare an d the man was gon e, bu t the river stillhurried swiftly to the sea.

Is there an ythin g for me ? asked Tommy I slin gton,as

, a

week after, the stage drew up at the Man sion H ouse, an d

B ill Slowly en tered the bar-room.

B ill did n ot reply,bu t, turn in g to a stran ger who had

en tered with him,in dicated with a jerk of his fin ger the boy.

The stran ger tu rn ed with an air half Of busin ess, half of

curiosity, an d looked critically at Tommy.I s there an ythin g for me repeated Tommy, a little con

fused at the silen ce an d scrutiny.B ill walked deliberately to the bar, an d , placin g his bae

again st it,faced Tommy with a look of demu re en j oymen t.

“ Ef,

” he remarked , slowly, ef a hun dred the

dollars down an d half a million in perspek tive is en nyMaj or, THERE IS I

”

MRS. SKA GGS ’S H USBANDS. 597

PART I I . -EAST.

T was characteristic of An gel’s that the disappearan ce ofJohn son ,

an d the fact that he had left his en tire property to Tommy , thrilled the commun ity b u t slightly in com

parison with the astoun din g discovery that he had an ythin gto leave . The fin din g of a cin n abar lode atAn gel’s absorbedall collateral facts or subsequen t details. Prospectors fromadj oin in g camps thron ged the settlemen t ; the hillside for amile on either side of John son ’s claim was stak ed ou t an d

pre- empted ; trade received a sudden stimulu s ; an d

,in the

excited rhetoric of the Weekly Record ,” a n ew era had

broken upon An gel ’s .” “ On Thu rsday last,

”added that

paper, “ over five hun dred dollars was tak en in over the barof the Man sion H ouse .”Of the fate of John son there was little doubt. H e hadbeen last seen lyin g on a boulder on the river—ban k by outsidepassen gers of the Win gdam n ight coach , an d when Fin n of

Robin son ’s Ferry admitted to have fired three shots from a

volver a t a dark Object s tru ggling in the water n ear the

rry, which he “ suspicion ed ” to be a bear, the questionemed to be settled. \Vhatever might have been the fallility Of his j u dgmen t

,of the accuracy of his aim there could

doubt. The gen eral belief that John son ,after pos

ssin g himself of the muleteer’s pis tol, could have ru n- a

u ck,gave a certain retributive justice to this story, which

n dered it acceptable to the camp .

I t was also characteristic of A n gel’s that n o feelin g of en vyOpposition to the good fortun e of Tommy I slin gton preiled there . That he was thoroughly cogn isan t, from the

John son ’s d iscovery,that his atten tion s to him were

ed,calculatin g

,an d Speculative , was, however, the

belief of the majority, - a belief that,sin gularly

awaken ed the fi rs t feelin gs“

of gen uin e respect for

598 MRS. SKA GGS ’S H USBANDS.

Tommy ever shown by the camp . He ain ’

t n o fool ; YubaB ill seed thet from the first

,

” said the barkeeper. I t was

Yuba Bill who applied for the guardian ship Of Tommy afterhis accession to John son ’s claim

,an d on whose bon ds the

richest men Of Calaveras were represen ted. I t was YubaB ill

,also

,when Tommywas sen t East to fin ish his education ,

accompan ied him to San Fran cisco , an d before partin g withhis charge on the steamer’s deck, drew him aside, an d said ,Ef .at en n y time you wan t en n y mon ey, Tommy, over an d

’bove your ’lowan ce,you kin write ; bu t ef you’ll take my

advice,

” he added,with a sudden hu skin ess mitigatin g the

severity of his voice, you’ll forget every dern ed ole Spavin ed,

strin g-halted bummer as you ever met or k n ew at An gel’s,

ev’ry on e, Tommy,—every on e ! An d so—boy—take

of yourself—an d— an d—God bless ye,an d pertik erly d

—n

me for a first-class A 1 fool. I t was Yuba Bill,also

,after

this speech,glared savagely aroun d

, walked down the crowdedgan g-plan k with a rigid an d aggressive Shoulder

,picked a

quarrel with his cabman,an d

,after bun dlin g that fu n ction ary

in to his own vehicle, took the rein s himself, an d drove fu riou sly to his hotel. I t cost me

,

” said Bill,recoun tin g the”

occurren ce somewhat later at An gel’s,—“ it cost me a matter

0’

twen ty dollars afore the j edge the n ext morn in’

bu t you

kin bet high thet I tau ght them ’

Frisco chaps su thin n ew

about drivin ’

. I didn ’

t make it lively in Mon tgomery Streetfor about ten min utes—O n o

An d so by degrees the two origin al locaters of the greatC in n abar Lode faded from the memory of An gel ’s, an d Calaveras kn ew them n o more . I n five years their very n amhad been forgotten ; in seven the n ame of the it

chan ged ; in ten the town itself was tran sportedthe hillside

,an d the chimn ey sf the Un ion Smelti

by night flickered like a corpse—light over the site ofcabin

, an d by day poison ed the pure 5

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boo MRS. SKA GGS’

S H USBANDS.

I hope n ot,said Rose, simply. Sun rises are very

tryin g. Look how that pin k regularly puts ou t Mrs . Brown 'Robin son

,hair an d all !”

“ The an gels,” said the Coun t de Nugat, with a politegestu re towards the Sky, must have fin d these celestialcombin ation s very bad for the toilette ”

They re safe in white,except when they sit for their

pictures in V en ice,

” said Blan che . “ H ow fresh Mr. I slin gton looks I t

’

s really un complimen tary to us .I suppose the su n / recogn ises in me n o rival

,said the

youn g man,demurely. “ Bu t

,

” he added , I have livedmuch in the open air

,an d require very little sleep .

H ow delightful said Mrs . Brown -Robin son,in a low,

en thusiastic voice,an d a man n er that held the glowin g

sen timen t of sixteen an d the practical experien ces Of thirtytwo in dan gerous combin ation ; how perfectly delightfu l !W hat sun rises you must have seen

,an d in such wild

,roman tic

places H ow I en vy.you My n ephewwas a class-mateyours, an d has Often repeated to me those charmin g storieyou tell of your adven tures . W on ’

t you tell some n ow ?Do ! How you must tire of us an d this artificial life here,so frightfully artificial, you kn ow ! (in a con fiden tialwhisper) an d then to thin k of the days when you roamedthe great W es t with the I n dian s, an d the bison s, an d the

grizzly bears ! Of course, you have seen grizzly bears an d

bison sOf course he has, clear, said Blan che, a little pettishly,

throwin g a cloak Over her Shoulders, an d seizing her ckaperonby the arm his earliest in fan cy was soothed by bison s, an dhe proudly poin ts to the grizzly bear as the playmate Of hisyouth . Come with me , an d I ’ll tell you all about it. H ow

good it is of you, She added, sotto voce, to I slin gton , as hestood by the carriage how perfectly good it is of you to belike those an imals you tell us of, an d n ot kn owyour full power.Thin k, with your experien ces an d ou r credulity, what stories

MRS. SKA GGS ’S

‘ H USBANDS. 60 1

mil/kt tell ! An d you are goin g to walk ? G ood n ight,

A Slim , gloved han d was fran kly exten ded from the win dow,d the n ext momen t the carriage rolled away.I sn ’

t Islin gton throwin g away a chan ce there ? ” saidtain Merwin

,on the veran da .

‘Perhaps he couldn ’t stan d my lovely aun t’s superaddedresen ce. B u t

,then

,he’s the guest of Blan che’s father, an d

dare say they see en ough of each other,as it is .”

Bu t isn ’

t it a rather dan gerous situation ? ”For him ,

perhaps ; although he’s awfully old, an d veryFor her, with an experien ce that takes in all thee men in both hemispheres

,en d in g with Nugat over

shou ld say a man more or less wouldn ’

t affect herso,

” he laughed “ these are the accen tsbittern ess. B u t that was last year.

Perhaps I slin gton did n ot overhear the speaker ; perhaps ifdid

,the criticism was n ot n ew. H e turn ed carelessly away

,

d saun tered ou t on the road to the sea . Then ce he strolledhe san ds towards the cliffs,where,meetin g an impedimen tShape of a garden wall, he leaped it with a certain agile,ease an d experien ce

,an d struck across an open lawn

e rocks again . The best society of Greyport wereisers

,n d the spectacle Of a trespasserin an even in g

ed on ly the criticism of grooms han gin g about theclean ly housemaids on the broad veran das that in

t architecture dutifully gave upon the sea . On lyhe en tered the boun daries of Cliffwood Lodge, theseat of Renwyck Masterman

,was he aware of

u tin y ; bu t a slouchin g figure that van ishede lodge Offered n o Opposition to his progress.pathway to the lodge

,I slin gton kep t alon g the

achin g a little promon tory an d rustic pavilion ,gazed upon the sea.an in fin ite peace stole upon him . Except

60 2 MRS. SKAGGS ’S H USBANDS.

where the waves lapped lazily the crags below,the vast expan se

beyon d seemed un broken by ripple,heavin g on ly in broad,

pon derable Sheets , an d rhythmically, as if s till in sleep . The

air was filled with a l umin ous haze, that caught an d held thed irect sun beams . I n the deep calm that lay upon the sea, itseemed to I slin gton that all the ten dern ess of culture, magicOf wealth, an d spell of refin emen t that for years had wroughtupon that favoured shore had exten ded its gracious in fluen ceeven here . W hat a pampered an d caressed Old ocean it was ;cajoled

,flattered, an d fe’ted where it lay ! An odd recollec

of the turbid Stan islaus hurryin g by the ascetic pin es, ofgrim outlin es of Deadwood H ill

,swam before his eyes,

made the yellow green of the velvet lawn an d graceful folseem almost tropical by con trast. An d

,lookin g up

,a

yards distan t he beheld a tall slip Of a girl gazin g u ponsea—B lan che Masterman .

She had plucked somewhere a large fan -Shaped leaf,she held parasol-wise, shadin g the blon d masses of hean d hidin g her gray eyes. She had chan ged herdress, with its amplitude of floun ce an d train

,for a cl

fittin g half-an tique habit whose scan t outlin es wouldbeen tryin g to limbs less shapely, bu t whichthe graceful curves an d sweepin g lin es of

goddess . As I slin gton rose she came toward hima fran kly outstretched han d an d un con strain ed man n er.

she Observed him first ? I don ’

t kn ow.

They sat down together on a rustic seat,Mis s Blan

facin g the sea, an d Shadin g her eyes with the leaf.I don ’

t really kn ow how lon g I have been Sittin gsaid I slin gton , or whether I have n ot been actually aan d dreamin g. I t seemed too lovely a morn in g to go toB u t you ?

”

From behin d the leaf, it appeared that Miss Blanretiring had been pursued by a hideous win ged efied the efforts of herself an d maid to d

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604 MRS. SKA GGS’S H USBANDS.

They had bo th risen as by a common in stin ct.G ood-bye .”

The cool flower-like han d lay in his for an in stan t.W ill you oblige me by puttin g aside that leaf a mom

before I go ? ”Bu t my eyes are red , an d I look like a perfect fright.

Y et,after a lon g pause

,the leaf fluttered down

,an d a

of very beautiful bu t withal very clear an d critical eyeshis. I slin gton was con strain ed to look away. W henturn ed again ,

She was gon e .Mister Hislin gton ,—sir

I t was Chalker, the En glish groom, ou t of breathru n n in g .

Seein’ you alon e

,Sir

,beg your pardon , sir, bu t there’s

personA person ! what the Devil do you mean

En glish—1 1 0,damn it

,I mean don ’

t,

” said I slin gton,

pishly.

I sed a person,sir. Beg pardon—n o offen ce—bu t n

gen t,sir. I n the lib

’

ry.

A little amused even through the utter dissatisfactionhimself an d vague lon elin ess that had sudden ly comehim

,I slin gton ,

as he walked toward the lodge, asked,isn ’

t he a gen t ? ”“ No gen t—beggin ’ your pardin ,

sir—u d gu y a mansarvis

,sir. Takes me ’an ds so

, Sir, as I sits in the rumblethe gate

,an d puts ’em down d so , sir, an d ses, ‘Pu t

’emyour pocket

,youn g man

,—or is it a road agin t you expects

see, that you ’

Olds hu p your ’an ds han d crosses ’em likethat

,

’ ses he. Old’ard

,

’

sez he,

on the Short curves,you’ll bust your precious crust,’ ses he. An d hasks for yosir. This way, sir.

”

They en tered the lodge . I slin gton hurried down the 1G othic hall, an d Open ed the library door.I n an arm-chair

,in the cen tre of the room

,a man

MRS. SKAGGS’S H USBANDS. 605

paren tly con templatin g a large, stiff, yellow hat, with an

lOI‘

IIl OllS brim ,that was placed on the floor before him . His

1n ds rested lightly between his kn ees,bu t on e foot was

awn up at the side of his chair in a peculiar man n er. I n

e first glan ce that I slin gton gave,the attitude in some Odd ,

°

econ cileable way suggested a brake. I n an other momen tdashed across the room, an d , holdin g ou t both han ds, cried ,Yuba BillThe man rose, caught Islin gton by the shoulders, wheeledm roun d , hu gged him ,

felt Of his ribs like a good-n atured;re, Shook his han ds violen tly, laughed, an d then said, some !hat ruefully, An d how ever did you kn ow meSeein g that Y uba Bill eviden tly regarded himself as in

elaborate disguise,I slin gton laughed, an d suggested that

been in stin ct.you ? ” said Bill

,holdin g him at arm’s len gth

,an d

yin g him critically,—“ you !—toe thin k—toe thin k—a

cuss n o higher n or a trace,a boy as I ’ve flicked outer the

with a whip time in agin,a boy ez n ever hed much

to speak of, turn ed in to a sport !”gton remembered, with a thrill Of lud icrous terror, thatwere his even in g dress.

Y uba Bill,severely

,

“ turn ed in togarson g ! Eh

,Alfon se, brin g me a

demmeold chap

,said I slin gton

,laughin g

,an d tryin g to

n d over Bill’s bearded mouth , bu t you—you don ’

t

tly like yourself ! Y ou’re n ot well, Bill.” An d,

he turn ed toward the light, B ill’s eyes appeareds,an d his hair an d beard thickly streaked with

be it’s this yer harn ess, said Bill , a little an xiously.I hitches on this yer curb ” (he in dicated a massive

with en ormous lin ks) , “ an d moun ts this(he poin ted to a very large solitaire pin

606 MRS. SKAGGS’

S H USBANDS.

which had the appearan ce of blisterin g his whole Shirtit kin der weighs heavy on me, Tommy. Otherwise , I

right,my boy

,-all right.” Bu t he evaded I slin gton ’

s

eye , an d turn ed from the light.Y ou have somethin g to tell me

,Bill

,said I slin gt

sudden ly, an d with almost brusque directn ess ; ou t withBill did n ot speak, bu t moved un easily toward his hat.Y ou didn ’t come three thousan d miles, without

warn in g, to talk to me of old times,

” said I slin gton,

kin dly,glad as I would have been to see you . I t isn

’

way, Bill , an d you kn w it. W e shall n ot be disturbedhe added

,in reply to an in quirin g glan ce that Bill dire

the door,

an d I am ready to hear you .”Firstly, then ,” said Bill, drawin g his chair n earer I sl

ton ,an swer me on e question , Tommy, fair an d square

,

up an d down .

”

Go on ,” said I slin gton

,with a Slight smile.

Ef I Should say to you , Tommy, - say to you to ~

right here,you must come with me

,- you must leave

place for a mon th,a year

,two years

,maybe

,perhaps f

—is there an ythin g that u d keep you,

-an ythin g, my byou couldn ’

t leaveNO, said Tommy

,quietly ; I am on ly visitin g

I thought of leavin g Greyport to-day.B u t if I should say to you, Tommy, come with me

pccsear to Chin y, to Japan , to South Ameriky, p’

r’

aps,

you goY es

,said I slin gton

,after a slight pause.

Thar isn ’

t en n ythin g ,” said B ill, drawin g a little

an d lowerin g his voice con fiden tially, en nythin g in t

of a youn g woman ,—you u n derstan d, Tommy—ez

You ? They’re mighty sweet about here ; an dis youn g or old, Tommy, there’s always sombrake or whip to him !”I n a certain excited bittern ess that charact

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608 MRS. SKAG'

GS’S H USBANDS.

I warn’

t a fool . Thar was you , win nin ’

your way in collegethar was you ,

risin’

in the world, an d of some accoun t to itY er was an Old bummer

,ez good ez dead to it,—a man ez

ou ghter been d ead afore ! a man ez n ever den ied it ! Bu t

you allus liked him better n or me,

” said Bill,bitterly.

Forgive me,Bill ,” said the youn g man

,seizin g both his

han ds. I kn ow you did it for the best, bu t go on .

“ Thar ain ’

t much more to tell, n or much use to tell it, as Ican see

,

”said Bill

,moodily. H e n ever could be cured, the

doctors said,for he had what they called mon oman ia,—was

always talkin g about his wife an d darter that somebody hadstole away years ago , an d plan n in ’

reven ge on that somebody.An d six mon ths ago he was missed . I tracked him to Carson ,

to Salt Lake City,to Omaha

,to Chicago , toNew Y ork,—an d

here .”H ere echoed I slin gton .

H ere An d that’s what brin gs me here to-day. W hethers

he’

s crazy or well,whethers he’s hu n tin ’

y ou or lookin ’

u p

that other man,you must get away from here . Y ou mustn ’

t

see him. Y ou an d me,Tommy, will go away on a cruize.

I n three or four years he’ll be dead or missin g, an d then we’llcome back. Come .” Au d he rose to his feet.

Bill,

” said Islin gton , risin g also,an d takin g the han d of

his frien d, with the same quiet obstin acy that in the oldhad en deared him to B ill

,wherever he is

,here

san e or crazy, I shall seek an d fin d him . Eve

have shall be his,every dollar that I have

retu rn ed to him. I am youn g yet, than k God , an d can w

an d if there is a way ou t of this miserable busin ess,I

fin d it.

I kn ew,said B ill

,with a surlin ess that ill con ce

eviden t admiration of the calm figure before him,

the partikler style of d—n fool that you was, an d expectedbetter. G ood-bye, then—God Almighty who’s that ?”He was on his wav to the Open Fren ch win dow,

bu t h

MRS. SKAGGS’S H USBANDS. 609

tarted back , his face quite white an d bloodless, an d his eyestarin g . I slin gton ran to the win dow,

an d looked ou t. A

hite Skirt van ished arou n d the corn er of the veran da . W henreturn ed, B ill had dropped in to a chair.“ I t must have been Miss Masterman , I think bu t what’se matter ?”Nothin g. said Bill, fain tly have you got any whiskey

han dyI slin gton brought a decan ter

,an d, pourin g ou t some Spirits,

an ded the glass to B ill. Bill drain ed it, an d then said.W ho is Miss MastermanMr. Masterman

’

s daughter ; that is , an adopted daughterbchc ve .

W ot n ameI really don ’t kn ow,

” said I slin gton,pettishly,more vexed

an he cared to own at this question in g .Y uba B ill rose an d walked to the win dow,

closed it,walked

glan ced a t I slin gton,hesitated

,an d

idu’t tell you I was married , did I ? ” he said, sudoohin g up in I slin gton

’s face with an un successful

at a reckless laugh.said I slin gton ,

more pain ed at the man n er than the

Fact,said Yuba Bill . Three years ago it was

,Tommy,

ree years agoe looked so hard at I slin gton

, that, feelin g he waseted to say somethin g, he asked vaguely, W ho did you

het’s it !” said Yuba B ill ; can ’

t ezactly say ; parthough

,a she d evil gen erally

,the wife of half-a-dozen

men .

omed,apparen tly

,to have his conjugal in felicities a

mirth amon g men , an d seein g n o trace Of amuseI slin gton

’

s grave face, his dogged, reckless man n erB n

6 1 0 .MRS. SKA GGS’S H USBANDS.

soften ed, an d, drawin g his chair closer to I slin gton , he

on :“ I t all began outer this : we was comin g down IVatson ’

grade on e n ight pretty free, when the expressman turn s to man d sez , There’s a row in side

,an d you’d better pull up

pulls up, an d ou t hops,

first a woman,an d then two or

chaps swearin g an d oursin ’

,an d tryin

’to

them. Then it’pear’d

, Tommy, thet it was tdrun ken husban d they was goin g to pu t ou t foran d strikin

’

her in the coach ; an d if it hadn ’

t

my boy, they’d hev left that chap thar in the road.

matters up by puttin g her alon gside 0’ me on the box ,we drove on . She was very white, Tommy,—for the m0’

that,she was always on e 0

’

these very white wimen ,

n ever got red in the face,—bu t she n ever cried a

Most wimin would have cried. I t was queer, butcried. I thought so at the time.

“ She was very tall, with a lot 0’ light hair mean de

down the back of her head,as lon g as a deer-skin whip-l

an d about the colour. She hed eyes thet’d bore you throat fifty yards, an d pooty han ds an d feet. An d whenk in der got ou t 0

’

that stiff, n arvon s state she was in ,warmed up a little

,an d got chipper, by G— d , sir, she

han dsome,—she was that !”

A little flushed an d embarrassed at his own en thu

he stopped, an d then said, carelessly, “ They got Off

Murphy’s .”“Tell ? ” said I sling ton .

W ell,I used to see her Often arte1 thet, and when

was alon e she allus took the box-seat . She kin derher troubles to me

,how her hu sban d got drun k an

her ; an d I d idn ’

t see much 0’

him,for he was

’

Frisco arter thet. Bu t it was all square, Tommy,—al’

twixt me an d her.I got a goin g there a good deal, an d then on e d

to myself, B ill,this won ’

t do,

’

an d I got chan ged to

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6 1 2 MRS. SKAGGS’S H USBANDS.

dow,he sat silen tly with his c len ched han ds on his k n

before him, I slin gton asked where his wife was n ow.

“ Ask me n o more,my boy,—n o more . I

’

ve said mylVith a gesture as of throwing down a pair of rein s behim

, he rose an d walked to the win dow.

Y ou kin u n derstan d,Tommy

,why a little trip aro

the world u d do me good . Ef you can ’t go with me, well

good . B u t go I must.”Not before lun cheon

,I hepe

,said a very sweet

Blan che Masterman su dden ly stood before them.

wou ld n ever forgive me if in his absen ce I permittll

’

Ir. I slin gton’

s frien ds to go in this way. Y ou will stay,you ? DO ! An d you will give me your arm n ow; an d w

Mr. I slin gton has don e starin g,he will follow us in to

din in g -

room an d in trodu ce you .

I have quite fallen in love with your frien d , said MiBlan che

,as they stood in the drawin g-room lookin g a

figu re of B ill,strollin g

,with his short pipe in his m

through the distan t Shru bbery. “ He asks very queertion s, thou gh. He wan ted to kn ow my mother’s no

n ame.He is an hon est fellow,

said I slin gton,gravely.

Y ou are very much subdued. Y ou don ’

t than k me,dare say

,for keepin g you an d your frien d here ; bu t

couldn ’

t go, you kn ow,u n til father return ed.”

I slin gton smiled,bu t n ot very gayly.

An d then I thin k it much better for u s to part herethese frescoes

,don ’

t you ? Good-bye.

”

She exten ded her lon g,slim han d .

Ou t in the sun light; there. when my eyes were red,were very an xious to look at me

,

”she added, in a dan ge

voice .I slin gton raised his sad eyes to hers. Somethin g glitt

upon her own sweet lashes trembled an d fell.

MRS. SKAGGS’S H USBAN0 3 . 6 1 3

Blan cheShe was rosy en ough n ow

,an d would have withdrawn her

bu t Islin gton detain ed it. She was n ot quite certainher waist was also in j eopardy . Y et she could n otin g,

“Are you sure that there isn ’t an ythin g in the

youn g woman that would keep you ? ”Blan che said I slin gton

,in reproachful horror.

If gen tlemen will roar ou t their secrets before an openn dow, with a youn g woman lyin g on a sofa 0 11 the veran da,

stupid Fren ch n ovel,they must n ot be surprised if

ves more atten tion to them than her book .”hen you kn ow all

,Blan che

k n ow,

” said B lan che,

“ let S see—I kn ow the particklaref—ahem - fool you was

,an d expected n o better.

ye .” An d,glidin g like a lovely an d in n ocen t milk

ou t of his grasp,She slipped away .

the pleasan t ripple Of waves, the soun d of music an dvoices

,the yellow midsummer moon again rose overI t looked upon formless masses of rock an d

wide spaces of lawn an d beach,an d a shimmerin g

se of water. I t sin gled ou t particular Obj ec ts,—a

sail in shore, a crystal globe upon the lawn ,an d flashed

somethin g held between the teeth of a crouchin gscalin g the low wall of Cliffwood Lodge . Then

, as

passed ou t from un der the shad Of

to the open moon light Of the garden -path,the

from the wall , an d stood erect an d waiting in

the figure of an Old man , with rollin g eyes , hishan d graspin g a lon g , k een kn ife—a figure morean pitiless

,more pathetic than terrible. B u t the

s stricken from his han d , an d heOf an other figure that apparen tlyhim.

6 1 4 AIRS. SKAGGS’S H USBANDS.

D 1 1 you,Masterman cried the old man , hoarsely

give me fair play,an d I

’ll k ill you yet !”

W hich my n ame is Y uba Bill, said Bill, quietly ; “an

rt S time this d n foolin g was stopped.The Old man stared in B ill’s face savagely .I kn ow you . Y ou’re on e ofMasterman

’s frien ds ; (1

you ! Let me go till I cu t his heart ou t let me gois my Mary —where is my wife —there she is —therethere ! there MaryH e would have screamed, bu t Bill placed his powerfu lhupon his mouth, as he turn ed in the direction of theglan ce . Distin ct in the moon light the figures of I sliBlan che, arm in arm

,stood ou t upon the garden path .

G ive me my wife l” muttered the old man , hoarsbetween B ill’s fingers . ”

Where is sheA sudden fury passed over Y uba Bill’s face.W here is your wife ? ” he echoed , pressin g the Old

back again st the garden wall, an d holdin g him there asvice. “ W here is your wife ? ” he repeated,grim sardon ic jaw an d savage eyes in to the Old man ’sface. W here is Jack Adam’s wife ? I ’Vhere is MY w“

Where is the she -devil that drove on e man mad, that

an other to hell by his own han d,that etern ally broke

ruin ed me ? W here W here Do you ask where ?jail in Sacramen to—in jail

,do you hear —in jail for

John son —murderThe old man gasped

,stiffen ed, an d then , relaxin g, S

slipped,a mere in an imate mass, at Yuba Bill’s feet.

sudden .

revulsion of feelin g, Yuba Bill dropped at hian d

,liftin g him ten derly in his arms, whispered,

“ Look up,old man , John son ! look up, for God’s

It’

s me,Yuba B ill an d yon der is your dau ghter,

Tommy don ’

t you kn ow —Tommy, little Tlin gton

John son ’s eyes slowly Open ed. He whispered,

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6 1 6 THE CHRISTMAS GI FT

heads aroun d him,I wan t it distin ctly un derstood before I

begin mys tery, that I am n ot to be in terru pted by an y ridiculous qu es tion s. At the first on e I Shall stop. At

secon d, I shall feel it my duty to admin ister a dose of caOil

,all roun d. The boy that moves his legs or arms will be

u n derstood to in vite amputation . I have brought my in strumen ts with me

,an d n ever allow pleasure to in terfere with my

busin ess. Do you promise ? ”“ Y es

,Sir

,

”said Six small voices

,simultan eously. The

volley was , however, followed by half-a -dozen droppin gquestion s .

“ Silen ce ! Bob, pu t your feet down , an d step rattlin g

that sword . Flora shall sit by my side, like a little lady, an dbe an example to the rest. Fu n g Tan g shall stay

,too

,if he

likes . Now,turn down the gas a little ; there, thatwill do

j u st en ou gh to make the fire look brighter,an d to Show off

the Christmas can dles . Silen ce,everybody ! The boy who

cracks an almon d,or breathes too loud over his raisin s

,will

be pu t ou t of the room.

”

There wa s a profou n d Silen ce. Bob laid his sword ten derlyaside , an d n ursed his leg thoughtfu lly. Flora

,after coquet

tishly adj u stin g the pock ets of her little apron , pu t her arm

upon the Doctor’s shoulder,an d permitted herself to be drawn

beside him. Fun g Tan g, the little heathen page, who was

permitted , on this rare occasion,to share the Christian revels

in the drawin g-room,surveyed the group with a smile

was at on ce sweet an d philosophical. The light tick in gFren ch clock on the man tel

,su pported by a youn g shepher

of bron ze complexion an d great symmetry of limb, wason ly sou n d that disturbed the Christmas- like peace ofapartmen t—a peace which held the odours of evergreen s, n etoys, cedar-boxes, glue, a n d varn ish in a harmon ious combin ation that passed all un derstan din g.

About four years ago at this time,

” began the Doctor,

THAT CAME TO RUPERT. 6 1 7

atten ded a course of lectures in a certain city . On e of the

professors, who was a sociable, kin dlyman—though somewhat

practical an d hard-headed—in vited me to his house on Christ.

mas n ight. I was very glad to go,as I was an xious to see.

on e of his son s,who

,though on ly twelve years old, was said

to be very clever. I dare n ot tell you how man y Latin versesthis little fellow could recite, or how man y En glish on es hehad composed . I n the firs t place, you’d wan t me to repeatthem secon dly

,I’

m n ot a j u dge of poetry—Latin or En glish.Bu t there were judgeswho said they were won derful for a boy

,

an d everybody predicted a splen did future for him. Everybody bu t his father. H e Shook his head doubtin gly

,n hen ever

it was men tion ed,for

, as I have told you, he was a practical,matter-Of-factman .

There was a pleasan t party at the Professor’s that n igh t.All the children of the n eighbourhood were there, an d amon gthem the Professor’s clever son Ru pert

,as they called him

a thin little chap,about as tall as Bobby there, an d fair an d

delicate as Flora by my side. His health was feeble,his

father said ; he seldom ran about an d played with o therboyspreferrin g to stay at home an d brood over his book s, an d compose what he called his verses .

W ell,we had a Christmas- tree just like this, an d we had

been laughin g an d talkin g,callin g off the n ame s of the

dren who had presen ts on the tree , an d ev erybody wa s veryhappy an d j oyous, when on e of the children sudden ly uttereda cry of min gled surprise an d hilarity, an d said H ere

’

s

ethin g for Rupert—an d what do you thin k it is ? ’W e all guessed . A desk ‘A Copy of Milton ;gold pen ; A rhymin g diction ary.

’ ‘N0 ? What

en ?’

A drum !’A what ? ’ asked everybody.A drum with Rupert’s n ame on it.’Sure en ough there it was . A good- sized , bright, n ew,

6 1 8 THE CHRISTMAS GIFT

brass-boun d drum , with a slip of paper on it, with the in scription ,

‘FOR RUPERT.

’

“ Of course we all lau ghed, an d thou ght it a good jok e.Y ou see you’re to make a n oise in the world

, Ru pertsaid on e. H ere’s parchmen t for the poet

,

’ said an other.

Rupert’s last work in sheepsk in covers ,’ said a third . G iveus a classical tun e, Ru pert,’ said a fourth, an d so on . Bu t

Rupert seemed too mortified to speak ; he chan ged colour, bithis lips

,an d fin ally burst in to a passion ate fit of crying , an d

left the room . Then those who had joked him felt ashamed,an d everybody began to askwho had pu t the drum there. Bu t

n o on e k n cw, orif they did , the un expected sympathy awaken edfor the sen sitive boy kept them silen t. Even the servan tswere called up an d question ed, bu t n o on e could give any ideawhere it came from . An d what was still more sin guleverybody declared that up to the momen t it was produced

,

on e had seen it han gin g on the tree. W hat do I thinW ell

,I have my own opin ion . Bu t n o question s ! E

for‘you to k n ow that Rupert did n ot come down stairs

that n ight, an d the party soon after broke up .I had almost forgotten those thin gs

,for the W ar of the

Rebellion broke ou t the n ext sprin g,an d I was appoin ted

surgeon in on e of the n ew regimen ts , an d was on my way tothe seat of war. B u t I had to pass through the city W herethe Professor lived

,an d there I met him . My first question

was about Rupert. The Professor shook his head sadly :H e

’

s n ot so well he said he has been declin in g sin ce lastChristmas when you saw him . A very stran ge case,’ he added,givmg it a lon g Latin n ame, ‘a very sin gular case. Bu t go an dsee him yourself

,

’ he urged ‘it may distract his min dhim good.’

“ I wen t accordingly to the Professor’s house , an d

Rupert lyin g on a sofa, propped up with pillows .him were scattered his books, an d , what seemed incon trast, that drum I told you about was han ging on a

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6 2 0 THE CHRISTMAS GI FT

are ; an d how that when he read, or grew in terested an d

excited,or when he was tired at n ight

,the throbbin g of

a big artery made the beatin g ou n d he heard. H e listen ed tome with a sad smile of un belief, bu t than ked me, an d in

a little while I wen t away. B u t as I was goin g down stairs, I

met the Professor. I gave him my opin ion of the case -well,

n o matter what it was .

‘H e wan ts fresh air an d exercise,

’ said the Professor,‘an d some practical experien ce of life, sir.

’

The Professorwas n ot a bad man

,

‘bu t he was a little worried an d impatien t

,

an d thou ght— as clever people are apt to thin k—that thin gswhich he didn ’

t u n derstan d were either silly or improper.

“ I left the city that very day, an d in the excitemen t of

battle -fields an d hospitals I forgot all about little Rupert, n or

did I hear of him again , un til on e day, meetin g an old classmate in the army, who had kn own the Professor, he told methat Rupert had become quite in san e, an d that in on e of hisparoxysms he had escaped from the house

,an d as he had

n ever been foun d , it was feared that he had fallen in to theriver an d was drown ed . I was terribly shocked for the

momen t,as you may imagin e ; bu t, dear me

, I was livin gjust then amon g scen es as terrible an d shockin g

,an d I had

little time to spare to mourn over poor Rupert.I t was n ot lon g after receivin g this in telligen ce that we

had a terrible battle, in which a portion of ou r army wasslaughtered. I was detached from my brigade to ride over tothe battle-field an d assist the surgeon s of the beaten division ,who had more on their han ds than they could atten d to.

W hen I reached the barn that served for a temporary hospital,I wen t at on ce to work. Ah

,Bob

,

” said the Doctor, thou ghtfully, takin g the bright sword from the han ds of the halffrighten ed Bob , an d holdin g it gravely before him,

“these

pretty playthin gs are symbols of cruel , u gly realities.”I turn ed to a tall, stout V ermon ter,” he con tin ued, very

slowly, tracin g a pattern on the ru g with the poin t of the

THA T CAME TO RUPERT. 6 2 1

scabbard, who was badly woun ded in both thighs,bu t he

held u p his han ds an d begged me to help others first whon eeded it more than he. I did n ot at first heed his request

,

for this kin d u n selfishn ess was very common in the army ;bu t he wen t on : For G od’s sake

,Doctor, leave me here ;

there is a drummer-boy of ou r regimen t—a mere childdyin g, if he isn ’

t d ead n ow. Go, an d see him first. He liesover there . H e saved more than on e life. H e was a t hispost in the pan ic of this morn in g, an d saved the hon our ofthe regimen t. ’ I was so much more impressed by the man ’sman n er than by the substan ce of his Speech , which was, however

,corrobora ted by the other poor fellows stre lched aroun d

me,that I passed over to where the drummer lay

,with his

drum beside him. I gave on e glan ce at his face—an d—yes ,Bob—yes , my children—it was Rupert.

IVell !well ! it n eeded n ot the chalked cross which mybro ther surgeon s had left upon the rough board whereon helay to show how urgen t was the relief he sough t ; it n eededn ot the prophetic words of the V ermon ter

,n or the damp tha t

min gled with the brown curls that clun g to his pale forehead,to show how hopeless it was n ow. I called him by n ame .He Open ed his eyes—larger, I thought, in the n ew vision thatwas begin n in g to dawn upon him— an d recogn ised me. H e

whispered : ‘ I’m glad you are come

,bu t I don ’

t thin k youcan do me an y good . ’

I could n ot tell him a lie. I could n ot say anythin g. I

on ly pressed his han d in min e, as he wen t on .

B u t you will see father, an d ask him to forgive me .Nobody

“

is to blame bu t myself. I t was a lon g time before Iun derstood why the drum came to me that Christmas n ight,an d why it kept callin g to me every n ight, an d what it said.I kn ow it n ow. The work is don e, an d I am con ten t. Tellfather

,it is better as it is. I shou ld have lived on ly to worry

an d perplex him,an d somethin g in me tells me this is right. ’

H e laystill fora momen t, an d then graspin g my han d, said

THE CHRISTMAS GI FT.

Hark !’I listen ed

,bu t heard n othin g bu t the suppressed mean s

of the woun ded men aroun d me. The drum he said fain tly ;don ’

t you hear it — the drum is callin g me.H e reached ou t his arm to where it lay, as though he

would embrace itListen -he wen t ou it

’

s the reveille. There are theran ks drawn up in review. Don ’t you see the sun light flashdown the lon g lin e of bayon ets ? Their faces are shin in gthey presen t arms— there comes the G en eral—bu t his face Ican n ot look at

,for the glory roun d his head. H e sees me

,

he smiles,it is an d with a n ame upon his lips that he

had learn ed lon g ago, he stretched himself wearily upon the

planks,an d lay quite still.

That’s all.No question s n ow—n ever min d what became of the

drum.

IVho’

s that sn ivellin g "tBless my soul—where’s my pill-box ?

QUE END

PRINTED BY BALLANTYNE, HANSON AND CO.

LONDON AND ED INBURGH

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Su mme r C ru is in g in t h e Sou t h

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PICCADILLY NOVELS, con tin u edB Y R. ASHE KING .

A Draw n G ame .

“Th e Wea rin g of t he G ree n .

"

BY HENRY KINGSLEY.

Number Se ve n t ee n .

B Y E. LYNN LINTON.

Pa t ricia Kemb a ll.The At o n eme n t of Leam Du n d as .

Th e W orld W e l l Los t .

Un d e r whic h Lord“ My Love I

”

lo n e .

Pa s t o n C a rew.

B Y HENRY W. LUCY.

Gid eon Floyc e .

BY yUSTIN MccARTH Y.

The Wa t e rd a le Neighbou rs .

A Fair Saxo n .

Dea r La d y Dis d ain .

Mis s Mis a n t h rope .

Do n n a Qu ixo t e .

Th e Come t of a Sea s on .

Maid of At hen s .

C amio la .

B Y AGNES MACDONELL.

Qu a ker C o u s in s .

B Y FLORENCE MARRYAT.

O pe n ! Se s ame !

B Y D . CHRISTIE MURRAY.

Life ’s At on eme n t . Goa ls of FIre.

Jos e ph ’s C o a t . Va l St ra n ge.

A Mod e l Fa t her. He art s .

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White la d ies .

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ld a lia . Frie n d s hip.

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In e . G u ild eroy.

BY MARGARET A . PAUL.

G en t le an d Simple .

PI CCADILLY NOVELS, con tin u edB Y MES PAYN.

Los t Sir Ma s s in g A G ra pe from a

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W a lt e r’s Wo rd . Some Privat e

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Un d e r O n e Roof. In Pe ril a n d PriA Co n fi d e n tia l va t io n .

Age n t . Ho lid ay Ta s ks .

From Exile Th e Mys t e ry oiMirb rid ge .

BY E. C . PRICE.

Va le n tin a . I Th e Foreign ers .

Mrs . La n c a s t er’s Riva l .

B Y CHARLES READE.

It Is Neve r Too La t e to Me n d .

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Love Me Lit t le , Lo v e Me Lo n g.The C lois t e r a n d t he He a rt h .

The C o u rs e of Tru e Love

The Au t o b iogra phy of a Thief.

Pu t Yo u rs e lf In His Plac e .

A Te rrib le Tempt a t io nTh e Wa n d e rin g Heir. ASimpleton .

A Woma n-Ha t e r. Rea d ia n a.

Sin g le h ea rt a n d Dou b lefa c e .

The Jilt .

Good St orie s of Men a n d otheAn ima ls .

B Y MRS. 3 . H . RIDDELL.

Her Mot h e r’s Da rlin g .

Prin c e of Wa les ’

s G a rd en -Party.

Weird St ories .

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Wome n a re St ra n ge .

The Ha n d s of J u s t ic e .

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Bou n d t o t he Whee l.G u y Wa t e rma n . ITwo DreamsThe Lio n in t he Pa t h.

B Y KATHARINE SAUNDEMa rga re t a n d Eliz a bet h .

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The High Mil ls . Se b a s t ia n .

BY T. W . SPEIG HT.

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The Afgh a n Kn ife .

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Fra u Fro hma n n . l Ma rion Fay.

Ke pt in t he Da rk .

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s FamlThe Lan d -Lea u e rs .

CHATTO WINDUS, PICCADILLY. 2 9

B Y FRANCES E. TROLLOPE.

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B Y C . C . FRASER-TYTLER.

PICCADILLY NOVELS, con tmu ed

B Y SARAH TYTLER.

Wha t She C ame Th ro u gh .

Th e Brid e’

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Bea u ty a n d t h e Bea s t .

No b le s s e O b lig e .

La d y Be l l . Bu ried Diamon d s .

Th e B la c k h a ll G hos t s .

C HEAP EDITIONS O F PO PULAR NOVELS.

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BY EDMOND ABOUT.

he Fe l lah .

B Y HAMILTON AIDE.

arr of Ca rrIyo n . C on fl d e n cee .

B Y MRS. ALEXANDER.

Wife , o r Wid ow

B Y GRANT ALLEN.

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The Devil ’s Die

This Mort a l C o ul .

GOULD.

I Eve .

HAMP.

3 . RICE.

it t le Girl.

’Twa s in Tra fa lga r’s Bay.

Th e Se amy Sid e .

The Te n Yea rs’ Te n an t .

The C hap lain of t he Flee t .B Y WALTER BESANT.

All Sort s a n d C o n d it io n s of Men .

Th e C a pt ain s’ Room.

All in a G a rd e n Fa ir.

Dorot h y Fo rs t er.

Un c le Ja c k .C hild re n of G ib eo n .

Th e W o rl d W e n t Ve ry We l l Then .

He rr Pa u l u s .

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C amp No t e s . I Sa v a ge Life .

C h ron ic le s of No-ma n’

s La n d .

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An Heire s s of Re d Dog .

The Lu c k of Roa rin g C amp.Ca liforn ia n St orie s .

G a b rie l C o n roy . Flip.

Maruj a . A Phy l lis of t he Sierras .

BY HAROLD BRYDGES.

Un c le Sam a t Home .

B Y ROBERT BUCHANAN.

The Shad ow of Th e Ma rtyrd omt he Swo rd . of Ma d e l in e .

AC h ild of Na t u re . An n a n Wa t e r.

G od a n d t h e Ma n . Th e New Abe la rd .

Lov e Me fo r Eve r. Ma t t .

Fo xg love Ma n o r. Th e Heir of Lin n eTh e Ma s t e r of t h e Min e .

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The Shad ow of a C rime .

A So n of Haga r. Th e Deems t e r.

B Y COMMANDER CAMERON.

The C ru is e o f t he B la c k Prin c e .”

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’s G u a rd ia n .

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The C u re of Sou ls .

B Y C . ALLSTON COLLINS.The Bar Sin is t e r.

B Y WILKIE COLL INS.

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Ba s il . Woma n in W h it eHid e a n d See k. Th e Moo n s to n e .

The Dea d Se c re t . Ma n a n d WifeQu e e n of He a rt s . Poo r Mis s Fin c h .

Mis s o r Mrs . ? The Fa l le n Lea v e sNew Ma gd a le n . Je ze be l

’

s Da u ght eTh e Froze n Dee p. The B la c k Ro be .

The Law a n d t h e He a rt a n d Scie n e

La d y.

“I Say No .

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Th eTwo Des tin ies Th e Evil G e n iu s .

Ha u n t e d Ho t e l. Lit t le Nove ls .

A Rog u e's Life .

B Y MORTIMER COLLINS.

Swe e t An n e Pa ge . From Mid n igh t tTra n smig ra t io n . Mid n ig h t .

A Fig h t wit h Fo rt u n e .

MORTIMER Gr FRANCES COLLINSwe e t a n d Twe n ty . Fra n c e s .

B la c ksm it h a n d Sc h o la r.Th e Vil lage C ome d y.

You Play me Fa l s e .

B Y M. 7 . COLQUH OUN.

Every In c h a So ld ie r.B Y MONCURE D . CONWAY.

Pin e a n d Pa lm.

BY DUTTON COOK.

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CHEAP PO PULAR NOVELS, con tin u edB Y C . EGBERT CRADDOCK .

The Proph et of t h e G reat SmokyMou n t a in s .

B Y W ILLIAM CYPLES.

Hea rt s of G o ld .

B Y ALPH ONSE DAUDET.

The Eva n ge lis t ; or, Port Sa lv a tion .

B Y j AMES DE MILLE.

A C as t le in Spain

B Y 7 . LEITH DERWENT.

O u r La d y of Te a rs . I C irc e’s Love rs .

B Y CHARLES DI CKENS .

Ske t c he s by Boz . O liv e r Twis t .

Pic kwic k Pa pe rs . Nic ho la s Nic k le byB Y DICK DONOVAN.

The Ma n -Hu n t e r.

C a u ght a t La s t !

B Y MRS. ANNIE EDWARDES.

A Poin t of Ho n o u r. I Arc hie Love l l .B Y M. BETH AM-EDWARDS.

Fe licia .

BY EDWARD EGGLESTON.

Roxy.

B Y PERCY F ITZGERALD .

Be l la Do n n a . I Ne v e r Fo rgot t e n .

The Se c on d Mrs . Til lot s o n .

Po l ly . I Fa t aiZe ro .

Sev e n ty-fi ve Brooke St ree t .

Th e La d y of Bra n t ome .

B Y PERCY FITZGERALD, 6 0.

St ra n ge Se c re t s .

BY ALBANY DE FONBLA I‘TQUE.

Filt hy Lu c re .

B Y R. E. FRANCILLON.

O lympia . Q u e e n C o ph e t u a .

O n e by O n e . Kin g o r Kn av e .

A Rea l Qu e e n . Roma n c e s of Law.

BY HAROLD FREDERI C .

Set h’

s Brot h e r’

s Wife .

BY HAINERISWELL .

O n e of Two .

B Y EDWARD GARRETT.

The C a pe l G ir ls .

B Y CHARLES GIBBON.

Robin G ray. In Ho n o u r Bo u n d

Fo r Lac k of G o ld . The Flower of t heWha t will t he Fo re s t .

World Say Brae s of Ya rrow.

In Love a n d Wa r. Th e G o ld e n Sh aft .

Fo r t h e Kin g . O f Hig h Deg re e .

In Pa s t u re s G re e n Mea d a n d St re am.Qu e e n of t he Me a Lovin g a Dre am.

d ow. A Ha rd n ot .

AHe a rt’s Prob lem He a rt

’s s light .

The De ad He a rt . B loo d -Mo n ey.

B Y W ILLIAM G IL BERT.

Dr Au s t in’s G u e s t s . | Jame s Du ke .

The Wizard of t h e Mo u n t a in .

B Y j oHN HABBERTON.

Bru e ton’s Bayo u . IC ou n t ry Lu c k .

B Y ANDREW HALLIDAY.

Every-Day Papers .

C HEAP POP ULAR NOVELS, con tin u edB Y LAD Y DUFFUS HARDY.

Pa u l Wyn t e r’s Sa c rifi c e .

B Y TH OMAS H ARD Y.

Un d er t he G ree n wood Tre e .

B Y 7 . BERW ICK HARWOOD .

The Te n t h Ea rl .B Y 3

‘ULIAN HAW TH ORNE.

G a rt h . Se b a s t ia n St rome

Ellic eQ u e n t in . Du s t

Fo rt u n e’s FOO I. Bea t rix Ra n d o lph }

Mis s C a d og n a . Lo v e— o r a Name .

Da vid Poin d e xt e r’s Dis a ppe a ra n c e

Th e Spe c t re of t he C ame ra .

B Y SIR ARTH UR HELPS.

Iva n d e Biron .

B Y MRS. CASHEL H OEY.

Th e Love r’s C re ed .

B Y MRS. GEORGE H OOPER.

The Hou s e of Ra by .

B Y TIGHE H OPKINS.

’Twix t Love a n d Du ty .

B Y MRS. ALFRED H UNT.

Thorn ic roft’s Mod e l .

Th e Le a d e n C a s ke t .

Se lf-C o n d emn ed . ITh at ot he r Pe rs on

B Y j EAN INGELOW .

Fa t e d t o b e Free .

B Y HARRIETT 7AY.

Th e Da rk C o l lee n .

The Qu ee n of C o n n a u gh t .

BY MARK KERSHAW .

Co lon ia l Fa c t s a n d Fic t io n s .

B Y R . ASHE KINGA Drawn G ame .

“Th e W e arin g of t he G re e n .

B Y HENRY KINGSLEY.

O a ks hot t C a s t leB Y j oHN LEYS.

The Lin d s ays .

B Y MARY LINSKILL .

In Exc ha n ge for a So u l .B Y E. L YNN L INTON.

Pa t ricia Kemba ll.The At o n eme n t o f Le a rn Du n d a s .

The Wor ld W e l l Los t .

Un d e r whic h Lo rd IPa s t on C arew.

Wit h a Sil ke n Th re a d .

Th e Re b e l of t h e Family.

“My Lo v e .

”I lo n e .

B Y HENRY W . LUC Y.

Gid eon Fleyc e .

B Y yUSTIN Mcc ARTH Y.

Dear La d yDis d ain iMis sMis a n t h rOpeThe W a t e rd a le iDo n n a Qu ixo t e .

Ne igh bo u rs . ;The C ome t of a

My En emy’

s Sea s o n .

Da u ght er. l aid of At he n s .

A Fair Saxo n . Camiola .

Lln ley Roc hford .

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32 BOOKS PUBLISHED B Y CHATTO B WINDUS.

CHEAP POPULAR NOVELS, con tin u edB Y W . CLARK RUSSELL .

Rou n d t h e G a lley Fire .

O n t he Po’k ’e le Hea d .

In t he Mid d le W a t c h .

A Voya ge t o t h e G ame .

A Boo k fo r t he Hammoc k.The Mys t e ry of t he

“O c ean St a r.

Th e Roma n c e of J e n n y Ha rlowe .

B Y GEORGE AUGUSTUS SALA.

G a s ligh t a n d Day ligh t .

B Y_7 OHN SAUNDERS.

G u y W a t e rma n . I Two Dre ame rs .

The Lio n in t he Pa t h .

B Y KATHARINE SAUNDERSJoa n Me rrywe a t he r. ITh e High Mil ls .

Ma rga re t a n d Eliza b e t h .

Hea rt Sa lvage . I Se bas t ia n .

BY GEORGE R . SIMS.

Rogu e s a n d Va ga b o n d s .

Th e Rin g 0’Be l ls . | Ma ry Ja n e Marrie d .

Ma ry Ja n e’s Memoirs .

Ta le s of To d ay .

B Y ARTH UR SKETCHLEY.

A Ma t c h In t he Da rk.B Y T. W . SPEIGHT.

The Mys t e rie s of He ro n DykeTh e Go ld e n Hoop. IBy Devio u s Ways .

B Y R. A . STERNDALE.

The Afgha n Kn ife .

B Y R LOUIS STEVENSON.

NewAra b ia n Nig h t s . I Prin c e O tto.

B Y BERTHA TH OMAS.

Cres sid a . Prou d Mais ie .

The Vio lin -Player.

B Y W . MOY TH OMAS.

A Fight for Life .

B Y WALTER TH ORNBURY.

Ta le s for t he Ma rin es .

O ld St o rie s Re -t o ld .

B Y T. ADOLPH US TROLLOPE.

Diamo n d C u t Diamo n d .

B Y ANTH ONY TROLLOPE.

The W ay W e Live Now.

Th e Ame ric a n Se n a t or.

Fra u Fro hma n n . Ma rion Fay.

Ke pt in t h e Da rk .Mr. Sc a rbo ro u gh

’

s Family.

Th e La n d -Le a g u e rs . IJo h n C a ld igat eTh e G o ld e n Lio n of G ra n pe re .

By F . ELEANO R TROLLOPE.

Like Ships u po n t h e Se a .

An n e Fu rn e s s . IMa b e l ’s Progre s s .

B Y 3 . T. TROWBRIDGE.

Pa rn e l l ’s Fo l ly .

B Y I VAN TURGENIEFF , 6 0.

St ories from Fo re ig n No v e lis t s .

B Y MARK TWA IN.

Tom Sawye r. I A Tramp Ab road .

Th e Sto le n W hit e Ele ph a n t .

A Ple a s u re Trip on t he C o n t in e n t

H u c k le be rry Fin n . [of Eu rope .

Life o n t h e Mis sis sippi. SPEI GHT .

The Prin c e a n d t he Pa u per.

J. OGDEN AND co. LIM ITED, PRINTERS, GREAT SAFFRON H ILL, E.o.

C HEAP PO PULAR NO VELS, con tin u edB Y C . C . FRASER-TYTLER .

Mis t re s s J u d it h .

B Y SARAH TYTLER.

W h a t Sh e C ame Th ro u g h

Th e Brid e ’s Pa s s Bu rie d Diamon d s .

Sa in t Mu n go’s C ity .

Bea u t y a n d t h e Bea s t .Lad y Be ll. I No b le s s e O b lige .

C it oye n n e Ja c q u e lin e Dis appea red .

Th e H u g u e n o t Family .

Th e Bla c k h a ll G hos t s .

B Y 7 . S. W INTER.

C ava lry Life . Regime n t a l Legen d s

B Y H . F . W OOD.

Th e Pa s s e n ge r from Sc o t la n d Ya rd .

The En g lis hma n of t he Ru e C ain .

B Y LADY WOOD.

Sa bin a .

B Y CELIA PARKER WOOLLEY.

Rac he l Arms t ro n g ; or.LOVe&Theo logy.

B Y EDMUND YATES.

The Fo r lorn HOpe . I La n d a t La s t .

C a s t away.

ANONYMOUS.

Why Pa u l Fe rro ll Kil led his Wife .

POPULAR SHILLING BOOKS.

Jeff Briggs’s Lov e Story. By BRET

HARTE.

The Twin s of Tab le Mou n tain . ByB RET H ARTE.

A Day’s To u r. By PERCY F ITZ GERA

Es t he r’s G lov e By R.

Th e Profe s s o r s W ife .

Mrs . G ain s boro u gh’

s Diamon d s .

JULIANH AWTHO RNE.

Niaga ra Spray . By J. H OLLING SHE

A Roma n c e of t he Qu e e n ’

s Ho u n

By C HARLES JAMES.

Th e G a rd e n t ha t Paid t he Re n t .

TOM JERROLD .C u t by t he Me s s . By ARTHU R KEYSO u r Se n s a t io n Nove l . Edited by IUH . MCC ARTHY , M P.

Do lly . ByJUSTm H .

Lily La s s . By JUSTIM P

W a s Sh e G oo d o r Ba d

Th a t G ir l in B la c k .WO RTH .Beyo n d t h e G a t es . B

O ld Maid’s Pa ra d is e .

Bu rg la rs in Pa ra d is e .

J a c k t h e Fis h e rma n .